UNDERGROUND TRAIN DRIVER’S SIMULATOR

 APPLICATION

The simulator is used for training of underground train drivers, evaluation of their reaction and actions in emergency situations and their examination.

The efficiency of training is ensured through the detailed control of the training process and a wide selection of “emergency situations”. Having mastered their skills with the help of the simulator, train drivers are able to manage all sorts of situations, thus significantly increasing the train driving safety in the underground.
 

FEATURES
- The simulator incorporates the car cabin equipment arranged in accordance with the cabin layout;
- Digital video recording and processing is used to create the picture of the depot, tunnels, stations and dead-ends;
- The operative algorithms are based on the logics of electric and pneumatic circuits of the electric train, which is the most effective instrument to provide the adequate response of the simulator to driver’s actions;
- Simulation is performed taking into account the track profile (turns, humps, inclines and other parameters);
- Fragments of real noise background of the cabin are used to simulate the sounds produced by pneumatic equipment, doors, cars;
- Emergency situations can be generated to practice corresponding actions prescribed by the existing instructions;
- Special software and algorithms have been developed to provide “real" video;
- The train schedule is controlled using the station’s current time and train interval indicator which is set up by the instructor.

COMPOSITION
- Instructor’s workstation;
- Driver’s workstation;
- Corresponding equipment of the underground car cabin (81-717.5М);
- Interface block connecting the computer of the instructor’s workstation with the electrical and pneumatic equipment of the car cabin.
 

Instructor’s and driver’s workstations:
- Computer;
- Licensed software;
- Applied software;
- Maintenance documentation.

Equipment of the underground car cabin (cabin designation: 81-717.5М):
- Driver’s control panel (digital speedometer);
- Cam controller;
- Driver’s valve;
- Safety pedal, sound pedal;
- Rack with relays and automatic circuit-breakers;
- Safety devices;
- Pointer indicators (kilovoltmeter, engine current ammeter, ammeter in cabinet);
- Brakes and valves (electric pneumatic valve, parking brake valve, automatic braking gear, etc.);
- Toggle switches.

FUNCTIONALITY

The software of the instructor’s workstation is designed to perform the following functions:
- Centralized control of the simulator;
- Setting of movement parameters;
- Setting of the current time and train interval indicator;
- Running of driving sessions;
- Selection and running (cancellation) of emergency situations;
- Generation of emergency situations;
 -Evaluation of driver’s actions in emergency situations;
- Functional check;
- Maintenance of a database with data about drivers training (training results can be presented in the form of tables);
- Reception and processing of data from the driver cabin equipment used in the simulator;
- Control of display on the driver’s workstation;
- Simulation of underground signalization and interlocking, including signals of the speed control system;
- Virtual panel: the driver’s panel, the positions of controls and indicators, as well as the state of automatic circuit breakers and lamps are displayed on the screen.
 

The software of the driver’s workstation is designed to perform the following simulations:
- Simulation of movement in a tunnel, at stations, at dead-ends and at depots;
- Simulation of the current time and train interval indicator;
- Simulation of emergency situations:
  • a man falling onto the track;
  • fire, smoke or flooding in a tunnel and fire or smoke at a station;
- Simulation of train movement in emergency situations:
  • Arrival to a partially occupied track;
  • Non-stop passage through a station;
  • Departure in a wrong direction.
 
 

 ADVANTAGES

Using the simulator, train drivers can practice their driving skills by performing actions as if in a real train. The simulator provides simulation of the picture observed by the driver when moving at depots, in tunnels, at stations and dead-ends during normal operation and emergency situations.
Various emergency situations can be simulated, including those which are difficult to reproduce using real rolling stock:
- Failure of light signals and automatic speed control floor devices;
- Movement in an opposite direction, fire, a man on a track, etc.
Automatic control, recording and evaluation of driver’s actions are performed when running emergency situations. Individual records for all drivers are maintained in the database, which facilitates evaluation of drivers’ skills. The records contain the following information:
- Results of “emergency gaming”;
- Time taken to handle emergency situations;
- Driver’s actions in each situation.
As there is no need to use real cars, the simulator provides for energy saving, the more so since its own power consumption is low.
The simulator is always ready for operation and can be run uninterruptedly. Emergency situations can be generated quickly and in any combination. This makes the training process more flexible and provides also for time saving.

The simulator has been installed in two depots of the Minsk Underground and in the driver’s school of the Kiev Underground.

For any questions, please contact the developers at:
Tel.: (+375 17) 267 77 94, 267 07 24
E-mail: s1@niisa.iptel.by