Intelligent transport systems development

© Pavel Minakov, 2022

© Vadim Shmal, 2022

ISBN 978-5-0059-3266-2

Created with Ridero smart publishing system

INTRODUCTION

In the Transport Strategy of the Russian Federation until 2030, the development of intelligent transport systems (ITS) is one of the directions for the formation of a unified transport space of Russia based on the balanced development of transport infrastructure. This is due to the fact that over the past decades, the rapid development of technology has led to the development of various automated systems that have become a reliable working tool for railway transport management. Extensive experience has been accumulated in the development and implementation of various information systems, a powerful potential has been created for the development and implementation of full-fledged production process management systems. Today, the latest achievements in the field of information and telecommunication technologies make it possible to realize the accumulated potential and switch to the information management system of production processes of JSC «Russian Railways», i.e. the creation of a Unified intelligent control system and automation of production processes in the railway transport industry. It is the main automated control system based on the use of the latest scientific developments aimed at improving the quality of transport services and optimizing the interaction of all production units of JSC «Russian Railways». This approach will allow automating with the use of artificial intelligence a number of tasks: the implementation of coordinated integrated operational work management based on the use by all participants of a single information model describing end-to-end production processes covering the activities of operational personnel of all directorates and all levels of management using an integration platform; the possibility of implementing operational automated legally significant information technology interaction of the parties involved in the Unified Technological Process (ETP) within the framework of a single shift-daily and current planning, execution and control of the execution of agreed and approved operational plans; efficiency of fixing physical operational events by ensuring the interaction of system components with floor-mounted devices of railway automation, devices for monitoring the technical condition of rolling stock on the train, identification systems of rolling stock and traction stock using radio frequency identification devices and GLONAS; personification of the responsibility of operational and dispatching personnel when processing documents of technological workflow, fixing operational events in the system, for account of the use of electronic subsystems; the possibility of implementing end-to-end automated control of the modes of execution of technological processes by the operational personnel of the directorates; the possibility of automated end-to-end control of exceeding the maximum permissible (regulatory, budgetary) elements of the costs of technological processes; operational forecasting and cost estimation of non-production losses of technological processes. This intelligent system will provide a high economic effect, provided that the volumes of freight and passenger traffic are carried out in a high-quality and timely manner, the rhythmicity of traffic is observed and the loading is evenly distributed, while social and national transportation is mandatory and traffic safety is ensured.

The methods, models and decision support systems described in the textbook, aimed at creating intelligent technologies in operational work, will serve to more reasonably set and solve complexes of tasks for the creation of intelligent transport.

1 BASIC PRINCIPLES OF INNOVATION AND INVESTMENT ACTIVITY IN THE CONTEXT OF REFORMS

In conditions of a shortage of organizations’ own funds, as well as limited state support, domestic organizations are forced to use a significant part of their resources to finance the current needs of existing production and, in rare cases, to develop new technologies and knowledge—intensive competitive products. The innovation space remains unattractive for domestic capital, foreign investors and private capital. An active innovation policy requires the adoption of extraordinary measures, including the improvement of the system of public investment, credit and tax policy, and extra-budgetary financing.

Before the reforms, the role of the regulatory and financial regulator of innovation in Russia was performed by the state planning and distribution system. Large-scale investments were carried out by the state, the introduction of innovations was ensured by the centralization and concentration of various kinds of resources on priority and most important areas of science and technology development. The specifics of the current situation lies in the fact that the country has significant fundamental and technological reserves, a unique scientific and production base and highly qualified personnel. At the same time, the orientation of this innovative potential to the implementation of scientific achievements in production and other fields of activity is extremely weak. The main difficulties in realizing the innovative potential are associated with the lack of organizations’ own funds, limited budgetary and extra-budgetary financing, including borrowed and borrowed funds.

The decline in production in almost all sectors of the economy, the constant shortage of funds from organizations do not leave resources for innovation. In recent years, innovation activity in the country as a whole has fallen sharply. In the near future, no significant growth in the innovative activity of organizations in various sectors of the economy is predicted. The industries focused on meeting the needs of the domestic market are distinguished by a particularly low level of innovation activity: the light and food industries, the construction materials industry. In conditions of low competitiveness of domestic consumer goods, accompanied by intensive import intervention, the decline in production volumes in these industries continues to be significant. The reversal of the current trend is possible only on the basis of the activation of innovative activities in the relevant sectors of the country’s economy. The composition of innovatively active organizations for the most part remains constant: more than 70% of organizations planning technological innovations in the near future have implemented them in previous years.

The shortage of funds is the main, but not the only factor in the decline of innovation activity. In the conditions of a transitional economy, the scientific and technical sphere was unable to function in the new economic conditions. Scientific and technical developments do not always become an innovative product ready for production and effective implementation. There are problems of legal and organizational order in the protection and transfer of intellectual property, certification of innovative products. The investment mechanism of innovation activity deserves increased attention and significant improvement. Attempts to support all sectors of the country’s economy without taking into account the specifics of their innovation activities and the allocation of priorities do not allow market structures to develop successfully in this area. A special regime for innovations, risk insurance, venture funds, innovative infrastructure are the necessary conditions without which it is impossible to ensure an innovative breakthrough of both a state organization and organizations of other forms of ownership.

At the same time, not only large firms, consortia and associations, but also small organizations require the development of innovative activities. In developed countries, the latter provide about half of all innovations. According to the US National Science Foundation, the number of innovations in small firms per unit of costs is usually greater than in medium and large firms. In addition, small firms are almost a third ahead of large ones in the speed of innovation development. Thus, small innovative organizations are an important factor in the state innovation policy.

Of great importance in the formation of innovation policy is not only the development of a clear strategy and its focus on the formation of a progressive technological order, but also the ability to use the entire arsenal of tools of direct and indirect state regulation for investment in innovation.

The policy of public investment in innovation should be aimed at forming an effective structure of public spending, the level of which should not be less than a certain share of gross domestic product. Measures to increase the efficiency of budget spending should include: financing on an irrevocable basis only innovative projects that have a nationwide character and affect the improvement of the economic security of the country; expansion of the practice of competitive allocation of budgetary funds for the implementation of innovative projects submitted to organizations of any form of ownership. In this case, public and attracted private investments are allocated on a parity basis. First of all, this concerns extra-budgetary funds to support research and development work, part of which will be used to finance domestic and foreign patenting and the maintenance of international patents used in national projects.

Investment activities related to improving the quality of transport services should be based on the following basic principles, focused on compliance with the requirements of a systematic approach, universal values and taking into account the conditions of market relations:

The principle of priority of social and environmental effects, which means that when evaluating the effectiveness of transport projects, it is necessary to take into account, first of all, social and environmental effects, while simultaneously checking them according to safety and environmental criteria.

The principle of an integrated approach, which determines the need to take into account when determining the effectiveness of all possible costs and resources in system quality management, as well as all the emerging results (consequences) of the creation and use of products and transport services provided (results of the organization’s activities) at all levels of management, both in transport and beyond.

The principle of ensuring the minimum impact of incompleteness and unreliability of available information, which means reducing its negative impact on quality management decisions and the results of the entire socio-economic system to the possible minimum.

The principle of comparability of results, which means the need to ensure comparability of the achieved social, environmental and economic effects due to the functioning of the quality management system according to the following criteria:

– social consequences;

– environmental consequences;

– the volume of meeting the needs of developers and transport companies;

– volumes and ranges (interchangeability) to meet the needs of cargo owners;

– a time factor, bringing the effects of different times to the conditions of their commensurability and value by a certain time;

– uncertainty of risks associated with the achievement of effects.

Assessment of the effectiveness of transport and logistics service management should be carried out by comparing data with and without measures taken and implemented.

The principle of mandatory accounting and analysis of costs for quality assurance and management. Without the implementation of this principle, it is almost impossible to determine the economic efficiency of a transport project.

In addition to these rules for determining effectiveness, a number of other principles should be taken into account:

– progressiveness and maximum effect, i.e. when justifying the effectiveness of an event, preference should be given to the one that allows you to get the greatest value of a positive effect;

– the time factor, which makes it mandatory to take into account changes in effects over time, the cost of multi-time results and costs with a preference for faster results and later costs;

– the effects obtained only from the measures under consideration, that is, past or present, but unrelated results and costs should not be taken into account;

– multi-stage determination of the effectiveness of quality management, which means the need to calculate (with different depths) at each stage of development, implementation and implementation of measures to improve the system of transport and logistics services;

– quantitative accounting of the impact of uncertainties and risks of the implementation of quality management measures.

2 GOALS AND OBJECTIVES OF CREATING INTELLIGENT TRANSPORT SYSTEMS (ITS) IN RAILWAY TRANSPORT

2.1 The main development directions

The following priority directions for the development of intelligent railway transport are outlined in the ITS of JSC «Russian Railways»: the creation of an intelligent train, an intelligent locomotive, an intelligent freight station, an intelligent train dispatching control system. The agenda also includes the tasks of creating intelligent railway stations and situational centers of JSC «Russian Railways» as a system-organizing component of preparation and management decision-making. At the same time, the main attention is paid to improving the efficiency of solving the tasks of the production activities of JSC «Russian Railways» with strict compliance with safety requirements.

The implementation of these priority areas is carried out in the context of the creation of the most important infrastructure components of intelligent rail transport, which include:

■ unified information space of railway transport with the mandatory presence of a single high-precision coordinate system and digital geo-base, built using global satellite navigation systems GLONASS/GPS and providing information protection;

■ digital radio communication systems with all rolling stock and railway transport infrastructure facilities;

■ systems for monitoring the location of wagons, locomotives and operating personnel with their automatic identification, built on the principles of integrating RFID (Radio-frequency identification) ground systems and satellite positioning based on GLONASS/GPS;

■ diagnostic and predictive monitoring systems for the condition of wagons and locomotives on the train;

■ systems of situational control and forecasting of critical situations as part of the situation centers of JSC «Russian Railways»;

■ Intelligent operational management systems.

From the standpoint of conceptual technical solutions being developed at JSC «Russian Railways», an intelligent train is a train with an integrated system of auto guidance and self – diagnosis, the creation of which is inextricably linked: with the development of automated control centers and the expansion of the functions of dispatch centralization, especially for high-speed and high-speed traffic lines; the introduction of computer control systems at stations in conjunction with a digital radio channel; the introduction of interval train control systems using satellite navigation and digital radio channel; implementation of complex diagnostic devices at the borders of routes; ensuring compliance of control systems and security systems with international standards.

An intelligent locomotive is a locomotive whose hardware and software must ensure: interoperability due to the compatibility of commands transmitted from the control center, from another locomotive or control car via a radio communication system; obtaining information about the introduction or cancellation of speed limits, the correct position of switches along the route, the freedom of the way, the freedom of crossings; the possibility of transmitting to technical services in real time information about the actual condition of the locomotive equipment and train cars during its movement on the basis of data from remote monitoring and on-board diagnostics with the preservation of all parameters in standard memory blocks.

An intelligent station is a station whose control and safety systems meet the requirements of international standards. The hardware and software of the control systems of the intelligent station must ensure: traffic safety during shunting work at the station; labor safety of station employees; high-speed mode of shunting work; maneuvering movements.

An intelligent train station is a train station, the combination of hardware and software management tools of which allows maximizing the efficiency of the building and the adjacent infrastructure, while all technical, technological and organizational processes take place with minimal human participation. The creation of intelligent train stations is aimed at ensuring comprehensive security, achieving maximum resource-saving effect, improving the environmental situation on the territory of the building and around it, providing maximum comfort for passengers, including those with disabilities. The complex of automated intelligent station systems should include the following functional components:

■ automated life support process control systems (air conditioning, ventilation, heating, electricity, water supply and sewerage), combining management and dispatching of engineering equipment;

■ integrated security system that provides information collection and processing in the station situation center, video surveillance, engineering and technical protection of the station complex, fire extinguishing, environmental monitoring and solving a number of other tasks;

■ communication and telecommunications system, which includes all types of communication, including broadband access \Wi-Fi and \WiMAX, with the provision of information services for station staff and passengers;

■ a system for monitoring the condition of buildings and structures.

An important practical step towards the creation of ITS in JSC «Russian Railways» was the introduction of an intelligent train traffic control system on the high-speed route St. Petersburg – Moscow. In this system, for the first time in practice, such intelligent subsystems as «Auto Dispatcher» and «AutoDriver» were implemented, in which analytical information processing (situational and diagnostic) procedures are implemented, linked to modeling and forecasting the development of events.

A distinctive feature of this system is its structuring into the following systemically linked key blocks:

■ a train traffic control unit that performs the functions of an «Auto dispatcher» and «Automachinist» using satellite navigation technologies and digital communication systems;

■ a traffic safety unit with the expansion of the functions of the CLUB-U integrated locomotive safety system, which includes GLONASS/GPS satellite receivers, as well as electronic maps of the stages and track development of stations, formed on the basis of a single coordinate database. The hardware and software of the unit provide guaranteed delivery of warnings on board the locomotive and the possibility of forced stopping of the train by the train dispatcher in emergency situations;

■ infrastructure condition monitoring and rolling stock diagnostics unit;

■ backbone and technological communication networks and data transmission systems;

■ situational management center with analytical and control systems.

The decision-making scheme in this system is based on an object-oriented model (the operational state of the direction), the construction of an up-to-date train schedule based on the analysis of the regulatory schedule and planned restrictions, taking into account the work carried out by infrastructure facilities of JSC «Russian Railways», monitoring the actual execution of the schedule at the moment, taking into account satellite positioning data. Train driving with the help of the system under consideration is based on a set of hardware and software and functional applications of intelligent car driving, using data on the actual train position, data from the automatic route preparation system, forecast graphs, information from the GID «URAL» system, data on speed limits on sections. The considered components of the intelligent dispatching control system were successfully tested in the organization of high-speed train traffic «Sapsan».

The developed hardware and software tools and technical solutions in the field of creating intelligent railway transport make it possible to organize centralized automated control of train traffic on the railways of JSC «Russian Railways» at a qualitatively new level with the provision of functional, informational, environmental and fire safety. The scientific and technical potential accumulated in this field will contribute to the creation of a new generation of locomotive safety devices, the practical use of GLONASS/SRB satellite navigation technologies and a digital radio channel for complex multi-level traffic safety systems. The development of ITS will make it possible in the near future to ensure the quality of transport services and the safety of transportation on the railways of Russia and in general in the «1520 railway track» at the level of the best world standards.