| The thesis project is a computer-controlled miniature train system. Sensors along the rail track are used to detect train position. Movement of trains is accomplished through digital to analogue circuitry. Traffic flow in the miniature railway simulates that of a full-scale system. Trains move according to predetermined sets of travel orders and interact with one another based on priority. The operator of the miniature system creates travel orders which is analogous to the preparation of train schedules in the full-scale railway. The elements of randomness incorporated into the control system also simulate that which occurs in the real-world, e.g. random delays result when train or track repair is required. The reliability of the controller can be demonstrated by the injection of disturbance input, i.e. the operator can, at any point in time, enforce a change in the system, for example: alter a train's priority, change a speed limit, halt a train, open or close a switch.;The model developed for the thesis project is based on an existing system, the Canadian Pacific Railway (CP Rail). (Abstract shortened by UMI.)... |
