Fail safe computing platform developed for rail
Artesyn has used COTS components to create ControlSafe, a fail safe computing platform for train control and rail signalling applications that can be certified to SIL4.
Shlomo Pri-Tal, vice president for ControlSafe Platforms, said: "It is fundamentally a safe, reliable computer that can be run across many industries. The computing is generic, but the I/O is application specific."
ControlSafe features two redundant ControlSafe Computers (CSC), delivering fail-safe operation. These are linked by a Safety Relay Box that monitors the health of the CSCs, designating one as active and the other as standby, while controlling fail-over operation between them.
Each CSC features two identical boards that run in data lock-step and implement a two out of two voting mechanism. Proprietary extensions to Wind River's VxWorks 653 operating system assure 'loose synchronisation' of the CPUs.
