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The AGC (Autorail Grande Capacité) from Bombardier is part of the latest generation of regional trains for local and long-distance travel. Kontron developed the hardware of the Train Management System (TMS), the Graphical User Interface (GUI) and the Remote I/Os of the AGC.

The conductor and maintenance personnel use the GUI to access the TMS in real time. The TMS acts as the central system of the train and is also a gateway in between several networks like WTB, MVB, LON, CAN, Ethernet and wireless connections offering remote connections. The goal is to have a fast and transparent data transfer of the train’s core functions and to manage the passenger oriented comfort systems. The Remote I/Os are developed by Kontron to offer an optimized economic solution for I/O’s decentralized management on a network like MVB-, or Ethernet.

The EN50155 standard for electronic railroad applications places heavy demands on the Kontron hardware. The standard assumes that electronic systems on trains will need to operate 24 hours a day for 30 years, or approximately 250,000 hours, without failure. This means that train management systems must be designed to withstand the toughest environmental conditions: extended temperature ranges (-40°C to +85°C), humidity, vibrations and power fluctuations. Even heat build-up and therefore energy absorption have to stay within narrow ranges: only passive cooling technologies are permitted.

Picture of a train management system
 

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Kontron and Florida-based Imperx, a market leader in mobile imaging, have come out with a new proven platform for the imaging industries, also used in Unmanned Avionic Vehicles. Based on Kontron’s 3.5" CPU board JRex-PM with an Intel® Pentium® M processor and the Imperx FrameLink- JFLEX™ card, this ready-to-use bundle can be installed by providers of image analysis solutions as well as OEMs and systems integrators in machines and systems. The extremely robust and reliable bundle is currently being used in US Navy Unmanned Avionic Vehicles (UAV) purposes and other governmental entities for surveillance and homeland security purposes.

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Kontron produces ultra low power-dissipating 6U VME Single Board Computers (SBCs) for the driverless automated trains that connect air terminals in many airports around the world. Kontron embedded computers contribute to the reliability of the driverless train shuttle at the airports of London Heathrow, Beijing, Singapore, Dallas Fort Worth, Madrid and Miami. Dissipating less than 7 Watts, this SBC, the VCE405 can be used in fan-less natural convection environments. For automated train applications, the commercially available VCE405 has been enhanced with an application dedicated features, including a front panel display and a 'VITAL' processor reliability feature. Kontron's design team has integrated these enhancement features into the COTS product as a manufacturing build option for the full benefit of the customer. This COTS-Modified, custom COTS product marries the low cost advantage of COTS products with the advantages of COTS products shipped in volume, namely short lead time, low recurrent costs, best manufacturing quality and permanent obsolescence monitoring, providing the perfect fit to the application needs through the tailorization of the product.

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To offer a maximum of comfort to the passengers during intercity travels, tilting technology is more & more implemented in the new generations of trains. This equipment is based on 2 parallel independents computer networks for 100 percent safety of different technologies (first system: VME based on 68k with VRTX32; second system: VME based on x86 with QNX) to minimize common mode risks. Helped by a very large portfolio of Kontron COTS products Kontron realized successfully this equipment by a judicious choice of reliable & stable standards like Vrtx32, QNX and VME for the system bus.

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Voyager, Bombardier Tilting train for Virgin, United Kingdom.
(Photo copyright of Bombardier).

Crude oil is increasingly extracted from greater and greater depths under the sea. This often requires the use of innovative drilling technology. Electronic control technology, frowned upon until recently, is now finding its way to the sea bed bore holes; it is based on VMEbus systems. "There's still enough oil", says Werner Menz, manager of the electronic engineering department of Cameron, an international company specializing in supervisory systems for oil drilling and extracting. "It just gets more and more difficult to reach it."

Detzem, a small town in the middle of the wine-growing region about 25 km from Trier, is also the location of one of the four barrages on the Moselle. These systems usually comprise a lock, weir and power station. The barrage at Detzem is a "sector weir" composed of three approximately 40m wide and 8m high sectors, the levels of which can be adjusted by a system of water conduits in the head water and tail water. In the autumn of 1997 the complete refurbishment of the electrical and control equipment for the weir was put under contract by WMA Coblenz with BEA TDL (Elektrotechnik und Automation Technische Dienste Lausitz GmbH). Automation & Software Günther Tausch GmbH was in turn given the job of developing the control section by BEA TDL.

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During March 2007 a series of QinetiQ research activities culminated with a Royal Air Force (RAF) pilot successfully controlling multiple unmanned aircraft from the cockpit of a Tornado military jet. For this series of flight trials, QinetiQ’s sophisticated control software was hosted on a dedicated Kontron platform comprising a mix of standard, off-the-shelf boards based on 3U CompactPCI® and VME embedded computing form factors as well as Kontron industrial servers.

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Loewe Opta was founded by Dr. Siegmund and David Loewe together with two partners in Berlin during the depression of 1923. One year later they presented the first integrated circuit in the history of electronics. The triple tube was co-developed with Manfred von Ardenne, a world-renowned scientist in the field of Television and electron microscope technology. Consequently, Loewe also presented the first all-electronic TV receiver at the International Broadcast Exhibition 1931 in Berlin. In 1951 the 'Optaphon', the first tape recorder using cassettes rather than tape reels, was produced by Loewe. Loewe continues to be a medium-sized highly innovative corporation concentrating on 'consumer electronics', telecommunications and car electronics.

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Grossenhainer was looking to reduce the mechanical part of their spinning machines by one third. The key to this innovation: A VMEbus system from Kontron and four Lenze drives connected through CAN.

The production of thread demands exceptional precision: The cotton band has to be stretched by a factor of 10, strengthened and then evenly rolled up on a spool. The key demand of this process is an even thickness of the thread: A typical cotton thread contains 120 fibers across its diameter. A deviation of just 10 percent results in inferior thread.

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Kontron's Proton system is based on VME and VxWorks. This equipment is a part of the control system. The application is called proton therapy.
'Surgery with Electrons'

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The planning and development of the entire control system for the subway and suburban railway network in Warsaw was carried out by the Faculty of Transport at the Warsaw University of Technology in co-operation with Kontron. The world-renowned ‘Remote Control and Supervisory System’ was first installed in 1994. The subway system has expanded rapidly and so too has the control technology. A distinctive technical achievement for rail transport safety is the computer

interlocking system, which complies with SIL-4, the highest railway safety standard. This guarantees the correct interaction of more than 3,000 real-time I/Os. The hardware configuration will be available for years on end and offers an extremely high MTBF.

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Big Buildings under Control
Honeywell, established in 1885, is considered to be the world's largest company devoted to control and automation. Honeywell's world headquarters are in Minneapolis, MN. It is a multi-billion dollar organization doing business in more than 90 countries around the world.

Honeywell's building control systems help solve energy management problems in addition to control the environmental, security and operational parameters of buildings. More than 100 million homes and more than 3 million commercial buildings use Honeywell controls worldwide.

Kontron, established 1959 is today the leading supplier of single Eurocard (3U) VMEbus cards and systems for real-time industrial automation and control. Kontron's boards and systems are used in many real-time industrial systems from subway control to industrial controls or in space missions. A key component in Kontron's product strategy is transparent networking with fieldbus applications linking remote sites on the other side of the globe to a control system as if they were next door.

Kontron has built up a solid experience within embedded electronics for railways. During these last seven years, Kontron has been involved with the deliveries of embedded computers in the following key projects: AGC (Autorail Grande Capacité), East TGV, Autorail (CFD) and JAVAVAL (automatic train in Lille city) in France. Other projects in the United Kingdom include Virgin’s Voyager, Electrostar, Turbostar, Meridian and Pioneer. With this knowledge, Kontron offers solutions based on generic electronic platforms completely EN50155 certified.

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Satellite ground stations combine the requirements of 7/7 uninterrupted operation, many years of field service and the implementation of computers in some odd places on the globe. Kontron VME Integrated Platforms have been selected to be the heart of the future European GPS system ground stations. The eleven 6U VME x86 board Platform processes the ultra precise clock signals which give this positioning system its outstanding precision. Turn-key computers have been delivered to multiple partners of the program. They operate under Linux or a certifiable version of a Real-Time O.S.

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Mobile Radar Systems are crucial to the artillery radar team to quickly locate enemy long-range artillery and rocket launcher positions. The system technology features include high-speed computing, automatic target recognition, computer-based decision aids and high-speed networks.
Kontron’s 6U VME PowerPC boards are part of major Mobile Radar Systems programs. While being available in rugged conduction cooled for the harshest environments and providing very high Digital Signal Processing performance, the Kontron’s 6U VME Computing Nodes computers are the right choice for this sort of applications.

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Radars, and more sharply Signal Aperture Radars (SAR), digital processing systems needs an association of powerful processing nodes and efficient data interfaces to sustain both the high throughput data flows delivered by the sensors and computing nodes. In airborne application, the constraints of minimum of weight, high temperature of operation, as well as immunity to shocks and vibrations are added to the intrinsec performance in signal processing. The Kontron‘s 6U VME PowerNode5 has been chosen both in UAV major program and in the Rafale fighter by fitting all the high requirements while offering market standard RapidIO high speed switch fabric and dual PowerPC970FX processing powerful necessary for Digital Signal Processing.

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Unmanned Avionic Vehicle are more and more used in military roles not only in surveillance but also in attacks to avoid human beings in dangerous areas. The UAV are pre-programmed to carry out fully autonomous missions and can be redirected in flight by the operator on the ground. The Kontron’s 6U VME PowerNode5 has been chosen in THALES UAV major program by fitting all the high requirements while offering high speed RapidIO switch fabric and dual 970FX processing powerful necessary for Digital Signal Processing.

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Modern vessels such as frigate embark many computers. Massively parallel computation is required to process all signals for Radar, Sonar, Optronics, Electronic warfare applications called High Performance Embedded Computing (HPEC). Kontron PowerPC systems have been selected to power the most modern Frigates in the European fleets. The delivery of pre-certified turn-key Kontron platforms with rich software stacks give the equipment integrators a quicker path to application development and provide the assurance of long term support at the computer level for all this major ship equipment.

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To brake a moving object in a controlled manner is quite a complex job. One of Kontron's customers is the worlds largest brakers in the world. They equip mainly rail-based transportation equipment with brakes and brake controls. Considering a multi-car train with different loads it is clear that braking such a train precisely without skidding, brake locking or even de-railing is quite a complex job. This customers use 3U VME boards from Kontron.

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