With the establishment of the new working group (WG) “Train Applications” for PROFINET, PROFIBUS International aims at yet another application area: railway engineering.
Until now, the information transfer in trains utilized special bus systems, which are standardized as part of IEC 61375 (Train Communications Network, TCN). To utilize the advantages of IT integration together with the “Rolling Stock” application area, leading providers and users decided on using Ethernet-based solutions for future applications. The evaluation of the different systems showed that PROFINET is perfectly suited for these applications. The decisive reason was provided by the performance of Isochronous Real-Time (IRT) of PROFINET, even in conjunction with redundant applications, and the feedback-free coexistence of real-time and IT applications in a PROFINET network.
The goal of the newly founded WG is to define universal interfaces for the “Rolling Stock” area and to integrate them into the international standardization of this industry sector. In essence, this includes Leaflet 556 “Train bus” of the UIC (Union Internationale des Chemins de Fer) and the IEC 61375.
It is planned to establish a series of subject-specific working subgroups from the current working group. As a first step, the “Vehicle/Train Interface” group was formed. Other subjects include traction switch, energy supply, drive, brake, climate control, on-board information system, recorder, auxiliary generator set, door control and control panel.
PROFIBUS International
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Barbara Weber
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Phone: ++ 49 7 21 / 96 58 - 5 49
Fax: ++ 49 7 21 / 96 58 - 5 89
E-Mail: press@profibus.com
