At Rail Tech Europe at 28, 29 and 30 March the commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) HIMax and HIMatrix safety controllers are at the centre of attention at HIMA’s booth (Hall 3, Booth 343). Thanks to CENELEC SIL 4 approval, open interfaces and a standard operating system, they can be deployed flexibly in the railway industry.

Lean solutions based on mass-produced, COTS controllers cost much less than traditional technology. They focus on what is important: safety. System integrators, rolling stock manufacturers and railway operators can use HIMA’s COTS controllers to implement their safety solutions economically, easily and quickly for applications such as interlockings, level crossings and rolling stock.

Commercial off-the shelf

“COTS safety controllers are becoming the standard in the railway industry. Particularly for interlocking and signalling technology, they have considerable advantages over proprietary technology,” explains Sedat Sezgün, Head of Rail at HIMA.

“Our control systems for the rail industry offer maximum safety and make decentralized interlocking and signalling systems “smart” at a relatively low cost. At the same time, they aren’t burdened with all the unnecessary functions that a central control system controls. At remarkably low prices and with greater flexibility, these lean solutions will become the go-to choice in the long term.”

Ensuring safe operation

Today’s electronic interlocking systems have many functions that are not safety-relevant but which add costs. Ideally, interlocking systems should be purely dedicated to setting points and ensuring safe operation. Their job is to detect changes in the position of the points and send a “track free/not free” signal.

This lean approach is supported by vibration- and shock-resistant HIMatrix and HIMax COTS safety controllers which are also available in extended operating temperature range versions. They fulfill the requirements of EN 61373 Category 1 Class B. Both systems are certified by TÜV in accordance with CENELEC standards EN 50126, EN 50128 and EN 50129 for deployment up to the highest safety level SIL 4.

Open interfaces

HIMatrix systems are suitable for applications that do not need redundancy, while redundant HIMax systems are suitable for use in large stations or traffic hubs. Furthermore, they are designed with open interfaces and a standard operating system such that rail infrastructure companies can benefit from their greater flexibility and future-proof design.

HIMA’s clients in the rail sector include EFACEC, Portugal, COLAS Rail, France, London Underground, Mipro, Finland, Movares, Netherlands, and RCS Australia.