Electrics & software: pioneering technologies

Thanks to our extensive experience with various vehicle types and approval areas, we at CE cideon engineering are your competent partner for your challenge. Whether it’s modernization, refit, obsolescence or substitution, demonstrator and prototype development, control cabinet design or research projects – together we will find a solution tailored to your individual needs.

We know the technologies that will move the industry in the future. And we know how you can use them to your advantage. Benefit from our expertise in TCMS development and ETCS integration.

We work with you to develop functional vehicle concepts for new vehicles, platforms and refits. We support you in the system development and electrical integration of subsystems. We specify, implement and test the software for the vehicle control system, diagnostics and HMI. We create type test specifications and validate directly on the vehicle.

“The aim over the next few years will be to permanently and steadily expand the portfolio both within and outside our industry. We also want to significantly strengthen the continuation and expansion of product developments…”, says Andreas Aspeleiter (Head of Electric & Control Systems).

Vehicle concept & system engineering

Do you want to develop subsystems for a complete rail vehicle in compliance with standards or do you need technical support with the EMC and earthing concept? Then our team is here to help. Where once braking was exclusively mechanical and diesel-electric, today hybrid solutions consisting of dynamic brakes and traction batteries are used. We have experts in all fields. And thus find the best possible application for you.

Do you want to modernize your system? It is often not so easy to integrate new functions into outdated systems. Where hard-wired circuits were used in the past, software-based control systems now do the work. During the reengineering process, we gain an overview of your system in order to provide you with the best possible advice and to start in the right place. We identify obsolete components. We find the right spare parts and offer you new ways to use your system sustainably in the long term.

We are also at your side when it comes to substituting vehicle parts. We reprogram entire systems. Vehicles that are 60 years old were often last modernized 30 years ago. The hardware, software and registration systems no longer exist today. No problem for us – with sustainability in mind, we focus on retrofitting. We supply you with new hardware for your vehicle and program the new software. So that you still have the right spare parts for the next 30 years. Rely on refurbishment: sustainable, simple and economical.

Functional safety

Nothing is more important than the safety of passengers and staff. For this reason, our certified safety engineers carry out a hazard and risk analysis at the start of every project. Safety integrity levels (SIL) are calculated, fault trees are created and finally technical safety reports are drawn up. We test your systems – regardless of the rail sector. In our portfolio, we offer you the complete scope from researching applicable
EU directives (e.g. Machinery Directive) and harmonized standards, evaluating the performance level (PL) with Sistema, preparing the EC/EU declaration of conformity through to the final CE marking of the products.

Electrics & circuit diagram

Control and bus cables form the nerve pathways of every train. We support you throughout the entire process. Starting with the design and selection of electrical components and cables, through the component system and database maintenance in Zuken E3.series (schematic, cable, panel, dbe, fluid), EPLAN P8 and Engineering Base, to the entire control cabinet design.

We are familiar with the following software tools ELCAD, RUPLAN, Creo, Selectron Toolchain, TIA Portal and SISTEMA. We support you with cable routing in the vehicle and create terminal diagrams and cable lists.

Software

Brake control, multiple traction and passenger information: A train is full of software. How do you bundle and control all these subsystems so that they work together reliably? We can help you with this – starting with the design of the architecture: centralized or decentralized? From the design of the digital bus systems (TRDP, CANopen, MVB, IBIS-IP) to the integration of telemetry systems. We specify, program and test the entire control technology, including the configuration of Ethernet-based network switches (QoS, VLAN, DHCP, routing). We pay particular attention to security, which we prove with our standard-compliant process.

Testing & validation

Rail vehicle systems are among the most complex solutions in the world. Countless components and systems have to interact smoothly in a wide variety of scenarios. We test this with a sophisticated strategy that we have refined over the years. First in individual software modules, then in combinations of several modules in the customer-specific development environment. Finally, we test the entire vehicle and its systems during commissioning – statically and dynamically in single and multiple traction – at the manufacturer’s and operator’s premises. We also test the behavior outside the area of application (negative tests) in order to guarantee maximum safety. The validation of the specifications completes our portfolio throughout the entire development process in accordance with the V-model.

Measurements on the vehicle

Protective measures with regard to electrical hazards in railroad applications are regulated in the standard for railroad applications EN 50153. The standard specifies how vehicles and their components are brought to earth potential and which measured values must be complied with during an electrical test.
The standard specifies that the resistance between the upper part of the vehicle body and the rails must not exceed 50 mΩ for railcars and passenger coaches and 150 mΩ for freight wagons. A constant current of 50 A and a maximum measurement voltage of 50 V are assumed for the calculation of the resistance values.

CE cideon engineering covers all the necessary requirements for low-resistance resistance measurement on rail vehicles. We carry out the measurement for you using a high-precision measuring device so that you do not need your own measuring device. In order to meet all individual requirements, it is possible to adapt the test currents to up to 100 A.

The use of long measuring cables means that even long measuring distances can be bridged. Another benefit is the fact that our measuring system is independent of the mains due to the internal rechargeable batteries. We create a detailed measurement protocol and a comprehensive test report for you at the end of the process.