safety system railway wireless sensing approach

1. DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRONICS AND COMMUNICATION ENGINEERING
Under the Esteemed Guidance of
Mr. A. Karna Rao, M. Tech
Assistant Professor
Presented By
N. KOWSIK (20H71A0420)
G. MAHESH BABU (20H71A0425)
P. ASHOK REDDY (21H75A0403)
Sk. LATHEEF AHMED (20H71A0424)
Enhancing Rail Worker Safety: A NRF-Based Wireless Sensing Approach

2. CONTENTS
• Problem Statement
• Abstract Highlights
• Introduction
• Literature Survey
• Hardware Requirements
• Reference

3. PROBLEM STATEMENT
• The project addresses the complex issue of railway accidents, which can manifest in various forms including head-on
collisions, rear-end collisions, side collisions, derailments, fires, and explosions. These accidents can be categorized
by their effects and causes, involving factors such as driver and signalman errors, mechanical failures of rolling stock,
tracks and bridges.
• The overarching goal of this project is to contribute significantly to the reduction of railway accidents, and workplace
incidents concerning railroad employees. The identified causes are diverse, often stemming from poor weather
conditions, misunderstandings, technical difficulties, lack of knowledge, and negligence on the part of railroad
employees.
• Recognizing these complexities, the project proposes the implementation of a wireless alerting system. By doing so,
we aim to address and mitigate the identified factors contributing to railway accidents. The wireless system seeks to
enhance rail worker safety by providing timely alerts and fostering a safer environment, ultimately contributing to the
overall reduction of accidents within the railway industry."

4. ABSTRACT HIGHLIGHTS
• Project aims to prevent railway worker accidents due to a lack of timely train detection.
• Traditional methods (Treadle mechanisms, inductive sensors, IR beams, RADAR) offer early notifications but lack a
comprehensive solution.
• Proposal: Portable, low-power system using an attachable accelerometer to detect train vibrations on rails.
• Wireless solution minimizes human intervention, ensuring continuous alerts for approaching trains.
• Project goal: Design a wireless alerting system for railway workers to provide ample time for critical decisions upon
detecting an approaching train.
• Utilizing a cost-effective accelerometer sensor with high sensitivity to mechanical vibrations.
• Key task: Notify the worker of an oncoming train using an alerting actuator (vibrator) activated only when a train is
detected.
• Crucial maintenance of a wireless communication link between the track monitoring sensor and the alerting system using
NRF24 wireless transceivers.

5. INTRODUCTION
• The project introduces an innovative approach to enhance railway worker safety through the implementation of a state-
of-the-art wireless alerting system. In the context of rail operations, the safety of workers is paramount, and timely
detection of approaching trains is critical to preventing accidents.
• Traditionally, existing methods have limitations in providing comprehensive solutions. Our project aims to address this
gap by proposing a portable, low-power system that utilizes a cost-effective accelerometer sensor. This sensor, known
for its high sensitivity to mechanical vibrations.
• The integration of this system with an intelligent device, the Arduino microcontroller, plays a central role in ensuring
that workers receive timely alerts regarding the presence of oncoming trains. This introduction will delve into the
motivation behind the project, the broader context of rail worker safety, and the significance of developing an advanced
alerting system tailored to the dynamic needs of mobile workers.
• Crucially, the system maintains a consistent wireless communication link between the track monitoring sensor and the
alerting system. This is facilitated by NRF24 wireless transceivers, ensuring the timely delivery of notifications and
addressing the mobility challenges faced by railway workers.

6. BLOCK DIAGRAM

7. LITERATURE SURVEY
• This Survey Concludes that different Track worker safety system of various kinds of technologies used to
implement this type of system. The implementation of such systems and technologies would have positive impacts
on the safety of track workers in World. Following papers we are referred for identified options to set a baseline of
knowledge and understanding that will be used in later stages of the project.
Table.1:Recent data showing train accidents happened to railway workers in India

8. Project Title Author Key Technologies Objectives/Contributions
Train Collision Avoidance
Using GPS and GSM Module
Aamir Ahamed et al
PIC16F877A microcontroller,
Ultrasonic Sensor, GPS, GSM
Identify obstacles on the
railway track and prevent train
collisions using GPS, GSM, and
ultrasonic sensors.
Android and WSN Based Train
Tracking and Collision
Avoidance
R. Immanuel Rajkumar et al
Wireless Sensor Networks
(WSN), GPS
Utilize WSN nodes on trains to
track and avoid collisions,
updating server and database
with position information.
Track Worker Safety:
Investigating Contributing
Factors and Technology
Solutions
Mitchell Mcclanchan et al
CRC for Rail Innovation,
Various Track Worker Warning
Systems
Evaluate track worker warning
systems for the Australian
network, analyze deficiencies,
and propose improvements
for better worker protection.
Prevention of Railway
Accident using Arduino Based
Safety System
Adoh Lucky et al
Arduino, Various Sensors
(obstacle, smoke, flooding)
Mitigate railway accidents
caused by obstacles, smoke,
and flooding using an Arduino-
based safety system. Improve
safety system reliability.
Railway Track Monitoring and
IR Sensors, Fire Sensor, GSM,
Prevent train accidents by
incorporating fire detection,

9. • Our literature review highlights crucial findings from eight prominent railway safety projects. Common threads
include the integration of technologies like GPS, GSM, and microcontrollers, emphasizing the need for seamless
collaboration.
• Challenges such as power management, environmental adaptability, and data security underscore the complexity
of deploying wireless solutions in the railway context.
• These insights guide our design principles, focusing on integration, energy efficiency, and resilience.
• Challenges faced by these projects prompt us to address scalability, real-time communication, and cost-
effectiveness. Our project aims to build on these lessons, contributing to advancements in railway safety
technology.
Table 2.1 SENSOR IMMUNITY TO VARIOUS PHYSICALAND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS

10. HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS
• Fig.1:Accelerometer
Accelerometer:
• An accelerometer is a sensor that measures proper
acceleration, which is the rate of change of velocity of
an object in its own instantaneous rest frame.
• In simpler terms, it detects changes in motion or
acceleration in the three-dimensional space.
• The accelerometer is the device capable of detecting
changes in motion in the form of acceleration. It can
also measure the vibration of a structure.
• The acceleration is defined as the change in speed or
velocity over time.
• The motion sensors are present inside the
accelerometer.

11. Fig.1:Accelerometer
Feature Description
Working Principle
Measures proper acceleration based on the movement of small masses or elements responding
to changes in acceleration.
Applications
Consumer electronics (e.g., smartphones, gaming controllers), industrial monitoring, automotive
systems.
Sensitivity Highly sensitive, capable of detecting even small changes in motion.
Size Compact, with MEMS accelerometers being particularly small and versatile.
Frequency
Response
Indicates the range of frequencies over which the accelerometer can accurately measure
acceleration.

12. • A differential amplifier is an electronic device that amplifies the difference between two input signals. It is used to
eliminate noise around the original signal.
• The differential amplifier consists of two transistors, a current source, load resistors, and emitter resistors.
• The combination of these components creates a differential amplifier that can amplify the difference between two input
signals, providing a high gain and effective noise rejection .
Differential Amplifier:
Fig.2:circuit diagram of a Differential Amplifier

13. NRF24L01 Transceiver:
Fig.3:nRF24L01 module
• The nRF24L01 is a single chip RF transceiver IC developed by Nordic
Semiconductor. It operates in the license-free 2.4GHz ISM band (ISM –
Industrial, Scientific and Medical) with support for data rates of 250kbps,
1Mbps, and 2Mbps. The nRF24L01 is used on a wide variety of applications
that require wireless control.
• They are transceivers which means that each module can transmit and receive
data. These modules are very cheap and you can use them with any
microcontroller (MCU).
• The nRF24L01 is composed of a frequency generator, beat controller, power
amplifier, crystal oscillator modulator, and demodulator. The range of the
module with an antenna is more than 1000 meters in an open area.

14. Fig 3.1 nRF24L01 pin diagram Table 3.2 pin description of nRF24L01
Table 3.3 operational modes configuration of nRF24L01

15. Arduino UNO:
Arduino UNO is based on an ATmega328P microcontroller. It is easy to use compared to other boards, such as the
Arduino Mega board, etc. The board consists of digital and analog Input/Output pins (I/O), shields, and other circuits. The
Arduino UNO includes 6 analog pin inputs, 14 digital pins, a USB connector, a power jack, and an ICSP (In-Circuit
Serial Programming) header. It is programmed based on IDE, which stands for Integrated Development Environment. It
can run on both online and offline platforms.
Fig.4:Arduino Uno Board Fig 4.1 Components of Arduino Uno board

16. Reference:
• [1]Santos, Jose, Michael Hempel, and Hamid Sharif. "Sensing techniques and detection methods for train
approach detection." 2013 IEEE 78th Vehicular Technology Conference (VTC Fall). IEEE, 2013.
• [2]Backs, J. A. J., J. A. Nychka, and CC St Clair. "Warning systems triggered by trains could reduce collisions with
wildlife." Ecological Engineering 106 (2017): 563-569.
• [3]Mostafa, MohgaMaged, Khalid Eskaf, and Osama Badawy. "Predicting Train Derailments Using Vibration
Sensors And Wireless Transmitters." 2017 27th International Conference on Computer Theory and Applications
(ICCTA). IEEE, 2017.
• [4]Zhao, Yuliang, et al. "A review on rail defect detection systems based on wireless sensors." Sensors 22.17
(2022): 6409.
• [5]Jing, Jin, and Jian Zhu. "An Improvement of Radar-Based Method Used in Safety Protection for Trackside
Staff." 2020 10th International Conference on Power and Energy Systems (ICPES). IEEE, 2020.

17. THANK YOU