Although the Automatic Train Operation (ATO) is consolidated in urban railways, its use on mainlines is still unexplored. Currently, the first prototypes of train with ATO capable of running on mainlines equipped with specific control systems (e.g., ETCS/ERTMS in Europe) have been realized. However, they require the active presence of staff on board. Recent research in innovative solutions for railway efficiency has opened to the possibility of extending the ATO concept to the Unattended Train Operation (UTO), i.e., the full automation of infrastructures and vehicles. In this context, a project based on synergistic collaboration between academia and the national railway industry has led to the definition of a new Vital Control module (VC). VC includes a PCB, managed by a reliable and safe hard Real-Time Operating System (RTOS). The hardware consists of a Eurocard-sized PCB that houses an Ultrazed-EG System on Module as computing core and embeds several communication interfaces to favor the inclusion in existing apparatus. The VC RTOS runs an application logic that acts as a real-time control core for the assessment of the on-cabin equipment operativity. VC is also responsible for detecting UTO-related hazardous situations by intervening with emergency braking. Both VC hardware and software are developed to be compliant with related safety standards. The proposed VC has been included in an automatic testbed to recreate real-time hazardous scenarios. In this context, VC system has proven to be able to mitigate these scenarios ~2 times faster than current ATO protection system.

Abstract Recent advances in technology and railway have led to the introduction of systems and infrastructures capable of driving trains automatically. The Automatic Train Operation (ATO) system has been optimized for active human supervision. The next challenge is to realize ATO systems capable of achieving unsupervised operations on the mainlines. However, at this aim, additional safety functionalities should be provided. In this paper, we propose a pioneer hardware/software Vital Control Module (VCM) architecture capable of expanding the control capabilities of the existing train control system. The VCM includes a Printed Circuit Board (PCB), to be integrated into the cabin equipment, managed by a reliable and safe hard Real-Time Operating System (RTOS). Both hardware and software are developed to be compliant with related safety standards. The VCM integrates an application logic that acts as an on-board equipment control core, assessing the overall operativity in real-time, and promptly issuing emergency brakes if hazardous situations occur. The application logic has been developed with a model-based approach via Simulink/Stateflow tool and implemented as a C-script on the Xilinx Ultrascale + core housed on the PCB. We have used two testbeds to evaluate the VCM performance. Experimental results showed that the Worst-Case Response Time (WCRT) by the application logic is 13.6 times smaller than the most limiting specification-related deadline. The achieved earliness (− 1.8 ms out of 2 ms of deadline) allows for the easy expansion of VCM’s train protection capabilities in the future. Results from the second testbed showed that the VCM can intervene to mitigate hazardous situations ~ 2 times faster than the current automatic train protection systems according to the related standard.

This paper presents a new procedure to design a control law using the classical interconnection and damping assignment technique within the passivity-based port-Hamiltonian framework. The sought goal is to reduce the complexity of solving the so-called matching equations. The proposed approach is applied to two case studies of planar rolling nonprehensile manipulation, namely, the ball-and-beam and the eccentric disk-on-disk. The performance of the resulting controllers is illustrated through both simulations and experimental results, showing the applicability of the design in a real setup.

This paper presents an optimal trajectory planner for a robotic batting task . The specific case of a table tennis game performed by a robot is considered. Given an estimation of the trajectory of the ball during the free flight, the method addresses the determination of the paddle configuration (pose and velocity) to return the ball at a desired position with a desired spin. The implemented algorithm takes into account the hybrid dynamic model of the ball in free flight as well as the state transition at the impact (the reset map). An optimal trajectory that minimizes the acceleration functional is generated for the paddle to reach the desired impact position, velocity and orientation. Simulations of different case studies further bolster the approach along with a comparison with state-of-the-art methods.

A backstepping approach is proposed in this paper to cope with the failure of a quadrotor propeller. The presented methodology supposes to turn off also the motor which is opposite to the broken one. In this way, a birotor configuration with fixed propellers is achieved. The birotor is controlled to follow a planned emergency landing trajectory. Theory shows that the birotor can reach any point in the Cartesian space losing the possibility to control the yaw angle. Simulation tests are employed to validate the proposed controller design.