Embedded computing system uses COTS components

Able to be used for a wide range of train control and rail signaling applications, Artesyn Embedded Technologies have announced that the Safety Integrity Level 4 (SIL4) certification for the Artesyn Embedded Computing ControlSafe Platform (CSP) with ControlSafe Computer (CSC) and ControlSafe Software, is one of the first embedded computing systems to use Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) components to create a fail-safe and fault-tolerant computing platform.

The ControlSafe Platform enables rail application developers and system integrators to substantially accelerate time-to-market without being deterred by the potentially high costs and risks associated with the stringent SIL4 system development and certification process, a process that can take multiple years to accomplish.

Artesyn will demonstrate the ControlSafe Platform at the InnoTrans exhibition (Hall 6.1, booth 226) in Berlin, Germany between September 20th and 23rd, 2016. Linsey Miller, Marketing Vice President, Artesyn Embedded Technologies, said: “We have been working closely with a number of leading rail integrators to develop this new product to ensure it effectively addresses their pain points and can significantly shorten their time-to-market. With this SIL4 certification issued by TÜV SÜD, one of the most trusted certification bodies worldwide, we are showing a commitment to rail industry customers with an unmatched, highly reliable platform with 15 years of planned product life and 25 years of extended support and service available.”

Designed to deliver best-in-class platform hardware availability of six nines (99.9999%), Artesyn’s ControlSafe Platform is designed to meet the functional safety, reliability and availability requirements mandated by rail standards and specifications. This makes Artesyn’s ControlSafe Platform ideal for deployment in safety application environments to protect investment in rail infrastructure. It uses a data lock-step architecture that supports high performance modern processors, and is modular, scalable and designed to seamlessly accommodate additional I/O interfaces as well as new processor architectures throughout the product life cycle. In addition, the ControlSafe Platform’s hardware-based voting mechanism maximizes software transparency to allow rail application developers to migrate existing application software with minimal modifications.

The ControlSafe Platform consists of two redundant ControlSafe Computers (CSCs), each of which delivers highly available fail-safe operation. They are linked by a Safety Relay Box (SRB) or Direct Connect Algorithm (DCA) that monitors the health of the two CSCs, designates one as active and the other as standby, and controls fail-over operation between the two CSCs to deliver a fail-safe fault tolerant computer system. Deployable in both wayside and carborne applications, the ControlSafe Platform is designed to support a broad range of I/O modules such as CAN, Ethernet, Ethernet Ring, UART, MVB, digital, analogue and GPS/Wireless to enable solution integrators to handle both new deployments and upgrade projects easily. Artesyn has also cooperated with customers on specific I/O solutions to meet unique application requirements.

Whitepapers available:

Artesyn Trends and Drivers in Fail-Safe Architectures for Rail Systems whitepaper