Technical Article Human Machine Interface Systems for Cockpits in Rail Applications Rolling stock for passenger, freight, and EMU Fleet disposals and replacements switching duty are complex electrome- The rail market is experiencing a growth Availability of financing chanical systems. Control areas in Loco- phase after weathering the global eco- motives, Electric Multiple Units (EMUs), nomic recession with limited damage. This Competition Diesel Multiple Units (DMUs), Light Rail, is likely due to the long lead times and The United States is the most important and Streetcars can be referred to as the bidding processes for projects around the North American market for EMUs with cab, cockpit, driver or operator compart- world. In addition, growing economies in more than 90% of the total installed base. ment, control desk, driver area, control China, India, and Brazil, which fared well Because of the Buy American Act, many cab, or hostler panel (a hostler panel during recent years, are modernizing their international companies have production controls railway cars in maintenance yards rail infrastructures. 85% of the market operations located in the U.S. Procure- during coupling and uncoupling opera- volume is attributed to EMUs, with most ment programs to replace aging fleets are tions, and provides manual operation in operated in Japan, the UK, Germany, expected to continue for the long term. case of an emergency on the main line). France, and Italy, as well as the United A typical control panel generates infor- States. The leaders in the manufacture DMU mation on the availability and status of a and sale of EMUs are Bombardier, Hitachi, Worldwide deliveries of DMUs have variety of critical subsystems. How control Kawasaki, Tokyo Car, Nippon Sharyo, decreased over the past five years. Top cab personnel interact with and respond Alstom, Stadler, Siemens, Hyundai Rotem, manufacturers include Bombardier, to this information affects the efficiency, CAF, and AnsaldoBreda. Market drivers Alstom, and Siemens. The top market safety, and reliability of rolling stock, with include: drivers for DMUs include: potentially significant impacts on uptime Demand for mobility in urban areas Replacement of locomotives with DMUs availability and operating costs. Infrastructure development in Western Europe and Asia; www.eao.com The two most important factors are working conditions and the incorporation of informa- tion technology into a clear and easy-to-use Human Machine Interface—Conclusion by the Federal Rail Authority. “One clear contributor to a locomotive over its lifetime. assuring locomotive perfor- These clearly are investments mance and safety is the that require constant attention attention the industry has given to achieve optimum perfor- to human factors in the design mance and service life. and evaluation of new and existing rail cabs.” To meet safety and perfor- mance objectives, crews need “In Europe the UIC Leaflet to be assured that locomo- 612-0 has defined the driver/ tives, EMUs, and DMUs are in machine interface for electric proper working order before and diesel multiple units, leaving the yard and while in locomotives, and driving operation. One clear contribu- trailers as functional and tor to assuring locomotive system requirements for a performance and safety is the driver’s cab to be understood attention the industry has given and executed as a harmonised to human factors in the design human/machine interface.” and evaluation of new and The design of an effective HMI cockpit system begins with the definition of existing rail cabs. The need for the designer, operator, and passenger. improvement has been closely examined by the Federal Demand for mobility with increasing passenger volumes; Railroad Administration (FRA) Vehicle operation must comply with new, strict environmental in its assessment of standards standards; developed by the Association Increasing competition. of American Railroads on crash-worthiness and working Funding for rail projects in North America was $7.28 billion in conditions that affect safety 2009, and an additional $10.5 billion in 2010, as well as the recent and productivity. announcement of an additional $8 billion in funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Much of this expendi- The FRA’s conclusion is that ture will be dedicated to infrastructure and controls, but will most the two most important factors certainly lead to purchases of rolling stock and an increase in are working conditions and the New Start Funding. U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood incorporation of information has already announced $1.58 billion for 28 public transit items. technology into a clear and Rail transit projects account for 16 items with more than $1.33 easy-to-use Human Machine billion in funding. For instance, in early 2010, AMTRAK stated it Interface. plans to invest approximately $11 billion over the next 14 years (starting in 2009) on 780 single level cars, 420 bi-level cars, 70 In addition to the FRA conclu- electric locomotives, 264 diesel locomotives and 25 high speed sions, in Europe the UIC Leaflet train sets. Its plans for a 15 to 30 year timetable were similarly 612-0 has defined the driver/ aggressive. machine interface for electric and diesel multiple units, To operate trains more efficiently and contain sky-rocketing locomotives, and driving operational costs, railroad managers are making use of HMI trailers as functional and Systems that increase productivity. New locomotives, EMUs, and system requirements for a DMUs cost $1.75 million or more and have a life expectancy of driver’s cab to be understood about 30 years, while maintenance costs can range from $35,000 and executed as a harmonized to as high as $100,000 a year. Normal maintenance costs plus human/machine interface. repair or replacement of failed parts may exceed the initial cost of www.eao.com . 2 There are several factors in the rail industry that will increase the demand for new and im- proved cab control HMI Systems—Safety and standardisation are among the most important. “Design engineers working on Regulatory influences from rolling stock applications are the FRA, UIC and other developing modular HMI bodies; Systems with easily recognisa- Easy connection with ble colours, symbols, group- existing wiring harnesses. ings, and orientation to increase efficiency and According to studies undertak- improve workflow and produc- en by the FRA, train control tivity.” systems that have been designed with human-centred “The PTC deadline of Decem- design principles in mind (i.e. ber 15, 2015, is one of factors systems that keep human driving trend towards HMI operators as the central active Systems that are both easier to component in the system), are use and understand and, at the more likely to result in im- same time, capable of more proved safety. As increased sophisticated control.” automation of systems and Modular HMI Systems can drop-in can be dropped in to existing cut-outs controls continues with during a rail refurbishment project. initiatives like PTC, hu- man-centred design features Trends in HMI Systems for driver compartment controls become more important. One There are several factors in the rail industry that will increase the of the goals for the FRA is to demand for new and improved cab control HMI Systems. These ensure that the HMI Systems in include: the cab keep the operator Political pressure to develop high speed rail lines with improve- engaged. ments to certain corridors across the country; Standardization is moving closer to being mandatory; Design considerations Buy American will encourage purchases from domestic The design of an effective HMI suppliers; cockpit system begins with the Green initiatives will promote trains that are more fuel efficient; definition of the designer, Safety improvements through better control systems, including operator, and passenger. While technologies such as Positive Train Control (PTC) systems that the HMI system designer must require advanced HMI Systems and communications. keep aesthetics, functionality, ergonomics and safety in mind, Lines that carry passenger rail or toxicby-inhalation (TIH) they also need to understand materials have a PTC deadline of December 31, 2015. These how they are different for each factors are also driving industry trends toward HMI Systems that user. While the designer are both easier to use and understand and, at the same time, receives specific information capable of more sophisticated control. on the system or subsystem for an application, the operator is Trends in cockpit control include: waiting to receive information Exacting ergonomic standards for control systems and from the system to perform an switching; operation, from driving the Increased use of display technology for visualization and train, to maintenance, to repair control; of the system. According to the Alarm and status signals/indicators that are integrated; FRA, the overriding design Efficient system indicator panels with rapid push-to-test; concern is to keep the operator Modular design to save money and speed-up replacement; from becoming a passive High reliability components; participant. A passive operator www.eao.com . 3 Time is of the essence for retrofit projects. Replacing rocker switches with modern flush-mounted push-buttons in the operator control console is a quick HMI solution with significant advantages. “The cab interior design layout The HMI System must promote is specified to accommodate operator action to maintain operators in the range of the awareness and engagement U.S. 95th percentile for males with the system. The operator (six feet, one inch tall) and U.S. is required to perform actions 5th percentile for females (five from time-to-time as an feet tall).” indication that he/she and the system are in good status and “The HMI System will also offer ready mode. The HMI System advance warning as a means of therefore needs to operate preventing operator overreac- under a management-by-con- tion in an emergency. This sent versus manage- warning assistance is most ment-by-exception guideline.