Redesign of embedded and portable geolocation devices
Challenges
Our client, a major iron ore producer, operates a private rail network that spans several hundred kilometres, linking deposits and port infrastructure. Operated autonomously, without any human intervention, the trains that run through this network are equipped with boxes used to geolocate them in real time.
When a train is in service, its GPS transmits a signal to the database over UHF radio waves to communicate its position. In return, the on-board computer receives and analyzes the location information of other trains in circulation. If the trajectories of two trains were to cross, risking a train collision, all trains would receive an emergency stop signal. Human intervention would then be required to correct the switch and put the trains back into circulation.
The safety of vehicles and the efficiency of the transport of resources thus rely on the reliability of the geolocation equipment on board trains. As part of the project entrusted to Cysca, our client wanted to optimize the operation of the boxes, while remedying the obsolescence that affected some of their components, in particular the GPS navigation system and the display module.
Solutions
The project consisted of reviewing and improving the manufacturing drawings to make production more efficient and improve the reliability of the device. Initially, it was a question of reviewing the mechanical design of the device and improving its electrical wiring thanks to more solid and durable components.
Secondly, Cysca Technologies received the mandate to improve the ergonomics of the portable case model. Indeed, the same device is also used, in the form of a mobile unit, on board the trucks that carry out maintenance work along the railway tracks.
However, the initial design of portable units did not allow optimal display of information on the screen. Thanks to the work of our teams, operators can now orient the screen at a 45-degree angle once the box is open, allowing better readability of the data displayed.
Results
Thanks to the technological improvements brought by Cysca, our client’s fixed equipment has gained in reliability, while the portable units now have better ergonomics and greater manoeuvrability, to the benefit of the employees who use them.
Project Services and Industries
Software engineering
Electronic design
Systems engineering
Freight transport — Train
Mobility