• Intelligent Solutions for Intelligent Transportation Systems
  Part III: Tunnel Traffic Control Solution

• Utility Power Monitoring System
• MOXA's Embedded Device Servers Make Credit Card Payment Systems more Efficient
• Device Networking Medical Application Story
• UC-7420—RFID for Logistics Systems
• UC-7110—"Y-Taping" for Data Acquisition from PLCs

• See Us at 2006 MD&M Show
• Moxa EDS-726 Receives iF Product Design Award
• MOXA's 2005 Solution Seminars for RISC-based Embedded Computers a Big Success

• Introducing VPort 3310—Migrating IP Surveillance to the Industrial World!

Part III: Tunnel Traffic Control Solution

Safety always comes first

Safety is always the central theme for tunnel control systems, since tunnels provide a vital link for major roads and highways. Tunnels present a hazard to motorists by the fact that they often constrict traffic flow, and are difficult to widen as the amount of traffic increases over time. Compared to open routes, incidents in tunnels can result in disastrous consequences. The restrictive nature of tunnels makes it extremely hard to remove wrecked or broken down vehicles, and rescue accident victims. Congestion and incidents such as breakdowns, fire, or exceeding carbon monoxide limits must be detected and dealt with in a timely manner.

System Description

Tunnel control systems are managed from a centralized control room, and a comprehensive set of subsystems must be integrated into a consistent system for effective tunnel control. Comprehensive tunnel control subsystems consist of:

• Tunnel power control: substations and uninterrupted power supplies
• Traffic signal control (variable traffic signs using LED technology and traffic lights)
• Automatic ventilation control and illumination
• Emergency system and broadcasting system
• Height control system
• Fire detection and protection system: acquiring fire detector data and control of the fire fighting system. Water accumulation and distribution are also included
• Pollution measurements: acquiring data on visibility and carbon monoxide concentration in the tunnel

Challenges

Today, tunnels handle large volumes of automobile traffic, sometimes moving at expressway speeds. In the narrow, confined environment of a tunnel, even minor incidents can cause deadly disasters, since critical, catastrophic incidents may occur even faster than on surface highways. Immediate response to traffic incidents is critical for maintaining a smooth traffic flow. For this reason, it must provide timely and vital information for operating personnel to advise motorists of the hazards in the tunnel. A second challenge is constant availability. Non-stop operation is a must to ensure maximum safety and reliability.

Requirements

Since tunnels are considered one of the most complex route sectors, safety, reliability, and real-time access are key factors in constructing an intelligent tunnel control infrastructure. A network that connects and communicates all sub-systems must meet the following requirements:

• Ethernet-based Network Infrastructure—For tunnel control systems, it is crucial to create an effective network infrastructure to connect and communicate with all sub-systems. In this day and age, IP networks have many advantages over traditional field buses. In addition to supporting the transmission of any kind of data, the other main advantage is the big increase in data throughput. This enables extensive use of video cameras in conjunction with the more common control equipment, with all devices connected to the same backbone ring through Industrial Ethernet ring switches.

• Redundancy & High Availability—Effective traffic management systems do not tolerate traffic downtime. As opposed to serial lines, Ethernet switches can be connected to a ring, with the ability of the system to detect a fiber or link failure and re-route data in the opposite direction. Such a process is very critical to ensure uninterrupted operation. The safety of motorists is ensured by the use of redundant Ethernet units.

• Fast and Long Transmission—The network capacity should be sufficient to handle the large amount of data that is transmitted. Ethernet switches and fiber optic cabling offer fast and cost-effective bandwidth, and the reliability to relay all information from field controllers, sensors, and detectors. Standard Ethernet bandwidth includes 10, 100, 1000 Mbps, and fiber optic cabling offers high speed and secure connectivity over the long distances required in traffic applications, including bridges and tunnels.

• Real-time, Video over IP Surveillance System—Modern tunnel management systems have benefited greatly from the use of video cameras, which provide real-time information for traffic controllers who are responsible for controlling and monitoring road signs, light signals, emergency situations, ventilation, and tunnel lighting. Newer and cost-effective cameras with the ability to send good quality compressed figure files require more bandwidth. Therefore, video over IP has become very important for surveillance and safety aspects. Moreover, operators can easily acquire video images over an IP network anytime, and from anywhere.

• Rugged design in Unpredictable, Harsh Environments—The ability to monitor, detect, and recover immediately from system failure is mandatory for safety-critical tunnel applications. To further enhance system reliability, industrial-type products that have a rugged design, high MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures), and extended operating temperature range (e.g., -40 to 75°C) are required for ensuring the security of the tunnel communication system.

MOXA's Networking Solutions are Suitable for Railway Systems

Safety and reliability are the first priority when creating a tunnel management infrastructure. Moxa provides a range of industrial device networking solutions that can be used to form a communication network to access all traffic data from field equipment at different sites in a timely manner. By emphasizing reliability, affordability, and versatility, Moxa's solutions include industrial Ethernet switches, serial device servers, embedded computers, media converters, and video servers. There are many reasons why Moxa's products are a good choice for creating a network communication system for tunnel applications:

• Scalability
  Moxa's industrial Ethernet switches have transmission speeds that range from 10/100 to 1000 Mbps with either fiber ports or copper ports. The switches also support single-mode or multi-mode fiber media to accommodate different fiber optic cabling distances between sites for different requirements.

• High Reliability
  1. Redundant power inputs to prevent single power failure.
  2. Ring topology support to provide redundant path backup.
  3. Industrial Ethernet products built with components that are
      better quality and more reliable, ensuring a higher MTBF.
      The ability to withstand extreme temperature conditions
      from -40 to 75°C.
  4. Industrial Ethernet products designed with a rugged
      high-strength case to keep out harmful substances.
  5. Industrial Ethernet products that comply with industrial
      regulatory conditions (CE, FCC, UL, etc.) and are designed
      to withstand shock, drop, and vibration conditions.
  6. Self recovery watch-dog to prevent random service
      interruptions.

• Continuous Operation
  High reliability and intelligence features provide fast recovery capability and security to ensure continuous and safe operation.

• Hassle free maintenance
  Sending out a warning message (e.g., by e-mail) when an exception is detected allows operators to identify problems and form response plans immediately.

• Video over IP
  Since Moxa's distributed video networking solution works over an IP-based network, integrating it with other surveillance systems in tunnel control is easy and straightforward.

Click here to learn more about Moxa's Solutions for Intelligent Transportation Systems.

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MOXA is pleased to announce that EDS-726 Gigabit Ethernet switch has been awarded the “iF Product Design Award 2006” for its user-friendly, modular design. The “iF Design Award” is one of the most prestigious and distinguished design competitions in the world. In fact, it is often referred to as the “design Oscars” by industries worldwide.

Nearly 2,000 products from 37 different countries were entered in the iF design competition for 2006, which culminated in a 3-day judging session at the Hannover Exhibition Center. Judges were chosen from an elite group of top international designers, giving end-users the assurance that the iF award represents a guarantee of outstanding product quality. The theme of this year’s competition was “Design, not Marketing,” which reflects Moxa’s own design philosophy of putting the needs of the end-user first.

According to Vincent Liu, chief product manager at MOXA, “Receiving such a prestigious award represents a big turning point for MOXA. We’ve had great success over the past several years with our high quality industrial Ethernet products, but we feel that the EDS-726 design is truly unique in that it gives end-users many high powered options that previously were not available.”

About EDS-726
EDS-726 is a 26-port Gigabit Ethernet switch that meets the demands of industrial applications, but also leaves room to grow. EDS-726’s modular convenience lets you add up to 2 Gigabit ports and 24 fast Ethernet ports in the same switch. The application-oriented design includes a tilted LED display for easy viewing, plus redundant and intelligent network management. EDS-726 provides more flexibility, reliability, and application-oriented functions to meet the demands of any harsh industrial application.

Key Features:

• Modular design with 26 copper and fiber ports
• 60 degree titled LED display for ergonomic viewing of operation staturs
• Aluminum fin-shaped heat sink on rear panel for quick heat dissipation
• Plug-able compact flash card simplifies backing up the configurations
• Gigabit Turbo Ring redundancy with recovery time less than 300 ms at full load QoS, IGMP snooping/GMRP, VLAN, LACP, and SNMP V1/V2C/V3 supported

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Moxa Technologies held a series of three solution seminars for RISC-based Embedded Computers in late November, 2005. The seminars were held in China in Beijing, Nanjing, and Shenzhen.

MOXA's RISC-based embedded computers are highly effective communication platforms. They are designed to operate reliably but use only a fraction of the power required to run similar types of computing devices. In order to promote this computer further in various application domains, MOXA arranged a series of special "2005 RISC-based Embedded Computers Solution Seminars." Each seminar attracted upwards of 100 guests, including customers who will cooperate with MOXA on projects.

MOXA invited well-known experts in the software and hardware manufacturing fields to participate in the seminars. MOXA's RISC-based Embedded Computers and development trends were introduced by Mr. Huang, one of Moxa's senior product managers. Many customers also shared their own success stories at the conference, and showed how the reliability of MOXA's embedded computers increased the competitiveness of their applications.

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VPort 3310 is an industrial, 1-channel Video Server that adopts the high performance MPEG4 compression algorithm. VPort 3310, which features a rugged, industrial design, good transmission efficiency, and easy network integration, is suitable for use with large, distributed systems in critical and industrial environments. Industrial applications in Transportation, Power, Water, Oil/Gas, and Mining systems can all benefit from using this new industrial VPort.

--> Click here to see complete information about VPort 3310's features and specifications. You will also have the opportunity to download a complete datasheet, white paper, press release, and IP Surveillance software that can be used with VPort.

VPort 3310's most important features are:

Rugged Industrial Design

Good Transmission Efficiency

Easy Network Integration

--> Click here now to read the complete story

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