ATO system CRV&AVV is dedicated for automation of railway vehicles operation. The basic part of the system is Central Vehicle Regulator (CRV). It provides basic operation mode - Automatic speed control (ASC), when the vehicle is controlled to achieve and keep the required speed. This mode can be used on any vehicle and any track.
ASC is characterized by aperiodic achieving of required speed, very precious keeping of it (+/- 1 km/h), prefering of dynamic brake usage and by possibility of delayed acceptation of required speed after the whole train leaves the track with speed restriction. There were over 500 vehicles with analogue ASC made since 1972.
For traction and dynamic brake control, the universal signal Relative tractive/braking force is used. It enables to control any number of various vehilces.
The required speed value can be given by driver (using keyboard) or by Target braking regulator.
Extending part of the system CRV&AVV is the AVV part. It consists of Target braking regulator and Energy optimation. This complete system can provide the full Automatic Train Operation - ATO. System accepts the track speed limits and speed restrictions from signal signs, including automatic speed lowering or stopping. It provides automatic stopping at platforms of relevant stations and halts. The precission of stopping is typically +- 1 meter.
The AVV system also enables automatic drifting (coasting) at the moment when the just-in-time arrival in the next station is possible without using of tractive effort. This means that the consumpted energy is as low as possible, the savings are in average 30 per cent of energy (but in some cases up to 80 per cent). The precission of arriving is typically +- 5 seconds.
For the exploatation of the complete system, the track balises must be placed on the track. They enable the orientation of the train on the track (or on the railway net, respectively). Next, the route map and the time table must be placed in the system memory (on board).
There are 4 suburban units class 470 and 1 locomotive class 163 equipped with AVV device. In these days, new units class 471, which are comming into regular operation, are equipped with AVV, too.
Hardware solution of systems being already in use is based on CPU Intel (industrial kit from Czech firm Mesit). The program sizes are 6 KB for CRV and 12 KB for AVV. Route map legth is approx. 1 KB for 15 km of dual track line (both tracks in both directions). For new applications (suburban units class 471 and express tilting units class 680), PEP Modular kit based on Motorola 68360 CPU is used.
Furthermore, 74 vehicles of classes 843, 943, 043 (motor coach, driving trailer, trailer) have been equipped with microcomputer control system including CRV, diagnostics computer DPV and engine and power transmission controller RTr. The system solution enables futural installation of the complete AVV system.
Hardware solutions of both CRV and DPV are identical, based on 16 bit MCU Siemens 80C166 @ 20 MHz.
Usual basic functions of CRV are extended by many new useful functions, e.g. on-line recording of many datas (speed, acceleration, current, rel. force etc.), simulator mode (for drivers teaching, parameters setup, testing, ...), failures recording in backed-up memory and many more.
Further interesting function is an automatic calculation of train parameters (length, weight, braking weight, braking ratio) or time-table listing.
The control system provides also distant control and diagnostics up to 62 vehicles in the train, based on the IEC TC9 CD 332 draft. It uses 4 wires in UIC cable for communication (so called train and diagnostics train buses with 9.6/19.2 kBd transfer speed). This system of buses is the base for the Czech National Bus.