A distributed hierarchy coordinating vehicle and wayside actuation, sensing, communication, tracking and redundant safety.
Up to 6actuators commanded per local controller
2–12local controllers per vehicle
30 mwayside control segment
2 kmcentral-controller operating radius
Distributed autonomous control
Fast local response. Coordinated system motion.
AALT has developed a distributed motion-control architecture for fully autonomous operation. Local controllers close the fastest control loops, coordinating controllers translate system commands, and central controllers manage vehicle scheduling across the network.
The architecture integrates actuators, power converters, a large sensory system and multiple motion controllers through wired and wireless communications.
Object detection, avoidance and tracking through RTMOD and RTMOT operate alongside a redundant motion safety system.
Actuators and converters
Large sensory system
Wired–wireless communication
Redundant motion safety
Five-part architecture
Control at every operating level.
Dual-core microcontrollers handle local and coordinating functions, while PC-based multicore processing supervises scheduling and controller domains.
01 / On vehicle
Local Motion Control
Each controller commands up to six onboard actuators from actuator-sensor feedback and coordinating-controller commands. A vehicle uses 2–12 local controllers according to size and power.
02 / Wayside
Local Motion Control
Track-installed controllers command up to six wayside actuators. Each 30 m actuation segment can use 1–9 local controllers according to vehicle size and power.
03 / On board
Coordinating Control
One controller per vehicle sends position, speed, acceleration and braking commands using coordinating-sensor readings and central commands.
04 / Wayside
Coordinating Control
One controller per 30 m track segment commands the local track controllers from wayside sensor readings and central commands.
05 / Network
Central Motion Control
PC-based multicore controllers coordinate scheduling, vehicle identity and controller domains within a 2 km radius, with overlap between adjacent domains.
In simpler low-power systems, the central controller can command local control systems directly without a coordinating layer.
