Autopilot system of high-speed rail

Taiwan will build her the first high-speed rail system in the near future. The aim of this paper is to design autopilot system of high-speed rail. In accordance with German ICE (Inter City Express) system, we establish the dynamical model in longitudinal direction including multi-mass dynamics, running resistance, end-of-car cushioning device and coupler assemblage. Then by applying classical control theory the speed controllers are designed individually for starting and braking stages. The limitation of wheel-rail interaction force has to be considered. A proper speed command is another essential factor to influence the performance. Moreover in braking stage owing to the strict braking-distance requirement two types of brake, disk brake and regenerative brake, are taken into consideration. Finally the major uncertainties, load and gradient variations, are tested in computer simulation. The results show that the performance is satisfactory in whole driving process. This paper provides a complete procedure to analysis and design autopilot system of high-speed rail.