A framework for dynamic modelling of railway track switches considering the switch blades,actuators and control systems

The main contribution of this paper is the development and demonstration of a novel methodology that can be followed to develop a simulation twin of a railway track switch system to test the functionality in a digital environment.This is important because,globally,railway track switches are used to allow trains to change routes;they are a key part of all railway networks.However,because track switches are single points of failure and safety-critical,their inability to operate correctly can cause significant delays and concomitant costs.In order to better understand the dynamic behaviour of switches during operation,this paper has developed a full simulation twin of a complete track switch system.The approach fuses finite element for the rail bending and motion,with physics-based models of the electromechanical actuator system and the control system.Hence,it provides researchers and engineers the opportunity to explore and understand the design space around the dynamic operation of new switches and switch machines before they are built.This is useful for looking at the modification or monitoring of existing switches,and it becomes even more important when new switch concepts are being considered and evaluated.The simulation is capable of running in real time or faster meaning designs can be iterated and checked interactively.The paper describes the modelling approach,demonstrates the methodology by developing the system model for a novel“REPOINT”switch system,and evaluates the system level performance against the dynamic performance requirements for the switch.In the context of that case study,it is found that the proposed new actuation system as designed can meet(and exceed)the system performance requirements,and that the fault tolerance built into the actuation ensures continued operation after a single actuator failure.

A novel method for multichannel discharge image diagnosis in gas switches based on multi-axis tomography techniques

The discharge channel is a crucial diagnostic tool for identifying the properties of gas switches.However,single-view images cannot easily be used to inherently understand the discharge channel characteristics of trigger electrodes.A reconstruction method of the discharge channel in gas switches is proposed based on a multi-axis tomography technique,which uses very few projections of optical images to reconstruct the location of a multichannel discharge in annular electrodes.In this paper,an algorithm named TVM-OSEM(total variation minimization ordered subsets expectation maximization)is proposed,which can effectively remove artifact noise to improve the reconstruction accuracy of discharge channels.The method is validated against simulations of a radiator with high-density-difference boundary.The calculated discharge channel distribution from one experiment is presented.

Ce-Doped Smart Adsorbentswith Photoresponsive Molecular Switches for Selective Adsorption and Efficient Desorption

Achieving efficient adsorption and desorption processes by controllably tuning the properties of adsorbents at different technical stages is extremely attractive.However,it is difficult for traditional adsorbents to reach the target because of their fixed active sites.Herein,we report on the fabrication of a smart adsorbent,which was achieved by introducing photoresponsive azobenzene derivatives with cis/trans isomers to Ce-doped mesoporous silica.These photoresponsive groups serve as “molecular switches”by sheltering and exposing active sites,leading to efficient adsorption and desorption.Ce is also doped to provide additional active sites in order to enhance the adsorption performance.The results show that the cis isomers effectively shelter the active sites,leading to the selective adsorption of methylene blue(MB)over brilliant blue(BB),while the trans isomers completely expose the active sites,resulting in the convenient release of the adsorbates.Both selective adsorption and efficient desorption can be realized controllably by these smart adsorbents through photostimulation.Moreover,the performance of the obtained materials is well maintained after five cycles.

Optical Diagnostics of Multi-Gap Gas Switches for Linear Transformer Drivers

The trigger characteristics of a multi-gap gas switch with double insulating layers,a square-groove electrode supporter and a UV pre-ionizing structure are investigated aided by a high sensitivity fiber-bundle array detector, a UV fiber detector, and a framing camera, in addition to standard electrical diagnostics. The fiber-bundle-array detector is used to track the turn-on sequence of each electrode gap at a timing precision of 0.6 ns. Each fiber bundle, including five fibers with different azimuth angles, aims at the whole emitting area of each electrode gap and is fed to a photomultiplier tube. The UV fiber detector with a spectrum response of 260-320 nm,including a fused-quartz fiber of 200 μm in diameter and a solar-blinded photomultiplier tube, is adopted to study the effect of UV pre-ionizing on trigger characteristics. The framing camera,with a capacity of 4 frames per shot and an exposure time of 5 ns, is employed to capture the evolution of channel arcs. Based on the turn-on light signal of each electrode gap, the breakdown delay is divided into statistical delay and formative delay. A decrease in both of them, a smaller switch jitter and more channel arcs are observed with lower gas pressure. An increase in trigger voltage can reduce the statistical delay and its jitter, while higher trigger voltage has a relatively small influence on the formative delay and the number of channel arcs. With the UV pre-ionizing structure at 0.24 MPa gas pressure and 60 kV trigger voltage, the statistical delay and its jitter can be reduced by 1.8 ns and 0.67 ns, while the formative delay and its jitter can only be reduced by 0.5 ns and 0.25 ns.

Compact 2×2 parabolic multimode interference thermo–optic switches based on fluorinated photopolymer

In this work, a dual-side parabolic structural(DSPS) multimode interference(MMI) thermo–optic(TO) waveguide switch is designed and fabricated by using novel low-loss fluorinated photopolymer materials. Comparing with the traditional dual-side linear structural(DSLS) MMI device, the effective length of the MMI coupling region proposed can be effectively reduced by 40%. The thermal stability of the waveguide material is analyzed, and the optical characteristics of the switching chip are simulated. The actual performances of the entire MMI switch are measured with an insertion loss of7 dB, switching power of 15 m W and an extinction ratio of 28 dB. In contrast to the traditional MMI optical switch, the new type of parabolic structural MMI TO waveguide switch exhibits lower power consumption and larger extinction ratio. The compact fluorinated polymer MMI TO switches are suitable well for realizing miniaturization, high-properties, and lower cost of photonic integrated circuits.

Experimental Research on Inhibition of Surface Flashover Based on High Power Gallium Arsenide Photoconductive Switches Triggered by Laser

Semi-insulating gallium arsenide （GaAs） photoconductive semiconductor switches （PCSS） have great potential for high voltage switching application, however, the utility is restricted by surface flashover which wouId result in breakdown. In this paper, a model of photo-activated charge wave was proposed based on the theory of photo-activated charge domain （PACD） in GaAs PCSS, and moderate suppression of PACD formation by loading the semiconductor surface with dielectric material was investigated theoretically and experimentally. Current as high as 3.7 kA was obtained at 28 kV, implying that this method can effectively inhibit the surface flashover and improve the service life of DC charged GaAs PCSS.

Comparative Performance Evaluation of Large FPGAs with CNFET-and CMOS-based Switches in Nanoscale

Routing resources are the major bottlenecks in improving the performance and power consumption of the current FPGAs. Recently reported researches have shown that carbon nanotube field effect transistors(CNFETs) have considerable potentials for improving the delay and power consumption of the modern FPGAs. In this paper, hybrid CNFET-CMOS architecture is presented for FPGAs and then this architecture is evaluated to be used in modern FPGAs. In addition, we have designed and parameterized the CNFET-based FPGA switches and calibrated them for being utilized in FPGAs at 45 nm, 22 nm and 16 nm technology nodes.Simulation results show that the CNFET-based FPGA switches improve the current FPGAs in terms of performance, power consumption and immunity to process and temperature variations. Simulation results and analyses also demonstrate that the performance of the FPGAs is improved about 30%, on average and the average and leakage power consumptions are reduced more than 6% and 98% respectively when the CNFET switches are used instead of MOSFET FPGA switches. Moreover, this technique leads to more than 20.31%smaller area. It is worth mentioning that the advantages of CNFET-based FPGAs are more considerable when the size of FPGAs grows and also when the technology node becomes smaller.

A TestBed for Deployment of Datacenter Switches for Training Purposes

Today’s network industry needs highly qualified engineers to understand, configure, develop and upgrade switches that can build scalable high performance and ultra-low latency networks. This paper describes a new networking laboratory that has been set up to provide hands-on experience on datacenter network switches, such as ARISTA, programming and monitoring the traffic. This paper explains the networking laboratory coursework that students carry out during the course of a semester. The laboratory consists of six hands on experiments on the latest datacenter switches from Arista Networks, two programming assignments that teaches some of the protocols used at data link layer and routing protocols used at the network layer of OSI reference model. The final two laboratory experiments use the Wireshark software tool for traffic monitoring and peeking into details of some of the protocols in TCP/IP such as ARP protocol, Ethernet and so forth. The coursework details include the switch basics, switch hardware, Extensible Operating System (EOS), configuration of Link Aggregation Control Protocol, Multi-chassis Link Aggregation Protocol, Access Control Lists, and Open Short Path First version 2 on Arista switches 7050T-64 and 7048T-4S. The programming tasks cover High-level Data Link Control (HDLC) and Routing Algorithms.

Ferroelectric Liquid Crystal Optical Switches

The dynamic response of molecular orientation, and the temperature and pulse shape dependences of the switching behavior in ferroelectric liquid crystal are described. The switching speed and the surface energy of ferroelectric liquid crystal are given.

ZTE Launches the World's Largest Capacity Data Center Switches

24 September 2013, Shenzhen--ZTE today announced the release of the BigMatrix 9900 series of data center switches, the world＇ s largest-capacity data center switches. The BigMatrix 9900 product family comprises data switches with the largest capacity in the world. The switches are designed large cloud computing and big data scenarios and allow for higher-density deployment in data centers. Each single slot can support up to 144 10G ports, 36 40G ports, or 12 IOOG ports. The Big Matrix 9900 series comprises four switch models-9916, 9912, 9908, and 9904-each of which supports a maximum switching capacity of 84.48 Tbps.

Frequency Switches at Transition Temperature in Voltage-Gated Ion Channel Dynamics of Neural Oscillators

Understanding of the mechanisms of neural phase transitions is crucial for clarifying cognitive processes in the brain. We investigate a neural oscillator that undergoes different bifurcation transitions from the big saddle homoclinic orbit type to the saddle node on an invariant circle type, and the saddle node on an invariant circle type to the small saddle homoclinic orbit type. The bifurcation transitions are accompanied by an increase in thermodynamic temperature that affects the voltage-gated ion channel in the neural oscillator. We show that nonlinear and thermodynamical mechanisms are responsible for different switches of the frequency in the neural oscillator. We report a dynamical role of the phase response curve in switches of the frequency, in terms of slopes of frequency-temperature curve at each bifurcation transition. Adopting the transition state theory of voltagegated ion channel dynamics, we confirm that switches of the frequency occur in the first-order phase transition temperature states and exhibit different features of their potential energy derivatives in the ion channel. Each bifurcation transition also creates a discontinuity in the Arrhenius plot used to compute the time constant of the ion channel.

NKK Switches微型开关

NKK Switches公司发布其M系列PCB上安装的微型摇臂和翘板开关。该系列微型摇臂／翘板开关的特点是：具有偏离保护装置，以防止触点间的对不准；摇臂制动部分与内部导轨间的互锁，以免制动部分所受的对角力传递到触点装置。外部绝缘挡片可以提高绝缘电阻和绝缘强度。额定机械寿命是50k次操作(最少)。

On the Application of a Genetic Algorithm to the Predictability Problems Involving "On-Off" Switches

The lower bound of maximum predictable time can be formulated into a constrained nonlinear opti- mization problem, and the traditional solutions to this problem are the filtering method and the conditional nonlinear optimal perturbation （CNOP） method. Usually, the CNOP method is implemented with the help of a gradient descent algorithm based on the adjoint method, which is named the ADJ-CNOP. However, with the increasing improvement of actual prediction models, more and more physical processes are taken into consideration in models in the form of parameterization, thus giving rise to the on–off switch problem, which tremendously affects the effectiveness of the conventional gradient descent algorithm based on the ad- joint method. In this study, we attempted to apply a genetic algorithm （GA） to the CNOP method, named GA-CNOP, to solve the predictability problems involving on–off switches. As the precision of the filtering method depends uniquely on the division of the constraint region, its results were taken as benchmarks, and a series of comparisons between the ADJ-CNOP and the GA-CNOP were performed for the modified Lorenz equation. Results show that the GA-CNOP can always determine the accurate lower bound of maximum predictable time, even in non-smooth cases, while the ADJ-CNOP, owing to the effect of on–off switches, often yields the incorrect lower bound of maximum predictable time. Therefore, in non-smooth cases, using GAs to solve predictability problems is more effective than using the conventional optimization algorithm based on gradients, as long as genetic operators in GAs are properly configured.

High Throughput Scheduling Algorithms for Input Queued Packet Switches

The high-performance computing paradigm needs high-speed switching fabrics to meet the heavy traffic generated by their applications.These switching fabrics are efficiently driven by the deployed scheduling algorithms.In this paper,we proposed two scheduling algorithms for input queued switches whose operations are based on ranking procedures.At first,we proposed a Simple 2-Bit(S2B)scheme which uses binary ranking procedure and queue size for scheduling the packets.Here,the Virtual Output Queue(VOQ)set with maximum number of empty queues receives higher rank than other VOQ’s.Through simulation,we showed S2B has better throughput performance than Highest Ranking First(HRF)arbitration under uniform,and non-uniform traffic patterns.To further improve the throughput-delay performance,an Enhanced 2-Bit(E2B)approach is proposed.This approach adopts an integer representation for rank,which is the number of empty queues in a VOQ set.The simulation result shows E2B outperforms S2B and HRF scheduling algorithms with maximum throughput-delay performance.Furthermore,the algorithms are simulated under hotspot traffic and E2B proves to be more efficient.

A novel multifunctional electronic calibration kit integrated by MEMS SPDT switches

Design and simulation results of a novel multifunctional electronic calibration kit based on microelectromechanical system(MEMS)single-pole double-throw(SPDT)switches are presented in this paper.The short-open-load-through(SOLT)calibration states can be completed simultaneously by using the MEMS electronic calibration,and the electronic calibrator can be reused 10^(6) times.The simulation results show that this novel electronic calibration can be used in a frequency range of 0.1 GHz–20 GHz,the return loss is less than 0.18 dB and 0.035 dB in short-circuit and open-circuit states,respectively,and the insertion loss in through(thru)state is less than 0.27 dB.On the other hand,the size of this novel calibration kit is only 6 mm×2.8 mm×0.8 mm.Our results demonstrate that the calibrator with integrated radiofrequency microelectromechanical system(RF MEMS)switches can not only provide reduced size,loss,and calibration cost compared with traditional calibration kit but also improves the calibration accuracy and efficiency.It has great potential applications in millimeter-wave measurement and testing technologies,such as device testing,vector network analyzers,and RF probe stations.

Dynamical behaviors of a system with switches between the Rssler oscillator and Chua circuits

The behaviors of a system that alternates between the R¨ossler oscillator and Chua＇s circuit is investigated to explore the influence of the switches on the dynamical evolution.Switches related to the state variables are introduced,upon which a typical switching dynamical model is established.Bifurcation sets of the subsystems are derived via analysis of the related equilibrium points,which divide the parameters into several regions corresponding to different types of attractors.The dynamics behave typically in period orbits with the variation of the parameters.The focus/cycle periodic switching phenomenon is explored in detail to present the mechanism of the movement.The period-doubling bifurcation to chaos can be observed via the doubling increase of the turning points related to the switches.Furthermore,period-decreasing sequences have been obtained,which can be explained by the variation of the eigenvalues associated with the equilibrium points of the subsystems.

A calculation model for breakdown time delay and jitter of gas switches under hundred-nanosecond pulses and its application in a self-triggered pre-ionized switch

In this paper, a calculation model for the breakdown time delay and jitter of gas switches under hundred-nanosecond pulses is proposed and applied in a self-triggered pre-ionized switch. The effects of injection time of pre-ionization, pulse rise time, and the pre-ionization jitter are discussed and verified through experiments. It indicates that the pre-ionization should be injected when the electric field is high enough in the gap, injection after 80% peak-time can ensure its effectiveness.Then the statistical time delay jitter will be determined by the pre-ionization jitter, which is an intrinsic restriction of the self-triggered switch. However, when the changing rate of the pulsed electric field exceeds a certain value, the breakdown time delay jitter can be partly offset in the formative stage because the formative time delay has an exponential relationship with the electric field. Therefore, lower time jitter can be obtained under pulses with a shorter pulse rise time. In general, the results of the calculation model agree with the experimental results, and the experimental parameters which lead to a low jitter can also be used as a reference.