Knorr-Bremse brand Zelisko is installing its latest generation of LED trackside signals for the first time. A brilliant idea has significantly reduced the installation space required. Even better, the system is flexible enough to fit different types of mountings.
Wherever public transit services dominate the transportation mix so that more and more freight is carried by train rather than truck, rail traffic becomes denser – which is why it is so important to ensure that it is precisely and safely organized. Digitally, this is all done in the background by computerized control systems. Optically, trackside signals are the key to traffic flow.
At the turn of the millennium, Zelisko was one of the very first companies in the world with the expertise to install trackside signals based on LED technology – still a novelty at the time. 2006 saw the birth of a second generation: Over 100,000 units of the modified LED Signal EU are currently in operation. Now the company is preparing to make the first delivery of its third-generation product to an infrastructure project in Switzerland.
CONTACTS
Zelisko Signaling Systems Dr. techn. Josef Zelisko, Fabrik für Elektrotechnik und Maschinenbau Gesellschaft m.b.H.
2340 Mödling
Österreich - Austria
dlofficeSI@knorr-bremse.com
Flat design thanks to a new electronics layout
The first thing that strikes you about the new generation is how much its design has been slimmed down – the product name, “Compact”, suits it perfectly. While the previous model measured 356 millimeters in depth, the new generation is more than 42 percent slimmer at just 205 millimeters. “The change is down to a fundamental redesign of the electronics,” explains Robert Freissl, Head of Sales at the Zelisko plant in Mödling, Austria. “We managed to fit three previously separate PCBs onto a single, exceptionally compact control board,” explains the engineer. This eliminated the main reason for the system’s previous depth. “So now it consists of just two assemblies: the PCB and the central LED, which has already proven itself in action.” Best of all, almost the entire system is recyclable.
Despite this, the way the system works and its electrical interfaces with the signaling infrastructure remain unchanged. Meaning that the new – and, for the first time, IP65-certified – generation is flexible enough to be mixed with the previous generation.
Flexible enough for all kinds of applications
Flexibility is one of the key features of the new “Compact” signals: The control unit is compatible with most of the signaling interfaces commonly used in Europe. The front bezel is interchangeable, so it can be adapted to various types of mountings. Similarly, infrastructure operators can select from a wide range of connector layouts.
And if, at a later stage in the product’s lifecycle, the control hardware needs to be replaced (to accommodate new functions, for instance), this would be straightforward even if large numbers of signals were involved. “We’ve designed it so you don’t necessarily have to upgrade the optics at the same time,” explains Freissl.
