Context:
Two trains collided on the Howrah-Chennai line in Vizianagaram district of Andhra Pradesh.
About Kavach (“armour”):
- An indigenously developed Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system
- Earlier Name – Train Collision Avoidance System (TCAS)
- Developed by – Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO)
- Features –
- It activates the train’s braking system automatically if the driver fails to control the train as per speed restrictions.
- It relays SoS messages during emergency situations.
- The centralised live monitoring of train movements through the Network Monitor System.
- Working –
- A set of electronic devices and Radio Frequency Identification Devices (RFID) installed in locomotives, signalling system, tracks.
- It uses ultra-high radio frequencies and helps in 2-way communication between the station master and loco-pilot to convey any emergency message.
- Key Elements – European Train Protection and Warning System and indigenous Anti Collision Device.
- Safety and reliability standard –
- Highest Level Safety Integrity Level (SIL) 4: A greater process hazard and a higher level of protection required.
- Probability of error – 1 in 10,000 years
- Advancements –
- To position Kavach as an exportable cheaper alternative system the European systems
- To make it compatible with 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology
The Kavach system has been deployed over 1,465 kms in the South Central Railway limits in 77 locomotives and 135 stations till March 2023.
About RFID:
- It is a form of wireless communication that incorporates the use of electromagnetic or electrostatic coupling in the radio frequency portion of the electromagnetic spectrum.
- 3 components – a scanning antenna and a transceiver (together RFID reader) and a transponder (RFID tag)
- RFID reader:It gives off radio waves and gets signals back from the RFID tag
- RFID tag: It uses radio waves to communicate its identity and other information.
- Feature – A tag can be read from up to several feet away and does not need to be within the direct line-of-sight of the reader to be tracked.
- Example: FASTag is a reloadable tag that allows automatic deduction of toll without having to stop for carrying out the cash transaction.
Source: The Hindu
Previous Year Question
With reference to ‘Near Field Communication (NFC) Technology’, which of the following is/are correct?
1. It is a contactless communication technology that uses electromagnetic radio fields.
2. NFC is designed for use by devices which can be at a distance of even a metre from each other.
3. NFC can use encryption when sending sensitive information.
Select the correct answer using the codes given below.
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (c)
