Wayside Maintenance Worker
Mobile Application
Rushil Patel
Ronald Pekarchik
Background
- Wayside controller performs all the functions
- Railroad crossing signals
- Train signals
- Track switch signals
- Technicians in the field still work using hard copy codebook
- Wastes man hours diagnosing wayside controller
- Looking up codes
- Testing track
- Push for wireless wayside controller systems
Motivations
- Increase the safety of technicians out in the field
- Help company save money and man hour resources
- Expand knowledge on mobile application development
- Learn different communication protocols
- Better understand client server communication
Technical Challenges
- Programming for android platform
- Eclipse SDK
- Android OS 4.0 or above
- Understanding the current wayside system and server communication protocols
- Interpret and parse their diagnostic data format
- ASCII/HEX
- Codes in the codebook
- Working with their current hardware and technologies
- Cellular attachment (SIM Cards) for wireless communication
- Standalone configuration (serial connection)
- Ideas: SQL Database, Web Application, Security (ssh from telnet)
Milestone 1
- Requirements document, design document and test plan
- Setup android SDK
- Android "Hello World"
- Application design
- Program to parse error codes from the wayside controlled
Milestone 2
- Store codebook inside android application (SQLite)
- "codebook" refers to the translation of error code in to human readable format
- Design algorithm to compare error codes and look up related tasks to perform
- Design user interface to display human readable translation of log file and follow up steps for the technicians
- Research different ways to automate downloading of log files over a wireless network.
Milestone 3
- Setup wireless connection to the wayside controller via cellular network
- Implement user friendly GUI for technicians to work with in the field.
- Improve/test application security