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PROJECT SEMESTER REPORT

THAPAR UNIVERSITY

FIRE DETECTION & NOTIFICATION SYSTEM FOR TRAINS

Submitted by

Ayush Jaiwal101055002

Under the Guidance of

Dr. Gagandeep Kaur

Department of Electrical and Instrumentation EngineeringTHAPAR UNIVERSITY, PATIALA

July 2014

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DECLARATION

I hereby declare that the project work entitled (“Fire Detection & Notification System for Trains”)

is an authentic record of my own work carried out at Thapar University as requirements of project

semester for the award of degree of B.E. (Electronic (Instrumentation and control Engineering),

Thapar University, Patiala, under the guidance of Dr. Gagandeep Kaur, during January to June, 2014.

(Signature of student)Ayush Jaiwal 101055002

Date: ___________________

Certified that the above statement made by the student is correct to the best of our knowledge and belief.

Dr. Gagandeep KaurFaculty Coordinator

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I take this opportunity to express my profound gratitude and deep regards to my guide Dr.

Gagandeep Kaur for her exemplary guidance, monitoring and constant encouragement throughout

the course of this project. The blessing, help and guidance given by her time to time shall carry me a

long way in the journey of life on which I am about to embark.

I am obliged to staff members of EIED, for the valuable information provided by them in their

respective fields. I am grateful for their cooperation during the period of my project.

 Lastly, I thank almighty, my parents and friends for their constant encouragement without which

this project would not be possible.

 

Ayush Jaiwal101055002

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CONTENTS

Declaration 2

Acknowledgement 3

Contents 4

Abstract 5

Introduction to the Problem 6

System Architecture 8

Hardware Components 11

Technologies used 15

Implementation 23

Future Prospects 25

Conclusion 26

References 27

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1. ABSTRACT

In this paper, a remedy to reduce the death loss occurring due to fire accidents in trains is presented.

Fire on a running train is more catastrophic than on a stationary one, since fanning by winds helps

spread the fire to other coaches. When these accidents are occurring in remote areas or during night

times the loss or damage being caused is at higher rates. The damage is heavier due to improper

reach of service at right time due to improper communication. This time delay is causing heavier

damage. Thus, eliminating the time between when an accident occurs and when first responders are

dispatched to the scene decreases the damage. This projects help in notifying the passengers and

emergency services. The project consists of a microcontroller which is interfaced with the GPS

module, GSM modem and fire sensors. Once the sensors attached in the compartments of train

senses the smoke detection, it assumes a fire accident. The controller assumes it as an emergency and

starts the buzzer, LCD display and GSM modem in the engine sending the latitude and longitude

information to the specified mobile number and emergency services, by fetching the information

from the GPS.

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2. INTRODUCTION

Security in travel is primary concern for everyone. Nowadays fire accident are most often

occurring in trains. When these accidents are occurring in remote areas or during night times the

loss or damage being caused is at higher rates. The damage is heavier due to improper reach of

service at right time due to improper communication. This time delay is causing heavier damage.

Thus, eliminating the time between when an accident occurs and when first responders are

dispatched to the scene decreases the damage. The trains are moderate vehicles used for

transporting people and goods. Mostly, the people prefer the train journey for longer distance as

it is cheaper. Since induction of train for public transportation, the fire accidents are not catered

seriously by the Indian Railways. The notices showing "Do not smoke", "Do not carry

inflammable material" are the only precautionary warnings about the fire in each compartment.

However, because of failure in routine maintenance system or by the activities of illegal social

elements, the fire accidents in train occur frequently. These fire accidents are among the most

serious disasters to human lives and the property of government. In recent days, the train fire

accident occurred and made several human loss. The prevention of train fire has become a

serious concern in our country. Currently, Our Indian Railways doesn't use any sophisticated fire

prevention methods. But it is realized to have an automatic system to monitor the fire in the

coach giving alarm to the people, sending signal to the engine driver to stop the train and the fire

is extinguished with the help of automatic sprinkler system. To have these all above in a single

package a wireless sensor network based on ZigBee technique is proposed. This system is used

for monitoring, automatic fire sprinkling, cautioning and preventing of fire in running trains. The

fire may occur in any form of activities such as short circuit in the electrical wires, prohibited

activities of carrying diesel, petrol, gas stoves and smoking nearby them will cause fire accidents.

To control these we do not have an intensive work force. To overcome this, a system of having

automatic sensor monitoring, fire alarm warning and fire extinguishing are based on ZigBee

wireless sensor network technology. This system can monitor real-time related parameters such

as temperature and humidity in each coach. From the information collected by the system,

decisions for firefighting, alarming, and automatic operation of the train braking system can be

made more quickly by the system or engine driver. The engine driver will get the warning light

and he stops the engine. Further he informs to the immediate concern authority for help.

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One approach to eliminate the delay is by identifying the fire accident and notifying the

concerned authorities, loco pilot and passenger with in no time. Passengers will be notified by

ringing the buzzer and loco pilot will be notified showing the message in the LCD display

fitted in the engine along with alarm. In the same time the railway authorities and emergency

services are notified by sending SMS through GSM service.

2.1 Main Parameters of Coach Fire Monitor

There are three factors comprising of fire. The factors are oxygen, material and heat or

ignition. A train fire usually occurs as the result of these three elements. Here, we are going

to see elaborately the heat or ignitions being produced by the following,

A deteriorated insulation on electrical wire causing short circuit

Carelessness of smoker's activities

Illegal usage of stoves used by the tea or coffee vendors

And the anti-social activities

To control these we must have a system of work force which is not deployed by the Indian

Railways. To enable these we propose to have a temperature monitoring system in each

coach. The device categorically of thermocouple used for monitoring the coach temperature

and also provides both external and internal alarms. The devices are fixed on each coach at

the appropriate distance covering full coach. i.e., the total length of the coach is divided into

four segments and the sensor is centrally placed in each segment.

Train Accidents (1994-95 to 2010-11)

Misc3%

Derailments38%

Human ErrorsFire17%

Collisions 32%

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3. SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE

Once there is a fire accident, immediately the fire sensor will immediately sense the change in

temperature and thus the micro controller is supplied with power supply. When there is no fire

accident the ZigBee fire sensors placed in the compartments will send no signal so the micro

controller will not work. Thus, once the fire is detected, the ZigBee fire sensors placed in

compartments sends a signal and the GPS, GSM, Buzzer, LCD modem which are kept ON all the

time will respond. The GPS modem will be continuously tracking and after the identification of

fire the longitude and latitude values of that location are stored in memory of the micro controller

and the contents are moved to SBUF register of microcontroller and then to the GSM through the

transmitter pin. The GSM modem will then send messages to the numbers specified about the

accident specifying the latitude and longitude values. At the same time, the buzzer will be ON

immediately after the micro controller is supplied with power supply. And also it is displayed in

the LCD placed in the engine for loco pilot.

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3.1 Block Diagram

AT89C52 microcontroller is interfaced serially to a GSM Modem and GPS Receiver. A GSM

modem is used to send the position (Latitude and Longitude) of the vehicle from a remote

place. The GPS modem continuously gives the data i.e. Latitude and Longitude indicating the

position of the vehicle. The GPS modem gives many parameters as output, but only NMEA

data coming out is read and displayed on the LCD. The same data is sent to the mobile at the

other end from where the position of the vehicle is demanded. An EEPROM is used to store

the mobile number. The hardware interfaces to microcontroller are LCD display GSM

modem and GPS receiver. The design uses RS 232 protocol for serial communication

between modems and microcontroller. A serial driver IC is used for converting TTL voltage

levels into RS 232 voltage levels.

3.2 Structure and Function of Sensor node

The sensor is a basic unit and platform of the wireless sensor network. A sensor is commonly

composed of a sensor module, a processing module, a ZigBee wireless module and a driver

display module. The sensor module is responsible for wave-

Avoidance of Fire Accident on Running Train Using ZigBee Wireless Sensor 585

Electrical conversion and collecting parameters such as relative humidity and atmospheric

temperature.

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This module processing is used to calculate the temperature, sensing alarm node and sending

the signal to engine driver. The ZigBee wireless module is responsible for receiving a reliable

signal and it illuminates the warning light indicating to stop the train by engine driver. The

driver display module monitors the three modules and control the fire by using fire sprinkler

system. In this Sensor, is principle calculates the increased temperature over the atmospheric

temperature and then it transmits the signal to the engine driver through ZigBee wireless

technology. Simultaneously alert the passenger by alarm also initiate the emergency fire

sprinkler for operation.

The GPS module records and transmits the latitude & longitude of the train to the GSM

Module. GSM Module then sends this data to the mobile number stored in EEPROM.

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4. HARDWARE COMPONENTS

4.1 WNS-TxxxB (Manufactured by Delta Controls)

The WNS-TxxxB are battery powered wireless temperature and

humidity sensors with set point adjustment and override push-

button that transmits sensor data through a MESH wireless

network. Each battery powered sensor incorporates a low power

radio which meets standards for operating within the ISM 2.4 GHz

frequency band. The battery provides up to 5 years of service

before replacement.

Application

Typical applications include mounting in specialized areas that are difficult to wire, such as on

solid concrete and marble walls or in atrium, foyers, auditoriums and architecturally sensitive

installations. Other applications include the use in spaces that change periodically such as tenant

retrofit areas or areas that require monitoring, such as data centers.

The WNS-TxxxB has an optional pushbutton and set point adjustment. An extra set of terminals

allows for remote location of an external thermistor temperature probe which can be used to

retrieve temperatures from inside a cold storage box, environmental chamber or from an outside

location.

Features

Communication distances up to 30 m (100 ft.) indoors and 100 m (340 ft.) outdoors

Built-in 10k thermistor

Optional built-in humidity sensor

Optional pushbutton and set point adjust

External Thermistor Input

Up to 5 year service with high-energy 3.6V lithium battery

LED indicators for battery power, condition and received signal strength

Stylized housing

Easy to mount on most surfaces or in any electrical box

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4.2 GPS Location Module

EM-406A (Futurlec Technologies)

This unit features low power consumption, high

sensitivity. The unit is ideal for navigation

systems, distance measurements, vehicle

monitoring and recording, boating direction and

location, together with hiking and cross country

exploring. 

This module includes high precision surface

mount technology to provide both high accuracy

and very compact size. The module can be easily installed on a main board, with all inputs

using standard TTL signal levels. A series of standard NMEA format messages are provided

to give position, satellite information, time, etc. The module can be easily connected directly

to a microcontroller to display and record this information. 

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4.3 GSM Message Transmission Module

GSM/GPRS MODEM is a class of

wireless MODEM devices that are

designed for communication of a

computer with the GSM and GPRS

network. It requires a SIM (Subscriber

Identity Module) card just like mobile

phones to activate communication with

the network. Also they have IMEI

(International Mobile Equipment Identity)

number similar to mobile phones for their identification. A GSM/GPRS MODEM can

perform the following operations:

1.      Receive, send or delete SMS messages in a SIM.

2.      Read, add, search phonebook entries of the SIM.

3.      Make, Receive, or reject a voice call.

The G510 is the smallest wireless communication module and supports GSM/GPRS

850/900/1800/1900MHz. It is extremely small in size, has low power consumption and

powerful EMC and ESD performance, and has a built-in protocol stack and three serial ports,

providing perfect voice call functions and high speed data transmission for customers.

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4.4 EEPROM

An EEPROM is the permanent storage devices and can be erased and reprogrammed

whenever we need. These are the kinds of nonvolatile storage chip means when power is

removed the content of the memory remains intact. It has no impact of power failure.

EEPROM stands for Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory. The main

advantage of this memory is that it can be erased and re programmed at any time. We can edit

the content at particular location or remove the content from the particular location within the

EEPROM chip. Example if you want to some security parameters or password or any kind of

data which will be required by the embedded system then we need extra piece of hardware to

get this job done. That is EEPROM. Here are so many EEPROM chips are available in the

market by different reputed manufacturer but specially the most popular product if 24CXX

series. All EEPROM uses I2C interface protocol to communicate with the 8051

microcontroller and vice versa. Serial EEPROMs typically have just eight pins  power and

ground, one or two data/address lines, and a clock input, plus up to three other control

signals.

Serial EEPROMs are widely available in the market. From small memory size to huge

memory size. Engineer use them as per the need in their applications. Here is the list some

basic and used devices in the embedded industry. They are 24C01, 24C02, 24C04, 24C08,

24C16 I2C Bus EEPROM 24C32, 24C64, 24C65, 24C128, 24C256, 24C512 I2C Bus

EEPROM 24XX EEPROM 24C325 and 24C645 I2C Bus. From all of the above only

24CXX is widely used and popular Serial EEPROM used by engineers and students. They

are based on I2C Protocol where only two wires are needed for data communication and

arranged as master and slave in the hardware where 8051 Microcontroller is the master and

Serial EEPROM is the salve device. Which accepts commands from the Microcontroller and

act according to them.

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5. TECHNOLOGIES USED

5.1 ZigBee Technology

ZigBee is a specification for a suite of high level communication protocols used to

create personal area networks built from small, low-power digital radios. ZigBee is based on

an IEEE 802.15 standard. Though low-powered, ZigBee devices can transmit data over long

distances by passing data through intermediate devices to reach more distant ones, creating a

mesh network; i.e., a network with no centralized control or high-power transmitter/receiver

able to reach all of the networked devices. The decentralized nature of such wireless ad hoc

networks make them suitable for applications where a central node can't be relied upon.

ZigBee is used in applications that require only a low data rate, long battery life, and secure

networking. ZigBee has a defined rate of 250 Kbit/s, best suited for periodic or intermittent

data or a single signal transmission from a sensor or input device. Applications include

wireless light switches, electrical meters with in-home-displays, traffic management systems,

and other consumer and industrial equipment that requires short-range wireless transfer of

data at relatively low rates. The technology defined by the ZigBee specification is intended to

be simpler and less expensive than other wireless personal area networks (WPANs), such

as Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.

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ZigBee networks are secured by 128 bit symmetric encryption keys. In home automation

applications, transmission distances range from 10 to 100 meters line-of-sight, depending on

power output and environmental characteristics.

ZigBee was conceived in 1998, standardized in 2003, and revised in 2006. The name refers to

the waggle dance of honey bees after their return to the beehive.

ZigBee operates in the industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) radio bands: 868 MHz in

Europe, 915 MHz in the USA and Australia and 2.4 GHz in most jurisdictions worldwide.

Data transmission rates vary from 20 kilobits/second in the 868 MHz frequency band to 250

kilobits/second in the 2.4 GHz frequency band.

The ZigBee network layer natively supports both star and tree typical networks, and generic

mesh networks. Every network must have one coordinator device, tasked with its creation,

the control of its parameters and basic maintenance. Within star networks, the coordinator

must be the central node. Both trees and meshes allow the use of ZigBee routers to extend

communication at the network level.

ZigBee builds upon the physical layer and media access control defined in IEEE standard

802.15.4 (2003 version) for low-rate WPANs. The specification goes on to complete the

standard by adding four main components: network layer, application layer, ZigBee device

objects (ZDOs) and manufacturer-defined application objects which allow for customization

and favor total integration.

Besides adding two high-level network layers to the underlying structure, the most significant

improvement is the introduction of ZDOs. These are responsible for a number of tasks, which

include keeping of device roles, management of requests to join a network, device discovery

and security.

ZigBee is not intended to support power line networking but to interface with it at least

for smart metering and smart appliance purposes. Because ZigBee nodes can go from sleep to

active mode in 30 ms or less, the latency can be low and devices can be responsive,

particularly compared to Bluetooth wake-up delays, which are typically around three

seconds. Because ZigBee nodes can sleep most of the time, average power consumption can

be low, resulting in long battery life.

ZigBee devices are of three types:

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ZigBee Coordinator (ZC): The most capable

device, the Coordinator forms the root of the

network tree and might bridge to other

networks. There is exactly one ZigBee

Coordinator in each network since it is the

device that started the network originally (the

ZigBee Light Link specification also allows

operation without a ZigBee Coordinator,

making it more usable for over-the-shelf

home products). It stores information about

the network, including acting as the Trust

Center & repository for security keys.

ZigBee Router (ZR): As well as running an application function, a Router can act as an

intermediate router, passing on data from other devices.

ZigBee End Device (ZED): Contains just enough functionality to talk to the parent node

(either the Coordinator or a Router); it cannot relay data from other devices. This

relationship allows the node to be asleep a significant amount of the time thereby giving

long battery life. A ZED requires the least amount of memory, and therefore can be less

expensive to manufacture than a ZR or ZC.

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5.2 GSM Technology

Global system for mobile communication (GSM) is a globally accepted standard for digital

cellular communication. GSM is the name of a standardization group established in 1982 to

create a common European mobile telephone standard that would formulate specifications for

a pan-European mobile cellular radio system operating at 900 MHz frequency. Cellular is one

of the fastest growing and most demanding telecommunications applications.

GSM (Global System for Mobile communication) is a digital mobile telephony system that is

widely used in Europe and other parts of the world. GSM uses a variation of time division

multiple access (TDMA) and is the most widely used of the three digital wireless telephony

technologies (TDMA, GSM, and CDMA). GSM digitizes and compresses data, then sends it

down a channel with two other streams of user data, each in its own time slot. It operates at

either the 900 MHz or 1800 MHz frequency band.

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The structure of a GSM network: The network is structured into a number of discrete

sections:

The Base Station Subsystem (the base stations and their controllers).

A Base Station Subsystem (BSS) consists of

a Base Station Controller (BSC)

At least one radio access point or Base Transceiver Station (BTS) for Mobile Stations

(MS), which are mobile phones or other handheld devices (for example PDA

computers) with phone interface. 

A BTS, with its aerial and associated radio frequency components, is the actual

transmission and reception component. A Network Cell is the area of radio coverage by one

BTS. One or more BTSs are in turn managed by a BSC. A network cell cluster covered by

one or several BSSs can be managed as a Location Area (LA). All these BSSs must however

be controlled by a single MSC.

The Network and Switching Subsystem (the part of the network most similar to a fixed

network). This is sometimes also just called the core network.

NSS consists of the Mobile Switching Center (MSC) and the Visitor Location Register

(VLR). A MSC manages multiple BSSs and is responsible for 

setting up, managing and shutting down connections,

handling call charges

Supervising supplementary services, such as call forwarding, call blocking and

conference calling. 

VLR contains information about all MSs currently within range of the associated MSC.

The GPRS Core Network (the optional part which allows packet based Internet connections).

The Operations support system (OSS) for maintenance of the network.

The OSS consists of 

the Operation and Maintenance Center (OMC) 

the Authentication Center (AuC), 

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the Home Location Register (HLR)

The Equipment Identity Register (EIR). 

OMC is responsible for 

regular network operation

subscriber administration

Call billing.

5.3 GPS Technology

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The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a satellite-based navigation system made up of a

network of 24 satellites placed into orbit by the U.S. Department of Defense. GPS was

originally intended for military applications, but in the 1980s, the government made the

system available for civilian use. GPS works in any weather conditions, anywhere in the

world, 24 hours a day. There are no subscription fees or setup charges to use GPS. GPS

satellites circle the earth twice a day in a very precise orbit and transmit signal information to

earth. GPS receivers take this information and use triangulation to calculate the user's exact

location. Essentially, the GPS receiver compares the time a signal was transmitted by a

satellite with the time it was received. The time difference tells the GPS receiver how far

away the satellite is. Now, with distance measurements from a few more satellites, the

receiver can determine the user's position and display it on the unit's electronic map.

GPS satellites transmit two low power radio signals, designated L1 and L2. Civilian GPS

uses the L1 frequency of 1575.42 MHz in the UHF band. The signals travel by line of sight,

meaning they will pass through clouds, glass and plastic but will not go through most solid

objects such as buildings and mountains.

6. IMPLEMENTATION

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7. FUTURE PROSPECTS

Automatic water sprinkler system which is energized and shut-off valve opens. It allows water to

enter into the sprinklers and get sprayed. Now the temperature and the heat intensity are reduced.

These three processes are mainly used for controlling the fire accidents on running train.

After the signal send by the ZigBee wireless monitoring system, it also ensures the fire sprinkler

system gets operated and the fire extinguished or the temperature is brought down substantially. To

facilitate this, a pipeline all along the compartment is connected with the water tank. The value is

intermittently fitted in the pipeline. When the sensor is detecting the increased temperature, this

enables the valve to get open and automatic sprinkler sprays the water in the compartment. Resulting

the fire is extinguished or temperature is brought down.

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8. CONCLUSION

Wireless sensor network are increasingly applied in the field of fire safety and monitoring.

Especially in difficult and harsh workstations such as mines, ships, submarines. In addition, wireless

sensor technology has a broad application background in the field of real time forest fire monitoring.

This system has not been applied in practical train fire monitoring. To monitor temperature and

humidity in the coach in a more timely and precise way, we pointed out unique advantage of safety

in signal transmission, flexibility in network set up and low cost. We propose this system as a first

attempt and compliment to Indian railways fire monitoring system. To extend the potential of the

system and improve the Indian railways to implement on priority basis in order to avoid train fire

accidents in future.

Here two technologies are used, at first ZigBee technology is used to sense or detect the fire and

information is transferred to microcontroller in engine. Then GSM technology is used to transmit

information about accident to concerned railway authorities and emergency services like police

ambulance etc.

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9. REFRENCES

1. Muhammad Ali Mazidi, Janice G. Mazidi, Rolin D. McKinlay, The 8051 Microcontroller and

Embedded Systems Using Assembly and C, 2nd ed.

2. The IEEE website. [Online]. Available: http://www.ieee.org/

3. GSM [Online] Available: http://www.gsma.com/home/

4. ZigBee Alliance Official Site, [online]. Available: www.zigbee.org.

5. Rajesh, N.N.Ramesh and S.M.Prakhya 2010. Wireless vehicular accident detection and

notification system. International conference on mechanical and electrical technology.

6. M.Rajendra Prasad, P.Aswani Kumari, “An Automated Traffic Accident Detection and Alarm

Device”, published in IJTEL.

7. GSM. [Online]. Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GSM

8. Wireless sensor networks to detect forest fires. [Online]. Available:

http://www.libelium.com/wireless_sensor_networks_to_detec_forest_fires/

9. Zigbee. [Online]. Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZigBee

10. Zigbee Technology. [Online]. Available:

http://latestemergingtechnology.blogspot.in/2009/09/zigbee-technology.html