Method to improve the performance of communication-based train control (CBTC) systems with transmission delays and packet drops

Communication-based train control (CBTC) systems use wireless local area networks (WLANs) for train-ground transmission. Transmission delays and packet drops may cause unnecessary tractions and brakes of trains, degradation of riding comfortability, rising of energy consumption and loss of the line´s capacity. In this paper, We model the system to control a group of trains in CBTC as a networked control system (NCS) with transmission delays and packet drops. We study the delays and packet drops in CBTC, analyze their effects on train´s control, and propose a method to improve the performance of CBTC. Extensive simulation results are presented. We show that our proposed method has a strong tolerance for transmission delays and packet drops, and outperforms the currently adopted scheme in different channel conditions.