The Design and Implementation of PC/104-Compatible Interface and Traffic Store Hardware in a Class 4MVB Controller

This paper introduces the design and implementation of essential modules in a class 4 Multifunctional Vehicle Bus (MVB) controller. The MVB controller is responsible for polling and storing the information collected by up to 4096 different sensors deployed in a carriage of high-speed trains. Working under strict real-time constraints, the MVB network controller consists of both firmware running on FPGA and software executed on an ARM processor. The operation of the card is under hostile electromagnetic environments. This paper consists of firmware design of the interface module to the industrial computer, command processing unit module and memory controller module. The designed modules offer full support for dynamic configuration, which significantly lower the complexity of system management. In addition to completely meeting the real-time and functional requirements specified by IEC61375, the circuits are carefully designed to support fault tolerance and fast recovery. The network controller has passed the protocol conformance test and 15-day fault-free field test on the sub-way trains.