Design and Fabrication of a Prototype Automated Railway Gate Controller

Abstract

The unmanned railway gate controller is a system that enables the opening and closing of a railway gate upon the detection of a train. This is a fully automated system to avoid human intervention and reduce railway accidents. This study involves the use of microcontroller incorporated with various sensors and actuators. The microcontroller receives a signal from the IR sensors which are placed which is placed at certain fixed distances before and after the gate, and from that input signal the microcontroller sends signals to the output components to take the necessary actions. The Intensity and sensitivity of the IR module has a wavelength range of 780nm, signal detection of 38KHz for 0V and 0KHz for 5V. The torque and power rate of the servo motor used are 1.2kg/cm and 3 Amp respectively. The response rate of these sensors was evaluated, and the result shows that the gate respond swiftly to an approaching train by performing closing and opening operation, hence increases the safety around the railway-road crossing