Skip to main content

Deadlock Avoidance in Train Scheduling: A Model Checking Approach

  • Conference paper
Formal Methods for Industrial Critical Systems (FMICS 2014)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNPSE,volume 8718))

Abstract

In this paper we present the deadlock avoidance approach used in the design of the scheduling kernel of an Automatic Train Supervision (ATS) system. The ATS that we have designed prevents the occurrence of deadlocks by performing a set of runtime checks just before allowing a train to move further. For each train, the set of checks to be performed at each step of progress is retrieved from statically generated ATS configuration data. For the verification of the correctness of the logic used by the ATS and the validation of the constraints verified by the runtime checks, we define a formal model that represents the ATS behavior, the railway layout, and the planned service structure. We use this formal model to verify both the absence of deadlocks and absence of false positives (i.e., cases in which a train is unnecessarily disallowed to proceed). The verification is carried out by exploiting the UMC model checking verification framework locally developed at ISTI-CNR.

This work was partially supported by the PAR FAS 2007-2013 (TRACE-IT) project and by the PRIN 2010-2011 (CINA) project.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. Ferrari, A., Spagnolo, G.O., Martelli, G., Menabeni, S.: From commercial documents to system requirements: an approach for the engineering of novel CBTC solutions. Int. Journal on STTT, 1–21 (2014)

    Google Scholar 

  2. Mazzanti, F., Spagnolo, G.O., Ferrari, A.: Designing a deadlock-free train scheduler: A model checking approach. In: Badger, J.M., Rozier, K.Y. (eds.) NFM 2014. LNCS, vol. 8430, pp. 264–269. Springer, Heidelberg (2014)

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  3. Gnesi, S., Mazzanti, F.: An abstract, on the fly framework for the verification of service-oriented systems. In: Wirsing, M., Hölzl, M. (eds.) Sensoria Project. LNCS, vol. 6582, pp. 390–407. Springer, Heidelberg (2011)

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  4. OMG: Object Management Group, UML Superstructure Specification (2006), http://www.omg.org/spec/UML/2.4.1

  5. ter Beek, M.H., Mazzanti, F., Gnesi, S.: CMC-UMC: A Framework for the Verification of abstract Service-Oriented Properties. In: Proceedings of the 2009 ACM Symposium on Applied Computing, pp. 2111–2117. ACM (2009)

    Google Scholar 

  6. Petersen, E., Taylor, A.: Line Block Prevention in Rail Line Dispatch and Simulation Models. INFOR Journal (21), 46–51 (1983)

    Google Scholar 

  7. Cui, Y.: Simulation-based hybrid model for a partially-automatic dispatching of railway operation. Ph.D. Thesis Universitat Stuttgart (2009)

    Google Scholar 

  8. Mills, R., Pudney, P.: The effects of deadlock avoidance on rail network capacity and performance. In: Hewitt, J. (ed.) MISG: Mathematics in Industry Study Group (2003)

    Google Scholar 

  9. Pachl, J.: Avoiding deadlocks in synchronous railway simulations. In: International Seminar on Railway Operations Modelling and Analysis, pp. 359–369 (2007)

    Google Scholar 

  10. Pachl, J.: Deadlock avoidance in railroad operations simulations. In: PROMET Traffic & Transportation. Number 11-0175, pp. 359–369 (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  11. Mittermayr, R., Blieberger, J., Schöbel, A.: Kronecker Algebra based Deadlock Analysis for Railway Systems. PROMET - Traffic & Transportation 24(5), 359–369 (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  12. Törnquist, J.: Computer-based decision support for railway traffic scheduling and dispatching: A review of models and algorithms. In: 5th Workshop on Algorithmic Methods and Models for Optimization of Railways, p. 659 (2006)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2014 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

About this paper

Cite this paper

Mazzanti, F., Spagnolo, G.O., Della Longa, S., Ferrari, A. (2014). Deadlock Avoidance in Train Scheduling: A Model Checking Approach. In: Lang, F., Flammini, F. (eds) Formal Methods for Industrial Critical Systems. FMICS 2014. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 8718. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-10702-8_8

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-10702-8_8

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-10701-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-10702-8

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics