199811 – Heibel – Modern Engineering and Design of Computer Based Interlockings

The global marketing of Computer Based Interlocking technology makes high demands on customisation (referred to as engineering) and design. Particularly, the respective tools have to be economical and user-friendly.

This paper describes the tools for the engineering and design of Siemens SIMIS-W Computer Based Interlocking and its VICOS user interface. After a brief background of the history of SIMIS interlockings and the tool development, the main requirements, which led to a new generation of engineering and design tools, are outlined. Some definitions and explanations of the systems and expressions used in this paper are given. The engineering process for interlocking and user interface is described, followed by the design process for project-specific data. A brief conclusion with a glance of future prospects closes this paper.