Method and device for automatically influencing track-bound vehicles

• US 10,457,300 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2016
• Issued: 10/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Mobility GmbH (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Mobility GmbH (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Rahn, Karsten
• Primary Examiner(s): Dager, Jonathan M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Evans, Garrett F
• Application Number:
  US15/556,431
• Publication Number:
  US 20180105192A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,341 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 1/14 Devices for indicating the passing of the end of the vehicle or train
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/0054 Train integrity supervision, e.g. end-of-train [EOT] devices
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/0081 On-board diagnosis or maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 25/02 Indicating or recording positions or identities of vehicles or trains
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 27/33 Backup systems, e.g. switching when failures occur
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 3/16 Continuous control along the route

Abstract

In a normal operating mode, track-bound vehicles report their respective position to a track-side device and the track-side device determines a respective movement authority taking into account the reported positions for the track-bound vehicles and transmits the movement authorities to the respective track-bound vehicle. If a track-bound vehicles is faulty and cannot ensure its integrity, and it is consequently not able to report a valid or reliable position, a switch-over into a fault mode takes place without interrupting the travel operation of the track-bound vehicles. In the fault mode the faulty track-bound vehicle determines a position of one of its vehicle ends and reports the position together with information that it cannot ensure its integrity, to the track-side device. Movement authorities are then determined by the track-side device, taking into account the reported position of the one vehicle end and track vacancy information of a track-side track vacancy system.

Claims

1. A method of automatically controlling track-bound vehicles, wherein, in a normal operating mode:

the track-bound vehicles report their respective positions to a track-side device; and

the trackside device determines a respective movement authority for the track-bound vehicles, taking into account the positions reported by the track-bound vehicles, and the movement authority is transmitted to the respective track-bound vehicle;

the method comprising;

in the event that one of the track-bound vehicles is a faulty track-bound vehicle whose integrity cannot be guaranteed, switching over to a fault mode without interrupting a travel operation of the track-bound vehicles; and

in the fault mode;

causing the faulty track-bound vehicle to determine a position of one vehicle end thereof and to report the position of the one vehicle end to the track-side device together with an item of information indicating that an integrity of the position of the one vehicle end cannot be guaranteed; and

determining the movement authorities for the track-bound vehicles with the track-side device and, with respect to the faulty track-bound vehicle, taking into account the reported position of the one vehicle end and, in respect of the other vehicle end, an item of vacancy reporting information of a track-side vacancy reporting system.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, in relation to a travel direction of the faulty track-bound vehicle, the one vehicle end whose position has been reported is a forward vehicle end, the movement authority for the faulty track-bound vehicle is determined taking account of the reported position of the forward vehicle end.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein, in relation to a travel direction of the faulty track-bound vehicle, the one vehicle end whose position has been reported is a forward vehicle end, the respective movement authority for at least one track-bound vehicle following the faulty track-bound vehicle at a rearward vehicle end is determined taking account of the vacancy reporting information of the track-side vacancy reporting system.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein, in relation to a travel direction of the faulty track-bound vehicle, the one vehicle end whose position has been reported is a rearward vehicle end, the respective movement authority for at least one track-bound vehicle following the faulty track-bound vehicle at the rearward vehicle end is determined taking account of the reported position of the rearward vehicle end.

5. The method according to claim 1, which comprises, in respect of the other vehicle end of the faulty track-bound vehicle, taking into account an item of vacancy reporting information of a track-side vacancy reporting system in the form of an axle counting system.

6. The method according to claim 1, which comprises, in respect of the other vehicle end of the faulty track-bound vehicle, taking into account an item of vacancy reporting information of a track-side vacancy reporting system based on track circuits.

7. A device for automatically controlling track-bound vehicles, the device comprising:

vehicle-side devices disposed on the track-bound vehicles and a track-side device configured to operate in a normal operating mode and in a fault mode;

in the normal operating mode;

said vehicle-side devices report a position of the respective track-bound vehicle to said track-side device;

said track-side device determines a respective movement authority, taking account of the reported positions of the track-bound vehicles and transmits the movement authority to said vehicle-side device of the respective track-bound vehicle;

said track-side device being configured, in the event that one of the track-bound vehicles is a faulty track-bound vehicle to the effect that the track-bound vehicle cannot guarantee an integrity thereof, without interrupting a travel operation of the track-bound vehicles, said track-side device switches over into the fault mode; and

in the fault mode;

said vehicle-side device of the faulty track-bound vehicle being configured to determine a position of one vehicle end thereof and to report the position to said track-side device together with an item of information indicating that the faulty track-bound vehicle cannot guarantee an integrity of the position of the one vehicle end; and

said track-side device being configured to determine the movement authorities for the track-bound vehicles and, with regard to the faulty track-bound vehicle, to take into account, in respect of the one vehicle end, the reported position and, in respect of the other vehicle end, an item of vacancy reporting information of a track-side vacancy reporting system.

8. The device according to claim 7, wherein, in the event that the one vehicle end which, in relation to a travel direction of the faulty track-bound vehicle, is a forward vehicle end, said track-side device determines the movement authority for the faulty track-bound vehicle, taking into account the reported position of the forward vehicle end.

9. The device according to claim 7, wherein, in the event that the one vehicle end which, in relation to a travel direction of the faulty track-bound vehicle, is a forward vehicle end, said track-side device determines the respective movement authority for at least one track-bound vehicle following the faulty track-bound vehicle at a rearward vehicle end, taking into account the vacancy reporting information of the track-side vacancy reporting system.

10. The device according to claim 7, wherein, in the event that the one vehicle end which, in relation to a travel direction of the faulty track-bound vehicle, is a rearward vehicle end, said track-side device determines the respective movement authority for at least one track-bound vehicle following the faulty track-bound vehicle at the rearward vehicle end, taking into account the reported position of the rearward vehicle end.

11. The device according to claim 7, wherein in respect of the other vehicle end of the faulty track-bound vehicle, said track-side device is configured to take into account an item of vacancy reporting information of a track-side vacancy reporting system comprising an axle counting system.

12. The device according to claim 7, wherein in respect of the other vehicle end of the faulty track-bound vehicle, said track-side device is configured to take into account an item of vacancy reporting information of a track-side vacancy reporting system based on track circuits.