METHOD FOR COMMUNICATING INFORMATION BETWEEN AN ON-BOARD CONTROL UNIT AND A PUBLIC TRANSPORT NETWORK

• US 20130325211A1
• Filed: 09/15/2011
• Published: 12/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Mobility SAS (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Sas (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: El Fassi, Said
• Granted Patent: US 9,764,749 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/2
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 11/08 using electrical or magnetic interaction between vehicle and track
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 13/04 using electrical or magnetic interaction between vehicle and track , e.g. by conductor circuits using special means or special conductors
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/0027 Radio-based, e.g. using GSM-R
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 23/26 with means for actuating signals from the vehicle or by passage of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 27/04 Automatic systems, e.g. controlled by train; Change-over to manual control

Abstract

A method of communicating at least one piece of information between a first control unit on-board a first vehicle and a public transport network. The information is sent by the first control unit in the form of a command that is transferred to a first communication unit on board the first vehicle. The first communication unit establishes a transmission link outside the vehicle with a second communication unit linked to a module for executing the command. The second communication unit and the execution module are located either on the ground or on board a second vehicle that has a second control unit. In the event of a transmission to the second communication unit on the ground, the execution module on the ground is controlled in a governed slave mode for the command by a master mode of the first control unit. In the event of a transmission to the second on-board communication unit, the execution module on board the second vehicle is controlled in a governed slave mode to permit the command to be executed in a master mode of the first control unit, thereby at least temporarily placing a second control unit on board the second vehicle in a slave mode to execute the command.

Claims

1-10. -10. (canceled)

11. A method for communicating at least one item of information between a first control unit on-board a first vehicle and a public transport network, the method comprising:

sending the information from the first control unit in the form of a command, transferring the command to a first communication unit on board the first vehicle;

establishing with the first communication unit a transmission link outside the vehicle with a second communication unit connected to a module for executing the command, wherein the second communication unit and the execution module are located either on the ground or on board a second vehicle having a second control unit; and

in the event of a transmission to the second communication unit on the ground, controlling the execution module on the ground in a governed slave mode for the command by a master mode of the first control unit;

in the event of a transmission to the second on-board communication unit, controlling the execution module on board the second vehicle in a governed slave mode to permit the command to be executed in a master mode of the first control unit, thereby at least temporarily placing the second control unit on board the second vehicle in a slave mode to execute the command.

12. The method according to claim 11, which comprises eventually switching the second control unit from the slave mode to master mode to execute the command independently.

13. The method according to claim 11, which comprises alternatively controlling an execution module on board the first vehicle in a switched-back slave mode governed for the command by a master mode of the second control unit, thereby at least temporarily placing the first control unit on board the first vehicle in a slave mode to execute the command.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein, in the event of a transmission to the second communication unit on the ground, the command governs at least one of the following actions:

opening platform doors;

a switch interlock;

a switch movement;

a ground signal;

storage of instantaneous information transmitted by the first vehicle in a communication terminal on the ground;

a diagnostic transmission to request a service on the ground;

sending an alert signal;

a functional status message for the on-board and/or ground equipment.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the command causes the opening of the platform doors in synchronicity with the vehicle doors.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein the command causes the storage of instantaneous information to be readable by all vehicles approaching the terminal.

17. The method according to claim 14, wherein the command causes the diagnostic transmission to request a service selected from the group consisting of a power supply, a maintenance stage, and an emergency.

18. The method according to claim 11, wherein, in the event of a transmission to the second on-board communication unit, the command governs at least one of the following actions:

a CBTC, ATC, IXL, ATP, ATO information exchange;

an information exchange enabling a driver to drive the second vehicle manually,

an independent movement authority of the first and second vehicle;

a preventive collision-prevention instruction;

a vehicle approach or coupling instruction;

a splitting instruction for a vehicle comprising a plurality of rolling-stock units;

an inter-vehicle information transmission for each vehicle using various parameters;

a forced protective switching from master mode to slave mode of one of the control units found to contravene safety standards, the other on-board control unit being set to a master mode to remote control the equipment on board the vehicle including the control unit in slave mode;

a forced protective switching from master mode to slave mode of one of the control units found to contravene safety standards, and the remote control of the equipment on board the vehicle including the control unit in slave mode from a ground network pilot.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the information exchange is suited to self-guided vehicles.

20. The method according to claim 18, wherein the various parameters are selected from the group consisting of position, speed, energy levels, braking capacity, instantaneous and anticipated routes.

21. The method according to claim 11, which comprises authorizing with at least one of the vehicles a switching of a control unit on the ground to master mode in order to send parameters related to the network, resources, planning and public transport equipment to an on-board control unit.

22. The method according to claim 11, which comprises employing radio links for information communication between equipment on a first vehicle and ground or on-board equipment remote from the first vehicle.

23. A method of installing, updating or commissioning a physical public transport network and a related communications network, the method which comprises:

performing the method according to claim 11 for communicating at least one item of information between a first control unit on-board a first vehicle and the public transport network.

24. The method according to claim 23, which comprises maximizing, in a first phase, an initial supply of data that can be stored in the on-board control modules by the vehicles in order, in a second phase, to minimize a quantity of data transmission means, information and commands from communication infrastructure on the ground to the vehicles, the data thus stored and carried on board being used to generate the information in the form of commands.

25. The method according to claim 23, which comprises, at least under security conditions confirmed from the on-board equipment, without transmitting data, information or commands from the communication infrastructure on the ground to said on-board equipment.

26. The method according to claim 23, which comprises providing the data used to generate the information in the form of commands, identical and additional to the data stored and carried on board, by the on-board sensory equipment.

27. The method according to claim 26, wherein the on-board sensory equipment is selected from the group consisting of an optical sensor, a camera, a distance measurement sensor, and an RFID reader.