Method and System for Transmitting Enforceable Instructions in Positive Train Control Systems

• US 20140172205A1
• Filed: 09/20/2013
• Published: 06/19/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wabtec Holding Corp (Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Wabtec Holding Corp (Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Fenske, James L., Ruhland, Kristofer M., Shaw, Karen A.
• Granted Patent: US 10,081,378 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/19
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/0062 On-board target speed calculation or supervision
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/0063 Multiple on-board control systems, e.g. "2 out of 3"-systems
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 23/041 Obstacle detection
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 27/53 for trackside elements or systems, e.g. trackside supervision of trackside control system conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 27/70 Details of trackside communication
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 3/125 using short-range radio transmission

Abstract

A method and a system for transmitting enforceable instructions in a positive train control (PTC) system includes receiving, by a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) calculator, at least one enforceable instruction from railroad systems. The CRC calculator calculates at least one enforceable instruction CRC based at least partly on the at least one enforceable instruction and transmits the at least one enforceable instruction CRC to a back office server of the PTC system and/or an on-board system of a locomotive. Methods for cyclic redundancy check (CRC) hazard mitigation in a positive train control (PTC) system and verifying enforceable instruction data on-board a train are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting enforceable instructions in a positive train control (PTC) system, the method comprising:

receiving, by a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) calculator, at least one enforceable instruction from railroad systems;

calculating, by the CRC calculator, at least one enforceable instruction CRC based at least partly on the at least one enforceable instruction; and

transmitting, by the CRC calculator, the at least one enforceable instruction CRC to at least one of a back office server of the PTC system and an on-board system of a locomotive.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the CRC calculator is at least one of external to and remote from the railroad systems.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein a computer aided dispatch in the railroad systems comprises the CRC calculator.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one enforceable instruction is a plurality of enforceable instructions, and wherein the CRC calculator calculates a plurality of individual enforceable instruction CRCs based at least partly on the plurality of enforceable instructions.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the CRC calculator calculates a composite enforceable instruction CRC based at least partly on a portion of the plurality of individual enforceable instruction CRCs associated with a train for a subdivision/district of a plurality of different subdivision/districts of the PTC system.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one enforceable instruction is a plurality of enforceable instructions, and wherein the CRC calculator calculates a composite enforceable instruction CRC based at least partly on a portion of the plurality of enforceable instructions associated with a train for a subdivision/district of a plurality of different subdivision/districts of the PTC system.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the CRC calculator is separate from and does not share any components or data storage with the back office server.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one enforceable instruction CRC comprises at least one of the following:

an authority data CRC, a bulletin data CRC, an authority void data CRC, a bulletin void data CRC, or any combination thereof.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

replicating, by a replicator, a message including the at least one enforceable instruction sent by the railroad systems to the back office system; and

receiving, by the CRC calculator, the replicated message.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

converting, by the CRC calculator, the at least one enforceable instruction into a neutral data format that is the same for each railroad of a plurality of different railroads; and

calculating, by the CRC calculator, the at least one enforceable instruction CRC based at least partly on the at least one enforceable instruction in the neutral data format.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving, by the back office server, the at least one enforceable instruction from the railroad systems;

converting, by the back office server, the at least one enforceable instruction into a normalized format, wherein the normalized format is different from the neutral format;

calculating, by the back office server, at least one BOS enforceable instruction CRC based at least partly on the at least one enforceable instruction in the normalized format;

receiving, by the back office server, the at least one enforceable instruction CRC from the CRC calculator; and

transmitting, by the back office server, the at least one BOS enforceable instruction CRC and the at least one enforceable instruction in the normalized format with the at least one enforceable instruction CRC to the on-board system.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving, by the on-board system, the at least one BOS enforceable instruction CRC, and the at least one enforceable instruction in the normalized format, and the at least one enforceable instruction CRC;

converting, by the on-board system, the at least one enforceable instruction received from the back office server into the neutral data format;

calculating, by the on-board system, at least one on-board enforceable instruction CRC based at least partly on the at least one enforceable instruction in the neutral data format; and

comparing, by the on-board system, the at least one enforceable instruction CRC received from the back office server to at least one on-board calculated enforceable instruction CRC to validate the at least one enforceable instruction CRC.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

validating, by the on-board system, the at least one enforceable instruction CRC if the at least one enforceable instruction CRC matches the at least one on-board calculated enforceable instruction CRC; and

setting, by the on-board system, an associated subdivision/district of a plurality of different subdivisions/districts of the PTC system to a non-synchronized state if the at least one enforceable instruction CRC does not match the at least one on-board calculated enforceable instruction CRC.

14. A system for transmitting enforceable instructions in a positive train control (PTC) system, the system comprising:

a server computer, connected to at least one network, wherein the server computer is configured to;

receive at least one enforceable instruction from railroad systems;

calculate at least one enforceable instruction CRC based at least partly on the at least one enforceable instruction; and

transmit the enforceable instruction CRC to at least one of a back office server computer of the PTC system and an on-board system of a locomotive.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the server computer is at least one of external to and remote from the railroad systems.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein a computer aided dispatch computer in the railroad systems comprises the server computer.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the at least one enforceable instruction is a plurality of enforceable instructions, and wherein the server computer calculates a plurality of individual enforceable instruction CRCs based at least partly on the plurality of enforceable instructions.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the server computer calculates a composite enforceable instruction CRC based at least partly on a portion of the plurality of individual enforceable instruction CRCs associated with a train for a subdivision/district of a plurality of different subdivision/districts of the PTC system.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the at least one enforceable instruction is a plurality of enforceable instructions, and wherein the server computer calculates a composite enforceable instruction CRC based at least partly on a portion of the plurality of enforceable instructions associated with a train for a subdivision/district of a plurality of different subdivision/districts of the PTC system.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein the computer is separate from and does not share any components or data storage with the back office computer server.

21. The system of claim 14, wherein the at least one enforceable instruction CRC comprises at least one of the following:

an authority data CRC, a bulletin data CRC, an authority void data CRC, a bulletin void data CRC, or any combination thereof.

22. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

a replicator computer, connected to at least one network, wherein the replicator computer is configured to;

replicate a message including the at least one enforceable instruction sent by the railroad systems to the back office system; and

send the replicated message to the server computer.

23. The system of claim 14, wherein the server computer is configured to convert the at least one enforceable instruction into a neutral data format that is the same for each railroad of a plurality of different railroads, and wherein the server computer is configured to calculate the at least one enforceable instruction CRC based at least partly on the at least one enforceable instruction in the neutral data format.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the back office server is configured to:

receive the at least one enforceable instruction from the railroad systems;

convert the at least one enforceable instruction into a normalized format, wherein the normalized format is different from the neutral format;

calculate at least one BOS enforceable instruction CRC based at least partly on the at least one enforceable instruction in the normalized format;

receive the at least one enforceable instruction CRC from the server computer; and

transmit the at least one BOS enforceable instruction CRC and the at least one enforceable instruction in the normalized format with the at least one enforceable instruction CRC to the on-board system.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the on-board system is configured to:

receive the at least one BOS enforceable instruction CRC, and the at least one enforceable instruction in the normalized format, and the at least one enforceable instruction CRC;

convert the at least one enforceable instruction received from the back office server into the neutral data format;

calculate at least one on-board enforceable instruction CRC based at least partly on the at least one enforceable instruction in the neutral data format; and

compare the at least one enforceable instruction CRC received from the back office server to at least one on-board calculated enforceable instruction CRC to validate the at least one enforceable instruction CRC.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the on-board system is configured to:

validate the at least one enforceable instruction CRC if the at least one enforceable instruction CRC matches the at least one on-board calculated enforceable instruction CRC; and

set an associated subdivision/district of a plurality of different subdivisions/districts of the PTC system to a non-synchronized state if the at least one enforceable instruction CRC does not match the at least one on-board calculated enforceable instruction CRC.

27. A computer program stored on a computer memory and executing on a processor which, when used on a computer apparatus causes the processor to execute steps of a method for transmitting enforceable instructions in a positive train control (PTC) system, the method comprising:

receiving at least one enforceable instruction from railroad systems;

calculating at least one enforceable instruction CRC based at least partly on the at least one enforceable instruction; and

transmitting the enforceable instruction CRC to at least one of a back office server of the PTC system and an on-board system of a locomotive.

28. A method for cyclic redundancy check (CRC) hazard mitigation in a positive train control (PTC) system, the method comprising:

receiving, by a CRC calculator, at least one enforceable instruction from railroad systems;

calculating, by the CRC calculator, an individual enforceable instruction CRC based at least partly on the at least one enforceable instruction;

transmitting, by the CRC calculator, the individual enforceable instruction CRC to at least one of a back office server and an on-board system of a locomotive.

29. A method for cyclic redundancy check (CRC) hazard mitigation, the method comprising:

receiving, by a CRC calculator, a plurality of enforceable instructions from railroad systems;

calculating, by the CRC calculator, a composite enforceable instruction CRC based at least partly on a portion of the plurality of enforceable instructions associated with a train for a subdivision/district of a plurality of different subdivisions/districts of the PTC system; and

transmitting, by the CRC calculator, the composite enforceable instruction CRC to at least one of a back office server and an on-board system of a locomotive.

30. A method for cyclic redundancy check (CRC) hazard mitigation, the method comprising:

calculating, by a computer aided dispatch of a railroad system, at least one enforceable instruction CRC based at least partly upon at least one enforceable instruction;

transmitting, by the computer aided dispatch, the at least one enforceable instruction CRC with the at least one enforceable instruction to at least one of a back office server and an on-board system of a locomotive.

31. A method for verifying enforceable instruction data on-board a train, comprising:

receiving, at an on-board system on the train from a back office server, enforceable instruction data and at least one enforceable instruction CRC comprising at least one of the following;

an authority data CRC, a bulletin data CRC, an authority void CRC, a bulletin void CRC, a composite CRC, or any combination thereof, wherein the at least one enforceable instruction CRC is generated based at least partially on at least one enforceable instruction issued from dispatch;

generating, on the on-board system, an on-board CRC based at least partially on the enforceable instruction data; and

verifying, on the on-board system, at least a portion of the enforceable instruction data based at least partially on the at least one enforceable instruction CRC and the on-board CRC.