AUTOMATED REAL-TIME POSITIVE TRAIN CONTROL TRACK DATABASE VALIDATION

• US 20140263862A1
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Australian Rail Track Corp. Ltd. (Government of Australia)
• Original Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Inventors: MORRIS, Charles W.
• Granted Patent: US 9,174,657 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 246/2.R
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/0027 Radio-based, e.g. using GSM-R
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/0092 Memory means reproducing during the running of the vehicle or vehicle train, e.g. smart cards
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 25/025 Absolute localisation, e.g. providing geodetic coordinates
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 27/40 Handling position reports or trackside vehicle data
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 3/125 using short-range radio transmission

Abstract

Methods and systems are described that can be used to verify a track database of a train management system, for example that the track database has not been corrupted, built with critical errors, or is not being used properly by the software application. In one embodiment, radio frequency identification (RFID) tags are mounted on the trackside features contained in the track database. The tags contain data such as the geographical coordinates of the trackside features and a unique feature identifier that uniquely identifies the respective feature. As the train passes the trackside feature, a tag reader on the train reads the tag to gather the geographical coordinates and the feature identifier. The train management system then compares the geographical coordinates and/or the feature identifier from the tag with the expected geographical coordinates and/or the expected feature identifier in the track database.

Claims

1. A method of verifying a railway track database of a train management system, the track database contains information on a plurality of trackside features located adjacent to a railway track including an identifier that uniquely identifies each trackside feature and a geographical coordinate location of each trackside feature, the method comprising:

as the train is traveling on the railway track, reading a radio frequency identification tag that is affixed to a first one of the trackside features using a reader disposed on the train, the reader obtaining from the tag a feature identifier that uniquely identifies the first trackside feature and geographical coordinates of the first trackside feature, where the feature identifier and the geographical coordinates are stored in memory of the tag; and

comparing the feature identifier and the geographical coordinates read by the reader with an expected identifier and expected geographical coordinates obtained from the track database.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the expected identifier and expected geographical coordinates are calculated by a processor on the train.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the reader is located on an engine of the train, and the tag is located in a vertical orientation on the trackside feature.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising reading additional radio frequency identification tags that are affixed to additional trackside features using the reader, the reader obtaining from each additional tag a feature identifier that uniquely identifies the additional trackside feature and geographical coordinates of the additional trackside feature, where the feature identifier and the geographical coordinates are stored in memory of each additional tag;

and

for each additional radio frequency identification tag that is read, comparing the feature identifier and the geographical coordinates read by the reader with an expected identifier and expected geographical coordinates obtained from the track database.

5. A method comprising:

as a train is traveling on a railway track and passes a trackside feature disposed adjacent to the railway track, reading data from a radio frequency identification tag disposed on the trackside feature using a reader located on the train.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the data read from the radio frequency identification tag comprises a feature identifier that uniquely identifies the trackside feature and geographical coordinates of the trackside feature, and further comprising comparing the feature identifier and the geographical coordinates read by the reader with an expected identifier and expected geographical coordinates.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the expected identifier and expected geographical coordinates are calculated by a processor on the train.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the reader is located on the engine of the train, and the tag is located in a vertical orientation on the trackside feature.

9. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

as the train is traveling on a railway track, using the reader to read additional radio frequency identification tags that are fixed to additional trackside features.

10. A method, comprising:

mounting radio frequency identification tags to a plurality of trackside features adjacent to a railway track, each tag having memory in which is stored geographical coordinates of the trackside feature to which the tag is fixed and a feature identifier that uniquely identifies the trackside feature to which the tag is fixed.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the geographical coordinates of the trackside feature and the feature identifier are stored in the memory of each of the tags prior to or after the tags are mounted to the trackside features.

12. A radio frequency identification tag, comprising:

a tag body;

an antenna on the tag body; and

memory on the tag body, the memory including stored therein geographical coordinates of a railway trackside feature to which the RFID tag is intended to be or has been fixed and a feature identifier that uniquely identifies the railway trackside feature to which the RFID tag is intended to be or has been fixed.

13. A system, comprising:

a plurality of radio frequency identification tags mounted to a plurality of trackside features disposed adjacent to a railway track, each tag having memory in which is stored geographical coordinates of the trackside feature to which the tag is fixed and a feature identifier that uniquely identifies the trackside feature to which the tag is fixed;

a tag reader mounted on a train, the tag reader is capable of reading the radio frequency identification tags as the train passes the trackside features; and

a processor on the train and connected to the tag reader, the processor receiving the geographical coordinates and the feature identifier of each tag from the tag reader.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the tag reader is located on an engine of the train, and each of the tags is located in a vertical orientation on the trackside features.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein for each tag, the processor compares the feature identifier and the geographical coordinates read by the tag reader with an expected identifier and expected geographical coordinates obtained from a track database.