METHOD FOR UPDATING A PLURALITY OF VEHICLES AND ASSEMBLY FORMED BY A PLURALITY OF RAILWAY VEHICLES AND AN ASSOCIATED MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

• US 20180011703A1
• Filed: 06/30/2017
• Published: 01/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alstom Transport Technologies
• Original Assignee: Alstom Transport Technologies
• Inventors: PLANCHE, Lilian
• Granted Patent: US 10,678,534 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/0027 Radio-based, e.g. using GSM-R
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/0072 On-board train data handling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/654 using techniques specially adapted for alterable solid state memories, e.g. for EEPROM or flash memories
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching

Abstract

A method for applying a plurality of vehicles each including an onboard server and at least two apparatuses, an onboard server and each of the apparatuses storing initial data, each onboard server being connected to the apparatuses mounted in the same vehicle with a local network. The method includes the steps of transferring modified data, through an extended radiofrequency communication network, from a server on the ground towards the onboard servers, when the modified data have been stored in memory in each onboard server, emitting via the extended network, an updating command, and transmitting modified data to at least one apparatus through the corresponding local network, the modified data replacing, in said apparatus, the initial data.

Claims

1. A method for updating a plurality of vehicles, each vehicle including an onboard server, a first electronic apparatus and at least one second electronic apparatus, the onboard server comprising a first memory and a radiofrequency communication module and each of the first apparatus and of the second apparatus comprising a controller and a second memory storing a set of initial data, each onboard server being connected to each of the first apparatus and of the second apparatus mounted in the same vehicle with a local internal communication network to the vehicle, wherein the method includes the following steps:

transferring update data, through an extended radiofrequency communication network, from at least one server on the ground towards the onboard servers of the vehicles of said plurality, the updating data including modified data intended to be stored in memory by at least one of the first apparatus and of the second apparatus of each relevant vehicle,

storing updating data in the first memory of each vehicle,

wherein when the updating data have been stored in the first memory of each vehicle, the emitting through the extended network, by a server on the ground, an updating command intended for the onboard server of each vehicle, and

transmitting, for each onboard server having received the updating command, modified data to at least one of the first apparatus and of the second apparatus through the corresponding local network, the modified data replacing, in the second memory of said apparatus, the initial data.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transmission step comprises the following steps:

sending an update request, for each onboard server having received the updating command, to at least one from among the first apparatus and the second apparatus of the same vehicle,

sending back, by said apparatus an updating authorization to the onboard server, and

replacing, in said apparatus, the initial data with modified data, the replacement sub-step being applied after receiving, by the onboard server, the corresponding updating authorization.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein an active state and an inactive state are defined for each vehicle of the plurality, the inactive state being representative of the fact that the vehicle is not in motion and the active state being representative of the fact that the vehicle is in motion, at least one of the first apparatus and of the second apparatus being configured for, during the sending back sub-step, sending back the authorization if the vehicle is in the inactive state and, if said is in the active state, waiting for said vehicle to switch into the inactive state for sending back the authorization.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein, in the emission step, the updating command is simultaneously emitted by the server on the ground intended for each onboard server of the plurality of vehicles.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transmission step is successively applied for the first apparatus and the second apparatus of a same vehicle according to a predetermined order.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the first apparatus is configured for transmitting information between the second apparatus and the onboard server, the updating data comprising first modified data intended to be stored in the second memory of the first apparatus and second modified data intended to be stored in the second memory of the second apparatus, the second modified data being transmitted to the second apparatus during the transmission step, no first modified datum being transmitted to the first apparatus before the second modified data have been entirely stored in memory by the second apparatus.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the updating data are distributed in a set of data packets and, during the transfer step, a set of transfer messages is emitted by the server on the ground intended for each onboard server, each transfer message including a data packet and a check sum, the onboard server being configured for calculating each check sum from the corresponding data packet, and for comparing the calculated check sum with the check sum contained in the transfer message, each check sum calculated by each onboard server being further transmitted to the server on the ground, the server on the ground comparing each received check sum with the check sum transferred with the corresponding transfer message.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the beginning of the emission step is shifted from the end of the transfer step by a time shift greater than or equal to 5 seconds.

9. An assembly formed with a plurality of railway vehicles and with a system for managing the plurality of railway vehicles, each railway vehicle including an onboard server, a first electronic apparatus and at least one second electronic apparatus, the onboard server comprising a first memory and a radiofrequency communication module and each of the first apparatus and of the second apparatus comprising a controller and a second memory storing a set of initial data, each onboard server being connected to each of the first apparatus and of the second apparatus through a local internal communication network to the vehicle, and the management system including a server on the ground, wherein the server on the ground is configured for:

transferring, through a radiofrequency communication, updating data to the onboard server of each vehicle through an extended network, the updating data including modified data intended to be stored in the second memory of at least one of the first apparatus and of the second apparatus, and for

emitting, through the extended network, an updating command intended for the onboard server of each vehicle of the plurality of vehicles when the updating data have been stored in in the first memory of each vehicle having received the updating data,

and wherein each onboard server is configured for;

storing the updating data in the first memory, and

subsequently to receiving the updating command, transmitting the modified data to at least one from among the first apparatus and the second apparatus through the corresponding local network, the modified data replacing, in the second memory of said apparatus, the initial data.