Method and apparatus for control of central spacing of track-operated vehicles

• US 4,014,503 A
• Filed: 03/31/1975
• Issued: 03/29/1977
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/1974
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Raimer, Juergen
• Primary Examiner(s): Blix, Trygve M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Eisenzopf, Reinhard J.
• Application Number:
  US05/563,299
• Time in Patent Office: 729 Days
• Field of Search: 246/63 R, 246/5, 246/182 B, 246/167 D, 246/34 R, 246/34 CT, 246/122 R, 246/63 C, 246/187 B, 246/187 C, 246/63 A, 235/150.24, 340/31 R, 340/38 R
• US Class Current: 246/34.00R
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 21/10 Arrangements for trains which are closely following one another

Abstract

Method and apparatus for central spacing control of track-operated vehicles, particularly railroad vehicles, along paths which are subdivided into individual track sections for the positioning of the vehicles, which sections are continuously monitored as to occupation, in dependence upon the instantaneous position of the vehicles, preferably utilizing stationary information systems, particularly for railroad systems with a dense train succession and track section lengths, and without continuous information channels between vehicles and a main office, in which each of the track sections is continuously monitored in the main office, with respect to occupation thereof by a vehicle or a series of coupled vehicles, to determine whether the path sections ahead of and/or behind the occupied distance, representing a predetermined minimum distance between successive vehicles or series of coupled vehicles, are free of vehicles, and providing an actuating signal, when a section indicated as occupied is within the path range defined by the minimum distance, operative to initiate a forced braking of the following vehicle or vehicles.

Claims

1. A method for central spacing control of track-operated vehicles, particularly railroad vehicles, along paths which are subdivided into individual track sections for the positioning of the vehicles, which sections are continuously monitored as to occupation, in dependence upon the instantaneous position of the vehicles, preferably utilizing stationary information systems, particularly for railroad systems with a dense train succession and small track section lengths, and without continuous information systems between vehicles and a main office, comprising the steps of continuously monitoring in the main office, for the track sections indicated as being occupied by a vehicle or a series of coupled vehicles, a group of sections behind and a group of sections ahead thereof, defining a predetermined minimum distance between successive vehicles or series of coupled vehicles, to determine whether such groups of sections ahead of and behind the occupied sections are free of vehicles, and actuating a signal for initiating a forced braking of the following vehicle or vehicles when a section, in either of said groups, is indicated as occupied and thus is within the path range defined by such minimum distance.

2. An arrangement for central spacing control of track-operated vehicles, particularly railroad vehicles, along paths which are subdivided into individual track sections for the positioning of the vehicles, which sections are continuously monitored as to occupation, in dependence upon the instantaneous position of the vehicles, preferably utilizing stationary information systems, particularly for railroad systems with a dense train succession and small track section lengths, and without continuous information systems between vehicles and the main office, comprising the combination of respective means associated with each individual track section for monitoring such section and providing a signal when such section is occupied, a memory system for each section arranged to receive and store occupied signals pertaining thereto, an OR member for predetermined adjacent sections ahead of the occupied section and an OR member for predetermined adjacent sections behind such occupied section, and forming respective preceding or following section blocks, each section block including a predetermined number of track sections operative to define a minimum distance between successive vehicles or coupled vehicles, both preceding and following an occupied section or group of sections, excluding at least one section immediately adjacent to an occupied section, the memory systems of the track sections of each adjacent preceding, and following section block being operatively connected to a respective OR member, and an AND member for each such OR member, having one input connected to the output of the associated OR member and another input connected to the output of the occupied track section or of one of a group of occupied track sections, each AND member being operable in the presence of an occupied signal at both of its inputs to provide an output signal indicating unpermissible close approach of a following vehicle with respect to a preceding vehicle.

3. A system according to claim 2, wherein said monitoring means comprises impulse generators, actuatable by the vehicles, disposed along the path and operative to set the associated memory systems of the respective sections when a vehicle passes by, the setting of a memory system being operative to effect a resetting of the memory of the preceding section.

4. A system according to claim 3, wherein the respective electrical connecting lines from the impulse generators of adjacent sections extending to the main office are located in different cable strands.

5. A system according to claim 2, wherein the output signal of the AND member associated with the section block ahead of an occupied section is operatively connected to means affecting the vehicle or vehicles in the occupied section, while the output signal of the AND member associated with the section block behind the occupied section is operatively connected to means affecting vehicles positioned within such rear section block.

6. A system according to claim 2, comprising in further combination, means for monitoring selected memory systems to determine the presence of occupied signals stored therein, operative to provide an interference signal in the presence of simultaneously stored occupied signals in such selected memories, said selected memory systems being attached to sections in a distance equal to the length of the vehicle or vehicles occupying the first of both respective sections.

7. A system according to claim 6, wherein said last-mentioned monitoring means comprises an AND member, the inputs of which are operatively connected to the respective selected memories, with such interference signal being derived at the output of such end member.