Method for operating a railway safety system, and railway safety system

• US 9,493,176 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2012
• Issued: 11/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Mobility GmbH (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Busse, Robert, Kohlmeyer, Thomas, Kutschera, Christoph, Lthe, Dominik, Oechsner, Jens-Harro, Schmidt, Thomas, Schulze, Michael, Windolf, Wolfgang
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, John Q
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hutchinson, Alan D
• Application Number:
  US14/232,683
• Publication Number:
  US 20140191090A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,604 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 29/28 electrically operated
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 29/284 using rail-contacts, rail microphones, or the like, controlled by the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 29/30 Supervision, e.g. monitoring arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 29/32 Timing, e.g. advance warning of approaching train

Abstract

A method operates a railway safety system having at least one trackside device while taking into account a measured velocity value recorded when the rail vehicle drives into a switch-on section of the railway safety system. In order to minimize the closing times for a level crossing by such a method, the measured velocity value is used as the basis for checking whether a correction time for forwarding a signal from the one trackside device to an associated railway safety assembly is to be set according to the measured velocity value when the rail vehicle drives into the switch-on section. Thereafter, a set correction time is checked to determine if the set correction time should remain effective according to at least one further influencing variable of the rail vehicle that determines the travel time. A railway safety system for carrying out the method is also provided.

Claims

1. A method for operating a railway safety system having at least one trackside device while taking into account a measured velocity value recorded when a rail vehicle drives into a switch-on section of the railway safety system, which comprises the steps of:

predefining, by the at least one trackside device, a fixed period for forwarding a signal from the trackside device to an associated railway safety system;

using the measured velocity value measured when the rail vehicle drives into the switch-on section as a basis for checking whether a correction time to the fixed period is to be set according to the measured velocity value; and

, when the correction time is to be set, adjusting the fixed period according to the correction time to obtain a corrected fixed period;

subsequently, checking the corrected fixed period to determine whether the set correction time should remain effective as a function of at least one further influencing variable of the rail vehicle that determines a travel time; and

activating a safeguarding device for a level crossing.

2. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises using a recorded number of axles of the rail vehicle as the further influencing variable.

3. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises using a recorded distance between axles of the rail vehicles as the further influencing variable.

4. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises using a recorded length of the rail vehicle as the further influencing variable.

5. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises:

determining a rail vehicle type on a basis of the measured velocity value and the at least one further influencing variable; and

using the rail vehicle type determined as a decision criterion for checking whether the set correction time remains effective.

6. The method according to claim 5, which further comprises using at least one of a number of axles, distance between axles, or a train length as further influencing variables for determining the rail vehicle type.

7. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises:

recording an acceleration of the rail vehicle when the rail vehicle drives into the switch-on section for obtaining the further influencing variable that determines the travel time; and

taking into account the further influencing variable when setting and checking the corrected fixed period.

8. The method according to claim 7, which further comprises determining repeatedly the measured velocity value and the acceleration when the rail vehicle drives into the switch-on section.

9. The method according to claim 7, which further comprises determining repeatedly the measured velocity value and the acceleration when the rail vehicle travels through the switch-on section.

10. The method according to claim 8, which further comprises determining continuously the measured velocity values and the further influencing variable.

11. The method according to claim 7, which further comprises recording the velocity and the acceleration of the rail vehicle by means of a global positioning device or an odometer with a connected radio.

12. The method according to claim 11, which further comprises providing a global positioning system device as the global positioning device.

13. The method according to 11, wherein the radio corresponds to a global positioning system-railway standard or works with a transmission protocol as per IEEE 802.15.4 standard.

14. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises taking into account parameter data specific to a rail vehicle type as further influencing variables that determine the travel time.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein at least one of a maximum speed specific to the rail vehicle type, an acceleration capability specific to the rail vehicle type, or a motive force are used as the parameter data specific to the rail vehicle type.

16. The method according to claim 15, which further comprises taking the parameter data specific to the rail vehicle type from an on-board computer of the rail vehicle.

17. The method according to claim 9, which further comprises recording the measured velocity value and the further influencing variable of the rail vehicle by means of a further trackside device provided on a drive-in end of the switch-on section.

18. The method according to claim 17, which further comprises providing a wheel sensor with a radio as the further trackside device.

19. The method according to claim 17, which further comprises:

providing an approach annunciator disposed beside a track with the radio as the further trackside device; and

providing a central train approach annunciator as the trackside device.

20. The method according to claim 18, wherein the radio has a receiver for receiving parameter data specific to a rail vehicle type of the rail vehicle driving past, and a transmitter for transmitting the measured velocity value and the further influencing variable to the trackside device.

21. The method according to claim 17, wherein the measured velocity value and the acceleration are recorded and transferred to the trackside device by means of additional trackside devices having a radio module disposed along a track on the switch-on section of the railway safety system.

22. The method according to claim 21, which further comprises using radio routers in the further trackside devices.

23. The method according to claim 22, which further comprises using the radio routers with a receiver for parameter data specific to a rail vehicle type.

24. The method according to claim 1, wherein upon receipt of measured velocity values and transferred, further influencing variables recorded and transferred to the trackside device when the rail vehicle drives into the switch-on section and travels through the switch-on section, the corrected fixed period is calculated by weighting the individual variables and a timer is set accordingly.

25. The method according to claim 24, which further comprises using a counter as the timer, after expiration of the timer the signal is issued to the railway safety system.

26. A railway safety system, comprising:

a switch-on section having a drive-out end and a drive-in end;

a trackside device on said drive-out end of said switch-on section;

a further trackside device on said drive-in end of said switch-on section, said further trackside device equipped for recording a measured velocity value when a rail vehicle drives into said switch-on section; and

said trackside device configured to perform the method of claim 1 and having a train detection device with inputs for recording the measured velocity value and further influencing variables that determine a travel time, and an adjustable timer being subordinated to said train detection device, said trackside device outputting a signal to an associated railway safety system being connected to said adjustable timer.

27. The railway safety system according to claim 26, wherein said adjustable timer is an electronic counter, after expiration of said adjustable time the signal is generated.

28. The railway safety system according to claim 26, wherein said further trackside device is a wheel sensor with a radio.

29. The railway safety system according to claim 26, wherein said further trackside device is an approach annunciator disposed beside a track with said radio and said trackside device is a central train approach annunciator.

30. The railway safety system according to claim 28, wherein said radio is configured such that said radio can transfer recorded measured velocity values and the further influencing variables wirelessly to said trackside device.

31. The railway safety system according to claim 28, wherein said radio is configured such that the further influencing variables showing parameter data specific to a rail vehicle type of a rail vehicle driving past can be recorded.

32. The railway safety system according to claim 28, wherein said radio has a receiver for receiving parameter data specific to a rail vehicle type of the rail vehicle driving past and a transmitter for transmitting measured velocity values recorded by said further trackside device and the further influencing variables to said trackside device.

33. The railway safety system according to claim 26, further comprising additional trackside devices having radio routers, from which additional measured velocity values are transferred to said trackside device, and said additional trackside devices are disposed along a track in said switch-on section.

34. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one further influencing variable is transmitted by the train to the trackside device.