U.S. patent application number 13/262697 was filed with the patent office on 2012-02-02 for method and device for monitoring speed.
This patent application is currently assigned to SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT. Invention is credited to Ulrich Bock, Bernhard Evers, Lars Schnieder.
Application Number | 20120029740 13/262697 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 42288102 |
Filed Date | 2012-02-02 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120029740 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Bock; Ulrich ; et
al. |
February 2, 2012 |
METHOD AND DEVICE FOR MONITORING SPEED
Abstract
A method and a corresponding device enable monitoring the speed
of rail vehicles. In order to enable a reduction and simplification
of the required system components and a speed monitoring that is
not only intermittent, it is provided that the rail vehicle emits a
signal, the propagation time of which is evaluated on the track
side with regard to the speed. The evaluated signal is transmitted
back to the rail vehicle.
Inventors: |
Bock; Ulrich; (Braunschweig,
DE) ; Evers; Bernhard; (Braunschweig, DE) ;
Schnieder; Lars; (Braunschweig, DE) |
Assignee: |
SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
Muenchen
DE
|
Family ID: |
42288102 |
Appl. No.: |
13/262697 |
Filed: |
March 30, 2010 |
PCT Filed: |
March 30, 2010 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/EP10/54146 |
371 Date: |
October 13, 2011 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
701/20 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B61L 3/125 20130101;
B61L 25/021 20130101; B61L 1/10 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
701/20 |
International
Class: |
B61L 25/02 20060101
B61L025/02; B61L 3/12 20060101 B61L003/12; B61L 1/10 20060101
B61L001/10 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Apr 1, 2009 |
DE |
10 2009 015 540.6 |
Claims
1-4. (canceled)
5. A method for monitoring the speed of a rail vehicle, the method
which comprises: emitting a signal from the rail vehicle; receiving
the signal trackside and evaluating a propagation time of the
signal on the trackside with respect to a speed of the rail
vehicle; and transmitting the evaluated signal back to the rail
vehicle.
6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the signal is a radio
frequency identification RFID signal, and the RFID signal is
emitted, evaluated, and transmitted back to the rail vehicle.
7. The method according to claim 5, which comprises, if the signal
indicates that a maximum permissible speed is exceeded,
transmitting a signal back to the rail vehicle that triggers forced
braking of the rail vehicle.
8. A system for carrying out the method according to claim 5,
comprising: a vehicle device with a transmitter/receiver module; a
trackside device with a receiver/transmitter module, said trackside
device having an evaluation unit connected to said
receiver/transmitter module for evaluating a signal received from
said transmitter/receiver module with regard to a speed of the rail
vehicle.
Description
[0001] The invention relates to a method for monitoring the speed
of rail vehicles and to a device relating thereto.
[0002] Speed monitoring devices serve usually to regulate the speed
of the rail vehicle to a setpoint value and/or to trigger forced
braking when a maximum permissible speed is exceeded. The maximum
permissible speeds are frequently track-specific maximum speeds,
for example on sections of track with a negative gradient, bends in
the track with small radii, dead-end tracks or train reversing
installations as well as tracks with shortened overlaps. For this
purpose, two partial functions are to be implemented, specifically
measurement and evaluation of the approach speed of the rail
vehicle to a track-side device, and transmission of a braking
instruction to the rail vehicle when the speed is over
excessive.
[0003] FIG. 1 illustrates a typical configuration of a known design
for solving this problem. The track-side device is composed here of
a train stop 1, for example on the basis of inductively acting
coupling coils or magnetically, electro-mechanically or
mechanically acting contacts, and a preceding measurement track 2
with two measurement points 3 and 4, for example on the basis of
inductively acting wheel sensors. The rail vehicle 5 is equipped
with a device 6 which detects the activation state or deactivation
state of the track-side train stop 1 when it travels over it. In
the basic position, the train stop 1 is always activated and
therefore brings about forced braking of the rail vehicle
travelling over it. The measurement and evaluation of the speed is
based on the defined distance between the two measurement points 3
and 4 and the determined time interval between the pulses which are
recorded by the measurement points 3 and 4. The speed which is
determined is compared with the maximum permissible track speed,
wherein the train stop 1 is deactivated only if the speed which is
determined is less than or equal to the maximum speed. When the
maximum speed is exceeded, the train stop 1 remains active and
therefore brings about forced braking by interacting with the
rail-vehicle-side device 6. A disadvantage with this known speed
measuring device, in addition to the considerable expenditure on
the sensor system, is in particular the principle of measuring at
specific times.
[0004] The invention is based on the object of disclosing a method
and a device which permits simpler and at the same time more
continuous measurement of speed.
[0005] According to the method, the object is achieved in that the
rail vehicle emits a signal whose propagation time is evaluated on
the track side with respect to the speed, and in that the evaluated
signal is transmitted back to the rail vehicle.
[0006] A device according to claim 4 for carrying out the method
has for this purpose a vehicle device with a transmitter/receiver
module and a track-side device with a receiver/transmitter module,
wherein the track-side device has an evaluation unit for evaluating
the speed of a signal which is received by the transmitter/receiver
module of the vehicle device.
[0007] In this way, it is possible to monitor speed even without
using the conventional, cost-intensive track-side sensor system.
Positionally fixed measuring points and the associated cabling are
dispensed with. A train stop with the associated cabling is also
dispensed with by virtue of the possibility of bidirectional signal
transmission. Significantly fewer track-side components are
required, said components being particularly susceptible to wear
owing to mechanical, climatic and biological/chemical environmental
conditions.
[0008] According to claim 2, an RFID--radio frequency
identification--signal is emitted, evaluated and transmitted back.
The propagation time of the RFID signal, which constitutes a
measure of the distance and therefore a measure of the speed in its
variation over time, can be conveniently determined with extremely
high accuracy. As a result, continuous measurement of speed and
continuous transmission of a response signal back to the rail
vehicle to be monitored are possible. Furthermore, it is
advantageous that an RFID vehicle device can be used both for
scheduled train operations and for special journeys, for example
construction vehicles which do not usually travel on the tracks. A
portable design of the vehicle device also allows it to be carried
by small units. By virtue of the portability of the vehicle device,
there is also the possibility of issuing it before the train
travels into the track section which is to be monitored for excess
speed and of taking it back or deactivating it at the end of this
track section. Furthermore, it is also conceivable to use the
device as a fall back level, for main lines or else for temporary
track closures, making travel on only one track possible, due, for
example, to engineering work. It is also advantageous here that the
track-side device can also be embodied in a positionally variable
fashion. The positioning of the vehicle-side and track-side RFID
components does not require precise orientation between an RFID
transmitter/receiver module on the rail vehicle and an RFID
receiver/transmitter module on the track. Moreover, the robustness
and small size of RFID components are also advantageous when
carrying out speed measurements using said components,
significantly facilitating temporary use according to the
requirements.
[0009] According to claim 3, when a maximum permissible speed is
exceeded, a signal which triggers forced braking is preferably
transmitted back to the rail vehicle. For safety reasons, forced
braking is necessary only at an excessive speed, with the result
that it is possible to dispense with the transmission back of
signal when the speed is adapted.
[0010] The invention will be explained in more detail below with
reference to figurative illustrations, in which:
[0011] FIG. 1 shows a device for monitoring speed of a known
design, and
[0012] FIG. 2 shows a device for monitoring speed according to the
invention.
[0013] In FIG. 2, the assemblies, which are identical for the known
device for monitoring speed which is illustrated in FIG. 1 and
explained above, are characterized by the same reference symbols.
It is apparent that a measurement track 2 (FIG. 1) which is
installed on the track side by means of fixed measuring points 3
and 4 (FIG. 1) and is connected by cable to a train stop 1 is
absent. Instead, a vehicle device 7 is provided with a
transmitter/receiver module using transponder/reader technology
which emits RFID signals 8, which are received by a track-side
device 9 with a receiver/transmitter module using
transponder/reader technology, and are evaluated with respect to
the vehicle speed. The evaluation is carried out in such a way that
a speed which is derived from the propagation time of the signals 8
is compared with a maximum permissible speed. An evaluation unit 10
of the track-side device 9 is used for this. If the maximum
permissible speed is exceeded, an RFID response signal 11 is
generated, which contains a command to trigger forced braking and
is transmitted to the vehicle device 7.
[0014] In this way, the current speed is not only measured at a
specific point--as in the case of the device for monitoring speed
according to FIG. 1--but rather continuously. The transmission of a
command for forced braking to the rail vehicle 5 also takes place
continuously and not only when the vehicle travels over a train
stop 1 (FIG. 1). This not only simplifies the system components and
reduces their number but also increases the reliability to the
overall system for monitoring speed.
* * * * *