U.S. patent application number 16/085663 was filed with the patent office on 2019-04-04 for ato device, rail vehicle and method for the automated driving of a rail vehicle.
The applicant listed for this patent is SIEMENS MOBILITY GMBH. Invention is credited to TORSTEN BAIER, BORIS DICKGIESSER, MICHAEL GRIMPE, JOSEF LOEWE.
Application Number | 20190100226 16/085663 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 58314190 |
Filed Date | 2019-04-04 |
United States Patent
Application |
20190100226 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
BAIER; TORSTEN ; et
al. |
April 4, 2019 |
ATO DEVICE, RAIL VEHICLE AND METHOD FOR THE AUTOMATED DRIVING OF A
RAIL VEHICLE
Abstract
A method is provided for the automated driving of a rail vehicle
on tracks equipped with different track-side vehicle protection
devices. Information items necessary for the automated driving are
transferred at least partially from different on-board or
vehicle-side vehicle protection devices to an ATO device, and the
rail vehicle is controlled by the ATO device according to the
transferred information items. An ATO device, a rail vehicle and a
railway-technical installation are also provided.
Inventors: |
BAIER; TORSTEN; (SCHLADEN,
DE) ; DICKGIESSER; BORIS; (BRAUNSCHWEIG, DE) ;
GRIMPE; MICHAEL; (KOENIGSLUTTER, DE) ; LOEWE;
JOSEF; (BRAUNSCHWEIG, DE) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
SIEMENS MOBILITY GMBH |
MUENCHEN |
|
DE |
|
|
Family ID: |
58314190 |
Appl. No.: |
16/085663 |
Filed: |
March 14, 2017 |
PCT Filed: |
March 14, 2017 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/EP2017/055923 |
371 Date: |
September 17, 2018 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B61L 27/0016 20130101;
B61L 15/0063 20130101; B61L 27/04 20130101; B61L 25/021 20130101;
B61L 3/006 20130101; B61L 25/025 20130101 |
International
Class: |
B61L 3/00 20060101
B61L003/00; B61L 27/04 20060101 B61L027/04 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Mar 21, 2016 |
DE |
10 2016 204 597.0 |
Claims
1-10. (canceled)
11. An ATO device for the automated driving of a rail vehicle on
tracks equipped with different track-side vehicle protection
devices, the ATO device comprising: at least two ATP interfaces
configured for connecting the ATO device to different vehicle-side
vehicle protection devices and for transferring information items
necessary for the automated driving from the respective
vehicle-side vehicle protection devices to the ATO device.
12. The ATO device according to claim 11, which further comprises
at least one control interface configured for connecting the ATO
device to a vehicle control device of the rail vehicle and
configured for controlling the rail vehicle through said at least
one control interface.
13. The ATO device according to claim 11, which further comprises
at least one master interface configured for connecting the ATO
device to an operational control center and configured for
transferring information items necessary for the automated driving
and not transferred through said at least two ATP interfaces by
using said at least one master interface.
14. A rail vehicle, comprising: at least one ATO device according
to claim 11; and at least two different vehicle-side vehicle
protection devices connected through said at least two ATP
interfaces to said at least one ATO device; said at least two
vehicle-side vehicle protection devices each being configured to
transfer information items necessary for the automated driving to
said at least one ATO device.
15. The rail vehicle according to claim 14, wherein one of said at
least two vehicle protection devices is configured as an
ETCS-vehicle protection device.
16. The rail vehicle according to claim 14, wherein one of said at
least two vehicle protection devices is configured as an LZB or PZB
vehicle protection device.
17. The rail vehicle according to claim 14, wherein said at least
two vehicle protection devices, connected through said at least two
ATP interfaces to said at least one ATO device, are connected to
one another.
18. A railway-technical installation, comprising: tracks having
different track-side vehicle protection devices; and at least one
rail vehicle each including: at least one ATO device according to
claim 11; and at least two different vehicle-side vehicle
protection devices connected through said at least two ATP
interfaces to said at least one ATO device; said at least two
vehicle-side vehicle protection devices each being configured to
transfer information items necessary for the automated driving to
said at least one ATO device.
19. A method for the automated driving of a rail vehicle on tracks
equipped with different track-side vehicle protection devices, the
method comprising the following steps: transferring information
items necessary for the automated driving at least partially from
different vehicle-side vehicle protection devices to an ATO device;
and using the ATO device to control the rail vehicle in dependence
on the transferred information items.
20. The method according to claim 19, which further comprises
transferring further information items necessary for the automated
driving, that were not transferred by one of the vehicle protection
devices, from an operational control center to the ATO device.
Description
[0001] Modern rail traffic is continually being improved. Some of
the rail transport companies are engaged in intense competition and
endeavor to offer rail services ever more economically. For this,
ever increasing reliance is placed on intensive automation of the
rail traffic. For many years, this has been brought about through
automation of the processes in the rail traffic control centers,
but also increasingly by automating the vehicles themselves in
their operation. For this, ATO (Automated Train Operation) devices
which take over the functions of the vehicle previously carried out
by a traction vehicle driver are deployed. This can be, for
example, the operation of the drive and the brakes, processing
current schedule information from the control center and adaptation
of the vehicle's own journey or a response to the control center
regarding the current position of the vehicle.
[0002] Automation solutions for tracks already in use are often
costly and complex to construct.
[0003] It is therefore the object of the present invention to
propose an ATO device, a rail vehicle and a method of the type
mentioned in the introduction which enable an economical automation
of the rail traffic.
[0004] The object is achieved by means of an ATO device for the
automated driving of a rail vehicle on tracks which are equipped
with different track-side vehicle protection devices, wherein the
ATO device has at least two ATP interfaces which are configured for
connecting the ATO device to different vehicle-side vehicle
protection devices and for transferring information items necessary
for the automated driving from the respective vehicle-side vehicle
protection device to the ATO device.
[0005] The object is further achieved by means of a rail vehicle
with at least one inventive ATO device and at least two different
vehicle-side vehicle protection devices connected to the ATO device
via the ATP interfaces, said vehicle protection devices each being
configured to transfer information items necessary for the driving
to the ATO device.
[0006] Lastly, the object is also achieved by means of a method for
the automated driving of a rail vehicle on tracks which are
equipped with different track-side vehicle protection devices,
wherein information items necessary for the automated driving are
transferred at least partially by different vehicle-side vehicle
protection devices to an ATO device and wherein the rail vehicle is
controlled by the ATO device dependent upon the transferred
information items.
[0007] The inventive solution has the advantage that a plurality of
vehicle-side vehicle protection devices can be connected to the ATO
device by means of the at least two ATP (Automatic Train
Protection) interfaces. By this means, on tracks with different
track-side vehicle protection devices, the rail vehicle can be
automatically driven with the same ATO device. Already existing
vehicle-side vehicle protection devices can be further used and a
required new protection technology authorization is easier to
obtain. Furthermore, in the case of a low automation level, a
traction vehicle driver of the rail vehicle who may be present must
merely operate an ATO device, which simplifies the operation. The
inventive ATO device can thus be operated in at least 2 modes each
of which uses one of the ATP interfaces.
[0008] The inventive solution can be further developed through
advantageous embodiments, which are described below.
[0009] The ATO device can have at least one control interface which
is configured for connecting the ATO device to a vehicle control
device of the rail vehicle and can be configured for controlling
the rail vehicle via the control interface. This has the advantage
that the ATO device can influence all the functions of the rail
vehicle via the control interface and can allow the rail vehicle to
drive autonomously in a simple manner. Since, according to the
invention, only one ATO device is necessary for the rail vehicle,
only one control interface to the vehicle is also needed. By this
means, development costs and installation space are saved.
[0010] In order to obtain further information items necessary for
automated driving that have not been transferred by one of the
vehicle-side vehicle protection devices, the ATO device can
comprise at least one control center interface which is configured
to connect the ATO device to an operational control center of the
rail vehicle and can be configured so that information items needed
for automated driving and not transferred via the ATP interfaces
are transferred by means of the control center interface. In a
particularly advantageous embodiment, the control center interface
can be configured unprotected from the signaling standpoint, for
example at the safety level of SIL 0 or SIL 1, so that the control
center interface can be developed and configured to be less complex
and more economical. Therefore, by means of the control center
interface, all the information items that have not come via the ATP
interfaces can be read into the ATO device. These information items
naturally do not have to come exclusively from the operational
control center.
[0011] In an advantageous embodiment of the inventive rail vehicle,
one of the vehicle protection devices can be configured as an ETCS
vehicle protection device. ETCS (European Train Control System) has
been defined as a unified train protection system for international
European rail traffic. At least the major international tracks (or
magistral routes) are or will be equipped with an ETCS vehicle
protection device on the track-side. Thus, the inventive rail
vehicle is usable in this advantageous embodiment on many
tracks.
[0012] Furthermore, one of the vehicle protection devices can be
configured as an LZB or PZB vehicle protection device. LZB
(Linienformige Zugbeeinflussung or "linear train influencing") and
PZB (Punktormige Zugbeeinflussung or "punctiform train
influencing") vehicle protection devices have been in use on
existing tracks for many years. Thus, the inventive rail vehicle
which has an LZB or PZB vehicle protection device can be used on
particularly many existing tracks which have not yet been equipped
with a modern vehicle protection device such as, for example, ETCS.
The inventive rail vehicle can automatically recognize with which
vehicle protection device a track is equipped.
[0013] In order also to enable a communication between the
vehicle-side vehicle protection devices, the at least two
vehicle-side vehicle protection devices connected to the ATO device
via the ATP interfaces can be connected to one another. Thus, for
example, one of the vehicle protection devices can be configured as
leading, for example, the ETCS vehicle protection device, and can
pass control to the at least one further vehicle protection device,
for example, the LZB or PZB vehicle protection device if a
corresponding track-side vehicle protection device is recognized.
For example, the ETCS vehicle protection device can be operated on
LZB or PZB tracks in an STM (State Transmission Mode) mode in which
it passes control to the LZB or PZB vehicle protection device.
[0014] The invention further relates to a railway-technical
installation with tracks that have different track-side vehicle
protection devices and have at least one inventive rail vehicle
which is configured according to one of the above-described
embodiments.
[0015] In an advantageous embodiment of the inventive method,
further information items needed for the automated driving that
were not transferred by one of the vehicle protection devices, can
be transferred from an operational control center to the ATO
device. This has the advantage, as described above, that all the
information items necessary for the automated driving can be
transferred to the ATO device. In this regard, safety-related
information items are transferred from the vehicle-side vehicle
protection devices and non-safety-critical information items are
transferred from the operational control center to the ATO
device.
[0016] The invention will now be described making reference to the
exemplary embodiments in the accompanying drawings,
[0017] in which:
[0018] FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of an exemplary
embodiment of the inventive railway-technical installation;
[0019] FIG. 2 is a schematic view of an exemplary embodiment of an
inventive rail vehicle of the installation of FIG. 1.
[0020] The invention will now be described making reference to the
exemplary embodiments in FIGS. 1 and 2.
[0021] An exemplary embodiment in an inventive railway-technical
installation 1 as shown in FIG. 1 has at least one rail vehicle 2,
an operational control center 3 and a plurality of tracks 4a, 4b.
The tracks 4a, 4b each comprise different track-side vehicle
protection devices 5a, 5b.
[0022] In the exemplary embodiment shown, the inventive rail
vehicle 2 comprises an ATO device 6, a first vehicle protection
device 7, a second vehicle protection device 8, a vehicle control
device 9, an obstacle recognition device 10, a display device 11,
further inputs and outputs 12 and further vehicle elements 13.
[0023] The ATO device is configured for an automated driving of the
rail vehicle 2 and has a first ATP interface 14, a second ATP
interface 15, a control interface 16 and a master interface 17. The
ATO device 6 is connected via the first ATP interface 14 to the
first vehicle protection device 7 and via the second ATP interface
15 to the second vehicle protection device 8. The control interface
16 connects the ATO device 6 to the vehicle control device 9 and
also to the purely optional obstacle recognition device 10. The
master interface 17 connects the ATO device 6 to the operational
control center 3, wherein in the embodiment of the drawings, this
connection is configured as a radio connection 18, for example by
means of GSM or GSM-R.
[0024] The first vehicle-side vehicle protection device 7 is
configured in the exemplary embodiment of the figures as a per se
known LZB vehicle protection device and has a communication means
19. The communication means 19 is provided for communication with
the corresponding track-side vehicle protection device 5a which is
also configured in accordance with the LZB technology.
Alternatively, the first vehicle protection device 7 can also be
configured as a PZB-vehicle protection device.
[0025] The second vehicle protection device 8 is configured in the
exemplary embodiment of the figures as an ETCS vehicle protection
device and comprises a communication means 20 which is configured
for communication with the corresponding track-side ETCS vehicle
protection device 5b.
[0026] The vehicle control device 9 is connected to the further
vehicle elements 13 such as drive, brakes, etc. The vehicle control
device 9 issues control commands to the other vehicle elements 13
in order to control the rail vehicle 2 and to drive it along the
track 4a, 4b. For example, an automated drive and braking control
system (AFB) is also integrated into the vehicle control device
9.
[0027] The obstacle recognition device 10 is connected to both the
ATO device 6 and also the vehicle control device 9. The obstacle
recognition device 10 is configured for recognizing obstacles in
front of the rail vehicle 2 in the region of the track 4a, 4b and,
when an obstacle is recognized, outputs corresponding control
signals to the ATO device 6 and the vehicle control device 9.
[0028] The display device 11 is, for example, a monitor in a cab of
the rail vehicle 2 which displays information items to a traction
vehicle driver who may still be present.
[0029] The further inputs and outputs 12 are also connected to the
ATO device 6 and provide, for example, secure or non-secure
information items to the ATO device 6, for example, a GPS location
signal, switching positions of switches or buttons on an operating
console or signals from a position encoder.
[0030] The communication between the ATO device 6 and the
operational control center 3 takes place in the exemplary
embodiment shown via a communication device 21 arranged at the
track-side which is configured, for example, in the form of radio
masts along the track 4a, 4b. A combination with the communication
means 19 and/or 20 is also possible.
[0031] The inventive ATO device 6 has the two ATP interfaces 14, 15
and is consequently connected from the signaling standpoint to the
different vehicle-side vehicle protection devices 7, 8. By this
means, the inventive rail vehicle 2 can be driven automatically,
controlled by the ATO device 6 on the tracks 4a, 4b which are
equipped with different track-side vehicle protection devices 5a,
5b. In the embodiment of the drawings, the ATO device 6 herein
assumes the functions:
[0032] driving (drive control), braking (brake control), stopping
with high precision, monitoring of a stopping tolerance, release of
the doors on a designated side, door closing commands, display of a
stopping duration, display of a desired departure time, display of
a desired arrival time, energy-optimized driving and braking,
re-calculation of the energy-optimized driving on a change of the
route during travel, monitoring of a maximum impulse of the
so-called jerk, on a change of load, punctual arrival in accordance
with off-line timetables, receiving and taking account of on-line
timetable corrections, passenger information output, provision of a
route map, update of a route map with updated data, communication
with the operational control center 3, transport of third party
data from and to communication devices along the track, off-line
operation with pre-defined data and off-line operation with
entirely or partially updated data which is exchanged via suitable
communication routes. Naturally, the ATO device 6 can also perform
more or fewer functions.
[0033] For the named functions and generally for the automated
driving of a rail vehicle, a plurality of information items, for
example, reference variables, are necessary on the part of the ATO
device 6. These information items are transferred to the ATO device
6 by the vehicle-side vehicle protection devices 7, 8 and by the
operational control center 3. Depending on the technical safety
equipment of the track 4a, 4b either the first vehicle protection
device 7 or the second vehicle protection device 8 receives
different information items from the track-side vehicle protection
devices 5a, 5b. The ATO device 6 receives all the further
information items required for the automated driving from the
operational control center 3 or via the obstacle recognition device
10 or, for example, another sensor system.
[0034] The vehicle-side vehicle protection devices 7, 8 are
configured in accordance with a high safety standard, for example,
SIL3 or SILO, so that the information communication therethrough
can be regarded as particularly reliable. For example, via the ATP
interfaces 14, 15, a permissible maximum speed and braking signals
are transferred to the ATO device 6. The number or type of
information items received by the ATO device 6 from the
vehicle-side vehicle protection devices 7, 8 is possibly different.
The first vehicle protection device configured as an LZB vehicle
protection device 7 thus transfers fewer information items to the
ATO device 6 than the second vehicle protection device 8 configured
as a more modern ETCS vehicle protection device 8. The inventive
rail vehicle 2 has the advantage in the exemplary embodiment shown
in the drawings that it can travel automatically both on tracks 4a
equipped with LZB and also tracks 4b equipped with ETCS.
LZB-equipped tracks 4a are very widespread, for example, in Germany
and in some other central European countries. ETCS-equipped tracks
4b are increasingly being built and represent the standard, in
particular, in the cross-national traffic.
[0035] With the help of the invention, existing rail vehicles which
already have a first vehicle protection device 7 can also easily be
retrofitted with an inventive ATO device 6. The second vehicle
protection device 8 is enhanced so that the retrofitted inventive
rail vehicle 2 can automatically travel on the different tracks 4a,
4b.
* * * * *