U.S. patent application number 17/028244 was filed with the patent office on 2021-01-07 for device for displaying a course of a process of at least one railway safety unit, and railway safety system having such a device.
The applicant listed for this patent is SIEMENS MOBILITY GMBH. Invention is credited to MARC BURKHARDT.
Application Number | 20210001904 17/028244 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | |
Filed Date | 2021-01-07 |
United States Patent
Application |
20210001904 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
BURKHARDT; MARC |
January 7, 2021 |
DEVICE FOR DISPLAYING A COURSE OF A PROCESS OF AT LEAST ONE RAILWAY
SAFETY UNIT, AND RAILWAY SAFETY SYSTEM HAVING SUCH A DEVICE
Abstract
A device displays a course of a process of at least one railway
safety unit. While using at least one device controller, process
data supplied by the at least one railway safety unit, are
converted by dual-channel processing into first and second image
data of the course of the process to be displayed. The image data
are output to be displayed on a data display unit. In order to
simplify the displaying of the course of the process, a pair of
display spectacles having a first and a second display is used as a
data display unit. The first display displays a first
representation of the first image data delivered thereto that is
visually detectable by the right eye, and the second display
displays a second representation of the second image data delivered
thereto that is visually detectable by the left eye.
Inventors: |
BURKHARDT; MARC;
(BRAUNSCHWEIG, DE) |
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Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
SIEMENS MOBILITY GMBH |
MUENCHEN |
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DE |
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Appl. No.: |
17/028244 |
Filed: |
September 22, 2020 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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15570157 |
Oct 27, 2017 |
10814895 |
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PCT/EP2016/057179 |
Apr 1, 2016 |
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17028244 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
International
Class: |
B61L 25/06 20060101
B61L025/06; B61L 1/20 20060101 B61L001/20; B61L 21/06 20060101
B61L021/06; B61L 27/00 20060101 B61L027/00; G02B 27/01 20060101
G02B027/01; G06F 11/14 20060101 G06F011/14 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
May 5, 2015 |
DE |
10 2015 208 273.3 |
Claims
1. A device for displaying a course of a process of at least one
railway safety unit, the device comprising: a data display unit; at
least one device control suitably configured for converting process
data supplied by the at least one railway safety unit by means of
dual-channel processing into first image data and second image data
of the course of the process to be displayed and for outputting the
first image data and second image data for display on said data
display unit; and said data display unit being a pair of display
goggles having a first display and a second display, said first
display being suitably configured for displaying a first
representation of the first image data delivered thereto that is
visually detectable by a right eye and said second display being
suitably configured for displaying a second representation of the
second image data delivered thereto that is visually detectable by
said left eye.
2. The device according to claim 1, wherein said at least one
device control is suitably configured for converting the process
data in sections of the dual-channel processing into right-hand
image data and left-hand image data which correspond to images of
the course of the process generated from a same perspective for
monoscopic examination.
3. The device according to claim 2, wherein said at least one
device control is configured for outputting the right-hand image
data as the first image data and the left-hand image data as the
second image data to said display goggles.
4. The device according to claim 2, wherein said at least one
device control is configured for converting the right-hand and
left-hand image data in further sections of the dual-channel
processing into further left-hand image data and further right-hand
image data which correspond to image data of the course of the
process generated from different perspectives for stereoscopic
examination.
5. The device according to claim 4, wherein said at least one
device control is configured for outputting the further right-hand
image data as the first imaged data and the further left-hand image
data as the second image data to said display goggles.
6. A railway safety system, comprising: at least one railway safety
unit configured for outputting process data corresponding to a
course of a process; a device for displaying the course of the
process of said at least one railway safety unit using the process
data, the device containing: a data display unit; at least one
device control suitably configured for converting the process data
supplied by said at least one railway safety unit by means of
dual-channel processing into first image data and second image data
of the course of the process to be displayed and for outputting the
first image and the second image data for display on said data
display unit; and said data display unit being a pair of display
goggles having a first display and a second display, said first
display being suitably configured for displaying a first
representation of the first image data delivered thereto that is
visually detectable by a right eye and said second display being
suitably configured for displaying a second representation of the
second image data delivered thereto that is visually detectable by
said left eye.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application is a divisional of patent application Ser.
No. 15/570,157, filed Oct. 27, 2017; which was a .sctn. 371
national stage filing of international application No.
PCT/EP2016/057179, filed Apr. 1, 2016, which designated the United
States; this application also claims the priority, under 35 U.S.C.
.sctn. 119, of German patent application No. DE 10 2015 208 273,
filed May 5, 2015; the prior applications are herewith incorporated
by reference in their entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
[0002] The redundancy computer principle having a fail-safe
computer as a comparator is currently an established method if a
safe display is required for an operating and display system for
electronic signal boxes or for relay signal boxes having remote
control within the meaning of CENELEC standard 50129 SIL 4.
[0003] A method of this kind is known, for example, from German
patent application DE 43 32 143 A1 Here, process data supplied by
at least one railway safety unit (points, signal, crossing, etc.)
is converted using two computers, which are not fail-safe (operator
station computer and reference computer) by means of dual-channel
processing into first and second image data of the course of the
process to be displayed. The operator station computer and the
reference computer therefore form processing channels in which the
supplied process data--in other words, the same original data--is
converted independently of each other into the first and second
image data of the course of the process to be displayed, with only
the first image data being output for display on a data display
unit, however. In order to check whether the first image data
output for display has not been falsified, separate test data
reduced from the data volume is formed by way of the first and
second image data according to a mathematical or other imaging
method that is known per se. The test data is then checked by means
of the comparator for content matching, with any deviations
indicating the presence of a fault. In the case of the
safety-critical operating and display system, the content of the
image memory connected downstream of the graphics system is
therefore read out, a signature is formed and compared in the safe
computer with a signature formed in the same way by a reference
computer. Screen buffer errors or computing errors due to memory
errors, which would lead to misrepresentation, should be revealed
thereby.
[0004] The invention relates to a method for displaying a course of
a process of at least one railway safety unit, wherein while using
at least one device control, process data supplied by the at least
one railway safety unit is converted by means of dual-channel
processing into first and second image data of the course of the
process to be displayed, and is output to be displayed on a data
display unit.
[0005] A method of this kind is known, for example, from the
introduction to the description of German patent application
acknowledged above, DE 43 32 143 A1. In this known method,
dual-channel processing occurs by means of two device controls that
are completely independent of each other, and the first and second
image data is alternately connected to the one data display unit.
The changeover frequency is about 1 Hz. As long as the two device
controls deliver matching image data to the data display unit,
designated therein as a display device, the observer is given a
stationary image. This is an indication of the image data and its
displayed representation corresponding with the course of the
process. If the image data output on the data display unit differs
from each other, however, the representation, or parts of the
representation, of the image data flash in rhythm with the
changeover frequency. This informs an observer that the imparted
image of the course of the process does not match the actual course
of the process. As a consequence of this he must henceforth no
longer output safety-critical commands whose reliability is no
longer being checked by a signal box. Additional indicators are
required here to indicate to the user that the representation is
actually being alternately fed from the two device controls and
does not emanate, for instance due to an error, from just one of
the device controls.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] Taking this as a starting point, the invention is based on
the object of simplifying displaying of the course of a
process.
[0007] This object is achieved by a method, wherein a pair of
display goggles having a first and a second display is used as a
data display unit, wherein the first display displays a first
representation of the first image data delivered thereto that is
visually detectable by the right eye, and wherein the second
display displays a second representation of the second image data
delivered thereto that is visually detectable by the left eye.
[0008] The observer can now advantageously determine without
additional indicators whether both the representation of the first
image data and the representation of the second image data is being
displayed for him. As a result of his capacity for sensory
binocular vision, in particular for stereoscopic vision, the
observer is also capable of determining whether the representations
being displayed for him are identical.
[0009] Use of the display goggles having a first and a second
display as the data display unit therefore offers the option of
using the observer as a safe comparator because the first and
second image data is firstly generated in different ways--namely in
a dual-channel manner, in other words using two independent
processing channels of the at least one device control, and then
supplied to the display goggles and displayed by these in the form
of two redundant representations. Since the observer can visually
perceive the two redundant representations simultaneously, he can
identify errors, which are produced during the conversion of the
process data into image data, but also errors which are produced
only when the image data is displayed.
[0010] Display goggles having a first and a second display are
taken to mean, in particular, a visual data display unit secured to
the head, "HMD" (Head-Mounted Display) which presents the
representations of the first and second image data either on two
near-to-eye screens or projects them directly onto the retinas of
the two eyes of the observer (the user of the display goggles).
[0011] The principle of the inventive safe display therefore lies
in display goggles being used in which a right-hand and a left-hand
image of the course of the process to be displayed are generated
separately for the right and left eyes, wherein the observer's (the
user of the display goggles) capacity for binocular vision, in
particular for stereoscopic vision, is used for reliable
comparison.
[0012] Where with the conventional method known from document DE 43
32 143 A1 the observer remains outside in the case of error
detection and only one image is displayed for him on just one
screen (right and left eyes see the same screen), with the
inventive method the binocular, in particular stereoscopic,
capacities of the user can be incorporated by the use of the
display goggles fitted with two data display units. The user of the
display goggles checks the visual matching of two different
displays in that representations of the display data that have each
been generated in different ways--in other words, displays--having
the alleged same content are displayed for the right and left eyes.
If there is a display error in one of the two representations, then
there is no overlapping of the same information in the binocular,
in particular stereoscopic, view, so the user can identify the
error.
[0013] For this purpose, the representations to be displayed of the
first and second image data, which correspond to images of the
course of the process, are calculated twice and delivered by two
communications channels to the two different data display units.
Display errors of the hardware can therefore be revealed by the
redundant construction of the displays. The redundant processing
channels can be designed in the form of an arithmetic unit or on
two device controls in the form of two arithmetic units (for
example "operator station computer" and "reference computer"). The
first and second image data can therefore be calculated on one
arithmetic unit or on two separate arithmetic units.
[0014] A second arithmetic unit ("reference computer") as well as a
safe comparator can thereby be omitted with the inventive method.
This reduces the complexity of the system significantly.
[0015] It is regarded as advantageous if the supplied process data
is converted in sections of the dual-channel processing into
right-hand and left-hand image data which correspond to images of
the course of the process generated from the same perspective for
monoscopic examination.
[0016] The right-hand image data can then be output as the first
image data and the left-hand image data can be output as the second
image data. The observer can then perceive the two images of the
course of the process at least simultaneously (first stage of
sensory binocular vision), but, as a rule, merged to form a single
image (second stage of sensor binocular vision).
[0017] Alternatively, the right-hand and the left-hand image data
can be converted in further sections of the dual-channel processing
into further right-hand and left-hand image data which correspond
to images of the course of the process generated from different
perspectives for stereoscopic examination.
[0018] The further right-hand image data can then be output as the
first image data and the further left-hand image data can be output
as the second image data. The observer can then perceive the two
images of the course of the process merged to form a single image
(third stage of sensory binocular vision).
[0019] The inventive method can therefore also immediately be used
for fitting three-dimensional user interfaces in a virtual or
expanded reality with a safe display because even if the first and
second image data to be displayed, which corresponds to two
separate images of the course of the process, is calculated offset
in perspective for the stereoscopic effect, errors which are
produced during the conversion of the process data into the image
data, but also errors which are only produced when the image data
is displayed, immediately come to light in the stereoscopic view as
well--in other words with the merging of the two images to form a
single spatial image.
[0020] The invention also relates to a device for displaying a
course of a process of at least one railway safety unit having at
least one device control and having a data display unit, wherein
the at least one device control is suitably designed for converting
process data supplied by the at least one railway safety unit by
means of dual-channel processing into first and second image data
of the course of the process to be displayed and for outputting
this for display on the data display unit.
[0021] The invention is based on the object of improving a device
known from the introduction to the description of the German patent
application acknowledged above, DE 43 32 143 A1, such that it
enables simplified displaying of the course of the process.
[0022] To achieve this object, with an arrangement of this kind the
data display device is a pair of display goggles having a first and
a second display, wherein the first display is suitably designed
for displaying a first representation of the first image data
delivered thereto that is visually detectable by the right eye and
wherein the second display is suitably designed for displaying a
second representation of the second image data delivered thereto
that is visually detectable by the left eye.
[0023] The inventive arrangement logically has the same advantages
as have already been disclosed above in conjunction with the
description of the inventive method.
[0024] In addition, the invention relates to a railway safety
system having a device of this kind.
[0025] Other features which are considered as characteristic for
the invention are set forth in the appended claims.
[0026] Although the invention is illustrated and described herein
as embodied in a device for displaying a course of a process of at
least one railway safety unit, and a railway safety system having
such a device, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the
details shown, since various modifications and structural changes
may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the
invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the
claims.
[0027] The construction and method of operation of the invention,
however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof
will be best understood from the following description of specific
embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING
[0028] FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a railway safety system
having a first embodiment of the inventive device for displaying a
course of a process of at least one railway safety unit; and
[0029] FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of a further inventive
railway safety system having a second embodiment of the inventive
device for displaying a course of a process of at least one railway
safety unit.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0030] The railway safety system 1; 101 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 has
at least one railway safety unit 2; 102, a device 3; 103 for
displaying a course of a process of the at least one railway safety
unit 1; 101 and separate data transfer channels 4.1, 4.2; 104.1,
104.2, The at least one railway safety unit 1; 101, which can be
points, a signal, a crossing, etc., of a signal box or a train
control system, is suitably designed for outputting process data
5.1, 5.2; 105.1, 105.2, corresponding to its course of the process,
via the separate data transfer channels 4.1, 4.2; 104.1, 104.2, to
the device 3; 103. The device 3; 103 for displaying the course of
the process is suitably designed for displaying the course of the
process of the at least one railway safety unit 1; 101 using the
supplied process data 5.11, 5.2; 105.1, 105.2.
[0031] For this purpose, the device 3; 103 has a data display unit
8, 108 worn by a user 7; 107 (observer, for example dispatcher) on
his head, and separate further data transfer channels 9.1, 9.2;
109.1, 109.2 for displaying the course of the process a device
control 6; 106.
[0032] The at least one device control 6; 106 is suitably designed
for converting the process data 5.1, 5.2; 105.1, 105.2 supplied by
the at least one railway safety unit 1; 101 by means of
dual-channel processing into first and second image data 11.1,
11.2; 111.1, 111.2 in the form of video data of the course of the
process to be displayed, and for outputting for display on the data
display unit 8; 108.
[0033] The data display unit 8; 108 is a pair of display goggles in
the form of a Head-Mounted Display (HMD for short) having two
separate displays 12.1, 12.2; 112.1, 112.2 in the form of two
separate screens. A first 12.1; 112.1 of the two displays is
suitably designed for displaying a first representation 14.1; 114.1
of the first image data 11.1; 111.1 delivered thereto that is
visually detectable by the right eye 13.1. The second 12.2; 112.2
of the two displays is suitably designed for displaying a second
representation 14.2; 114.2 of the second image data 11.2; 111.2
delivered thereto that is visually detectable by the left eye 13.2;
113.2.
[0034] The at least one device control 6; 106 is suitably designed
for converting the supplied process data 5.1, 5.2; 105.1, 105.2 in
sections 15.1, 15.2; 115.1, 115.2 of the dual-channel processing
into right-hand and left-hand image data which correspond to images
of the course of the process generated from the same perspective
for onoscopic examination.
[0035] In the first embodiment of the device 3, shown in FIG. 1 for
displaying the course of a process, the device control 6 is
suitably designed for outputting the right-hand image data as first
image data and the left-hand image data as second image data 11.1,
11.2 on the display goggles 8.
[0036] In contrast to this, the device control 106 in the second
embodiment, shown in FIG. 2, of the device 103 for displaying the
course of the process is suitably designed for converting the
right-hand and left-hand image data in further sections 116.1,
116.2 of the processing into further right-hand and left-hand image
data which correspond to images of the course of the process
generated from different perspectives for stereoscopic examination.
In contrast to the device control 6 shown in FIG. 1, the device
control 106 shown in FIG. 2 is suitably designed for outputting
further right-hand image data as the first image data 112.1 and the
further left-hand image data as the second image data 112.2 on the
display goggles.
[0037] The inventive method is accordingly carried out as
follows.
[0038] By way of the separate data transfer channels 4.1, 4.2;
104.1, 104.2, the at least one railway safety unit 2; 102 supplies,
preferably continuously in each case, the same process data 5.1,
5.2; 105.1, 105.2 to the device 3; 103 for displaying the course of
the process.
[0039] This process data 3; 103 supplied by the at least one
railway safety unit is processed using the at least one device
control 6; 106, designed as an arithmetic unit, on dual channels,
in other words, by means of two separate processing channels 18.1,
18.2; 118.1, 118.2 of the device control. The supplied process data
5.1, 5.2; 105.1, 105.2 is converted in the sections 15.1, 15.2;
115.1, 115.2 of the dual-channel processing into the right-hand and
left-hand image data 11.r, 11.l; 111.r, 111.l in the form of video
data which corresponds to images of the course of the process
generated from the same perspective for monoscopic examination. The
supplied process data 5.1; 105.1 is therefore converted in section
15.1; 115.1 by the first processing channel 18.1; 118.1 into the
right-hand image data 11.r; 111.r. And the process data 5.2; 105.2,
which resembles the process data 5.1; 105.1 is converted in section
15.2; 115.2 by the second processing channel 18.2; 118.2 into the
left-hand image data 11.l; 111.l.
[0040] In the first embodiment of the device 3, shown in FIG. 1,
the right-hand image data 11.r is then output as the first image
data 11.1 and the left-hand image data 11.l is output as the second
image data 11.2 via the further separate data transfer channels
9.1, 9.2 to the display goggles used as a data display unit 8.
[0041] The first display 12.1 of the display goggles 8 then shows a
first representation 14.1 of the first image data 11.1 delivered
thereto as video data that is visually detectable by the right eye
13.1, and the second display 12.2 of the display goggles 8 displays
a second representation 14.2 of the second image data 11.2
delivered thereto as video data that is visually detectable by the
left eye 13.2.
[0042] The observer 7 wearing the display goggles 8 perceives the
two displayed representations 14.1, 14.2 of the image data 11.1,
11.2--in other words, the two images of the course of the
process--at least simultaneously, but, as a rule, merged to form a
single image.
[0043] In the second embodiment 103 of the device shown in FIG. 2,
the right-hand and left-hand image data 111.r, 111.l is converted
in the further sections 116.1, 116.2 of the dual-channel processing
into the further right-hand and left-hand image data 111.R, 111.L
which correspond to images of the course of the process generated
from different perspectives for stereoscopic examination. The
right-hand image data 111.r is therefore converted in the further
section 116.1 by the first processing channel 118.1 into the
further right-hand image data 111.R. And the left-hand image data
111.l is converted in the section 116.2 by the second processing
channel 118.2 into the further left-hand image data 111.L.
[0044] The further right-hand image data 111.R is then output as
the first image data 111.1 and the further left-hand image data
111.L is output as the second image data 111.2 on the display
goggles.
[0045] Here too the first display 112.1 of the display goggles 108
accordingly displays a first representation 114.1 of the first
image data 111.1 delivered thereto as video data that is visually
detectable by the right eye 113.1, and the second display 112.2 of
the display goggles 108 displays a second representation 114.2 of
the second image data 111.2 delivered thereto as video data that is
visually detectable by the left eye 113.2.
[0046] The observer 107 wearing the display goggles 108 perceives
the two displayed representations 114.1, 114.2 of the image data
111.1, 111.2--in other words, the two images of the course of the
process--at least simultaneously here as well, but, as a rule,
merged to form a single spatial image.
[0047] The user 7; 107 of the display goggles 8; 108 checks the
visual matching of the two redundant representations 14.1, 14.2;
114.1, 114.2. For this purpose, he checks whether the visual
information of the two displayed, supposedly identical images of
the course of the process actually overlap. In the case of an error
during conversion of the process data 5.1; 5.2; 105.1, 105.2 into
the image data 11.1, 11.2; 111.1, 111.2 or in the case of an error
in the representation of the image data 11.1, 11.2; 111.1, 111.2,
there is no overlap of the visual information in the binocular, in
particular stereoscopic, view, so the observer 7; 107 can identify
the error.
* * * * *