METHOD AND DEVICE FOR CONTROLLING A RAIL VEHICLE

Abstract

A method for controlling a rail vehicle includes recording a voice message of an user of the rail vehicle which contains a control parameter for controlling the rail vehicle. The control parameter is extracted from the recorded voice message. The extracted control parameter is displayed and the rail vehicle is controlled on the basis of the extracted control parameter only upon detection of a release command of the user that the extracted control parameter may be used for controlling the rail vehicle.

Claims

1-10. (canceled)

11. A method for controlling a rail vehicle, which comprises the following steps of: recording a voice message of a user of the rail vehicle, the voice message containing a control parameter for controlling the rail vehicle; extracting the control parameter from a recorded voice message; displaying an extracted control parameter; controlling the rail vehicle on a basis of the extracted control parameter only upon detection of a release command from the user that the extracted control parameter may be used for controlling the rail vehicle; and providing a first memory area and a second memory area, the first memory area and the second memory area are logically and/or physically separated from each other, wherein the extracted control parameter is stored in the first memory area before the rail vehicle is controlled, wherein the extracted control parameter stored in the first memory area is copied from the first memory area into the second memory area after a detection of the release command, so that the rail vehicle is controlled based on the extracted control parameter copied into the second memory area.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein, upon detecting a correction request from the user in relation to the extracted control parameter being displayed, the extracted control parameter is corrected according to the correction request, wherein a corrected control parameter is displayed, wherein the rail vehicle is controlled on a basis of the corrected control parameter only upon detection of a further release command from the user that the corrected control parameter may be used for controlling the rail vehicle.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein the display of the extracted control parameter includes displaying the extracted control parameter stored in the first memory area.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein the extracting of the control parameter comprises performing speech recognition on the recorded voice message, wherein in an event of no control parameter being recognized a warning is output to the user that no control parameter could be recognized.

15. The method according to claim 11, wherein the control parameter contains a keyword and a value assigned to the keyword, wherein it is checked whether the keyword corresponds to a predetermined keyword, wherein if the keyword does not correspond to the predetermined keyword, a warning is output to the user that the predetermined keyword is missing from the voice message recorded.

16. The method according to claim 11, wherein the recording of the voice message is started only in response to a detection of a recording start command from the user and/or wherein the recording of the voice message is ended only in response to a detection of a recording stop command from the user.

17. A device for controlling a rail vehicle, comprising: an acoustic recording device for recording a voice message of a user of the rail vehicle, the voice message containing a control parameter for controlling the rail vehicle; a processor for extracting the control parameter from a recorded voice message; a display device for displaying an extracted control parameter; a detection device for detecting a release command from the user that the extracted control parameter may be used for controlling the railway vehicle; a control system for controlling the rail vehicle on a basis of the extracted control parameter only upon detection of the release command from the user, that the extracted control parameter may be used for controlling the rail vehicle; and a first memory area and a second memory area, said first memory area and said second memory area are logically and/or physically separated from each other, wherein the extracted control parameter is stored in said first memory area before the rail vehicle is controlled, wherein the extracted control parameter stored in said first memory area is copied from said first memory area into said second memory area after a detection of the release command, so that the rail vehicle is controlled based on the extracted control parameter copied into said second memory area.

18. A rail vehicle, comprising: a device according to claim 17.

19. A non-transitory computer medium containing computer-executable instructions, said computer-executable instructions when executed on a computer performing a method for controlling a rail vehicle, which comprises the following steps of: recording a voice message of a user of the rail vehicle, the voice message containing a control parameter for controlling the rail vehicle; extracting the control parameter from a recorded voice message; displaying an extracted control parameter; controlling the rail vehicle on a basis of the extracted control parameter only upon detection of a release command from the user that the extracted control parameter may be used for controlling the rail vehicle; and providing a first memory area and a second memory area, the first memory area and the second memory area are logically and/or physically separated from each other, wherein the extracted control parameter is stored in the first memory area before the rail vehicle is controlled, wherein the extracted control parameter stored in the first memory area is copied from the first memory area into the second memory area after a detection of the release command, so that the rail vehicle is controlled based on the extracted control parameter copied into the second memory area.

Description

[0085] The properties, features and advantages of the present invention described above and the manner in which these are achieved, will become clearer and more comprehensible in conjunction with the following description of the exemplary embodiments, which are explained in more detail in connection with the drawings, in which:

[0086] FIG. 1 shows a flowchart of a method for controlling a rail vehicle,

[0087] FIG. 2 shows a device for controlling a rail vehicle,

[0088] FIG. 3 shows a rail vehicle, and

[0089] FIG. 4 shows a block diagram of an operating principle of a device for controlling a rail vehicle.

[0090] FIG. 1 shows a flowchart of a method for controlling a rail vehicle.

[0091] The method comprises the following steps:

[0092] recording 101 a voice message of a user of the rail vehicle, comprising a control parameter for controlling the rail vehicle,

[0093] extracting 103 the control parameter from the recorded voice message,

[0094] displaying 105 the extracted control parameter,

[0095] controlling 107 the rail vehicle on the basis of the extracted control parameter only upon detection of a release command from the user that the extracted control parameter may be used for controlling the rail vehicle.

[0096] FIG. 2 shows a device 201 for controlling a rail vehicle, comprising:

[0097] an acoustic recording device 203 for recording a voice message from a user of the rail vehicle, comprising a control parameter for controlling the rail vehicle,

[0098] a processor 205 for extracting the control parameter from the recorded voice message,

[0099] a display device 207 for displaying the extracted control parameter, and

[0100] a detection device 209 for detecting a release command from the user that the extracted control parameter may be used for controlling the rail vehicle, and

[0101] a control system 211 for controlling the rail vehicle on the basis of the extracted control parameter only upon detection of the release command from the user that the extracted control parameter may be used for controlling the rail vehicle.

[0102] FIG. 3 shows a rail vehicle 301.

[0103] The rail vehicle 301 comprises a driver's compartment 303.

[0104] The rail vehicle 301 comprises the device 201 according to FIG. 2.

[0105] In one embodiment it is provided that one, more than one, or all elements of the device 201 are arranged within the driver's compartment 303.

[0106] FIG. 4 shows a block diagram of an operating principle of a device 401 for controlling a rail vehicle.

[0107] The device 401 comprises an acoustic recording device 403. The recording device 403 comprises a microphone 405 for recording a voice message from a user of the rail vehicle, comprising a control parameter for controlling the rail vehicle.

[0108] According to another embodiment, the recording of the voice message is started via an acoustic command or via an input on a touch-sensitive display screen.

[0109] According to a step 407 a speech recognition is performed on the recorded voice message.

[0110] In accordance with the speech recognition, recognized control parameters and/or commands are converted into machine-readable commands and/or machine-readable control parameters according to a step 409.

[0111] In a step 411, a check of the converted commands or control parameters takes place.

[0112] The speech recognition, the conversion, and the checking are performed using a processor 413.

[0113] As part of the check according to step 411, it is checked, for example, whether a figure for the total weight of the rail vehicle appears in a checklist. If this is the case, an identifier for the total train weight and the total train weight itself are transmitted to a control system 417 and stored in a first memory area 419.

[0114] The first memory area 419 can generally also be referred to as a temporary memory area.

[0115] For example, if a keyword from the checklist or an input control parameter or a value assigned to a keyword is not recognized correctly, according to one embodiment a warning is output via a loudspeaker 415 which is part of the device 415.

[0116] The value or control parameter or keyword that is not correctly recognized can then be entered once again using another voice input.

[0117] If all necessary control parameters have been entered via a voice input, in accordance with one embodiment the recording of the voice message is terminated in response to the detection of recording stop command from the user.

[0118] According to one embodiment, both the detection of the recording start command and the detection of a recording stop command are performed using the microphone 405.

[0119] The elements stored in the first memory area 419 are transmitted to a display device 423, which displays the transmitted values according to a step 425.

[0120] For example, the display device 423 is a touch-sensitive display screen.

[0121] The transmission of the values of the first memory area 419 to the display device 423 is carried out on the basis of a secure procedure.

[0122] For example, this results in the technical advantage that it can be efficiently ensured that no corruption of the data takes place during the transmission.

[0123] A secure procedure refers to a procedure in which information, in this case the control parameter or parameters, is transmitted on two different channels. After checking the correctness of the displayed values, the user must then acknowledge them. Only then will the information be released for further processing, in this case control.

[0124] If values have been entered incorrectly, a manual correction of the values can still be performed on the display device 423.

[0125] This is provided according to step 426.

[0126] These values are transmitted back to the control system 417 where they are stored in the first memory area 419.

[0127] They are then sent to the display device 423 again to be displayed there again, so that a user of the rail vehicle can acknowledge them.

[0128] The acknowledgment is sent to the control system 417, wherein in response to the receipt of the acknowledgment by the control system 417 the data in the first memory area 419 are copied into a second memory area 421 of the control system 417.

[0129] The acknowledgment corresponds to or comprises, for example, a key press by a user of the rail vehicle, for example an engine driver.

[0130] For example, the acknowledgment is sent to the control system 417 in a secure procedure, such as an antivalent transmission. In an antivalent transmission, the binary value “1”, for example, is transmitted as “1” and on a second channel as “0” (negated). Both values are then compared on the receiving side. This ensures that no data become corrupted during transmission. An antivalent transmission is thus an example of a secure procedure.

[0131] As a result, these data are available for downstream train safety systems 427, 429, 431 during operation of the rail vehicle.

[0132] In this respect, the second memory area can also be generally referred to as an operating memory.

[0133] The data are transmitted from the second memory area 421 to the downstream train safety systems 427, 429, 431 in a secure transmission procedure, depending on the requirements for the individual values to be transferred, for example.

[0134] The preceding and following data therefore comprise, in particular, the control parameter or parameters.

[0135] In particular, the design according to the invention has the technical advantage of a faster input of control parameters, e.g. for a train data input. This leads, for example, to time savings when upgrading a rail vehicle.

[0136] Furthermore, the design according to the invention provides improved ergonomics for entering the data.

[0137] Furthermore, the approach according to the invention results in higher availability of the rail vehicles.

[0138] Data can thus be entered into a control system of a rail vehicle more quickly.

[0139] This further simplifies an architecture with a plurality of train safety systems in a rail vehicle.

[0140] The approach according to the invention can also be used for a different type of input on the display screen, which was previously performed via a selection of keys or soft keys on the screen. If the data to be entered are not relevant to safety, the corresponding checks can also be omitted during the data entry.

[0141] Although the invention has been illustrated and described in greater detail by means of the preferred exemplary embodiments, the invention is not restricted by the examples disclosed and other variations can be derived therefrom by the person skilled in the art without departing from the scope of protection of the invention.