METHOD FOR ENSURING THAT A SECTION BLOCK OF A RAILWAY SECTION IS FREE OF THE LAST UNIT OF A TRAIN

Abstract

A method for ensuring that a section block of a railway section is free of the last unit of a train, wherein each train travelling into the section block is equipped with at least one train terminal (OTUOn Train Unit) at the end of the train, defined by the direction of travel of the train, which OTU is used for the periodic position detection of the train. The method comprises storing at least one polygon, which is defined by a plurality of geo-data, for each section block is stored in the OTU, registering the respectively traveled polygon at least once by the OTU by means of Global Navigation Satellite System, and sending the identification of the respectively traveled polygon with the OTU at least once to an electronic data processing system for evaluation.

Claims

1-17. (canceled)

18. A method for ensuring that a section block of a railway section is free of a last unit of a train, comprising: equipping each train travelling into the section block with at least one train terminal (OTUOn Train Unit) at an end of the train defined by a direction of travel of the train; using the OTU for a periodic position detection of the train; storing at least one polygon, which is defined by a plurality of geo-data, for each section block in the OUT; registering a respectively traveled polygon at least once by the OTU by Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) if the position of the OTU is within the polygon; and using the OTU to send an identification of the respectively traveled polygon at least once to an electronic data processing system for evaluation.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the evaluation of the identification includes a time and an order of traveled polygons and a time when the OTU moves from one section block to an adjacent section block.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the identification of the respective polygon includes geo-data, the identification of the respective section block and the respective track identification.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising storing a polygon in the OTU for each section block at both ends of the section block.

22. The method of claim 18, further comprising storing a plurality of adjoining polygons in the OTU over the entire length of the section block.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein the distance between a first polygon which is stored at the end of a first section block, and a second polygon adjacent to the first polygon, which second polygon is stored at the end of a second section block facing the first section block, corresponds to a maximum braking distance of the train.

24. The method of claim 18, wherein the train at its tip, defined by the direction of travel, is equipped with an additional OTU and when the direction of travel changes, the additional OTU is recognized by the electronic data processing system as the OTU at the end of the train.

25. The method of claim 18, wherein in addition to the identification, the OTU sends the polygon identification, the direction of travel of the train and a status of a power supply to the electronic data processing system.

26. The method of claim 18, wherein for a given clocking of the position determination, the OTU determines a minimum length of the polygon by a maximum speed of the train and a maximum length of the polygon is defined by the length of the section block for which the polygon is stored in the OTU.

27. The method of claim 18, wherein a width of a first polygon corresponds at least to a maximum width of the train and in a case of a multi-track railway section, the width of the first polygon is dimensioned in such a way that the first polygon is free of overlaps from further third polygons which are stored in the OTU for further tracks.

28. The method of claim 18, wherein the identification of a second polygon causes the second section block assigned to the second polygon to be reported by the electronic data processing system as being occupied or blocked and the first section block previously traveled by the train is reported as free by the electronic data processing system.

29. The method of claim 18, wherein a train integrity is determined by the OTU changing from one section block to another section block.

30. The method of claim 18, wherein the OTU and the additional OTU are synchronized by the electronic data processing system in order to calculate a distance between the OTU and the additional OTU in the electronic data processing system and to send a change in a distance between the OUT and the additional OUT.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the OTU and the additional OTU are synchronized by the electronic data processing system to calculate a distance between the OTU and the additional OTU in the electronic data processing system and to send a change in a distance between the OUT and the additional OUT caused by a coupling breakage of the train to the train's electronic data processing system.

32. The method of claim 18, wherein a start and an end of an area of a section block at which the GNSS reception of the OTU is not sufficient is stored in the OTU with a start polygon or an end polygon and that an area is considered as passed through when the polygon identification of the end polygon is received by the OTU via the electronic data processing system.

33. The method of claim 18, wherein the car identifications of the individual cars of a train are transmitted to the OTU in order to be able to send a relevant position and time of individual cars to the electronic data processing system.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the car identification is linked to at least one freight document of the respective car.

35. The method of claim 18, wherein polygons stored in the OTU contain information on positioning of railway signals, and positions of the railway signals can be visualized in the driver's compartment of the train.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0050] Further advantages and features result from the following description of an exemplary embodiment of the invention with reference to the schematic representations. In a representation that is not to scale:

[0051] FIG. 1 shows a first method diagram of a method for ensuring that a section block of a railway section is free of the last unit of a train;

[0052] FIG. 2 shows a supplementary illustration of the method diagram from FIG. 1;

[0053] FIG. 3 shows a track with an illustration of different polygon variants;

[0054] FIG. 4 shows a plan view of a two-track railway section with polygons overlaid on the tracks, and

[0055] FIG. 5 shows a method diagram that defines the distance between a first and second polygon through the braking distance of the train.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0056] FIGS. 1 and 2 show the functional diagram of the method. Existing railway sections or tracks 27 are divided into section blocks as standard, a rail signal 15 being positioned at the transition from a first line block 11 to the neighboring second section block 13. Railway signal 15 releases second section block 13 or blocks it. In the case of a multi-track railway section, each track is divided into a plurality of section blocks. There are therefore no section blocks that extend simultaneously over side by side tracks.

[0057] Over each section block there is an imaginary boundary which is referred to as a geofence or as a polygon. In the context of the present patent application, a polygon shall be understood to mean a virtual surface which is placed at least over part of a section block, so that a part of the section block lies within the polygon. The polygon is defined by a plurality of geo-data. The geo-data describes the periphery of a closed polygon. It is also conceivable that the polygon extends over the entire section block.

[0058] A polygon is uniquely identified (ID) using the following polygon ID data: the geo-data, the section block ID and the track ID. Here, each section block and each track is uniquely identified, for example, by a number or a letter.

[0059] A train 17 is equipped at its end with a train end device. The train end device is therefore carried along at the train end 19 and is referred to as OTU (On-Train Unit) 21. Train end 19 is defined by its direction of travel. The train end thus passes as the last part of the train 17 a spot on a section. Train end 19 corresponds to last unit 19 of train 17. Last unit 19 can be a car, a locomotive, a railcar or a control car, depending on the direction in which the train 17 is moving and how it is composed.

[0060] OTU 21 is equipped with a memory and a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System). OTU 21 can be powered by a battery or an external power supply. At least all the polygons of the route to be traveled or the section blocks which will be passed are stored in the memory.

[0061] OTU 21 registers the polygon currently being traveled one or more times by means of GNSS. Once the corresponding polygon has been assigned to the position of OTU 21, the polygon ID is sent via radio to an electronic data processing system for evaluation. The polygon ID can be sent at the same time or after the assignment of the polygon. The evaluation of the polygon IDs makes it possible to determine with a high degree of certainty when and in what order which polygons were traveled on and when OTU 21 switched over from first section block 11 to the second section block. By real-time detection of the polygon in which OTU 21 is located, it is inevitably known which section block is occupied and which section blocks are free. FIGS. 1 and 2 show a first polygon 23 and a second polygon 25. First polygon 23 is assigned to first section block 11, and second polygon 25 is assigned to second section block 13.

[0062] If, as shown in FIG. 2, a coupling breakage occurs on one of the car couplings of train 17, the OTU does not arrive in the area of second polygon 25. Therefore, the first section block 11 is not released.

[0063] Without the use of axle counting devices the present method makes it possible to ensure that first section block 11 is free of last unit 19 of train 17.

[0064] POIs (Points of Interest) are point coordinates on a digital map and are generally used for navigation or to approach a destination such as a pharmacy, museum etc. On single-track railway sections, POIs are suitable for determining that a defined POI has been crossed. In the case of multi-track railroad bodies, it cannot be determined in a system-independent manner on which track or on which section block a train is moving, is or was located. POIs are therefore unsuitable for determining whether a section block of a railway section is free.

[0065] FIG. 3 shows three different variants of how polygons can be stored in OTU 21 per one section block.

[0066] In variant A, one polygon 23 is stored per section block. The data traffic in this variant is less than in variants B and C. In comparison to variants B and C, however, there is a loss of time until the release report of section block 25 and there is no position report between polygons of the neighboring section blocks.

[0067] In variant B, one polygon 23a, 23b at the two ends of the section block is stored in the OTU 21. The section block is reported as free as early as possible since the distance between adjacent polygons 23 and 25 of section blocks 11 and 13 is as small as possible. There is no position report between polygons 23a and 23b.

[0068] In variant C, a polygon chain along the entire length of section block 11 is stored in OTU 19. In this variant, there is an uninterrupted polygon ID report within section block 11. All three variants are independent of the direction of travel, since the reporting of the polygon ID is independent of the direction of travel from which polygon 23 is detected.

[0069] FIG. 4 shows a multi-track railway section with a first track 27 and a second track 29 running next to it. A track section of first and second tracks 27, 29 is defined as the first and third section blocks 11 and 14. First and third polygons 23, 26 are stored in OTU 21 for first and third section blocks 11, 14. The width of first and third polygons 23, 26 is dimensioned such that they do not overlap. This ensures that only first polygon 23, and not third polygon 26, can be assigned to first section block 11. On the other hand, first and third polygons 23, 26 must not be dimensioned too narrow, so that the GNSS position of OTU 21 is reliably within the respective polygon. Therefore, it is expedient if the polygon width is at least the maximum width of train 17.

[0070] FIG. 5 shows a distance 31 between first polygon 23 and second polygon 25, which corresponds to the maximum braking distance of the train, calculated from the maximum speed of the train with which it travels in first section block 11. Distance 31 ensures that OTU 21 does not come to lie within second polygon 25 when the train is forced to stop by the railway signal 15 between two section blocks 11, 13. The provision of distance 31 therefore prevents train end 19 with OTU 21 from slipping into second polygon 25 during a braking maneuver at railway signal 15, and the first section block 11 is thereby erroneously released.