DEVICE FOR COMMUNICATING AND MONITORING RAILWAY TRACKS AND OPERATING METHOD

Abstract

A device for communicating and monitoring railway tracks includes a plurality of communicating and monitoring terminals arranged along the tracks. Each of the terminals includes an image-capturing module, a wireless communicating module that allows for communication between the terminals and with a train, and a module for storing electrical power continuously supplying the image-capturing module and the communicating module. Each terminal also includes a power-generating module for supplying the module for storing electrical power. The power generating module recovers energy from the air displaced by the train running over the railway track. The device permits permanent monitoring by capturing images and makes permanent wireless connections available to the trains.

Claims

1. A device for communicating with human users of a train and monitoring railway tracks along a train line, the device being self-powered, the device comprising a plurality of communicating and monitoring terminals arranged at regular intervals along the tracks and dividing the train line into monitoring sections of a defined length, with each of the terminals comprising: an image-capturing module comprising a long-range thermal camera configured to monitor trains on the tracks, a wireless communicating module that allows for communication between the terminals and with the human users of the train, a module configured to store electrical power continuously supplying the image-capturing module and the communicating module, a power-generating module configured to supply power to the module for storing electrical power comprising a means configured to recover the energy from the air displaced by the train running over the railway track, configured to permanently monitor by capturing images and making permanent wireless connections and images from the image capturing module available to the human users of the trains, the power generating module providing the power required by the communicating module and the module for storing electrical power; the device further including a terminal built inside the cockpit of the train on which the images recorded by the cameras and transmitted by the Wi-Fi network are displayed; the plurality of terminals being spaced along the tracks; wherein the electrical power consumption of each module is about one kilowatt per day.

2. A device according to claim 1 wherein the means of recovering is a dynamic air turbine.

3. A device according to claim 1 wherein the means of recovering power is a wind turbine converter without a propeller that adopts an electrostatic technology.

4. A device according to claim 1 wherein the wireless communicating module comprises an antenna making it possible to carry out two networks: a main permanent communications, transfer, data and distribution network of the images of the image-capturing module via internet connecting via a wireless connection, the terminals between them, a terminal to an internet point of access and a at least one terminal to the train, an autonomous local temporary network overcoming a failure in the permanent main network and able to distribute the views captured by the image-capturing means between each terminal and the train and from one terminal to the other.

5. A device according to claim 1 wherein the module for storing electrical power comprises: electrical batteries, reversible fuel cell, or means for producing and storing compressed air.

6. A device according to claim 1 wherein the terminal comprises a mast sealed to the ground provided with a stem at the end of which is arranged the means for recovering.

7. A device according to claim 1 wherein the stem has an adjustable length.

8. A device according to claim 1 wherein the stem is linked to the mast in such a way as to be adjustable in height.

9. A device according to claim 1 wherein the module for communicating comprises a wireless communicating device of the Wi-Fi type that allows for communication between terminals or with the train.

10. A device according to claim 1 wherein the turbine is of the type without a propeller.

11. A device according to claim 9 wherein the train is provided with a terminal built inside the cockpit on which the images recorded by the image-capturing modules are displayed.

12. A device according to claim 1 wherein the mast comprises at its top end, the communicating module and the image-capturing module and, at the low end, a base for sealing to the ground.

13. An operating method of a device according to claim 1, the operating method comprising communicating to the terminal, the images deemed as suspicious by comparison with prerecorded images with their geographical location.

14. An operating method of a device according to claim 1, the operating method comprising continuously communicating to the terminal, the images captured by the image-capturing modules arranged upstream and at a distance greater than or equal to the braking distance of the train.

15. An operating method of a device according to claim 1, the operating method comprising displaying on the terminal of a first train, the images of another train that preceded it or travelling in the opposite direction.

16. A device according to claim 1 wherein the regular intervals are two kilometers in length.

17. A device according to claim 1 wherein the image-capturing module comprise a GPS.

18. A device according to claim 1 further comprising Wi-Fi bridges.

19. A device according to claim 1 wherein the electrical power consumption of each terminal is less than the electrical power generation by each module.

20. A device according to claim 1 wherein the train is moving.

21. A device according to claim 1 wherein the long-range camera is a thermal camera.

22. A device according to claim 1 wherein the train is a TGV train.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0062] FIG. 1 is a diagrammatical drawing of a front view of an embodiment of a device in accordance with the invention with a train passing in the vicinity;

[0063] FIG. 2 is a diagrammatical drawing of a side view of the device of FIG. 1;

[0064] FIG. 3 is a diagrammatical drawing in perspective of an embodiment of a terminal;

[0065] FIG. 4 is a diagrammatical drawing of another embodiment of a terminal,

[0066] FIG. 5 is a diagrammatical drawing of a front view of another embodiment of a device in accordance with the invention with a train passing in the vicinity.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0067] As shown in the drawings of the figures, the device of the invention provides the monitoring of the highspeed line referenced as LGV. This device has the form of a plurality of monitoring terminals 100 arranged at regular intervals along the railway track and dividing said LGV line into monitoring sections of a defined length.

[0068] In accordance with the invention, these terminals 100 comprise: [0069] a camera 200, [0070] a module for storing electrical power 300, [0071] a module for producing power 400 supplying the storing module 300, and [0072] a wireless communicating module 500 of the Wi-Fi type, referred to as a Wi-Fi module that authorizes the terminals 100 to communicate between them.

[0073] The terminals are independent and communicate only through the Wi-Fi network created by the terminals. According to a preferred embodiment, the sections are of two kilometers. Also, the camera is of the long-range thermal type.

[0074] According to a preferred embodiment, said thermal camera is of the very long range type, has a protective index of the IP67 type, and is provided with a GPS and a system for geolocating objects that appear in its field of vision with respect to the terminal and an automatic tracking and zoom system. These features are managed by a central unit.

[0075] The Wi-Fi module forms with those of the other terminals, a point-to-point Wi-Fi network using very long-range Wi-Fi bridges. As such, the Wi-Fi antennas will transmit the images recorded by the cameras of each terminal to each terminal of the line. One of the terminals is advantageously linked to the internet network.

[0076] This camera and this Wi-Fi module are continuously supplied with power by the storage module 300.

[0077] In order to supply said storage module 300, the module for supplying 400 is constituted by at least one dynamic air turbine which, arranged in such a way as to be subjected to the air displaced by the air caused by the displacement of the high-speed train T, produced energy to be stored by the storing module 300. A type of dynamic air turbine that can be used for this type of application is conventionally used on aircraft as a backup source of electricity in the event of a general electrical failure. This turbine resists very severe climatic conditions (temperature from 50 C. to +80 C., high wind speeds that can reach 200 m/s) According to another embodiment not shown, said turbine or turbines are of the type without propellers.

[0078] According to a first evaluation, the electrical consumption of the terminal (adding that of the Wi-Fi bridge, the long-range camera, accessories and taking losses into account) is estimated to be 1 KWH per day. However, based on the number of passes of high-speed trains equal to 10 with an average speed of 200 km/h, the electrical energy production of the turbine or turbines is evaluated at 2 KWH per day. Such a device therefore largely provides the power required for the functions under consideration and makes available a free and ecological autonomous power source at any point of the high-speed line.

[0079] According to the embodiment shown in the drawing of FIG. 3, the mast 120 comprises at its upper end, the module for communicating 500 and the camera 200 and, at the low end, a base 130 for sealing to the ground. Said terminal 100 is here provided with two turbines 410 and 420 with parallel and horizontal axes of rotation constituting the module for producing energy 400. These two turbines 410 and 420 are positioned at the end of a horizontal arm 110 forming a stem in relation to a vertical mast 120 of which the low end is provided with a base 130 that is sealed to the ground and of which the top end receives the antenna 510 of the Wi-Fi module and the camera 200.

[0080] As shown, in order to use in an optimized way the displacement of the air provoked by the passing of train T the position of the turbines can be adjusted on the one hand, by adjusting the length of the stem 110 and on the other hand, by the adjusting of the height of the stem along the mast 120.

[0081] The base 130 also receives a technical rack 131 that contains the electronic box of the long-range Wi-Fi module, a network switch, a central unit, and the module for storing electrical power.

[0082] According to a preferred embodiment, this storing module 300 is constituted by batteries. According to another embodiment, this storing module is constituted by a reversible fuel cell. According to another embodiment, this storing module is constituted of a means for storing compressed air.

[0083] According to the embodiment shown in the drawing of FIG. 4, the terminal 100 comprises a mast 120 at the top end of which are positioned: [0084] the antenna 510 of the long-range Wi-Fi bridge, [0085] the long-range thermal camera 200, and [0086] a technical box 140 receiving the electronic box of the long-range Wi-Fi bridge, a network switch, a central unit.

[0087] The low end of the mast 120 is associated to a base 130 that receives the module for producing energy 400 constituted by a single turbine 430. This base 130 also receives the module for storing electrical power 300 produced by the turbine 430.

[0088] As shown in the drawing of FIG. 2, the Wi-Fi module enables not only the communication between terminals 100 (arrow F1) but also with the train (arrow F2). The connection via the Wi-Fi module is provided by a long-range antenna mounted on the train and compatible with the network on the ground which is a point-to-point network constituted by the terminals 100. Each terminal of the network is geographically identified and communicates with the neighboring terminals in order to make it possible for the train conductor to have a monitoring image library within the critical radius of action with regards to safety. This network is not a centralized network. It is a collaborative point-to-point network. Each node constituted by each terminal 100 has an autonomous central unit able to identify the disturbances and alert the users of the system. The train is itself provided to form a communication node.

[0089] According to an embodiment, the device constitutes a private network of the intranet type making it possible to exchange safety information (images, position of the trains, etc.).

[0090] According to another embodiment, in order to allow the passengers to have Wi-Fi access, the network is interconnected to Internet in a sealed manner in order to distinguish over this network, the flow of safety data encapsulated in encrypted packets and the general public flow. The interconnection is carried out by conventional low-cost high-speed terrestrial connections of the ADSL type installed for example in the stations, making sure however that high-end services are used with high quality in terms of reliability and with high bandwidth.

[0091] In the framework of monitoring, the train is provided with a terminal built inside the cockpit on which the images recorded by the cameras and transmitted by the Wi-Fi network are displayed. As such, an operating method of the device for monitoring consists in communicating to the terminal the images deemed as suspicious (change in the scene observed compared to a history library) with their geographical location. Another method consists in continuously communicating to the terminal the images captured by the cameras arranged upstream and at a distance greater than or equal to the braking distance of the train.

[0092] FIG. 5 shows an embodiment wherein the means for recovering energy 400 is constituted by an air turbine convertor without propeller that adopts an electrostatic technology where inside a frame 410 is created a field of charged particles which will be displaced by the air displaced by the train.

[0093] It is understood that the device and the method, that have just been described and shown hereinabove, were described and shown for the purposes of disclosure rather than as a limitation. Of course, various arrangements, modifications and improvements can be made to the example hereinabove, without however leaving the scope of the invention.