Optimized circulation management method of a train and associated CBTC signaling system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10435053-B2
Application number	US-201815987471-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 23, 2018
Priority date	May 24, 2017
Publication date	Oct 8, 2019
Grant date	Oct 8, 2019

Abstract

When an event prevents a train from moving along a route in a nominal direction, this method makes it possible to cause it to circulate in an opposite direction by: selecting ( 120 ) an origin zone and an output signal; drawing ( 130 ) a pseudo-route on the successive zones between the origin zone and the output signal; opening ( 140 ) the pseudo-route by associating a sub-route with each zone, corresponding to the reservation of said zone for said train; informing ( 150 ) the train that it must circulate in the opposite direction; determining ( 160 ) a movement authorization for the train from sub-routes that are open and a list of obstacles that is updated regularly; sending ( 180 ) the movement authorization to the train, the determination ( 160 ) and transmission ( 170 ) steps being iterated until the train crosses the output signal.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for managing movement of a train along a section of a railroad track, the method being implemented by a signaling system of the CBTC type that is able, in a nominal mode, to define a route on the section allowing the movement of the train in a nominal circulation direction, the route extending over a plurality of successive zones between an origin signal and a destination signal, wherein the method comprises, when there is an event preventing the train from continuing its movement along the route, causing the train to circulate in a circulation direction opposite the nominal circulation direction by:
selecting an origin zone and an output signal;
tracing, via a supervision system of the signaling system, a pseudo-route for the train, the pseudo-route extending over a plurality of successive zones between the origin zone and the output signal;
opening, via an interlocking system of the signaling system, the pseudo-route by associating each zone of the pseudo-route between the origin zone and the output signal with a sub-route, each sub-route corresponding to the reservation of the associated zone for the train in the opposite circulation direction;
informing the train to modify a current circulation direction thereof so that the current circulation corresponds to the opposite circulation direction;
determining, via a zone controller of the signaling system, a movement authorization for the train taking into account the current circulation direction of the train, the sub-routes open for the train, and a list of obstacles regularly updated by the zone controller; and
sending the movement authorization to the train to control the movement of the train,

wherein determining and sending a movement authorization is repeated until the train crosses the output signal.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the list of obstacles for the train moving in a current circulation direction includes all of the movement authorizations already transmitted to other trains circulating on said section in a circulation direction opposite the current circulation direction.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the list of obstacles, for the train moving in a current circulation direction further includes a safety envelope calculated by the zone controller for another non-CBTC train or a non-communicating CBTC train circulating on said section.

4. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the list of obstacles for the train moving in a current circulation direction further includes a safety envelope calculated by the zone controller for another CBTC train being driven manually and circulating on said section in a circulation direction opposite the current circulation direction, the circulation direction of said another CBTC train being determined from an identifier of its active cabin.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein during the opening by the interlocking system of the pseudo-route, the interlocking system locks the sub-routes associated with each zone between the origin zone and the output signal.

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the interlocking system keeps a sub-route for the train locked as long as:
the train occupies the zone associated with said sub-route; or
when the train does not occupy the zone associated with said sub-route, but a neighbor sub-route is locked, said neighbor sub-route being associated with a zone that precedes, in the circulation direction of said pseudo-route, the zone associated with said sub-route.

7. The method according to claim 1 , including selecting the train that must circulate in the opposite circulation direction among a plurality of trains engaged on the railroad track section.

8. The method according to claim 1 , including defining each zone of the section of the railroad track that may be used as an origin zone of a pseudo-route.

9. A signaling system of the CBTC type for carrying out a method for managing movement of a train along a section of a railroad track according to claim 1 , the signaling system comprising a supervision system, a zone controller, and an interlocking system, wherein:
the supervision system is able to trace a pseudo-route between an origin zone and an output signal for the train;
the interlocking system is able to open a pseudo-route tracked by the supervision system by defining, for each zone of the pseudo-route, a sub-route corresponding to the reservation of said zone for the train in a circulation direction that is opposite to a nominal circulation direction; and
the zone controller is able to keep a list of obstacles updated and determine a movement authorization for the train taking into account the list of obstacles.

10. The signaling system according to claim 9 , wherein the list of obstacles includes movement authorizations sent to other trains circulating on the section.

11. The signaling system according to claim 9 , wherein the list of obstacles further includes safety envelopes calculated around a non-CBTC train or a non-communicating CBTC train, circulating on the section.

12. The signaling system according to claim 10 , wherein the list of obstacles further includes a safety envelope calculated around a CBTC train being driven manually while circulating on the section, the safety envelope being associated with an identifier of the active cabin of the CBTC train being driven manually.

13. The signaling system according to claim 9 , wherein the supervision system is configured so as to define the zones of the section of the railroad track that can be used as origin zone of a pseudo-route.

Assignees

• Alstom Transp Tech

Inventors

• Bresson Mathieu
• Ballesteros Javier

Classifications

• B61L21/10

  Arrangements for trains which are closely following one another · CPC title

• B61L21/04 Primary

  Electrical locking and release of the route; Electrical repeat locks · CPC title

• B61L3/225

  using separate conductors along the route · CPC title

• B61L2027/005

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B61L27/0038 Primary

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic