Method, apparatus and railroad vehicle, in particular rail vehicle, for signal recognition in railroad traffic, in particular rail traffic

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10773739-B2
Application number	US-201616091540-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 8, 2016
Priority date	Apr 8, 2016
Publication date	Sep 15, 2020
Grant date	Sep 15, 2020

Abstract

Provided is an embodiment to automatically detect signals in track-bound traffic when track-bound vehicles are traveling on track sections in a track network. According to the embodiment, this is achieved in that on the basis of a) location-related reference information, which is stored as reference data and which is detected along the track section in the track network with respect to the geographical surroundings and the track-bound traffic signal control, in the form of reference location information, reference signal state information, context and notification information which is obtained in the context of the detection process, and optionally additional meta information relating to the information, and b) a comparison between the operational location information and operational signal state information, which is detected in the signal detection operation using position data, with the stored reference data, a signal and/or a signal state is detected in order to control the track-bound traffic on the track section.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for signal recognition in railroad traffic, comprising:
a) collecting location-related information, at at least a part of courses of railroad sections detected in a railroad network, in relation to geographical surroundings and railroad traffic signal control on at least one railroad section in the form of location-related reference data comprising reference location information and reference signal state information, wherein the geographical surroundings and the railroad traffic signal control are assessed in a detection context, and
b) storing the location-related reference data, which include with respect to the collected reference location information and reference signal state information, in addition, either location-related context and indication information obtained from the assessment or location-related context and indication information obtained from the assessment and location- and detection-context-related meta information,
and in a signal recognition operation:
c) determining, for every x-arbitrary location on the railroad section on which a railroad vehicle is movable, a railroad location coordinate with which the position of the vehicle is located,
d) detecting, with respect to the respectively determined railroad location coordinate, operation location information in relation to the geographical surroundings and operation signal state information, in relation to a signal control installation for railroad traffic signal control,
e) comparing the operation location information with the reference location information, and the operation signal state information with the reference signal state information in relation to the operation location information and the reference location information corresponding thereto, wherein the comparing is carried out on the basis of the stored location-related reference data such that the detected operation signal state information, which is intended to recognize a signal and/or a signal state for controlling the railroad traffic on the at least one railroad section for the railroad location coordinate determined, is found if the detected operation signal state information, in relation to the operation location information and the reference location information corresponding thereto, corresponds to reference signal state information contained in the located-related reference data, taking account of the context and indication information contained in the reference data or the context and indication information and the meta information.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein
at least one driving action is calculated or derived from the recognized signal and/or signal state and taking account of stored railroad section and railroad vehicle information, concerning railroad vehicle engineering, regulations and railroad vehicle attributes and capabilities.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein
the calculated or derived driving action(s) is/are displayed to a vehicle driver in a tractive unit driver's cab of the railroad vehicle as recommendation on a display device, is/are used as validation of a driving command or is/are forwarded to an automatic driving system of the railroad vehicle for automatically implementing the driving action.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the operation location information detected for the railroad location coordinate determined is altered for the compensation of inaccuracies in the detection of reference location information and operation location information for the information coordination.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a) there are detected the operation location information in relation to the geographical surroundings and the operation signal state information in relation to the railroad traffic signal control depending on railroad section information, for the railroad location coordinate communicated therein, or
b) there are detected the operation location information in relation to the geographical surroundings and the operation signal state information in relation to the railroad traffic signal control depending on railroad section information for the railroad location coordinate communicated therein, and the reference location information in relation to the geographical surroundings and the reference signal state information in relation to the railroad traffic signal control depending on the railroad section information, for the geographical position of the railroad vehicle that is communicated therein.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the railroad section information is rail section information.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein an exact position and/or the angle of the detection of the geographical surroundings and the railroad traffic signal control on the at least one railroad section relative to the railroad vehicle are/is taken into account for the assessment of the geographical surroundings and the rail traffic signal control in the detection context.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein
with the meta information alongside information concerning literally features or properties of the detected information and of the information obtained in the detection context by the assessment, what is specified is how the manner of signal control is carried out by generated calibration information from the signal control installation in relation to signal installation type and signal installation states.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the location-related reference data are generated statically in special journeys or on the basis of targeted detection of the geographical surroundings and the signal control by personnel of the railroad vehicle on the at least one railroad section in the railroad network and are stored.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9 , wherein
the location-related reference data already stored are supplemented dynamically by the detected operation location information and the detected operation signal state information and are stored.

11. The method as claimed in claim 9 wherein the statically generated location-related reference data or the statically generated location-related reference data and dynamically generated operation data supplemented with respect thereto, are coordinated externally with corresponding location-related reference data of other railroad vehicles of a common railroad vehicle fleet and are distributed for this purpose.

12. An apparatus for signal recognition in railroad traffic, comprising
a) at least one detection device with which at least a part of courses of railroad sections in a railroad network are detectable in relation to geographical surroundings and railroad traffic signal control on at least one railroad section, wherein the at least one detection device is configured to collect, location-related reference data in the form of reference location information and reference signal state information, wherein the at least one detection device has a processing component configured to assess the geographical surroundings and the railroad traffic signal control in the detection context wherein
the location-related reference data are storable either in an apparatus-internal storage device connected to the at least one detection device including the processing component, or in an apparatus-external storage device connectable to the detection device including the processing component, which location-related reference data include, with respect to the reference location information and location-related reference signal state information in addition, either location-related context and indication information supplied by the processing component o

Assignees

• Siemens Mobility GmbH

Inventors

• Schaefer-Enkeler Andreas
• Schönberger Andreas
• Von Rotenhan Phillipp

Classifications

• B61L27/40

  Handling position reports or trackside vehicle data · CPC title

• B61L27/57

  for vehicles or trains, e.g. trackside supervision of train conditions · CPC title

• B61L27/53

  for trackside elements or systems, e.g. trackside supervision of trackside control system conditions · CPC title

• B61L25/025

  Absolute localisation, e.g. providing geodetic coordinates · CPC title

• G06T7/246

  using feature-based methods, e.g. the tracking of corners or segments · CPC title