Automatic driving control method and system

Abstract

The invention discloses an automatic driving control method and system, and the method comprises the steps: firstly, transmitting an ATO input permission signal to ATO equipment after TCMS equipment and BCU equipment determine that an ATO input condition is satisfied; then, the ATO device interacts with the TCMS device and the BCU device to confirm whether the whole vehicle enters automatic driving or not, and after confirmation, the ATO device sends an instruction that the whole vehicle enters automatic driving to the TCMS device; and finally, after the TCMS equipment and the BCU equipment receive the instruction that the whole vehicle enters the automatic driving state, the TCMS equipment and the BCU equipment respectively enter the automatic driving state and feed back the state information to the ATO equipment, and the ATO equipment enters the automatic driving mode after receiving the state information. According to the method, the ATO device, the TCMS device and the BCU device can mutually confirm and constrain the automatic driving condition, the availability and safety of the devices are further guaranteed, the existing automatic driving strategy can be flexibly adjusted or expanded, and the application range is wide.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the field of rail transportation, and in particular relates to an automatic driving control method and system. Background Art

[0002] The train operation control system is a key technology to ensure the safe and high-speed operation of trains, referred to as the train control system. The automatic train operation subsystem (ATO: Automatic Train Operation) is an important part of the train operation control system and a direct reflection of the intelligentization of rail transit. The investment and exit strategy of automatic train operation is one of the important designs and functions of the ATO subsystem and a key link in realizing the automatic driving system.

[0003] At present, the development of locomotive automatic driving technology has not yet been popularized. The existing trunk railway systems with automatic driving functions are mainly C2+ATO system, C3+ATO system and CBTC+ATO system. The implementation schemes of the three automatic driving entry and exit strategies are similar: after the ATO equipment is powered on, the system is initialized to AOS (Automatic Train Operation System: Automatic Train Operation System) mode. In this working mode, the ATO equipment receives the soft permission information sent from ATP (Automatic Train Protection: Automatic Train Protection System), and will perform periodic checks on the equipment's own status, but will not execute the train control logic and output train control commands. When the soft permission information is valid and the equipment self-check passes, the ATO equipment enters the AOR (Automatic Operation Ready: Automatic Operation Ready Mode) working mode. In this mode, ATO has functions such as data communication and analysis, equipment self-check, and departure monitoring, but also does not execute the output of train control commands. Under the AOR working mode, if the hard permission valid instruction is received from ATP and the conditions for train inspection and departure monitoring are met, the driver can manually press the departure button on the driving console to enter the AOM (Automatic Operation Mode) mode. In this working mode, the ATO equipment takes over the driving control of the train instead of the driver, and the driver does not need to perform any train control operations. In AOM mode, when the soft permission is invalid, the hard permission is invalid, or the device's own periodic self-test fails from ATP, the ATO device exits the automatic driving mode. In any of the AOS, AOR and AOM modes, if the ATO device fails the periodic self-test, it will enter the AOF (Automatic Operation Fault) fault mode. Once entering this working mode, the ATO device cannot be switched to other modes until it is powered on and restarted. Due to the differences in control between EMUs and locomotives, the automatic driving engagement and exit strategies of the above C2+ATO system, C3+ATO system and CBTC+ATO system cannot be effectively applied to the automatic driving of locomotives. This is mainly because compared with the automatic driving engagement and exit strategy requirements of locomotives, the automatic driving engagement and exit strategy adopted by EMUs has the following shortcomings: (1) When the departure monitoring conditions are met, the effectiveness of pressing the departure button is one of the conditions for automatic driving engagement. Engaging automatic driving means departure. For locomotive control, the functional separation of automatic driving engagement and departure is more conducive to the driver's secondary confirmation of information such as equipment and train status, and also increases the driver's operational flexibility.However, for locomotive automatic driving control strategies, due to the different properties of locomotives, when the locomotive departs, the driver may need to perform some manual operations and status checks, such as relieving the brakes and re-confirming the train status. This means that in some cases, the input of the automatic driving mode and the departure need to be distinguished. In the existing C2+ATO, C3+ATO and CBTC+ATO technologies, the exit of the automatic driving mode often requires the driver to operate the handle level, apply brakes or traction to exit. However, in some cases, the driver does not want to change the current operating status of the vehicle, such as wanting to exit in coasting mode. At this time, the exit plan directly using the existing automatic driving strategy becomes inapplicable. (2) Since the requirements for locomotive automatic driving technology are more stringent and complex, if the existing EMU train automatic driving technology is directly adopted, it is often not applicable. This is mainly because the locomotive automatic driving plan does not completely depend on the output of the ATO equipment, but needs to comprehensively consider multiple conditions such as the TCMS equipment, BCU equipment and the train's own operating status. The input of the existing train automatic driving mainly depends on the output command information of the ATO equipment, which may cause unexpected control of the train when a logical fault error occurs in the ATO equipment. (3) In the existing autonomous driving engagement and exit strategies, if the driver wants to manually take over the control of the train during driving, he needs to exit the autonomous driving by changing the handle level or other means. Compared with the autonomous driving engagement process, there is a lack of corresponding exit buttons to improve the integrity of the engagement and exit process.

[0004] In addition to the C2+ATO, C3+ATO and CBTC+ATO technologies mentioned above, the existing autonomous driving technology solutions also include the FAO autonomous driving technology solution. The general process of the FAO (Fully Automatic Operation) system's autonomous driving engagement and exit strategy is similar to the autonomous driving engagement and exit process of the C2+ATO system, C3+ATO system and CBTC+ATO system, except that the FAO system is fully automatic and unmanned throughout the entire driving process, and the driver no longer needs to press the start button to engage in autonomous driving. However, the FAO system's autonomous driving engagement and exit solution is not applicable to locomotive autonomous driving, mainly because of the complexity of locomotive operation. Many processes require secondary confirmation from the driver, and timely handling of some emergencies on the vehicle, all of which require the driver to remain on the locomotive.

[0005] How to intelligently control the input and output of autonomous driving is becoming an increasingly urgent technical problem that needs to be solved. Summary of the invention

[0006] In response to the above problems, the present invention provides an automatic driving control method and system, which have simple control logic, strong availability and scalability, and strong applicability.

[0007] The object of the present invention is to provide an automatic driving control method, comprising: After the TCMS device and the BCU device determine that the ATO input conditions are met, they respectively send an ATO input permission signal to the ATO device, wherein the ATO input permission signal sent by the BCU device is forwarded to the ATO device via the TCMS device; The ATO device interacts with the TCMS device and the BCU device to confirm whether the vehicle has entered the autonomous driving mode. After confirming that the vehicle has entered the autonomous driving mode, the ATO device sends the vehicle autonomous driving mode entry instruction to the TCMS device, and the TCMS device forwards the instruction to the BCU device. After the TCMS device and the BCU device receive the command for the whole vehicle to enter autonomous driving, they each enter the autonomous driving state and respectively feed back the state information to the ATO device. After the ATO device receives the autonomous driving state information from the TCMS device and the BCU device, it enters the autonomous driving mode.

[0008] Furthermore, the ATO input conditions include that the train status information, TCMS equipment, BCU equipment and ATP equipment's own equipment status are all in normal working state.

[0009] Furthermore, the ATO device interacts with the TCMS device and the BCU device to confirm whether the vehicle has entered the automatic driving mode, including: After the ATO device receives the ATO permission signal, if it determines that the hard permission and soft permission signals from the ATP device are valid, it sends a vehicle permission to enter the automatic driving command to the TCMS device, and the TCMS device forwards the command to the BCU device at the same time; After the TCMS device receives the command that allows the vehicle to enter the autonomous driving mode, it completes the ATO activation operation. At the same time, the TCMS device sends an autonomous driving button activation signal to the ATO device. After the ATO device receives the automatic driving button activation signal, it confirms that the entire vehicle will enter automatic driving.

[0010] Furthermore, after the TCMS device receives the command that the vehicle is allowed to enter autonomous driving, the ATO activation operation is completed, including: After the TCMS device receives the command allowing the vehicle to enter autonomous driving, the ATO activation button on the display screen lights up. By touching and pressing the ATO activation button, an autonomous driving activation signal is sent to the ATO device, where the pressing duration is the preset time.

[0011] Furthermore, the ATO device interacts with the TCMS device and the BCU device to confirm whether the entire vehicle enters automatic driving, and also includes confirming that the entire vehicle does not enter automatic driving if the hard permission signal received by the ATO device from the ATP device is invalid or the TCMS device has not completed ATO activation.

[0012] Furthermore, the command for the vehicle to enter autonomous driving is a pulse signal and is valid after a certain period of time.

[0013] Furthermore, if the ATO device receives the ATO isolation valid field sent from the TCMS device, the ATO device will be initialized to the initial mode, and will re-execute the automatic driving process after the ATO isolation valid field is cancelled.

[0014] Furthermore, after entering the automatic driving mode, the ATO device periodically sends the vehicle entering the automatic driving state information to the TCMS device and the BCU device, and at the same time, the TCMS device and the BCU device also send the corresponding automatic driving state information to the ATO device.

[0015] Furthermore, after the automatic driving mode is put into operation, the operating status between the ATO device and the TCMS device, as well as between the BCU device and the TCMS device, is confirmed. The operating status includes the communication status between the ATO device and the TCMS device, the communication status between the BCU device and the TCMS device, and the life signals of the ATO device, the TCMS device, and the BCU device.

[0016] Furthermore, it also includes that after entering the automatic driving mode, if the locomotive is still in a stationary state, the locomotive starts to start running after the start button on the TCMS device screen is touched and pressed.

[0017] Furthermore, during the automatic driving process, if there are conditions that are not met for automatic driving, the ATO device exits the automatic driving mode and sends a vehicle-wide automatic driving exit instruction to the TCMS device, and the TCMS device forwards the instruction to the BCU device.

[0018] Furthermore, the conditions that do not satisfy the autonomous driving include: The TCMS and BCU devices will monitor the conditions for automatic driving in real time. When the conditions for automatic driving are not met, the corresponding ATO signal will be cancelled; or, The ATO device receives an ATO isolation command from the TCMS device; or, The soft enable signal of the ATP device is invalid, the hard enable signal is invalid, or the periodic self-test fails; or, The driver touches and presses the exit automatic driving button on the TCMS device screen to manually take over the locomotive driving.

[0019] Further, the ATO device includes an automatic driving unestablished mode AOS, an automatic driving preparation mode AOR and an automatic driving mode AOM, the automatic driving preparation mode AOR includes an AOR1 mode, an AOR2 mode, an AOR3 mode and an AOR4 mode, and the method further includes determining an operating mode of the ATO device, including, The ATO device is powered on and initialized to AOS mode. If the first switching condition of AOR mode is met, it enters AOR mode. After the ATO device enters the AOR mode, it internally performs logic conversions among the AOR1 mode, AOR2 mode, AOR3 mode, and AOR4 mode.

[0020] Furthermore, the first switching condition of the AOR mode is satisfied: the internal self-test of the ATO device passes, the soft permission sent by the ATP device is received, and the non-isolation command sent by the TCMS device is received.

[0021] Furthermore, after the ATO device enters the AOR mode, the logic conversion between the AOR1 mode, the AOR2 mode, the AOR3 mode and the AOR4 mode is performed internally, including: When the ATO device receives the invalid hard permission from the ATP device, the ATO-not-allowed signal command from the BCU device, or the ATO-not-allowed signal command from the TCMS device, the ATO device is in AOR1 mode; The ATO device has received the hard permission valid command from the ATP device and the permission signal command for ATO from the BCU device and TCMS device, but has not received the automatic driving button activation signal sent by the TCMS device, then the ATO device enters the AOR2 mode from the AOR1 mode; The ATO device has received the hard permission valid command from the ATP device, the permission signal command of the BCU device and the TCMS device, and the automatic driving button activation signal sent by the TCMS device, but the automatic driving button activation signal reception time is still within the preset time and has not entered the effective stage, then the ATO device enters the AOR3 mode from the AOR2 mode; If the ATO device has received the hard permission valid command from the ATP device, the permission signal command for ATO from the BCU device and TCMS device, and the duration of the received automatic driving button activation signal exceeds the preset time, the ATO device will enter AOR4 mode from AOR3 mode.

[0022] Furthermore, it also includes that the ATO device sends a vehicle-entering autonomous driving instruction to the TCMS device in the AOR4 mode for a certain period of time, and enters the AOM mode after receiving the autonomous driving status information of the TCMS device and the BCU device.

[0023] Furthermore, in AOR2, AOR3, AOR4 and AOM modes, when the ATO device does not receive the valid hard permission command from the ATP device, the valid ATO permission signal from the TCMS device or the valid ATO permission signal from the BCU device, the ATO device will revert from the current mode to the AOR1 mode.

[0024] Furthermore, the ATO device includes an AOF fault mode. In the AOS, AOR and AOM modes, the ATO device will perform periodic self-inspection. If the self-inspection fails at any time, the ATO device will enter the AOF fault mode.

[0025] Another object of the present invention is to provide an automatic driving control system, including an ATO device, a TCMS device and a BCU device, wherein: The TCMS device and the BCU device are used to send an ATO input permission signal to the ATO device after determining that the ATO input conditions are met, and are also used to enter the automatic driving state after receiving the whole vehicle entering automatic driving command, and respectively feed back the state information to the ATO device, wherein the TCMS device is also used to forward the ATO input permission signal sent by the BCU device to the ATO device and forward the whole vehicle entering automatic driving command sent by the ATO device to the BCU device; The ATO device is used to interact with the TCMS device and the BCU device to confirm whether the entire vehicle has entered automatic driving. After confirming that the entire vehicle has entered automatic driving, the ATO device sends an instruction for the entire vehicle to enter automatic driving to the TCMS device and the BCU device. It is also used to enter automatic driving mode after receiving automatic driving status information from the TCMS device and the BCU device.

[0026] Furthermore, it also includes an ATP device, which is used to send soft permission and hard permission valid commands to the ATO device when the train meets the ATO input conditions.

[0027] Furthermore, the ATO input conditions include that the train status information, TCMS equipment, BCU equipment and ATP equipment's own equipment status are all in normal working state.

[0028] Furthermore, the ATO device interacts with the TCMS device and the BCU device to confirm whether the vehicle has entered the automatic driving mode, including: After the ATO device receives the ATO permission signal from the TCMS device and the BCU device, if it determines that the hard permission and soft permission signals from the ATP device are valid, it sends a vehicle permission to enter the automatic driving command to the TCMS device, and the TCMS device forwards the command to the BCU device at the same time; After the TCMS device receives the command that allows the vehicle to enter the autonomous driving mode, it completes the ATO activation operation. At the same time, the TCMS device sends an autonomous driving button activation signal to the ATO device. After the ATO device receives the automatic driving button activation signal, it confirms that the entire vehicle will enter automatic driving.

[0029] Furthermore, if there are conditions that are not met for autonomous driving, the ATO device is also used to exit the autonomous driving mode and send a vehicle-wide autonomous driving exit instruction to the TCMS device, and the TCMS device forwards the instruction to the BCU device.

[0030] Furthermore, the conditions that do not satisfy the autonomous driving include: The TCMS and BCU devices will monitor the conditions for automatic driving in real time. When the conditions for automatic driving are not met, the corresponding ATO signal will be cancelled; or, The ATO device receives an ATO isolation command from the TCMS device; or, The soft enable signal of the ATP device is invalid, the hard enable signal is invalid, or the periodic self-test fails; or, Touch and press the Exit Automatic Driving button on the TCMS device screen to manually take over locomotive driving.

[0031] In the control method of the present invention, the ATO device, TCMS device and BCU device can mutually confirm and constrain the conditions for entering the automatic driving, further ensuring the availability and safety of the equipment, and can flexibly adjust or expand the existing automatic driving strategy, with a wide range of applications. In addition, it is suitable for various locomotive automatic driving controls containing vehicle networks, with simple control logic and strong availability and scalability, and is suitable for both new locomotive railway lines and the upgrade and reconstruction of existing locomotive railway lines to add ATO functions.

[0032] Furthermore, the physical departure button is cancelled and replaced with activation, start and exit buttons on the TCMS screen, which not only saves space on the driving console, but also distinguishes the automatic driving engagement and departure functions, better adapting to the locomotive driver's operating habits. In addition, an automatic driving exit button is added to the locomotive automatic driving engagement and exit process provided by the present invention. Compared with existing solutions, the automatic driving engagement and exit process is more complete.

[0033] Other features and advantages of the present invention will be described in the following description, and partly become apparent from the description, or understood by practicing the present invention. The purpose and other advantages of the present invention can be realized and obtained by the structures pointed out in the description, claims and drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0034] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0035] Figure 1 A flow chart of an automatic driving control method in an embodiment of the present invention is shown; Figure 2 A structural diagram of an automatic driving control system in an embodiment of the present invention is shown; Figure 3 Another automatic driving control method flow chart in an embodiment of the present invention is shown; Figure 4 A diagram showing an ATO working mode conversion in an embodiment of the present invention is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solution in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0037] like Figure 1As shown, an automatic driving control method is introduced in an embodiment of the present invention, and the method includes: first, after the TCMS device and the BCU device determine that the ATO input condition is met, they respectively send a signal allowing the ATO input to the ATO device, wherein the signal allowing the ATO input sent by the BCU device is forwarded to the ATO device via the TCMS device; secondly, the ATO device interacts with the TCMS device and the BCU device to confirm whether the whole vehicle enters the automatic driving, and after confirming that the whole vehicle enters the automatic driving, the ATO device sends the whole vehicle to enter the automatic driving instruction to the TCMS device, and the TCMS device forwards the instruction to the BCU device; then, after the TCMS device and the BCU device receive the whole vehicle to enter the automatic driving instruction, they each enter the automatic driving state, and respectively feed back the state information to the ATO device, and the ATO device enters the automatic driving mode after receiving the automatic driving state information of the TCMS device and the BCU device. The ATO device, the TCMS device and the BCU device can mutually confirm and constrain the conditions for entering the automatic driving, further ensuring the availability and safety of the equipment, and can flexibly adjust or expand the existing automatic driving strategy, with a wide range of applications, not only for new locomotive railway lines, but also for the upgrade and transformation of existing locomotive railway lines to add ATO functions.

[0038] Specifically, Figure 2 As shown, an embodiment of the present invention also introduces an automatic driving control system, the system includes ATO (Automatic Train Operation: train automatic driving subsystem) equipment, ATP (Automatic Train Protection: train automatic protection system) equipment, TCMS (Train Control and Monitoring System: train automatic monitoring system) equipment and BCU (Brake Control Unit: brake control unit) equipment, the ATO equipment is connected to the ATP equipment and the TCMS equipment respectively, and the TCMS equipment is connected to the BCU equipment. Further, the ATO equipment communicates with the TCMS equipment through the RS485 serial bus, the ATO equipment and the BCU equipment communicate indirectly through the TCMS equipment forwarding information, and the BCU equipment and the TCMS equipment also communicate through the RS485 serial bus. The communication method between the ATO equipment and the ATP equipment is UDP (User Datagram Protocol: User Datagram Protocol) network communication, and the ATO equipment indirectly obtains the required vehicle information through the ATP equipment. The ATP equipment and the locomotive are connected through the IO (Input / Output: input / output) interface.

[0039] In an embodiment of the present invention, the ATO device and the TCMS device communicate and exchange data, so that the communication fields between the two need to interact during the process of automatic driving entry and exit, so it is necessary to determine the communication fields between the ATO device and the TCMS device, specifically, some of the communication fields between the two are shown in Table 1.

[0040] Table 1 Some communication fields between ATO equipment and TCMS equipment

[0041] Furthermore, the TCMS device display screen is provided with an ATO activation button, a vehicle start button, and an automatic driving exit button. In view of the fact that the input and departure cannot be effectively distinguished in the existing automatic driving input and exit strategies, the physical departure button is cancelled in the embodiment of the present invention, and the ATO activation and vehicle start buttons are set on the TCMS device display screen instead, which distinguishes the input of automatic driving from the vehicle departure, and can better facilitate the driver to make a second confirmation of the locomotive operation. In addition, the automatic driving exit button is added, and the driver can touch and press it through the TCMS display screen, which can further improve the magnification of the input and exit of automatic driving and increase the flexibility of the automatic driving exit method.

[0042] In the embodiment of the present invention, the method of engaging in autonomous driving requires mutual confirmation among the ATO, TCMS and BCU, such as Figure 3 As shown, including Step S10, after the TCMS device and the BCU device respectively determine that the ATO input conditions are met according to the train status information, the TCMS device, the BCU device and the ATP device's own device status information, the ATO input signal is sent to the ATO device, wherein the ATO input permission signal sent by the BCU device is forwarded to the ATO device via the TCMS device; the ATO input signal is the "TCMS allows automatic driving" and "BCU allows automatic driving (forwarding)" in the communication field. Further, the ATO input condition is that the train status information, the TCMS device, the BCU device and the ATP device's own device status are in normal working state, but not limited to this, the ATO input condition also includes communication status information, etc. Further, the train status information includes but is not limited to the vehicle condition, road condition and its own status, and its own status is the signal sent by the train itself, etc.; the TCMS device, the BCU device and the ATP device's own device status include but are not limited to the board status, communication interface status, self-test status, etc.

[0043] Step S11, after the ATO device receives the ATO permission signal from the TCMS device and the BCU device, if it determines that the hard permission and soft permission signals from the ATP device are valid, it sends a vehicle permission to enter automatic driving command to the TCMS device, and at the same time the TCMS device forwards the command to the BCU device.

[0044] Step S12: After the TCMS device receives the command allowing the vehicle to enter automatic driving, the ATO activation button on the display screen lights up, and the driver touches and presses the ATO activation button to send an automatic driving activation signal to the ATO device.

[0045] Step S13, after the ATO device receives the activation signal of the automatic driving button and the preset time is accumulated, it sends the vehicle automatic driving instruction to the TCMS device, wherein the vehicle automatic driving instruction is a pulse signal, which is valid for a certain period of time. After the TCMS device and the BCU device receive the vehicle automatic driving instruction, they each enter the automatic driving state, and respectively feed back the state information to the ATO device. After the ATO device receives the automatic driving state information from the TCMS and BCU, it enters the automatic driving mode. Among them, the activation signal and the vehicle automatic driving instruction are both pulse signals, which are valid only when they last for the corresponding time. The preset time and the certain time are both 2s (seconds), but are not limited to this. The time length of the preset time and the certain time can be other values ​​greater than 0, which are all applicable to the present invention.

[0046] In an embodiment of the present invention, after entering the automatic driving mode, the ATO device will periodically send the vehicle's automatic driving status information to the TCMS device and the BCU device. At the same time, the TCMS device and the BCU device also send corresponding automatic driving status information to the ATO device, so as to facilitate mutual confirmation of the device status among the three.

[0047] In an embodiment of the present invention, the method also includes that during the information interaction process of autonomous driving, if an ATO isolation valid field is received from TCMS, the ATO device will be initialized to an initial mode (AOS mode), that is, the autonomous driving process will be stopped, and the information interaction of the autonomous driving process will be resumed after the ATO isolation valid field is cancelled.

[0048] In an embodiment of the present invention, the method also includes that the operating status of each device can be confirmed between the ATO device and the TCMS device, and between the BCU device and the TCMS device. The operating status includes information such as the communication status between the ATO and TCMS, the communication status between the BCU and TCMS, and the life signals of each device. When a fault occurs, rapid and effective preliminary problem location can be achieved.

[0049] In an embodiment of the present invention, the method also includes that the BCU device indirectly communicates with the ATO through the TCMS device, and the ATO can obtain the status information of the BCU device through the TCMS forwarding. At the same time, the ATO can forward the corresponding control command to the BCU through the TCMS device to realize locomotive braking control.

[0050] In an embodiment of the present invention, the method also includes that when the locomotive is stationary, after entering the automatic driving mode, the locomotive remains stationary, and the locomotive starts to run only after the driver touches and presses the start button on the TCMS device display screen.

[0051] In an embodiment of the present invention, the method also includes the exit of the automatic driving. Specifically, during the automatic driving process, if there are conditions that do not meet the automatic driving, the ATO device exits the automatic driving mode and sends a vehicle-wide automatic driving exit instruction to the TCMS device, and the TCMS device forwards the instruction to the BCU device. Among them, the conditions that do not meet the automatic driving include that the TCMS device and the BCU device will monitor the conditions for automatic driving in real time. When the conditions for automatic driving are not met, the corresponding ATO signal that allows the automatic driving is cancelled; or, the ATO device receives the ATO isolation command from the TCMS device; or, the soft permission signal of the ATP device is invalid, the hard permission signal is invalid, or the periodic self-test fails; or, the driver touches and presses the exit automatic driving button on the TCMS device screen to manually take over the locomotive driving. The various devices confirm and constrain each other to form a locomotive automatic driving entry and exit strategy that is common to vehicle networks. This strategy is safer and more complete than the existing EMU automatic driving entry and exit strategy.

[0052] In an embodiment of the present invention, the ATO device includes an automatic driving unestablished mode AOS (Automatic Train Operation System), an automatic driving preparation mode AOR (Automatic Operation Ready) and an automatic driving mode AOM (Automatic Operation Mode), the automatic driving preparation mode AOR includes AOR1 mode, AOR2 mode, AOR3 mode and AOR4 mode, and the method also includes determining the working mode of the ATO device.

[0053] like Figure 4 As shown, first, the ATO device is powered on and initialized to the AOS state. In this state, the ATO device has functions such as periodic self-test, communication and data analysis with ATP equipment, communication and data analysis with TCMS equipment, etc., but does not execute vehicle control logic and output.

[0054] Secondly, if the first switching condition of the AOR mode is met, the AOR mode is entered. After the ATO device enters the AOR mode, the logic conversion between the AOR1 mode, AOR2 mode, AOR3 mode and AOR4 mode is performed internally. The first switching condition of the AOR mode is met: the ATO device passes the internal self-test, receives the soft permission sent by the ATP device, and receives the non-isolated command sent by the TCMS device. Furthermore, after the ATO device enters the AOR mode, the logic conversion between the AOR1 mode, AOR2 mode, AOR3 mode and AOR4 mode is performed internally, including: When the ATO device receives the invalid hard permission from the ATP device, the ATO-not-allowed signal command from the BCU device, or the ATO-not-allowed signal command from the TCMS device, the ATO device is in AOR1 mode; The ATO device has received the valid hard permission command from the ATP device and the ATO permission signal command from the BCU device and TCMS device, but has not received the automatic driving button activation signal sent by the TCMS device, then the ATO device enters the AOR2 mode from the AOR1 mode; The ATO device has received the valid hard permission command from the ATP device, the valid ATO permission signal command from the BCU device and the TCMS device, and the automatic driving button activation signal sent by the TCMS device, but the automatic driving button activation signal reception time is still within the preset time and has not entered the effective stage, then the ATO device enters the AOR3 mode from the AOR2 mode; If the ATO device has received a valid hard permission command from the ATP device, the ATO permission signal command from the BCU device and the TCMS device is valid, and the duration of the automatic driving button activation signal received exceeds the preset time, the ATO device will enter the AOR4 mode from the AOR3 mode.

[0055] In an embodiment of the present invention, the ATO device, in the AOR4 mode, sends a vehicle-entering automatic driving instruction to the TCMS device for a certain period of time, and enters the AOM mode after receiving the automatic driving status information of the TCMS device and the BCU device. Furthermore, in the AOR2, AOR3, AOR4 and AOM modes, when the ATO device does not receive a valid hard permission command from the ATP device, a valid ATO permission signal from the TCMS device, or a valid ATO permission signal from the BCU device, the ATO device will revert from the current mode to the AOR1 mode. That is, in the AOM working mode, the ATO controls the locomotive instead of the driver. When the ATO device does not receive hard permission, permission signals from the TCMS and BCU, or one or more of the three permission signals are invalid, the locomotive exits the AOM mode and returns to AOR1 in the AOR mode.

[0056] In the embodiment of the present invention, the ATO device includes an AOF (Automatic Operation Fault) fault mode. In the AOS, AOR and AOM modes, the ATO device will perform periodic self-tests. If the self-test fails at any time, the ATO device will enter the AOF fault mode.

[0057] The above-mentioned autonomous driving investment and exit strategies have stricter entry conditions for locomotive autonomous driving. The three devices confirm and constrain each other. In addition, the different driving modes in ATO are also converted through mutual confirmation and constraints among the three devices, further ensuring the safety and rationality of locomotive autonomous driving from a system level.

[0058] like Figure 2 As shown, an embodiment of the present invention also introduces an automatic driving control system capable of executing the above method, wherein the system includes an ATO device, a TCMS device and a BCU device, wherein the TCMS device and the BCU device are used to determine that the ATO input conditions are met, and then send a signal allowing the ATO input to the ATO device respectively, and are also used to enter the automatic driving state after receiving the whole vehicle entering the automatic driving instruction, and respectively feed back the state information to the ATO device, wherein the TCMS device is also used to forward the ATO input permission signal sent by the BCU device to the ATO device and forward the whole vehicle entering the automatic driving instruction sent by the ATO device to the BCU device; the ATO device is used to interact with the TCMS device and the BCU device to confirm whether the whole vehicle enters the automatic driving, and after confirming that the whole vehicle enters the automatic driving, the ATO device sends the whole vehicle entering the automatic driving instruction to the TCMS device and the BCU device, and is also used to enter the automatic driving mode after receiving the automatic driving status information of the TCMS device and the BCU device.

[0059] In an embodiment of the present invention, an ATP device is also included. The ATP device is used to send soft permission and hard permission valid commands to the ATO device when the train meets the ATO input conditions.

[0060] In the embodiment of the present invention, the ATO input condition includes that the train status information, the TCMS equipment, the BCU equipment and the equipment status of the ATP equipment are all in normal working state.

[0061] In the embodiment of the present invention, the ATO device interacts with the TCMS device and the BCU device to confirm whether the vehicle enters the automatic driving mode, including: After the ATO device receives the ATO permission signal from the TCMS device and the BCU device, if it determines that the hard permission and soft permission signals from the ATP device are valid, it sends a vehicle permission to enter the automatic driving command to the TCMS device, and the TCMS device forwards the command to the BCU device at the same time; After the TCMS device receives the command that allows the vehicle to enter the autonomous driving mode, it completes the ATO activation operation. At the same time, the TCMS device sends an autonomous driving button activation signal to the ATO device. After the ATO device receives the automatic driving button activation signal, it will subsequently confirm that the entire vehicle has entered automatic driving.

[0062] In an embodiment of the present invention, during the automatic driving process, if there are conditions that are not met for automatic driving, the ATO device is also used to exit the automatic driving mode and send a vehicle-wide automatic driving exit instruction to the TCMS device, and the TCMS device forwards the instruction to the BCU device.

[0063] In the embodiment of the present invention, the conditions that do not satisfy the automatic driving include: The TCMS and BCU devices will monitor the conditions for automatic driving in real time. When the conditions for automatic driving are not met, the corresponding ATO signal will be cancelled; or, The ATO device receives an ATO isolation command from the TCMS device; or, The soft enable signal of the ATP device is invalid, the hard enable signal is invalid, or the periodic self-test fails; or, The driver touches and presses the exit automatic driving button on the TCMS device screen to manually take over the locomotive driving.

[0064] The above system can be used in locomotive control systems with vehicle networks. Compared with the existing C2+ATO, C3+ATO, and CBTC+ATO automatic driving input and exit strategies, the present invention further comprehensively considers the operating status of the train and equipment, and each device can achieve mutual confirmation and constraints to ensure that the locomotive and each device are in good operating condition when the locomotive is put into automatic driving, and also makes the conditions for automatic driving input more rigorous and safe. Moreover, this solution is based on the existing ATO working mode, and further takes into account the information interaction of each device in the process of locomotive automatic driving input and exit, which can effectively save some of the newly added design modification costs and maintenance costs.

[0065] Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or make equivalent substitutions for some of the technical features therein; and these modifications or substitutions do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. An automatic driving control method, characterized in that: include, After the TCMS device and the BCU device determine that the ATO input conditions are met, they respectively send an ATO input permission signal to the ATO device, wherein the ATO input permission signal sent by the BCU device is forwarded to the ATO device via the TCMS device; The ATO device interacts with the TCMS device and the BCU device to confirm whether the vehicle has entered the autonomous driving mode. After confirming that the vehicle has entered the autonomous driving mode, the ATO device sends the vehicle autonomous driving mode entry instruction to the TCMS device, and the TCMS device forwards the instruction to the BCU device. After the TCMS device and the BCU device receive the command for the whole vehicle to enter autonomous driving, they each enter the autonomous driving state and respectively feed back the state information to the ATO device. After the ATO device receives the autonomous driving state information from the TCMS device and the BCU device, it enters the autonomous driving mode.

2. The automatic driving control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The ATO input conditions include that the train status information, TCMS equipment, BCU equipment and ATP equipment's own equipment status are all in normal working condition.

3. The automatic driving control method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The ATO device interacts with the TCMS device and the BCU device to confirm whether the vehicle has entered the automatic driving mode, including: After the ATO device receives the ATO permission signal from the TCMS device and the BCU device, if it determines that the hard permission and soft permission signals from the ATP device are valid, it sends a vehicle permission to enter the automatic driving command to the TCMS device, and the TCMS device forwards the command to the BCU device at the same time; After the TCMS device receives the command that allows the vehicle to enter the autonomous driving mode, it completes the ATO activation operation. At the same time, the TCMS device sends an autonomous driving button activation signal to the ATO device. After the ATO device receives the automatic driving button activation signal, it confirms that the entire vehicle will enter automatic driving.

4. The automatic driving control method according to claim 3, characterized in that: After the TCMS device receives the command that the vehicle is allowed to enter autonomous driving, the ATO activation operation is completed, including: After the TCMS device receives the command allowing the vehicle to enter autonomous driving, the ATO activation button on the display screen lights up. By touching and pressing the ATO activation button, an autonomous driving activation signal is sent to the ATO device, where the pressing duration is the preset time.

5. The automatic driving control method according to claim 3, characterized in that: The ATO device interacts with the TCMS device and the BCU device to confirm whether the entire vehicle enters automatic driving. This also includes confirming that the entire vehicle does not enter automatic driving if the hard permission signal received by the ATO device from the ATP device is invalid or the TCMS device has not completed ATO activation.

6. The automatic driving control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The command for the vehicle to enter autonomous driving is a pulse signal and is valid after a certain period of time.

7. The automatic driving control method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: It also includes that if the ATO device receives the ATO isolation valid field sent from the TCMS device, the ATO device will be initialized to the initial mode, and will re-execute the autonomous driving process after the ATO isolation valid field is canceled.

8. The automatic driving control method according to claim 7, characterized in that: It also includes that after entering the automatic driving mode, the ATO device periodically sends the vehicle entering the automatic driving status information to the TCMS device and the BCU device. At the same time, the TCMS device and the BCU device also send the corresponding automatic driving status information to the ATO device.

9. The automatic driving control method according to claim 8, characterized in that: It also includes that after the automatic driving mode is put into operation, the operating status between the ATO device and the TCMS device, as well as between the BCU device and the TCMS device, is confirmed. The operating status includes the communication status between the ATO device and the TCMS device, the communication status between the BCU device and the TCMS device, and the life signals of the ATO device, the TCMS device, and the BCU device.

10. The automatic driving control method according to claim 9, characterized in that: It also includes that after entering the automatic driving mode, if the locomotive is still in a stationary state, the locomotive will start running after the start button on the TCMS device screen is touched and pressed.

11. The automatic driving control method according to claim 10, characterized in that: It also includes that during the autonomous driving process, if the conditions for autonomous driving are not met, the ATO device exits the autonomous driving mode and sends a vehicle-wide autonomous driving exit instruction to the TCMS device, and the TCMS device forwards the instruction to the BCU device.

12. The automatic driving control method according to claim 11, characterized in that: The conditions that do not meet the autonomous driving requirements include: The TCMS and BCU devices will monitor the conditions for automatic driving in real time. When the conditions for automatic driving are not met, the corresponding ATO signal will be cancelled; or, The ATO device receives the ATO isolation command from the TCMS device; or, The soft enable signal of the ATP device is invalid, the hard enable signal is invalid, or the periodic self-test fails; or, Touch and press the Exit Automatic Driving button on the TCMS device screen to manually take over locomotive driving.

13. The automatic driving control method according to claim 12, characterized in that: The ATO device includes an automatic driving unestablished mode AOS, an automatic driving preparation mode AOR, and an automatic driving mode AOM, the automatic driving preparation mode AOR includes an AOR1 mode, an AOR2 mode, an AOR3 mode, and an AOR4 mode, and the method further includes determining an operating mode of the ATO device, include, The ATO device is powered on and initialized to AOS mode. If the first switching condition of AOR mode is met, it enters AOR mode. After the ATO device enters the AOR mode, it internally performs logic conversions among the AOR1 mode, AOR2 mode, AOR3 mode, and AOR4 mode.

14. The automatic driving control method according to claim 13, characterized in that: The first switching condition of the AOR mode is met: the internal self-test of the ATO device passes, the soft permission sent by the ATP device is received, and the non-isolation command sent by the TCMS device is received.

15. The automatic driving control method according to claim 14, characterized in that: After the ATO device enters the AOR mode, the internal execution logic conversion between the AOR1 mode, AOR2 mode, AOR3 mode and AOR4 mode includes: When the ATO device receives the invalid hard permission from the ATP device, the ATO-not-allowed signal command from the BCU device, or the ATO-not-allowed signal command from the TCMS device, the ATO device is in AOR1 mode; The ATO device has received the hard permission valid command from the ATP device and the permission signal command for ATO from the BCU device and TCMS device, but has not received the automatic driving button activation signal sent by the TCMS device, then the ATO device enters the AOR2 mode from the AOR1 mode; The ATO device has received the hard permission valid command from the ATP device, the permission signal command of the BCU device and the TCMS device, and the automatic driving button activation signal sent by the TCMS device, but the automatic driving button activation signal reception time is still within the preset time and has not entered the effective stage, then the ATO device enters the AOR3 mode from the AOR2 mode; If the ATO device has received the hard permission valid command from the ATP device, the permission signal command for ATO from the BCU device and TCMS device, and the duration of the received automatic driving button activation signal exceeds the preset time, the ATO device will enter AOR4 mode from AOR3 mode.

16. The automatic driving control method according to claim 15, characterized in that: It also includes that the ATO device sends a vehicle-entering autonomous driving command to the TCMS device in AOR4 mode for a certain period of time, and enters the AOM mode after receiving the autonomous driving status information from the TCMS device and the BCU device.

17. The automatic driving control method according to claim 16, characterized in that: It also includes that in AOR2, AOR3, AOR4 and AOM modes, when the ATO device does not receive the valid hard permission command from the ATP device, the valid ATO permission signal from the TCMS device or the valid ATO permission signal from the BCU device, the ATO device will revert from the current mode to the AOR1 mode.

18. The automatic driving control method according to claim 17, characterized in that: ATO devices also include AOF fault mode. In AOS, AOR and AOM modes, ATO devices will perform periodic self-inspections. If the self-inspection fails at any time, the ATO device will enter AOF fault mode.

19. An automatic driving control system, characterized in that: Including ATO equipment, TCMS equipment and BCU equipment, among which, The TCMS device and the BCU device are used to send an ATO input permission signal to the ATO device after determining that the ATO input conditions are met, and are also used to enter the automatic driving state after receiving the whole vehicle entering automatic driving command, and respectively feed back the state information to the ATO device, wherein the TCMS device is also used to forward the ATO input permission signal sent by the BCU device to the ATO device and forward the whole vehicle entering automatic driving command sent by the ATO device to the BCU device; The ATO device is used to interact with the TCMS device and the BCU device to confirm whether the entire vehicle has entered automatic driving. After confirming that the entire vehicle has entered automatic driving, the ATO device sends an instruction for the entire vehicle to enter automatic driving to the TCMS device and the BCU device. It is also used to enter automatic driving mode after receiving automatic driving status information from the TCMS device and the BCU device.

20. The automatic driving control system according to claim 19, characterized in that: It also includes an ATP device, which is used to send soft permission and hard permission valid commands to the ATO device when the train meets the ATO input conditions.

21. The automatic driving control system according to claim 20, characterized in that: The ATO input conditions include that the train status information, TCMS equipment, BCU equipment and ATP equipment's own equipment status are all in normal working condition.

22. The automatic driving control system according to claim 21, characterized in that: The ATO device interacts with the TCMS device and the BCU device to confirm whether the vehicle has entered the automatic driving mode, including: After the ATO device receives the ATO permission signal from the TCMS device and the BCU device, if it determines that the hard permission and soft permission signals from the ATP device are valid, it sends a vehicle permission to enter the automatic driving command to the TCMS device, and the TCMS device forwards the command to the BCU device at the same time; After the TCMS device receives the command that allows the vehicle to enter the autonomous driving mode, it completes the ATO activation operation. At the same time, the TCMS device sends an autonomous driving button activation signal to the ATO device. After the ATO device receives the automatic driving button activation signal, it confirms that the entire vehicle will enter automatic driving.

23. The automatic driving control system according to claim 22, characterized in that: During the autonomous driving process, if the conditions for autonomous driving are not met, the ATO device is also used to exit the autonomous driving mode and send a vehicle-wide autonomous driving exit instruction to the TCMS device, which then forwards the instruction to the BCU device.

24. The automatic driving control system according to claim 23, characterized in that: The conditions that do not meet the autonomous driving requirements include: The TCMS and BCU devices will monitor the conditions for automatic driving in real time. When the conditions for automatic driving are not met, the corresponding ATO signal will be cancelled; or, The ATO device receives the ATO isolation command from the TCMS device; or, The soft enable signal of the ATP device is invalid, the hard enable signal is invalid, or the periodic self-test fails; or, The driver touches and presses the exit automatic driving button on the TCMS device screen to manually take over the locomotive driving.

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