Method for automatically controlling rail vehicle and vehicle control device

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for automatically controlling a rail vehicle (1), which is moved along a direction of travel (3) over a road section (2) and is in contact with a trolley line (4) extending along the road section (2) in order to obtain a traction energy supply, in which a signal is sent to the rail vehicle (1) indicating an at least temporary and / or sectioned malfunction of the traction energy supply by means of the trolley line (4). In order to solve or reduce the problem of a traction energy supply failure, a current traction energy reserve is determined for the rail vehicle (1) and a next parking point (12) in front of the rail vehicle (1) is determined by means of the calculated traction energy reserve, the determination of the traction energy reserve taking into account a current speed of the rail vehicle (1), and the next parking point (12) in front of the rail vehicle (1) is determined by means of the calculated traction energy reserve. And determining the next parking point (12) taking into account the current position of the rail vehicle (1) and the topology of the road section (2) ahead. The invention also relates to a vehicle control device (8) and a rail vehicle (1).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for automatically controlling a rail vehicle that moves along a section in a traveling direction and is in contact with a catenary extending along the section to obtain a traction energy supply, wherein a signal is sent to the rail vehicle indicating that the traction energy supply achieved through the catenary is at least temporarily and / or sectionally faulty.

[0002] The present invention also relates to a vehicle control device for automatically controlling a rail vehicle that moves along a section in a traveling direction and is in contact with a catenary extending along the section to obtain a traction energy supply, wherein a signal is sent to the rail vehicle indicating that the traction energy supply achieved through the catenary is at least temporarily and / or sectionally faulty. Background Art

[0003] During the operation of rail vehicles such as subways, trams, long-distance or short-distance transport trains, an unexpected failure of the traction energy supply may occur. Rail vehicles are usually supplied with the necessary traction energy through a catenary extending along a section, such as an overhead line or a third rail. If the traction energy supply fails here, the rail vehicle usually stops running even between two stations. This can especially lead to a serious disruption of the operation of the railway facility in the case of an unmanned, self-driving rail vehicle, because there is no one on site to assess the situation and take remedial measures quickly. Therefore, the operation of the railway facility usually has to be interrupted in order to send personnel or rescue vehicles to the stalled vehicle. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Therefore, the technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a method and a device as described at the beginning, by which the above problems are solved or at least improved.

[0005] According to the present invention, the technical problem of the method mentioned at the beginning is solved as follows: determining the current traction energy reserve for the rail vehicle and determining the next stopping point in front of the rail vehicle with the aid of the calculated traction energy reserve, wherein the determination of the traction energy reserve takes into account the current speed of the rail vehicle, and the determination of the next stopping point takes into account the current position of the rail vehicle and the topology of the section ahead.

[0006] For the vehicle control device mentioned at the beginning, the technical problem is solved according to the present invention as follows: the vehicle control device is designed to determine the current traction energy reserve for the rail vehicle and determine the next stopping point in front of the rail vehicle with the aid of the calculated traction energy reserve, wherein the determination of the traction energy reserve takes into account the current speed of the rail vehicle, and the determination of the next stopping point takes into account the current position of the rail vehicle and the topology of the section ahead.

[0007] An advantage of the solution according to the invention is that in the event of a traction energy supply failure, in many cases, if it is possible to reach a suitable stopping point, it is possible to continue driving without the need for active drive in some cases.

[0008] After determining a traction energy supply failure of the rail vehicle, the current traction energy reserve is first determined. The rail vehicle can obtain a signal or information about the traction energy supply failure from the control center or determine it itself, for example. In a rail vehicle, especially in the absence of a traction accumulator, the current traction energy reserve is mainly determined by kinetic energy and potential energy. Therefore, the current speed of the rail vehicle is considered according to the invention in order to be able to determine the kinetic energy therefrom, for example. Then, the next stopping point that can be achieved with the calculated traction energy reserve in front of the rail vehicle is determined from the calculated traction energy supply. When determining the next stopping point, both the current position of the rail vehicle and the topology of the section in front of the rail vehicle are considered. In the railway industry, the topology is understood as the extension direction of the section in three-dimensional space. From the topology and the current position of the rail vehicle, the current potential energy of the rail vehicle and the energy necessary to reach a possible stopping point can be determined. The determined potential energy may contribute to the traction energy reserve.

[0009] With the aid of the invention, it is possible to determine whether it is possible to reach a suitable stopping point in front with the current traction energy reserve of the rail vehicle. If it is possible to reach a suitable stopping point in front, the rail vehicle can drive to this stopping point in autonomous driving operation. At least if, as is the case in most cases, there is no traction accumulator on the vehicle, the rail vehicle coasts to the stopping point. The case where there is a traction accumulator will be described in detail below. Of course, it is also possible to check multiple suitable stopping points. However, only the stopping points within the distance that can be reached with the traction energy reserve can be reached.

[0010] In addition, the dispatcher at the control center can also be informed of the activation of the power-off operation according to the invention in order to monitor the rail vehicle if necessary.

[0011] With the solution according to the invention, the rail vehicle can reach the next station in front, for example, so that passengers can leave the rail vehicle and personnel can easily enter the rail vehicle. The traction energy reserve is used as sparingly as possible here so that the train can coast as far as possible. With the invention, the operation of the railway facility due to a failure of the traction energy supply is reduced, because in many cases, the rail vehicle can stop at a problem-free stopping point. This can avoid seriously affecting the railway facility.

[0012] The present invention relates to the above method and the above vehicle control device, and an emergency operation function of a rail vehicle can be realized through the method and the vehicle control device. The advantages of the CBTC (Communication Based Train Control) infrastructure can also be used in the short-distance transportation area, for example. With the present invention, the number of vehicles stalled and the number of evacuated passengers can be reduced through an automatic decision-making and control function when a traction energy supply failure occurs. Through the CBTC infrastructure, the dispatcher can obtain information about different vehicles, such as the distance traveled by the vehicle and whether it can reach a suitable stopping point. With the present invention, the dispatcher can concentrate on dealing with the vehicles that cannot reach a suitable stopping point, and does not have to worry about the remaining vehicles. Thus, the burden can be relieved.

[0013] If the traction energy supply is not faulty at the current position of the rail vehicle, but is faulty in a section ahead, measures can also be taken before reaching that section to increase the traction energy reserve. If the possible maximum speed has not been reached, for example, the speed of the rail vehicle can be increased again before reaching the section without traction energy supply. This design of the present invention can additionally be positively influenced by the CBTC infrastructure, for example, by providing a communication connection with the rail vehicle through the CBTC infrastructure.

[0014] In the context of the present invention, a failure of the traction energy supply does not mean that the catenary is temporarily absent, but rather a failure of the energy supply through the catenary.

[0015] The design of the present invention

[0016] The solution according to the present invention can also be improved by the advantageous designs described below.

[0017] For example, the next stopping point can be determined in consideration of a section map including information about the section ahead. This has the advantage that a suitable stopping point can be easily determined with the aid of the section map. The section map can in particular contain information about possible stopping points where passengers can get off, such as escape routes, emergency exits or stations. This is advantageous because passengers expect to be able to get off safely at the selected stopping point.

[0018] In order to be able to drive to a farther stopping point in more cases, the rail vehicle can have at least one traction accumulator, and the traction energy reserve can be determined in consideration of the filling level of the traction accumulator. The traction accumulator can be, for example, a battery for storing electrical energy. Alternatively, a compressed air storage or a gas storage can also be considered.

[0019] In order to be able to more realistically calculate in advance the arrival at the next stopping point or the distance that can be reached by means of the traction energy reserve, the running resistance and / or the mass of the rail vehicle can be taken into account when determining the next stopping point.

[0020] In an advantageous design, the length of a traction current supply failure can be taken into account when determining the next stopping point. This has the advantage that stopping points within the section of normal operation of the traction energy supply can thereby be reached.

[0021] In an advantageous design of the vehicle control device according to the invention, the vehicle control device can include at least one interface, in particular an interface facing a control center and / or SCADA, by means of which the following signal can be received, namely that the traction energy supply via the contact wire is at least temporarily and / or sectionally faulty. This has the advantage that signals regarding traction energy supply failures can be transmitted particularly simply. The interface can for example be a radio-based communication interface for data transmission via, for example, a wireless local area network or mobile radio communication.

[0022] The invention also relates to a rail vehicle having a vehicle control device for automatically controlling the rail vehicle, wherein the rail vehicle is designed to move along a section in the travel direction and to contact a contact wire extending along the section to obtain a traction energy supply. According to the invention, the vehicle control device is designed according to one of the above-described embodiments of the invention.

[0023] In an advantageous design of the rail vehicle according to the invention, the rail vehicle has at least one traction accumulator, and the vehicle control device is designed to take into account the filling level of the traction accumulator when determining the traction energy reserve. This has the advantage that further stopping points can be reached by means of the traction accumulator. Thereby, more flexibility can be provided for the operation of the rail vehicle in the event of a traction energy supply failure by means of an increased distance in emergency operation.

[0024] Furthermore, a computer program product having program instructions for performing the method according to the invention and / or its embodiments is claimed, wherein the method according to the invention and / or its embodiments can be executed respectively by means of the computer program product.

[0025] Furthermore, a providing device for storing and / or providing the computer program product is claimed. The providing device is for example a data carrier that stores and / or provides the computer program product. Alternatively and / or additionally, the providing device is for example a network service, a computer system, a server system, in particular a distributed computer system, a cloud-based computer system and / or a virtual computer system, which preferably stores and / or provides the computer program product in the form of a data stream.

[0026] For example, a download provided in the form of a program data block and / or a command data block, preferably provided as a file of a complete computer program product, in particular a download file, or a data stream, in particular a download data stream. However, it may also be provided, for example, as a partial download, which consists of multiple parts and is in particular downloaded via a peer-to-peer network or provided as a data stream. For example, a providing device in the form of a data carrier is used to read such a computer program product into the system, and such a computer program product executes program commands, so that the method according to the invention is implemented on a computer. Description of the Drawings

[0027] The present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the drawings:

[0028] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a railway facility is shown, which includes an exemplary embodiment of a rail vehicle according to the present invention;

[0029] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a railway facility is shown, which includes an alternative embodiment of a rail vehicle according to the present invention;

[0030] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a railway facility is shown, which includes another alternative embodiment of a rail vehicle according to the present invention. Detailed Description of the Invention

[0031] First, the present invention will be described with reference to Figure 1 the exemplary embodiments in

[0032] Figure 1 A rail vehicle 1 moving along a driving direction 3 on a section 2 is shown. A catenary 4 extends along the section 2, and the rail vehicle 1 contacts the catenary in a known manner to obtain traction power supply.

[0033] In Figure 1 the exemplary embodiment of

[0034]

[0035] Figure 1 ​​In the case shown, there is a traction energy supply failure in a section of the rail vehicle 1, which is indicated by the power-off symbol 9. The failure may be due to a substation (not shown) failure, for example. In this case, the vehicle control device 8 according to the invention and the method according to the invention are used.

[0036] Via the control center 10, the rail vehicle 1 receives a signal via the communication interface 11, i.e., there is a traction energy supply failure via the contact wire 4 in the current section of the rail vehicle 1. Alternatively, the rail vehicle 1 can determine the signal itself. The vehicle can, for example, monitor the voltage at the pantograph and thereby identify the interruption of the external traction energy supply by itself.

[0037] The vehicle control device 8 according to the invention then determines the current traction energy reserve of the rail vehicle 1. In Figure 1 the case shown, the traction energy reserve of the rail vehicle 1 is mainly determined by the kinetic energy of the current speed of the rail vehicle 1. The vehicle control device 8 knows the current speed of the rail vehicle 1 via a speed measuring device or the like not shown in further detail, for example. In addition, if the topology of the section 2 in front of the rail vehicle 1 allows, the potential energy can also contribute to the traction energy reserve. In Figure 1 the case shown, the section 2 is flat, so the potential energy does not need to be considered. The situation may be different if the section 2 is alternatively guided downhill along the travel route 3.

[0038] Based on the calculated traction energy reserve, the vehicle control device 8 then determines the maximum distance D that the rail vehicle 1 can travel along the travel direction 3. Then the next stop 12 ahead can be determined based on the distance D. The stop 12 must logically be within the range of the distance D because a possible stop outside the distance D cannot be reached with the calculated traction energy reserve. When determining the distance D and the stop 12, the current position of the rail vehicle 1 and the topology of the section 2 in front of the rail vehicle 1 are considered. In addition, in Figure 1 the exemplary embodiment, the section map available to the vehicle control unit 8 is also considered. The section map includes different information about the section 2 ahead, such as emergency exits 6 and stations 7 where people can get off. In addition, the running resistance and mass of the rail vehicle 1 are considered when determining the distance D. Since not every arbitrary stop is suitable for the rail vehicle 1 during a traction energy supply failure, it is particularly advantageous to take the section map into account.

[0039] In Figure 1 the exemplary embodiment, it is also possible to continue driving after passing the stop 12 until reaching the end of the distance D. However, passengers cannot get off at the end of the distance D because, for example, for safety reasons, getting off is not allowed at this location. The Figure 1The section shown is located, for example, in a tunnel. Therefore, the vehicle control device 8 according to the invention selects the stopping point 12 because this stopping point is located at the emergency exit 6 and passengers can get off there. However, it is even better to reach the stopping point at the station 7 of the rail vehicle 1. However, this is not possible because the station 7 is not within the range of the distance D, and therefore the vehicle control device 8 according to the invention does not select this stopping point.

[0040] The present invention will hereinafter also be described with reference to Figure 2 the exemplary embodiments therein. For the sake of brevity, only the differences from the Figure 1 embodiments therein will be set forth. The same reference numerals denote the same components.

[0041] In Figure 2 the exemplary embodiment of Figure 1 , different from Figure 2 , there are a plurality of catenary sections 13 along the section 2 in the area shown. The catenary 13 can be supplied with traction energy, for example, by different substations (not shown) respectively. Therefore, it is possible that the traction energy supply fails only in one catenary section 13, while the remaining catenary sections 13 are not affected. This situation is shown in the Figure 2 illustrated embodiment. Currently, only the middle catenary section 13 has no traction energy supply, which is indicated by the power-off symbol 9 in

[0042] As in the Figure 1 embodiment of Figure 2 , in the Figure 2 embodiment, the rail vehicle 1 receives a signal of a traction energy supply failure from the control center 10, however, as a supplement, this only applies to the middle catenary section 13. At the position 1 shown in Figure 2 , the rail vehicle 1 still has a traction energy supply because the rail vehicle has not yet reached the middle catenary section 13. Nevertheless, the vehicle control device 8 according to the invention has already planned the position of the next stopping point 12 at the time point shown. However, according to the invention, the catenary section 13 without traction energy supply has already been taken into account here. Since the traction energy supply failure only occurs from the next catenary section 13, the distance D is also calculated from the starting point of this catenary section 13. In the Figure 2 embodiment, it can additionally be taken into account that the rail vehicle 1 still has a traction energy supply at the current time point, and therefore, for example, the speed can be increased. Thereby, the kinetic energy at the starting point of the middle catenary section 13 is increased, so that the filling level of the traction energy reserve is higher than in the Figure 1 embodiment, and the determined distance D is also greater. Therefore, in Figure 2In an embodiment, the parking point 12 determined according to the present invention may be located at the station 7. Thus, the rail vehicle 1 can reach the station 7, which has the above advantages. In Figure 2 In an embodiment, the vehicle control device 8 according to the present invention calculates that it is still possible to drive through the intermediate catenary section 13 using the available traction energy reserve without traction energy supply.

[0043] The following describes Figure 3 exemplary embodiments. For the sake of brevity, only the differences from Figure 1 the embodiments are set forth. Identical reference numerals denote identical components.

[0044] Different from Figure 1 the embodiment, Figure 3 the rail vehicle in the embodiment includes a traction accumulator 15. In Figure 3 an exemplary embodiment, the traction accumulator 15 is a battery accumulator, which can supply traction energy to the rail vehicle 1 for a certain period of time even if the external traction energy supply via the catenary 4 fails. This is taken into account when determining the traction energy reserve according to the present invention, so that Figure 3 the distance D determined in the embodiment is larger than that in Figure 1 the embodiment. Thus, Figure 3 the rail vehicle 1 according to the present invention can reach the station 7, and the determined parking point 12 is located in the area of the station 7.

Claims

1. A method for automatically controlling a rail vehicle (1), the rail vehicle moving along a travel direction (3) on a track section (2) and the rail vehicle being in contact with a trolley wire (4) extending along the track section (2) in order to obtain a traction energy supply, in, Signaling to the rail vehicle that the traction energy supply via the trolley cable (4) has failed at least temporarily and / or partially, It is characterized in that determining a current traction energy reserve for the rail vehicle (1) and determining a next stopping point (12) ahead of the rail vehicle (1) using the calculated traction energy reserve, The traction energy reserve is determined taking into account the current speed of the rail vehicle (1) and the next stopping point (12) is determined taking into account the current position of the rail vehicle (1) and the topology of the preceding route section (2).

2. The method according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The next stopping point (12) is determined taking into account a route map which includes information about the upcoming route (2).

3. The method according to claim 2, It is characterized in that The route map contains information about possible stopping points (12) at which passengers can get off the vehicle, such as escape routes (6), emergency exits (6) or bus stops.

4. The method according to claim 1, It is characterized in that A rail vehicle (1) has at least one traction energy storage device (15), and a traction energy reserve is determined taking into account the filling level of the traction energy storage device (15).

5. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, It is characterized in that When determining the next stopping point (12), the driving resistance and / or the mass of the rail vehicle (1) are taken into account.

6. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, It is characterized in that The length of the traction current supply fault is taken into account when determining the next stopping point (12).

7. A vehicle control device (8) for automatically controlling a rail vehicle (1), the rail vehicle moving along a travel direction (3) on a track section (2) and the rail vehicle being in contact with a trolley wire (4) extending along the track section (2) for obtaining a traction energy supply, in, A signal is sent to the rail vehicle (1) that the traction energy supply via the trolley wire (4) has failed at least temporarily and / or partially, It is characterized in that The vehicle control device (8) is designed to determine a current traction energy reserve for the rail vehicle (1) and to determine a next stopping point (12) ahead of the rail vehicle (1) using the calculated traction energy reserve. The traction energy reserve is determined taking into account the current speed of the rail vehicle (1) and the next stopping point (12) is determined taking into account the current position of the rail vehicle (1) and the topology of the preceding route section (2).

8. The vehicle control device (8) according to claim 7, It is characterized in that The vehicle control (8) comprises at least one interface, in particular an interface to a control center (10) and / or SCADA, by means of which a signal can be received that the traction energy supply via the trolley cable (4) has failed at least temporarily and / or partially.

9. A rail vehicle having a vehicle control device (8) for automatically controlling the rail vehicle (1), wherein: The rail vehicle (1) is designed to move along a travel direction (3) on a track section (2) and to be in contact with a trolley wire (3) extending along the track section (2) to obtain a traction energy supply. It is characterized in that The vehicle control device (8) is designed according to claim 7 or 8.

10. The rail vehicle (1) according to claim 9, It is characterized in that The rail vehicle (1) has at least one traction energy storage device (15), and the vehicle control device (8) is designed to take into account the filling level of the traction energy storage device (15) when determining the traction energy reserve. 11 . A computer program product having program instructions for executing the method according to claim 1 .

12. A device for providing a computer program product according to claim 11, wherein: The providing device stores and / or provides the computer program product.

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