METHOD FOR MONITORING THE STANDBY SHUTDOWN OF A RAIL VEHICLE

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a method for monitoring a standby shutdown of a rail vehicle.

[0002] When rail vehicles are put into standby mode, in which their systems are completely shut down, they are no longer able to communicate with a control center, for example, to transmit their position. Such rail vehicles are thus virtually invisible to the control center. Position determination of switched-off rail vehicles can therefore only be achieved via inaccurate trackside positioning systems. In current technology, this inaccuracy often leads to situations where either several rail vehicles on the same track are put into standby mode simultaneously, or, if this is not possible, sidings already occupied by trains in standby mode cannot be used for parking additional trains.

[0003] In a method for using an automatic train control system known from US 2018 / 0312182 A1, an onboard component (onboard ATC) is switchable between an active operating mode and a standby operating mode, with an odometry device, a main computer, a wake-up device, and a radio communication device onboard the train remaining powered during the standby mode. During the standby mode, the main computer checks whether the train's movement, as measured by the odometry device, has been zero since the switch from the active to the standby mode. If zero, the current position of the train is transmitted to a ground component (ground ATC) using the radio communication device. If zero, the main computer invalidates the current position of the train.In this negative scenario, the train must undergo a position initialization phase before switching to active operating mode. During the initialization phase, the train moves by sight until it crosses a position beacon, from which the onboard ATC can calculate the train's current position.

[0004] The invention is based on the objective of providing an improved method for monitoring the standby shutdown of a rail vehicle.

[0005] This problem is solved by a method and a computing unit for monitoring the standby shutdown of a rail vehicle according to independent claims 1 and 8. Advantageous embodiments are the subject of the dependent claims.

[0006] According to one aspect of the invention, a method for monitoring a standby shutdown of a rail vehicle is provided, the method comprising: Receiving a position signal from a rail vehicle positioned in a track segment of a siding; receiving a shutdown confirmation from the rail vehicle, the shutdown confirmation indicating that the rail vehicle is being switched to standby mode; checking whether the rail vehicle meets at least one safety requirement when switching to standby mode, the safety requirement confirming a safe positioning of the rail vehicle in standby mode;and if at least one safety requirement is met, determine a position of the rail vehicle in standby mode in the respective track segment based on the position data transmitted by the rail vehicle, and release at least one further track segment of the siding for standby mode of at least one further rail vehicle; if at least one safety requirement is not met, determine a position of the rail vehicle in standby mode in the respective track segment based on position data from a trackside positioning system and / or block at least one further track segment of the siding for standby mode of at least one further rail vehicle.

[0007] This offers the technical advantage of providing an improved method for monitoring the shutdown of a rail vehicle's standby mode. Furthermore, it offers the technical advantage of enabling more efficient use of the siding for parking additional rail vehicles.

[0008] The method according to the invention provides that, provided at least one safety requirement is met, the rail vehicle switched to standby mode, which would otherwise be invisible to a control center with regard to its positioning, continues to be treated as a rail vehicle in operating mode. For this purpose, the last transmitted position data of the rail vehicle, which represents a precise determination of the rail vehicle's position based on its positioning system, is interpreted as the current position of the switched-off rail vehicle. The fulfillment of at least one safety requirement ensures that the last transmitted position data remains valid even after the rail vehicle has been switched off, since a change in the rail vehicle's position during standby mode is highly improbable.Since the position determination based on the rail vehicle's position data is performed with far greater precision than would be possible with the trackside positioning system, improved utilization of the siding is achieved by accommodating additional rail vehicles that are parked and placed in a corresponding standby mode. This allows further rail vehicles to be positioned in additional track segments of the siding, as the highly precise position determination, based on the last transmitted position data of the rail vehicle in standby mode, enables the subsequent rail vehicles to be controlled into the appropriate track segments, taking their respective positions into account.

[0009] For the purposes of the application, a standby shutdown of a rail vehicle is a complete shutdown of all systems of the rail vehicle to bring the rail vehicle into a standby state.

[0010] For the purposes of this application, a siding is a section of track used for the temporary storage or parking of rail vehicles that are not intended to be operated or moved, at least temporarily. A siding can, for example, be a secondary track or be located in a marshalling yard or depot and serve to accommodate rail vehicles that are to be stored. Storage may be for purposes such as repair or cleaning, or for the storage of currently unused rail vehicles.

[0011] For the purposes of registration, a position indication is a message sent by the respective rail vehicle including corresponding position data based on a vehicle-side positioning system.

[0012] A shutdown confirmation, in the context of registration, is a message from the rail vehicle indicating to a control center that the vehicle has been shut down to standby mode.

[0013] If at least one safety requirement is met, at least one additional track segment of the siding is released for the standby shutdown of at least one further rail vehicle. Due to the fulfillment of this safety requirement, it can be ensured that the position of the shut-down rail vehicle continues to correspond to the position data last transmitted by the rail vehicle. Taking this position data into account as the current position of the shut-down rail vehicle, further track segments can thus be safely traversed by other rail vehicles, and these track segments can be used accordingly for the standby shutdown of these other rail vehicles.

[0014] If at least one safety requirement is not met, it cannot be guaranteed that the last specified position will be maintained when the rail vehicle is switched off.

[0015] If at least one safety criterion is not met, the positioning of the deactivated rail vehicle is carried out based on the trackside positioning system, thus enabling a reliable position determination, and / or at least one further track segment is blocked for the standby shutdown of further rail vehicles, thus achieving increased operational safety by preventing further rail vehicles from being moved onto the respective siding, since, due to the unmet safety requirement, it cannot be guaranteed that the deactivated rail vehicle is still in the last known position of the last transmitted position data.

[0016] For the purposes of the application, releasing a track segment for the shutdown of further rail vehicles includes both transferring the track segment from a blocked state to a state now accessible to further rail vehicles and maintaining a track segment in a state accessible to further rail vehicles.

[0017] According to one embodiment, it includes at least one safety requirement: that the track segment is a track segment designated for the standby shutdown of a rail vehicle; and / or that the track segment has a gradient below a predetermined limit; and / or that the rail vehicle's parking brake is applied; and / or that switching the rail vehicle into standby mode has been initiated in accordance with a shutdown procedure predefined in a control protocol for switching rail vehicles into standby mode; and / or that a readiness signal from the rail vehicle to switch into standby mode has been received.

[0018] This achieves the technical advantage that, through a safety requirement or multiple safety requirements, it is ensured that the switched-off rail vehicle maintains its last transmitted position. By considering the track segment and, in particular, its suitability for parking the rail vehicle in standby mode, it can be ensured that the rail vehicle is not switched off on just any track section. By taking into account the gradient of the track segment, which, as defined in the application, can be either positive or negative, it can be ensured that even if the brakes are released, the rail vehicle is prevented from rolling away from its last determined position.By taking into account the application of the rail vehicle's parking brake, it can also be ensured that the switched-off rail vehicle is prevented from rolling away. By considering the shutdown process, it can be ensured that the switching off of the rail vehicle into standby mode corresponds to an intended shutdown and is not based on malfunctions in the rail vehicle's control system. The same applies to considering a readiness signal, which also indicates an intended shutdown.

[0019] According to one embodiment, the siding is designed to be planar and without any incline or decline, in accordance with the limit value in the track segment. This ensures that even in the event of a brake malfunction, the rail vehicle remains in its respective position.

[0020] For the purposes of registration, a slope is equivalent to a gradient and can therefore take on both positive and negative values.

[0021] According to one embodiment, the switching of the rail vehicle into standby mode is initiated by an automatic shutdown device of an automatic rail vehicle monitoring system or by authorized rail vehicle personnel.

[0022] This allows for the technical advantage that both automatic shutdown by automatic train monitoring of the rail vehicle or manual shutdown by appropriately authorized rail vehicle personnel can be taken into account.

[0023] According to one embodiment, the control protocol is formed by a communication-based rail vehicle control system.

[0024] This allows the technical advantage to be achieved that the inventive method can be implemented taking into account communication-based train control (CBTC) and is therefore compatible with standards for fully automated driverless rail transport operations.

[0025] According to one embodiment, the received position information of the rail vehicle is stored as the current position of the rail vehicle in the standby shutdown in the respective track segment, and the at least one further track segment of the siding is released for a standby shutdown of at least one further rail vehicle only if all of the safety requirements mentioned in claim 2 are met.

[0026] This achieves the technical advantage of meeting high safety standards when monitoring the standby shutdown of rail vehicles, and especially when multiple rail vehicles occupy track segments of sidings. By ensuring that all the aforementioned safety requirements are met—so that the last transmitted position data of the rail vehicle is used as the current position of the rail vehicle switched to standby mode, and, if necessary, that corresponding additional track segments of the respective siding are released for the standby shutdown of further rail vehicles—it can be guaranteed with a high degree of certainty that the position of the switched-off rail vehicle will not change from its last communicated position data. This allows any number of additional track segments to be safely released for standby shutdown of further rail vehicles.

[0027] According to one embodiment, the method further comprises: Receiving sensor data from at least one sensor located on the trackside of the siding, wherein the sensor is configured to register movement of the rail vehicle within the track segment; and blocking at least one further track segment of the Ab Switching track for a standby shutdown of at least one other rail vehicle if, based on the sensor data, a movement of the rail vehicle switched to standby shutdown is registered within the track segment.

[0028] This offers the technical advantage of further ensuring the position of the train in standby mode. By considering sensor data from trackside sensors designed to register any movement of the train within the respective track segment, at least one released track segment can be blocked for other trains upon detection of movement of the switched-off train. Due to the unexpected movement of the train, the occupancy of further track segments of the siding is not reliably possible, as the position of the moving, switched-off train cannot be unambiguously determined. Blocking the other track segments prevents collisions between other trains and the switched-off train.

[0029] According to a second aspect, a computing unit is provided, wherein the computing unit is configured to execute the inventive method for monitoring a standby shutdown of a rail vehicle according to one of the preceding embodiments.

[0030] According to a third aspect, a system for monitoring the standby shutdown of a rail vehicle is described, comprising a control center for controlling rail traffic and at least one siding with a plurality of track segments for the standby shutdown of rail vehicles, wherein a trackside position determination system is arranged on the siding within at least one track segment, which is configured to determine a position of a rail vehicle within the track segment, wherein the control center is configured to communicate with at least one rail vehicle by means of data communication and to receive data from the trackside position determination system, and wherein the control center comprises a computing unit which is configured to execute the inventive method for monitoring the standby shutdown of a rail vehicle according to one of the preceding embodiments.

[0031] This allows the technical advantage to be achieved that an improved system for monitoring a standby shutdown of a rail vehicle can be provided, which is designed to carry out the inventive method for monitoring a standby shutdown of a rail vehicle with the aforementioned technical advantages.

[0032] According to one embodiment, the system further comprises a sensor, wherein the sensor is arranged within at least one track segment on the siding, and wherein the sensor is configured to register a movement of the rail vehicle within the track segment.

[0033] This allows any movement of the rail vehicle while it is in standby mode to be registered. This ensures a safety requirement for the rail vehicle in standby mode and / or other rail vehicles.

[0034] According to one embodiment, the sensor is a sensor of the trackside position determination system.

[0035] This offers the technical advantage that no additional sensors need to be installed on the trackside. This reduces the required hardware and lowers both production and operating / maintenance costs of the system.

[0036] According to one embodiment, the trackside position determination system comprises at least one axle counter unit.

[0037] This allows for the technical advantage of robust trackside position determination and / or motion detection.

[0038] According to one embodiment, the rail vehicle is equipped for rail vehicle operation by sight and / or for manual operation with rail vehicle control and / or for semi-automatic rail vehicle operation and / or for accompanied driverless rail vehicle operation and / or for fully automatic driverless rail vehicle operation.

[0039] According to a fourth aspect of the invention, a computer program product is provided comprising commands which, when the program is executed by a data processing unit, cause it to execute the inventive method for monitoring a standby shutdown of a rail vehicle according to one of the preceding embodiments.

[0040] The features and advantages of this invention described above, as well as the manner in which they are achieved, will become clearer and more easily understood through the explanations of the following highly simplified, schematic representations of preferred embodiments. These show: FIG. 1 a schematic representation of a system for monitoring the standby shutdown of a rail vehicle according to one embodiment, wherein the system is shown in an operating state before the standby shutdown of the rail vehicle; FIG. 2 a further schematic representation of a system for monitoring the standby shutdown of a rail vehicle according to one embodiment, wherein the system is shown in an operating state after the standby shutdown of the rail vehicle; FIG. 3 a further schematic representation of a system for monitoring the standby shutdown of a rail vehicle according to one embodiment, wherein the system is shown in an operating state after the standby shutdown of the rail vehicle when movement of the vehicle is detected; FIG. 4 a flowchart of a method for monitoring the standby shutdown of a rail vehicle according to one embodiment; and FIG. 5 a schematic representation of a computer program product.

[0041] FIG 1 Figure 1 shows a schematic representation of a system 200 for monitoring a standby shutdown of a rail vehicle 201 according to an embodiment, wherein the system 200 is shown in an operating state before the standby shutdown of a rail vehicle 201.

[0042] In the embodiment shown, the system 200 for monitoring the standby shutdown of a rail vehicle 201 comprises three sidings 204, 205, and 206. Each siding 204, 205, and 206 is divided into a segment 207 and a further segment 208. A rail vehicle 201 is positioned in segment 207 of siding 205. On siding 204, a further rail vehicle 202 is positioned in each of track segments 207 and 208, while no rail vehicles are arranged in the central siding 206.

[0043] System 200 further comprises a control center 203 for controlling rail traffic of a plurality of rail vehicles 201, 202. The control center 203 comprises a computing unit 211, which is configured to execute the inventive method for monitoring a standby shutdown of a rail vehicle. The control center 203 is further configured to communicate with the rail vehicle 201 and the other rail vehicles 202 via a data communication 213.

[0044] In the embodiment shown, a trackside positioning system 209 is also arranged on siding 205 in track segment 207. In addition to the embodiment shown here, the trackside positioning system 209 can alternatively be arranged on all sidings 204, 205, 206 in a track segment 207, 208 and / or at other points along the track.

[0045] Furthermore, sidings 204, 205, and 206 include signal lights 215, which enable the control of rail vehicles 201 and 202. Additionally, sidings 204, 205, and 206 have corresponding signal lights 217 at the boundaries of track segments 207 and 208, by means of which the boundaries of track segments 207 and 208, and, if applicable, the position of a rail vehicle 201 or 202 located therein, can be indicated to other rail vehicles.

[0046] In the illustration shown, the rail vehicle 201 is in an ON operating state and is therefore able to communicate with the control center 203 via data communication 213. The other rail vehicles 202 can be in either an operating state or in standby mode and will not be considered further with regard to the illustration of the method according to the invention.

[0047] In the illustration shown, the rail vehicle 201, which is in the ON operating state, transmits a position information P and a shutdown confirmation OFF_Ack to the control center 203. The position information P comprises the current position of the rail vehicle 201 within track segment 207, determined by a positioning system of the rail vehicle 201. The shutdown confirmation OFF_Ack is also a communication message and contains information indicating that the rail vehicle 201 is about to switch to standby mode.

[0048] To carry out the method according to the invention and to monitor the standby shutdown of the rail vehicle 201, the control center 03 subsequently checks whether the rail vehicle 201 fulfills at least one safety requirement. The safety requirement is designed such that, if at least one safety requirement is fulfilled, it is ensured that after the rail vehicle 201 is switched to standby mode, a position of the rail vehicle 201 remains unchanged.

[0049] To verify the safety requirements, the control center 203 can, for example, check whether the respective track segment 207, in which the rail vehicle 201 is currently located, is intended for a rail vehicle standby shutdown and whether the rail vehicle 201 is not mistakenly switching into standby mode on any track section.

[0050] The control center 203 can also check whether the gradient or incline of the siding 205 within the respective track segment 207 corresponds to a predetermined limit value. This limit value can require a gradient or incline of 0°.

[0051] Furthermore, it can be verified whether the shutdown of the rail vehicle into standby mode complies with a predefined shutdown procedure of the control protocol. This control protocol can be implemented using communication-based rail vehicle control (CBTC). The predefined shutdown procedure can comprise several actions or measures to be executed sequentially or simultaneously, ensuring the safe shutdown of the rail vehicle. The respective safety requirements can consider both the execution of the individual measures and actions, as well as the specific sequence of their execution.

[0052] Furthermore, it can be checked whether the parking brake of the rail vehicle is engaged.

[0053] Furthermore, it can be checked whether a readiness signal from rail vehicle 201 to switch to standby mode has been received.

[0054] If at least one of the aforementioned safety conditions is met, or if several or all of the aforementioned safety conditions are met, the control center 203 can, after the rail vehicle 201 has been switched off into standby mode, use the position data last transmitted by the rail vehicle 201 to the control center 203 before it was switched off into standby mode as the current position of the rail vehicle 201, which has now been switched off into standby mode. Furthermore, if the safety conditions are met, the control center 203 can release the additional track segment 208 for further occupancy by additional rail vehicles in standby mode. Releasing the additional track segment 208 means that additional rail vehicles can be positioned in the additional track segment 208.The additional track segment 208 can be in an unlocked state, as is the case in the illustration for track segments 207 and 208 of the central siding 206, which are open to and accessible to any rail vehicle. Alternatively, the additional track segment 208 can be moved from an initially locked state, in which access by other rail vehicles is prohibited, to the corresponding unlocked state.

[0055] FIG 2 Figure 1 shows a further schematic representation of a system 200 for monitoring a standby shutdown of a rail vehicle 201 according to an embodiment, wherein the system 200 is shown in a state after the standby shutdown of a rail vehicle 201.

[0056] FIG 2 based on the representation in FIG 1 and describes the fact that the rail vehicle 201 has been successfully switched to the OFF standby shutdown mode. Furthermore, at least one, or the majority of, safety requirements has been met. Consequently, the control center 203 determines the position of the rail vehicle 201 in the OFF standby shutdown mode based on the position data P last transmitted to the control center 203 by the rail vehicle 201. The position of the rail vehicle 201, now switched to the OFF standby shutdown mode, thus corresponds to the position of the position data P, which is based on the positioning system of the rail vehicle 201. Using this position data, the control center 203 can precisely position the rail vehicle 201 within the track segment 207, which in FIG 2 characterized by the fact that the now deactivated rail vehicle 201 is still shown as such and not merely the entire track segment 207 is marked as occupied.

[0057] Furthermore, the additional track segment 208 is cleared for operation or positioning of another rail vehicle for standby shutdown due to the fulfillment of the safety requirements.

[0058] Regarding position determination, if the safety requirements are met, the rail vehicle 201, when switched to standby mode (OFF), is interpreted as a rail vehicle still in operating mode (ON), continuing to transmit position data to the control center 203. Since the fulfilled safety requirements ensure with a high degree of probability that the rail vehicle's position remains unchanged after switching to standby mode, the rail vehicle's position can thus be determined with high reliability using the last transmitted position data from rail vehicle 201.This allows the position determination of the rail vehicle 201, which is switched to the OFF standby mode, to be carried out with a higher precision than would be possible if a position determination were to be carried out based on the trackside position determination system 209.

[0059] FIG 3 Figure 1 shows a further schematic representation of a system 200 for monitoring a standby shutdown of a rail vehicle 201 according to an embodiment, wherein the system 200 is shown in a state after the standby shutdown of a rail vehicle 201 when movement of the vehicle has been detected.

[0060] FIG 3 shows another situation of the system 200 of Figuren 1 and 2. In FIG 3 Is the rail vehicle 201 analogous to the FIG 2 Switched to standby mode (OFF). This differs from the illustration in FIG 2 is shown in the representation in FIG 3 However, the position determination of the rail vehicle 201, which has been switched to standby mode, is not based on the last transmitted position data P of the rail vehicle 201. Instead, the position of the switched-off rail vehicle 201 is determined based on position data PD from the trackside positioning system 209. For this purpose, the position data PD is transmitted from the trackside positioning system 209 to the control center 203 via a corresponding data communication 213.

[0061] The in FIG 3 The depicted situation describes the case where at least one safety requirement of the rail vehicle 201 is not met. According to the invention, if at least one safety requirement is not met, the position of the rail vehicle 201, which is switched to the OFF standby mode, can be determined based on the position data PD of the trackside position determination system 209.

[0062] The trackside positioning system 209 can, for example, include an axle counter unit configured to detect the movement of at least one axle of the rail vehicle. The axle counter unit can only provide a rough positioning of the rail vehicle within the track segment 207, enabling the detection of the rail vehicle 201 within the track segment 207, but not a precise determination of its position within the track segment 207. FIG 3 This is represented by the hatching of track segment 207, which illustrates the occupancy of track segment 207. The control center 203 can therefore only determine the occupancy of track segment 207, but not the position of the rail vehicle 201 within track segment 207.

[0063] If at least one safety requirement is not met, the additional track segment 208 can also be blocked for further rail vehicles to be shut down. The blocking of the additional track segment 208 is also indicated by hatching of the respective track segment 208.

[0064] In contrast to the representation in FIG 2 Therefore, the rail vehicle 201, switched to standby mode OFF, is not interpreted analogously to a rail vehicle still in operating mode ON. Instead, due to the imprecise position determination by the trackside position determination system 209, the entire track segment 207 is considered occupied and thus blocked for further rail vehicles. The occupancy or blocking of track segments 207 and 208 extends over the entire length of the respective track segment.

[0065] Alternatively, the situation shown can also occur due to a movement of the object as described above. FIG 2 and, subject to the fulfillment of the safety requirements, the movement of the rail vehicle 201, which is switched to standby mode OFF, within the track segment 207 was registered by sensor data from a trackside sensor configured to register movement of the rail vehicle within the respective track segment. The sensor can, for example, be comprised of sensors from the trackside positioning system 209.

[0066] Upon detection of movement of the rail vehicle 201, which is switched to standby mode OFF, within the respective track segment 207, the position of the rail vehicle 207 can be determined according to the invention based on the position data PD of the trackside position determination system 209, or based on the sensor data. Alternatively or additionally, upon detection of movement of the rail vehicle switched to standby mode, at least one further track segment 208 of the respective siding 205 can be blocked for further rail vehicles, since an accurate position determination of the rail vehicle 201 is no longer possible. Alternatively, any number of further track segments, for example all track segments, of the siding 205 can be blocked for further rail vehicles.By closing the remaining track segments 208, safe operation can be ensured and collisions with other rail vehicles can be avoided.

[0067] The system and procedure presented here are of particular interest for fully automated rail vehicles where, alternatively, operation by sight by appropriately trained personnel is not possible.

[0068] FIG 4 shows a flowchart of a method 100 for monitoring a standby shutdown of a rail vehicle 201 according to an embodiment.

[0069] To verify a standby shutdown of a rail vehicle 201 by the inventive method 100, a position information P of a rail vehicle 201 is first received in a method step 101, wherein the position information P indicates a positioning of the rail vehicle 201 within a track segment 207, wherein the position determination is based on a vehicle-side position determination system.

[0070] In a further process step 103, a shutdown confirmation OFF_Ack of the rail vehicle 201 is received, in which an upcoming switching of the rail vehicle 201 into a standby shutdown OFF is announced.

[0071] In a process step 105, it is checked whether at least one safety requirement is met by the rail vehicle 201, whereby the safety requirement is designed in such a way that, if met, the positioning of the rail vehicle 201 in the OFF standby shutdown is maintained with a high probability.

[0072] If it is determined that at least one safety requirement is met, or alternatively, if a majority or all of the safety requirements considered during the check must be met, the position of the rail vehicle 201, which is switched to standby mode OFF, is determined in a procedure step 107 based on a position data P last transmitted by the rail vehicle 201. Additionally, in a further procedure step 111, another track segment 208 of the respective siding 205 is released for standby mode for further rail vehicles.

[0073] In a further process step 115, sensor data can also be received from a sensor which is arranged on the track side of the respective track segment 207 and is designed to register a movement of the rail vehicle 201 within the track segment 207.

[0074] If, based on the sensor data, a movement of the rail vehicle 201, which is already in the OFF standby mode, is registered within track segment 207, then in a further process step 117 a blocking of the further track segment 208 for further rail vehicles can be effected.

[0075] If, however, it is determined in process step 105 that at least one safety requirement is not met, a position determination of the rail vehicle 201, which is already switched to the OFF standby mode, is carried out in process step 109 based on position data PD from the trackside position determination system 209. Additionally or alternatively, a blocking of at least one further track segment 208 of the respective siding 205 is carried out in process step 113.

[0076] The method 100 according to the invention is applicable to any number of rail vehicles 201, 202 and any number of sidings 205, 206 or track segments 207, 208. The method according to the invention can be integrated into a communication-based rail vehicle control system (CBTC) or carried out in cooperation with such a system.

[0077] In particular, the method according to the invention is applicable to rail vehicles designed for rail vehicle operation by sight and / or for manual operation with rail vehicle control and / or for semi-automatic rail vehicle operation and / or for accompanied driverless rail vehicle operation and / or for fully automatic driverless rail vehicle operation.

[0078] FIG 5 shows a schematic representation of a computer program product 300.

[0079] Figur 5Figure 3 shows a computer program product 300 comprising instructions that, when executed by a processing unit, cause the unit to execute the method 100 according to one of the embodiments described above. In the embodiment shown, the computer program product 300 is stored on a storage medium 301. The storage medium 301 can be any storage medium known from the prior art. Reference symbol list

[0080] 100 Procedure 101 Receiving a position signal 103 Receiving a shutdown confirmation 105 Checking a safety requirement 107 Determining the position of the rail vehicle 109 Determining the position of the rail vehicle 111 Releasing a track segment 113 Locking the track segment 115 Receiving sensor data 117 Locking the track segment 200 System 201 Rail vehicle 202 Rail vehicle 203 Control center 204 Siding 205 Siding 206 Siding 207 Track segment 208 Track segment 209 Position determination system 211 Computing unit 213 Data communication 215 Signal light 217 Signal light ON Operating mode OFF Sleep shutdown OFF_Ack Shutdown confirmation P Position indication PD Position data

Claims

1. Method (100) for monitoring a deactivation of a railway vehicle (201), wherein the method (100) comprises: - receiving (101) a position indication (P) of a railway vehicle (201) positioned in a track segment (207) of a stabling track (205); - receiving (103) a deactivation acknowledgment (OFF_Ack) of the railway vehicle (201), wherein the deactivation acknowledgement (OFF_Ack) indicates that the railway vehicle (201) is switched into a deactivated state (OFF); - checking (105) whether the railway vehicle (201) fulfils at least one safety prerequisite when switched into the deactivated state (OFF), wherein the safety prerequisite acknowledges a safe positioning of the railway vehicle (201) in the deactivated state (OFF); and - if the at least one safety prerequisite is fulfilled, determining (107) a position of the railway vehicle (201) in the deactivated state (OFF) in the respective track segment (207) based on the position indication (P) of the railway vehicle (201) transmitted from the railway vehicle (201), and releasing (111) at least one further track segment (208) of the stabling track (205) for a deactivation of at least one further railway vehicle, - if the at least one safety prerequisite is not fulfilled, determining (109) a position of the railway vehicle (201) in the deactivated state (OFF) in the respective track segment (207) based on position data (PD) of a trackside position determination system (209), and blocking (113) the at least one further track segment (208) of the stabling track (205) for a deactivation of at least one further railway vehicle.

2. Method (100) according to claim 1, wherein safety prerequisites comprise: - that the track segment (207) is a track segment (207) provided for a deactivation of a railway vehicle (201); and / or - that the track segment (207) has a gradient which lies below a predetermined limit value; and / or - that a parking brake of the railway vehicle (201) is actuated; and / or - that a switching of the railway vehicle (201) into the deactivated state is initiated according to a deactivation process predefined in a control protocol for switching railway vehicles into a deactivated state; and / or - that an indication of the readiness of the railway vehicle (201) to be switched into the deactivated state has been received.

3. Method (100) according to claim 2, wherein the stabling track (205) is embodied in the track segment (207) in a planar manner and without upward or downward gradients in accordance with the limit value.

4. Method (100) according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the switching of the railway vehicle (201) into the deactivated state is initiated by an automatic deactivation facility of an automatic railway vehicle monitoring system of the railway vehicle (201) or by an authorized railway vehicle staff member.

5. Method (100) according to claim 2, 3 or 4, wherein the control protocol is formed by a communication-based railway vehicle control.

6. Method (100) according to one of the preceding claims 2 to 5, wherein the received position indication (P) of the railway vehicle (201) is stored as the current position of the railway vehicle (201) in the deactivated state in the respective track segment (207) and / or the at least one further track segment (208) of the stabling track (205) is released for a deactivation of at least one further railway vehicle only if all the safety prerequisites cited in claim 2 are fulfilled.

7. Method (100) according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising: - receiving (115) sensor data of at least one sensor (209) arranged on the track side on the track segment (207) of the stabling track (205), wherein the sensor (209) is configured to register a movement of the railway vehicle (201) within the track segment (207); and - blocking (117) the at least one further track segment (208) of the stabling track (205) for a deactivation of at least one further railway vehicle if a movement of the railway vehicle (201) switched into the deactivated state is registered within the track segment (207) on the basis of the sensor data.

8. Computing unit (211), wherein the computing unit (211) is embodied to carry out the method (100) for monitoring a deactivation of a railway vehicle (201) according to one of the preceding claims 1 to 7.

9. System (200) for monitoring a deactivation of a railway vehicle (201) with a control centre (203) for controlling railway traffic and at least one stabling track (205) with a plurality of track segments (207) for the deactivation of railway vehicles (201), wherein a trackside position determination system (209) is arranged on the stabling track (205) within at least one track segment (207) and is embodied to determine a position of a railway vehicle (201) within the track segment (207), wherein the control centre (203) is configured to communicate with at least one railway vehicle (201) by means of data communication and to receive data of the trackside position determination system (209), and wherein the control centre (203) comprises a computing unit (211) according to claim 8.

10. System (200) according to claim 9, wherein the system further comprises a sensor, wherein the sensor is arranged on the stabling track within at least one track segment, and wherein the sensor is configured to register a movement of the railway vehicle within the track segment.

11. System (200) according to claim 10, wherein the sensor is a sensor of the trackside position determination system.

12. System (200) according to one of the preceding claims 9 to 11, wherein the trackside position determination system (209) comprises at least one axle counter unit.

13. System (200) according to one of the preceding claims 9 to 12, wherein the railway vehicle (201) is embodied for railway vehicle operation with driving on sight and / or for manual driving with railway vehicle control and / or for semiautomatic railway vehicle operation and / or for attended driverless railway vehicle operation and / or for fully automatic driverless railway vehicle operation.

14. Computer program product (300) comprising commands which, when the program is executed by a data processing unit, cause said data processing unit to carry out the method (100) for monitoring a deactivation of a railway vehicle according to one of the preceding claims 1 to 7.