Method for locating a rail vehicle and devices for carrying out the method

Abstract

The invention discloses a method for transmitting location signals to rail vehicles (SF1 ... SF2) in a rail network (SN). Periodically generated basic data signals (BDS) from a cellular mobile network are used to generate the location signals. A trackside location device (SO1 ... SO3), which is fixedly located in the rail network (SN), receives the basic data signals (BDS) from at least one base station (BS) of the cellular mobile network assigned to the trackside location device (SO1 ... SO3). Process data signals (VDS) belonging to the basic data signals (BDS) are generated, which include the respective transmission time of the relevant basic data signal (BDS) in the base station and the identity of the relevant base station (BS1 ... BS2). The process data signals (VDS) are output periodically. Furthermore, a method for locating a rail vehicle (SF1 ...SF2), a computer program product and a deployment device are described.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a method for transmitting location signals to rail vehicles in a track network, wherein periodically generated base data signals (BDS) of a cellular mobile radio network are used to generate the location information. Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for locating a rail vehicle, in which a vehicle-mounted location device arranged in the rail vehicle determines the location of the rail vehicle, and the location device determines the distance to at least one base station (BS) of a cellular mobile radio network when determining the location. Furthermore, the invention relates to a track-mounted location device for arrangement on a rail line. Furthermore, the invention relates to a vehicle-mounted location device for installation in a rail vehicle.Finally, the invention relates to a computer program product and a provision device for this computer program product, wherein the computer program product is equipped with program instructions for carrying out this method.

[0002] WO 2019 / 086208 A1 describes a method for locating rail vehicles based on GSM and a route atlas. This method utilizes the transmission time control for mobile devices used within GSM mobile communications, known as Timing Advance (TA), to determine the distance of the vehicle from the GSM transmitting stations outside the GSM system. On this basis, it creates the route atlas (almanac), which enables both the location of the rail vehicle and the validation of measurement data from other positioning sensors in the vehicle. Due to the nature of the method, the GSM-internal transmission time control via the TA parameters has a tolerance of 550 meters, which directly impacts the accuracy achievable with the positioning method. However, many applications in vehicles require more precise location determination.

[0003] The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a method for locating rail vehicles that enables more precise location determination in a cellular mobile radio network such as the GSM network while maintaining the same level of security. Furthermore, the object of the invention is to provide a method for transmitting location signals to rail vehicles using a cellular mobile radio network, which enables more precise location determination of the rail vehicle. The object of the invention is also to provide a trackside location device and a vehicle-side location device with which the aforementioned method can be carried out. Finally, the object of the invention is to provide a computer program product and a device for providing this computer program product, with which the aforementioned method can be carried out.

[0004] The first-mentioned task is solved with the method for transmitting locating signals mentioned at the beginning in that a trackside locating device, which is arranged in a fixed location in the track network, receives the base data signals of at least one base station (BS) of the cellular mobile radio network assigned to the locating device; generates process data signals associated with the base data signals, which include the respective transmission time of the respective base data signal in the base station and the identity of the respective base station; periodically outputs the process data signals, i.e., makes the process data available to the vehicles. This can be done via a wired interface or wirelessly (more on this below).

[0005] In addition, the above-mentioned object is achieved by a method for locating in that the vehicle-side locating device receives periodically generated basic data signals from the at least one base station and determines their reception time, receives periodically generated process data signals from at least one trackside locating device according to the method according to the method for transmitting explained above, retrieves the identity of the base station to which the process data signals are to be assigned and assigns the process data signals to the associated base data signals, uses the transmission times transmitted with the process signals and the determined reception times to calculate the propagation time of the base data signals from the base station to the rail vehicle, recalculates the determined distance to the at least one base station taking into account the calculated propagation time.

[0006] As explained in more detail below, the first method creates the prerequisite for the process data to be used to perform a more precise location determination through the most accurate time-of-flight measurement possible. The second method implements the processing of the process data generated by the first method using the time-of-flight measurement, thus advantageously performing a more precise location determination.

[0007] The higher accuracy in the location determination according to the time of flight method results according to the invention from the fact that with the method according to the invention the time of transmission of the basic data signals from the base station is known as a type of time stamp much more precisely than would be ensured by the mobile radio standard without application of the method according to the invention.

[0008] To correct the error due to the propagation time from the base station to the trackside locating device, the signals received by the assigned base station are corrected (pre-dated) with a location-dependent offset. The offset corresponds to the signal propagation time between the respective base station and the mobile radio antenna of the trackside locating device plus internal propagation times in the trackside locating device. The signal propagation time can be derived from the known distance between the devices or measured. By comparing it with the time measurement device, the exact transmission time of the relevant base data signal (the aforementioned timestamp) can be determined, taking the offset into account. The base data signals are provided by the mobile radio provider, who can be involved in the process in different ways, as explained below.

[0009] The positioning method proposed here involves performing a first positioning step (hereinafter referred to as preliminary positioning), in particular a coarse positioning, and supplementing this with at least one further positioning step, in particular a fine positioning. Within the scope of the invention, the terms coarse positioning and fine positioning are to be understood to mean that the spatial resolution of the fine positioning is higher than the spatial resolution of the coarse positioning.

[0010] In order to improve the measurement tolerance resulting from the preliminary positioning so that vehicle positioning can be carried out with sufficient accuracy, for example in areas with high traffic and infrastructure density, additional trackside positioning devices are installed on the track, i.e. in the track network.

[0011] According to the invention, the distances to the base station are determined using a time-of-flight method, which is known per se. Highly accurate time measurement is required to implement the time-of-flight method. In trackside and vehicle-based positioning systems, this can be achieved, for example, using GPS-disciplined clocks. If the transmission and reception times of the base data are measured using GPS-disciplined clocks, the tolerance of the determined distances between the vehicle and the base stations is in the range of a few meters.

[0012] The base data and the base data signals generated from it have the following properties: Selected mobile radio signals are used to measure the signal propagation time between the base station and the mobile device. Coarse positioning (preliminary positioning) is based on the TA signals periodically transmitted by the base stations. The TA signals can also be used advantageously for fine positioning, as they are transmitted with a suitable period and are already evaluated for coarse positioning. However, other periodically transmitted mobile radio signals can also be used as alternatives.

[0013] The mobile radio signals used as base data remain unchanged in the proposed method. They are filtered by the mobile radio device in the on-board tracking device and transferred to the on-board computer of the on-board tracking device. In the trackside tracking device, the base data is also filtered from the mobile radio signals, and their transmission time is determined.

[0014] The process data and the resulting base data signals have the following properties: Process data are process-specific data that are continuously transmitted from the trackside tracking device to mobile radio devices in the on-board tracking devices (directly or indirectly via a base station) and form the basis for more precise tracking calculations in the vehicle. Process data contains at least the following content: 1. Time of transmission of the base data in the base station 2. Identification of the transmitting base station

[0015] Furthermore, the transmission times of the cyclically transmitted process data must be clearly assignable to the corresponding base data (e.g., TA signals). This means that, on the one hand, process data must not be transmitted too frequently to avoid misinterpretation of the transmission time due to duplicates, and, on the other hand, it must be transmitted frequently enough to provide sufficient support points for fine-tuning. It is particularly advantageous to precisely match the periodicity of the process data signals to the periodicity of the base data signals, as this allows a one-to-one assignment of the process data signals to the base data signals. Especially when using TA signals, it is recommended to transmit the process data with the cycle of the TA signals.

[0016] Unless otherwise stated in the following description, the terms "create," "calculate," "compute," "determine," "generate," "configure," "modify," and the like preferably refer to actions and / or processes and / or processing steps that change and / or generate data and / or convert the data into other data. The data is present, in particular, as physical quantities, for example, as electrical impulses or measured values. The required instructions / program commands are summarized in a computer program as software. Furthermore, the terms "receive," "send," "read," "read out," "transmit," and the like refer to the interaction of individual hardware components and / or software components via interfaces.The interfaces can be implemented in hardware, for example wired or as a radio connection, and / or in software, for example as interaction between individual program modules or program parts of one or more computer programs.

[0017] In the context of the invention, "computer-aided" or "computer-implemented" can be understood, for example, as an implementation of the method in which one or more computers execute or execute the method steps of the method. The term "computer" is to be interpreted broadly; it covers all electronic devices with data processing capabilities. Computers can thus be, for example, personal computers, servers, handheld computer systems, pocket PC devices, mobile radio devices, and other communication devices that process data in a computer-aided manner, processors, and other electronic devices for data processing, which can preferably also be connected to form a network. A "storage unit" in the context of the invention can be understood, for example, as a computer-readable memory in the form of a random-access memory (RAM) or data storage device (hard drive or data carrier).

[0018] In the context of the invention, a "processor" can be understood to mean, for example, a machine, for example, a sensor for generating measured values ​​or an electronic circuit. A processor can in particular be a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, or a microcontroller, for example, an application-specific integrated circuit or a digital signal processor, possibly in combination with a memory unit for storing program instructions, etc. A processor can also be, for example, an IC (integrated circuit), in particular an FPGA (field programmable gate array), an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit), or a DSP (digital signal processor).A processor can also be understood as a virtualized processor or a soft CPU. It can also be, for example, a programmable processor equipped with a configuration for executing a computer-aided process. Cooperation with provider (mobile phone provider)

[0019] According to one embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the process data signals are transmitted by the trackside locating device to the base station by radio or cable, and the base station forwards the process data signals by radio to the vehicle-side locating device.

[0020] Advantageously, the trackside tracking device then does not require a transmitting antenna because the process data can be transferred to the base station, for example, via a wired interface.

[0021] The trackside tracking device is installed and operated in a fixed location and coupled to a base station of the mobile network provider. A direct connection exists between the trackside tracking device and its assigned base station, for example, via a local network. In this case, the trackside tracking device can either be integrated into an assigned base station and thus located at the same location, or it can be installed in the immediate vicinity of the assigned base station and linked to it for communications purposes.

[0022] The trackside tracking device must be capable of receiving and decoding mobile radio. For this purpose, the trackside tracking device can advantageously utilize the antenna system of the assigned base station if a cooperative provider is available. Transmitting mobile radio signals by the trackside tracking device is not required.

[0023] Via a cable-based or radio-based data connection between the trackside locating device and the assigned base station, measurement data is continuously sent from the trackside locating device to the assigned base station via the results of the signal propagation time measurement continuously carried out in the trackside locating device.

[0024] The assigned base station continuously receives data from the trackside tracking device and forwards it to mobile devices. For the GSM mobile communications standard, the GSM-internal Broadcast Control Channel (BCCH) is preferably used for this purpose. Alternatively, a data service for GSM users, such as GPRS or SMS, can be used for data transmission. In both cases, the cooperation of the GSM provider is required to integrate the data received from the trackside tracking device into the GSM mobile communications network. Operation without cooperation of the provider

[0025] According to one embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the process data signals are sent by the trackside locating device directly to the vehicle-side locating devices by radio.

[0026] For radio transmission, the trackside tracking device requires a suitable transmitting antenna. While this represents additional design effort, cooperation with the provider is not required. Furthermore, it can be advantageously more cost-effective to operate without requiring additional services from the provider.

[0027] The trackside tracking device is installed and operated in a fixed location and independently of the mobile network provider's base stations. In this configuration, the trackside tracking device requires its own mobile network antenna to receive the radio signals from one or more assigned base stations.

[0028] In this case, the data is transmitted from the trackside tracking device to the vehicle-mounted tracking device not indirectly via an assigned base station, but directly via mobile communications. A data connection based on GPRS or LTE, for example, can be used for this purpose. However, unlike the base data signals, the process data signals do not need to be transmitted using the mobile communications standard.

[0029] For the tracking process, an alternative satellite navigation system, such as GLONASS, can be used instead of GPS in the trackside tracking device and the on-board tracking device. Synchronous, high-precision clocks must be provided in the trackside tracking device and the on-board tracking device.

[0030] Other cellular mobile radio systems can also be used instead of GSM. Instead of TA signals, alternative system-specific radio signals can be used, for example, to determine the distance between mobile devices and base stations. The requirements for the GSM signals used (base data) are limited to a suitable transmission period and the radiation at each base station. Furthermore, the base station's identification must be able to be determined.

[0031] According to one embodiment of the invention, it is provided that a first item of location information determined from the newly calculated distance is compared with a second item of location information, and in the event of deviations, the second item of location information is corrected. In this case, it is preferably provided that a position of the rail vehicle is determined as the first item of location information, with a position of one or more base stations being specified. The method according to the invention can therefore be used to improve the location described under preliminary location determination. It can also be used to check the plausibility or improve the accuracy of the data from other location systems. For example, the location data from a GPS location in the vehicle can be checked against the results of the location determination according to the invention. This enables safety-critical location applications.

[0032] Another option is to correct or create a route map (hereinafter referred to as an almanac), which can also determine the positions of the base stations. By comparing the distance data obtained from different transmitters, the locations of the GSM base stations are verified and thus trustworthy. An attacker who intercepts and replays the GSM signals (a man-in-the-middle attack) would in any case cause a delay in the signal propagation time, which would result in at least one inconsistent distance measurement. This advantageously allows for high levels of security in location determination. The procedure is explained in more detail below.

[0033] The calculated, highly accurate distance values ​​between the vehicle and GSM base stations are used to create and maintain the on-board route almanac. As described in the preliminary positioning application, the route almanac can have 1D or 2D characteristics. Mixed variants are also possible. In contrast to the measurement method for preliminary positioning, location information in the almanac is corrected only with the help of highly accurate distance data in order to improve the quality of the almanac. For this purpose, the method according to this embodiment of the invention is used in such a way that the position of the base station is determined as the first location information, which is calculated from several positions of the rail vehicle. This requires that the distance of the rail vehicle from the base station has been determined or that the position of the rail vehicle has been determined, in particular, using another positioning method.

[0034] For a 1D Alamach, the determined distances to GSM base stations are recorded directly as a location reference or used to verify the plausibility of existing location references.

[0035] For a 2D almanac, the distances between the vehicle and a specific GSM base station must be measured at at least three different points along the route. The distance values ​​are stored in a temporary memory. If the distance values ​​for at least three location coordinates of the same base station are available in the temporary storage, the exact location of the GSM base station is determined by triangulating the distance values ​​and then incorporated into the 2D almanac or used to validate an existing GSM base station location.

[0036] As a train travels the same route repeatedly, the data in the almanac becomes increasingly trustworthy through repeated plausibility checks. Trust in the almanac's data can be advantageously characterized by additional trust attributes stored together with the tracking data.

[0037] There are various options for the data channel between the trackside tracking device and the vehicle-side tracking device. Numerous variations are possible, including the radio system, the data channel used (system, user), and the communication type (connection-oriented, connectionless, broadcast). Furthermore, it is possible to set up one or more central locations where the data from the various trackside tracking devices is consolidated (e.g., via the internet). Vehicles can log on to the central location(s) and continuously retrieve the process data (central information). The route plan can also be stored here.

[0038] According to one embodiment of the invention, it can be provided that the distance traveled by the rail vehicle between the transmission times and the reception times is taken into account. The decisive factor is the location of the rail vehicle at the time of reception, even if the method was initiated at the location of the rail vehicle at the transmission time.

[0039] For fast-moving vehicles, the exact location determination may require consideration of the distance traveled during data transmission and signal processing in the on-board tracking system. This can be determined, for example, by distance measurement (odometry) or by taking the train's speed into account during measurement and calculation. This advantageously allows for even greater accuracy.

[0040] The invention is further achieved by the trackside locating device and the vehicle-mounted locating device described above, in that they are configured to carry out the methods described above. The advantages associated with the use of the trackside locating device and the vehicle-mounted locating device have therefore already been mentioned above in the context of the explanation of the methods according to the invention.

[0041] Furthermore, a computer program product is claimed, comprising program instructions which, when the program is executed by a computer, cause the computer to carry out the method described above, wherein the method according to the invention and / or its embodiments can be carried out by means of the computer program product.

[0042] Furthermore, a provision device for storing and / or providing the computer program product is described. The provision device is, for example, a data storage medium that stores and / or provides the computer program product. Alternatively and / or additionally, the provision 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 stores and / or provides the computer program product, preferably in the form of a data stream.

[0043] Provision occurs, for example, as a download in the form of a program data block and / or command data block, preferably as a file, in particular as a download file, or as a data stream, in particular as a download data stream, of the complete computer program product. However, this provision can also occur, for example, as a partial download consisting of multiple parts and, in particular, downloaded via a peer-to-peer network or provided as a data stream. Such a computer program product is read into a system, for example, using the provision device in the form of the data carrier and executes the program instructions, so that the inventive method is executed on a computer.

[0044] Further details of the invention are described below with reference to the drawings. Identical or corresponding elements of the drawings are provided with the same reference numerals and are explained several times only to the extent that differences arise between the individual figures.

[0045] The exemplary embodiments explained below are preferred embodiments of the invention. In the exemplary embodiments, the described components of the embodiments each represent individual, independently considered features of the invention, which also further develop the invention independently of one another and are thus also to be considered as components of the invention, either individually or in a combination other than that shown. Furthermore, the described embodiments can also be supplemented by further features of the invention already described.

[0046] They show: Figure 1an embodiment of the method according to the invention schematically in a three-dimensional overview. Figures 2 and 3 Embodiments of the trackside locating device according to the invention and the vehicle-side locating device according to the invention as block diagrams. Trackside procedure

[0047] On the trackside, a suitable number of trackside tracking devices SO1 ... SO3 are installed in a track network SN and assigned to the respective base stations BS1 ... BS2. The assignment of each trackside tracking device (e.g., SO1) to the base station (e.g., BS1) can be cooperative or non-cooperative. Mixed variants are also possible. To perform the procedure, the GPS-disciplined clock of the trackside tracking device must be synchronized to GPS time.

[0048] The trackside tracking device (SO1 ... SO3) continuously receives the GSM signals from the assigned base stations (BS1 ... BS2) via a GSM antenna (GSMA). The trackside tracking device first selects the specified base data signals (BDS) from the GSM signals of the individual base stations (BS1 ... BS2). The exact time of reception is also recorded for each received base data signal (BSD).

[0049] The next step is to determine the transmission time of the received basic data signal BSD in the computer of the trackside locating device SO1 ... SO3. To do this, the computer evaluates the identifier of the base station BS1 ... BS2 and the reception time of the respective basic data signals BSD. With knowledge of the distance of the respective base station BS1 ... BS2 from the trackside locating device SO1 ... SO3 stored in the trackside locating device SO1 ... SO3, the transmission time of a basic data signal BSD in the base station BS1 can be calculated from the known reception time. The computer of the trackside locating device SO1 ... SO3 then generates the process data signals VDS, which contain at least the transmission time (calculated in the trackside locating device) and the identifier of the base station BS1 ... BS2.

[0050] The trackside tracking device SO1 ... SO3 cyclically generates the process data signals VDS for all assigned base stations BS1 ... BS2. The cycle period is determined by that of the base data signals BDS. The process data signals VDS are then sent or provided to the rail vehicles SF1 ... SF2. The required data channel to the rail vehicle can be set up in various ways. According to Figure 1 The process data signals VDS are sent according to the GSM standard.

[0051] However, there are also other transmission options (in Figure 1(not shown). If, for example, a broadcast data service such as Wi-Fi is available, the trackside tracking device sends the process data simultaneously to all vehicles within the reception area. If a point-to-point data service such as LTE is available, the trackside tracking device sends the process data individually to those vehicles that have established a data connection to the trackside tracking device.

[0052] For the trackside detection device SO2, Figure 1Another transmission path is shown. The process data signals VDS can be transmitted via a cable KB to the nearby base station BS2. The base station BS2 then transmits the process data signals VDS to the rail vehicle SF2 via its GSM antenna GSMA. The GSM antenna GSMA of the trackside tracking device SO2 therefore only needs to be designed to receive the basic data signals BSM from the base station BS2, but not to transmit process data signals VDS to the rail vehicle SF2.

[0053] For a first rough location, a navigation system can also be used as an alternative, according to Figure 1 GPS is used. A satellite SAT is shown, which transmits satellite signals STS to GPS antennas GPSA of trackside tracking devices SO1 ... SO3 or vehicle-mounted tracking devices FO1 ... FO2. Procedure on the vehicle side

[0054] Vehicles implementing the method according to the invention require a vehicle-mounted positioning device FO1 ... FO2. Furthermore, the TA-based method described as preliminary positioning, for example, is used as an alternative to coarse location determination. This method determines the vehicle location with a positioning error of up to 550 meters. The distance is then determined in the on-board computer in the rail vehicle SF1 ... SF2. Using the TA method after preliminary positioning, a rough determination of the distances to the receivable base stations BS1 ... BS2 is carried out in a first stage of the method. In the fine positioning method, the distance to the receivable base stations BS1 ... BS2 is precisely determined, and with knowledge of these values, the results from the coarse positioning are corrected.

[0055] For the method according to the invention, the GSM receiving device of the vehicle-mounted positioning device must be able to determine the time of receipt of the base data signals with high precision. For this purpose, a GPS-disciplined clock (GDO, see Figure 1) is also installed in the vehicle-mounted positioning device FO1 ... FO2. Figs 2 and 3 ). Successful synchronization of the GPS-disciplined clock is a prerequisite for performing the procedure in the vehicle.

[0056] The mobile radio device of the vehicle-mounted positioning device FO1 ... FO2 continuously receives the base data signals BDS from all receivable base stations BS1 ... BS2. The base data signals BDS are either analyzed in the mobile radio device or transferred to the on-board computer of the vehicle-mounted positioning device FO1 ... FO2 for evaluation. Each received base data signal BDS is assigned a precise reception time. Furthermore, each base data signal BDS is uniquely assigned to the transmitting base station BS1 ... BS2.

[0057] In addition to the basic data signals BDS, the mobile radio device of the vehicle-side locating device FO1 ... FO2 continuously receives the process data signals VDS generated by one or more trackside locating devices SO1 ... SO3 via a suitable mobile radio data service, such as BCCH in the case of a cooperative provider, or GPRS in the case of a non-cooperative provider.

[0058] If a separate data channel to a trackside locating device SO1 ... SO3 is required to receive the process data signals, this is established by the on-board locating device FO1 ... FO2. The on-board computer of the on-board locating device FO1 ... FO2 determines the address of the trackside locating devices SO1 ... SO3 required to establish the data channel, preferably from the connection data of the trackside locating devices SO1 ... SO3 along the route of the route network SN, additionally stored in the route almanac, and from the known (rough) location of the rail vehicle SF1 ... SF2.

[0059] Depending on the connection data of the trackside tracking devices SO1 ... SO3 stored in the track almanac and the current location of the rail vehicle SF1 ... SF2, the on-board tracking device FO1 ... FO2 establishes one or more parallel data connections to the nearby trackside tracking devices SO1 ... SO3. The process data signals VDS sent by the trackside tracking devices SO1 ... SO3 continuously arrive via these data connections. The received process data signals VDS are transferred to the on-board computer of the on-board tracking devices FO1 ... FO2 for evaluation.

[0060] The evaluation of the basic data signals BDS and the process data signals VDS takes place in several steps: In a first step, the currently received process data signals VDS are assigned to the currently received basic data signals BDS in terms of time and base station individually.

[0061] After successful assignment, the second step evaluates the recorded reception time of the base data signals (BDS) and their corresponding transmission time, transmitted via process data signals (VDS). The difference between the reception and transmission times of the base data signals (BDS) provides the exact signal propagation time between the base station BS1 ... BS2 and the mobile radio device in the rail vehicle (SF1 ... SF2) at the time of reception of the base data signals (BDS).

[0062] In the third step, the exact distance of the rail vehicle SF1 ... SF2 to the base station BS1 ... BS2 at the time of reception of the basic data signals BDS is determined from the signal propagation time and the known coordinates of the base stations BS1 ... BS2 stored in the route almanac.

[0063] This algorithm is executed in parallel in the vehicle-mounted positioning system FS1 ... FS2 for all receivable base stations BS1 ... BS2, provided that matching process data signals VDS are available for the basic data signals BDS. This enables precise location determination, for example, through triangulation. Using the exact distances to the receivable base stations, the vehicle location, roughly determined based on the preliminary location, is continuously refined.

[0064] The following functional units are used for the procedure: Trackside locating device according to Figure 2

[0065] A trackside tracking device SO1 consists of a stationary, dedicated computer system OC with at least one receiving device EM for the cellular mobile radio network (especially GSM radio), one receiving device EG for GPS, and one high-precision time measurement device GDO (especially GPS-disciplined clock). The trackside tracking device SO1 communicates with one or more base stations (BS1, BS2, see Fig. 1 ) of the mobile network and on the other hand directly or indirectly with rail vehicles (SF1, SF2, cf. Fig. 1 ) that carry out the proposed location procedure.

[0066] The technical basis for this is, for example, a C-class microcomputer with SDR (Software-Defined Radio) software, which is synchronized by a GPS Disciplined Oscillator (GDO). The GDO receives GPS signals and provides a frequency standard (usually 10 MHz) and a PPS (pulse-per-second) pulse on the output side. This technology is commercially available and inexpensive.

[0067] For the proposed procedure according to Figure 1 Any number of trackside tracking devices SO1 ... SO3 can be provided, for example, along a railway line. The number of trackside tracking devices required depends on the topology of the mobile network and the topology of the route to be traveled.

[0068] Each trackside locating device SO1 is logically assigned to one or more selected base stations BS1. The trackside locating device SO1 continuously receives the radio signals from the logically assigned base station BS1 and evaluates them according to the specific procedure. It is advantageous to arrange another trackside locating device SO2 in close proximity to one or more base stations BS2 (see Fig. 1 ) to ensure, firstly, good radio reception and, secondly, to achieve short signal propagation times between the base station BS2 and the trackside locating device SO2.

[0069] Furthermore, the trackside tracking device continuously transmits data to rail vehicles based on the evaluation of received mobile radio signals or makes this information available to them. The data can be transmitted in various ways, for example, via GSM mobile radio. Vehicle-mounted tracking device according to Figure 3

[0070] The vehicle-mounted tracking device FO1 consists of a mobile computer system MC with at least one receiving device EM for mobile radio, one receiving device EG for GPS, one high-precision timing device GDO (e.g., a GPS Disciplined Oscillator), and the microcomputer C, which is housed in a vehicle. The high-precision timing device can advantageously be integrated into a mobile radio device or implemented as a standalone technical component.

[0071] Furthermore, it is advantageous to also use the on-board device FE (e.g., an odometer) used for preliminary tracking when operating the on-board tracking device FO1. Within the scope of the method, any number of rail vehicles can be equipped with one on-board tracking device each (not shown).

[0072] The on-board location device FO1 continuously receives data from the radio-accessible base stations BS1 and evaluates them for certain mobile radio-specific signals, the basic data signals BDS. Furthermore, the on-board location device FO1 continuously receives the process data signals VDS from one or more trackside location devices (not shown) and evaluates them according to the specific process. This evaluation significantly improves the vehicle location, which was already roughly determined after the preliminary location. This solves the problem stated above. List of reference symbols

[0073] BS1 ... BS2 Base station SO1 ... SO3 Trackside tracking device OClosed computer system FO1 ... FO2 Vehicle-side tracking device GSM AGSM antenna GPS AGPS antenna MC Mobile computer system GDO Timekeeping device EME Mobile radio reception device EG GPS reception device C Microcomputer SATSatellite (GPS) SF1 ... SF2 Rail vehicle SN Route network FE Vehicle-side device BDS Basic data signal VDS Procedure data signal STSSatellite signal

Claims

1. Method for sending locating signals to rail vehicles (SF1 ... SF2) in a route network (SN), wherein periodically generated base data signals (BDS) of a cellular mobile radio network are used to produce the locating signals, characterised in that a trackside locating facility (S01 ... S03), which is arranged at a fixed location in the route network (SN), • receives the base data signals (BDS) of at least one base station (BS1 ... BS2) of the cellular mobile radio network assigned to the trackside locating facility (S01 ... S03), • generates method data signals (VDS), associated with the base data signals (BDS), which comprise the respective send time of the relevant base data signal (BDS) in the base station (BS1 ... BS2) and the identity of the relevant base station (BS1 ... BS2), • periodically outputs the method data signals (VDS).

2. Method according to claim 1, characterised in that the periodicity of the method data signals (VDS) is adapted precisely to the periodicity of the base data signals (BDS).

3. Method for locating a rail vehicle (SF1 ... SF2), in which • an onboard locating facility (F01 ... F02) arranged in the rail vehicle (SF1 ... SF2) determines the location of the rail vehicle (SF1 ... SF2), • the onboard locating facility (F01 ... F02), when determining the location, ascertains the distance to at least one base station (BS1 ... BS2) of a cellular mobile radio network, characterised in that the onboard locating facility (F01 ... F02) • receives periodically generated base data signals (BDS) from the at least one base station (BS1 ... BS2) and ascertains the receive time thereof, • receives method data signals (VDS), periodically generated in accordance with the method according to claim 1, from a trackside locating facility (S01 ... SO3), • retrieves the identity of the base station (BS1 ... BS2) to which the method data signals (VDS) can be assigned in each case and assigns the method data signals (VDS) to the associated operating data signals, • uses the send times transmitted with the method data signals and the ascertained receive times to calculate the runtime of the base data signals (BDS) from the base station (BS1 ... BS2) to the rail vehicle (SF1 ... SF2), • recalculates the ascertained distance to the at least one base station (BS1 ... BS2), taking into account the calculated runtime.

4. Method according to claim 3, characterised in that the trackside locating facility (S01 ... S02) sends the method data signals (VDS) directly via radio to the onboard locating facilities (F01 ... F02).

5. Method according to one of claims 3 or 4, characterised in that the trackside locating facility (S01 ... S03) transmits the method data signals (VDS) via radio or cable to the base station (BS1 ... BS2) and the base station (BS1 ... BS2) forwards the method data signals (VDS) via radio to the onboard locating facility (F01 ... F02).

6. Method according to one of claims 3 to 5, characterised in that a first item of location information ascertained from the recalculated distance is compared with a second item of location information and, in the event of deviations, the second item of location information is corrected.

7. Method according to claim 6, characterised in that a position of the rail vehicle (SF1 ... SF2) is ascertained as the first item of location information, wherein a position of the base station (BS1 ... BS2) is predetermined.

8. Method according to claim 7, characterised in that the first item of location information is used to produce and / or correct an almanac describing the route.

9. Method according to one of claims 3 to 6, characterised in that a position of the base station (BS1 ... BS2) is ascertained as the first item of location information, wherein a position of the rail vehicle (SF1 ... SF2) is predetermined.

10. Method according to one of claims 3 to 9, characterised in that the section travelled by the rail vehicle (SF1 ... SF2) in each case between the send times and the receive times is taken into account.

11. Trackside locating facility (S01 ... S03) for arrangement on a section of track, characterised in that said facility is configured to carry out a method according to claim 1 and claim 5.

12. Onboard locating facility (F01 ... F02) for installation in a rail vehicle (SF1 ... SF2), characterised in that said facility is configured to carry out a method according to claim 5.

13. Computer program product comprising program commands which, when the program is executed by a computer, cause said computer to carry out the method according to one of claims 1 to 10.

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