Method and system for monitoring a level crossing

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for monitoring, by a computer system, a level crossing and to a system (100) implementing such a method. Figure for the abstract: 1

Description

Description Title of the invention: Method and system for monitoring a passage level Technical field of the invention

[0001] — The present invention relates to the field of configured computer systems to interact and communicate with motor vehicles and trains, particularly those designed to monitor level crossings. The invention relates to in particular on a method of monitoring, by a computer system, a passage to level. The invention also relates to a computer system implementing a such a process. Prior art

[0002] It is known that accidents between motor vehicles and trains are not badly- Fortunately not rare, such accidents usually occur when a passage at level suffers a malfunction which prevents the barriers from closing automatically- tically upon the arrival of a train and a motor vehicle is in a difficult position- carefully on the level crossing just as the train arrives. In such a In this situation, neither the train driver nor the driver of the motor vehicle is at fault, because Neither of them can act quickly enough to prevent the tragedy from unfolding. to be avoided (the train driver does not have time to brake and the driver of the The vehicle does not have time to react between the moment it becomes aware that the train is there and the impact). However, despite this most regrettable state of affairs, it turns out Unfortunately, no system or process, whether at the level of trains or the motor vehicles do not effectively protect against these accidents which are unfortunately often tragic. Summary of the invention

[0003] The invention aims to overcome this drawback. The invention is indeed intended to provide a process and system that allow monitoring of a level crossing in order to to minimize the risk of accidents between motor vehicles and trains.

[0004] This objective is achieved, according to a first object of the invention, by means of a method of monitoring, by a computer system, of a level crossing, the process including the steps of:

[0005] i. acquire data characterizing the current location and speed current of a train located near the level crossing transmitted to by means of a first radio signal communication apparatus- frequencies arranged on board the train; ii. Acquire data characterizing the current location and speed current of a motor vehicle located near the crossing level transmitted by means of a second communication device by radio frequency signals arranged on board the vehicle; iii. determine, based on the data characterizing the current location and the typical speed of a train near the level crossing and the data characterizing the current location and current speed of a vehicle located near the level crossing, if there is a risk of collision between the train and the vehicle exists; and, when this is the case, iv. to order, to the train, a data transmission characterizing a notification, intended for the vehicle, a transmission of characteristic data specifying a notification and / or data characterizing at least one instance- guidance instructions interpretable by a driver assistance system vehicle, and / or, destined for a remote server, a transmission of data characterizing a notification and data characterizing the location level crossing adjustment. According to one variant, step iii) can be carried out by interacting with an artificial intelligence. According to another variant, the first radio frequency signal communication equipment and the second radio frequency signal communication equipment can interact with an intelligent transport system and / or a fifth generation mobile communication network. According to another variant, step iii) may include a step to determine if the vehicle is stuck on the level crossing. According to another variant, step iii) may include a step consisting of determining data characterizing at least one subsequent location of the vehicle and / or train. According to another variant, step ill) may include a step to determine whether a value of a risk parameter is greater than or equal to a pre-established threshold value. Furthermore, the invention also relates to a system for monitoring a level crossing, the system comprising at least one information processing unit, including at least one processor, and a data storage medium configured to implement a method as described above. Furthermore, the invention also relates to a program comprising program code instructions for executing the steps of a process as described above when said program is executed on a computer and / or processor. Furthermore, the invention also relates to a medium usable in a computer on which a program as described above is recorded. Brief description of the figures Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon examination of the detailed description below, and the accompanying drawings, in which: [fig.1] is a functional diagram of a system according to the invention; and [Fig. 2] is a flowchart illustrating the steps of a process according to the invention. Detailed description of the invention According to the invention, a system 100 for monitoring a level crossing is a computer system, represented schematically in Figure 1, which includes an information processing unit 101, comprising one or more processors, a data storage medium 102, at least one input and output interface 103, enabling the reception and transmission of data, and a supercomputer and / or artificial intelligence 104. According to the preferred embodiment of the invention, the system 100 according to the invention is part of a computer architecture connected by conventional equipment to a private or public communication network. Furthermore, the system 100 according to the invention includes hardware and software means for communicating with a plurality of remote trains and motor vehicles using conventional communication protocols, for example, those used in intelligent transportation systems (e.g., ITS-G5, C / LTE / 5G-V2X, etc.). In other words, the system 100 according to the invention includes hardware and software equipment for interacting with conventional network equipment (e.g., network card, modem, router, switch, etc.) that allows the use of private or public communication networks, preferably mobile communication networks, for example, fifth-generation networks, to exchange data with remote trains and motor vehicles.Thus, by these means, the system 100 according to the invention is notably able to acquire data characterizing the current location and current speed of a train located near a level crossing transmitted by means of a first radio frequency signal communication apparatus arranged on board the train and to acquire data characterizing the current location and current speed of a motor vehicle located near a level crossing transmitted by means of a second radio frequency signal communication apparatus arranged on board the vehicle. Furthermore, according to the invention, motor vehicles and trains that communicate with the system 100 according to the invention are equipped with radio frequency signal communication equipment, which, conventionally, allows communication with distant communicating entities, in particular those belonging to an intelligent transportation system (e.g., other vehicles, smartphones). carried by pedestrians, server, cloud, etc.), by implementing conventional short and long range communication protocols (e.g. ITS-GS, C / LTE / 5G-V2X, Bluetooth, Wifi, NFC, etc.). Furthermore, according to the invention, motor vehicles and trains communicating with the system 100 according to the invention are also equipped with measuring devices for determining the location and current speed of the train or vehicle. To provide these functionalities, these devices can be an integral part of a navigation system that interacts with a satellite positioning system. Furthermore, according to the invention, motor vehicles and trains that communicate with the system 100 according to the invention are also equipped with a human-machine interface which, at a minimum, can interact with a screen and / or with an on-board speaker(s) in order to broadcast notifications visually and / or audibly. Furthermore, according to a particular embodiment of the invention, motor vehicles that communicate with the system 100 according to the invention are equipped with a driver assistance system, which, conventionally, includes at least one detection device (e.g. radar, lidar, ultrasonic sensor, camera, etc.) and one or more dedicated computers and / or processors, which, based on raw data generated by the detection device(s), can control the operation of certain vehicle components that govern its movement (e.g. electronic power steering, electronic stability control, ABS, cruise control, etc.). According to the invention, all the elements described above contribute to enabling the system 100 according to the invention to implement a method for monitoring a level crossing, as described below in relation to figure 2. According to a first step 201 of the method according to the invention, the system 100 according to the invention acquires data characterizing the current location and speed of a train near a level crossing, transmitted by means of a first radio frequency signal communication device arranged on board the train. To this end, all trains approaching a level crossing—this situation being determined, for example, by means of the train's navigation system—generate, by means of their on-board measuring device, the data characterizing the current location and speed and, in real time and / or periodically (every 30 seconds), transmit them, preferably via a fifth-generation (i.e., 5G) mobile communication network, to the system 100 according to the invention by means of their radio frequency signal communication device.Similarly, according to a second step 202 of the process according to the invention, the system 100 according to the invention acquires data characterizing the current location and speed. current location of a motor vehicle near the level crossing transmitted by means of a second radio frequency signal communication device installed on board the vehicle. To do this, all vehicles approaching a level crossing — this situation being determined, for example, by means of the vehicle's navigation system or by means of a detection device of its driver assistance system (e.g., detection of a sign announcing a level crossing by means of a camera of the driver assistance system) — generate, by means of their on-board measuring device, the data characterizing the current location and current speed and, in real time and / or periodically (every 30 seconds), transmit them, preferably via a fifth generation mobile communication network (i.e., 5G), to the system 100 according to the invention by means of their radio frequency signal communication device. According to a third step 203 of the method according to the invention, the system 100 according to the invention determines, based on data characterizing the current location and speed of a train near the level crossing and data characterizing the current location and speed of a vehicle near the level crossing, whether there is a risk of collision between the train and the vehicle. To do this, the system according to the invention uses its information processing unit 101 or, preferably, its artificial intelligence 104 in order, for example, to calculate the possible and / or plausible trajectories of the train and the motor vehicle and, based on these, to determine whether the trajectories imply a possibility of impact and / or whether the vehicle is (or will soon be) stuck on the level crossing.According to another example, the system 100 according to the invention determines a value of a risk parameter, by considering for example a rear location of the train and / or vehicle, which it compares to a pre-established threshold value (a risk of collision exists when the risk parameter is greater than or equal to the pre-established threshold value). Finally, according to a fourth step 204 of the method according to the invention, carried out only when the system 100 according to the invention has established during the preceding step 203 that a risk of collision between the train and the vehicle exists, the system 100 according to the invention commands, to the train, a data transmission characterizing a notification, to the vehicle, a data transmission characterizing a notification and / or data characterizing at least one guidance instruction interpretable by a vehicle driver assistance system, and / or, to a remote server, a data transmission characterizing a notification and data characterizing the location of the level crossing. For example, when the system 100 according to the invention has established during the preceding step 203 that the trajectories of the train and the vehicle imply a possibility of impact, it command, to the vehicle, a transmission of data characterizing a notification, which is used by means of the vehicle's human-machine interface to visually and / or audibly disseminate a notification in the vehicle to alert the driver of the risk situation, and / or, according to a particular embodiment in which the vehicle is equipped with a driver assistance system capable of autonomously assuming vehicle guidance, of data characterizing at least one guidance instruction interpretable by the vehicle's driver assistance system, which the driver assistance system uses to, for example, guide the vehicle to a safe area, decrease and / or increase its speed and / or simply stop it.According to another example, when the system 100 according to the invention has determined during the previous step 203 that the vehicle is (or will be) blocked on the level crossing, it then commands the transmission, to the train, of data characterizing a notification, which is used by the train's human-machine interface to display a visual and / or audible notification in the train's cockpit in order to alert the driver to the hazardous situation. Alternatively or cumulatively, the system 100 according to the invention commands, to a remote server, in particular a server administered by an emergency service authorized to intervene in the event of an accident, the transmission of data characterizing a notification, which is used by the server to display a notification, for example by means of a graphical interface, in order to alert an operator. Therefore, according to the method and system of the invention described above, a solution is provided to monitor a level crossing and thus minimize the risk of accidents between trains and motor vehicles.

Claims

Demands

1. Method of monitoring, by a computer system (100), a level crossing, characterized in that the process includes the steps of : i. acquire data characterizing the current location and the current speed of a train near the crossing at level transmitted by means of a first set of equipment radio frequency signal communication arranged on board the train ; ii. Acquire data characterizing the current location and the current speed of a motor vehicle located at proximity to the level crossing transmitted by means of a second radio signal communication equipment- frequencies arranged on board the vehicle; iii. determine, based on the data characterizing the location current reading and current speed of a train located at proximity of the level crossing and data characterizing the current location and current speed of a vehicle if located near the level crossing, if there is a risk of A collision between the train and the vehicle exists; and, when such a collision occurs that case, iv. order, for the train, a transmission of data characterizing a notification, intended for the vehicle, a data transmission characterizing a notification information and / or data characterizing at least an information guidance instructions interpretable by a system to assist the driving the vehicle, and / or, to a remote server, UNC transmission DC data characterizing UNC notification CT data characterizing the location of the level crossing.

2. Method according to claim |, characterized in that step iii) is achieved by interacting with artificial intelligence.

3. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that that the first radio signal communication equipment- frequencies and the second signal communication equipment radio frequencies interact with an intelligent transportation system and / or a fifth-generation mobile communication network.

4. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that that step iii) includes a step to determine whether the The vehicle is stuck on the level crossing.

5. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that that step iii) includes a step to determine data characterizing at least one rear location of the vehicle and / or the train.

6. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that that step iii) includes a step to determine whether a the value of a risk parameter is greater than or equal to a value pre-established threshold.

7. System (100) for monitoring a level crossing, characterized in that The system includes at least one information processing unit (101), comprising at least one processor, and a storage medium of data (102) configured to implement a process according to one any of the preceding claims.

8. Computer program comprising code instructions program for executing the steps of a process according to one any of claims 1-6 when said program is executed on a computer.

9. A medium usable in a computer, characterized in that a The program according to claim 8 is registered there.