Railway vehicle provided with pantograph and with control system for raising / lowering such pantograph

Abstract

To meet the need that is felt to lower the pantograph of the tram when travelling along a line section lacking the catenary, for safety reasons, during the journey along the line.SOLUTION: A railway vehicle (1) is provided with a pantograph (10) movable under an action of a moving device (12) between a raised position, in which it is able to cooperate in contact, in use, with a catenary conductor cable for drawing electrical energy, and a lowered position, in which it is lower than a height where, in use, such catenary is provided; the vehicle is provided with a battery pack and a control system (18) for controlling the moving device (12) and therefore lowering / raising the pantograph (10); the control system has a microprocessor control unit configured to control the moving device (12) in response to signals containing information indicative of an actual position of the vehicle (1), and / or indicative of the presence or absence of the conductor cable (14) in the vicinity of the vehicle (1).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] (Cross - reference to related applications) This patent application claims priority from Italian Patent Application No. 102020000004342, filed on March 2, 2020, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present invention relates to a railway vehicle, particularly a vehicle equipped with a pantograph and a control system for raising / lowering the pantograph. In the following description, reference will be made thereto without loss of generality.

Background Art

[0003] In recent applications, a train can be equipped with a built - in battery pack for storing electrical energy and a pantograph for extracting electrical energy from an overhead electrical cable. The electrical energy of the battery pack and the electrical energy extracted from the overhead electrical cable can be used alternatively to power an electric motor drive system. By providing a battery pack, the train can move along sections with overhead lines and along non - electrified sections. In particular, in the historical centers of cities, there is an increasingly common tendency to avoid the use of overhead elements such as overhead lines, which may damage the aesthetic value of the historical center and / or bring considerable technical complexity in terms of installation and / or power supply.

[0004] For safety reasons, it is considered necessary to lower the pantograph of the train when traveling along sections without overhead lines during a journey along the line.

[0005] For this purpose, in known solutions, the pantograph is raised and lowered by a special command from the driver. In other words, in currently commercially available vehicles, the raising and lowering procedure is manual.

[0006] Generally, except for approximate methods, the driver cannot see the overhead line due to distance and / or difficulties (depending on weather conditions). Also, the driver does not necessarily need to know the line on which he or she is traveling (i.e., the driver does not need to know whether it is an electrified section or a non-electrified section along the tram line he or she is operating). Therefore, in order to determine when and where to raise and lower the pantograph, in known solutions, the driver has to interpret the information provided on appropriate signals and signs arranged along the tram route, or for the stopping points where it is necessary to intervene by raising and lowering the pantograph, the driver has to be informed in advance from the operation center.

[0007] This need to provide information to the driver can clearly cause interpretation errors and / or communication defects. Therefore, when the pantograph drops more than necessary, errors in the movement control of the pantograph carry the risk of damaging the overhead line and / or the pantograph itself, or consuming the energy stored by the battery pack.

[0008] Exemplary devices for automatically lowering the pantograph are included in Patent Document 1, which discloses methods and devices for monitoring external factors that cause obstacles on the overhead line. These methods and devices are suitable for use in electric railway vehicles that employ and / or are equipped with an image recording unit and an evaluation unit. The evaluation unit is for comparing a previously acquired and recorded image at the same location with an instant image in order to identify the presence of undesirable objects around the overhead line. The area around the overhead line may indicate a dangerous state in order to lower the pantograph to avoid damage.

[0009] The prior art described in this document does not meet the object of the present invention.

[0010] In fact, the method and apparatus described in Patent Document 1 cannot actively recognize the overhead line, and in order to identify dangers / obstacles along the overhead line, images are compared to search for differences between the images. This comparison does not detect any differences regarding the overhead line, which are either present in both images or not present in both images. In other words, the apparatus described in Patent Document 1 does not perform any inspection on the overhead line.

[0011] Furthermore, this prior art solution does not have another power source to ensure driving along the section where the pantograph descends.

[0012] Moreover, Patent Document 1 does not provide safety measures when the pantograph is separated from the overhead line, because this separation is sometimes carried out in an emergency situation.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0013]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

[0014] An object of the present invention is to provide a railway vehicle that can simply and inexpensively solve the above problems.

[0015] According to the present invention, a railway vehicle is provided as defined in the claims.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0016]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0017] In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 indicates a railway vehicle (schematically shown) including one or more passenger cars 2 having a driver's cab 4 suitable for accommodating a driver, and a control panel 5 (schematically shown in FIG. 2) for enabling the driver to drive the vehicle 1 and monitor and operate the on-vehicle accessories and devices. The driver's cab 4 is arranged at one end of the passenger car 2. In the specific example shown here, the vehicle 1 is composed of two connected passenger cars 2. In particular, the vehicle 1 has two driving positions 4 arranged at both ends (i.e., the head and the tail) of the vehicle 1 and is capable of being driven in both traveling directions.

[0018] The passenger car 2 is coupled to a track or rail 7 and includes one or more carrier cars 6 having wheels driven by an electrically driven motor 8 schematically shown for moving along one or more lines or routes defined by the track 7. Specifically, the vehicle 1 is defined by a tram.

[0019] Vehicle 1 includes a pantograph 10 disposed on one of the roofs 11 of the passenger car 2, and an electric moving device 12 schematically shown in FIG. 2. The electric moving device 12 is controlled to move the pantograph 10 relative to the roof 11 between a raised position in contact with an overhead conductor cable (i.e., an overhead power supply cable) indicated by reference numeral 14 and a lowered position disposed lower than the height at which the conductor cable 14 is disposed. The pantograph 10 draws electrical energy from the conductor cable 14 in a known manner to supply power to the electric drive motor 8.

[0020] This conductor cable 14 is provided only along a part of the line on which the vehicle 1 travels, while other parts are not electrified. To compensate for the lack of electrical energy in the non-electrified part of the line, the vehicle 1 includes an additional electrical energy source 15 for driving the electric drive motor 8 as an alternative to the energy supplied by the pantograph 10. This additional power source 15 particularly includes a battery pack. In combination with or instead of the battery pack, the additional power source 15 comprises an assembly defined by a heat engine and a generator, or a fuel cell, or a supercapacitor. Thus, in the absence of the conductor cable 14, the electric drive motor 8 is continuously and evenly powered throughout the line.

[0021] As schematically shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle 1 comprises a control system 18 including a microprocessor control unit 16 programmed to control the device 12 (i.e., raise and lower the pantograph 10) and programmed to control the power supply switching between the pantograph 10 and the additional power source 15. The unit 16 automatically issues control signals (for the device 12 and the power supply switching) according to the information shown below. · The presence or absence of the conductor cable 14 along the path on which the vehicle 1 travels in the vicinity of the vehicle 1 in front of the compartment 4 (considering the traveling direction). And / or · The actual position of the vehicle 1 along this path.

[0022] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the above information is detected by the detection system 20 mounted on the vehicle 1. Preferably, the detected information is information indicating at least the presence / absence of the conductor cable 14. In practice, the control system 18 is mounted on the vehicle 1, configured to detect and / or determine the presence / absence of the conductor cable 14, and issue a corresponding signal towards the control unit 16, and includes one or more detection devices 20.

[0023] As schematically shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the device 20 and / or the control system 18 operates actively and independently of the position of the vehicle 1. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, as shown in the schematic diagram of FIG. 6, the unit 16 is programmed to control the automatic raising and / or lowering of the pantograph 10 only when the vehicle 1 is stationary or coasting, i.e., when there is no energy transfer to or from the conductor cable 14 for traction purposes.

[0024] In other words, preferably, the movement of the pantograph 10 is performed when the vehicle is stationary or moving inertially, i.e., moving by inertia without drawing energy from the overhead line via the pantograph 10, for safety reasons due to the need to avoid dangerous electric arcs.

[0025] For example, when the detection system 20 determines / detects the passage from an electrified section to a non-electrified section or vice versa, the unit 16 is programmed to control the automatic raising or lowering of the pantograph 10 at a station or a stop on the line. On the other hand, preferably, in order to start drawing energy from the overhead line while the vehicle is moving, the unit 16 first commands the stop of power supply by the additional power supply 15 for coasting, i.e., inertia running, then commands the raising of the pantograph 10, and immediately thereafter commands the start of power supply by the pantograph 10 to resume wheel traction.

[0026] Similarly, in order to separate the vehicle from the overhead line while the vehicle is moving, preferably, unit 16 first commands the suspension of power supply by the pantograph 10 to run by inertia initially, then commands the lowering of the pantograph 10, and immediately thereafter commands the start of power supply by the additional power source 15 to resume the traction of the wheels.

[0027] Referring again to FIGS. 1 to 3, the detection device 20 includes one or more cameras 22 directed upwardly and optionally forwardly (i.e., beyond the end of vehicle 1) so as to visually monitor this space by appropriate control logic towards the position or space where the overhead line is provided, and as a result, be able to confirm the presence or absence of the conductor cable 14, which will be described in detail below.

[0028] Preferably, the camera 22 is arranged outside the vehicle 1, for example, on the roof 11 or on the driver's cab 4, in order to detect an image as sharp as possible. In particular, the camera 22 is arranged at one end of the passenger car 2.

[0029] In the specific example shown here, since the vehicle 1 is bidirectional, the device 20 includes two cameras 22 respectively arranged at both ends of the vehicle 1, that is, two cameras 22, one at the head and the other at the tail. The signals captured by the two cameras 22 can be alternatively used for each other according to the actual traveling direction of the vehicle 1. According to a modification not described in detail, the signals captured by the two cameras 22 can be used in combination with each other, for example, to detect errors that may occur in the detection of the conductor cable 14 and / or signal transmission to the unit 16 and identify them.

[0030] In particular, each camera 22 is arranged at a fixed position. The camera 22 monitors a space with a certain depth along the line / route in front of the driver's cab 4. The maximum depth that can be monitored substantially depends on the technical and configurational characteristics of the camera, while the depth actually considered for the video analysis described below will depend on the settings of the monitoring and data processing software.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 2, the apparatus 20 preferably includes, for each camera 22, a corresponding lighting device 24 directed at the same position or space as the corresponding camera 22 is directed so as to illuminate the overhead line when the vehicle 1 is in an electrified section of the line. The lighting device 24 can emit light in a wavelength range visible to the human eye and / or infrared wavelengths to facilitate detection operations at night (similarly, the camera 22 can also be selected to detect radiation in the infrared range).

[0032] The apparatus 20 includes, for each camera 22, an individual DSP (Digital Signal Processing Unit) that receives the images captured by the respective camera 22 and communicates with the control unit 16. According to a modification not shown, the DSP is integrated into the control unit 16.

[0033] The DSP is programmed by appropriate software (known in the art) to adjust the light intensity of each lighting device 24 as a function of one or more metrics related to the quality of the images captured by the camera 22 in order to obtain as sharp images as possible and thus facilitate subsequent processing of these images.

[0034] Furthermore, preferably, the DSP is configured by appropriate software (known in the art) to process the images received by each camera 22, and this processing includes one or more of the following two operations. · Noise removal. · Image detail enhancement.

[0035] Following this optional processing, the following operations continue. · Information extraction from the image.

[0036] During the noise removal operation, the captured images are subjected to video analysis techniques to facilitate subsequent information extraction. In particular, these video analysis techniques use algorithms known in the art (e.g., pixel histogram calculation) to provide information regarding the average luminance and contrast of the images. By this analysis described above, the lighting device 24 can be adjusted appropriately.

[0037] Subsequently, in order to remove minor details from the image while protecting the most important structures, image conversion is applied using a low-pass filter known in the literature (e.g., Gaussian filter).

[0038] During the detail enhancement operation, the image is segmented, i.e., the spatial region of the image is divided into important subsets (regions) separated from each other by curves (contours). The segmentation step aims to generate an intermediate image starting from the image which is a pictorial representation of the scene. In the resulting intermediate image, the contours and / or regions of the objects within the scene are emphasized. In particular, two different segmentation techniques (known in the literature) can be used to identify the overhead conductor cable 14 in the image. · Edge detection: In the region of the image where the overhead line exists, there is a sudden change in brightness at the important contour of the overhead line. The contour points are called "edge points" and are searched using a differential operator (the algorithms used in this technique are known in the literature, for example, the Canny algorithm and its variations, or the Sobel operator is applied). · Extraction of homogeneous regions: Homogeneous regions are identified by the fact that points belonging to the same region have similar gray levels, and the classification of points can be performed globally (threshold-based technique) or locally (region growing technique), enabling the identification of background parts (e.g., empty).

[0039] After segmentation, as described above, an intermediate image in which the basic structure is emphasized (i.e., a synthetic geometric representation is obtained) is available.

[0040] Then, the information extraction operation is performed by speculatively knowing the shape of the overhead line, and it is possible to search for the presence of that shape in the segmented image using a shape matching technique also known in the literature.

[0041] These techniques evaluate the matching, i.e., the correspondence between what is included in the captured (and optionally processed) image and a given criterion or template representing the overhead line. The template is defined by information included in a memory (not shown) that communicates with the DSP and / or the control unit 16.

[0042] Next, the matching is evaluated by comparing the image captured and processed by the camera 22 with the template. Preferably, this comparison is also performed by changing the orientation and dimensions of the same template. The comparison is performed using a fast search method based on a sub-template defined by a part or subset of the characteristic points of the template, which is also known in the literature, e.g., defined presumptively. The first comparison is performed to search for the sub-template within the image captured by the camera 22 and arriving, and then the entire template is searched only at points with a high degree of coincidence with the sub-template.

[0043] As a further example of the above-mentioned shape matching technique, to recognize a straight line in the image, e.g., a vertical line, the Hough transform can be applied. In fact, in its classical form, the Hough transform enables the recognition of lines in an image and can be generalized to be applicable also in the case of a 3D point cloud, and thus can also be applied to the 3D frame generated / captured by the lidar. After applying this transform, pairs of lines seen in the imaging image translated parallel to the vehicle's travel direction are identified and / or selected.

[0044] At the end of the aforementioned information extraction operation, the DSP and / or the control unit 16 verifies the presence or absence of the overhead line in the captured image. In fact, the software executed by the DSP and / or the control unit 16 of the device 20 can analyze the detected image and, in particular, identify the detected line and / or pair of lines, and thus enable the recognition of the presence or absence of the conductor cable 14.

[0045] Preferably, as shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 16 communicates with the control panel 5 to receive and / or provide information.

[0046] Accordingly, when the above-described conditions are determined, the control unit 16 communicates with the apparatus 12 to control the raising and lowering of the pantograph 10. When lowering, the unit 16 switches the power supply in order to operate the electric drive motor 8 by the additional power supply 15. Further, the control unit 16 preferably receives a signal regarding the state / position of the pantograph 10 from a suitable sensor (not shown) that forms part of the apparatus 12.

[0047] Accordingly, the control unit 16 · For example, based on the signal provided by the sensor of the apparatus 12, it is determined whether the position of the pantograph 10 is descending or ascending. · Activate line monitoring to receive information from the apparatus 20 based on the presence / absence of the conductor cable 14. · Optionally, based on the traveling direction of the vehicle 1, identify the information received by the two DSPs of the device 20 (for example, information regarding the traveling direction may be implicitly provided by the driver who controls the control panel 5 to be operated). · Based on the detection of the presence / absence of the conductor cable 14 and the detection of the actual position of the pantograph 10, change or maintain the position of the pantograph 10. In particular, the control unit 16 is configured to execute the process shown in the block diagram of FIG. 3. · When the pantograph 10 has descended, send a command to supply power to the electric drive motor 8 via the additional power supply 15.

[0048] In this process, image processing shows the immutability of the overhead line 14 in the next few meters of the path. When the pantograph 10 has already been raised, there is no need to move the pantograph 10, and thus there is no need to switch the power supply.

[0049] When the vehicle 1 is along the electrified section with the pantograph 10 in the raised state and the image processing indicates that there is no overhead line in the next few meters of the route, the control unit 16 lowers the pantograph 10 and controls the device 12.

[0050] When the vehicle 1 is in the non-electrified section with the pantograph 10 remaining lowered (and in particular, the electric drive motor is powered by the additional power source 15) and the image processing indicates the presence of an overhead line in the next few meters of the route, the control unit 16 controls the device 12 to raise the pantograph 10, and then powers the electric drive motor 8 with the energy taken from the conductor cable 14.

[0051] Finally, when the image processing continuously indicates the absence of an overhead line and the pantograph 10 is already in the lowered position, no operation is required.

[0052] From the above, the control system 18 of the present invention can automatically raise / lower the pantograph 10 of the tram autonomously and without notifying the driver at the point where these raising / lowering operations need to be performed at the start of the route.

[0053] This result is advantageous not only from the perspective of traditional tram vehicle forms but also from the perspective of vehicles with autonomous driving capabilities (driverless vehicles).

[0054] Advantageously, according to a modification, the control system 18 can send a permission request to the driver via, for example, the control panel 5 when an operation for changing the position of the pantograph 10 is required, and this operation is actually executed by the control system 18 only after receiving such permission in the auxiliary driving configuration.

[0055] In the modification of FIG. 6, preferably, in addition to having information on the presence or absence of the overhead line conductor cable 14 near the vehicle 1, the control unit 16 communicates with a device for detecting and / or monitoring the position of the vehicle (such as the device 20a described later).

[0056] The device 20 is in standby mode until a warning or permission signal for communicating to the control unit 16 that the device (20a) for detecting / monitoring the position of the vehicle indicates that the vehicle 1 is stationary and / or at a programmed stop point along the line and / or at a programmed point where it is operating but needs to move the pantograph is sent. In response to this permission signal, the control unit 16 activates the device 20 and / or starts analyzing the information coming from the device 20. When the process in FIG. 3 is completed, the control unit 16 communicates again with the device (20a) for monitoring the position of the vehicle until it reaches the next stop point or programmed point, that is, the device 20 can return to standby mode until this new stop point or programmed point.

[0057] This operation logic should be considered as a double permission procedure regarding the raising of the pantograph 10 in order to increase the safety level of the operation. On the other hand, in the case of lowering the pantograph 10, preferably, the camera 22 continues to monitor the overhead conductor cable 14, and the lowering process is activated when permission is obtained by one or more of the two monitoring systems, namely, the vehicle positioning monitoring system or the overhead line monitoring system.

[0058] According to a variant not shown, instead of or in combination with the camera 22, the device 20 can include a radar (radio detection and ranging) device, or a lidar (light detection and ranging or laser imaging detection and ranging) device.

[0059] Algorithms for analyzing the information obtained via the radar / lidar device and verifying the presence of the overhead line are also known in the technical literature.

[0060] The rider device can also measure the distance and reflectivity of the scanned object. Therefore, the use of one or more rider devices is particularly advantageous compared to the use of a camera. In the case of detection by the rider device, the rider device captures a so-called "frame" series. The rider device scans its front location using a certain field of view (FOV) defined by the horizontal and vertical angles. The result is not an array of pixels like a camera, but a point cloud in a three-dimensional space (3D frame), and each point is characterized by the relative distance from the rider device and / or the relative value of the reflection coefficient.

[0061] Optionally, so-called downsampling of points is performed, that is, a technique for "picking out" the acquired points is implemented, thus simplifying subsequent processing.

[0062] By giving the position and orientation of the rider device and speculatively knowing the area in the surrounding space where the overhead line should be theoretically arranged, the approximate theoretical distance where the overhead line should be arranged is calculated. Similarly, if the material constituting the overhead line is known, it is possible to determine the theoretical reflection coefficient value characterizing the overhead line itself.

[0063] The information regarding the theoretical distance between the overhead line and the rider device and / or the theoretical reflectivity of the overhead line is compared with the distance and / or reflectivity data actually detected by the rider device. These points with a detected distance close to one of the theoretical ones and / or a reflectivity close to one of the theoretical ones form a set of points that potentially represent the overhead line.

[0064] Currently, shape matching algorithms (known in the literature as described above), such as techniques based on the Hough transform, are directed in the direction of travel to check whether an overhead line actually exists and search for filamentous objects (similar to the overhead line conductor cable 14) in the processed 3D frame.

[0065] According to the embodiment of FIG. 4, the control system 18 of the present invention operates based on two types of information instead of determining the presence or absence of the overhead line based on software processing related to the detection of the device 20. · Recognition of the line with information set at the start of the service (i.e., information regarding the stopping point and / or position where the overhead line interruption occurs, in other words, the location where there is a change between the electrified section and the non-electrified section of the line), this information is included in a special memory (not shown) mounted on the vehicle (or communicated wirelessly to the control unit 16 of vehicle 1 by the remote control unit). · Actual position detection of vehicle 1 determined by the position detection and / or monitoring device 20a mounted on vehicle 1 (or communicated wirelessly to the control unit 16 by the remote control unit and established by appropriate sensors arranged along the line).

[0066] In other words, by speculatively knowing the exact position of the changing point of the line where the pantograph 10 should be raised / lowered, it is not strictly necessary for the device 20 to monitor the overhead line, and it is sufficient to know the actual position of vehicle 1.

[0067] The device 20a operates based on one or more signals transmitted by one or more odometers 31 (provided, for example, on the carrier vehicle 6), and / or transmitted by the satellite navigator 32, and / or transmitted by the inertial platform 33 (equipped with an accelerometer, gyroscope, etc.). The device 20a includes a DSP (Digital Signal Processing unit) programmed to determine the position of vehicle 1 along the line based on the aforementioned signals.

[0068] The control unit 16 is interlocked with the device 20a and the device 12, and preferably also with the control panel 5.

[0069] In particular, the control unit 16 is configured to determine the distance from the vehicle 1 to the next position (for example, the stopping point) where it is necessary to raise and lower the pantograph 10. As shown in FIG. 5, the unit 16 determines that it has reached this position, together with information indicating the type of power fluctuations expected on the line (from the overhead line to the battery or vice versa), and the control unit 16 appropriately controls the device 12. Therefore, the control unit 16 plays the role of implementing the block diagram of FIG. 5.

[0070] In other words, the control unit 16 receives information that is presumptively determined regarding the line (for example, the position where a change is expected between the section where the overhead line exists and the section where the overhead line 14 does not exist, and / or the position of the stopping point where the pantograph 10 is raised / lowered), receives information regarding the actual position of the vehicle 1 from the device 20a, compares the two pieces of information, and as a result, activates the device 12 to raise / lower the pantograph 10.

[0071] Also, after the operation is completed, the control unit 16 sends a confirmation message to the control panel 5.

[0072] Referring to FIG. 4, the satellite navigator 32 generally is not sufficient to guarantee continuous monitoring of the position of the vehicle 1 because there may be no satellite guarantee and / or no satellite signal reception guarantee for the entire line (for example, for passing through a tunnel). Therefore, the device 20a also utilizes the information detected by the inertial platform 33 and the odometer 31. The information detected by these three detection systems (satellite navigator, inertial platform, odometer) is sent to a DSP that implements an appropriate data fusion algorithm, which is known in the literature, in order to correlate the information and obtain an accurate overall result regarding the information on the actual position of the vehicle 1.

[0073] According to another variant (not shown), the control unit 16 controls the operation of the device 12 only after sending a permission request to the control panel 5 and receiving the corresponding permission from the driver.

[0074] The advantages of the provided control system 18 are apparent from the above in order to determine when and where the pantograph 10 needs to be raised and lowered without the driver intervening in this decision.

[0075] In particular, it is possible to avoid transmitting signals and / or information from the outside to the vehicle 1 by means of the device 20 and / or the memory arranged on a substrate containing data related to the device 20a and / or the line, thus avoiding the risk due to defects in the transmission of the data and said information. Since it is the control unit 16 that determines whether the device 12 needs to be controlled, the device 20 and / or the device 20a provide a reliable indication to the control unit 16 of the need to raise / lower the pantograph 10, and no decision or interpretation by the driver is required. Furthermore, the device 12 can be controlled by the control unit 16 without the need for permission or verification by the driver.

[0076] Moreover, the above solution is not particularly burdensome from the viewpoints of cost and the number of components to be installed.

[0077] Finally, as is apparent from the above, it is clear that, without departing from the scope of protection of the present invention as defined in the appended claims, the vehicle 1 above can be modified and changed with reference to the appended drawings.

[0078] In particular, the control system 18 of the present invention can be applied not only to electric trains but also to trains that have to move along sections without overhead lines (for example, in urban areas).

[0079] Furthermore, the present invention can also be applied to the movement of a current collector provided for extracting electrical energy from an electrified track placed on the ground (instead of an overhead electrified line), in addition to the raising and lowering of the pantograph, and this performs the same technical function as the conductor cable 14. In other words, both the pantograph and the current collector define elements for extracting energy, and these are movable between a first position where the element for extracting energy contacts the conductor of the energized line and a second position spaced apart from the position where the conductor is provided (in particular, it is possible to move in height, that is, it can be raised and lowered).

Claims

1. A railway vehicle (1), an electric drive motor (8), an element (10) for extracting energy, wherein the element (10) for extracting energy is adapted to cooperate in contact with a conductor element (14) of an electrified line in order to draw out electrical energy and supply this electrical energy to the electric drive motor during use, at a first position; an element (10) for extracting energy, which is movable between a second position where the element (10) for extracting energy is spaced apart from the position where the conductor element (14) is provided during use; an additional electrical energy source (15); a moving device (12) for moving the element (10) for extracting energy between the first position and the second position; a control system (18) for controlling the moving device (12) and as a result moving the element (10) for extracting energy, wherein the control system (18) is a first detection device (20) arranged on the vehicle and provided with one or more detectors, the detectors being defined by one of a camera, a lidar device, a radar device, and being directed towards the space where the conductor element (14) is provided along the route so as to detect and provide data regarding objects that may exist in the space during use; a first detection device (20); one or more control units (16) configured to control the moving device (12) according to the data detected and provided by the detector; the control system comprises processing means configured to start from the data and determine the presence or absence of the conductor element (14) in the vicinity of the railway vehicle (1) along the route of the railway vehicle (1), the control unit (16) being configured to control the moving device (12) according to the presence or absence of the conductor element (14) determined by the processing means, and being configured to supply power to the electric drive motor (8) by the additional electrical energy source (15) when the element (10) for extracting energy is in the second position; the detector is directed upward and forward beyond the end of the railway vehicle (1) towards the position or space where the conductor element (14) is provided, and visually monitors the space by means of appropriate control logic so as to be able to confirm the presence or absence of the conductor element (14); When the railway vehicle (1) is along an electrified section of a path having the element (10) for picking up the energy arranged at the first position, if the processing means indicates the absence of the conductor element (14) in the next few meters of the path, the control unit (16) is configured to control the moving device (12) to move the element (10) for picking up the energy to the second position. The railway vehicle (1) is characterized by this.

2. The railway vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the control unit (16) is configured to control the moving device (12) to move the element (10) for extracting energy when the railway vehicle is stationary or coasting.

3. The detector is defined by a camera (22), and the first detection device (20) includes one or more lighting devices (24) directed towards the space. In the space, during use, the conductor element is provided along the path. The railway vehicle according to claim 1 or 2 is characterized by this.

4. The first detection device (20) includes a first processor configured to adjust the lighting device (24) according to an image captured by the camera (22). The railway vehicle according to claim 3 is characterized by this.

5. The detector is defined by a lidar device that detects a 3D frame. The railway vehicle according to claim 1 or 2 is characterized by this.

6. The control unit (16) is configured to control the movement of the element for extracting energy to the first position in the presence of a first permission and a second permission. The first permission is based on information indicating the actual position of the railway vehicle (1), and the second permission is based on data detected and supplied by the detector. The railway vehicle according to any one of claims 1 - 5 is characterized by this.

7. The control unit (16) receives a signal indicating the position of the element (10) for extracting energy, and controls the moving device (12) according to the signal. The railway vehicle according to any one of claims 1 - 6 is characterized by this.

8. The processing means is configured to determine the presence or absence of the conductor element (14) by implementing a shape matching technique. The railway vehicle according to any one of claims 1 - 7 is characterized by this.

9. The processing means: applies the Hough transform to recognize a straight line in the camera image or in the 3D frame of the lidar device, and determines the presence or absence of the conductor element (14) by identifying and / or selecting pairs of parallel straight lines recognized in the camera image or the 3D frame. The railway vehicle according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that it is configured as such.

10. The first detection device includes two detectors respectively arranged at the head and the tail of the railway vehicle and directed in substantially opposite directions, and the control unit is configured to process information received from either one of the two detectors according to the traveling direction of the railway vehicle. The railway vehicle according to any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that it is configured as such.

11. The control system (18) is arranged on the vehicle and includes a second detection device (20a) configured to determine the actual position of the railway vehicle (1) along the route and provide corresponding information to the control unit (16). The railway vehicle according to any one of claims 1-10, characterized in that it is configured as such.

12. The second detection device (20a): includes a satellite navigator (32), an inertial platform (33), an odometer (31), and a second processor configured to correlate information provided by the satellite navigator (32), the inertial platform (33), and the odometer (31), and as a result, obtain overall information regarding the actual position of the railway vehicle (1). The railway vehicle according to claim 11, characterized in that it is configured to include the above. ​

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