Method for managing network reconfiguration of a hybrid on-board / ground-based communication system for rolling rail vehicles during a journey

Abstract

1. A method for managing network reconfiguration of an on-board / ground-based hybrid communication system of a rolling rail vehicle during a journey for a set of performed services, comprising: - loading a map of available communication networks, the map showing the successive segments of the railway track ([Pk i ;Pk i+1 ]) i ), with, for each implemented service, a respective associated policy for the use of the networks that can be used in the itinerary, including preferred connection scheduling; -For each service performed, the rolling rail vehicle will i+1 ;Pk i+2 ]) and a reevaluation step that reevaluates the optional configuration of the connection to the network. A method comprising:

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for managing network reconfiguration of a hybrid on-board / ground-based communication system of a rolling rail vehicle during a journey.

[0002] The present invention relates to the field of hybrid in-vehicle / ground-based communication between rolling rail vehicles and access networks. The rolling rail vehicles can be trains, trams, subways etc.

[0003] More specifically, the invention has been developed in the context of railway remote control applications, but is also applicable to other use cases such as in-car video protection or operational maintenance. [Background technology]

[0004] To ensure the continuity and availability of on-board rail services involving on-board / ground-based communications, it is necessary to be able to implement simultaneous and / or alternative use of the various connection opportunities that a vehicle faces during its journey. This is the concept of hybrid or "adaptable communications".

[0005] For some of these services, such as remote control, it is crucial that any interruption in connectivity during a change of access network is completely transparent, in order to manage as well as possible certain areas, in particular tunnels, etc. Connectivity is understood to mean the ability to connect.

[0006] In the case of remote control, it is not satisfactory to wait for a network outage to be noticed (either by application or network mechanisms) in order to identify an alternative access network.

[0007] Furthermore, since hybrid communication uses multiple technologies (e.g., 4G / LTE, 5G, WiFi, 2G) and / or networks using the same technology but belonging to different operators, in this use case it is not possible to rely solely on the inherent handover mechanisms provided by one technology, or in other words on standard-implemented operations that allow a mobile station to change cells without interrupting service. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] According to one aspect of the invention, a method for managing the network reconfiguration of a hybrid on-board / ground-based communication system of a rolling rail vehicle during a journey for a set of implemented services is proposed, said method comprising the steps of: - loading a map of available communication networks, the map showing the successive segments of the railway track ([Pk i ;Pk i+1 ]) i ), with, for each implemented service, a respective associated policy for the use of the networks that can be used in the itinerary, including preferred connection scheduling; - For each service carried out, rolling rail vehicles will be required to cross the crossing point (Pk i+1 ) when crossing a new driving segment ([Pk i+1 ;Pk i+2 ]), the current connection is transferred to the new segment in use ([Pk i+1 ;Pk i+2 A reevaluation step that reevaluates the optional configuration of the connection to the network by comparing it with the connection policy in the previous segment ([Pk i ;Pk i+1 ]) and the current driving segment ([Pk i+1 ;Pk i+2If a discrepancy is detected between the policy for network usage available at -Current segment in use ([Pk i+1 ;Pk i+2 ]) the applicability of the connection policy is evaluated by checking the availability of networks that can be used for the itinerary, taking into account the preferred connection scheduling; -Then, the current segment in use ([Pk i+1 ;Pk i+2 a re-evaluation step in which, if the evaluation in [ ]) recommends connecting to an available network different from the currently connected network, the in-vehicle / ground-based connectivity is reconfigured taking into account the results of this evaluation; Includes:

[0009] According to one embodiment, the method comprises a pre-step of mapping the available communication networks according to measurements made on said journey, and a step of mapping the segments [Pk i ;Pk i+1 and creating a policy for the use of these networks in the

[0010] In one embodiment, the evaluation takes into account the speed of the train if connection to the network is recommended.

[0011] According to one embodiment, the services performed include services for remotely controlling rolling rail vehicles, on-board video protection services for rolling rail vehicles, and / or operation and maintenance services for rolling rail vehicles and any on-board rail services that require data exchange with the ground.

[0012] The invention will be better understood after studying a few embodiments thereof, generally described by way of non-limiting example and illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which: [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1]1 illustrates an example of a method for managing network reconfiguration of a hybrid on-board / ground-based communication system of a rolling rail vehicle during a journey for a service performed, according to an aspect of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a method for managing the network reconfiguration of a hybrid on-board / ground-based communication system of a rolling rail vehicle, in this case a train, during a journey for a performed service, according to one aspect of the present invention.

[0015] In this example, for clarity, only one service is shown, but the crossing point Pk on the rail i is not limited to this, since a contiguous segment defined by may directly apply to multiple services each with one of the respective policies for the use of the networks that can be used on the journey.

[0016] In FIG. 1, the method includes the step of loading a map of available communication networks, the map showing, for a rail itinerary, consecutive segments of rail track [Pk i ;Pk i+1 ] defines the crossing point Pk i and for each service implemented, in this case only one service, there is a respective associated policy for the use of the networks that can be used on the itinerary, including preferred connection scheduling.

[0017] The method is to determine for each service performed, in this case only one service, whether the rolling rail vehicle is at the crossing point (Pk i+1 ) when crossing a new driving segment [Pk i+1 ;Pk i+2 ], the current connection is assigned to the new segment [Pk i+1 ;Pk i+2], and further includes a reevaluation step of reevaluating the configuration of the network's connectivity options by comparing the connectivity policies in

[0014] .

[0018] In this re-evaluation step, the previous segment [Pk i ;Pk i+1 ] and the current connection used in the currently running segment [Pk i+1 ;Pk i+2 If a discrepancy is detected between the policy for network usage that can be used by -Current Segment in Use [Pk i+1 ;Pk i+2 the applicability of the connection policy in is evaluated by checking the availability of networks that can be used for the itinerary, taking into account the preferred connection scheduling; -Current Segment in Use [Pk i+1 ;Pk i+2 When the evaluation of [ ] recommends connecting to an available network different from the currently connected network, the in-vehicle / ground-based connectivity is reconfigured taking into account the results of this evaluation.

[0019] In the example described, in the itinerary adopted by the train, the train travels to point Pk i+1 and therefore the rail segment [Pk i+1 ;Pk i+2 ] and enter the segment [Pk i ;Pk i+1 ]. In this itinerary, a single service is considered in this example.

[0020] Three networks capable of providing service, RAN_A, RAN_B, RAN_C, can be used in this journey.

[0021] Segment [Pk i+1 ;Pk i+2 As indicated by the policy for the use of these networks in [RFC1111], the preferred connection scheduling is RAN_C(C), RAN_A(A).

[0022] Optionally, the method may then check applicable policies against the state of the system, in particular the speed of the train, since some network connections may become unsatisfactory above a certain speed.

[0023] Therefore, the method checks the connectivity or ability of this service to connect to the first network RAN_C in the scheduling and, if valid as in this example, that network is activated.

[0024] In this example, the previous segment [Pk i ;Pk i+1 ], the preferred scheduling is B, and in this example the access network is RAN_B, so the new segment [Pk i+1 ;Pk i+2 ], the network connection is switched to network RAN_C for this service.

[0025] The communication networks available on the journey can be mapped in advance by measurements made earlier on the journey.

[0026] The services performed include remote control services for rolling rail vehicles, on-board video protection services for rolling rail vehicles, and / or operational maintenance services for rolling rail vehicles, among other rail services.

[0027] Therefore, in contrast to prior art solutions, the present invention proposes a proactive approach to managing connectivity that makes best use of the unique characteristics of the rail environment available at any point in the journey, in particular the specific location at kilometre points.

[0028] The prior art does not take advantage of the uniqueness of rail travel, in that the trajectory of the journey is known since rail travel follows an intended track, or knowledge of travel parameters such as the position or speed of the rolling rail vehicle, to optimize the prediction of on-board / ground-based connectivity changes in the context of multi-technology / multi-operator access networks.

[0029] To ensure the best service continuity for in-vehicle / ground-based communications, the present invention provides a crossing point Pk i We exploit the rail situation by defining indexed connectivity policies on sections or segments of track bounded by

[0030] The present mechanism proposes to take advantage of the fact that the coverage areas of available access networks are relatively stable and known, allowing for the definition of network usage policies by rail section or segment.

[0031] The mechanism proposes to define simple and efficient criteria for re-evaluating / reconfiguring on-board / ground-based connectivity by exploiting the "determinism" of rail itineraries. The problem here is only one-dimensional, as a result of the location by kilometer points already used in signaling.

[0032] The mechanism incorporates a phase for evaluating, for each considered service, the policies applicable to the rail segments in the journey under consideration, so that said policies are adjusted according to the actual availability of the access networks on which they are based before being applied.

Claims

1. A method for managing the network reconfiguration of a hybrid-based in-car / ground-based communication system of a rolling rail vehicle during a journey for a set of in-car rail services, A step of loading a map of available communication networks, wherein the map includes, for the rail journey, continuous segments of rail tracks ([Pk ｉ ; Pk ｉ＋１ ]) defining the crossing point (Pk ｉ A loading step, which includes, for each in-car rail service, having a respective relevant connection policy for the use of the network that can be used in the itinerary, including preferred connection scheduling, For each service to be implemented, when the rolling rail vehicle crosses a crossing point (Pk ｉ＋１ ), when entering a new travel segment ([Pk ｉ＋１ ; Pk ｉ＋２ ), re-evaluate the configuration of the connection options to the network by comparing the current connection with the connection policy in the new segment ([Pk ｉ＋１ ; Pk ｉ＋２ ) in use, which is a re-evaluation step. If a difference is detected between the current connection used in the previous segment ([Pk ｉ ; Pk ｉ＋１ ) and the policy for the use of the network that can be used in the current travel segment ([Pk ｉ＋１ ; Pk ｉ＋２ ), The current segment in use ([Pk ｉ＋１ ; Pk ｉ＋２ The applicability of the connection policy in ) is evaluated by checking the availability of the network that can be used in the itinerary, taking into account the preferred connection scheduling. The current segment in use ([Pk ｉ＋１ ; Pk ｉ＋２ If the aforementioned evaluation in ]) recommends connecting to an available network different from the currently connected network, the in-vehicle / ground-based connectivity is reconfigured taking the results of this evaluation into account in a re-evaluation step, Methods that include...

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of mapping the available communication network based on measurements taken during the aforementioned journey.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the evaluation takes into account the speed of the rolling rail vehicle when it is recommended to connect to an available network different from the currently connected network.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the in-vehicle rail service includes a service for remotely controlling a rolling rail vehicle, an in-vehicle video protection service for a rolling rail vehicle, and / or an operation and maintenance service for a rolling rail vehicle and any in-vehicle rail service requiring data exchange with the ground.

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