Vehicle-Mounted Positioning System Reducing Trackside Complexity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current rail vehicle positioning and speed determination systems, such as VOBC systems, are costly due to the need for numerous sensors and extensive maintenance, and are affected by environmental conditions, making them labor-intensive and expensive to install and maintain.
Innovation Solution
A positioning and odometry system (PAOS) that uses vehicle beacons and guideway beacons with frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) radar and inertial measurement units to determine vehicle position and speed, reducing the number of trackside devices and simplifying installation and maintenance by mounting sensors on the vehicle body, while maintaining high safety integrity levels (SIL-4) with or without beacon coverage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If VOBC systems use multiple sensors (RFID tag reader, tachometer, cameras, LIDAR, UWB, radar, accelerometer) for positioning and speed determination, then positioning accuracy and safety integrity are improved, but system cost and device complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the positioning and speed determination functions from the complex VOBC system and implements them using a simplified set of sensors mounted on the vehicle body. Specifically, it uses vehicle-mounted sensors (cameras, LIDAR, UWB, radar, accelerometer) instead of requiring multiple trackside sensors, thereby reducing system complexity while maintaining positioning accuracy through intelligent algorithms that process data from these extracted sensors.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes the vehicle body mounting location universal for all sensors, allowing a single sensor installation point on the vehicle to serve multiple positioning and speed determination functions. This multi-functional approach replaces the need for separate dedicated sensors for each function, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining comprehensive positioning capabilities.
2Measurement precision
If multiple sensors are installed on the vehicle body for VOBC operation, then positioning capability is improved, but installation and maintenance labor requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges all positioning and speed determination sensors into a single integrated mounting location on the vehicle body. Instead of distributing sensors throughout the vehicle or installing trackside equipment, all sensors are combined at one location, which simplifies installation procedures and reduces maintenance labor requirements while maintaining full positioning capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the vehicle body itself as the mounting structure, leveraging the existing vehicle framework for sensor installation. This self-service approach eliminates the need for separate installation infrastructure and simplifies maintenance by keeping all sensors in a centralized, accessible location on the vehicle rather than requiring trackside access.
3Measurement precision
If trackside equipment is installed for VOBC system operation, then positioning accuracy is improved, but lifecycle costs and maintenance expenses increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts all positioning functions from trackside equipment and relocates them to vehicle-mounted sensors. This eliminates the need for permanent trackside installations, reducing lifecycle costs by removing the stationary infrastructure while maintaining positioning accuracy through the mobile sensor system that travels with the vehicle.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of installing equipment on the trackside and having the vehicle read it, the patent inverts the approach by installing sensors on the vehicle and having them detect trackside features. This inversion eliminates the need for expensive trackside infrastructure and reduces maintenance costs by moving all active sensing components to the vehicle where they can be serviced together.
4Productivity
If sensors are exposed to environmental conditions during regular vehicle operation, then real-time positioning is achieved, but sensor reliability and accuracy deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses protective enclosures and housing structures for the sensors mounted on the vehicle body. These protective shells and films shield the sensors from direct exposure to harsh environmental conditions while still allowing the sensors to detect trackside features in real-time, thereby maintaining both productivity and reliability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The PAOS system reduces the lifecycle costs of VOBC systems, simplifies installation and maintenance, and ensures continuous position determination with SIL-4 safety integrity, supporting cold motion detection and cold start localization within beacon coverage areas.
Implementation Method 1
A positioning and odometry system (PAOS) that uses vehicle beacons and guideway beacons with frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) radar
Implementation Method 2
frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) radar
Implementation Method 3
frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) radar and inertial measurement units
Data Source
AI summary
A positioning and odometry system includes two or more vehicle beacons installed on an end of a vehicle and configured to communicate with one or more guideway beacons installed along a guideway. Processing circuitry is configured to communicate with the one or more vehicle beacons and perform at least one of: determine, before the processing circuitry enters a sleep state, a first vehicle position on the guideway; determine, after the processing circuitry wakes from the sleep state, a second vehicle position on the guideway; determine, after the processing circuitry wakes from the sleep state, any difference between the first vehicle position on the guideway and the second vehicle position on the guideway; determine a third vehicle position on the guideway using range measurements taken at configurable time intervals; and determine a vehicle speed where speed is measured as a change in the third vehicle position over time.