Power supply system for an overhead contact line

A system for powering an overhead contact line, said overhead contact line including at least one contact wire comprising a plurality of conductive sections separated from each other by insulating sections, the system including a plurality of sub-stations for supplying electric power, each conductive section being connected, on a side of an upstream end of each conductive section, to an upstream sub-station via an upstream controlled switch and, on a side of a downstream end of each conductive section, to a downstream sub-station via a downstream controlled switch, each controlled switch being actuated by a corresponding control circuit,

• wherein the system further includes a detector associated with at least one of the plurality of conductive sections to be monitored and including a transmitter configured to apply a characteristic signal to an end from among the upstream end and the downstream end of said at least one of the plurality of conductive sections to be monitored and a receiver configured to receive the characteristic signal at the other end of said at least one of the plurality of conductive sections to be monitored, the receiver modifying a value of a state signal and applying it at least to a circuit for controlling an actuation of an opening of the downstream controlled switch and/or of the upstream controlled switch,
• wherein the detector of an associated conductive section to be monitored includes an upstream transceiver coupled with the upstream end and a downstream transceiver coupled with the downstream end of said conductive section to be monitored,
• the upstream transceiver including an upstream transmitter configured to apply a characteristic signal to the upstream end,
• the downstream transceiver including a downstream transmitter configured to apply a characteristic signal to the downstream end,
• the upstream transceiver including an upstream receiver configured to receive the characteristic signal of the downstream transceiver and to modify a value of an upstream state signal applied to an upstream control circuit for actuating the opening of the upstream controlled switch,
• the downstream transceiver including a downstream receiver configured to receive the characteristic signal of the upstream transceiver and to modify a value of a downstream state signal applied to a downstream control circuit for actuating the opening of the downstream controlled switch,
• and wherein the system further includes a controlled switch for circumventing a sub-station allowing, in a closed state, a connection together of two successive conductive sections, the state signal modified by at least one of the downstream transceiver and the upstream transceiver associated with a first conductive section being transmitted to a control circuit of a switch for connecting a second conductive section to another sub-station.