# US 12,179,813 B2 · Monitoring system for at least one plurality of homogeneous devices of at least one railway vehicle > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,179,813 B2 - Document ID: US12179813B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/905,148 - Filed: 2021-03-11 - Published: 2023-04-13 - Granted: 2024-12-31 - Earliest claimed: 2020-03-11 - Assignees: Faiveley Transport Italia S.P.S. - Applicants: Faiveley Transport Italia S.P.A. - Inventors: Roberto Tione; Matteo Frea - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12179813B2 ## CPC - B61L 15/0081: {On-board diagnosis or maintenance} - B61L 15/0018: {Communication with or on the vehicle or train} - G05B 13/027: {using neural networks only} - G05B 23/0235: {based on a comparison with predetermined threshold or range, e.g. "classical methods", carried out during normal operation; threshold adaptation or choice; when or how to compare with the threshold} - G05B 2219/2637: Vehicle, car, auto, wheelchair - B61L: GUIDING RAILWAY TRAFFIC; ENSURING THE SAFETY OF RAILWAY TRAFFIC (brakes or auxiliary equipment B61H, B61K; point or crossing construction E01B) - G05B: CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS (systems for controlling or regulating non-electric variables G05D; systems for regulating electric or magnetic variables G05F; control devices or systems insofar as characterised by mechanical features only G05G) ## Abstract A monitoring system is described for a plurality of homogeneous devices, of at least one railway vehicle, wherein a functional state of each device is represented by a respective value of at least one operating quantity common to the devices. The monitoring system comprises: a control means which acquires, in a succession of acquisition instants, values of the operating quantity; each value is representative of the functional state of a respective device in an acquisition instant; diagnostic means which receive the values acquired in an acquisition instant and detect an operating anomaly or a maintenance request from at least one device as a function of a comparison, for each acquisition instant, of the values received with a range of reference values comprising a reference value determined as a function of at least two values acquired in an acquisition instant. ## Claims ### Claim 1 Monitoring system for at least one plurality of devices, which are homogeneous, of at least one vehicle, wherein a functional state of each device is represented by a respective value of at least one operating quantity common to said plurality of devices; the monitoring system comprising: at least one control means arranged to acquire, in a temporal succession of acquisition instants determined on the basis of a predetermined acquisition period, a plurality of values of said at least one operating quantity; each value of said plurality of values being representative of the functional state of a respective device of said at least one plurality of devices in one acquisition instant; diagnostic means arranged to receive, through a communication means, the plurality of values acquired in one acquisition instant, and to detect an operating anomaly or a request for maintenance by at least one device of said at least one plurality of devices as a function of a comparison, for each acquisition instant, of said plurality of values received with at least a range of reference values; the range of reference values comprising a reference value and a neighborhood of values associated with said reference value; the reference value being determined by said diagnostic means as a function of at least two values of said plurality of values acquired in one acquisition instant. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the diagnostic means are arranged to determine the presence of the malfunction or maintenance request by at least one device of said at least one plurality of devices when at least one of said values of said plurality of values is not within the range of reference values. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the diagnostic means are arranged to determine the reference value at each acquisition instant. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the diagnostic means are arranged to determine the reference value by calculating an average between at least two values of said plurality of values acquired in one acquisition instant. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the diagnostic means are arranged for: determining a first average value by calculating an average of the values of the plurality of values acquired in one acquisition instant; identifying the values of the plurality of values which are greater or less than at least a given threshold value with respect to the first average value; determining the reference value through the determination of a second average value by calculating the average of the values of said plurality of values that have not been identified to be greater or less than at least the given threshold value with respect to the first average value. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein said diagnostic means are arranged to determine the neighborhood of values as a function of a percentage value of the reference value. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein said diagnostic means are arranged to determine the neighborhood of values as a function of a variance of the at least one operating quantity. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the operating quantities are at least two, that is, at least a first operating quantity and a second operating quantity; said diagnostic means being arranged to normalize the first operating quantity as a function of the at least one second operating quantity. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the diagnostic means are arranged to determine the reference value by means of a neural network. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The monitoring system according to claim 9, wherein the diagnostic means are arranged to perform a first training of said neural network, by means of a training algorithm associated with said neural network; the first training being carried out using a predetermined quantity Q of values of the plurality of values previously acquired by the at least one control means. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The monitoring system according to claim 10, wherein, after carrying out the first training, the diagnostic means are arranged to perform further training in a temporal succession of training instants determined according to a predetermined training period, by means of the training algorithm; the training algorithm using the predetermined quantity Q of values of the plurality of values acquired by the at least one control means between a current sampling instant and the previous sampling instant. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The monitoring system according to claim 10, wherein the training algorithm is a backpropagation algorithm. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the diagnostic means are centralized in an electronic diagnostic unit. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the diagnostic means are distributed over a plurality of control means. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one operating quantity comprises values directly acquired or generated by the at least one control means or values entered manually or remotely from the outside. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one operating quantity comprises values obtained from preprocessing performed by the at least one control means on the at least one operating quantity directly acquired or generated by said at least one control means. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the diagnostic means are arranged to provide diagnostic indications divided according to at least two levels of severity. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the diagnostic means are arranged to transmit the diagnostic indications to a further unit or module on board the train. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the diagnostic means are arranged to transmit the diagnostic indications via a wireless connection. ### Claim 20 A monitoring system comprising: at least one electronic control unit arranged to acquire, in a temporal succession of acquisition instants in a predetermined acquisition period, a plurality of values of at least one operating quantity of a plurality of homogenous devices of at least one vehicle, wherein each value of said plurality of values is representative of a functional state of a respective device of said plurality of homogeneous devices in one acquisition instant; and a diagnostic unit arranged to receive, via wired or wireless communication, the plurality of values acquired in one acquisition instant, and to detect an operating anomaly or a request for maintenance by at least one device of said plurality of devices as a function of a comparison, for each acquisition instant, of said plurality of values received with at least a range of reference values; the range of reference values comprising a reference value and a neighborhood of values associated with the reference value; and the diagnostic unit arranged to determine the reference value as a function of at least two values of said plurality of values acquired in one acquisition instant.