Method and apparatus for controlling trains, in particular a method and apparatus of the ERTMS type
AssigneeAlstom
InventorsFrançois Lacote, Philippe Michaut
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention relates to a method and apparatus for controlling trains, in which method and apparatus, the location and the speed of a train on the line are acquired. A location specification is generated as a function of the acquisition, so that a movement control magnitude is delivered for controlling movement of the train. In the invention, a braking distance for the preceding train and the control magnitude are computed on the basis of the location specification plus the computed braking distance. Application in particular to ERTMS/ETCS systems.
Claims17
Apparatus for controlling trains, said apparatus including:
- means for acquiring the location and the speed of at least one train on a line on which trains run, which means are connected to a computing unit including a first module suitable for acting, as a function of at least the acquired location and speed, to compute a location specification (LOA) specifying a location which is situated downstream from the acquired location and to which the train is authorized to run with a target speed (TS) at said location specification (LOA);
- a computing member for using a specified computation rule to compute a movement control magnitude (GC) for controlling movement of the train as a function of at least the location specification (LOA) delivered by the computing first module;
- said apparatus further including acquisition means for acquiring at least the speed of the preceding train on the track on which trains run, which means are also connected to means for recording the acquired speed, and the computing unit further includes a second module for acting as a function of at least the recorded speed of the preceding train and of a deceleration rate specified for the preceding train and greater than or equal to, in absolute terms, the absolute value of a service deceleration rate for said preceding train, to determine a braking distance value (DF) for the preceding train, the computing member being organized to deliver a movement control magnitude (GC) for the following train in compliance with the specified computation rule applied to said location specification (LOA) delivered by the computing unit and to which the braking distance value (DF) delivered by the determination second module is added.
A method of controlling trains, in which:
- the location and the speed of at least one train on a line on which trains run are acquired;
- as a function of at least the acquired location and speed, a location specification (LOA) specifying a location which is situated downstream from the acquired location and to which the train is authorized to run with a target speed (TS) at said location specification (LOA) is computed;
- using a specified computation rule, a movement control magnitude (GC) for controlling movement of the train is computed as a function of at least the computed location specification (LOA);
- wherein:
- the speed of the preceding train on the track on which trains run is also acquired and recorded;
- and
- as a function of at least the recorded speed of the preceding train and of a deceleration rate specified for the preceding train and greater than or equal to, in absolute terms, the absolute value of a service deceleration rate for said preceding train, a braking distance value (DF) for the preceding train is determined;
- said computation rule being applied to said computed specification location (LOA) to which the determined braking distance value (DF) is added, in order to compute said train movement control magnitude (GC).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.