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EP 1 769 996 B1 |
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EUROPEAN PATENT SPECIFICATION |
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Mention of the grant of the patent: |
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17.06.2009 Bulletin 2009/25 |
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Date of filing: 21.08.2006 |
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International Patent Classification (IPC):
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Railway control and protection system
Eisenbahn Steuerungs- und Sicherungssystem
Système de contrôle et de protection pour chemin de fer
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Designated Contracting States: |
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AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR HU IE IS IT LI LT LU LV MC NL PL PT RO SE
SI SK TR |
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Priority: |
22.09.2005 GB 0519340
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Date of publication of application: |
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04.04.2007 Bulletin 2007/14 |
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Proprietor: Westinghouse Brake and Signal Holdings Limited |
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Bressenden Place
London SW1E 5BF (GB) |
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Inventors: |
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- Clifton, Raymond
Malmesbury, Wiltshire SN16 0NA (GB)
- Bamforth, Stuart Ian
Chippenham, Wiltshire SN15 3BY (GB)
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Representative: Newstead, Michael John et al |
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Page Hargrave
Southgate
Whitefriars
Lewins Mead Bristol BS1 2NT Bristol BS1 2NT (GB) |
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References cited: :
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- "SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS SPECIFICATION. CHAPTER 2. BASIC SYSTEM DESCRIPTION" UNISIG SRS,
XX, XX, vol. 2, 1 February 2002 (2002-02-01), pages 1-24, XP009069604 & ALCATEL ET
AL: "SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS SPECIFICATION CHAPTER 3 PRINCIPLES (ERTMS/ETCS - Class 1,
ref.: SUBSET-026-3" UNISIG SRS, XX, XX, vol. chapter 3, no. 222, 2 February 2001 (2001-02-02),
pages 1-97, XP009069628
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Note: Within nine months from the publication of the mention of the grant of the European
patent, any person may give notice to the European Patent Office of opposition to
the European patent
granted. Notice of opposition shall be filed in a written reasoned statement. It shall
not be deemed to
have been filed until the opposition fee has been paid. (Art. 99(1) European Patent
Convention).
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[0001] The present invention relates to railway control and protection systems and in particular
to the safe movement of trains along a railway line.
[0002] A railway control system comprises trackside devices such as train detection equipment,
point machines to set, lock and determine the lie of routes and lineside signals by
which to communicate the authority to proceed to train drivers. These trackside devices
are connected to an interlocking which determines the safe logic state of these devices
according to controls emanating from a control centre and the positions of trains
on the railway.
[0003] As shown in Figure 1, conventionally a plurality of trackside devices 1 are connected
to an interlocking 2. In turn, the interlocking, of which there may be a plurality,
is connected by suitable means to a control centre 3 for the overall co-ordination
of control of the railway. In such a system, automatic train protection may not be
provided.
[0004] Typically the addition of train protection functionality to an existing signalling
system would require the connection of, for example, European Rail Traffic Management
System / European Train Control System (ERTMS/ETCS) radio block centre (RBC) equipment
with a safety critical interface to the interlocking. The introduction and operation
of such an interface requires significant alteration and in some cases replacement
of the existing interlocking equipment. Figure 2 shows the addition of RBC equipment
conventionally to an existing signalling system, where RBC equipment 4, of which there
may be a plurality, is shown communicating by radio with a train 5 and directly with
the interlocking equipment 2, an additional interface between the RBC 4 and the control
centre 3 also being shown.
[0005] Various railway control systems are known from
GB-A-2194091,
US-A1-2004/0176884,
US-A-5950966,
GB-A-2218557,
US 5533695 and
US 5828979. Details of the ERTMS/ETCS system are disclosed in "
System Requirements Specification, Chapter 2, Basic System Description" Unisig SRS,
XX, XX, vol. 2, 1 February 2002 (2002-02-01), pages 1-24, XP009069604 and
Alcatel et al: "System Requirements Specification, Chapter 3, Principles (ERTMS/ETCS
- Class 1, Ref.: Subset-026-3", Unisig SRS, XX, XX, vol. Chapter 3 No. 222, 2 February
2001 (2001-02-02), pages 1-97, XP009069628, which disclose the precharacterising features of claim 1.
[0006] The present invention provides a means of adding automatic train protection to an
existing conventional signalling system without requiring any change to the functionality
of the existing system. The present invention communicates movement authorities to
trains in a manner that is independent from the prior art interlocking to trackside
device architecture such that its provision requires no alteration to the interlocking
nor impinges upon the connections between the interlocking and trackside devices.
The train protection system may therefore be overlaid on existing railway control
systems.
[0007] In accordance with the present invention there is provided a train protection and
control system suitable for use with an existing signalling system without requiring
any functional change to the signalling system, the signalling system comprising a
plurality of railway trackside devices, an interlocking connected to the trackside
devices for controlling the trackside devices and a control centre connected to the
interlocking, wherein the train protection and control system provides diverse means
of protection of movement of a train by transmitting movement authorities to the train
independently of the interlocking, characterised in that control, indication and state
of the railway information are acquired directly from the interface between the control
centre and the interlocking by a device which listens to the communication of information
on the interface.
[0008] The present invention also comprises such a train protection and control system overlaid
on to said signalling system.
[0009] Traditionally, the interface between the control centre and the interlocking and
the information communicated across it is regarded as non-safety critical. The present
invention, however, advantageously utilises this information to provide automatic
train protection and increases the overall safety of the railway.
[0010] The control, indication and state of the railway information may be evaluated to
provide information to a radio block centre to enable movement authorities to be transmitted
to trains via a radio system.
[0011] Advantageously, consistency checks are undertaken of the state of the railway to
ensure the validity and increase the integrity of the information being passed to
the radio block centre and to take action when an invalid situation is detected.
[0012] Also advantageously, the system may provide for independently checking new movement
authorities from the radio block centre in relation to other movement authorities
already issued before authorising issue of the new movement authority.
[0013] In a particular embodiment, transmission of the independent movement authority to
a train is effected by the established art whereby a radio block centre (RBC) and
a train carried on-board computer (OBC) communicate via a radio system. Movement authorities
are derived from the control system interface and sent independently to the train
such that the OBC can monitor movement of the train and provide automatic train protection
(ATP).
[0014] The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying Figures, in
which:
Figure 1 schematically shows a conventional signalling system;
Figure 2 schematically shows a known train control and protection system; and
Figure 3 schematically shows a train control and protection system in accordance with
the present invention.
[0015] Referring to Figure 3, in which items which correspond with items in Figures 1 and
2 have the same reference numerals as in Figures 1 and 2, a logic processor device
6 is arranged to acquire control, indication and state of the railway information
by listening to the information flowing each way between the control centre 3 and
interlocking 2. With this information the logic processor device 6 continually evaluates
the state of the railway to determine, for example, which routes are set and the positions
of trains within the railway. As part of the evaluation, checks are undertaken to
ensure consistency and validity of the information before the results of the evaluation
are passed to an RBC 4. Failure of these checks to pass, results in an alarm being
raised and the railway protection system entering a restrictive state.
[0016] From the information received from the logic processor device 6 the RBC 4 generates
movement authorities ready for transmission to the on-board computers (OBCs) 5 of
trains via the radio system. Before transmission is permitted an independent safety
monitor (ISM) 7 checks each new movement authority to ensure it does not conflict
with other movement authorities that are already current or being transmitted. If
a conflict is detected, the new movement authority is rejected, an alarm raised and
the railway protection system entered into a restrictive state.
[0017] The invention has been described in terms used by the European Rail Traffic Management
System (ERTMS) but is applicable to any radio based train control and protection system.
[0018] In a further embodiment of the invention, it is apparent that the same principle
of operation can be achieved whereby the control centre 3 provides interlocking and
control information directly to the logic processor device 6 by reflecting information
on the control centre to interlocking interface through a dedicated communication
port provided for this purpose.
1. A train protection and control system suitable for use with an existing signalling
system without requiring any functional change to the signalling system, the signalling
system comprising a plurality of railway trackside devices (1), an interlocking (2)
connected to the trackside devices (1) for controlling the trackside devices (1) and
a control centre (3) connected to the interlocking (2), wherein the train protection
and control system provides diverse means of protection of movement of a train by
transmitting movement authorities to the train independently of the interlocking (2),
characterised in that control, indication and state of the railway information are acquired directly from
the interface between the control centre (3) and the interlocking (2) by a device
(6) which listens to the communication of information on the interface.
2. A system, comprising a train protection and control system according to claim 1 overlaid
onto said signalling system.
3. A system according to claim 1 or 2, in which the control, indication and state of
the railway information are evaluated to provide information to a radio block centre
(4) to enable movement authorities to be transmitted to trains via a radio system.
4. A system according to claim 3, in which consistency checks are undertaken of the state
of the railway to ensure the validity of the information being passed to the radio
block centre (4) and to take action when an invalid situation is detected.
5. A system according to either of claims 3 and 4, in which new movement authorities
are checked independently from the radio block centre (4) in relation to other movement
authorities already issued before authorising issue of the new movement authority.
1. Zugschutz- und Steuerungssystem, das für die Verwendung mit einer vorhandenen Signalanlage
geeignet ist, ohne dass die Signalanlage Funktionsänderungen benötigt, wobei die Signalanlage
mehrere bahngleisseitige Vorrichtungen (1), eine mit den gleisseitigen Vorrichtungen
(1) verbundene Verriegelung (2) zum Steuern der gleisseitigen Vorrichtungen (1) und
eine mit der Verriegelung (2) verbundene Steuerzentrale (3) umfasst, wobei das Zugschutz-
und Steuerungssystem verschiedene Mittel des Schutzes der Bewegung eines Zugs durch
Übertragen, unabhängig von der Verriegelung (2), von Fahrerlaubnissen an den Zug vorsieht,
dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass Steuerung, Anzeige und Zustand der Bahninformationen von einer Vorrichtung (6) die
die Kommunikation von Informationen auf der Schnittstelle abhört, direkt von der Schnittstelle
zwischen der Steuerzentrale (3) und der Verriegelung erfasst werden.
2. System, umfassend ein Zugschutz- und Steuerungssystem nach Anspruch 1, das der genannten
Signalanlage überlagert ist.
3. System nach Anspruch 1 oder 2, wobei Steuerung, Anzeige und Zustand der Bahninformationen
ausgewertet werden, um Informationen an eine Streckenzentrale (4) zu liefern, damit
Fahrerlaubnisse über ein Funksystem an Züge übertragen werden können.
4. System nach Anspruch 3, wobei Konsistenzprüfungen des Zustands der Bahn durchgeführt
werden, um die Gültigkeit der an die Streckenzentrale (4) übertragenen Informationen
sicherzustellen und Maßnahmen zu ergreifen, wenn eine ungültige Situation erkannt
wird.
5. System nach einem der Ansprüche 3 und 4, wobei neue Fahrerlaubnisse unabhängig von
der Streckenzentrale (4) in Bezug auf andere bereits erteilte Fahrerlaubnisse geprüft
werden, bevor die neue Fahrerlaubnis erteilt wird.
1. Système de protection et de commande de train pouvant être utilisé avec un système
de signalisation existant sans exiger de changement fonctionnel du système de signalisation,
le système de signalisation comprenant une pluralité de dispositifs de voie ferroviaire
(1), un dispositif d'enclenchement (2) connecté aux dispositifs de voie (1) pour commander
les dispositifs de voie (1) et un centre de commande (3) connecté au dispositif d'enclenchement
(2), dans lequel le système de protection et de commande de train fournit divers moyens
de protection du mouvement d'un train en transmettant au train des autorisations de
mouvement indépendamment du dispositif d'enclenchement (2), caractérisé en ce que la commande, l'indication et l'état des informations ferroviaires sont acquis directement
de l'interface entre le centre de commande (3) et le dispositif d'enclenchement (2)
par un dispositif (6) qui écoute la communication d'informations sur l'interface.
2. Système, comprenant un système de protection et commande de train selon la revendication
1, superposé sur ledit système de signalisation.
3. Système selon la revendication 1 ou 2, dans lequel la commande, l'indication et l'état
des informations ferroviaires sont évalués afin de fournir des informations à un centre
de bloc radio (4) pour permettre la transmission aux trains d'autorisations de mouvement
par l'intermédiaire d'un système radio.
4. Système selon la revendication 3, dans lequel des vérifications de cohérence de l'état
de la voie ferroviaire sont entreprises afin de garantir la validité des informations
passées au centre de bloc radio (4) et de prendre des mesures quand une situation
incorrecte est détectée.
5. Système selon la revendication 3 ou 4, dans lequel de nouvelles autorisations de mouvement
sont vérifiées indépendamment du centre de bloc radio (4) relativement à d'autres
autorisations de mouvement déjà émises avant d'autoriser l'émission de la nouvelle
autorisation de mouvement.
REFERENCES CITED IN THE DESCRIPTION
This list of references cited by the applicant is for the reader's convenience only.
It does not form part of the European patent document. Even though great care has
been taken in compiling the references, errors or omissions cannot be excluded and
the EPO disclaims all liability in this regard.
Patent documents cited in the description
Non-patent literature cited in the description
- System Requirements Specification, Chapter 2, Basic System DescriptionUnisig SRS,
XX, XX20020201vol. 2, 1-24 [0005]
- System Requirements Specification, Chapter 3, Principles (ERTMS/ETCS - Class 1, Ref.:
Subset-026-3Alcatel et al.Unisig SRS, XX, XX200102021-97 [0005]