Patent ID: 12246764

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present disclosure. Apparently, the described embodiments are part rather than all of the embodiments of the present disclosure. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present disclosure without creative efforts should fall within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

In an interactive confirmation process of a driver and a dispatcher in a degradation mode, the driver can autonomously obtain line resources according to a location of a train. Through a portable safety terminal in the present disclosure, the driver may be provided with safety display of an environment where the train is located to obtain the location of the train and a relationship between a front train and a rear train; and the driver is provided with a means to apply for line resources, such that the driver can, according to the train environment, autonomously apply for the line resources, and release the resources for use by subsequent trains after driving the train to pass through a zone. In this way, the driver may obtain the line resources without mutual confirmation with the dispatcher to perform autonomous driving, which improves the efficiency of train operation in the degradation mode and also avoids the ambiguity caused by communication. Meanwhile, the present disclosure can also be used for a line maintenance operator to obtain a status of wayside equipment via the portable safety terminal, and can block the corresponding zone, such that a lower track can be maintained.

The present disclosure may be used for a fixed block system, a quasi-moving block system, a moving block system, and signal systems in various modes such as a communication based train control (CBTC) system, a China train control system (CTCS), a European train control system (ETCS), a positive train control (PTC) system, an incremental train control system (ITCS), and a train autonomous control system (TACS). Therefore, the claims of the present disclosure are also applicable to these systems and similar ones.

The portable safety terminal in the present disclosure is suitable for the driver or the maintenance operator to carry, and communicates with a wayside controller via a wireless channel independent of a main system, as shown inFIG.1.

Information of interaction between the portable safety terminal and the wayside controller includes safety display information and safety control commands as follows:

1) Safety Display

The portable safety terminal obtains information of the line resources and the status of the wayside equipment from the wayside controller, and performs display on a display interface, where the obtained information of the line resources and status of the wayside equipment include but are not limited to:

the location of the train; a status of track occupation; a position of a switch; a status of a signal; a status of zone blocking; a status of a platform door; a status of a platform emergency close button; a working status and alarm display of the equipment; and other track elements.

2) Safety Control

The safety control function of the portable safety terminal may be operated via a physical button or a touch screen, all of which are within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

After the status of the wayside equipment in the environment where the train is located is obtained, the driver or the maintenance operator applies to the wayside controller for track resources required for train operation and a control authority of the wayside equipment by an operating button on the portable safety terminal, and after the wayside controller confirms that the track resources are not occupied by other controller or the portable safety terminal, the portable safety terminal is authorized to control the track resources, such that the portable safety terminal obtains the control authority of the wayside equipment. The control authority of the wayside equipment may be executed by a secure means such as secondary confirmation, a user name/password, or a biological recognition technology, or is executed by combination of a plurality of means, all of which are within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

After the control authority of the wayside equipment is obtained, the driver or the maintenance operator may select corresponding elements, icons, or menus on the display interface to control corresponding wayside equipment to act, where operations include but are not limited to: handling of a train route; individual operation of the switch to a normal position/a reverse position; individual locking/individual release of the switch; blocking of the signal/the switch/a section; activation of the platform emergency close button; and other track elements.

After the control on the wayside equipment is completed and the line resources are obtained, the driver may autonomously drive the train to pass through the control zone according to the display on the portable safety terminal. After the train passes through the control zone, the driver or the maintenance operator releases the line resources via the operating button on the portable safety terminal, and returns the control authority of the wayside equipment for continued use by the subsequent trains or the wayside controller.

Location information of the train may be displayed on the portable safety terminal in various ways of:a) obtaining an active train location obtained by the train through a balise and speed and distance measuring equipment (including a speed sensor, an accelerometer, and a radar) via long term evolution (LTE), wireless fidelity (Wifi), fifth-generation (5G), or waveguide tube wireless communication;b) obtaining the location of the train via Beidou or a global positioning system (GPS); andc) determining a kilometer post of the train on a track by manual confirmation.

The several ways of obtaining the location of the train are within the scope of protection of this patent.

As mentioned above, through the safety display, the safety operation, and the location of the train provided by the portable safety terminal, the driver or the maintenance operator may drive the train autonomously in the degradation mode, which avoids a series of tedious response confirmation processes of confirming the location of the train to the dispatcher, waiting for the dispatcher to apply for and handle the line resources for the train, confirming a dispatching command with the dispatcher, etc., and improves the autonomous operation capability of the train.

Specific Embodiments

The present disclosure is described in detail below with an example where large-area faults of carborne and wayside equipment lead to the degradation mode.

1) When an automatic train supervision (ATS) system, a zone controller/a resource manager, and a carborne system of the train have faults and only the basic wayside controller works normally, the train should be degraded to operate in a restricted driving mode. The driver may obtain the location of the train and the relationship between the front train and the rear train through the display on the portable safety terminal. For example, a driver of a train1knows that there is no other train in front of the train through the interface display, so the train may operate to the front of a next switch; and a driver of a train2knows that there is track occupation in front of the train through the interface display, so the driver needs to drive the train to keep an idle section always separated from an occupied section in front to ensure safe operation of the train, as shown inFIG.2.

2) The driver of the train1applies to the wayside controller for control on switch resources via the portable safety terminal. After the wayside controller confirms that the switch resources are idle, the train1is authorized to control the switch resources. After the driver of the train1confirms that the position of the switch is correct on the safety terminal, the driver operates the individual locking of the switch, and drives the train to pass through a switch zone after the display confirms that the operation is successful, as shown inFIG.3.

3) After the train1passes through the switch zone, the driver applies to the wayside controller for unlocking the switch and releasing the control on the switch resources via the portable safety terminal. The wayside controller unlocks the switch and releases the switch resources after confirmation. After the driver of the train2observes that the front train passes through the switch zone via the portable safety terminal, the train may move forward to the front of the switch synchronously, as shown inFIG.4.

4) The driver of the train2applies to the wayside controller for control on the switch resources via the portable safety terminal. After the wayside controller confirms that the switch resources are idle, the train2is authorized to control the switch resources. The driver of the train2needs to reverse the train to another track via the switch according to an operation mission of the train, so the driver operates the individual operation of the switch to the reverse position on the safety terminal, and drives the train to pass through the switch zone after the display confirms that the operation is successful, as shown inFIG.5.

The above is only the specific implementation of the present disclosure, but the scope of protection of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Any of those skilled in the art may easily think of various equivalent modifications or substitutions within the technical scope of the present disclosure, and these modifications or substitutions should be included in the scope of protection of the present disclosure. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present disclosure should be subject to the appended claims.