Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B61—RAILWAYS
  • B61L—GUIDING RAILWAY TRAFFIC; ENSURING THE SAFETY OF RAILWAY TRAFFIC
  • B61L1/00—Devices along the route controlled by interaction with the vehicle or train
  • B61L1/16—Devices for counting axles; Devices for counting vehicles
  • B61L1/168—Specific transmission details
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B61—RAILWAYS
  • B61L—GUIDING RAILWAY TRAFFIC; ENSURING THE SAFETY OF RAILWAY TRAFFIC
  • B61L1/00—Devices along the route controlled by interaction with the vehicle or train
  • B61L1/16—Devices for counting axles; Devices for counting vehicles
  • B61L1/169—Diagnosis
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B61—RAILWAYS
  • B61L—GUIDING RAILWAY TRAFFIC; ENSURING THE SAFETY OF RAILWAY TRAFFIC
  • B61L1/00—Devices along the route controlled by interaction with the vehicle or train
  • B61L1/20—Safety arrangements for preventing or indicating malfunction of the device, e.g. by leakage current, by lightning
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B61—RAILWAYS
  • B61L—GUIDING RAILWAY TRAFFIC; ENSURING THE SAFETY OF RAILWAY TRAFFIC
  • B61L27/00—Central railway traffic control systems; Trackside control; Communication systems specially adapted therefor
  • B61L27/50—Trackside diagnosis or maintenance, e.g. software upgrades
  • B61L27/53—Trackside diagnosis or maintenance, e.g. software upgrades for trackside elements or systems, e.g. trackside supervision of trackside control system conditions
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B61—RAILWAYS
  • B61L—GUIDING RAILWAY TRAFFIC; ENSURING THE SAFETY OF RAILWAY TRAFFIC
  • B61L2205/00—Communication or navigation systems for railway traffic
  • B61L2205/02—Global system for mobile communication - railways [GSM-R]

Definitions

• a railway for people or goods transport is typically equipped with sensors detecting the presence or passage of a train for railway traffic processing in an efficient and safe semi- or complete automatic manner.
• An example of such sensors are the so called shaft counters, with which a track crossing security device is automatically controlled.
• Per sensor type all such sensors belonging to a particular railway part are through leads connected to one or more computers within a so called relais house. All computers in relais houses within a specific area are connected through leads to the computer of the railway traffic guidance centre.
• the cenral railway traffic guidance centre continuously receives updated data about the railway traffic situation along the railway network, e.g. with an image of the track sections occupied by trains.
• the computer in the relais house continuously checks its connected network of sensors for errors in the signals received therefrom. E.g. with a shaft counter a permanent magnetic field disturbance can be developed, e.g. in that an iron part dropped onto the shaft counting head. Also the connection between the sensor and the computer (e.g. a modem) can become out of order. Once a defect is determined, the computer each time decides if there is a malfunction. In that case the computer in the relais house sends a malfunction message to the traffic control centre.
• the central traffic control has no power to immediately determine the nature of the malfunction from the malfunction message.
• the relevant part of the railway is made inaccessible, and a mechanics travels to the relevant relais house to investigate the relevant computer to determine the nature of the malfunction.
• the mechanics travels to the location along the railway with the possible defect (to a sensor of other railway component, such as an electrical separation weld) and then back to the relais house to look if the malfunction is now solved. If not, the mechanics again has to travel to a location along the railway and than again has to return to the relais house, and this possibly several times until the malfunction is solved.
• the object of the invention is to partly of completely solve one or more of the above disadvantages of the prior art. Therefor a monitoring system is proposed.
• a cellular network such as GSM
• one or more of the data that are available in the computer in the relais house can be received from the computer within the relais house at a distance therefrom. It that way it is no longer required that a mechanics visits the relais house for solving a malfunction.
• the mechanics has furthermore the power to immediately at the location of a sensor determine on his own of the malfunction is solved by a repair thereof. In this way the malfunction af chandeliering can be much faster.
• measurements are taken such that from a remote data input and output means, such as keyboard and monitor through these wire less communication means the computer is called to retrieve the required data therefrom, which the computer subsequently sends to said data input and output means through said wire less communication means.
• the computer is accordingly programmed. Communication between the wire less communication means and the computer resp. the remote data input and output means can take place with the aid of convenient means, such as a modem.
• the computer in the relais house with a malfunction forecast system, wherein the computer is designed to preferably automatically provide a message signal in dependence of the malfunction forecast system, such that a mechanics receives a message, long, preferably at least one hour, before there is indeed a malfunction determined by the computer.
• said malfunction forecast system is desigend such that the malfunction forecasts made by the computer are based on one or more defects detected by the computer within its network of sensors.
• the preventive maintenance is made dependent of the actual condition of the relating signalling system.
• said message signal is given when the computer has calculated that, counted from the last determined defect within the signals from the sensors of its network, the occurance of a malfunction message by the computer to the traffic control computer will take place with a predetermined possibility within a predetermined time.
• said signal is given by the computer when a malfunction message will be given within 24 hours with a possibility of 95%.
• the computer in the relais house can be programmed such that it calculates from the one or more defect in the signals coming from its network of sensors determined by this computer within a predetermined time a malfunction chance value and compares it with a predetermined norm value to give the signal for the malfunction forecast on the basis of said comparison.
• the mechanic remote from the relais house, receives through wire less communication means, preferably based on a cellular network, such as GSM, the relevant malfunction forecasting message.
• the message can than reach the mechanic with the least delay.
• the mechanic after receiving the message remotely determines the nature of the malfunction and subsequently travels immediately to a location along the railway, and not first to the relais house. After the mechanic has carried out the maintenance work along the railway, he can immediately check the result of his labour to the condition of the relating signalling system by making from that location wire less contact with the computer in the relais house through the wire less communication means and decide for further work, possibly at another location, on the basis thereof. In this way traveling up and down to the relais house is avoided, and also the corresponding time loss, costs, etc.
• the mechanic can carry out the preventive maintenance with the highest effectiveness. A surprising combination effect is obtained.
• the existing computer in the relais house has no permanent memory.
• power is shut off (e.g. power malfunction) the historical data collected in this computer thus get lost.
• wire less communication means it is made possible to store such historical data, or other data, in a permanent computer memory remote from the relais house. Thus it is not required, to adapt the computer in the relais house for permanent data storage.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Automation & Control Theory (AREA)
• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Biomedical Technology (AREA)
• General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Train Traffic Observation, Control, And Security (AREA)
• Electric Propulsion And Braking For Vehicles (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=26643352

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (2)

Cited By (4)

Citations (3)

• 2002
  • 2002-05-17 NL NL1020623A patent/NL1020623C2/nl not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2002-05-21 EP EP02077057A patent/EP1258412A3/fr not_active Ceased

Patent Citations (3)

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