EP1414691A1

EP1414691A1 - Method for planning routes for vehicles by means of target groups

Info

Publication number: EP1414691A1
Application number: EP02754736A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Thomas Schrag
Original assignee: Siemens Schweiz AG
Current assignee: Siemens Schweiz AG
Priority date: 2001-08-08
Filing date: 2002-06-22
Publication date: 2004-05-06
Anticipated expiration: 2022-06-22
Also published as: WO2003013936A1; WO2003013936A9; EP1288099A1; EP1414691B1; DE50202336D1; ATE289553T1

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for planning routes (V1 to V6) for vehicles, especially for rail-mounted vehicles. The inventive method comprises the following steps: a) defining a route by a start section (100, 200, 31) and a target section (103, 203) and by a number of one or more route sections (12, 13, 1, 14, 22, 2, 24, 32, 3) that lie between the start section and the target section; b) combining the start sections, target sections and route sections to target groups (a to e); c) predetermining one or more routes between one or more predetermined start sections and one or more possible target sections; and d) unambiguously defining every route predetermined in said manner by a sequence of target groups. The inventive method allows to substantially reduce memory requirements since instead of O(n<2>)..O(n<3>) memory location only O(n)..O(n<2>) memory location is required. It also allows to substantially simplify time-consuming checking procedures since it is no longer necessary to check every possible start/target section combination. It is sufficient to check within every target group only the last element as the target section and all possible start sections as the point of departure. It is no longer required to check start and target sections that lie on already covered routes for their integrity since the route sections included in one or more target groups have already been automatically checked along with those groups.

Description

description

Process for projecting routes for vehicles using target groups

The invention relates to a method for projecting routes for vehicles, in particular rail-bound vehicles, wherein a route is defined by a start section and a destination section and by a row of one or more route sections arranged between the start section and the destination section.

In a traffic network, further explained here using the example of a railway network, within a certain self-contained area, e.g. a station area or a signal box area, a plurality of routes are provided, which are more or less used as standard by the trains that frequent this area. For this purpose, it is necessary to provide the routes for the individual trains at the right time while maintaining high safety / requirements.

Such routes are then made available, for example, on the basis of the solution disclosed in European patent EP 0 920 391 B1. There, a method for the control and monitoring of a traffic engineering system is described, in which the control and monitoring elements for at least two lanes for track-bound vehicles can be set by a control process. After a request to set up a route, this control process provides all the control elements associated with this route and blocks these control elements from further requests to set up further route as long as until the currently set route is no longer required. The control elements can then be used again for the construction of a new route. In order to be able to meet the high safety requirements in the construction of travel paths in a comparatively simple manner, it is provided in the above-mentioned patent specification that each of the changes in the positions or states of the control elements to be carried out by the control process only after a successful check for reliability by an independent of the control process Test process. This test process examines on a case-by-case basis whether the actuating and / or monitoring elements to be blocked and set up for the construction or dismantling of the route are used for an already created route and are therefore already blocked. The control process can work according to the so-called track plan principle and the test process according to the so-called locking board principle or vice versa.

For the implementation of this method mentioned above is of course a complete and the high

Project planning of the routes, which also meets safety requirements, is essential. To do this, it is necessary to clearly define the routes that are usually specified by an operator of the route network, starting from a starting section, to a desired one

To define the target section and to determine the corresponding "control unit" or "signal box logic" units that have been "run over" in this way and to assign their respective settings for the intended routes.

It is easy to understand that these definitions of the routes and the assignments of the corresponding settings of the interlocking logic units for each of the possible subsets of partial routes within the intended routes must be saved and their integrity checked during the safety acceptance. Even at a medium-sized train station This can mean that a few hundred subsets of start and finish sections must be saved and accepted for safety reasons. In view of the required security level SIL4 (highest software integrity level according to the

European standard EN50128) represents an enormous expenditure of time and money.

The invention is therefore based on the object of specifying a method for projecting routes, in which the effort in terms of storage capacity and time and costs for the acceptance of the projected routes is reduced compared to the current solution.

This object is achieved according to the invention in that a method for projecting routes for vehicles, in particular for rail-bound vehicles, is provided, in which a) a route through a start section and a destination section and through a row of one or. Arranged between the start section and the destination section several route sections are defined, b) the start sections, the destination sections and the route sections are merged into target groups, c) one or more route routes are specified between one or more specified start sections and one or more possible destination sections, and d) each route specified in this way a string of target groups is clearly defined.

In this way it is possible to drastically reduce the storage volume required for storing the routes, because instead of 0 (n ² ) .. 0 (n ³ ) storage space, only 0 (n) .. 0 (n ² ) storage space is required becomes. This also drastically simplifies the complex

Check process brought about because not every possible start / finish section combination is now checked must, but it is sufficient within each target group to check only the last element as the target section and all possible starting sections as starting points. It is no longer necessary to check the integrity of start and destination sections that are on already traveled routes, because these have already been automatically checked within one or more target groups.

With regard to a particularly effective procedure when using the method, one or more preferred routes can be defined between one or more predetermined start sections and one or more predetermined destination sections, the route sections of which are assigned to a single target group, including the respective start section and the respective destination section. In this way, it is possible to form target groups as large as possible at the beginning of the project planning, from which only a few sections of the route will later have to be removed and sorted into new target groups if the requirement of clearly mapping the routes to a series of target groups makes it necessary should.

The high level of safety requirements can be met particularly well and simply when implementing the projected routes on the I&C and interlocking side if the start sections, the destination sections and the route sections are each defined as a nuclear route, whereby the nuclear routes represent a route section of a route that is not further subdivided in terms of control technology. This can mean delimiting the atomic routes by two code points, one code point being a single unit that can be uniquely set in terms of signal box logic. This procedure can then lead to the fact that the route is only ever operated from one code point to the next code point and thus a route request can be successively checked and also canceled if a code point is not available due to its current setting and / or occupancy.

A particularly efficient storage of the proposed routes can be achieved if all approved routes are mapped onto a two-dimensional matrix in which the one or more start sections and all possible route sections are listed on one axis and all possible route sections and destination sections are listed on the other axis and the individual matrix elements indicate which route section is the next route section to reach the destination section.

Compared to this storage option described above, there is even more space-saving storage if all permitted routes are mapped onto a two-dimensional matrix in which the one or more start sections and all possible route sections are listed on one axis and all possible target groups are listed on the other axis and by Individual matrix elements indicate which route section is the next route section to reach the destination section.

Another possibility for prioritizing certain routes arises if a fictitious nuclear route is defined, by means of which a preferred route is defined at least in sections. In this way, several route sections can be combined to form a nuclear route, which should not be further divided in this way. The expression "fictitious" takes account of the fact that it is actually not really a nuclear route by definition. In this way, for example, in terms of permissible maximum speed and with regard to the traction properties of a route section, preferred routes are defined by means of fictitious nuclear routes, which allow fast-moving trains without traction problems to be assigned the fastest route and, for example, slow-moving trains with restrictions relevant to traction to the more favorable route.

Further advantageous embodiments of the invention can be found in the remaining subclaims.

Exemplary embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail below with reference to the drawing. Show:

Figure 1 is a schematic representation of

Sections of a small suburban station;

Figure 2 shows a first method step for project planning of preferred routes in the route section of the

Suburban station according to Figure 1;

FIG. 3 shows a second method step for planning preferred routes in the route section of the local train station according to FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 shows a third method step for the planning of preferred routes in the section of the route

Suburban station according to Figure 1;

FIG. 5 shows a fourth method step for planning preferred routes in the section of the route

Suburban station according to Figure 1;

Figure 6 shows a fifth final process step for project planning of preferred routes in the Section of the suburban train station according to the figure

1 ; and FIG. 7 shows a matrix of the routes planned in method steps 1 to 5 on the basis of target groups.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic illustration of route sections of a small suburban station, on the basis of which the method according to the invention for projecting routes within the area of this suburban station will be explained.

First of all, some basic terms are also to be explained for a better understanding of the nomenclature used in the patent claims. The route sections of the suburban train station include

Starting sections 100, 200, 31, destination sections 103, 203 and route sections 12, 22, 32, 1, 2, 3, 13, 14 and 24. It is common to all these route sections that each section represents an atomic route in itself, which in terms of control technology - and interlocking logic perspective is no longer subdivided. For example, route sections 1, 2 and 3 can be precisely the track sections within the suburban train station on which passenger trains stop and get on and off passengers.

For the project planning of the routes for this suburban train station, FIG. 2 shows in a first step a first preferred route VI, shown in dotted lines, which, starting from the start section 200, reaches the destination section 103 via the route sections 12, 13, 1, 14. For this reason, the route sections 12, 13, 1, 14 and 103 are assigned to a first target group a.

In the second step according to FIG. 3, further preferred routes V2, V3 and V4 are now defined, which initially leads to the formation of a second target group b, to which the route sections 22, 2, 24 and 203 initially belong. With the picture According to FIG. 2, only the preferred routes VI and V2 are currently clearly represented, because the target sections 103 and 203 can only be reached via the target group a or b. The instruction to get from target section 200 via target groups a and b to target section 203 is currently not clear, because the preferred routes V3 and V4 are equally available, ie the route from 12 to 24 can be 12-2-24 or 12-13- 1-24. This ambiguity will be eliminated in the fourth step according to FIG. 5.

In the third step according to FIG. 4, a further preferred route V5 is now defined, which leads to the formation of a third target group c to which the route sections 32 and 3 belong. The instruction from 200 to reach target groups c and b to 203 is clear and leads to route 200-32-3-24-203.

In the fourth step according to FIG. 5, the ambiguity still existing in FIG. 3 with regard to the route from 200 to 203 via target groups a and b is eliminated, in which route sections 24 and 203 are taken from target group b and form a fourth target group d. The request from starting section 200 to reach target section 203 using target group a now inevitably leads via target group d, so that, however, there is no clear preferred route because the instruction for route 200-12-13-1-24 Could be -203 or 200-12- 13-1-14-203.

In the fifth step according to FIG. 6, a sixth preferred route V6 is now defined for the exemplary illustration of the method, which can only be unambiguous if the target section 203 is removed from the target group d and this target section 203 itself forms a fifth target group e. The instruction based on that

Starting section 200 to reach the destination section 203 is then drive over the target groups a and e. The last ambiguity still present in FIG. 5 is thus eliminated.

On the basis of these five steps according to FIGS. 2 to 6, the basic procedure for the assignment of

Route sections to the target groups a to e clearly, even if in this embodiment of the small suburban train station target groups, here d and e, are formed which contain only a single route section. In the case of a larger train station or a track area with extensive maneuvering options, the formation of such a target group with only a single section of the route is rather the exception because, of course, as few target groups as possible are generated during project planning.

Table 1 below shows a matrix in which all starting sections 100, 200 and 31 as well as all route sections 12, 13, 1, 14, 22, 2, 24, 32 and 3 are listed in the horizontal top line. The target groups a to e are listed in the left column. The single ones

Matrix elements now each show the next destination in the relevant target group a to e along a preferred priority route VI, V2, V4, V5 and V6. The matrix therefore represents exactly the state of the configuration achieved in FIG. 6.

Table 1: Matrix start and route sections against target groups On the basis of the approximately 27% information-provided matrix (only 16 out of 60 matrix elements have a non-zero statement), it is easy to understand how storage space is used very economically. The procedure in the prior art would have led to an entry 13-1-14-203 for the matrix element (12; e), for example. The entry for the matrix element (12; d) would be 13-1-24 accordingly. For the acceptance of this configuration, for example, the decrease in the preferred route VI from 200 to 103 means that sections 200-12, 200-12-13, 200-12-13-1, 200-12-13-1-14, 12 automatically -13, 12-13-1, 12-13-1-14, 13-1, 13-1-14 and 1-14. It is easy to see that this automatic acceptance test, based on the educated target group, represents a considerable saving in working time and costs in view of the care required by SIL4.

In conclusion, it should be noted that the present invention is in no way limited to the projecting of railway routes, but, of course, is also suitable for road traffic routes, water transport routes and air corridors if a route network is appropriately divided into so-called nuclear routes.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

100, 200, 31 start sections

103, 203 targets

12, 13, 1, 14, 22, 2, 24, 32, 3 route sections VI to V6 preferred routes

Claims

claims

1. Method for projecting routes (VI to V6) for vehicles, in particular rail-bound vehicles, wherein a route (VI to V6) through a start section (100, 200, 31) and a destination section (103, 203) and through one between the Start section (100, 200, 31) and the destination section (103, 203) arranged series of one or more route sections (12, 13, 1, 14, 22, 2, 24, 32, 3) is defined, characterized in that the Starting sections (100, 200, 31), the destination sections (103, 203) and the route sections (12, 13, 1, 14, 22, 2, 24, 32, 3) are combined into target groups (a to e), one or several routes between one or more predetermined start sections (100, 200, 31) and one or more possible destination sections (103, 203) and each route (VI to V6) is clearly specified by a series of target groups (a to e) ,

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that between a predetermined start section (100, 200, 31) and a predetermined destination section (103, 203) a preferred route (VI to V6) is defined, the

Sections can be assigned to a single target group (a to e).

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the start sections (100, 200, 13), the destination sections (103, 203) and the route sections (12, 13, 1, 14, 22, 2, 24, 32, 3) are each defined as an atomic route, the atomic routes representing a route section of a route (VI to V6) that is not further subdivided in terms of control technology.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that the nuclear routes are each delimited by two code points, one code point being a signal box logic unit.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that a route control is always carried out from one code point to the next code point.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that all approved routes (VI to V6) are mapped onto a two-dimensional matrix in which on one axis the one or more start sections (100, 200, 31) and all possible Route sections (12, 13, 1, 14, 22, 2, 24, 32, 3) and on the other axis all possible route sections (12, 13, 1, 14, 22, 2, 24, 32, 3) and the or the destination sections (103, 203) are listed and the individual matrix elements indicate which route section is the next route section to reach the destination section (103, 203).

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that all approved routes (VI to V6) are mapped onto a two-dimensional matrix in which on one axis the one or more start sections (100, 200, 31) and all possible Route sections (12, 13, 1, 14, 22, 2, 24, 32, 3) and on the other axis all possible target groups (a to e) are listed and by the individual Matrix elements indicate which route section is the next route section to reach the destination section (103, 203).

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that a fictitious nuclear route is defined, by means of which a preferred route (VI to V6) is defined at least in sections.