EP2386458A1 - Signal lumineux pour systèmes ferroviaires - Google Patents

Signal lumineux pour systèmes ferroviaires Download PDF

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Publication number
EP2386458A1
EP2386458A1 EP10425140A EP10425140A EP2386458A1 EP 2386458 A1 EP2386458 A1 EP 2386458A1 EP 10425140 A EP10425140 A EP 10425140A EP 10425140 A EP10425140 A EP 10425140A EP 2386458 A1 EP2386458 A1 EP 2386458A1
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
control
light
power
emitting unit
signal generating
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Application number
EP10425140A
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German (de)
English (en)
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EP2386458B1 (fr
Inventor
Silvano Cavalli
Eddi Spisni
Sara Motta
Vittorio Bachetti
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Alstom Transport SA
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Alstom Transport SA
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Priority to EP20100425140 priority Critical patent/EP2386458B1/fr
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    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B61—RAILWAYS
    • B61L—GUIDING RAILWAY TRAFFIC; ENSURING THE SAFETY OF RAILWAY TRAFFIC
    • B61L5/00—Local operating mechanisms for points or track-mounted scotch-blocks; Visible or audible signals; Local operating mechanisms for visible or audible signals
    • B61L5/12—Visible signals
    • B61L5/18—Light signals; Mechanisms associated therewith, e.g. blinders
    • B61L5/1809—Daylight signals
    • B61L5/1881—Wiring diagrams for power supply, control or testing
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B61—RAILWAYS
    • B61L—GUIDING RAILWAY TRAFFIC; ENSURING THE SAFETY OF RAILWAY TRAFFIC
    • B61L2207/00—Features of light signals
    • B61L2207/02—Features of light signals using light-emitting diodes [LEDs]

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a light signaling device for railway systems or the like, comprising:
  • Light signaling devices for railway systems or the like of the above mentioned type are known and are generally used when new generation lamps of the so-called LED (Light Emitting Diode) type are used instead of traditional incandescent light radiation sources.
  • LED Light Emitting Diode
  • the means for checking the absorbed current are generally placed in a remote central control unit known in the field as cab.
  • the central control unit also comprises the means for generating a control signal and the trigger signal for actuating the light signal generating/emitting unit, which is generally placed at a predetermined distance from the remote central unit along the railway line.
  • lamp operation is checked by equipping the remote control cabins with means for measuring the current absorbed by the lamp power circuit.
  • these are amperometric relays which switch between contact closing and opening states, according to the current intensity in the power circuit of the light signal generating/emitting unit, which contact opening and closing states are equivalent to respectively enabling or disabling of additional units for setting the railway network in safety mode, whenever the light signaling devices fails to operate.
  • any current intensity drop in the power circuit directly causes failed operation of the lamp in terms of light radiation emission, i.e. causes the lamp to fail to turn on or be poorly turned on.
  • LED lamps have been increasingly used instead of incandescent lamps. This type of light radiation sources have several advantages as compared with incandescent lamps, but what has been described above for incandescent lamps does not apply to this type of lamps. Due to the particular construction features of LED lamps, a LED lamp may absorb current, which means that the current circulating therein may be sufficient to simulate proper operation, even when no light radiation is actually emitted.
  • the typical amperometric check as described above i.e. measurement of the intensity of current circulating in the power circuit of the light source is not sufficient to safely define an operating condition of the LED lamp in terms of light radiation emission.
  • control and power electronics are provided for controlling and powering the LED lamp, which electronics are combined with means for measuring the light radiation emitted by the LED lamp and for generating a corresponding electric signal, the latter being processed by a checking section and actually compared with a reference signal corresponding to a predetermined light intensity threshold, which is the minimum limit value for the intensity of the emitted radiation.
  • the power circuit or the control and power electronics are equipped with means for changing the current absorbed by the light signal generating/emitting unit, which means are controlled by said control and power electronics, to simulate current absorption by an incandescent lamp as a function of operation assessments on the light signal generating/emitting unit, which are obtained by measuring the intensity of the light radiation emitted by the LED lamp.
  • the control electronics control the means for changing the intensity of current absorbed by the light signal generating/emitting unit so that the current intensity absorbed in the power circuit and detected by the amperometric means in said remote central control unit is lower than a predetermined threshold value.
  • threshold value corresponds to the minimum current value acceptable for the light signal generating/emitting unit to be deemed as properly operating, in terms of emitted light radiation.
  • control means generally located in the remote cabin, which generate the signal for controlling the light signaling device to be powered and turned on, generate a check signal to indicate failed or wrong operation of the light signaling device, which is transmitted to the interlocking unit, to start safety operations that set the railway line in response to the established danger state.
  • the type of action to be made to set the railway line to safety mode depends on the particular situation and is accurately coded in the operating rules for the railway system and the railway network, to minimize or eliminate the danger of accidents.
  • any functional check substantially based on detection of actual emission of a light radiation by the lamp causes the generation of a check signal whose current intensity corresponds to the detected light radiation emission state and simulates the current intensities typically absorbed during operation of incandescent lamps.
  • the current intensity that simulates the current that a properly operating incandescent lamp would have absorbed which is used to power the amperometric check means located in the remote control and power cabin of the light signaling device, is set by inserting a ballast resistor in the power circuit, in parallel connection with the load consisting of the LED lamp and the power circuit thereof, which resistor causes absorption of the current required to simulate the proper operation state of the incandescent lamp in the power circuit.
  • ballast resistor is disconnected when light emission is insufficient, i.e. below the threshold that is considered as the lower limit for proper operation of the LED lamp.
  • ballast resistor connected in parallel with the load of the LED lamp in the power circuit is no sufficient guarantee of safe detection of the LED lamp's functional status. Any failure in the electronic control and power circuit of the LED that generates conditions electrically comparable to those of the insertion of a ballast resistor in parallel with the LED lamp load may simulate the insertion of the ballast resistor even when the operating conditions of the lamp would not allow that. Such condition often occurs due to the failure of only one of the components of the control and power circuit of the LED lamp, whereby this prior art solution does not meet the SIL 4 safety requirements.
  • the object of the invention is to provide a light signaling device as described hereinbefore, that allows the use of LED-type lamps or light radiation emitting sources in combination with the use of both traditional existing remote light signal feeding units and amperometric-type checking units for checking the operating conditions of said light signal, and also provides the high operational safety levels required in this type of light signaling systems for railway traffic control.
  • the invention has further object that will appear more clearly hereinafter.
  • the invention achieves the above objects by providing a device as described hereinbefore, in which:
  • the provision of the limiting resistor in series between the control and power signal feeding line and the input of the light signal generating/emitting unit obviates the drawback that, in case of malfunctioning of any component of said light signal generating/emitting unit, an absorption current for said unit is generated, which exceeds the current threshold value whereby, although the light signal generating/emitting unit operates improperly, proper operation is simulated, and the feedback to the control unit is a check signal indicating a proper operation status.
  • the full power of the power control signal will be available to the light signal generating/emitting unit, and the checking step by absorption current simulation will be started under the control of the control and power unit, essentially based on the measurement of the light radiation actually emitted by the light radiation emitting source, i.e. the LED lamp.
  • the power accumulation and temporary power supply means of the control and power unit consist of capacitive means having such a size as to accumulate and release a signal whose voltage and power are sufficient to power for a predetermined time the control electronics and the switch means for switching the state of alternate series-connection of the by-pass line and said limiting resistor to the input of the light signal generating/emitting unit, which means, as start-up is completed, are controlled by the control electronics according to the correctness of the signal of detection of the light emission generated by the corresponding source.
  • Said predetermined time for power supply to the control electronics and the switch means for switching the state of alternate series-connection of the by-pass line and said limiting resistor to the input of the light signal generating/emitting unit is equal to or longer than the time required for steady-state actuation of the control and checking electronics and for the switch means to assume the switch state in which the input of the light signal generating/emitting unit is directly connected by the by-pass to the power line.
  • second power accumulation and temporary power supply units are provided in the control and power unit, which have such a size that temporary power supply occurs during a second predetermined time, substantially corresponding to the time during which the light source is off during the flashing cycle.
  • second means for changing the absorption current of the light signal generating/emitting unit consist of a ballast resistor adapted to be inserted and disconnected in the power circuit in parallel with the load of the light signal generating/emitting unit, by switch means controlled by the control and power electronics.
  • ballast resistor in parallel with the load of the light radiation emitting source occurs upon control for bypassing the limiting resistor in series with the input of the signal generating/emitting unit.
  • said unit has means for irreversibly preventing power supply to said light signal generating/emitting unit and particularly the control electronics, which means can be actuated by the control electronics itself.
  • Said means consist of a fuse in the power line of the control and power electronics and a switch for connecting said fuse upon short circuit of the control and power signal to generate a current of such level as to burn said fuse out.
  • Said switch means are designed to be controlled by the control and power electronics according to the input signal to said control and power electronics, which is provided at least by the optoelectronic sensor that measures the light radiation actually emitted by the light radiation emitting source, i.e. the LED lamp.
  • the control and power electronics switches off all the power circuits and then, before controlling the means for inserting the limiting resistor at the input, it controls the means that short circuit the control signal, to cause fuse interruption and permanent lack of power supply to the control electronics.
  • control and power electronics no longer supplies the control signal to the switches which maintain the limiting resistor disconnected in series with the input of the signal generating/emitting unit, whereby the current absorbed by said unit drops below the current intensity threshold value above which the light signal generating/emitting unit is deemed to be properly operating.
  • the power signal to the light radiation emitting source is also strongly attenuated in a safe manner, whereby the possibility will be safely avoided that a current signal having such an intensity as to wrongly simulate proper operation might be detected in the remote control unit by the amperometric means thereof.
  • the switches for inserting/disconnecting the limiting resistor consist of the switch contacts of at least one force guided relay.
  • two controllable switches may be provided to control series-insertion and disconnection of the limiting resistor at the input of the light signal generating/emitting unit.
  • These two controllable switches may consist of the switch contacts of two different relays, each of such relays being connected to a control output of the control and power electronics.
  • two jumpers for bypassing the limiting resistor are provided, which are connected in parallel with each other and with said resistor and are closed or opened each by at least one switch contact of a different relay.
  • two by-pass jumpers for the limiting resistor are provided, each being connected in parallel with the other and both in parallel with the limiting resistor, whereas four different relays are provided, the switch contacts of two relays being series-connected in one by-pass jumper, and the contacts of the other two relays being series-connected in the second by-pass jumper.
  • Each of said relays being controlled by an output of the control and power electronics.
  • the control and power electronics further has a control section with a 2002 architecture, which has two control microprocessors with control software loaded in each of them, for parallel performance of control processes, each microprocessor having power accumulation and temporary power supply means connected thereto, and the signal corresponding to the light radiation detected by the optoelectronic sensors, and said microprocessors having each at least one control output for switching at least one relay.
  • each microprocessor has at least two control outputs for energizing one relay, each being connected with one of the four relays.
  • the relays are of the force guided type and are so designed that the switch contacts in the by-pass lines of the four relays are normally open when the relays are not energized.
  • ballast resistor it is inserted in parallel with the load of the light radiation emitting source by means of further switch contacts of at least two of the four relays that control the bypass lines of the limiting resistor to close or open, said contacts of said two relays being connected in parallel with each other and having a reversed closed-open configurations as compared with the switch contacts in the bypass jumpers of the limiting resistor.
  • the light signal generating/emitting unit has means for actuating the transmission of the functional status thereof (concerning light signal emission) to trains, which means consist of switches adapted to be controlled by the control and power electronics and particularly by the control section thereof, and which switches consist of further switch contacts of the four relays, which are designed to open and close the bypasses of the limiting resistor.
  • the switch contacts for controlling actuation of transmission of the operating status of the light signal generating/emitting unit to trains are of the type whose operation matches that of the switch contacts in the bypasses of the limiting resistors.
  • the light signal generating/emitting unit has means for calibrating the supply current required for the intensity of the light radiation emitted by the emitting source to be as desired, and for detecting the parameters of the corresponding electric signal generated by the optoelectronic sensor, which calibrating means include means for changing the supply current and external means for measuring the light flux being generated, and further includes, in the control and power electronics, means for storage of the supply current for the light radiation emitting source that corresponds to the desired brightness and parameters of the signal for measurement of the brightness of the light radiation signal emitted by the emitting source.
  • a supply current adaptation section which includes at least one programmable resistor, an auxiliary variable duty-cycle fixed period square wave generator, said square wave generator being connected with the light radiation emitting source during a half-period of the duty-cycle of the square wave generator, the supply current supplied to the light radiation emitting source being changed due to the variation of the duty-cycle of the square wave generator, whereas the parameters of the emitted light radiation measuring signal generated by the optoelectronic sensor are compared with the theoretical parameters stored in the control and power electronics and are automatically changed by operating on said sensor when they are different from the reference parameters stored in the control and power electronics.
  • the light signaling device has a light signal generating/emitting unit divided into two subunits, one of which is placed in a separate case mounted to the mechanical signal-supporting structure and comprising the control and power electronics with the limiting resistor, the bypasses and the switch means for insertion/disconnection thereof, the accumulation and temporary power supply means, the fuse and the means for short-circuit connection thereof, the ballast resistor and the switches for insertion/disconnection said ballast resistor in the circuit, the power signal generating section for powering the light radiation emitting source and possibly the switches for actuating the transmission of the operating status of the signaling device to trains, whereas the other subunit comprises the light radiation emitting source, the optoelectronic sensors, possibly the temperature sensors and the section for adaptation of the supply current for the light radiation emitting source, said second subunit being designed to be mounted in the lamp holder, i.e.
  • hood said two subunits being connected together by a multipolar cable comprising the lines for transmission of the power signal from the first subunit to the second subunit and the lines for transmission of the signal for measuring the emitted light radiation and the temperature from the second subunit to the first subunit.
  • the invention also relates to further improvements, which form the subject of the dependent claims.
  • Figure 1 shows a general light signaling device, whose basic structure also applies to the device of the present invention.
  • These devices include remote cabins, containing control and power units, and at least one light signal, such as a semaphore or the like, which is installed next to the track of a railway line.
  • the power signal for a light signal generating/emitting unit (said semaphore or the like), designated by numeral 300 is generated in a remote cabin.
  • the feeding line 200 is connected via a transformer 201 and a protection fuse 1 to the input of the light signal generating/emitting unit 300.
  • the latter includes control and power electronics 301 and a light radiation emitting source 302, namely a semiconductor lamp also known as LED lamp.
  • the light signal generating/emitting unit 300 also has a section for transmitting information about the operating state thereof to the trains, which is designated by numeral 303 and is known in the railway field as INDUSI.
  • the remote cabin 100 contains a current transformer 101 which supplies power to a relay 102.
  • the relay 102 is controlled to set a switch status of its contacts according to the current that circulates in the power line 200, which matches the current absorbed by the light signal generating/emitting unit 300.
  • the switch status of the contacts of the relay 102 corresponds to an indication of proper operation or improper operation of the light signal generating/emitting unit 300, which is transmitted to a central control unit, not shown in detail, that manages the railway traffic and also the remote cabin.
  • multiple remote cabins are provided in a railway network, each controlling multiple light signal generating/emitting units, i.e. multiple semaphores disposed along the railway line, for which the remote cabin has dedicated control and power means, as well as dedicated means for detection of the supply current absorbed by the corresponding light signal generating/emitting unit, which means are also known as amperometric means for detection of proper operation of the light signal generating/emitting unit.
  • the light signal generating/emitting unit namely the light radiation emitting source 302, which is a LED lamp in the present example
  • the light radiation emitting source 302 which is a LED lamp in the present example
  • This condition is imposed because incandescent lamps were traditionally used, whereby failed emission of the light signal (failed start-up) was unequivocally caused by a drop, i.e. dramatic reduction of the supply current. Any filament break causes the lamp to operate as a fuse, with no supply current being absorbed, as the power circuit is open.
  • the block diagram of Figure 2 shows a general construction of a light signal generating/emitting unit of the present invention.
  • the circuit has a limiting resistor 304 at its input, which is series-connected to the power line and to the input of the light signal generating/emitting unit.
  • One signal acts both as an start-up control signal and as a power signal for powering said light signal generating/emitting unit.
  • This signal is transmitted to a temporary power supply unit of the control electronics, which is designated by numeral 305. It is connected to the control electronics 301 via a fuse 2.
  • a power signal generating section 307 here of the PWM type, is controlled by the control electronics 301, in that the latter controls both said section 307 and a switch 308 that connects said section 307 to the input power signal.
  • the LED lamp 302 is connected to said section 307.
  • a ballast resistor 309 is designed to be inserted in parallel with the power signal generating section 307 for powering the lamp 302, by a control from the control electronics 301.
  • the fuse 2 for interrupting power to the control electronics is designed to be controlled thereby in its actuation.
  • At least one bypass jumper 301 is provided in parallel with the limiting resistor 304, which is normally open and is closed by a control from the control electronics 301.
  • the control electronics 301 also has the INDUSI section 303 connected thereto.
  • the intensity of the current absorbed by said unit is changed by series-connection of the limiting resistor 304 at the input of the light signal generating/emitting unit.
  • the limiting resistor 304 prevents the light signal generating/emitting unit from immediately having the required signal power available, whereby power accumulation and provisional, i.e. temporary power supply means 305 are required, which provide the power required for operation at least of the control electronics 301 and a few relevant members, namely the means for closing/opening the bypass jumper 310, for at least a given predetermined time.
  • Said power accumulation and temporary power supply means 305 provide energy for actuation and initiation of the control electronics 301 and for the bypass jumper closing control. Under these conditions, the resistor 304 is bypassed and the control and power signal is available in its full power at the input of the light signal generating/emitting unit.
  • control electronics 301 controls the signaling means 303 that send information to the train, the static switch 308 for connection of the power signal generating section 307, the means 302 for insertion of the ballast resistor 309 in parallel with the LED lamp load 302. Therefore, the LED lamp 302 is powered, whereas the sensors 311 for LED lamp functional checking and particularly the optoelectronic brightness sensor, and possibly the temperature sensor provide their signals to the control electronics 301.
  • the current absorbed by the light signal generating/emitting unit is reduced below the threshold value that discriminates between the proper and wrong operating conditions, and is detected by the amperometric sensors in the remote control unit (transformer 101 and relay 102).
  • Figure 3 shows a variant embodiment of the light signal generating/emitting unit of Figure 3 .
  • the limiting resistor and the bypass means, as well as the control means are indicated by the blocks designated as protection, with numeral 304.
  • the power accumulation and temporary power supply means 305 are designated as input, whereas the switch 308 is indicated by the functional block designated as control consent and the control of the power signal generating section 307 is indicated by the functional block 312 designated as power consent.
  • the section 307 is known as "optical unit power supply", whereas the functional checking sensors 311 are shown to be divided into temperature check and optical check.
  • the control electronics 301 comprises a functional part, designated as protection, the power supply and power consent part and the logical control part, said parts being designated by 301a, 301b, 301c, 301d respectively.
  • Figure 4 shows the construction of the light signal generating/emitting unit of Figure 3 in greater detail.
  • the capacitor C1 may charge through Rlim to about the peak value of the input signal, rectified by the Graetz bridge, in case of AC voltage.
  • a circuit, not shown, maintains the DC/DC converters 7 and 10 disabled, to prevent absorption by the electronics in this step.
  • the static switch 1 stops the charge of the capacitor of the low-pass filter contained in the block 3 and all the other devices connected to the input circuit are disabled. Therefore, since the forced guide relays K1, K2, K3 and K4 are low, the only current that circulates at the start is the charge current C1.
  • the converters 7 and 10 are enabled and the two ⁇ Cs (6 and 11) receive the power voltages, i.e. 5V and 3.3V respectively.
  • the ⁇ C1 controls the amplifier 18 with a square wave having a frequency of, for instance, 20kHz, to energize the relay K1 only, and the same is done by ⁇ C2 with the amplifier 16 and the relay K2.
  • the relays K1 and K2 establish the high contacts, and the limiting resistor at the input, which prevents current from rising above the safety limit value imposed by the cabin control circuit, is short circuited.
  • the capacitor C1 which partially discharged into the electronics and into the relays K1 and K2, starts to charge again.
  • C2 starts charging, which allows the power voltages of the electronics and the relays to be also maintained during the OFF half-periods of the flashing state if the light signal generating/emitting unit is actuated in flashing mode.
  • the time after which the shutdown of the converters 7 and 10 is removed depends on the value of C1, which cannot be lower than a given value, so that during the discharge transient, mainly caused by the sum of the bootload time and the delay at relay energization, voltage ad C1 is prevented from falling below the voltage that allows the converters 7 and 10 to generate proper power supply voltages.
  • shutdown removal should occur with as little a delay as possible, especially when a first OFF half-period of the flashing state may start after a 0.5 interval from the start of the control.
  • the electronics In order to minimize such delay, the electronics must initially absorb as little power as possible, and the relays must consume as little as possible.
  • ⁇ C2 6 controls the static switch 1 and allows the capacitor in the low-pass filter 3 to charge.
  • both ⁇ C 6, 11 use the squaring circuits contained in block 5 to read the frequency of the input signal, in case of an AC control, and if such frequency falls within the admitted range (considering that voltage may or may not be present at the input ports actuated by an external jumper to be inserted in case of a frequency other than 50 Hz, e.g. 75 Hz), the ⁇ C1 11 transmits two 180° phase shifted PWM signals to the amplifier 4.
  • the variable duty-cycle which allows current stabilization in the LED lamp 27, is fixed to a value that is a function of the rectified input voltage and temperature.
  • the lamp turns on and the output current of the amplifier 4, which is proportional to the current that circulates in the LED, is reread by both ⁇ C 6, 11.
  • the light flux is checked by a circuit section composed of the blocks 25, 28, 31 and 32. If such flux and the delivered current fall within the admitted ranges, the relays K1 and K2 are kept in an energized state and the ⁇ Cs 6, 11 actuate the relay K3 through the blocks 20 and 21, and the relay K4 through the blocks 14 and 15.
  • the relays K3 and K4 allow the external repetition system known as Indusi to be enabled onboard, i.e. on the train, and cause the actuation of the linear current generator 2, which powers the ballast load Rz and is controlled by a PWM generator or by a D/A converter, placed inside the ⁇ C1 11.
  • the load Rz conveniently increases the absorbed current, thereby allowing the amperometric control circuit, located in the station or at the cabin, i.e. the remote control unit 100, to energize the corresponding relay 102.
  • Figure 5 is a chart that shows the succession of the above described steps for initiation of the light signal generating/emitting unit.
  • the relays K3 and K4 are energized as a last step of the start-up process. Then, the operation logic is reversed, which means that, while the relays K1 and K2 are initially energized by the ⁇ Cs 6, 11, when no brightness check signal is generated by the sensor 28 and the electronics associated therewith, after start-up these relays remain in the energized state as long as the light flux and the current emitted by the amplifier 4 fall within the predetermined range, which can change as a function of input voltage.
  • the input voltage may fall within two ranges, which define the "Day” operation (higher range, centered at 15 VAC or 12 Vm, providing a constant value of about 700 mA in the lamp) or the "Night" operation (lower range, centered at 12VAC or 9.5 Vm, with the lamp current being about 350 mA).
  • the light signal generating/emitting unit has an open loop operation, with the lack of a brightness check causing permanent removal of the control.
  • the ⁇ Cs 6, 11, disable the power circuits and simultaneously transmit a 1 sec. pulse to the block 8, which acts as a MOSFET switch, and is designed to considerably decrease the impedance of the circuit downstream from the fuse 2, to cause its actuation. This will permanently interrupt power supply to the electronics, and will not allow restoration thereof from the outside.
  • the fuse 2 is not inserted in the power circuit, unlike the fuse 1 that only has a protective function and no safety task. For instance, if the trigger current for the fuse 2 does not exceed 700 mA, the check at the cabin should be acquired with at least 1 A input current at the light signal generating/emitting unit, at which the fuse trigger time drops definitely below the amperometric relay energizing time.
  • the ballast load 309 would increase such current, e.g. to 1.2 A, and hence, assuming for instance an AC control in "Day" operation and an effective input voltage of about 15 eff V, a nominal power absorption of about 18 W would be obtained, which is still acceptable, considering the constrictions and precautions required to improve the safety of the apparatus.
  • ballast load 309 which also decreases the distortion rate of the absorbed current, such power might be considerably lower and not exceed 10 W.
  • the ballast load allows no check acquisition at the cabin, in case of lamp failure.
  • a parallel loss e.g. at C1, C2 or in the block 3
  • a transient would occur, whose duration depends on the overall response time of the power/brightness check connection, during which said current stresses the control relay. If the energizing time thereof is shorter than the transient, a short initial undue control pulse would occur.
  • the ballast load 309 shall be deemed to have an auxiliary, not decisive function, unlike prior art devices, in which no input limiting resistor 304 is provided. Furthermore, these prior art devices require a differential detector in the cabin, i.e. the remote control unit 100, for measuring the delivered current, which detector only actuates its output if said current falls within a range from a maximum value to a minimum value. This will prevent any parallel loss in the electronics from going undetected, with the lamp controlled, and thus from masking the disconnection of the ballast load in case of lamp failure. A grey zone still remains from the safety point of view, if the lamp has a failure (e.g. if its absorbs power without emitting light) and the parallel loss is already present.
  • a failure e.g. if its absorbs power without emitting light
  • the block 3 is a LC-type low-pass filter, which has the task of filtering out the audiofrequency harmonics generated by the amplifier 4 and decreasing the distortion rate of the input current (under AC control), which distortion is actually only caused by the electronics of the ⁇ Cs 6, 11, whose maximum absorption is slightly higher than 2 W.
  • An amperometric transformer is provided downstream from the amplifier 4, the latter generating a pulsed signal +/- that can be transmitted through the transformer 20, a galvanic insulation being required in this location.
  • the current cannot be read upstream from the filter 3 by a pull-down resistor, because no accurate detection of the level of transient pulses, whose duration is shorter than the half-period of the supply voltage, would be possible.
  • the broken line L1 on the right side of the block diagram indicates that the light signal generating/emitting unit is generally composed of two subunits, the first whereof is located in a pole-mounted box, designated by U1 in Figure 6 , and the second, designated by U2 and containing the blocks located on the right of the line L1, is located in the hood 50 of the signal 51 which is itself mounted to the pole 52.
  • This division may be imposed both by space requirements in the hood and by heat problems, in that the ballast load 309 contributes in increasing the temperature of the assembly, whereby it should be maintained apart from the LED lamp 302, to extend its life.
  • the two subunits U1, U2 of the light signal generating/emitting unit are connected together by a four-wire cable 53.
  • Two of such wires are for "forth” transmission and carry the PWM power signal adapted for controlling the lamp and for supplying power to the electronics of the hood, and the other two are for "back” transmission, and carry a low power analog signal, which contains (vital) brightness information and (non vital) temperature information.
  • the block 22 is an audiofrequency transformer which adapts the output voltage to the loads
  • the block 23 is a dual half-wave rectifier directly connected to the block 24 and connected to the blocks 25, 28, 30 and 31 with the interposition of a stabilizer.
  • the block 24 is a low-pass filter, which determines the mean value of the variable duty-cycle pulsed signal at its input and also allows reduction of the power signal harmonics, as the two wires of the cable may be considered as an antenna having a maximum length of the order of about ten meters.
  • the outputs of the temperature sensors 26 and the brightness sensors 28 are continuous signals, the former being directly transmitted to the cable 53 via the low-pass filter 29, which prevents back transmission of the signal from the block 32, whereas the later is the modulating signal of an amplitude modulator 31, whose carried may be generated by dividing (block 25) the frequency of the power signal by two, which is stable against any change of temperature and HW components.
  • the modulated signal is transmitted to the cable 53 via the high-pass filter 32, which filters out the CC component that comes from the block 29.
  • the temperature dependent CC voltage is received by the high-pass filter 12 and transmitted to the A/D converters inside the ⁇ Cs 6, 11, whereas the brightness dependent AC voltage is received through the pass band filter 13 and transmitted to the same converters, which are tested through reading of a known voltage generated by the block 9.
  • the ⁇ Cs set the controls of the power section, the relays and the block 8 and control the three basic parameters: input voltage (amplitude and frequency), lamp brightness and current delivered to the load, and further carry out the following steps:
  • each ⁇ C waits for a re-reading contact to establish with low relays, and for a 1 to occur at the input of the corresponding port, which immediately actuates a re-energizing control.
  • a similar arrangement i.e. a series of two parallels, has to be provided at the interface with the Indusi system. By testing the four relays at different times, no discontinuity will be caused in current absorption and in the connection with the Indusi 303.
  • the presence of the relay K4 is required by the need of preventing periodic circuit interruptions in the Indusi 303.
  • An application that requires no interface with the Indusi would require three relays only, as well as a change in the configuration of the contacts in parallel with Rlim 304 and an arrangement required by functional safety reasons, in which both ⁇ Cs 6, 11 would enable the relay K3 to be energized.
  • the relay shall also be re-energized, even when the test has failed, of when a failure has occurred in the meantime that caused a loss of amperometric control. High relays are required to trigger the fuse 2 and permanently shut down the control electronics.
  • each relay must be de-energized once every 20 min. Therefore, a switching event would be controlled every 5 minutes. Since the test cycle extends for a relatively long time, alternate control of the amplifiers 14, 16, 18 and 20 is preferred, so that any short circuit at the static switches cannot keep the relay in the energized state. Furthermore, the use of small transformers in the blocks 15, 17 and 19 allows to raise the voltage at the relay to the required level. This voltage, that requires stabilization, is generally higher than the voltage supplied to the, ⁇ Cs 6, 11, depending on the selected types of relays, which must have special features (long thermal range, low consumption, high vibration resistance, etc.).
  • the ⁇ Cs 6, 11 also periodically perform, through the block 8, a test on the breaking current of the fuse 2 and the circuit designed to cause it to trigger, as required.
  • the current test is carried out by raising the current that circulates through the fuse 2 for a very short time (e.g. 0.5 ms) and by checking, by means of an optoisolator circuit, that it never falls, for instance, below twice the nominal current of the fuse (of fast type).
  • Static switches which close the circuit for power supply to the electronics at low impedance, are duplicated for safety, and the re-reading circuit consists of a H bridge having two outputs, each alternately having a 0/1 pulse, slightly delayed with respect to control pulses, if the current check was successful.
  • Hardware integrity at block 8 is constantly checked during the control step, nevertheless the effectiveness of the fuse 2 depends on the impedance of the source, on the relays and on the correctness of the software process.
  • lamp failure while failed removal of the shunt of the Rlim 304 is quite unlikely, as it would involve the occurrence of two simultaneous failures (relays K1 and K2, or K3 and K4 unduly high), failed triggering of the fuse cannot be deemed to be improbable.
  • a hardware failure undetectable to a certain extent increase of the series resistance of the source upstream from C1 or the fuse itself
  • a software error might prevent fuse triggering.
  • the two microprocessors 6, 10 manage the four basic states of the light signal generating/emitting unit, i.e. fixed light and daytime brightness level, fixed light and nighttime brightness level, flashing light and daytime brightness level, flashing light and nighttime brightness level.
  • the light intensity is established according to the voltage read downstream from the bridge P1 because, with an AC control, the station delivers 220VAC during the daytime and 180 VAC during the nighttime whereas, with a DC control there are 12 Vm (or 12 VDC)at the input during the daytime and 9.6 Vm (or 9.6 VDC) during the nighttime.
  • 12 Vm or 12 VDC
  • 9.6 Vm or 9.6 VDC
  • the light signal generating/emitting unit will be always started with the "Daytime” operation parameters and then, as the input voltage reaches the steady state, these parameters will be either confirmed or changed to "nighttime” operation.
  • the ⁇ Cs 6, 11 and the relays K1, K2, K3, K4 must be powered for at least 750 ms from the moment in which voltage failure occurs downstream from P1 (as well as all enabling features of the power section), so that the ⁇ Cs 6, 11 may discriminate between the removal of a fixed light control and the start of flashing operation, during which the OFF half-period may last from 500 ms to 700 ms.
  • the ⁇ Cs 6, 11 shall be continuously powered and shall check the correctness of the parameters of the modulating square wave (frequency and duty-cycle), as well as the synchronism of the ON and OFF states of the voltage that reaches the wayside cable 200 and the similar states of the brightness check signal from the lamp.
  • a protection against undue flashing having a frequency below 0.5 Hz may be easily non vitally implemented, which would cause intermittent power supply to the electronics and the lamp.
  • the two ⁇ Cs 6, 11 should simply read the DC voltage downstream from the block 3 and check that it is lower than a given value, e.g. 1VDC.
  • a given value e.g. 1VDC.
  • the controls of the amplifier 5 are removed, whereby the output capacitor of the low-pass filter cannot release power to the load.
  • Such power may be discharged very slowly on a resistor, so that a delay time may be provided with respect to the control removal time, which is, for instance of the order of 4-5 seconds.
  • the microprocessors 6, 11 provide a dynamic check of the lamp brightness. Such check requires the duty-cycle of the controls of the block 4 to be adjusted, so that a DC current of known and controlled value is caused to circulate in the lamp, which depends on the control mode (D/N) and on the temperature that is measured in the hood. Such current will cause a light flow falling within the range of admitted preset values.
  • the lamp current shall be periodically reduced by a given percentage, which mainly depends on the amplitude of the admitted brightness range, so that it can also decrease, within a time interval not exceeding 3-4 ms, just below the value that brings the light flux to a level slightly lower than the minimum admitted level.
  • each of the two ⁇ Cs 6, 11 must measure the new current and brightness values and check them against the admitted tolerances, and shall also check switching of the output of the corresponding software comparator, which is vital for maintenance of lamp control and amperimetric control in the cabin.
  • This test particularly checks the dynamic properties of the outputs of the blocks 28 and 31.
  • a second test is required, which periodically eliminates, for a time of not more than a few ms, the current in the lamp, to measure the contribution given by outside noise sources, particularly sunlight, which contribution may be subtracted from the overall brightness value as measured by the sensor/s 28.
  • the microprocessors 6, 11 will finally perform calibration before start-up and inspection of the apparatus, with the help of an external PC, whose connection link is not indicated in the diagram.
  • Calibration is designed to remove dispersion of the parameters mainly concerning the LED lamp and the light sensors.
  • the ⁇ C1 might gradually increase the current in the lamp until the latter reaches the nominal brightness value, that is typical of D or N operation, as appropriate.
  • the light flow shall be detected with the help of an external sample meter, preferably equipped with a logic input (connected to an input of ⁇ C1, outlined by a broken line in the diagram), which is switched as the desired brightness is reached, which desired brightness can be manually set.
  • increase of current to the lamp is stopped, so that both ⁇ Cs and/or the external PC may store the value of such current and the brightness value that is measured by the sensor/s of the light signal generating/emitting unit.
  • adjustment of the duty-cycle of the generated pulse wave and use of the outputs Q and Qn of the oscillator 30 allows the nominal brightness to be reached through a preset value of delivered current, which applies to all the subunits U2 that compose the optical component of the light signal generating/emitting unit.
  • the nominal brightness shall match a well defined value that comes from the block 12 and the light flux measuring chain. If the acquired value is different from the theoretical value, the programmable element of the block 28 shall be addressed through the I2C bus to correct the error. Therefore, there will be no need to associate a set of parameters with each subunit U2 because, at least in the Daytime operating state at nominal input, the delivered current, the brightness and the flux measure are uniquely defined.
  • this control may generally be not as accurate as the mode described before, because the lower limits are affected by an error caused by the dispersion of the characteristics of the response curve of the measurement, transmission and filtering chain.
  • the lamp brightness cannot increase if current is set to the nominal value
  • any change of the duty-cycle of the generator due to a failure, may increase the light flux by a percentage depending on the dispersion of the emission value, which is at the best of the order of 30% max (+/- 15%).
  • Infine il secondo metodo comporta un aumento della potenza assorbita dal carico fino ad un massimo di circa il 30%.
  • the generating/emitting unit may be mechanically divided into two parts: one of them, namely containing the ⁇ Cs, the relays and the power adjusting PWM amplifier, is designed to be housed in a box connected to the load bearing structure of said signal.
  • Such structure may be a pole or other support means, such as masts, bridge girders or masonry works against which the signal is fixed in its operating position.
  • the other part comprises the LED optical unit, the lamp switch and the brightness sensor, and has such a size and shape as to be received in the hood.
  • the two parts are obviously connected to each other by an electrical communication line, for transmitting and receiving the signals required for operation of the device in at least one of the above modes.
  • the device of the present invention is particularly suitable to replace the traditional light sources with LED type optical units.
  • the integral or two-part form, and in the latter case, the second part that comprises, amongst other things, the LED optical unit, is formed of such a shape and size and with such fastening and electrical connection means as to allow it to be mounted in the hood instead of an existing lamp of different type, such as an incandescent lamp.
  • said second part of the light signal generating/emitting unit or the whole unit may have connection sockets that match those of the incandescent lamp and of any other electric circuits.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Circuit Arrangement For Electric Light Sources In General (AREA)
EP20100425140 2010-04-27 2010-04-27 Signal lumineux pour systèmes ferroviares Not-in-force EP2386458B1 (fr)

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Cited By (2)

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DE102012221991A1 (de) * 2012-11-30 2014-06-05 Siemens Aktiengesellschaft Verfahren und Vorrichtung zur Fehleroffenbarung bei einem Lichtsignal
CN106251729A (zh) * 2016-08-23 2016-12-21 山东交通学院 一种列车进站信号机点灯电路模拟系统

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US20030085710A1 (en) * 2001-11-07 2003-05-08 Jean-Simon Bourgault Light degradation sensing led signal with visible fault mode
EP1324641A2 (fr) * 2001-12-11 2003-07-02 Westinghouse Brake And Signal Company Limited Lampes de signalisation et appareil
WO2007036509A1 (fr) * 2005-09-27 2007-04-05 Siemens Aktiengesellschaft Procede et dispositif pour surveiller le signal lumineux d'un element lumineux electro-optique, notamment d'une del haute intensite utilisee dans le trafic ferroviaire pour un signal ferroviaire sur
EP2030862A1 (fr) * 2007-08-30 2009-03-04 Bombardier Transportation GmbH Dispositif lumineux de signalisation pour trafic lié au réseau ferroviaire ou autre véhicules sur rails

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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE102012221991A1 (de) * 2012-11-30 2014-06-05 Siemens Aktiengesellschaft Verfahren und Vorrichtung zur Fehleroffenbarung bei einem Lichtsignal
US9562952B2 (en) 2012-11-30 2017-02-07 Siemens Aktiengesellschaft Method and apparatus for revealing errors in the case of a light signal
CN106251729A (zh) * 2016-08-23 2016-12-21 山东交通学院 一种列车进站信号机点灯电路模拟系统

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