ES2325241B1 - MANAGEMENT SYSTEM / BILLING OF ELECTRICAL ENERGY EXPENSE OF RAILWAY OPERATORS. - Google Patents

Abstract

Expenditure management / billing system electric power of railway operators.

The system allows to calculate and invoice the cost real energy that each operator has consumed, contemplating the place and time of consumption associated with its circulation, all this autonomously, avoiding human intervention and consistent introduction of information manually, to this involves a central post (1) and a series of mobile equipment (2) associated with each vehicle (3) whose consumption electric you want to control, mobile equipment (2) equipped with energy measurement systems, geographic location (GPS) (23), real-time clock / calendar and communication (10) with the central post (1). The central post (1) is equipped with means for communication with said mobile devices (2), with the train monitoring and control system (8) and with a system of telemetry (9) installed in each substation (4), incorporating a computer system with a certain programming software for the generation of invoices through the data obtained from through each mobile device (2).

Description

Expenditure management / billing system electric power of railway operators.

Object of the invention

The present invention relates to a system which has been specially designed to allow the management / billing of the electric energy expenditure of the different railway operators

The object of the invention is to provide a system that allows calculating and billing the real cost of energy electricity consumed by each railway operator (measure direct), contemplating the place and moment of consumption associated with their circulations (typifying consumption when they do not have direct measurement), all of this automatically automatically, avoiding to the maximum the human intervention and the consequent introduction of Manual form of information.

Background of the invention

At present, in Spain, the method of billing of operators' electricity expenditure railway is based on the TKBR method (gross tonne-kilometer towed), said system it consists of the registration of the distance of the trains and the multiplication of it by the towed mass and a factor that It depends on the train series, obtaining a value with dimensions of energy

In Europe there are different countries that have of a billing system for the electric energy expenditure of operators These countries are Germany, Slovenia and the countries Scandinavians (joint system between Denmark, Norway and Sweden). In all previous countries there are mobile devices where Record the energy. Regarding the position, it is registered in all the least countries in Germany, although geographical discrimination is  Performed by large areas. Regarding the system of communications, in Germany only GSM is used, while in the other countries mentioned above are also used GPRS

These measurement systems are based on the traditional fixed measuring equipment, which has been including a location module (GPS) and a module communications (GSM / GPRS modem). Therefore the systems currently existing do not allow to know the status of vehicle (movement / stationary and consumption / non-consumption), do not allow distribute the energy consumed by trains between the different supply points for proper allocation of consumption, not they have the distance traveled by mobile phones, or perform typifications of consumptions or ohmic losses.

You also have to take into account the high human participation that requires this type of systems at the time of entering the data corresponding to the operators railway, which can lead to possible errors by human failure

Description of the invention

The expense management / billing system of electric power of railway operators that the invention proposes to solve the problem fully satisfactorily previously exposed, allowing to calculate and invoice the cost real energy that each operator has consumed, contemplating the place and time of consumption associated with its circulation, all this automatically with hardly any human intervention.

To do this, and more specifically, the system which is recommended is basically a system for collection of field data associated with the consumption made for vehicles that include schedules and places of consumption, to basis of a plurality of mobile devices, each of them installed in the corresponding vehicle, equipment that complement with a central post that centralizes communications with these mobile devices and receive the data registered by the themselves, performing operations such as the distribution of vehicle consumption by substation and allocation to each one of them the corresponding part of the loss energy produced, fulfilling the global energy balance through the which total energy consumed by substations must be equal to that consumed by vehicles plus losses in transformation, rectification and transportation (due to those consumption), plus the consumption of the equipment belonging to the infrastructure less regenerated by vehicles.

These mobile devices will be equipped basically with energy measurement systems, such as wattmeter, geographic location, (GPS), of Real-time clock / calendar and communication with the position central (GSM / GPRS), distance and speed measurement (tachogenerators), digital inputs (state of circuit breaker / s, pantograph / s and inverter / s), communication with systems of the train (RS-485), sending discrete signals (digital outputs) and communication with a computer for work of maintenance (Ethernet bus).

For the achievement of the energy balance the central post receives the information corresponding to all consumption associated with substations, information that is available through the databases generated by the system of telemetry installed in each traction substation.

The central position also deals with the application of a system of prices and hourly rates or bands Timetables that allow the generation of data for monthly invoices by operator and vehicle, fully automated.

The mobile device is designed so that it is trained to register and send to the central post all the necessary information so that you can opt for any billing method (single price or different price for substation), to ensure the adaptation of the system to possible future situations of the electricity market, recording periodically the active and reactive energy consumed and regenerated, GPS position, latitude and longitude, date and distance traveled by the vehicle to which it is associated.

More specifically, each mobile device will be equipped with a motherboard or printed circuit, with its corresponding power supply, a microprocessor, a control card of analog inputs and outputs, a GPS tracking system, a GSM / GPRS modem, a card for controlling the input of discrete signals, a digital signal output card, all of them governed by the aforementioned microprocessor, as well as a vehicle identification device, materialized in a card with non-volatile memory in which the locomotive identification so that the relationship Vehicle code is unique.

The aforementioned team will have a series of data capture interfaces through the aforementioned cards control, being able to obtain information such as the location of the train through tachogenerators in areas without GPS coverage, the electric voltage in catenary, the intensity consumed or regenerated, vehicle speed, circuit breaker status and pantograph, direction of travel, incorporating ports of communications with computers (Ethernet) as well as with others train systems (RS-485).

The circuit breaker and the pantograph exert the function of automatic switch and energy sensor from the catenary, respectively, and are elements of the electric circuit of the train and therefore are not part of the invention. But the status signals of both elements are digital inputs of the mobile equipment (presence or absence of current and voltage, respectively) which together with the distance measure will allow to define states (consumption / movement) train to establish a methodology registration Energy.

Additionally it is planned that each team mobile has an incident detection system, through which periodically checks the status of the elements main system, in order to allow to detect in a way Quick any breakdown or dysfunction in the device. The Critical incidents will automatically generate a warning (via SMS) to the central post.

According to another of the characteristics of the invention, each mobile equipment is interchangeable, so that the vehicle coding (included in the Device Vehicle Identification) is independent of the equipment installed.

The central position will be equipped with a system software with programming software for identification geographical consumption and their type, estimating the distribution coefficients, performing the treatment of circulations without direct measurement, assigning consumption to substations (using estimated distribution coefficients) and calculating the energy of losses, also taking care of analysis of possible failures, the calculation of the price of energy, the invoice generation and expansion support for the treatment of energy consumed in other infrastructures railway In addition, the central post will have the capacity to interpret, validate and record the information you receive from mobile equipment, telemetry and a tracking system for train control and regulation.

Finally, it should be noted that the communication between the Central Post and the mobile teams, which can be done interchangeably through the GSM network or the GPRS network is bidirectional so that the Central Post itself can request the sending or request of information to the different mobile equipment

In this way an autonomous system is achieved, able to calculate and invoice the real cost of the energy that has consumed each operator, avoiding human intervention as much as possible and the manual entry of information.

Description of the drawings

To complement the description that is being performing and in order to help a better understanding of the characteristics of the invention, according to a preferred example of practical realization of it, is accompanied as part member of that description, a set of drawings where with illustrative and non-limiting nature, what has been represented next:

Figure 1 shows, schematically, a diagram of the energy expenditure management / billing system Electric railway operators carried out in accordance with the object of the invention.

Figure 2.- Shows a representation schematic of one of the mobile teams participating in the system of the previous figure.

Preferred Embodiment of the Invention

In view of the figures outlined you can be observed as in the expense management / billing system of electric power of railway operators object of the invention a central control post (1) participates, equipped with a system computer, and a series of mobile equipment (2) each of them to be installed in a vehicle or locomotive (3) for measure of the electrical consumption that takes from the catenary.

These mobile devices (2) collect data from field associated with the consumption made by vehicles (3), contemplating time and place of consumption, while the position central (1) centralize communications with mobile equipment (2), receiving the information recorded by them, taking charge of the distribution of vehicle consumption  to traction substations, taking into account the registration of measure of each electrical substation (4), assigning to each of they the corresponding part of the loss energy produced so that the global energy balance is produced through the which total energy consumed by substations (4) must be equal to that consumed by vehicles plus losses in transformation, rectification and transportation (due to those consumption), plus the consumption of the equipment belonging to the infrastructure less regenerated by vehicles, applying also a system of prices and hourly rates or bands timetables that allow monthly invoices (5) to be generated by operator and vehicle, fully automatically.

To make the system totally autonomous, it is expected that this additionally has control point detectors (6), in order to allow detect circulations of which there is no measurement data direct, either by failure, lack of equipment (2) shipped, or any other cause, having a communications channel (7) with the central post (1) of a monitoring and control system for trains (8) that allows access to the necessary information.

The data referring to the consumption of each electrical substation (4) to achieve the balance of energies are sent to the central post (1) through the network by means of the secondary concentrator of the telemetry system (9) that receive the hourly and quarterly load curves of the equipment installed in each traction substation.

Each mobile device (2) will act as support for data communication between the computer applications of the central station (1) and the measurement center itself or mobile equipment (2), by including a communications module (10) that employs GSM / GPRS mobile phone and message technology SMS short.

Said equipment (2), equipped with a microprocessor (11) established on a motherboard (2 ') with software Proper programming to receive and send information corresponding to the different elements that participate in the vehicle to the control center (1), in order to calculate your expense energy, has a communications port (12) Ethernet for connection to a PC, for maintenance, as well as a serial data port via RS 485 bus (13) for sending of data to other train systems.

Likewise, the equipment (2) will have a series of inputs (14) for the acquisition of discrete signals, inputs (15) for the acquisition of analog signals, as well as digital and analog outputs (16), incorporating the essential power supply in direct current (17) for connection of the device to the batteries of the
train (3).

Said mobile equipment is provided with an entry for receiving pulsed signals from taco generators (18), for reading (19) of the direction of travel of the train, pantograph status (20) (voltage / non-voltage), of circuit breaker (21) (current / non-current), as well as for recording of the speed (22) of the vehicle, which will be calculated through the GPS system that incorporates the device.

From this structuring, the mobile team (2) sends measurements of the analog signals according to the voltage of the catenary and the current taken / transferred from / to it, incorporating a GPS module (23) through which it acquires the date and UTC time, instantaneous speed and geographical position of the vehicle, keeping said time date using an internal clock RTC in case of failure or absence of the GPS device (23).

The equipment (2) is also able to calculate the speed and distance traveled in the absence of GPS signal, through of the pulse signals (18), also responsible for calculating through the data obtained the energy consumed and regenerated on the train, saving this information in the internal memory (24) associated with your microprocessor (11), along with the date, time, geographical location and condition of the vehicle (movement / stop and consumption / non-consumption) in which the calculations have been made partial setting up a database by dates.

The team (2) is also expected to have with means of detecting internal anomalies and self-checks, generating a chronological archive of anomaly events and result of such self checks.

It should also be noted that each vehicle (3) will have an identification device (25) of the vehicle, protected against tampering, consisting of a memory not volatile to which the mobile device (2) will be connected, memory in the that the vehicle data is encoded so that the relationship vehicle-code is unique, allowing each mobile equipment (2) is interchangeable between trains supporting the reading of the identification of the train on which it is installed and the parameters associated with it.

Finally, it should be noted that said mobile equipment (2) supports local and remote parameter configuration functional in a safe way, avoiding possible manipulations unauthorized, as well as remote switching of software modules, allowing the change of functionality. Also each mobile device manages its operating state to save consumption and avoid the discharge of the train battery.

As previously mentioned, the mobile equipment is designed so that it is trained to register and send to the central post (1) all the information necessary so that you can opt for any method of billing, as well as to ensure system adaptation to possible future situations of the electricity market, so that  periodically records the active and reactive energy consumed and regenerated, GPS position, date and distance, said communication is bidirectional and is done through the GSM network or of the GPRS network.

Mobile devices (2) transmit daily to the central post (1) the stored information. Mobile equipment (2) has the communication initiative, so that it is assigned a series of time zones to these teams based on the last digit of the assigned telephone number, starting the connection when the train is stopped, assessing that there is a sufficient degree of coverage to carry out the transmission with success. While this condition does not exist, the team will wait for your compliance to start the transmission, even outside its range assigned time.

In case you can't connect or you abort the connection without having concluded, the Mobile Team is programmed to retry the connection when it finds the optimal conditions for this, even outside its range time.

To prevent multiple mobiles from the same time slot call simultaneously when the time slot starts, your connection time is programmed based on the last three digits of your serial number.

The Mobile Team transmits daily the information corresponding to consumption, location, schedules, incidents and complementary information, with the format suitable. This information is sent in compressed mode to minimize the amount of data transmitted

Before the detection of incidents, the equipment mobile will proceed to automatically send short SMS messages to central post for its management.

As mentioned earlier, the central position (1) in addition to establishing communication with mobile equipment (2), with telemetry (9) and with a system of train monitoring and control (8), is responsible for carrying out the geographical identification of consumption, its typification and estimation of the distribution coefficients, the treatment of circulations without direct measure, the allocation of consumption to substations and loss energy calculation, analysis of failures, the calculation of the price of energy, and finally of the generation of the corresponding invoices (5), serving as extension support for the treatment of consumed energy in other railway infrastructures by vehicles registered in the railway administrator.

Claims (5)

1. System of management / billing of the electric power expenditure of railway operators, which being intended to allow calculating and billing the actual cost that each operator has consumed, contemplating the place and moment of consumption associated with their circulations, all automatically , is characterized in that it is constituted from a central position (1) and a series of mobile equipment (2) associated with each vehicle (3) whose electrical consumption is to be registered; having provided that mobile devices (2) are equipped with measurement and / or feedback systems for different train parameters, such as energy consumed, speed and distance traveled, status registration (movement / stop and consumption / no consumption), location geographical (GPS) (23), as well as with means of communication (10) with the central position (1), being central position (1) equipped with means for communication with said mobile equipment (2), with the system of monitoring and control of trains (8) and with a telemetry system (9) installed in each substation (4), incorporating a computer system with a certain programming software for the generation of invoices through the data obtained: direct measurements of consumption in vehicles, train traffic and direct measures of energy supplied in traction substations. 2. System of management / billing of the electrical energy expenditure of railway operators, according to claim 1, characterized in that each mobile equipment is constituted from a base plate (2 '), equipped with a microprocessor (11) with a memory (24 ) associated with it, a power supply (17), a GSM / GPRS communications module (10) a GPS tracking system (23), a digital input card (14) for the acquisition of pulsed signals and tachogenerator signals (18), for reading the direction (19) of the train running and its speed (22), the state of the pantograph (voltage presence) (20) and the circuit breaker (presence of intensity) (21) , an analog input card (15) for acquiring voltage and current signals and a digital output card (16) for status control. 3. System of management / billing of the electrical energy expenditure of railway operators, according to previous claims, characterized in that each vehicle (3) has an identification device (25) protected against manipulation, materialized in a non-volatile memory in which they are The data associated with the locomotive (identification of the train type, identification of the analog voltage and current measurement inputs to be used, voltage and current measurement scales, pulses per turn of the tachogenerators, wheel diameter), and the which connects the mobile equipment (2). 4. System of management / billing of the electrical energy expenditure of railway operators, according to previous claims, characterized in that each mobile equipment (2) incorporates an Ethernet communication port (12) for connection to a PC, for maintenance work, as well as a serial data port via RS 485 bus (13) for sending / receiving data to / from other systems existing in the train and owned by the operator, for the use of synergies and for the railway operator to obtain the maximum performance of the information available on the mobile equipment, also offering a communications platform to it. 5. System of management / billing of the electrical energy expenditure of railway operators, according to previous claims, characterized in that each mobile equipment has an application closed to the operator, from the point of view of accessibility to the energy measures to be billed, but open the same for possible energy saving applications by providing the mobile equipment of free slots, for the assembly of operator equipment that uses the information of the mobile equipment, which can be fed by the power supply of the mobile equipment itself, which will be oversized for this finish.