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EP-3756972-B1 - RAILWAY FORERUNNER AND METHOD FOR REMOTE GUIDANCE OF TRAINS

EP3756972B1EP 3756972 B1EP3756972 B1EP 3756972B1EP-3756972-B1

Inventors

  • CHAUMETTE, Christian
  • ARCANJO, Jean-Paul

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20200624

Claims (10)

  1. A railway trolley (100) for guiding trains (150) on a rail network (200), including at least: - one or more first sensor(s) (10) for monitoring, during travel, a zone (A) located in front of the railway trolley (100) with respect to the direction of travel; - a control-command device (30) that is operatively connected to the identification device (1) and to the first sensor(s) (10), the control-command device (30) being configured to emit, based on at least one signal received from one of the first sensor(s), command signals capable of remotely controlling travel of the train (150) identified by the identification device, along said predefined route; - a communication device (40) that is operatively connected to the control-command device (30) and that is configured to send the command signals to a system (153) for controlling the train (150) guided along said predefined route; the railway trolley (100) being characterised in that it further includes: - an identification device (1) for univocally identifying a train (150) to be guided along a predefined route on the rail network (200).
  2. The railway trolley (100) according to claim 1, wherein the control-command device (30) is configured to hold the train (150) at a dynamically adjustable distance (D) according to one or more parameters relating to at least said train (150), the predefined route and/or the railway trolley (100).
  3. The railway trolley (100) according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterised in that it comprises one or more second sensor(s) (20) for monitoring, during travel, a zone (B) located behind the railway trolley (100) with respect to the direction of travel, the control-command device (30) being operationally connected to the second sensor(s) (20) and configured to emit the command signals capable of remotely controlling travel of the train (150) identified by the identification device, along said predefined route, further based on at least one signal received from one of the second sensor(s).
  4. The railway trolley (100) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that it includes an autonomous power supply unit (5) for autonomously powering the trolley (100) during travel along the predefined route, this autonomous power supply unit (5) preferably including one or more rechargeable battery(ies).
  5. The railway trolley (100) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that it includes a first manual driving system (45) with a driver and a second autonomous driving system (50) without a driver that are operatively connected to the control-command device (30), the second autonomous driving system (50) being inhibited until the identification device (1) univocally identifies the train (150) to be guided along the predefined route.
  6. The railway trolley (100) according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the first sensor(s) (10) include(s) at least one infrared sensor (11).
  7. The railway trolley (100) according to claim 6, wherein the first sensors (10) further include at least one additional sensor selected from the group including a sonar (12), a radar (13), and a lidar (14).
  8. The railway trolley (100) according to claim 3, wherein the second sensor(s) (20) include(s) at least one infrared sensor (21) and advantageously at least one additional sensor selected from the group including a sonar (22), a radar (23) and a lidar (24).
  9. A method (300) for driving trains (150) on a rail network, characterised in that it includes at least the following steps of: - (301): providing a railway trolley (100) according to one or more of the preceding claims; - (305): univocally associating the railway trolley (100) provided with a train (150) to be guided along a predefined railway route on the rail network; - (310): remotely guiding, with said railway trolley (100) provided, the train (150) associated along the predefined route.
  10. The method (300) for driving trains (150) according to claim 9, characterised in that the remote guide step (310) includes dynamically adjusting a distance (D) between the railway trolley (100) provided and the train (150) guided, according to one or more parameters relating to at least the train to be guided, the predefined route and/or the railway trolley (100) provided.

Description

The present invention relates generally to train control systems on a railway network. More specifically, the present invention relates to a railway trolley and a method for remotely guiding trains along a predefined route on a railway network. Recently, in the field of transport systems, studies for the realization of advanced solutions for partially or fully autonomous driving, i.e. without a driver on board, have been greatly stimulated thanks to the growth of the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) sector. For example, on subway lines where trains travel along routes that are always the same and relatively simple to program, driverless trains have been used for several years. In other sectors, particularly in the automotive and surface rail transport sectors, the development of the Internet of Things, the growth in the speed and power of available computing systems, and the creation of increasingly sophisticated artificial intelligence systems, now offer the concrete possibility of also obtaining very advanced technical results. It is clear that the development of autonomous driving systems for surface rail network trains must take into account very strict safety standards and must cope with more variable and complicated operating conditions than metro lines. Furthermore, the adoption of autonomous guidance systems for each train means the installation and integration of complex and intrusive systems into the train architecture. In particular, existing potential solutions are a priori very expensive to integrate on board trains and have an impact on the existing control system. Such integration could therefore entail the need for new certification or re-approval of the train. Pending high-level performance in terms of safety and knowledge of the environment in which the trains must operate, these solutions are in any case complex to install, mainly to deal with all mission profiles subject to highly variable operational and environmental conditions. WO 2008/017821 discloses a detection system comprising a robotic vehicle that moves along a railway track in front of a train and carries several sensors. The sensors continuously scan the railway track to detect potential threats to train operations along the track. The robotic vehicle also includes a wireless communication system to transmit information about possible threats identified by the sensors to the train or a remote control center, and to receive commands and instructions issued by the train or the remote control center. US 5,786,750 A It involves a pilot vehicle that travels ahead of a train and detects hazardous conditions along the railway. The pilot vehicle is remotely controlled by signals from the train and includes a video camera that allows the train driver to observe the path ahead, and a computer with a control module to maintain the distance between the train and the pilot vehicle. If the pilot vehicle encounters a potential hazard, it transmits this information to the train driver, who can then stop the train before it reaches the hazard. US 5,429,329 A It discloses a robotic vehicle equipped with sensors and coupled in front of a train's locomotive. The train operator can uncouple this robotic vehicle after leaving the station to precede the train and brake it if the robotic vehicle detects a track misalignment. Therefore, there is a significant need for solutions that enable the deployment of technically and operationally efficient autonomous trains. Therefore, a primary objective of the present invention is to provide a solution offering substantial improvements over the known state of the art, in particular having a minimal impact on train control systems to be guided autonomously and allowing, at the same time, compliance with the highest possible safety standards. In this context, one object of the present invention is to provide a solution that can be used easily, with new trains and also with trains already in service. Another object of the present invention is to propose a solution for putting into service autonomously guided trains, which are highly reliable, relatively easy to implement and at competitive costs. This purpose, these objects and others which will become apparent below are achieved by a railway trolley to guide trains on a railway network, comprising at least: one or more initial sensors to monitor, during operation, an area located in front of the railway trolley relative to the direction of travel; a control-command device which is operationally connected to the identification device and to the first sensor(s), the control-command device being configured to emit, on the basis of at least one signal received from one or more first sensor(s), control signals capable of remotely guiding the movement of the train identified by the identification device, along the predefined route; a communication device which is operationally connected to the control-command device and which is configured to send c