Controller of a rail vehicle

Abstract

An infill balise is arranged upstream of a route component in the direction of travel. The infill balise receives information relating to a state of the route component, and the control of a rail vehicle is carried out by taking into account the state of the route component. Since the infill balise is positioned ahead of the route component, the rail vehicle can still react in good time to the state of the route component and, initiate a braking or an acceleration process. This reduces the delay and increases the safety as well as the efficiency in the railway mode, in particular if the route component lying ahead is located at the start of an area which is controlled by another interlock box. The infill balise is used instead of a block interface. This is advantageous because the implementation of block interfaces is challenging, complicated and costly.

1 - 14 . (canceled) 
     
     
         15 . A method for controlling a rail vehicle, which comprises the steps of:
 obtaining a state of an upstream route component disposed upstream in a direction of travel via an infill balise; and   controlling the rail vehicle by taking into account the state of the upstream route component provided by the infill balise.   
     
     
         16 . The method according to  claim 15 , which further comprises:
 controlling a section of a railway track up to the upstream route component by a first interlock box; and   controlling a further section of the railway track from the upstream route component by a second interlock box.   
     
     
         17 . The method according to  claim 16 , wherein the upstream route component is a first route component that is controlled by the second interlock box. 
     
     
         18 . The method according to  claim 15 , which further comprises obtaining the state of the upstream route component additionally from a further balise in proximity to the upstream route component. 
     
     
         19 . The method according to  claim 18 , wherein the infill balise is spaced apart from the further balise by a minimum distance which is dependent on a maximum target speed at which the rail vehicle is to pass a preceding route component. 
     
     
         20 . The method according to  claim 19 , wherein the minimum distance is defined as follows:
 for a target speed of 40 km/h the minimum distance is 240 m;   for the target speed of 80 km/h the minimum distance is 680 m;   for the target speed of 100 km/h the minimum distance is 980 m;   for the target speed of 120 km/h the minimum distance is 1,330 m; and   for the target speed of 160 km/h the minimum distance is 2,200 m.   
     
     
         21 . The method according to  claim 15 , which further comprises issuing a movement authority only as far as the upstream route component when the rail vehicle passes over a further balise that is disposed downstream of the infill balise in the direction of travel. 
     
     
         22 . The method according to  claim 21 , which further comprises confirming or amending a movement authority with an aid of the infill balise according to the state of the upstream route component. 
     
     
         23 . The method according to  claim 15 , which further comprises selecting the upstream route component from the group consisting of a signaling unit, a signaling unit for a speed restriction, a signaling unit for a temporary speed restriction, a switch, a level crossing, and a rail operation component which can have at least one state, wherein the at least one state is provided to the rail vehicle by means of a balise. 
     
     
         24 . The method according to  claim 15 , which further comprises selecting the state from the group consisting of proceeding not permitted, proceeding permitted, proceeding permitted subject to restriction, proceeding permitted at a predefined maximum speed, route component defective, and route component not defective. 
     
     
         25 . A system for controlling a rail vehicle, the system comprising:
 an upstream route component disposed upstream in a direction of travel;   an infill balise to which a state of the upstream route component being obtained; and   a further balise in proximity to or a distance ahead of said upstream route component, said further balise obtaining the state of said upstream route component, wherein the rail vehicle being controlled taking into account the state of said upstream route component provided by said infill balise.   
     
     
         26 . The system according to  claim 25 , wherein a given distance between said infill balise and said further balise amounts to at least 100 m. 
     
     
         27 . The system according to  claim 25 , wherein a given distance between said infill balise and said further balise amounts to at least 150 m. 
     
     
         28 . The system according to  claim 25 , wherein a given distance between said infill balise and said further balise amounts to at least 200 m. 
     
     
         29 . The system according to  claim 25 , wherein a given distance between said infill balise and said further balise amounts to at least 240 m. 
     
     
         30 . A European train control system (ETCS) line side equipment, comprising:
 an infill balise; and   a further balise in proximity to a route component, said further balise disposed downstream of said infill balise in a direction of travel, said infill balise disposed at such a distance from said further balise that when passing over said infill balise a rail vehicle is able to initiate a braking action such that a reduced target speed has been reached when the rail vehicle passes over said further balise.   
     
     
         31 . The ETCS line side equipment according to  claim 30 , wherein the distance between said infill balise and said further balise amounts to at least 100 m. 
     
     
         32 . The ETCS line side equipment according to  claim 30 , wherein the distance between said infill balise and said further balise amounts to at least 150 m. 
     
     
         33 . The ETCS line side equipment according to  claim 30 , wherein the distance between said infill balise and said further balise amounts to at least 200 m. 
     
     
         34 . The ETCS line side equipment according to  claim 30 , wherein the distance between said infill balise and said further balise amounts to at least 240 m.