Patent Application
20100265815
The invention relates to a method for transmitting data, particularly between a rail vehicle and an operational control center.
In railway traffic, it is already customary for there to be a communication link between a rail vehicle and an operational control center. The operational control center may be at a station or else in a signal box, for example. Several radio systems are available for the communication. To date, the communication between a rail vehicle and the operational control center has been aimed primarily at allowing smooth railway traffic to proceed. Additional data, such as seat reservations, have been able to be transmitted only to a limited extent. If a fault made by the radio link between the rail vehicle and the operational control center failed, a fault in the whole operating cycle has been possible to date.
The invention is based on the object of specifying a method for transmitting data which allows additional volumes of data, which are not directly linked to the safe flow of the railway traffic, to be transmitted at least occasionally. A development of the method is intended to ensure that even if the current radio link fails it is nevertheless possible for the railway to continue to operate reliably.
The invention achieves the object of allowing additional volumes of data to be managed at least intermittently in that, for the period of time in which a broadband transmission path is available, this transmission path is automatically activated and the previous transmission path is deactivated.
This attains the advantage that a broadband transmission path which is possibly present is immediately recognized and also used. It is then possible for data of subordinate significance to be immediately interchanged between the rail vehicle and the operational control center via this broadband transmission path.
The additional data may relate to the self-diagnosis of the rail vehicle, for example, may update the seat reservation or may be data from an Internet connection, which also includes electronic mail.
By way of example, the type of data to be transmitted is taken as a basis for stipulating a priority list for the order of the transmissions. If only a small volume of data can be transmitted, only the most important data are taken into account. As soon as a broadband transmission path is available, the data which are subordinate in the priority list are then automatically transmitted.
A possible priority list can firstly provide train safety data, then passenger emergency alarms, then other operational data, then position data and finally the rest of the data.
A priority list of this kind attains the advantage that the fundamental data are transmitted even when there is no broadband transmission path available.
According to one particular development of the method, the additional object of still allowing further, reliable operation of the railway even when the current radio link fails is achieved by virtue of the fact that, when one transmission path fails, another transmission path is automatically activated.
This attains the advantage that it is not necessary to search for an alternative to an inoperative transmission path. There is therefore now barely any possibility of faults on account of the absence of transmission paths.
By way of example, as a first step, the type of data to be transmitted is ascertained for the transmission of data. As a second step, the transmission paths which are suitable for this type of data are ascertained. As a third step, these individual transmission paths are then successively used to ascertain the availability of a receiver. As soon as a transmission path has been found via which the receiver is available, the data are transmitted via this current transmission path as a fourth step. If the receiver is not available via any of the previously ascertained transmission paths, however, then at least one new transmission path is ascertained. This transmission path is then used to conduct the process in exactly the same way as with the previously ascertained transmission paths. When a transmission path via which the receiver is available has been ascertained, the data are transmitted.
The advantage attained is that the most suitable operative transmission path is always found. This ensures optimum data transmission between a rail vehicle and an operational control center.
By way of example, the number of transmission paths for which the availability of the receiver has been successively ascertained is counted. This makes it possible to document how large the number of attempts at setting up a connection was, so as thereby to obtain an indication of the reliability of the method.
By way of example, when a prescribed number is reached, no further transmission attempt is made and an error message is sent. This allows the search for a suitable transmission path to be limited in time.
A process is used to identify whether an error occurs in a plurality of transmission paths simultaneously.
The method for transmitting data according to the invention achieves the advantage, in particular, that large volumes of data can be reliably transmitted between a rail vehicle and an operational control center.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2006 028 686.3 | Jun 2006 | DE | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2007/055097 | 5/25/2007 | WO | 00 | 12/19/2008 |
