Generation system for generating an image signal, railway signaling system comprising such generation system, associated method and computer program product

Abstract

Generation system for generating an image signal based on a state of trackside signaling equipment of a railway signaling system, the state being a state among a plurality of predetermined states of the trackside signaling equipment, at least one expected color being associated to each predetermined state, the generation system including a receiving module configured for receiving a state signal comprising the state of the trackside signaling equipment, a number generator configured for periodically generating a random number, each generation of a random number defining an execution cycle, a first channel, a second channel, a merging module configured for merging a first output signal and a second output signal so as to obtain the image signal.

1 . Generation system for generating an image signal based on a state of trackside signaling equipment of a railway signaling system, the state being a state among a plurality of predetermined states of the trackside signaling equipment, at least one expected color being associated to each predetermined state, the generation system comprising:
 a receiving module receiving a state signal comprising the state of the trackside signaling equipment;   a number generator periodically generating a random number, each generation of a random number defining an execution cycle;   a first channel comprising:
 a first base color module providing, for each execution cycle, a first list comprising a first base color for each expected color, each first base color of the first list being based on the random number corresponding to the execution cycle; and 
 a first generation module selecting, for each execution cycle, the first base color from the first list corresponding to the execution cycle, based on the state signal, so as to provide a selected first base color; 
   a second channel comprising:
 a second base color module providing, for each execution cycle, a second list having a second base color for each expected color, each second base color of the second list being based on the random number corresponding to the execution cycle; and 
 a second generation module selecting, for each execution cycle, the second base color from the second list corresponding to the execution cycle, based on the state signal, so as to provide a selected second base color; 
   a merging module merging, for each execution cycle, a first output signal comprising the selected first base color and a second output signal comprising the selected second base color so as to obtain the image signal, wherein the image signal comprises the expected color associated to the state of the state signal; and   a transmission module transmitting, for each execution cycle, the image signal to a user interface via a data connection.   
     
     
         2 . Generation system according to  claim 1 , wherein said merging module comprises an XOR-operator configured for receiving the first output signal and the second output signal as inputs of the XOR-operator, and for providing the image signal as an output of the XOR-operator. 
     
     
         3 . Generation system according to  claim 1 , wherein the selected first base color and the selected second base color are values expressed in binary code. 
     
     
         4 . Generation system according to  claim 1 , wherein the first output signal comprises a series of first images defined by a plurality of pixels, at least one pixel of the series of first images comprising the selected first base color, and/or wherein the second output signal comprises a series of a second images defined by a plurality of pixels, at least one pixel of the series of second images comprising the selected second base color. 
     
     
         5 . Generation system according to  claim 1 , wherein said first channel further comprises a first conversion module receiving, from said first generation module, a first intermediate signal comprising vector image data comprising the selected first base color, and converting the first intermediate signal into the first output signal, and/or wherein said second channel further comprises a second conversion module receiving, from said second generation module, a second intermediate signal comprising vector image data comprising the selected second base color, and converting the second intermediate signal into the second output signal. 
     
     
         6 . Generation system according to  claim 5 , wherein said first channel further comprises at least one first image database comprising first stationary image data relative to the trackside signaling equipment, said first generation module generating the first intermediate signal in function of the first stationary image data and the selected first base color, and/or wherein said second channel comprises at least one second image database comprising second stationary image data relative to the trackside signaling equipment, said second generation module generating the second intermediate signal in function of the second stationary image data and the selected second base color. 
     
     
         7 . Generation system according to  claim 5 , wherein said first channel further comprises at least one first image database comprising first stationary image data relative to the trackside signaling equipment, said first generation module generating the first intermediate signal in function of the first stationary image data and the selected first base color, and wherein said second channel comprises at least one second image database comprising second stationary image data relative to the trackside signaling equipment, said second generation module generating the second intermediate signal in function of the second stationary image data and the selected second base color, and wherein the first stationary image data and the second stationary image data are equivalent. 
     
     
         8 . Generation system according to  claim 1 , further comprising at least one base color database comprising indices corresponding to the random numbers, each base color database comprising, for each index and for each expected color, a corresponding first base color and/or a corresponding second base color. 
     
     
         9 . Generation system according to  claim 8 , wherein, for each index and for each expected color, the corresponding first base color and the corresponding second base color are determined so as to satisfy the following condition: the corresponding first base color merged with the corresponding second base color by the merging module results in the expected color. 
     
     
         10 . Generation system according to  claim 8 , wherein, for each expected color, the first base color associated to the index equal to N is different from the first base color associated to the index equal to N+1 and to the index equal to N−1, wherein N is a positive integer, and/or wherein, for each expected color, the second base color associated to the index equal to N is different from the second base color associated to the index equal to N+1 and to the index equal to N−1. 
     
     
         11 . Generation system according to  claim 1 , wherein said receiving module, said number generator, said first and second base color modules and said first and second generation modules are implemented by a first calculator, and the merging module is implemented by at least one second calculator distant to the first calculator. 
     
     
         12 . Generation system according to  claim 1 , wherein the image signal comprises the expected colors associated to the state of a plurality of devices of the trackside signaling equipment. 
     
     
         13 . Railway signaling system comprising:
 trackside signaling equipment;   a generation system according to  claim 1 ; and   a user interface.   
     
     
         14 . Method for generating an image signal based on a state of trackside signaling equipment of a railway signaling system, the state being a state among a plurality of predetermined states of the trackside signaling equipment, at least one expected color being associated to each predetermined state, the method comprising:
 receiving a state signal comprising the state of the trackside signaling equipment;   generating a random number, the generating defining an execution cycle;   providing, for each execution cycle, a first list comprising a first base color for each expected color, each first base color of said first list being based on the random number corresponding to the execution cycle;   selecting, for each execution cycle, the first base color from the first list corresponding to the execution cycle, based on the state signal, so as to provide a selected first base color;   further providing, for each execution cycle, a second list having a second base color for each expected color, each second base color of the second list being based on the random number corresponding to the execution cycle;   further selecting, for each execution cycle, the second base color from the second list corresponding to the execution cycle, based on the state signal, so as to provide a selected second base color;   merging, for each execution cycle, a first output signal comprising the selected first base color and a second output signal comprising the selected second base color so as to obtain the image signal, wherein the image signal comprises the expected color associated to the state of the state signal; and   transmitting, for each execution cycle, the image signal to a user interface via a data connection.   
     
     
         15 . Computer program product comprising software instructions which, when executed by a computer, implement a method according to  claim 14 .