Method for operating a train control system, trackside computing environment, track-guided vehicle, computer program product and computer-readable storage medium

Abstract

A train control system operating method includes, at a planning level, a first computing entity calculating an updated timetable solving conflicts. At an execution level, a second computing entity receiving from the first a message specifying an updated timetable. In the first entity, first and then second routines are executed. In the first routine, with a new achievable actual timetable, a preliminary updated timetable is calculated with a first solver, without considering consequential conflicts in the preliminary updated timetable passed as an achievable actual timetable to the second routine. In the second routine, with an achievable actual timetable passed from the first, an optimized timetable is calculated with a second solver, consequential conflicts in the optimized timetable are considered and, upon not meeting abort criterion, the optimized timetable is passed as an achievable actual timetable to the first routine. Upon meeting the abort criterion, the last calculated timetable is reused.

1 . A method for operating a train control system, the method comprising the following steps:
 a) employing a trackside computing environment and an onboard computing environment by implementing a planning level and an execution level for target timetables to be implemented in the trackside computing environment and in the onboard computing environment;   b) at the planning level, using a first computing entity to calculate an updated timetable, taking into account target parameters of the target timetable currently to be executed, and conflicts arising from actual parameters of an achievable actual timetable for a solution of the conflicts;   c) then at the execution level, using a second computing entity to receive from the first computing entity a message specifying the updated timetable as a target timetable currently to be executed;   d) running a first routine and running a second routine parallel in time to the first routine in the first computing entity;   e) in the first routine, whenever a new achievable actual timetable is present, calculating a preliminary updated timetable with a first solver in accordance with step b), without taking into account consequential conflicts in the preliminary updated timetable, and passing the preliminary updated timetable to the second routine as an achievable actual timetable;   f) in the second routine, whenever an achievable actual timetable was passed from the first routine, calculating an optimized updated timetable with a second solver in accordance with step b), taking consequential conflicts in the optimized updated timetable into account and, as long as an abort criterion according to step g) is not met, passing the optimized updated timetable to the first routine as an achievable actual timetable; and   g) as soon as the abort criterion is met, using the updated timetable last calculated in steps e) and f) for step c) and, as an abort criterion, taking at least one first condition into account that in accordance with step f) no deviating optimized updated timetable can be calculated compared to the last calculated preliminary updated timetable.   
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , which further comprises:
 h) as soon as the preliminary updated timetable is completed, using the preliminary updated timetable for step c);   i) until step g) is performed.   
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 1 , which further comprises as an abort criterion, also taking a second condition into account, that a specified computing time is exceeded, and only one of the conditions has to occur for the abort criterion to be regarded as met. 
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 3 , which further comprises as an abort criterion, also taking a third condition into account, that at least one of a specified number of performances of the second routine or a specified number of performances of the first routine must not be exceeded, and only one of the conditions has to occur for the abort criterion to be regarded as met. 
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 2 , which further comprises:
 j) in step e), taking an achievable journey profile of at least one vehicle to implement the preliminary updated timetable into account as an actual parameter.   
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 5 , which further comprises:
 k) in step e), sending a message relating to a target timetable implementing the preliminary updated timetable and being individual for the vehicle, to the onboard computing environment;   l) then using a third computing entity in the onboard computing environment to generate an individual journey profile taking into account the individual target timetable and to send a message relating to the journey profile to the trackside computing environment;   m) carrying out a check in the trackside computing environment to determine whether the journey profile can implement the preliminary updated timetable;   n) when the journey profile cannot implement the preliminary updated timetable, repeating step e), and using the individual journey profile as an achievable journey profile in step j).   
     
     
         7 . A trackside computing environment of a track-guided transportation network, the trackside computing environment comprising:
 at least one computing entity configured as part of the trackside computing environment to execute the method according to  claim 1 .   
     
     
         8 . A track-guided vehicle, comprising:
 an onboard computing environment; and   at least one computing entity configured as part of the onboard computing environment to execute the method according to  claim 1 .   
     
     
         9 . A non-transitory computer program product, containing program commands, configured to be executed together by a trackside computing environment of a track-bound transportation network and an onboard computing environment of a track-guided vehicle operated in the transportation network, for executing the method according to  claim 1 . 
     
     
         10 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, containing data stored as datasets by the storage medium, causing the datasets to permit execution of the computer program product according to  claim 9 .