US 12,434,749 B2
Apparatus and method for controlling a railway system
Fabio Canigliula, Naples (IT); Luca Flaminio, Scafati (IT); and Fausto Del Villano, Torre Annunziata (IT)
Assigned to HITACHI RAIL STS S.P.A., Naples (IT)
Appl. No. 17/626,045
Filed by HITACHI RAIL STS S.P.A., Naples (IT)
PCT Filed Jul. 9, 2020, PCT No. PCT/IB2020/056451
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jan. 10, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/014260, PCT Pub. Date Jan. 28, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. 102019000012900 (IT), filed on Jul. 25, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0250665 A1, Aug. 11, 2022
Int. Cl. B61L 15/00 (2006.01); B61L 27/30 (2022.01); H04L 67/12 (2022.01)
CPC B61L 15/0063 (2013.01) [B61L 27/30 (2022.01); H04L 67/12 (2013.01)] 10 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An apparatus for controlling a transportation system comprising:
a communication means adapted to communicate with at least one second apparatus;
a control and/or a processing means configured for operating at least in a first operating mode, in which the control and/or processing means executes instructions adapted to control the transportation system, or in a second operating mode, in which the apparatus is kept as a reserve for the at least one second apparatus,
wherein the control and/or processing means, when operating in the first operating mode, are configured for transmitting to the at least one second apparatus at least one first status message defining a first status of the transportation system, and, when operating in the second operating mode, are configured for receiving from the at least one second apparatus at least one second status message defining a second status of the transportation system, the apparatus further comprising:
a memory means containing at least hierarchy data representing a list of elements that identify at least one of the apparatus and the at least one second apparatus, wherein the control and/or processing means, when operating in the second operating mode, are configured for deciding whether to operate in the first operating mode on the basis of the hierarchy data,
wherein the control and/or processing means, when operating in the second operating mode, are configured for deciding whether to operate in the first operating mode on the basis of the hierarchy data when the communication means has not received the second status message within a first time interval,
wherein the control and/or processing means, when operating in the first operating mode, are configured for
receiving at least one first synchronization message from the at least one second apparatus through the communication means, wherein the first synchronization message comprises a first replication score determined on a basis of a number of sensors and/or actuators with which the at least one second apparatus can communicate and/or a level of availability of computational resources of the at least one second apparatus,
generating the hierarchy data on a basis of at least the first replication score,
transmitting, through the communication means, a hierarchy message comprising the hierarchy data to the at least one second apparatus,
wherein the first replication score is computed on the basis of:
a common score determined on the basis of the number of devices with which said second apparatus can communicate, and/or the time necessary for completing control actions required for controlling the transportation system, and
a discriminant score statically assigned to said second apparatus.