Study on key technologies of GNSS-based train state perception for traincentric railway signaling

The application of Global Navigation Satellite Systems(GNSSs)in the intelligent railway systems is rapidly developing all over the world.With the GNSs-based train positioning and moving state perception,the autonomy and flexibility of a novel train control system can be greatly enhanced over the existing solutions relying on the track-side facilities.Considering the safety critical features of the railway signaling applications,the GNSS stand-alone mode may not be sufficient to satisfy the practical requirements.In this paper,the key technologies for applying GNSS in novel train-centric railway signaling systems are investigated,including the multi-sensor data fusion,Virtual Balise(VB)capturing and messaging,train integrity monitoring and system performance evaluation.According to the practical characteristics of the novel train control system under the moving block mode,the details of the key technologies are introduced.Field demonstration results of a novel train control system using the presented technologies under the practical railway operation conditions are presented to illustrate the achievable performance feature of autonomous train state perception using BeiDou Navigation Satellite System(BDS)and related solutions.It reveals the great potentials of these key technologies in the next generation train control system and other GNSS-based railway implementations.

How to Deal with Revolutions in Train Control Systems

Train control systems ensure the safety of railways. This paper begins with a summary of the typical train control systems in Japan and Europe. Based on this summary, the author then raises the following question regarding current train control systems： What approach should be adopted in order to enhance the functionality, safety, and reliability of train control systems and assist in commercial operations on railways？ Next, the author provides a desirable architecture that is likely to assist with the development of new train control systems based on current information and communication technologies. A new unified train control system （UTCS） is proposed that is effective in enhancing the robustness and com- petitiveness of a train control system. The ultimate architecture of the UTCS will be only composed of essential elements such as point machines and level crossing control devices in the field. Finally, a pro- cessing method of the UTCS is discussed.