RAILWAY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM WITH CABLE MANAGEMENT AND RELATED METHOD

Abstract

Abstract: Systems and methods for determining cable routes of a railway infrastructure are described herein. A graphical user interface for interacting with graphical representations of railway infrastructure on a map interface is operated. A request for at least one cable route between a first position and a second position of the railway infrastructure is received. Railway infrastructure information indicative of configuration of the railway infrastructure between the first position and the second position is obtained. The at least one cable route is determined based on the railway infrastructure information. The at least one cable route is displayed on the graphical user interface.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority from U.S. Patent Application No. 62/942,395, filed on Dec. 02, 2019, from U.S. Patent Application No. 62/942,374, filed Dec. 02, 2019, and from U.S. Patent Application No. 62/942,413, filed Dec. 02, 2019, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to railway management systems, and, more particularly, to railway management systems with cable management.

BACKGROUND OF THE ART

Railway infrastructure includes railways and other equipment associated with the operation of the railways. Various cables are used to connect different equipment of the railway infrastructure. For example, power cables may be used to provide power to railway equipment, signaling cables may be used to provide signal information to certain railway equipment, communication cables may be used to communicate information to and from particular railway equipment. As railway infrastructure increases in size, so does the number of cables that are needed to be routed between the different railway equipment. Thus, the design and management of the different cables of the railway infrastructure may be a tedious task. Often, the cables are routed underground, which may add to the complexity in the design and management of the different cables of the railway infrastructure.

As such, there is a need for computer-implemented rail management systems and methods for determining cable routes.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure is generally drawn to computer-implemented railway management systems and related methods for determine cable routes for a railway infrastructure via a graphical user interface.

In accordance with one broad aspect, there is provided a computer-implemented method for determining at least one cable route for a railway infrastructure. The method comprises: operating a graphical user interface for interacting with graphical representations of railway infrastructure on a map interface; receiving a request for at least one cable route between a first position and a second position of the railway infrastructure; obtaining railway infrastructure information indicative of configuration of the railway infrastructure between the first position and the second position; determining the at least one cable route based on the railway infrastructure information; and displaying on the graphical user interface the at least one cable route.

In some embodiments, for instance, receiving the request includes receiving a first selection of a first component of the railway infrastructure at the first position and a second selection of a second component of the railway infrastructure at the second position.

In some embodiments, for instance, receiving the request includes receiving a selection of at least one intermediary position between the first position and the second position.

In some embodiments, for instance, displaying the at least one cable route includes overlaying the at least one cable route on the map interface.

In some embodiments, for instance, displaying the at least one cable route includes displaying at least one of a plurality of layers of a cable routing plan.

In some embodiments, for instance, the method includes determining a presence of conflict for the at least one cable route.

In some embodiments, for instance, determining the presence of conflict for the at least one cable route includes performing a design validation process for the at least one cable route.

In some embodiments, for instance, determining the presence of conflict for the at least one cable route includes performing a regulatory validation process for the at least one cable route.

In some embodiments, for instance, the method includes including proposing another cable route in the presence of a conflict.

In some embodiments, for instance, determining the at least one cable route includes determining: a type of containment for the at least one cable route; a type of cable for the at least one cable route; a cable size for the at least one cable route; a number of connections between the first position and the second position; and/or a cable fill percentage of at least one conduit for the at least one cable route.

In some embodiments, for instance, determining the at least one cable route includes determining an optimal route between the first position and the second position from a plurality of possible routes between the first position and the second position

In some embodiments, for instance, the method includes verifying that there is no conflict with the at least one cable route.

In some embodiments, for instance, determining the at least one cable route includes determining an optimal route between the first position and the second position from a plurality of possible routes between the first position and the second position.

In accordance with another broad aspect, there is provided a system for determining at least one cable route for a railway infrastructure. The system comprises a processor and a non-transitory computer readable medium. The non-transitory computer-readable medium has computer-executable instructions stored thereon which cause the processor to perform: operating a graphical user interface for interacting with graphical representations of railway infrastructure on a map interface; receiving a request for at least one cable route between a first position and a second position of the railway infrastructure; obtaining railway infrastructure information indicative of configuration of the railway infrastructure between the first position and the second position; determining the at least one cable route based on the railway infrastructure information; and displaying on the graphical user interface the at least one cable route.

In some embodiments, for instance, receiving the request includes receiving a first selection of a first component of the railway infrastructure at the first position and a second selection of a second component of the railway infrastructure at the second position.

In some embodiments, for instance, receiving the request includes receiving a selection of at least one intermediary position between the first position and the second position.

In some embodiments, for instance, displaying the at least one cable route includes overlaying the at least one cable route on the map interface.

In some embodiments, for instance, displaying the at least one cable route includes displaying at least one of a plurality of layers of a cable routing plan.

In some embodiments, for instance, the instructions cause the processor to perform determining a presence of conflict for the at least one cable route.

In some embodiments, for instance, determining the presence of conflict for the at least one cable route includes performing a design validation process for the at least one cable route.

In some embodiments, for instance, determining the presence of conflict for the at least one cable route includes performing a regulatory validation process for the at least one cable route.

In some embodiments, for instance, the instructions causing the processor to perform proposing another cable route in the presence of a conflict.

In some embodiments, for instance, determining the at least one cable route includes determining: a type of containment for the at least one cable route; a type of cable for the at least one cable route; a cable size for the at least one cable route; a number of connections between the first position and the second position; and/or a cable fill percentage of at least one conduit for the at least one cable route.

In some embodiments, for instance, determining the at least one cable route includes determining an optimal route between the first position and the second position from a plurality of possible routes between the first position and the second position.

In some embodiments, for instance, determining an optimal route includes determining a shortest route between the first position and the second position which has capacity for at least one cable to be routed for the at least one cable route.

These aspects, embodiments, and features of the systems, devices, and methods described herein may be used in various combinations, in accordance with the examples described herein.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference is now made to the accompanying figures in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example system for determine at least one cable route, in accordance with one or more embodiments;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example method for determine at least one cable route, in accordance with one or more embodiments;

FIG. 3A is an example mapping interface illustrating a graphical representation of railway infrastructure, in accordance with one or more embodiments;

FIG. 3B is an example mapping interface illustrating a zoomed-in view of the railway infrastructure of FIG. 3A, in accordance with one or more embodiments;

FIG. 3C is an example mapping interface illustrating a selected piece of equipment of the railway infrastructure of FIG. 3B, in accordance with one or more embodiments;

FIG. 3D is an example modal window for selecting a cable route between a first and second position, in accordance with one or more embodiments;

FIG. 3E is an example modal window illustrating a list of electrical equipment in a cable route, in accordance with one or more embodiments;

FIG. 3F is an example mapping interface illustrating a cable route of the railway infrastructure of FIG. 3C, in accordance with one or more embodiments;

FIG. 3G is an example mapping interface illustrating a listing of trough and ducts in the cable route of FIG. 3F, in accordance with one or more embodiments;

FIG. 3H is an example mapping interface illustrating a listing of pull boxes in the cable route of FIG. 3F, in accordance with one or more embodiments;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an example computing device for implementing the system of FIG. 1 and/or the method of FIG. 2, in accordance with one or more embodiments.

It will be noted that throughout the appended drawings, like features are identified by like reference numerals.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure is generally drawn to computer-implemented railway management systems and related methods. The systems and methods described herein are generally directed to determining cable routes for a railway infrastructure via a graphical user interface (GUI) during a design, installation and/or repair phase of the railway, for example. Railway infrastructure refers to one or more railways and railway equipment or devices associated with the operation of one or more railways.

With reference to FIG. 1, there is illustrated a railway management system 100 for determining at least one cable route. A computing device 102 is configured to cause a GUI to be provided on a display device 122. The GUI is provided in order to display graphical representations of railway infrastructure, such as, for example, cable routes between various positions of the railway infrastructure and any associated cable routing parameters for the cable routes. A user may interact with the GUI via one or more input devices 124. For example, the user may interact with the GUI to request a cable route between two positions. By way of another example, the user may interact with the GUI to view a given cable route and/or to view any cable routing parameters associated with a given cable route. The display device 122 may be any suitable display device, for example, such as a cathode ray tube display screen, a light-emitting diode display screen, a liquid crystal display screen, a touch screen, or any other suitable display device. The input device(s) 124 may include a keyboard, a mouse, a touch pad, a joy stick, a light pen, a track ball, a touch screen, or any other suitable input device for interacting with the GUI. In embodiments where the display device 122 is a touch screen device, the input device(s) 124 include the display device 122.

In the illustrated embodiment, the computing device 102 communicates with another computing device 120 over one or more networks 110 to cause the GUI to be displayed on the display device 122, as the display device 122 and the input device 124 are connected to the computing device 120. The network(s) 110 may include a public network (e.g., the Internet) and/or a private network. The network(s) 110 may include one or more of a personal area networks (PAN), local area networks (LAN), mesh networks, metropolitan area networks (MAN), wide area networks (WAN), Wi-Fi networks, cellular networks and any other suitable networks. The computing devices 102, 104 may each be any suitable computing device, such as a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a mainframe, a server, a distributed computing system, a cloud computing system, a portable computing device, a mobile phone, a tablet, or the like. By way of example, the GUI may be provided via a web browser running on the computing device 120 (e.g., a laptop computer). The web browser may send queries to the computing device 102 (e.g., a server) and receive the information for display in the web browser from the computing device 102. In alternative embodiments, the network 110 and the computing devices 120 may be omitted, such that the display device 122 and/or the input device 124 are directly connected to the computing device 102. For example, the GUI may be provided via a software application running on the computing device 102.

In some embodiments, the computing device 102 is configured to display a cable routing plan via the GUI. The cable routing plan may specify a plurality of conduits (also referred to as “ducts”) and/or troughs that may be used to route one or more cables. The cable routing plan may specify a plurality of existing cables that are routed through the conduits and/or troughs. The cable routing plan may specify one or more new cables that are to be routed through the conduits and/or troughs. The cable routing plan may specify one or more devices, systems, power sources, signal sources, equipment, pull boxes, any other suitable electrical equipment, systems or devices, that are available for routing and/or have cables routed thereto and/or therethrough. The cable routing plan may include one or more cable routing parameters associated with any given cable, cable route, and/or component (e.g., devices, systems, power sources, signal sources, equipment, pull boxes, etc.). The cable routing parameters may include one or more of: containment types; route lengths, length of cable route segments in a global cable route network; cable types (e.g., cable is for power, signalling, or communication); one or more cable sizes, gauges or capacity; and information on one or more conduits and/or troughs along with available space in such conduits or troughs. The cable routing parameters may include a number of connections between the devices, systems, equipment, etc.; cable fill percentage of one or more conduits and/or troughs; diameters of one or more cables; and/or diameters of one or more conduits and/or troughs. The cable routing plan may be displayed on a map interface. In other words, the GUI may be provided or operated for interacting with a cable routing plan on a map interface. The map interface may be a bird's eye view (e.g., satellite, imaging, aerial imaging, digital rendering, etc.) of an area. The map interface may allow a user to set the area that is displayed. For example, the user may be able to select via the map interface a specific city, longitudinal and latitudinal coordinates, etc. The user may be able to zoom in and/or zoom out of an area via the map interface. The map interface may be as described and/or provided as part of a railway infrastructure interface described in U.S. Patent Application No. 62/942,374, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

The map interface may allow the user to select one or more devices, systems, power sources, signal sources, equipment, pull boxes, cables, to request information (e.g., the cable routing parameter(s)) associated the selected component. The map interface may allow the user to request a cable route between two positions (e.g., pull boxes, bungalows, etc.) and the map interface may display (e.g., highlight) the cable route. The cable routing plan may be provided by way of any suitable computer-aided design (CAD) file. For example, the computing device 102 may access a CAD file including the cable routing plan upon request by the user via the map interface or when the map interface is loaded.

In some embodiments, the computing device 102 is configured to receive a cable route request to route at least one cable between at least two positions associated with the railway infrastructure. Each position may be any one of: a device, a system, a power source, a signal source, a piece of equipment, a pull box, another cable, a location (e.g., a bungalow, a railway station, etc.), any other suitable electrical equipment, system or device, or even just points. In some embodiments, the cable route request is provided by the user selecting the two positions in the GUI and requesting that a cable route between the positions be determined. In some embodiments, the cable route request is provided in the form of a cable routing plan. The cable routing plan may specify that at least one cable is to be routed between at least two positions. The cable routing plan may specify a specific route between the positions for the routing of the cable. The cable routing plan may specify the device, system, power source, signal source, equipment, or cable for each position of the cable routing plan. The cable routing plan may include one or more of the cable routing parameters. The cable routing parameters for the requested cable route may be provided via the GUI.

In some embodiments, the computing device 102 is configured to determine at least one cable route between the positions from the cable route request. The computing device 102 may further determine one or more cable routing parameters associated with the determined cable route. The determining of the cable route may vary depending on the cable route request. In some embodiments, the computing device 102 determines an optimal route between the positions from a plurality of possible routes based on the cable route request. The optimal route may be a shortest route that has capacity for an additional cable of a give type that is to be routed. In some embodiments, the computing device 102 determines a plurality of possible routes and the associated cable routing parameters for each possible route based on the cable route request. The computing device 102 may determine which routes between the positions that have spare capacity and could be used to route the cable. In some embodiments, the computing device 102 obtains the cable route from the cable routing plan, as the cable routing plan may specify a specific cable route. The computing device 102 may determine one or more diversions of a cable route provide in the cable route request and/or corrections to a cable route provided in the cable route request. The determined cable routing parameters may include one or more of the cable routing parameters listed elsewhere in this document.

The computing device 102 may be configured to verify that there is no conflict with the determined cable route, the cable route request (e.g., the cable routing plan) and/or a selected cable route. Determining that there is no conflict may include one or more of: determining that the cable route has no conflict with existing utilities or structures; determining that the cable route has no conflict with one or more standards (e.g., local standards, electrical standards); and determining that the cable route has no logical conflicts (e.g., running a cable in a conduit and/or trough that would be overfilled if the cable was run therethrough, mismatched sheet, wire continuity problems, or incompatible wire types in the same conduit or trough, such as, for example, that a power cable cannot be run in route with a communication cable). Determining that there are no conflicts may include running the cable route and the associated cable routing parameters through processing logic or one or more algorithms to verify that there are no conflicts. The computing device 102 may issue a warning or an alert if there is a conflict, which may be displayed via the GUI.

The computing device 102 is configured to access at least one storage device 104 including a database having stored therein railway infrastructure information. The database having stored therein railway infrastructure information may be referred to as a data repository. The railway infrastructure information is indicative of the configuration of the railway infrastructure. The railway infrastructure information may include: information regarding a global cable route network featuring the one or more existing cable routes (e.g., the route of a given cable between two components, the cable type, the cable size, etc.); lengths of cable route segments in the global cable route network; information regarding various devices, systems, equipment, etc. within and/or that are to be installed into the railway infrastructure; the number of connections that a given device, system or piece of equipment has; the number of connections between two devices, systems or pieces of equipment; utilities or structures within and/or to be installed into the railway infrastructure; standards information that the railway infrastructure is to abide by; conduit compatibility information (e.g., which types of wires may be allows in a given conduit or trough); the maximum capacity of a given conduit or trough; the current fill percentage of a given conduit or trough relative to the maximum capacity of the given conduit or trough; and/or any other suitable information. The computing device 102 may also access the storage device(s) 104 to access a database having stored therein cable information. The cable information is indicative of the configuration of one or more cables that may possibly be used or is being used for a given cable route. The cable information may include: one or more of the aforementioned cable routing parameters and/or any other suitable information. The cable information and the infrastructure information may be stored in a common database or in one or more different databases. The computing device 102 may obtain railway infrastructure information and/or cable information based on the information provided by the cable route request. A given cable route between two positions may be determined based on the obtained railway infrastructure information and/or cable information. The railway infrastructure information may include the cable routing parameters.

The computing device 102 is configured to cause the GUI to display one or more cable routes. The GUI may further display cable routing parameters associated with the cable routes. Displaying the cable route may include overlaying the cable routing plan on a map interface. Other configurations of the railway management system 100 are contemplated and the railway management system 100 may vary depending on practical implementations.

With reference to FIG. 2, there is shown a flowchart illustrating an example method 200 for determining at least one cable route of a railway infrastructure. The method 200 may be implemented by the system 100 and/or the computing device(s) 102, 120 or by other systems. At step 202, a GUI is provided or operated. The GUI may be provided by the computing device 120 on the display device 122. The information for display on the GUI may be provided to the computing device 120 from the computing 102 over the network 110, as shown in FIG. 1. The GUI may be provided or operated for interacting with graphical representations of the railway infrastructure on a map interface. For example, the GUI may be provided or operated for interacting with cable routes and/or other components of a cable routing plan overlaid on the map interface.

At step 204, in some embodiments, a cable routing plan is received. The cable routing plan may be as described elsewhere in this document. The cable routing plan may be received by the user requesting via the GUI that a specific cable routing plan (e.g., stored on the storage device 104) be accessed. The cable routing plan may be processed to identify the railway infrastructure to graphically represent on the GUI. Processing of the cable routing plan may include processing different layers of the cable routing plan and identifying one or more layers to display on the GUI overlaid on the map interface. For instance, the GUI may automatically select one or more of a plurality of layers to display on the map interface, which may be predetermined based on user preferences, default values, or the like. Additionally, the GUI may present one or more interactive elements via which the user may alter which of the plurality of layers are presented via the map interface. The layers may be in the form of images from a ground penetrating radar, and may be representative of the existing infrastructure elements, at various depths. In some embodiments, step 204 may occur prior to step 202 and accordingly step 202 may include providing the GUI with information from the cable routing visible on the map interface. In some embodiments, the information in the cable routing plan may already be known at the time that step 202 is performed and accordingly step 204 may be omitted. In some embodiments, the user may interact with the GUI to select or modify the cable routes in order to generate the cable routing plan.

Graphical representations of the railway infrastructure from the cable routing plan, or otherwise known, may be displayed on the map interface. With additional reference to FIGS. 3A and 3B, example GUIs illustrate the mapping interface having displayed thereon graphical representations of railway infrastructure. More specifically, FIG. 3A illustrates ducts and troughs, pull boxes, and various structures (e.g., bungalows, railway stations, etc.) overlaid on the mapping interface and FIG. 3B illustrates a zoomed-in view of the graphical representation of railway infrastructure of FIG. 3A.

Referring back to FIG. 2, at step 206, a cable route request for at least one cable route between a first position and a second position, such as a first component and a second component, associated with the railway infrastructure is received. The terms “first” and “second” prior to the terms “position” and “component” are used only for the purposes of distinguishing between the positions or components of the railway infrastructure. It is to further be understood that the railway infrastructure may include more than two components. For instance, the cable route request may specify one or more intermediate positions between the first and second positions. The intermediate positions may be positions where the cable should be located, positions where it would be preferable for the cable to be located, or the like.

In some embodiments, the cable route request is provided in the form of a cable routing plan. The cable route request is received via the GUI. More specifically, the user may be able to make the cable route request via the map interface using the input device(s) 124. In some embodiments, the cable route request is provided by a user requesting a cable route between two positions, such as between two components of the railway infrastructure, via a GUI. For example, the user may click on the map interface with a mouse to select the first position and/or the second position. For instance, the first position may be a pull box in a structure such as a bungalow, as is illustrated in FIG. 3C. The user may select a cable routing option for the selected pull box and may be prompted to select the second position. With additional reference to FIG. 3D, a modal window illustrates a specific and non-limiting example of selecting the first and second position. In the example of FIG. 3D, after the user has selected the first position on the map interface, which in this example is a pull box, the user selects an option for cable routing for this pull box and is prompted to select a second position, which in this example is another pull box in another bungalow.

Referring back to FIG. 2, at step 208, in some embodiments, railway infrastructure information indicative of the configuration of the railway infrastructure between the first and second position is obtained. The railway infrastructure information may be obtained by the computing device 102 accessing the database(s) of the storage device 104. Any suitable railway infrastructure information for determining the at least one cable route and/or for determining the cable routing parameters associated with the at least one cable route may be obtained. In some embodiments, the railway infrastructure information may already be known at the time that step 206 is performed and accordingly step 208 may be omitted. For example, when the user interacts with the GUI (or the map interface) at step 202, the railway infrastructure information may be obtained at that time.

At step 210, at least one cable route between the first position and the second position is determined. The at least one cable route may be determined based on the cable route request. Step 210 may further include determining cable routing parameters associated with the at least one cable route based on the cable route request. Step 210 may include determining the cable route and/or the cable routing parameters based on the cable route request and the railway infrastructure information and/or the cable information obtained from the database(s). The at least one cable route may be determined based on the railway infrastructure information obtained at step 208. The determined cable route and the associated cable routing parameters may be verified to confirm that there is no conflicts with the cable route and the associated cable routing parameters. In some embodiments, an optimal route between the first position and the second position is determined from a plurality of possible routes between the first position and the second position. In some embodiments, determining the at least one cable route includes determining a plurality of routes between the first position and the second position that have spare capacity and could be used as a cable route. In some embodiments, determining the at least one cable route includes obtaining the at least one cable route from the cable route request (e.g., the cable routing plan). In some embodiments, determining the cable routing parameters includes obtaining one or more cable routing parameters from the request e.g., the cable routing plan). In some embodiments, one or more diversions of a cable route provide in the cable route request and/or one or more corrections to a cable route provided in the cable route request is/are determined. The at least one cable route determined at step 210 between the first position and the second position may be based on the diversion(s) and/or correction(s) to one or more cable routes provided in the cable route request.

At step 212, the at least one cable route between the first position and the second position is displayed on the GUI. In some embodiments, cable route is displayed by displaying a listing of components in a path between the first position and the second position. With additional reference to FIG. 3E, a specific and non-limiting example illustrates a listing of components, including pull boxes, of the railway infrastructure is provided in modular window after the user has selected the first and second position in FIG. 3D. The listing of components may include pull boxes, troughs, ducts, etc. In some embodiments, displaying the at least one cable route includes overlaying the at least one cable route on the cable routing plan on the map interface of the GUI. Overlaying the at least one cable route on the cable routing plan on the map interface may include geolocating the at least one cable route and the first and second position on the map interface illustrating the railway infrastructure. With additional reference to FIG. 3F, an example GUI illustrate the mapping interface having displayed thereon the determined cable route. The cable routing parameters may also be displayed on the GUI at step 212. The cable routing parameters may be displayed when a request is made via the GUI to display the cable routing parameters for a given cable route. Alternatively, the cable routing parameters may be automatically displayed. With additional reference to FIGS. 3G and 3H, example GUIs illustrate the mapping interface having displayed thereon cable routing parameters pertaining to the ducts/troughs in the determined cable route and cable routing parameters pertaining to the pull boxes in the determined cable route, respectively.

In some embodiments, a plurality of possible cable routes are displayed on the GUI. A given one of the plurality of possible cable routes may be selected by the user and the cable routing parameters associated with the selected route may be displayed on the GUI. In other words, the selected cable route may be highlighted in the GUI to visualize its path and show information on the selected cable route. By way of example, the cable routing parameters shown on the GUI may include the type of containment, a route length, length of cable route segments in a global cable route network, the type of cable, the size, gauge or capacity of the cable, and the number of connections for the first and second position, current and maximum capacity of the conduit for cable route, along with available space in such conduit. The user may be able to select one of a plurality of routes between the first position and the second position to view the cable routing parameters in order to decide which cable route to use. The user may then select one of the possible cable routes as the cable route to use for routing the cable in the physical railway infrastructure. The method 200 may be repeated a number of times to determine cables routes between various positions of the railway infrastructure.

In some embodiments, the plurality of possible cable routes are determined, at least in part, based on one or validation processes. In one example, a design validation can be performed on one or more possible cable routes, and those of the possible cable routes which do not pass the design validation may be highlighted or otherwise indicated as such via the GUI, or alternatively may not be displayed via the GUI. The design validation may include verifying whether the possible cable routes exhibit any discontinuities, whether the possible cable routes clash with existing infrastructure, such as existing cables, or the like, whether the cables could be exposed to interference from equipment or other cables. For instance, if cables are associated to telecommunications, some spacing may be required between the cable and the existing infrastructure elements, or between the cables and other proposed cables and/or infrastructure elements planned to be built. In another instance, the placement of high voltage cabling may be subject to various requirements, such as keeping appropriate distance from infrastructure elements (whether existing or planned) where passengers or other people may be located. The design validation may use drawings or other representations of the possible cable routes (e.g. CAD drawings) to compare with existing known infrastructure elements. When a possible cable route is identified as clashing or otherwise not being compatible with existing infrastructure elements, the possible cable route may not be validated and is indicated as such via the GUI.

By way of another example, a regulatory validation can be performed on one or more possible cable routes. The regulatory validation may include evaluating, based on drawings or other representations of the possible cable routes (e.g. CAD drawings), whether the possible cable routes comply with established regulations (e.g., code) in effect in a particular jurisdiction. For instance, the possible cable routes may be evaluated against established regulations regarding clearance for locating cables overhead of a railway. In another instance, the possible cable routes may be evaluated against established regulations regarding capacity limits for cable containment.

In some embodiments, the GUI may be used to present various information about whether or not different possible cable routes pass the above-mentioned validations. For example, after a user selects a particular possible cable route using the GUI, the selected cable route can be subjected to the design validation and/or the regulatory validation. The GUI may then be used to present results of the validation processes to the user. In the event that the selected route does not meet the design and/or regulatory requirements used as part of the validation processes, the user may be notified, and prompted to select a different possible cable route.

In some embodiments, the method 200 includes receiving a selection of one or more options for the cable route. For example, the user may select via the GUI one or more of: a cable type of the cable of the cable route, a cable size, gauge or capacity of the cable of the cable route, a type of containment for the cable route, one or more conduits or troughs to use for the cable route. The method 200 may validate the selection of the one or more options to confirm that there is no conflict with the determined cable route and the associated cable routing parameters. In some embodiments, the method 200 includes receiving a search request of one or more options to select for the one or more options for the cable route. In embodiments in which one or more validation processes are performed, the selected options for possible cable routes may also be evaluated for compliance with existing regulations and/or for clashes with existing infrastructure. In the event that a particular selected parameter results in a possible cable route not passing a particular validation process, the GUI may present an indication of which selected option(s) resulted in the failure of the validation process, and may also recommend one or more alternative options which would rectify the failure.

In some embodiments, the method 200 includes determining a type of cable protection required for the determined cable route. The type of cable protection to use may be determined based on a distance of the cable route from the railway and/or an installation depth of the cable route. Moreover, the information displayed may include depth of installation, depth of existing infrastructure, including ducts/troughs, etc.

In some embodiments, the method 200 includes receiving a request for information on an element displayed on the GUI and displaying on the GUI the information associated with the element. For example, the element may be the cable of the cable route, the first or second position, the conduit or troughs, etc. The information displayed may be one or more of the cable routing parameters, an image of where the element is installed and/or to be installed, and/or a CAD file or other file (e.g., a PDF file) associated with the element.

In some embodiments, the method 200 further includes performing a fill calculation to determine the current fill percentage of a given conduit or trough relative to the maximum capacity of the given conduit or trough. Moreover, the method 200 may include updating a fill percentage upon receiving a selection of cable route, based on the cable routing parameters.

In some embodiments, the first position may be a source device and the second position may be a destination device.

It should be appreciated that by implementing the methods and/or systems described herein that this may decrease errors in the design and/or management of cable routes, improve organization and/or allow for a more effective design approach. It should further be appreciated that by implementing the methods and/or systems described herein that this may ensure that power, signaling, and communication cables remain safe and operational. The methods and/or systems described herein may additionally allow for easy import of one or more desired cable routes from a CAD file and/or may allow for the verification or design check of the CAD data in the CAD file. If a mismatch or an error is detect from the CAD data in the CAD file, an alert or warning may be generated and displayed on the GUI.

With reference to FIG. 4, the method 200 may be implemented by a computing device 410, including a processing unit 412 and a memory 414 which has stored therein computer-executable instructions 416. The computing devices 102, 120 may be implemented according to the computing device 410. The processing unit 412 may include any suitable devices configured to implement the method 200 such that instructions 416, when executed by the computing device 410 or other programmable apparatus, may cause the functions/acts/steps performed as part of the method 200 as described herein to be executed. The processing unit 412 may include, for example, any type of general-purpose microprocessor or microcontroller, a digital signal processing (DSP) processor, a central processing unit (CPU), an integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a reconfigurable processor, other suitably programmed or programmable logic circuits, or any combination thereof.

The memory 414 may include any suitable known or other machine-readable storage medium. The memory 414 may include non-transitory computer readable storage medium, for example, but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. The memory 414 may include a suitable combination of any type of computer memory that is located either internally or externally to device, for example random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), compact disc read-only memory (CDROM), electro-optical memory, magneto-optical memory, erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), and electrically-erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), Ferroelectric RAM (FRAM) or the like. Memory 414 may include any storage means (e.g., devices) suitable for retrievably storing machine-readable instructions 416 executable by processing unit 412.

The methods and systems described herein may be implemented in a high level procedural or object oriented programming or scripting language, or a combination thereof, to communicate with or assist in the operation of a computer system, for example the computing device 410. Alternatively, the methods and systems described herein may be implemented in assembly or machine language. The language may be a compiled or interpreted language. Program code for implementing the methods and systems described herein may be stored on a storage media or a device, for example a ROM, a magnetic disk, an optical disc, a flash drive, or any other suitable storage media or device. The program code may be readable by a general or special-purpose programmable computer for configuring and operating the computer when the storage media or device is read by the computer to perform the procedures described herein. Embodiments of the methods and systems described herein may also be considered to be implemented by way of a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon. The computer program may include computer-readable instructions which cause a computer, or in some embodiments the processing unit 412 of the computing device 410, to operate in a specific and predefined manner to perform the functions described herein.

Computer-executable instructions may be in many forms, including program modules, executed by one or more computers or other devices. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc., that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Typically the functionality of the program modules may be combined or distributed as desired in various embodiments.

The above description should be understood as presenting one or more example embodiments and/or implementations, and one skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made to the embodiments described without departing from the scope of the invention disclosed. Still other modifications which fall within the scope of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art, in light of a review of this disclosure.

Various aspects of the methods and systems described herein may be used alone, in combination, or in a variety of arrangements not specifically discussed in the embodiments described in the foregoing and is therefore not limited in its application to the details and arrangement of components set forth in the foregoing description or illustrated in the drawings. For example, aspects described in one embodiment may be combined in any manner with aspects described in other embodiments. Although particular embodiments have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from this invention in its broader aspects. The scope of the following claims should not be limited by the embodiments set forth in the examples, but should be given the broadest reasonable interpretation consistent with the description as a whole.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for determining at least one cable route for a railway infrastructure, the method comprising:

operating a graphical user interface for interacting with graphical representations of railway infrastructure on a map interface;

receiving a request for at least one cable route between a first position and a second position of the railway infrastructure;

obtaining railway infrastructure information indicative of configuration of the railway infrastructure between the first position and the second position;

determining the at least one cable route based on the railway infrastructure information; and

displaying on the graphical user interface the at least one cable route.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the request includes receiving a first selection of a first component of the railway infrastructure at the first position and a second selection of a second component of the railway infrastructure at the second position.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein receiving the request includes receiving a selection of at least one intermediary position between the first position and the second position.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the at least one cable route includes overlaying the at least one cable route on the map interface.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the at least one cable route includes displaying at least one of a plurality of layers of a cable routing plan.

6. The method of claim 1, including determining a presence of conflict for the at least one cable route.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein determining the presence of conflict for the at least one cable route includes performing a design validation process for the at least one cable route.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein determining the presence of conflict for the at least one cable route includes performing a regulatory validation process for the at least one cable route.

9. The method of claim 6, including proposing another cable route in the presence of a conflict.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the at least one cable route includes determining: a type of containment for the at least one cable route; a type of cable for the at least one cable route; a cable size for the at least one cable route; a number of connections between the first position and the second position; and/or a cable fill percentage of at least one conduit for the at least one cable route.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the at least one cable route includes determining an optimal route between the first position and the second position from a plurality of possible routes between the first position and the second position.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein determining an optimal route includes determining a shortest route between the first position and the second position which has capacity for at least one cable to be routed for the at least one cable route.

13. A system for determining at least one cable route for a railway infrastructure, the system comprising:

a processor; and

a non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions which cause the processor to perform: operating a graphical user interface for interacting with graphical representations of railway infrastructure on a map interface; receiving a request for at least one cable route between a first position and a second position of the railway infrastructure; obtaining railway infrastructure information indicative of configuration of the railway infrastructure between the first position and the second position; determining the at least one cable route based on the railway infrastructure information; and displaying on the graphical user interface the at least one cable route.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein receiving the request includes receiving a first selection of a first component of the railway infrastructure at the first position and a second selection of a second component of the railway infrastructure at the second position.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein receiving the request includes receiving a selection of at least one intermediary position between the first position and the second position.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein displaying the at least one cable route includes overlaying the at least one cable route on the map interface.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein displaying the at least one cable route includes displaying at least one of a plurality of layers of a cable routing plan.

18. The system of claim 13, the instructions causing the processor to perform determining a presence of conflict for the at least one cable route.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein determining the presence of conflict for the at least one cable route includes performing a design validation process for the at least one cable route.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein determining the presence of conflict for the at least one cable route includes performing a regulatory validation process for the at least one cable route.

21. -24. (canceled)