VEHICLE CONSISTING METHOD, APPARATUS, AND SYSTEM, VEHICLE, AND STORAGE MEDIUM

Abstract

A method of consisting a train, includes: by a first vehicle, receiving the train consist control instruction transmitted by the train control device, where the train consist control instruction is configured to instruct the first vehicle for consisting the train; determining a second vehicle for consisting the train according to the train consist control instruction; detecting a first inter-vehicle distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle; receiving a second inter-vehicle distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle transmitted by the second vehicle, where the second inter-vehicle distance comprises a distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle detected by the second vehicle; and in response to that a difference between the first inter-vehicle distance and the second inter-vehicle distance is less than or equal to a first distance threshold, controlling the first vehicle to couple to the second vehicle to consist the train.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation Application of International Patent Application No. PCT/CN2021/131710, filed on Nov. 19, 2021, which is based on and claims priority to and benefits of Chinese Patent Application No. 202011312259.1, filed on Nov. 20, 2020. The entire content of all of the above-referenced applications is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to the field of vehicle control, and more specifically, to a train consist method, apparatus, and system, a vehicle, and a storage medium.

BACKGROUND

Rail transport is a very important daily traveling mode, such as trains, subways, high-speed trains, and so on. During the train operation, according to the train capacity and the number of passengers, train consist is a common control method. For example, during the morning and evening peak hours, on most of the travel routes, a large number of passengers travel in one direction, and a few passengers travel in the other direction. In this case, when the train switches from one direction to the other direction, train consist needs to be performed again to improve the operation efficiency of the train. In the related art, trains in the rail transport adopt the manner of virtual consisting based on vehicle-to-vehicle communication, but the safety of virtual consist cannot be guaranteed because there is the risk of vehicle collisions during the train consist.

SUMMARY

In order to resolve the foregoing problem, the present disclosure provides a train consist method, apparatus, and system, a vehicle, and a storage medium.

According to a first aspect, the present disclosure provides a train consist method, including:

• • receiving, by a first vehicle, a train consist control instruction transmitted by a train control device, wherein the train consist control instruction is configured to instruct the first vehicle for consisting the train;
  • determining, by the first vehicle, a second vehicle for consisting the train according to the train consist control instruction;
  • detecting, by the first vehicle, a first inter-vehicle distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle;
  • receiving, by the first vehicle, a second inter-vehicle distance transmitted by the second vehicle, wherein the second inter-vehicle distance comprises a distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle detected by the second vehicle; and
  • in response to that a difference between the first inter-vehicle distance and the second inter-vehicle distance is less than or equal to a first distance threshold, controlling, by the first vehicle, the first vehicle to couple to the second vehicle to consist the train.

According to a second aspect, the present disclosure provides a train consist method, including:

• • receiving, by a second vehicle, a train consist control instruction transmitted by a train control device, wherein the train consist control instruction is configured to instruct the second vehicle to consist the train;
  • determining, by the second vehicle, a first vehicle for consisting the train according to the train consist control instruction;
  • detecting, by the second vehicle, a second inter-vehicle distance between the second vehicle and the first vehicle; and
  • transmitting, by the second vehicle, the second inter-vehicle distance to the first vehicle, to enable the first vehicle to couple to the second vehicle to consist the train according to the second inter-vehicle distance.

According to a third aspect, the present disclosure provides a train consist apparatus, including:

• • a memory, having a computer program stored thereon; and
  • one or more processors, configured to execute the computer program in the memory to implement the steps of the method according to the foregoing first aspect.

According to a fourth aspect, the present disclosure provides a train consist apparatus, including:

• • a memory, having a computer program stored thereon; and
  • one or more processors, configured to execute the computer program in the memory to implement the steps of the method according to the foregoing second aspect.

According to a fifth aspect, the present disclosure provides a train consist system, including a train control device, a first vehicle, and a second vehicle.

The train control device transmits a train consist control instruction to the first vehicle and the second vehicle. The train consist control instruction is configured to instruct the first vehicle and the second vehicle for consisting the train.

The first vehicle includes the train consist apparatus according to the foregoing third aspect of the present disclosure.

The second vehicle includes the train consist apparatus according to the foregoing fourth aspect of the present disclosure.

In an embodiment, the system may further include a collision buffer assembly, disposed at a joint of the first vehicle and the second vehicle and configured to buffer an impact force of a collision between the first vehicle and the second vehicle.

In an embodiment, the collision buffer assembly includes a semi-permanent drawbar.

According to a sixth aspect, the present disclosure provides a vehicle, including the train consist apparatus according to the third aspect of the present disclosure.

According to a seventh aspect, the present disclosure provides a vehicle, including the train consist apparatus according to the fourth aspect of the present disclosure.

According to an eighth aspect, the present disclosure provides a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program. When the computer program is executed by one or more processors, the computer program causes the one or more processors to implement the steps of the method according to the first aspect of the present disclosure.

According to a ninth aspect, the present disclosure provides a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program. When the computer program is executed by one or more processors, the computer program causes the one or more processors to implement the steps of the method according to the second aspect of the present disclosure.

According to the above technical solution, after the train consist control instruction transmitted by the train control device is received, the to-be-coupled second vehicle is determined according to the train consist control instruction, the first inter-vehicle distance from the second vehicle is detected, and the second inter-vehicle distance transmitted by the second vehicle is received. When a difference between the first inter-vehicle distance and the second inter-vehicle distance is less than or equal to the first distance threshold, the first vehicle is controlled to couple to the second vehicle to consist the train, thereby realizing virtual consisting of the train.

Other features and advantages of the present disclosure are to be described in detail in the following part of detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings provide further understanding of the present disclosure and constitute a part of this specification. The accompanying drawings and the embodiments below are used together for explaining the present disclosure rather than limiting the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a train consist system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a train consist method according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a train consist method according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a train consist method according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of a train consist apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following describes the specific implementations of the present disclosure in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the specific implementations described herein are merely used to describe and explain the present disclosure, but do not limit the present disclosure.

In the descriptions below, the terms “first” and “second” are used only to distinguish the purpose of the descriptions and are not to be understood as indicating or implying relative importance, nor as indicating or implying order.

First, an application scenario of the present disclosure is described. The present disclosure can be applied to the scenario of control of a vehicle to consist a train, especially the consisting and control of a rail transport train. In the related art, the rail transport train adopts a virtual consisting method based on a vehicle-to-vehicle communication. The virtual consisting requires obtaining an accurate distance between vehicles, which requires a high accuracy of a vehicle distance measuring device. If the failure of the measuring device leads to an error in a measured distance, the inaccuracy of the obtained distance between vehicles leads to the failure of train consist and even a danger of vehicle collision during the train consist, which is a safety hazard. For example, due to the failure of the distance measuring device, the measured distance is large but the actual distance is small, which may lead to the vehicle collision. Further, if the measured distance is small but the actual distance is large due to the failure of the distance measuring device, the distance between vehicles may not reach a preset consisting distance, resulting in the consisting of vehicles cannot be completed for a long time.

In order to resolve the foregoing problem, the present disclosure provides a train consist method, apparatus, and system, a vehicle, and a storage medium. The method includes: determining, after receiving a train consist control instruction transmitted by a train control device, a to-be-coupled second vehicle according to the train consist control instruction, detecting a first inter-vehicle distance by the first vehicle, and receiving a second inter-vehicle distance transmitted by the second vehicle; controlling the first vehicle and the second vehicle to be coupled when a difference between the first inter-vehicle distance and the second inter-vehicle distance is less than or equal to a first distance threshold, which realizes virtual consisting of the train. In this way, the accuracy of the detected first inter-vehicle distance is improved by comparing the first inter-vehicle distance with the second inter-vehicle distance. In the case of a distance measuring device failure, a vehicle collision accident caused by a detection error in the first inter-vehicle distance can be avoided, thereby improving the safety of the train consist.

The following describes the implementations of the present disclosure in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a train consist system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1, the train consist system includes a first vehicle 101, a second vehicle 102, and a train control device 111.

The train control device 111 can be configured to transmit a train consist control instruction to the first vehicle and the second vehicle. The train consist control instruction is used for instructing the vehicle for consisting the train.

The first vehicle 101 and the second vehicle 102 are to be coupled to consist a train. The first vehicle may be configured as a rear vehicle to be coupled in consisting the train. The second vehicle may be configured as a preceding vehicle to be coupled in consisting the train. The first vehicle and the second vehicle can report the respective positions to the train control device. The first vehicle and the second vehicle can communicate directly with each other, thereby reducing a communication delay and improving the efficiency of train consist.

It should be noted that the first vehicle can also be the preceding vehicle and the second vehicle can be the rear vehicle to be coupled in consisting the train, which is not limited in the present disclosure.

Moreover, the first vehicle may be a single vehicle or a vehicle of a train after completing the train consist according to the above train consist control instruction. Similarly, the second vehicle may be a single vehicle or a vehicle of a train after completing the train consist according to the above train consist control instruction described above. The first vehicle and the second vehicle may be on a same train track to perform consisting and control.

In an embodiment, the train consist system may further include a collision buffer assembly. The collision buffer assembly is arranged/disposed at a connection/joint of the first vehicle and the second vehicle and configured to buffer an impact force of a collision between the first vehicle and the second vehicle.

In an embodiment, the collision buffer assembly may include a semi-permanent traction rod, and further, may include a semi-permanent drawbar having a buffering function. The collision buffer assembly may also include a coupler having a buffering function.

In an embodiment, the train control device can also obtain the instruction to couple the first vehicle and the second vehicle according to a control input of a train controller or an input of an automatic statistical algorithm. In this case, the train control device can perform the following operations.

Firstly, position information of the first vehicle and the second vehicle is acquired, and a current inter-vehicle distance of the first vehicle and the second vehicle is calculated.

It should be noted that the vehicle position information may be relative position information of the vehicle on the track, and is acquired based on a positioning system of the vehicle and the track. The precision of the position information may be relatively low, such as a precision of 2 meters, 5 meters, 10 meters, or 20 meters.

When the current inter-vehicle distance is less than a preset starting distance of the train consist, the train consist control instruction is transmitted to the first vehicle and the second vehicle to instruct the vehicle for coupling.

The train consist control instruction may include a first target vehicle identifier and a second target vehicle identifier to be coupled.

The first vehicle and the second vehicle may perform the train consist after receiving the train consist control instruction. Implementations of coupling the first vehicle and the second vehicle is described in the following embodiments.

FIG. 2 shows a train consist method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 2, the execution body of the method may be the first vehicle, or a train consist apparatus or an electronic device included in the first vehicle. The method includes the following steps.

S201: The train consist control instruction transmitted by the train control device is received.

The train consist control instruction is used for instructing the vehicle for consisting a train.

The train consist control instruction may include a plurality of contents. The train consist control instruction may include first instruction information, which is used for instructing the first vehicle to select a closest target vehicle ahead for coupling, and may also include a to-be-coupled vehicle identifier, which is used for instructing the first vehicle to select a corresponding target vehicle for coupling. Moreover, the train consist control instruction can be acquired and transmitted by the train control device.

S202: A to-be-coupled second vehicle is determined according to the train consist control instruction.

In this step, if the train consist control instruction includes only the instruction information, a target vehicle with a closest distance to the front of the first vehicle is selected as the to-be-coupled second vehicle. If the train consist control instruction includes a to-be-coupled second target vehicle identifier, the first vehicle may select the to-be-coupled second vehicle according to the second target vehicle identifier.

S203: A first inter-vehicle distance from the second vehicle is detected.

In this step, the first inter-vehicle distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle can be detected by the distance measuring/ranging device mounted on the first vehicle. The ranging device may be a direct location system (DLS) or may include a distance measuring/ranging sensor. The ranging sensor on the first vehicle can measure the distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle as a first inter-vehicle distance by a laser, a radar, an infrared or ultrasonic method, and so on.

When the first vehicle is the rear vehicle, the ranging sensor can be mounted to a front position of the first vehicle to improve the reliability of ranging/measuring. On the contrary, when the first vehicle is the preceding vehicle, the ranging sensor may be mounted to a rear position of the first vehicle.

In an embodiment, the ranging sensor may be a high precision ranging sensor with the ranging/measuring precision less than or equal to 10 cm to improve the precision of train consist control.

S204: A second inter-vehicle distance transmitted by the second vehicle is received, where the second inter-vehicle distance is a distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle that is detected by the second vehicle.

Similarly, the second inter-vehicle distance can also be detected by the ranging device mounted on the second vehicle, and the second inter-vehicle distance can be received from and transmitted by the second vehicle.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the second vehicle may transmit both the second inter-vehicle distance and the second vehicle identifier. When the second inter-vehicle distance and the second vehicle identifier transmitted by the second vehicle are received and the to-be-coupled second target vehicle identifier is included in the train consist control instruction, it is determined that the second inter-vehicle distance is received if the received second vehicle identifier is the same as the second target vehicle identifier in the train consist control instruction. Otherwise, it is determined that the second inter-vehicle distance is not transmitted by the to-be-coupled second vehicle, and is discarded and not used, if the received second vehicle identifier is not the same as the second target vehicle identifier in the train consist control instruction. In this way, the interference from other vehicles when multiple vehicles transmit instructions at the same time can be avoided and the accuracy of train consist can be improved.

In an embodiment, the train consist control instruction received by the first vehicle is time-sensitive. That is, if the second inter-vehicle distance transmitted by the second vehicle is not received within the preset time, the train consist is stopped and the train control device is notified. In this way, the reliability of train consist can be further improved.

S205: The first vehicle and the second vehicle are controlled to be coupled when a difference between the first inter-vehicle distance and the second inter-vehicle distance is less than or equal to a first distance threshold.

In this step, the first distance threshold may be 0, which represents that the first inter-vehicle distance and the second inter-vehicle distance are equal. The first distance threshold may also be set to any distance between 1 cm and 1 m according to the ranging precision of the ranging sensors used on the first vehicle and the second vehicle. For example, when the ranging precision of the ranging sensors is less than or equal to 10 cm, the first distance threshold may be 10 cm or 20 cm.

By determining that the difference between the first inter-vehicle distance and the second inter-vehicle distance is less than or equal to the first distance threshold, the accuracy of the detected inter-vehicle distances between the first and second vehicles is determined for avoiding a problem of the incorrectly detected distance between the first and second vehicles due to the failure of the ranging device or an obstacle between the vehicles.

There are multiple manners to control coupling of the first vehicle and the second vehicle.

When the second vehicle is in a stationary state, the first vehicle can be controlled to drive at a preset speed toward the second vehicle until the first inter-vehicle distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle is less than or equal to the preset coupling distance for the first vehicle to couple with the second vehicle to consist the train.

When the second vehicle is in a moving state and the speed is less than a preset speed threshold, the first vehicle can also be controlled to drive at a preset speed toward the second vehicle until the first inter-vehicle distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle is less than equal to the preset coupling distance, for the first vehicle to couple with the second vehicle to consist the train.

When the second vehicle is in a moving state and the speed is greater than a preset speed threshold, a coupling request may be transmitted to the second vehicle firstly, so that the second vehicle can slow down the speed or enter the stationary state after receiving the coupling request. Then the first vehicle is controlled to drive at a preset speed toward the second vehicle until the first inter-vehicle distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle is less than or equal to the train-consisting distance, for the first vehicle to couple with the second vehicle to consist the train.

By adopting the above methods, after the train consist control instruction transmitted by the train control device is received, the to-be-coupled second vehicle is determined according to the train consist control instruction, the first inter-vehicle distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle is detected, and the second inter-vehicle distance transmitted by the second vehicle is received. When a difference between the first inter-vehicle distance and the second inter-vehicle distance is less than or equal to the first distance threshold, the first vehicle is controlled to couple with the second vehicle to consist the train, thereby realizing virtual consisting of the train.

In this way, the accuracy of the detected first inter-vehicle distance is improved by comparing the first inter-vehicle distance with the second inter-vehicle distance. In the case of a ranging device failure, a vehicle collision accident caused by a detection error in the inter-vehicle distance can be avoided, thereby improving the reliability of the train consist.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, after determining that the difference between the first inter-vehicle distance and the second inter-vehicle distance is less than or equal to the first distance threshold, the method further includes: controlling the first vehicle to travel to shorten the first inter-vehicle distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle.

The manner of controlling the first vehicle to travel may include any of the following control manners.

When the first vehicle is in the stationary state and no traction force is applied, the traction force may be applied to control the first vehicle to travel toward the second vehicle, to shorten the first inter-vehicle distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle.

When the first vehicle is in the traveling state and a relatively small traction force is applied, the traction force may be increased. For example, the traction force is increased from 5% to 10% of a total traction force of the vehicle, and the speed of the first vehicle is increased, to shorten the first inter-vehicle distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle.

When the first vehicle is in the traveling state and a relatively large braking force is applied, the braking force can be reduced to increase the speed of the first vehicle, to shorten the first inter-vehicle distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle.

Further, when the first inter-vehicle distance is relatively large (for example, the first inter-vehicle distance is 20 meters or 30 meters) or the difference between the first inter-vehicle distance and the train-consisting distance is relatively large (for example, the train-consisting distance is 1 meter, and the first inter-vehicle distance is 10 meters), a relatively large traction force such as 20% of the traction force may be applied to control the first vehicle to move at a relatively fast speed, to shorten the first inter-vehicle distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle.

When the first inter-vehicle distance is relatively small (for example, the first inter-vehicle distance is 2 meters) or the difference between the first inter-vehicle distance and the train-consisting distance is relatively small (for example, the train-consisting distance is 10 meters, and the first inter-vehicle distance is 11 meters), a relatively small traction force such as 2% of the traction force may be applied to control the first vehicle to move at a relatively slow speed, to accurately control the first inter-vehicle distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle to be less than or equal to the train-consisting distance, and avoid that the first vehicle collides with the second vehicle.

Second, the first inter-vehicle distance may be periodically detected, and when the first inter-vehicle distances detected in a consecutive preset number of periods are all less than or equal to a train-consisting distance, the first vehicle is coupled with the second vehicle to consist the train.

The detection period of the first inter-vehicle distance may be any time period between 1 millisecond and 10 seconds, which may be set according to the control accuracy requirement for the first inter-vehicle distance and the target coupling distance through the train consist. If higher control accuracy is required, a smaller detection period may be used. If the requirement for the control accuracy is not high, a larger detection period may be used in order to reduce the load on the control system.

The preset number of periods may also be set according to the requirements for the control accuracy and the train consist duration. For example, if the requirement for the control accuracy is relatively high and the requirement for the train consist duration is relatively low, a relatively large preset number may be set. For example, when the detection period is 10 milliseconds, the preset number may be set to 300, and when the detection period is 50 milliseconds, the preset number may be set to 100. For another example, when the requirement for the train consist duration is relatively high, that is, the train consist is required to be completed in a short period of time, a small preset number may be set. For example, when the detection period is 10 milliseconds, the preset number may be set to 20, and when the detection period is 50 milliseconds, the preset number may be set to 10.

Similarly, besides the determining condition that the first inter-vehicle distances detected within a consecutive preset number of periods are all less than or equal to the train-consisting distance, a determining condition that the first inter-vehicle distances detected within a consecutive preset time are all less than or equal to the train-consisting distance may be used for the first vehicle to couple with the second vehicle to consist the train. The preset time may be any time between 100 milliseconds and 10 seconds.

In this way, in the above manner, when the first inter-vehicle distances detected in a consecutive preset number of periods are all less than or equal to a train-consisting distance, it is determined that the inter-vehicle distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle is relatively stable. In this case, the first vehicle can be controlled to couple with the second vehicle to consist the train, which further improves the reliability of the train consist.

FIG. 3 shows a train consist method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 3, the execution body of the method may be the second vehicle or an electronic device included in the second vehicle. The method includes the following steps.

S301: The train consist control instruction transmitted by the train control device is received.

The train consist control instruction is used for instructing the vehicle for coupling.

Similarly, the train consist control instruction may include a plurality of contents. The train consist control instruction may include only second instruction information. The second instruction information is configured to instruct the second vehicle to select a closest target vehicle behind the second vehicle for coupling, and may also include a to-be-coupled first vehicle identifier used for instructing the second vehicle to select a corresponding target vehicle for coupling. Moreover, the train consist control instruction can be acquired and transmitted by the train control device.

In an embodiment, after receiving the train consist control instruction transmitted by the train control device, in order to ensure the safety of consisting a train, it is forbidden to perform a retreat operation in the process of train consist or a synchronous operation after completing the train consist. If the train consist fails or the train consist removal is performed, an original operation mode can be restored and the retreat operation can be performed according to the original operation mode.

S302: A to-be-coupled first vehicle is determined according to the train consist control instruction.

In this step, the determining the first vehicle can be implemented in a similar manner of determining the second vehicle in step S202 above. Details are not described herein again.

S303: A second inter-vehicle distance between the second vehicle and the first vehicle is detected.

Similarly, in this step, the detecting the second inter-vehicle distance can be implemented in a similar manner of detecting the first inter-vehicle distance in step S203 above. Details are not described herein again.

S304: The second inter-vehicle distance is transmitted to the first vehicle, so that the first vehicle controls the first vehicle and the second vehicle to be coupled according to the second inter-vehicle distance.

By adopting the method, after the train consist control instruction transmitted by the train control device is received, the to-be-coupled second vehicle is determined according to the train consist control instruction, the first inter-vehicle distance is detected, and a second inter-vehicle distance transmitted by the second vehicle is received. When a difference between the first inter-vehicle distance and the second inter-vehicle distance is less than or equal to the first distance threshold, the first vehicle and the second vehicle are coupled to consist a train, thereby realizing virtual consisting of the train. In this way, the consisting duration of trains can be reduced and the consisting efficiency can be improved. Meanwhile, the accuracy of the detected first inter-vehicle distance is improved by comparing the first inter-vehicle distance with the second inter-vehicle distance, and a vehicle collision accident caused by a detection error of the inter-vehicle distance can be avoided, thereby improving the reliability of the train consist.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the second inter-vehicle distance between the second vehicle and the first vehicle can also be periodically detected after the second inter-vehicle distance is transmitted to the first vehicle. When the second inter-vehicle distance detected in a consecutive preset quantity of cycles is less than or equal to a train-consist distance, the first vehicle and the second vehicle are controlled to couple to each other to consist the train.

Similarly, besides the determining condition that the second inter-vehicle distances detected in consecutive preset number of periods are all less than or equal to the train-consisting distance, a determining condition that the second inter-vehicle distances detected within a consecutive preset time are all less than or equal to the train-consisting distance may be used for the first vehicle to couple with the second vehicle to consist the train. The preset time may be any time between 100 milliseconds and 10 seconds.

In this way, the distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle is determined to be relatively stable when the second inter-vehicle distances detected in a consecutive preset number of periods are less than or equal to a train-consisting distance. In this case, the first vehicle and the second vehicle can be coupled to consist the train, which further improves the reliability of the train consist.

FIG. 4 shows a train consist method according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 4, the method includes the following steps.

S401: The train control device transmits a train consist control instruction to the first vehicle and the second vehicle.

In this step, the train control device can determine the to-be-coupled first vehicle and the to-be-coupled second vehicle based on the control instruction of a controller, and send the train consist control instruction to the first vehicle and the second vehicle. The train consist control instruction is used for instructing the vehicle for coupling. The train consist control instruction may include a first target vehicle identifier and a second target vehicle identifier of to-be-coupled vehicles. In an embodiment, the first target vehicle identifier may be a to-be-coupled rear vehicle identifier, and the second target vehicle identifier may be a to-be-coupled preceding vehicle identifier.

In an embodiment, the train consist control instruction is time-sensitive. That is, after a train control center issues the train consist control instruction, if the train consist completion instructions transmitted by the first vehicle and the second vehicle are not received within the preset time, it can be determined that the train consist fails, and a train consist stop instruction can be transmitted to the first vehicle and the second vehicle. Similarly, if the first vehicle or the second vehicle does not complete the train consist within the preset time after receiving the train consist control instruction, the first vehicle or the second vehicle may stop the train consist and notify the train control device. In this way, the reliability and effectiveness of train consist can be improved, and the problem that the train consist fails and cannot be stopped in time can be avoided.

S402: The first vehicle receives the train consist control instruction transmitted by the train control device.

S403: The first vehicle determines whether a first vehicle identifier is a first target vehicle identifier in the train consist control instruction.

The first vehicle identifier of the first vehicle may be either a preset identifier in a vehicle control software or a hardware identifier set on the first vehicle. For example, the identifier may be a hardware identifier of an on-board control system of the vehicle or a hardware identifier of the DLS of the vehicle. In this way, the incorrect train consist control may not be triggered upon receiving the incorrect train consist control instruction, and the reliability and safety of train consist can be improved.

Further, when the first vehicle identifier of the first vehicle is not the first target vehicle identifier in the train consist control instruction, the train consist is stopped and the subsequent steps are not performed. In this case, a train consist reject instruction can also be transmitted to the train control device.

S404: The first vehicle determines a to-be-coupled second vehicle according to the train consist control instruction.

In this step, a candidate vehicle may be determined according to the train consist control instruction. A vehicle identifier of the candidate vehicle is verified to determine whether the vehicle identifier of the candidate vehicle is the second target vehicle identifier in the train consist control instruction. The candidate vehicle is configured as the second vehicle for the first vehicle to couple with when determining that the first vehicle identifier of the first vehicle is the first target vehicle identifier in the train consist control instruction and that the vehicle identifier of the candidate vehicle identifier is the second target vehicle identifier in the train consist control instruction. The train consist is stopped and the subsequent steps are not performed when it is determined that the vehicle identifier of the candidate vehicle is not the second target vehicle identifier in the train consist control instruction. In this case, the train consist reject instruction may also be transmitted to the train control device, so that the train control device can notify the second vehicle to stop the train consist after receiving the train consist reject instruction.

The verifying a vehicle identifier of the candidate vehicle may also be performed in the following manners.

Firstly, the first vehicle transmits the first vehicle identifier of the first vehicle to the candidate vehicle.

Then, after the candidate vehicle receives the first vehicle identifier, whether the first vehicle identifier is the first target vehicle identifier in the train consist control instruction is determined. When the first vehicle identifier is the first target vehicle identifier in the train consist control instruction, a vehicle identifier verification success instruction is transmitted to the first vehicle. Besides, the candidate vehicle may also carry the vehicle identifier of the candidate vehicle in the identifier verification success instruction. When the first vehicle identifier is not the first target vehicle identifier in the train consist control instruction, an identifier verification failure instruction is transmitted to the first vehicle or no instruction is transmitted to the first vehicle from the candidate vehicle. It should be noted that candidate vehicle has received the train consist control instruction transmitted by the train control device before receiving a connection establishment request. If no train consist control instruction is received, no instruction may be transmitted to the first vehicle.

If the first vehicle receives the identifier verification success instruction transmitted by the candidate vehicle, the vehicle identifier is successfully verified. That is, the vehicle identifier of the candidate vehicle is determined to be the second target vehicle identifier in the train consist control instruction. Moreover, when the identifier verification success instruction carries the vehicle identifier of the candidate vehicle, the first vehicle may also perform the identifier verification according to the vehicle identifier of the candidate vehicle and the second target vehicle identifier in the train consist control instruction. When the vehicle identifier of the candidate vehicle is determined to be the second target vehicle identifier in the train consist control instruction, the candidate vehicle is configured as the second vehicle and the train consist is continued. In this way, the two-way verification of the vehicle identifier is realized, and the safety is further improved. If the first vehicle receives the identifier verification failure instruction transmitted by the candidate vehicle or does not receive the connection establishment success instruction within a certain period of time, it is determined that the vehicle identifier verification fails. That is, the vehicle identifier of the candidate vehicle is determined not to be the second target vehicle identifier in the train consist control instruction.

In an embodiment, the vehicle identifier verification process described above with the candidate vehicle may also be initiated by the candidate vehicle. That is, the candidate vehicle first sends the vehicle identifier of the candidate vehicle, and after the first vehicle receives the vehicle identifier of the candidate vehicle, the vehicle identifier of the candidate vehicle and the second target vehicle identifier in the train consist control instruction are verified by to determine whether the vehicle identifier of the candidate vehicle is the second target vehicle identifier.

In addition, the above vehicle identifier verification with the candidate vehicle can also be performed during the connection between the first vehicle and the candidate vehicle in the following manners.

First, the first vehicle transmits a connection establishment request to the candidate vehicle, which carries the first vehicle identifier of the first vehicle in the connection establishment request.

Then, after the candidate vehicle receives the connection establishment request, whether the first vehicle identifier in the connection establishment request is the received first target vehicle identifier in the train consist control instruction is determined. When the first vehicle identifier is the first target vehicle identifier in the train consist control instruction, a connection establishment success instruction is transmitted to the first vehicle. When the first vehicle identifier is not the first target vehicle identifier in the train consist control instruction, a connection establishment failure instruction is transmitted to the first vehicle or no instruction is transmitted to the first vehicle from the candidate vehicle. It should be noted that candidate vehicle receives the train consist control instruction transmitted by the train control device before receiving a connection establishment request. If no train consist control instruction is received, the connection establishment request may not be processed and no instruction is transmitted to the first vehicle from the candidate vehicle.

If the first vehicle receives the connection establishment success instruction transmitted by the candidate vehicle, the vehicle identifier is successfully verified. That is, the vehicle identifier of the candidate vehicle is determined to be the second target vehicle identifier in the train consist control instruction. If the first vehicle receives the connection establishment failure instruction transmitted by the candidate vehicle or does not receive the connection establishment success instruction within a certain period of time, it is determined that the vehicle identifier verification fails. That is, the vehicle identifier of the candidate vehicle is determined not to be the second target vehicle identifier in the train consist control instruction.

Similarly, the vehicle identifier verification is performed on the candidate vehicle in the process of connection establishment, or the candidate vehicle can initiate the connection establishment request and carry the vehicle identifier of the candidate vehicle. The first vehicle receives the connection establishment request and performs the identifier verification according to the vehicle identifier of the candidate vehicle and the second target vehicle identifier in the train consist control instruction to determine whether the vehicle identifier of the candidate vehicle is the second target vehicle identifier in the train consist control instruction.

In this way, by performing the vehicle identifier verification on the second vehicle, that the second vehicle is the correct to-be-coupled target vehicle can be determined, which further improves the reliability and safety of train consist.

Further, after determining the second vehicle, a vehicle-to-vehicle communication delay between the first vehicle and the second vehicle can also be detected. When the vehicle-to-vehicle communication delay is less than or equal to a first delay threshold, the following steps may be performed to control the first vehicle and the second vehicle to be coupled. Otherwise, the train consist stops. In this way, the on-board control system can ensure a real-time control of the vehicles in the process of train consist.

The first delay threshold can be set to any value between 1 millisecond and 1000 milliseconds according to the precision of the vehicle control. For example, the threshold may be 1 millisecond, 10 milliseconds, or 50 milliseconds if a high control accuracy is required, or 100 milliseconds, or 500 milliseconds if a low control accuracy is required.

The detection of vehicle-to-vehicle communication delay mentioned above can be acquired by transmitting a delay detection message between the first vehicle and the second vehicle, or by using an interactive message established by the communication connection.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, after determining the to-be-coupled second vehicle according to the train consist control instruction, system self-test can be performed and whether the first vehicle is in a safe operating state is determined according to the result of the system self-test. When the first vehicle is in a safe operating state, the first vehicle and the second vehicle are controlled to be coupled. Otherwise, the train consist stops. In this way, the safety and effectiveness of train consist can be improved and an accident can be avoided in the process of train consist.

The system self-test may be a self-test of communication state, drive output performance, and brake output performance of the vehicles. It should be noted that in order to ensure the safety of train consist, a self-test of the brake output performance is required when the first vehicle is the rear vehicle, so that an emergency braking can be successfully performed in a case of abnormal train consist and a train collision accident can be avoided.

S405: The second vehicle receives the train consist control instruction transmitted by the train control device.

S406: The second vehicle determines whether a second vehicle identifier of the second vehicle is a second target vehicle identifier in the train consist control instruction.

S407: The second vehicle determines a to-be-coupled first vehicle according to the train consist control instruction.

It should be noted that implementations of steps S405 to S407 may refer to implementations of steps S402 to S404. Details are not described herein again.

S408: The first vehicle detects a first inter-vehicle distance between the first and the second vehicles.

S409: The second vehicle detects a second inter-vehicle distance between the first and the second vehicles, and transmits the second inter-vehicle distance to the first vehicle.

In this way, the first vehicle is configured to control the vehicles according to the second inter-vehicle distance to consist the train.

Similarly, implementations of detecting the first inter-vehicle distance in step S408 and the second inter-vehicle distance in step S409 can be referred to the implementation of detecting the first inter-vehicle distance in step S203. Details are not described herein again.

S410: The first vehicle receives the second inter-vehicle distance transmitted by the second vehicle, and the first vehicle is controlled to couple with the second vehicle to consist the train, when a difference between the first inter-vehicle distance and the second inter-vehicle distance is less than or equal to a first distance threshold.

In this step, the manner of controlling the first vehicle and the second vehicle to be coupled may include: controlling the first vehicle to travel to shorten the first inter-vehicle distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle; and detecting the first inter-vehicle distance periodically, coupling the first vehicle and the second vehicle to consist the train when each of the first inter-vehicle distances detected in a consecutive preset quantity of cycles is less than or equal to a train-consisting distance.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the second vehicle can be the preceding vehicle of the first vehicle. In this way, controlling the first vehicle to drive can also be realized through the following implementation.

Firstly, the second vehicle may transmit the first control instruction to the first vehicle, where the first control instruction may include a traction force or a braking force of the second vehicle.

The first vehicle receives the first control instruction transmitted by the second vehicle, and controls the traction force or the braking force of the first vehicle to control the first vehicle according to the first control instruction. The manner for controlling the traction force or the braking force of the first vehicle may include any of the following manners.

The traction force of the first vehicle is increased when the traction force of the second vehicle is greater than or equal to the traction force of the first vehicle. It should be noted that, due to a large traction force of the second vehicle, it can be determined that the speed of the second vehicle is faster than that of the first vehicle when the weight of the first vehicle and the weight of the second vehicle is substantially the same. In order to shorten the distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle, the traction force of the first vehicle is increased and the speed of the first vehicle is increased.

The traction force of the first vehicle is maintained when the traction force of the second vehicle is less than the traction force of the first vehicle. It should be noted that it can be determined that the speed of the second vehicle is slower than the speed of the first vehicle when the traction force of the second vehicle is less than that of the first vehicle. Therefore, the distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle can be shortened by maintaining the traction force of the first vehicle. Certainly, if the first inter-vehicle distance is larger, the traction force of the first vehicle can also be increased to reduce the distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle more quickly.

The braking force of the first vehicle is reduced when the braking force of the second vehicle is less than or equal to the braking force of the first vehicle. It should be noted that when the first vehicle and the second vehicle are under braking, the braking force of the second vehicle is less than or equal to that of the first vehicle and the speed of the second vehicle can be determined to be faster than that of the first vehicle. Therefore, in order to shorten the distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle, the braking force of the first vehicle is reduced, or the braking force of the first vehicle is canceled, and the traction force of the first vehicle is increased, so as to shorten the distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle more quickly.

The braking force of the first vehicle is maintained when the braking force of the second vehicle is greater than the braking force of the first vehicle. Similarly, when the first vehicle and the second vehicle are braking, the braking force of the second vehicle is greater than that of the first vehicle, and the speed of the second vehicle can be determined to be slower than that of the first vehicle. Therefore, maintaining the braking force of the first vehicle can also shorten the distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle. Certainly, if the first inter-vehicle distance is larger, the braking force of the first vehicle can also be reduced or the traction force of the first vehicle can be increased, to reduce the distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle more quickly.

The speed of the first vehicle can be controlled to be greater than the speed of the second vehicle through the above manners, to shorten the distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the second vehicle can periodically detect the second inter-vehicle distance and transmits the detected second inter-vehicle distances to the first vehicle in the process of controlling the first vehicle and the second vehicle to be coupled. Similarly, the first vehicle may continue to periodically detect the first inter-vehicle distance and periodically receive the second inter-vehicle distance transmitted by the second vehicle. The coupling of the first vehicle and the second vehicle stops when a difference between the second inter-vehicle distance and the first inter-vehicle distance is greater than a second distance threshold. When the difference between the first inter-vehicle distance and the second inter-vehicle distance is less than or equal to the second distance threshold, the first vehicle is controlled to shorten the first inter-vehicle distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle.

The second distance threshold may be equal to or greater than the first distance threshold. For example, the second distance threshold and the first distance threshold may be 0. For another example, if the first distance threshold is 20 cm, the second distance threshold may be 40 cm. In this way, the distance difference can be avoided due to the difference of the time when the first vehicle and the second vehicle detect the inter-vehicle distance.

The first inter-vehicle distance and the second inter-vehicle distance may be obtained by the first vehicle in a same period or may be obtained in two adjacent periods. However, in order to ensure the accuracy, a time difference between the time of obtaining the first inter-vehicle distance and the time of obtaining the second inter-vehicle distance is less than or equal to a preset time. In an embodiment, the preset time may be an integer multiple of the detection period.

If the difference between the second inter-vehicle distance and the first inter-vehicle distance is greater than the second distance threshold, it is determined that the first inter-vehicle distance is unreliable, which may be caused by a failure of a distance detection apparatus of the first vehicle or the second vehicle. In this case, in order to avoid the collision during traveling of the vehicles, the coupling of the first vehicle and the second vehicle is stopped, to improve the safety of the train consist process. Similarly, if the difference between the first inter-vehicle distance and the second inter-vehicle distance is less than or equal to the second distance threshold, it is determined that the first inter-vehicle distance is reliable, the first vehicle may continue to be controlled to travel, and the train consist is continued.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the second vehicle can further periodically transmit the first control instruction to the first vehicle in the process of controlling the coupling of the first vehicle and the second vehicle. The first control instruction may include a traction force or a braking force of the second vehicle. Similarly, the first vehicle can also periodically receive the first control instruction transmitted by the second vehicle. The first vehicle adjusts the traction force or the braking force of the first vehicle according to the first control instruction and continues to control the first vehicle to shorten the first inter-vehicle distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle. In this way, more accurate control of train consist can be achieved.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, if the first vehicle receives a train consist stop instruction from the train control center, the first vehicle can stop the train consist and transmit the train consist stop instruction to the second vehicle in the process of controlling the coupling of the first vehicle and the second vehicle. Similarly, in the process of train consist, if the second vehicle receives the train consist stop instruction from the train control center, the second vehicle can also stop the train consist and send the stop train consist instruction to the first vehicle. In this way, the flexibility and reliability of train consist can be improved through the control of train control center.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, after the first vehicle and the second vehicle are coupled to consist the train, the first vehicle can further transmit the train consist completion instruction to the second vehicle, and/or transmit the train consist completion instruction to the train control device. Moreover, the first vehicle can also stop controlling the first vehicle to continue to shorten the distance between the first and the second vehicles.

Similarly, the second vehicle may also periodically detect the second inter-vehicle distance. The first vehicle and the second vehicle are coupled to consist the train, when the second inter-vehicle distance detected in a consecutive preset quantity of cycles is less than or equal to a preset train consist distance. The second vehicle may also configure the first vehicle to couple with the second vehicle to consist the train after receiving the train consist completion instruction transmitted by the first vehicle. After the first vehicle and the second vehicle are coupled to consist the train, the second vehicle can also transmit the train consist completion instruction to the first vehicle and/or the train control device.

After receiving the train consist completion message transmitted by the first vehicle and the second vehicle respectively, the train control device can configure the first vehicle and the second vehicle as the vehicles in the train, and configure the vehicles in the train for synchronous control.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, after the first vehicle and the second vehicle are coupled to consist the train, the first vehicle no longer reports the vehicle position information to the train control system, but the second vehicle reports the position information as the position information of the train. Moreover, the second vehicle can also calculate a body length of the train according to a body length of the first vehicle and a body length of the second vehicle, and report the body length of the train to the train control device.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, after the first vehicle and the second vehicle are coupled to consist the train, the first vehicle and the second vehicle enter a state of synchronized control in the train consist. In this case, the first vehicle and the second vehicle are controlled by the second vehicle in a unified manner, which can include the following.

Firstly, the second vehicle generates a synchronous control instruction according to the target vehicle operation when the second vehicle performs the target vehicle operation. The target vehicle operation may include one or more of the towing, braking, door opening, vehicle warning, and vehicle announcement performed by the second vehicle.

Secondly, the second vehicle transmits the synchronous control instruction to the first vehicle.

Then, the first vehicle receives the synchronous control instruction transmitted by the second vehicle, and controls the first vehicle to synchronously perform the target vehicle operation according to the synchronous control instruction.

In this way, the unified control of the first vehicle and the second vehicle in the train consist is realized.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, after the first vehicle and the second vehicle are used as the vehicles in the train consist, the first vehicle may be removed from the train consist if one or more of the following conditions are met.

Condition 1-1: A manual operation instruction is received. If the train consist is only performed in an automatic traveling state, the train consist removal is required after receiving the manual operation instruction. If the train consist can be manually performed, the train consist removal is not required.

Condition 1-2: The train consist removal instruction transmitted by the second vehicle is received. The train consist removal instruction is used for instructing the removal of the first vehicle from the train consist.

Condition 1-3: The train consist removal instruction transmitted by the train control device is received. Similarly, the train consist removal instruction is used for instructing the removal of the first vehicle from the train consist.

Condition 1-4: It is detected that vehicle-to-vehicle communication delay between the first vehicle and the second vehicle is greater than a second delay threshold. The second delay threshold may be the same or different from the first delay threshold. When the vehicle-to-vehicle communication delay is greater than the second delay threshold, the second inter-vehicle distance obtained is not accurate and can no longer be used to calibrate the first inter-vehicle distance due to the long communication time delay. Therefore, the train consist removal may be performed based on the safety consideration.

Condition 1-5: It is detected that the vehicle-to-vehicle communication connection between the first vehicle and the second vehicle is interrupted.

Condition 1-6: It is detected the difference between the first inter-vehicle distance and the second inter-vehicle distance is greater than a third distance threshold. The third distance threshold can be the same or different from the second distance threshold. When the difference between the first inter-vehicle distance and the second inter-vehicle distance is greater than the third distance threshold, it is determined that the first inter-vehicle distance or the second inter-vehicle distance is inaccurate. If the train consist operation continues, a safety hazard of the vehicle collision may occur. Therefore, the train consist removal may be performed based on the safety consideration.

Condition 1-7: It is failed to control the first vehicle to synchronously perform the target vehicle operation, after the synchronous control instruction transmitted by the second vehicle is received. It should be noted that the failure of the target vehicle operation indicates that the first vehicle fails to drive synchronously with the second vehicle due to, for example, the failure of the first vehicle. Therefore, the removal of the first vehicle from the train consist may be performed based on the safety consideration.

Condition 1-8: A retreat instruction transmitted by the second vehicle is received. It should be noted that during the train consist operation, the vehicle is not allowed to retreat in order to ensure the safety of vehicle operation.

When the second vehicle is a preceding vehicle of the first vehicle, the removal of the first vehicle from the train consist may include one or more of the following operations.

Removal operation 1-1: The train consist removal instruction is transmitted to the second vehicle, so that the second vehicle is removed from the train consist.

Removal operation 1-2: The train consist removal instruction is transmitted the train control device, so that the train control device transmits the train consist removal instruction to the second vehicle.

Removal operation 1-3: The first vehicle is controlled to brake when the first vehicle is in a traveling state, so that a distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle is greater than a preset safety distance. For example, the preset safety distance may be 10 meters or 20 meters. Moreover, the braking force applied to the first vehicle is greater than that applied to the second vehicle, to increase the distance between the two vehicles.

Removal operation 1-4: A stationary state of the first vehicle is maintained and the second vehicle is waited to move forward until a distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle is detected to be greater than the preset safety distance, and the first vehicle enters a normal operating state after the first vehicle is in a stationary state. That is, the traction force can be applied to the first vehicle.

In an embodiment, the first vehicle can also acquire the first position information of the first vehicle and transmit the first position information to the train control device after being removed from the train consist, so that the train control device can control the first vehicle.

It should be noted that in the relevant art, the first vehicle requires to be degraded after removed from the train consist The first position information of the first vehicle is initialized and the reliable position information can only be obtained after calibration. However, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the first vehicle is not degraded. It is determined that the first position information in this case is a trusted position and does not require recalibration of the position. In this way, the first vehicle can continue to operate normally after removed from the train consist, which improves the efficiency of vehicle operation.

Similarly, after the first vehicle and the second vehicle are used as the vehicles in the train consist, the second vehicle may also be removed from the train consist if one or more of the following conditions are met.

Condition 2-1: The vehicle retreat instruction is received. In the process of the train consist operation, due to an inertia of the vehicle, the collision between the first vehicle and the second vehicle may be caused once the vehicle moves backward. Therefore, in the process of the train consist operation, the vehicle retreat instruction is not performed. After receiving the vehicle retreat instruction, the train consist removal should be performed first, and then the retreat instruction should be performed.

Condition 2-2: A manual operation instruction is received.

Condition 2-3: A train consist removal instruction transmitted by the first vehicle is received.

Condition 2-4: The train consist removal instruction transmitted by the train control device is received.

Condition 2-5: It is detected that the vehicle-to-vehicle communication connection between the first vehicle and the second vehicle is interrupted.

The removal of the second vehicle from the train consist may include one or more of the following operations.

Removal operation 2-1: The train consist removal instruction is transmitted to the first vehicle.

Removal operation 2-2: The train consist removal instruction is transmitted to the train control device.

Removal operation 2-3: The second vehicle is controlled to drive forward, so that the distance between the second vehicle and the first vehicle is greater than the preset safety distance.

Similarly, the second vehicle can also acquire the second position information of the second vehicle and transmit the second position information to the train control device after removed from the train consist.

The train control device can also actively initiate the operation of removal from the train consist according to the instruction of the controller, and transmit the train consist removal instruction to the first vehicle and the second vehicle respectively. The first vehicle and the second vehicle can be respectively removed from the train consist after receiving the train consist removal instruction.

For brief description, the foregoing method embodiments are represented as a series of actions. However, it is to be appreciated by a person skilled in the art that the present disclosure is not limited to the described order of the actions, and some steps may be performed in other orders or simultaneously according to the present disclosure. For example, step S403 can be performed before or after step S404. S401 and S405 can be performed simultaneously. S406 and S407 can also be performed simultaneously. S408 and S409 can also be performed simultaneously.

In this way, if the above conditions are met during the operation of the train consist, the train consist removal may be performed and the independent operation of the first vehicle and the second vehicle can be resumed. Therefore, the safety and reliability of vehicle in the operation of train consist are ensured.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a train consist apparatus 500 according to an embodiment. Referring to FIG. 5, the train consist apparatus includes one or more processors 522 and a memory 532 configured to store a computer program executable by the processor 522. The computer program stored in the memory 532 may include one or more modules each corresponding to a set of instructions. In addition, the processor 522 may be configured to execute the computer program to perform the above train consist method.

In addition, the train consist apparatus may further include a power supply component 526 and a communication component 550. The power supply component 526 may be configured to perform power management on the train consist apparatus, and the communication component 550 may be configured to implement communication of the train consist apparatus, for example, wired or wireless communication. Furthermore, the train consist apparatus may further include an input/output (I/O) interface 558. The train consist apparatus may operate an operating system stored in the memory 532, for example, Windows Server, Mac OS X, Unix, Linux, Android, and the like.

In an embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program is further provided. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of the above train consist method are performed. For example, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may be the above memory 532 including the computer program. The computer program may be executed by the processor 522 of the train consist apparatus to complete the above train consist method.

In an embodiment, a computer program product is further provided. The computer program product includes a computer program executable by a programmable apparatus. The computer program has a code part, when executed by the programmable apparatus, for performing the above train consist method.

FIG. 6 shows a vehicle according to the present disclosure. The vehicle may include any of the train consist apparatuses.

Some implementations of the present disclosure are described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the details in the foregoing implementations. Simple variations may be made to the technical solutions of the present disclosure within the scope of the technical concept of the present disclosure, and these simple variations shall fall within the protection scope of the present disclosure.

It should be additionally noted that, the technical features described in the foregoing implementations may be combined in any manner without a conflict. To avoid repetition, various possible combinations are not further described in the present disclosure.

In addition, various different implementations of the present disclosure may also be combined without departing from the idea of the present disclosure, and the combinations shall still be regarded as the content disclosed in the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A method of consisting a train, the method comprising:

receiving, by a first vehicle, a train consist control instruction transmitted by a train control device, wherein the train consist control instruction is configured to instruct the first vehicle for consisting the train;

determining, by the first vehicle, a second vehicle configured to consisting the train according to the train consist control instruction;

detecting, by the first vehicle, a first inter-vehicle distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle;

receiving, by the first vehicle, a second inter-vehicle distance transmitted by the second vehicle, wherein the second inter-vehicle distance comprises a distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle detected by the second vehicle; and

in response to that a difference between the first inter-vehicle distance and the second inter-vehicle distance is less than or equal to a first distance threshold, controlling, by the first vehicle, the first vehicle to couple to the second vehicle to consist the train.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein controlling, by the first vehicle, the first vehicle to couple to the second vehicle to consist the train comprises:

controlling the first vehicle to travel to shorten the first inter-vehicle distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle; and

periodically detecting a distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle to obtained a plurality of first inter-vehicle distances, and in response to that each of the first inter-vehicle distances detected in N consecutive periods is less than or equal to a train-consisting distance, controlling the first vehicle and the second vehicle to consist the train, wherein N is an integer greater than two.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

periodically receiving a distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle detected by the second vehicle from the second vehicle to obtain a plurality of second inter-vehicle distances corresponding to the plurality of first inter-vehicle distances; and

in response to that a difference between one of the second inter-vehicle distances and a corresponding one of the first inter-vehicle distances is greater than a second distance threshold, stopping coupling the first vehicle with the second vehicle.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the controlling the first vehicle to travel to shorten the first inter-vehicle distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle comprises:

receiving a control instruction transmitted by the second vehicle, wherein the control instruction transmitted by the second vehicle comprises a traction force or a braking force of the second vehicle; and

controlling the first vehicle to travel according to the traction force or the braking force of the second vehicle, to shorten the first inter-vehicle distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein in response to that the second vehicle is a preceding vehicle of the first vehicle, the controlling the first vehicle to travel according to the traction force or the braking force of the second vehicle comprises:

increasing a traction force of the first vehicle in response to that the traction force of the second vehicle is greater than or equal to the traction force of the first vehicle; or

maintaining the traction force of the first vehicle in response to that the traction force of the second vehicle is less than the traction force of the first vehicle; or

reducing a braking force of the first vehicle in response to that the braking force of the second vehicle is less than or equal to the braking force of the first vehicle; or

maintaining or increasing the braking force of the first vehicle when the braking force of the second vehicle is greater than the braking force of the first vehicle.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein

the train consist control instruction comprises a first target vehicle identifier and a second target vehicle identifier for consisting the train; and

before the controlling the first vehicle to couple to the second vehicle to consist the train, the method further comprises: determining whether a first vehicle identifier of the first vehicle matches the first target vehicle identifier; determining a candidate vehicle according to the train consist control instruction; determining whether a vehicle identifier of the candidate vehicle matches the second target vehicle identifier; and in response to determining that the first vehicle identifier of the first vehicle matches the first target vehicle identifier and the vehicle identifier of the candidate vehicle matches the second target vehicle identifier, controlling the first vehicle to couple to the second vehicle to consist the train.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein after the determining the second vehicle for consisting the train according to the train consist control instruction, the method further comprises:

performing a system self-test to obtain a test result, and determining whether the first vehicle is in a safe operating state according to the test result; and

in response to determining that the first vehicle is in the safe operating state, controlling the first vehicle to couple to the second vehicle to consist the train.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein after the determining the second vehicle for consisting the train according to the train consist control instruction, the method further comprises:

detecting a vehicle-to-vehicle communication delay between the first vehicle and the second vehicle; and

in response to that the vehicle-to-vehicle communication delay is less than or equal to a first delay threshold, controlling the first vehicle to couple to the second vehicle to consist the train.

9. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

transmitting a train consisting completion instruction to the second vehicle; or

transmitting the train consist completion instruction to the train control device.

10. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

receiving, by the first vehicle, a synchronous control instruction from the second vehicle, wherein the synchronous control instruction comprises a target vehicle operation performed by the second vehicle; and

synchronously performing, by the first vehicle, the target vehicle operation according to the synchronous control instruction.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein after controlling the first vehicle to couple to the second vehicle to consist the train, the method further comprises:

removing the second vehicle from consisting the train, in response to one or more of the following conditions:

receiving a manual operation instruction;

receiving a train consist removal instruction transmitted by the second vehicle or by the train control device;

detecting that a vehicle-to-vehicle communication delay between the first vehicle and the second vehicle is greater than a second delay threshold;

detecting that a vehicle-to-vehicle communication connection between the first vehicle and the second vehicle is interrupted;

detecting that the difference between the first inter-vehicle distance and the second inter-vehicle distance is greater than a third distance threshold;

failing to perform the target vehicle operation after receiving the synchronous control instruction transmitted by the second vehicle; and

receiving a retreat instruction from the second vehicle.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein in response to that the second vehicle is a preceding vehicle of the first vehicle, the removing the second vehicle from consisting the train comprises one or more of:

in response to that the first vehicle is in a traveling state, controlling a distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle to be greater than a safety distance by braking the first vehicle;

maintaining a braking state of the first vehicle when the first vehicle is in a stationary state, and in response to detecting that the distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle is greater than the safety distance, controlling the first vehicle to enter a normal operating state;

transmitting the train consist removal instruction to the second vehicle, and removing the second vehicle from consisting the train; and

relaying the train consist removal instruction to the second vehicle via the train control device.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein after the removing the second vehicle from consisting the train, the method further comprises:

transmitting first position information of the first vehicle to the train control device.

14. A method of consisting a train, the method comprising:

receiving, by a second vehicle, a train consist control instruction transmitted by a train control device, wherein the train consist control instruction is configured to instruct the second vehicle to consist the train;

determining, by the second vehicle, a first vehicle configured to consist the train according to the train consist control instruction;

detecting, by the second vehicle, a second inter-vehicle distance between the second vehicle and the first vehicle; and

transmitting, by the second vehicle, the second inter-vehicle distance to the first vehicle, to enable the first vehicle to couple to the second vehicle to consist the train according to the second inter-vehicle distance.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein after receiving the train consist control instruction transmitted by the train control device, the method further comprises:

prohibiting the second vehicle from performing a retreat operation.

16. A system of consisting a train comprising a train control device, a first vehicle, and a second vehicle, wherein

the train control device transmits a train consist control instruction to the first vehicle and the second vehicle;

the train consist control instruction is configured to instruct the first vehicle and the second vehicle for consisting the train;

the first vehicle is configured to perform first operations comprising: receiving the train consist control instruction transmitted by the train control device; determining the second vehicle for consisting the train according to the train consist control instruction; detecting a first inter-vehicle distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle; receiving a second inter-vehicle distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle transmitted by the second vehicle; and in response to that a difference between the first inter-vehicle distance and the second inter-vehicle distance is less than or equal to a first distance threshold, controlling the first vehicle to couple to the second vehicle to consist the train; and

the second vehicle is configured to perform second operations comprising: receiving the train consist control instruction transmitted by the train control device; determining the first vehicle for consisting the train according to the train consist control instruction; detecting the second inter-vehicle distance between the second vehicle and the first vehicle; and transmitting the second inter-vehicle distance to the first vehicle, to enable the first vehicle to couple to the second vehicle to consist the train according to the second inter-vehicle distance.

17. The system according to claim 16, further comprising:

a collision buffer assembly, disposed at a joint of the first vehicle and the second vehicle, wherein the collision buffer assembly is configured to buffer an impact force of a collision between the first vehicle and the second vehicle.

18. The system according to claim 17, wherein the collision buffer assembly comprises a semi-permanent drawbar.

19. A vehicle, comprising the system according to claim 16.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, wherein when the computer program is executed by one or more processors, the computer program causes the one or more processors to implement the first operations and the second operations according to claim 16.