Aid device for driving rolling stock, in particular when carrying out shunting activities

DESCRIPTION

The present invention relates to an aid device for driving rolling stock, in particular in carrying out shunting activities .

In recent decades , the trans fer of railway vehicles that make up the train has benefited from important technological upgrades to drastically reduce the risk of accidents .

The European Community has recently introduced strict minimum technical standards , to technologically regulate access to station platforms , and to all non- independent platforms during shunting activities , also reducing the possibility of causing railway accidents .

However, up to now, no technological system has integrated and protected personnel authori zed to shunting activities during the various phases of railway handling, both inside stations and in ports or establishments connected to the national railway infrastructure .

The operator ' s work is exposed to the same risks as it was over 100 years ago , that is , since the birth of the railway system itsel f .

In these areas , everything is still left to the "management and care of the shunting staf f" , who , without particular technological aids , find themselves having to " autonomously" supervise the withdrawal or approach phases , amidst external interferences .

The dangerousness of these activities is unfortunately proven by the numerous accidents , sometimes even fatal , that occur every year during these operations .

The present invention therefore aims to provide an aid device for driving rolling stock, in particular in carrying out shunting activities and especially in reversing and/or approaching operations , thanks to which it is possible to drastically limit the risk of accidents and improve the safety of shunting personnel .

A further aim of the present invention consists in reali zing a device of this type which does not need to be stably integrated with the pre-existing on-board systems , but which can be at least partially separated from the rolling stock and the locomotive without compromising the functions of the pre-existing on-board systems , at relatively low cost .

A further aim of the present invention is to ensure a certain safety standard of the device thanks to diagnostic and safety protocols .

Yet another obj ect of the present invention provides a communication interface with users which is immediately understandable without the need to interpret data and/or communications .

Given the above , an obj ect of the present invention is also to provide an aid to the shunting personnel , in addition to those already present on the rolling stock, which i s not an autonomous safety system but only a support for the driving personnel during the course of the manoeuvres , requiring personnel training . A first embodiment of the aid device for driving rolling stock, in particular when carrying out shunting activities , comprises :

A first module called slave and intended to be positioned at the head of the railway train, or at the head side of a wagon or a locomotive not manned by an engine driver and provided at the opposite end of the train to the one to which the propulsion locomotive which is manned by the engine driver is coupled with : the said first module comprising : at least one camera ; at least one transmission and reception communication unit which operates according to a wireless and/or optionally also cabled transmission protocol ; a second module called master which is intended to be provided in the control cabin of the propulsion locomotive manned by the driver ; the said second module comprising : at least one visuali zation display; at least one transmission and reception communication unit operating according to a wireless and/or optionally also cabled transmission protocol and which is configured to communicate bi-directionally with the communication unit provided on said first module for the exchange of relative data and/or commands related signals ; at least one processing unit configured to process at least said data signals received from said slave module and for interpreting and generating, based on said data signals , images and/or alerts and/or messages that are displayed from said visuali zation display . According to an embodiment also said first slave module can comprise a processing unit in which one or more processing software are loaded or can be loaded and from which one or more processing software can be executed .

According to one embodiment , in combination with the camera the first module can further comprise at least one or a combination of distance measuring sensors which are oriented away from the end of the trainset to which the propelling locomotive is coupled, the measured distance signals being transmitted to said second unit and being processed by the processing unit of said slave module and/or of said master module or of both said modules to generate at least alphanumeric and/or graphic indications of these measured distances .

In yet another embodiment which can be provided in combination with one or more of the previous embodiments , the first slave module can also be provided with a visuali zation display .

One embodiment provides that the processing unit of said first module called slave module and/or of said second module called master module or the processing units of both said modules are configured to process the signals transmitted by the camera and/or by said distance sensors of said first slave module so as to generate automatic control signals of the braking and/or stopping devices at least of the locomotive and/or of the wagons of the train, said processing unit having a communication interface with the processor control system of the propulsion locomotive .

In one embodiment , the invention provides for a combination of the aid device according to one or more of the previous embodiments with a locomotive provided with a traction cut-of f and emergency braking control system, in particular a system called on-board subsystem, as the processing unit o f said second master module is connected with a dedicated interface to said traction cut-of f and emergency braking command, preferably by means of a cable connection .

The term "processing unit configured for" in the present description and in the claims is referred to a processing unit in which a software is loaded or can be loaded, the instructions for the execution of the speci fic functions being encoded in said software , among which those indicated above and possible further functions described below, said instructions make the processing unit capable of performing the aforementioned functions when it runs said software .

In one embodiment , said first module called slave and/or said second module called master are provided with a processing unit , such as a PC or the like which runs one or more software for processing the image data of one or more video cameras and the measurement signals from the sensor or sensors provided and in combination with a control unit , such as a PLC or the like , into which the management programs of the operating units of the corresponding module are loaded and which executes said programs , including for example the control and management programs for one or more communication management units .

In one embodiment , at least the second master module comprises a sel f-control system for veri fying the regularity of the signals received from said first slave module .

In an optional embodiment , when signals relating to data, information and/or commands are transmitted from said second master module to said first slave module , also the slave module can comprise a sel fcontrol system for veri fying the regularity of the signals received from said second master module .

In both embodiments said sel f-control system consists of a sel f-control software which is loaded or loadable in the corresponding processing unit , or in the corresponding control unit and can be executed by the same and which includes the instructions for carrying out received signals checking procedures .

According to an embodiment which can be provided in any combination or sub-combination with one or more of the previous embodiments , at least the second module called master and/or optionally also the first module called slave is provided with a further radio communication unit , said radio communication unit being equipped with a dedicated antenna .

In a preferred embodiment , the transmission of video streaming data from the first slave module camera ( s ) to the display of the second master module is carried out via a GSM communication system between said first slave module and said second master module , while the transmission of the data acquired by means of the sensors and/or processed completely or partially by the processor of the first slave module is carried out via a radio communication system between said first slave module and said second master module , said radio communication system is independent from the GSM communication system with which the images acquired by the video cameras are transmitted from the first slave module to the second master module , for example by means of video streaming protocols . In particular, the radio communication system can be of the UHF type .

Furthermore , i f the bandwidth of the signal of the GSM communication system is limited, it is possible to provide a so-called multi-S IM GSM communication system, i . e . in which several S IMs are provided operating in synchrony with each other, each of which defines a communication channel on which the video streaming signal is split .

As is evident from the foregoing and as will also appear from the following description of some embodiments , the driving aid device according to the present invention can be provided with various alternative configurations .

In a first configuration, the first module called slave has a unit for control ling the operating functions of the units of which it is made up in combination with a processing unit for the signals coming from two or more video cameras which generates the video stream . The signals provided by one or more sensors for measuring the distance of obstacles in the field of view of said sensors , such as for example a radar system or a Lidar system, or the like , can be transmitted via RF signal by the independent and separate radio system in unprocessed raw format . In this case the processing of the video signals and/or the processing of the measurement signals of the distance sensors is performed by the processing unit provided in the second master module which is suitably configured to perform said processing, by means of a software in which the corresponding instructions are encoded and which is run by said processing unit . In a possible alternative , the processing of the video signals and/or the image data and/or the processing of the measurement signals of the sensors is performed, at least some of the processing steps for the obstacle recognition and/or for the calculation of the distance of the one or more detected obstacles , by the processing unit of the first slave module which is configured for the execution o f the said steps by means of a software in which the corresponding instructions are encoded and which is executed by the said processing unit , while the further processing steps are performed by the processing unit of the second master module which is configured for the execution of said further processing steps by means of a software in which the corresponding instructions are encoded and which is run by said processing unit .

In a third possible alternative the processing for obstacle recognition and/or for calculating the distance of the one or more detected obstacles is performed directly and only or mainly in the first slave module since the processing unit of said first slave module is configured for the execution of essentially all the processing steps thanks to a software in which the corresponding instructions are encoded and which is carried out by said processing unit and therefore the data resulting from said processing or command signals or warnings are transmitted with the radio communication system according to said data resulting from said processing .

According to a further possible embodiment , the processing units of the first slave module and of the second master module can be configured to operate as a so-called hot reserve and/or cold reserve which is activated when a mal functioning of one processing unit is detected for example by a diagnostic unit present on board the first slave module and/or the second master module .

The above can also be applied to the control units of said first and/or said second module .

A further feature which can be provided in combination with one or more of the previous features , is that at least one of said first and second modules or both of said modules are provided with a user communication interface through which the user can enter data and/or commands or can select settings .

Said interface can be constituted for example by one or more buttons provided on a keypad and/or also by one or more virtual buttons provided on a touch display associated with the corresponding module .

In one embodiment , the first module called slave comprises at least one video camera with night vision functionality, for example an IR video camera and/or other types of video cameras , at least one obstacle distance measurement system such as for example a radar system or the like , at least one control unit , such as for example a PLC, in which a control and management program for the operating units that make up said first module is loaded according to one or more of the previous variants and/or combinations and at least one processing unit which optionally runs a signal processing software of said at least one obstacle distance measurement system, such as a Radar system, or the like , and/or of the image data of the one or more cameras according to one or more of the alternative variants described above at least one GSM modem equipped with at least one S IM or a multi-S IM GSM communication system, for the transmission of the video streaming signals of the one or more cameras , at least one corresponding antenna of the GSM communication system and at least one radio communication system for the independent and parallel transmission of the raw signals of said obstacle distance measurement system, such as the said Radar system, or the like , and/or of the signals relating to the distances calculated from the processing of said signals of said one or more di stances measurement systems , such as the Radar system, or the like and/or data relating to the position, the shape of obstacles recogni zed by processing the image data of said one or more cameras .

According to one embodiment , the device provides two video cameras which can be identical to each other or di f ferent in terms of detected frequency range and/or aperture and which can al so be arranged at a certain distance from each other to allow a type of binocular vision or similar .

Optionally, said first module called slave can further provide , in any combination or sub-combination with the previous characteristics , a communication interface of the visual and/or luminous type .

Still according to a characteristic, said first module called slave can comprise a battery, such as a rechargeable battery and/or act ivation/deactivation and/or stand-by switches .

According to a further feature which can be provided in combination with any one or more of the embodiments or embodiments described, the first slave module can be provided with set-up sensors or set-up variation sensors which detect movements of said first module relative to the position of original fixing or to a correct pre-established fixing position to the train .

These sensors can be of any type and a combination of several di f ferent types of sensors can also be provided .

The variations in set-up can be detected for example thanks to accelerometers and/or load cells and/or position sensors with respect to pre-established references .

Load cells can detect a modi fied position at the end of variation movements which are detected for example by accelerometers .

Alternatively or in combination, said first slave module can be fixed on a bracket which is fixed in a stationary manner on a train, said bracket being provided with reference stationary notches or indicators and being the module provided with readers of said notches and/or references or alignment readers with said notches or said references , which allow to measure the relative position of the module from the stationary bracket .

Furthermore , it is also possible to detect the set-up variations thanks to an image processing of the one or more cameras acquired in subsequent times steps and thanks to stationary references present in the said images , whereby the position variations can be identi fied by the angle of view and from the perspective that these references have in the images .

The set-up detectors signals processing, such as those according to one or more of the aforementioned variants , can be performed by the processing unit present in the first slave module and/or by the one present in the second master module and the set-up data, i . e . the set-up variations , can be used as correction factors of the settings of the software for processing the image data and/or of distance measurement systems signals to compensate errors in determining the distances of the obstacles due to di f ferent set-ups , i . e . positions of the first slave module , i . e . of the one or more cameras and/or of the one or more distance measurement systems .

According to yet another characteristic, in combination with the set-up detectors according to one or more of the variants described above , it is possible to provide one or more displacement actuators of the first slave module for correcting and/or restoring the original set-up . These actuators can be motori zed and are controlled, according to the set-up measurement signals , by command signals of the processing unit which are directly input to said one or more actuators and/or which are input to a control unit and management of the operating units of said first module which then activates the command drivers of said one or more actuators .

In a particular embodiment which can be provided in combination with one or more of the previous embodiments , the second module called master comprises at least one control and management unit of the operating units provided according to one or more of the previous embodiments of said second module called master, such as for example a PLC, which loads and runs a control and management software for said operating units , a processing unit optionally for video streaming signals and/or optionally for raw signals and/or partially processed in the first slave module and/or optionally signals from obstacle distance measurement systems , such as a radar system, or the like , said processing unit is configured thanks to a corresponding software to execute all or at least part of the processing steps , at least one GSM system comprising a GSM modem equipped with a S IM or a GSM system of the multi-S IM type , for receiving video streaming signals from the one or more cameras with at least one antenna for receiving GSM signals , at least one further antenna and at least one corresponding radio communication system for the independent and parallel transmission of the raw and/or at least partially or totally processed signals from the one or more obstacle distance measurement systems , such as the radar system or the like , at least one monitor for displaying the data processed by the Radar, warnings or messages , distance configuration and video streaming, at least one interface of the processing unit for communication with the traction cut-of f and emergency brake command and at least one connection cable of said interfaces with an input of said traction cut-of f command and emergency brake .

According to yet another embodiment , said second module called master and/or optionally also said first module called slave are provided in combination with loaded or loadable software which is executed or executable by the corresponding processing unit , said software comprises the instructions for the setting of operating parameters of the one or more cameras and/or of the one or more obstacles distance measuring systems , such as radar systems , or similar and/or of the one or more signals for measuring the set-up variations of the first slave module and/or of the processing parameters and interpretation of the signals resulting from the processing to be displayed and for the generation of messages and/or warnings .

In an embodiment , these setting operations can be performed after entering an identi f ication/enabling code through the user interface , said code is previously stored in the processing unit , or in a memory of the same , in a database of codes of identi fication/ authori zation .

In one embodiment , these operations can be performed from the monitor of the driving cabin in which the driver of the propulsion locomotive is present and through the touch screen interface it is possible to set the aforementioned setting parameters .

According to an embodiment that can be provided in one or more of the previous embodiments , a setting parameter consists of distance intervals compared with the distances detected by the distance measurement systems , for example by the aforementioned Radar system, or the like , said intervals are associated with a speci fic visual acoustic alert and/or the emission by the processing unit of the second master module of the traction cut-of f and emergency braking command, said distance measures being taken by the measurement systems of the distance , or by the distance sensors , or by the aforementioned Radar system, compared with the said intervals and the alert and/or the traction cut-of f and emergency braking command being issued and/or displayed when the result of the comparison indicates that the measured distance falls within the corresponding range of distances .

According to an embodiment of said settings and of the warning and/or alert generation software , said software comprises the instructions for emitting the following luminous indications:

• blue if the obstacles are located at a certain initial distance (zone 1) ;

• yellow if they are located at a second determined distance smaller than said first distance ( zone 2 ) ;

• red if they are at a third determined distance less than said second determined distance (zone 3) .

Optionally, the following acoustic indications can be associated with the luminous and/or visual indications :

• the blue color corresponds to an impulsive acoustic signal lasting 0.5sec;

• the yellow color corresponds to an acoustic signal emitted in 3 Hz pulses;

• the red color corresponds to a continuous acoustic signal.

According to an optional embodiment, when the detected distance corresponds to that of the red color alert or when the detected distance falls within said zone 3 or corresponds to said third determined distance in combination with the luminous and/or acoustic alert, the command to cut-off traction and emergency braking is generated and issued.

In one embodiment, the system can provide a standby command which inhibits the generation of the traction cut-off and emergency braking command for the execution of the approach manoeuvre.

In one embodiment, this function can be obtained by disabling the systems, i.e. the distance measurement sensors, i.e. for example the aforementioned Radar system. In one embodiment , it is possible to provide , in combination with said second master module , a control device for cutting-of f traction and/or braking which consists of a wearable control device worn by the driver and which includes a communication system with said second master module . In this case , the communication system can function using wireless protocols such as , for example , a Wi-Fi or Bluetooth® or Near Field communication (NFC ) or similar communication protocol or via radio .

In this case , the operator no longer has to manually manoeuvre the manual valve of the brake system exhaust pipe .

As already indicated above , the obstacles distances measuring systems or sensors can use many known technologies , such as for example Radar technology, Lidar technology, Sonar technology, or similar .

Furthermore , it is possible to provide a redundant system, not only for the processing units of the modules , as described above and in which the processing units of the first module and of the second module can operate as hot reserve or cold reserve depending on the desired levels of security, but also for cameras and/or distance measurement systems or sensors .

Using a redundant system it i s possible to integrate in the first module and/or in the second module and/or in both of said modules a system for veri fying the correctness of the data relating to the distances obtained from the processing of the signals of the said systems and/or of the said sensors of measurement and/or correctness of the data relating to the results of the image processing for the recognition of the obstacles and/or their position in the field of view of the one or more cameras and/or in relation to said first module .

In this case , the processing signals relating to the distances obtained from the various distance measurement systems provided and the processing signals relating to the results of the image processing of the cameras for the recognition and/or position of obstacles is supplied to a voter unit which determines whether there is conformity or compatibility among said data . In case of compatibility, the voter allows the use of said signals to control the functions of the driving aid device .

In one embodiment , the processing software can optionally comprise a subsystem for recogni zing obj ects represented in said image and for identi fying their position in the general image acquired by the one or more cameras .

Image processing software for recogni zing obj ects in said images are known and widely used in various technical fields .

According to an embodiment , the image processing software for recogni zing obj ects in said images allows to discriminate between them and/or to classi fy some di f ferent types of obj ects which can be selected from the following list , alternatively or in combination with each other and among which : one or multiple humans and/or animals , vehicles , such as cars , trucks and buses , motorcycles , railway wagons , drums and/or other types of containers in the field of view of the cameras and their position relatively to other obj ects depicted in the image , one or more vehicles of any type or kind identi fying their position and dimensions , trains , wagons of any si ze , positions of the switch rails of the switch to identi fy the correct positioning of the rails or the correct routing, stop wedges and/or similar obj ects positioned on the tracks on which the train moves .

An embodiment envisages using a machine learning algorithm to identi fy obstacles in the images of the cameras , said machine learning algorithm, for example a neural network can operate as a classi fier being trained based on a training database suitably configured for the recognition of pre-established types of obstacles .

In this case , the training of the algorithm is carried out based on a database that encodes a certain number of di f ferent types of obstacles .

Still according to a possible feature , a particular type of obj ect for which the algorithm can be trained to recogni ze concerns the recognition of the position of the switch rails of a switch whose image is present in the field of view of the one or more cameras .

In this case , for example , the training database of the machine learning algorithm, such as for example the aforementioned neural network can comprise data records which include image pixels relating to one or more images of switches with a pre-established position of the switch rails and parametric variables relating to the type of position, for example " left" and "right" as well as parameters that define the value of the variable " left" or "right" as "true" or " false" .

The pixels of the image can be coded using numerical parameters which de fine their color, intensity and saturation with re ference to a pixel aspect coding system, for example a system known as RGB or other similar characteri zation systems .

Furthermore , in order to take contrasts into account , a pixel of an image can further be encoded by corresponding boundary pixel parameters , for example in a 3x3 matrix of pixels centred on a target pixel of the image .

With reference to the people and/or vehicles , the recognition software further visually signals their condition of danger of interference with the route of the train on which said slave module is positioned .

This can be carried out by coupling the distance measurements with the obj ect identi fication in the processed image .

In a preferred embodiment , the image of the person ( s ) and/or the vehicle ( s ) is associated with graphic and/or luminous and/or colored indications according to the danger condition determined by the position of the said person ( s ) and/or or of the vehicle ( s ) in relation to the train route to which the slave module is associated .

In particular, a preferred embodiment provides that the image is divided into ris k areas according to the distance from the track on which the train moves , also highlighting the virtual physical limits of said areas on the image .

Similarly to what is provided in relation to the distance ranges of obstacles , when the relative position between the above obj ects and the train path is in a dangerous condition, in addition to the light or visual signal , it is possible to combine an acoustic indication and/or even send automatic traction cut-of f and/or emergency braking to the on-board subsystem of the train .

Similar signals can also be generated in combination with the recognition of the presence of other types of obj ects automatically recogni zed by the device .

In the event , for example , of the presence of a train stop wedge and/or of the correct routing position of a switch, it is also possible to apply the distance range conditions described in the embodiment above and therefore proceed to activate alarms of di f ferent types and/or automatically cut-of f traction and/or emergency braking in case of an approach beyond a certain minimum distance , blocking the train until the emergency condition has been removed .

As in the case of the distances of obstacles present in the train path, it is possible to design many variations regarding the type of visual , acoustic, luminous signals and/or also regarding any emergency actions which are carried out automatically when certain conditions occur, such as the automatic activation of the traction cut-off and the emergency braking described above .

A further characteristic of the device according to the present invention which can also be provided in combination with one or more of the previous characteristics is that said first module and/or said second module are of portable and are provided with a housing body, said body is provided with one or more members for removable fastening and/or support to the wagon and/or to the rear locomotive of the convoy and/or to one or more structures of the control cabin of the propulsion locomotive . These members can be configured in di f ferent ways and their configuration depends on the choices made by the person skilled in the art and on the speci fic configuration of the wagons and/or locomotives to which said modules are temporarily fixed .

In one embodiment , at least said first slave module comprises a case configured in the form of a backpack and/or is provided in combination with a transport unit in the form of a backpack, respectively being provided a pair of shoulder straps fixed to the rear side of the case of the said module or a bag for containing said first module being provided with at least one pair of shoulder straps .

In both cases it is also possible to provide handles or the like .

From the foregoing, the characteristics of the present invention and the advantages that it provides are clear .

These and other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become clearer from the following description of some embodiments illustrated in the attached drawings in which :

Fig . 1 schematically illustrates an example of a train to which an aid device according to an embodiment of the present invention is associated .

Figure 2 shows a block diagram of an embodiment of the system according to the present invention .

Figure 3 shows the second module called Master positioned in the train propulsion locomotive cockpit .

Figure 4 shows an embodiment of the first module called slave and associated with the last wagon or with a locomotive not manned by drivers at the end of the train opposite to the propulsion locomotive and which is manned by drivers .

Figures 5 , 6 and 7 show an executive example of a display screen of the unit called master according to figure 3 , in the conditions of signalling the distance from an obstacle detected by the device called slave , according to figure 4 , and in which said distance indications are followed by a numerical indication of said distance and by a luminous warning using di f ferent colors for di f ferent distance ranges .

Figure 8 shows a schematic example of a further additional function of a further improved embodiment of the device according to the present invention .

Figure 9 shows an example of an image shown on the display of the second master module .

Figure 10 shows a block diagram of variant of an embodiment according to the present invention .

Figure 11 shows a further embodiment of the first slave module of the present invention .

With reference to the figures , Figure 1 schematically shows an example of a train to which an aid device according to an embodiment of the present invention is associated .

A railway convoy, or a train, comprises a plurality of cars or wagons 1 j ointed together according to known coupling techniques and j ointed to at least one end comprising a locomotive 2 which carries out the propul sive action o f pulling or pushing said wagons .

When the locomotive 2 which is manned by operating personnel has to perform shunting operations or other actions which require moving the train in the opposite direction to the end to which locomotive 2 is connected, i . e . moving the train in reverse , the operating personnel command or the drivers do not have a direct rear view, i . e . they do not have a direct view of the position of the end of the lead car or wagon 1 which is provided at the opposite end to the one to which the locomotive 2 is coupled and whose front end faces in the direction of movement of the convoy as indicated by the arrow M .

Operations for moving railway convoys or even single wagons are frequent in particular for j ointing cars or wagons to other cars or wagons , in the formation of convoys or for the trans fer of said wagons or convoys on parking sidings .

Furthermore , during the formation operations of a convoy, on the car or wagon that forms the front wagon relatively to the direction of movement M there is often shunting personnel who is intended, for example , to connect the coupling means of the individual wagons to each other .

The driving aid system according to the present invention comprises a so-called slave module and indicated with reference number 3 in Figure 1 which comprises at least one video camera 301 and alternatively, or in combination with said video camera, at least an obstacles distance detection system placed along the movement path of the train itsel f which in figure 1 is referred to as 302 .

Said module called slave and indicated with 3 , communicates preferably by means of a wireless communication system with a second module called "master" and indicated with 4 which is provided in the control cabin of the propulsion locomotive 2 at the opposite end of said convoy or train . According to one embodiment , it is possible to provide two types of wireless communication systems between the two modules 3 and 4 which operate according to two di f ferent communication protocols and speci fically suitable for the transmission, on the one hand, of the video signals obtained from the camera 301 and, on the other hand, for the transmission through a suitable protocol of the signals detected by the detection system for the distance of obstacles on the path of the convoy itsel f .

In one embodiment and as will be described in more detail below with reference to a speci fic embodiment , the images acquired by means of the video camera 301 are trans ferred, by video streaming technologies , to the master module 4 by means of a transmission protocol of the GSM type .

In one embodiment , the signals produced by the system for detecting the presence and/or distance of obstacles are transmitted via radio .

Said signals can be transmitted by the detection system 302 in raw form, i . e . in the form of RF signals directly supplied to the outputs of the detection system or, in an embodiment , the slave module 3 can comprise a processing unit which carries out entirely or at least a part of the process of trans forming said raw signals into distance signals which are then radiotransmitted to the master module 4 in an entirely or partially processed state of the trans formation into distance indications .

The master module comprises at least a display 401 and at least one unit for inputting data and commands by the user 402 , as well as a communication unit which is configured to operate according to the aforementioned two transmission/reception modes of the slave module 3 communication unit .

The two types of systems and communication protocols are represented in figure 1 by the two antennas 303 , 304 and 403 , 404 respectively for the respective slave 3 and master 4 modules .

Similarly to the slave module 3 , the master module 4 also comprise a processing unit which completes the processing of the signals relating to the obstacle detection system and their distance when these have been at least partially processed by the processing unit present in the slave module 3 , or which carries out the complete processing of the raw signals of the obstacle detection system and their distance when these signals are transmitted directly without any processing from the slave module 3 to the master module 4 .

Furthermore , as will be described in greater detail below, at least the master module 4 can have visual and light indicators and/or acoustic indicators and/or message displays which generate di f ferent types of acoustic signals and/or di f ferent types of visual signals and/or lights and/or di f ferent types of warning messages , on the basis or as a function of the output of the detection of obstacles and/or the determination of their distance .

Still , according to a further characteristic, the master module 4 and/or the slave module 3 can have a communication interface with the train control system referred to as 5 and in particular with the automatic braking and/or traction cut-of f subsystem . In figure 1 , the possibility that the slave module can also optionally interface with the train control system 5 is highlighted by means of the dotted lines in figure 1 .

Regarding said video camera 301 , it is possible that two di f ferent video cameras are coupled to the slave module , said cameras di f fering for the frequency range , such as for example one operating in the visual frequency range and the other operating in the infrared frequency range to allow also a night vision .

Furthermore , the two video cameras can also be used for checking the distance measurements provided by the detection system 302 , for example using telemetry .

As regards the detection system for the presence of obstacles and their distance , a preferred embodiment uses a RADAR system .

The slave module and/or also the master module 4 can be provided with their own dedicated power supply such as , for example , a rechargeable battery power supply or the like .

Still according to a possible embodiment which can be provided in any combination with the characteristics and embodiments described, the video transceiver system consists of two units : the first connected to the mobile IR video camera integrated in the Slave module 3 , while the second is connected to the Master module hardware . The transceiver system allows the transmission, via GSM system, of the data detected by the mobile video camera, to the master module 4 in which they are displayed .

Still according to a feature which is not speci fically represented in the schematic figure 1 , both the slave module 3 and the master module 4 , but at least the slave module 3 are provided with removable fastening members , in particular mechanical ones , to elements of the car or wagon 1 at the head of the train at the opposite end from the one of the propelling locomotives 2 .

These can be made in di f ferent ways and are preferably shaped to cooperate synergistically with shape and si ze standardi zed elements in the rolling stock, for example the systems for coupling the wagons and locomotives together .

A speci fic embodiment of the present invention which constitutes a preferred but non-limiting solution of a system reali zed according to what is described above is described in the following .

Slave module 3 , according to this example , consists of : o 301 IP camera able to operate in dark conditions ; o Radar 302 Brigade VS 9000 with a range of 30m in depth and 10m in width and which can detect up to a certain pre-established number of obstacles simultaneously; o PLC for Radar data processing and system management ; o GSM modem equipped with S IM for the transmission of Radar data and video streaming; o Indicator lights 305 placed on the front panel of the Slave module , for signalling the status of the system; o switches : ON/OFF and/or HOLD 306 o Power battery which guarantees at least 1 work shi ft lasting 9 hours of functioning in standard conditions . o Fixing support to allow hooking to the train .

Such a form is shown in figure 3 .

Regarding the master module 4 , the example includes the following configuration : o PLC for processing the data transmitted by the Slave module 3 and system management ; o GSM modem equipped with S IM for receiving Radar data and video streaming; o two antennas : one for receiving the GSM signal and the other for radio data management ; o Monitor for displaying data processed by the Radar, Alerts , for the configuration of distances and Video Streaming . As will be described in greater detail from the following description, it is possible to set the distance ranges to which each single alert corresponds from the car monitor . The monitor works with a touch-screen system from which it is possible to access both the video camera and the various functions for setting distances and radar alerts . o Wired connection of traction cut-of f command and emergency braking . o Management software that allows data processing, personali zation and alert management ;

Module 4 and/or optionally also or alternatively module 3 is integrated into the on-board subsystem existing on the locomotive , through a connection to the traction cut-of f and emergency braking, by means of physical PLC outputs . Figure 2 shows a high level block diagram of an embodiment of the device according to the present invention and shows the functional relationships of the connections between the modules 3 and 4 and the operating units associated with said modules .

In the example of figure 2 , the slave module 3 comprises a processing unit indicated with 310 for processing the signals of the video cameras , for example for generating the video streaming files , and a processing system 311 which analyses the data of detection of the radar system 303 and to determine the distance of the detected obstacles . These can also be more than one as already highlighted above in the speci fic example which provides for a radar system capable of identi fying a predetermined number of di f ferent obstacles at the same time .

Figure 2 speci fically shows a central processor 410 of the master module 4 in which distance thresholds or ranges and the warning functions can be defined and set and possibly together with the automatic functions the master module 4 can perform when the detected distance ( s ) fall within a speci fic range of distances .

One of these functions activates an output of said processing unit which is connected to the train control system, in particular to the automatic braking and/or traction cut-of f system . This output supplies an automatic command signal 412 to the traction cut-of f and/or automatic braking system 413 when the detected distance is below a predefined minimum distance threshold .

The processing units of modules 3 and 4 execute control and management programs in which the instructions which make said modules 3 and 4 capable of performing speci fic functions are encoded .

According to one embodiment , said programs comprise the instructions for carrying out functional analyses of the components of said modules 3 and 4 and for identi fication and signalling failure or mal function conditions through an acoustic and/or visual/ luminous signals and/or by messages .

According to a further characteristic, said programs comprise the instructions for processing the data received from the obstacle detection and distance determination system, i . e . from the radar .

Still according to a characteristic, said programs include the instructions for interfacing with the other systems of the locomotive to implement the traction cut-of f and/or the emergency braking .

According to a further feature , said programs include the instructions for managing the man-machine interfaces suitable for activating or inhibiting the system, such as buttons or switches or other commands for turning on and of f one or both slave and master modules and/or put them on standby .

In one embodiment , the radar is disabled by placing one or both modules in Stand-by, in order to carry out an approach manoeuvre , which, as is known, requires bringing two cars or wagons against each other in a condition in which the buf fers have suf ficiently retracted to couple the two cars or wagons together .

Still according to a characteristic, said programs comprise the instructions for allowing the setting of the distance or ranges of distances from any obstacles and the corresponding signals . These signals and the corresponding distance ranges are preferably freely adj ustable within the overall reading range or sensitivity of the radar .

Figures 5 to 7 show an embodiment of the setting of said distance fields and of the relative signals which, speci fically, are of the luminous type and also of the alphanumeric type , i . e . in the form of an indication of the actual distance data .

Figure 5 shows the blue luminous s ignal indicated with 500 , on two vertical lateral bands of the display 403 , which corresponds to a distance range between 30mt to 15mt .

Figure 6 shows the yellow light s ignal 600 which corresponds to a di stance range of at least one obstacle between 15m and 10m .

Figure 7 shows the red light signal 700 which corresponds to measured distance values of less than 10m .

When the detected distance is in the range of distances lower than l Omt , the red light signal 700 can be accompanied by a parallel acoustic warning .

Preferably always when the detected distance is lower than l Omt , the light and acoustic signal can be simultaneous with an automatic activation of the traction cut-of f and emergency braking system which, as described above , is controlled by the processing unit of the master module 4 by connecting one of its outputs to the vehicle control logic of the locomotive .

Figures 5 to 7 show, in addition to the luminous colored signals 500 , 600 , 700 , also a numerical signal of the distance actually measured in the lower bar indicated with 501 , 601 and 701 . Figure 8 shows a schematic view of an embodiment, in which in combination and/or alternatively to the aforementioned functions, the device also performs a processing of the images acquired by the video camera (s) also thanks to a software run by the processing units of the slave module 3 and/or of the master module 4 alternatively or in combination with each other, the instructions for executing one or a combination of algorithms for recognizing objects in the images being encoded in said software.

Such algorithms are known. A general description of this type of algorithm is publicly accessible at the following web address

The illustrated example is constructed in a simplified way to clarify the general principle of using data relating to the type and/or position, in the field of view of the camera(s) , of the objects recognized by the computer vision algorithm.

The example is aimed at recognizing a person 800 in the frame of the camera (s) . The track 810 represented in the image defines a first image area which, in the example, is related to the highest level of accident danger.

Laterally to the track 810, i.e. to each of the rails, a further virtual lateral delimitation is provided which defines a lateral band of a certain width which is on the side of each track and is indicated by the virtual boundary line 820. The band between the track and the said boundary line 820 is a medium danger and/or attention zone. The part of the image beyond the two virtual boundary lines is a safety zone in which recognized people can park and/or move without running risks.

Depending on the position of the recognized person 800 object relatively to the rails of the track 810 and the virtual boundary lines 820, the device can be set to provide signals indicative of the danger condition .

In the figure these signals are graphic and visual and are schematized by a frame respectively indicated with 830, 840 and 850 which encloses the image of the person recognized by the processing using the image recognition algorithm. Depending on the level of danger associated with the detected position of the person 800 with respect to the track 810, the visual signal 830, 840 or 850 is output and the different visual and/or luminous aspect is expressed in the figure through different line shapes for said frame 830, 840, 850.

In one embodiment, in addition to the visual/luminous signal, it is also possible to generate and emit acoustic signals and/or also generating commands for the activation of automatic functions, such as for example as described for the distance of obstacles, a traction cut-off and/or emergency braking activation command transmitted to the on-board subsystem.

Depending on the type of object recognition algorithm it is possible that different types of objects are recognized in addition to the people shown in the example of figure 8, such as one or more of the objects included in the following non-exhaustive list: • one or more animals present in the field of view of the cameras and their position relatively to other obj ects represented in the image ,

• one or more vehicles of any type or kind, identi fying their position and si ze ,

• trains , wagons of any si ze ,

• the position of the switch rails to identi fy their correct positioning or the correct routing,

• one or more carriage stop wedges positioned on one or both rails , tracks on which the train moves and/or similar obj ects .

In analogy to the embodiment described for indicating the distances from an obstacle , the visual indication can be achieved by coloring the obj ect present in the image with di f ferent colors , each associated with a pre-defined condition of danger .

Still according to an executive variant and again similarly to what was described above for the management of distances from obstacles , when the position of the obj ect in the image coincides with a position of maximum danger, in addition to the visual and acoustic signals , the software provides instructions for making the processing unit capable of generating a command to cut-of f traction and/or emergency braking which is transmitted to the on-board subsystem of the locomotive .

Figure 9 shows an example of the video image transmitted via streaming from the first slave module to the second master module and shown on the display of the same . The frame 850 which frames the person 800 recogni zed as an obstacle is superimposed on the image acquired by the cameras . Also illustrated are virtual lateral boundary lines 820 for two di f ferent track distances and a distance boundary line 860 .

Figure 9 represents a true image that reproduces , as in reality, an image similar to the one schemati zed in figure 8 .

The block diagram of figure 10 shows an example of an executive variant already described above , in which the processing of the images acquired by two video cameras 301 is performed by a processing unit provided only in said first slave module 3 . Operating units already present in the example of figure 2 are indicated in figure 10 with identical reference numbers . The control of the processing unit 310 , o f the video cameras 301 of the GSM communication system indicated by the Sim module 303 and of the radio communication system indicated by the RTX UHF modem 304 is entrusted in this example to a control and management unit 320 of the operating units of said first slave module 3 , indicated for example as a PLC .

The processing of the video signals both for the generation of the video stream and for the generation of data relating to obstacle recognition in the camera image and/or distance determination, in this case by means of triangulation, is exclus ively carried out in the first slave module 3 by the processing unit 310 , while the signals transmitted to the second master module 4 are displayed on a man-machine interface indicated with 401 , 402 , for example a display or the like or also other display devices . In the second master module 4 there is a unit for the control and management of its operating units , in particular of the GSM and radio frequency communication systems respectively indicated with 403 and 404 which control and management unit is indicated as PLC 420 .

Figure 11 shows yet another embodiment variant , the characteristics of which can be combined with the embodiment variants of Figures 2 and 10 and also with the other possible variants previously described above .

Also in figure 11 operating units having identical functions or which are identical to those of the examples of figures 2 and 10 are indicated with the same reference numerals as these figures .

Furthermore , although the features of this embodiment are shown in combination with each other, they can also be provided separately and also combined separately and alternatively or together with one or more of the embodiments described above when not in contradiction therewith .

Figure 11 shows an improved configuration of the first slave module 3 .

In this configuration the slave module comprises both one or more , in particular two , video cameras 301 , and at least one , preferably two or more , obstacle distance measurement systems indicated by 302 and which can be selected from among the groups comprising RADAR sensors , and/or or LIDAR and/or SONAR, or the like , or combination thereof .

Analogously to the example of Figure 2 , two processing units 310 and 311 are provided, each dedicated to processing the image data of the cameras , respectively, for carrying out the procedures for recogni zing predefined obstacles in the field of view of the cameras and for determining the distances o f obstacles from the data of the distance measuring sensors 302 .

In particular, the image data processing unit 310 of the cameras can also determine distance measurements , for example by using triangulation .

The outputs of the data independently computed by the two processing units 310 and 311 are supplied to a voter 322 which veri fies the compatibility of said data resulting from the two independent and parallel processing operations and determines their compatibility and their reliability as data which can be provided through the radio communication system 304 as the distance value of the obstacles , while the images acquired by the video cameras are transmitted via video streaming to the second master module 4 by means of the GSM communication system 303 , similarly to the example of figure 2 .

The functional control of the operating units included in said first module 3 is entrusted, similarly to the example of figure 10 , to a control and management unit 320 indicated in the form of a PLC .

This configuration which provides a consistency check of obstacle distance data obtained from di f ferent sensing sources by the voter 322 can be provided independently of the other features present in combination in this example , in combination with any of the examples and embodiments described above .

According to a further feature which can also be provided separately from the previous one and in combination with any of the previous variants or embodiments described, the processing unit , in particular, but not limitedly, the one for processing the measurement signals of the distance detection systems 302 , is connected to set-up sensors , such as , for example , but not exclusively and limitingly, acceleration sensors indicated with 321 which can determine indications on the set-up variations of the first module and therefore calculate corrections to the distance values measured and/or also provide for the stabili zation of the video image transmitted to the display of the second master module .

According to a further feature which can also be separate from the previous one and in combination with any of the previous variants or embodiments described, the train operator can be equipped with a wearable control unit 331 which communicates via wireless communication protocol for example via UHF radio frequency or by means of one or more other wireless transmission protocols with a receiver 330 which is connected to the PLC 320 and which receives and transmits to the second master module an emergency traction cut-of f or emergency braking command which is remotely generated by the operator himsel f .

This can therefore , for example , also be personnel not on board the train and/or even the driver himsel f who controls the train running .