The present invention relates to integrated mobility techniques.

The solution described herein responds to a demand for integrated mobility which combines long-distance mobility using the railway mode with short-to-medium-range mobility using the road mode.

In particular, the present invention relates to integrated electrical energy management.

KNOWN PRIOR ART

Solutions for charging the batteries of cars boarded on a train are known in the prior art. For example, document CH679296A5 describes a solution for charging the batteries of road passenger vehicles carried by a railway vehicle. The invention relates to a transportation device consisting of a platform with a first platform for allowing access to passenger traffic and a second platform for allowing access to vehicular traffic, as well as multi-story railway carriages having an upper deck for receiving passenger traffic and a lower deck for receiving vehicular traffic.

Document EP2759454 A2 describes a solution for charging road vehicle batteries carried on a railway vehicle. The railway vehicle has a storage unit which stores electrical energy supplied to a drive unit. A charging unit is provided to charge the storage unit during transport. Locking devices are provided for fixing light-weight electrically-operated vehicles, e.g., electric bicycles, and mopeds.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to techniques for energy management in an intermodal, physically integrated mobility system between railway vehicles and electric or plug-in hybrid road vehicles both provided with energy storage systems. The railway vehicles carry road vehicles with passengers onboard on sections where users choose to use the service.

The present invention relates to an integrated energy management system as part of an intermodal road-rail transport system comprising a train provided with train batteries, a railway contact line supply and a plurality of electric cars loaded onboard the train. Each electric car is provided with a car battery. During the permanence of an electric car on the train, the electric power and storage systems of the electric car and the train are connected and mutually exchange bi-directional energy flows. The electric system of the train, in turn, exchanges energy flows with the electric system of the railway power supply line and, through it, with other trains with energy storage and conventional trains, thus achieving regulation of the electrical power and of the energy storage on three subsystem levels which comprise electric cars, train and railway contact line supply power.

The system allows the charging/discharging of the batteries of the car through a direct current train bus created by appropriate reversible electronic power converters for converting and regulating the energy flows downstream of which individual reversible charging/discharging controllers of the batteries of the car are placed.

The power connection which implements the parallel of the electric car battery with the power bus or train batteries can be of the wireless induction type.

The system further comprises sensors for measuring all parameters used to control the system and actuators, wherein the sensors and actuators are managed by a real-time control system the software of which enables the system functions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description provided by way of a non-limiting example, with the aid of the figures shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows an example basic circuit diagram of the solution,

Figure 2 shows an example block diagram of the energy control and management system,

Figure 3 shows an example of a line section layout with trains with and without storage,

Figures 4 through 10 show examples of flow charts which describe the control processes performed by the energy control and management system,

Figures 11 through 14 show examples which describe the additional possibilities for energy exchange between trains,

Figures 15 and 16 show examples that clarify the concepts of virtual train coupling possibilities and wireless energy transmission, and

Figure 17 shows an example that clarifies the additional concept of energy exchange between onboard car batteries.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to energy management techniques and systems.

With reference to Figures 1 and 3, the invention provides a wiring diagram which allows a given number of functions to be implemented on the car BEVn, train TSE, and railway contact line power supply LDC/LCA levels.

Hereafter in this document, the terms battery, batteries, or electrical energy storage systems mean, for example, all elements that may be selected from the set which comprises, by way of non-limiting example, electrochemical accumulators, fuel cells, supercapacitors, and any possible combination thereof.

In particular, from the hardware point of view, a new configuration of reversible converters for the conversion and regulation of energy flows is provided, and from the functional point of view, the regulation of electrical power and energy storage is implemented on the three subsystem levels, i.e., car BEVn, train TSE and railway contact line power supply LDC/LCA.

Figure 1 shows an example of a system according to the present invention. A plurality of electric cars BEV1 , BEV2, ..., BEVn, BEVm is loaded on a carriage of a train TSE. Referring to Figure 1 , during the permanence of an electric car BEVn on the train TSE, the power and storage electric systems of the transported vehicle BEVn and of the train TSE are connected and exchange energy flows with each other and with the power and storage electric systems of the other electric cars BEV1 , BEV2, ..., BEVm.

The system allows the charging/discharging of the batteries BEi of the car BEVi through a direct current train bus BDC created starting from the power bus of the train BBT by an appropriate reversible electronic power converters CR downstream of which individual reversible charging/discharging controllers Cl of the batteries of the car BEVi are placed. The power connection which implements the parallel of the transport module battery with the bus BDC or the batteries BT of the train can be of the wireless induction type.

Train batteries BT either with or without their own reversible control converters can also be connected to said train bus (see Figure 1).

The described set is connected to the power bus of the train/traction unit BBT, which may coincide with the direct current bus BDC which is generated downstream of the line-side railway power supply line LDC or LCA (direct current line, alternating current line) and the four-quadrant line input converters 4QIL and, in the case of alternating current railway power supply, the input transformer Tl.

Finally, the traction inverters INV (INV1 , INV2, ..., INVn), which drive the train motors MT (MT1 , MT2, ..., MTn), are connected to the power bus BBT.

All converters are reversible. The transformer is such by definition. In this manner, the energy flows can be directed and controlled in all directions.

The primary source of energy, when the car batteries are charged, is the railway power supply line LDC or LCA.

Then, sensors are added to measure all the electrical (and non-electrical) parameters needed to control the system (energy absorbed by the railway power supply line, state of charge of a car battery, data on the destination of the car).

These parameters are used as input data for commanding the actuators.

The sensors and actuators are managed by a real-time control system CEMS whose software makes it possible to implement the system functions.

With reference to Figure 3, the electrical system of the train TSE1 provided with energy storage systems, in turn, exchanges energy flows with the electrical system of the railway power supply line LDC/LCA and through it with other trains with energy storage, e.g., such as the train TSE2 and conventional trains TT.

Figure 3 shows both the direct current embodiment LDC and the alternating current embodiment LCA. The two embodiments cannot be present at the same time, but the invention provides full functionality in both cases. Hereafter, only the alternating current case, which is the most recurrent and used, will be taken into consideration. The railway power supply line LDC/LCA is, in turn, supplied by the electrical power network, shown in the figures with the reference REN.

The energy flows exchanged on the three levels which make up the system, i.e., the electric car BEVn, the train TSE with energy storage, and the railway power supply line LDC/LCA, are illustrated with reference in particular to Figure 3.

Furthermore, the energy exchange is provided between trains TSE (TSE1 and TSE2 between them), between trains TSE and traditional trains TT, and the contact line power supply system LDC/LCA to dynamically stabilize line voltage (and the line frequency in the case of alternating current power supply LCA) and optimize the powers involved. Such additional services are made possible by the control processes CBE, SCBE, CBT, LIL, and RDL described by the flow charts in Figures from 4 to 8.

The three levels are managed and controlled by an energy control and management system indicated with the reference CEMS. With reference to Figure 2, the energy control and management system CEMS is connected to three orders of input and output interfaces: the sensors aboard the car SB and the sensors aboard the train ST, commands towards actuators COMAT, and commands COMINT which can be received either from the train and driver control system interfaces of the train TCU, or from the car driver and car control system BCU, or the terminal/station management systems SGT. The control processes by which the commands towards actuators COMAT, the sensors SB and ST, and commands COMINT received are managed either from the train control system and driver interfaces TCU, from the car control and driver system BCU, or from the terminal/station management systems SGT, are managed in real-time. The solution in its preferred embodiment described herein meets the demand for energy and economic efficiency, consumption containment, energy storage, electrical energy optimization and, consequently, also cost optimization, of both the cars BEV1-BEVn and the train TSE, as well as the railway contact line power subsystem LDC/LCA.

The main functions of the system will now be described.

The charging of the batteries of the various cars is regulated independently car by car in real-time and with adjustable charging current values.

The battery BEi of the car BEVi (i = 1 ,. .,h) is managed in an optimized manner according to the time spent onboard.

The train battery BT is managed in an optimized manner according to the energy needed to charge the batteries BEi of the cars BEVi and the possible need to run the train without a railway power supply (non-electrified line).

The energy absorption from the railway power supply line LDC/LCA is regulated to allow the absorbed energy level to be chosen and such that, for example, the energy supplied to the batteries BEi of the cars BEVi can be increased when the train absorbs less (i.e., low speed, running by inertia) and the absorbed energy can be kept constant.

The energy absorbed from the railway power supply line LDC/LCA is regulated so as not to exceed the set limits independently of the number of cars BEVi onboard and the state of charge of their batteries BEi.

The braking energy of the train can be used to charge the batteries BEi and BT of the cars BEVi or the train TSE.

The batteries BEi of the cars BEVi in parallel on the electric bus BDC of the train TSE can, together with the train battery BT, allow the storage of energy needed to move the train TSE on sections without railway power supply (not electrified).

The system is designed and sized to allow the train TSE to run autonomously in terms of energy supply for distances and speeds to be determined as a function of the system specifications. The system CEMS can recover braking energy on the electric train bus BDC up to the maximum system charge of the batteries BE of the cars BEV present plus the train battery BT plus the auxiliaries of the train TSE. When the maximum system charge is reached, the braking energy is returned to the railway power supply line LDC/LCA.

The number of cars BEV and associated batteries BE which can be managed by the system is the maximum number that can be transported by the train TSE.

The voltage of BDC may be regulated to maximum supply voltage of the batteries BE of the cars BEV.

The invention relates to a system in which the railway contact line power supply subsystem LDC/LCA, the energy-storage power subsystem of the train TSE (propulsion, braking, and auxiliaries), and the energy-storage power subsystem of the car BEVn (propulsion, braking, and auxiliaries) share controlled and regulated bidirectional energy flows.

The energy flows can be controlled and regulated in all directions either individually or by groups of vehicles.

Furthermore, with reference to Figure 3, the control and regulation allow the energy storage systems BT of the train TSE and the energy storage systems of the car BEn to be shared with the energy storage systems of other trains TSE1 and TSE2, powered by the same electrical substation (source) and storage subsystems SSDC and SSCA regulated by CDC and CCA reversible converters, which may or may not be present in the electrical substations of the LDC/LCA system.

The present invention solves a set of problems in the manners described herein:

- in the prior art, it is not possible to charge with high efficiency the batteries of an electric car while in motion; the present invention allows the car batteries to be charged while the car is moving at high speed on the train;

- the battery of an electric car must be recharged after a well-defined displacement; the present invention makes it possible to have a car with a charged battery when getting off the train at the terminal destination station;

- there is a maximum power that a train can use, which depends on the dimensioning of the railway power supply system; the present invention, by providing for the presence of batteries onboard both for cars and trains, makes it possible to optimize the power absorbed by the trains from the railway power supply line; it also makes it possible not to overload the existing system by stabilizing the voltage and, in case of alternating current power supply, also the frequency;

- some or all of the braking energy of a train may be dissipated as heat on the electrical braking resistors, as heat in the brake discs, or recovered in the railway power supply system for return to the production company; the present invention allows to use some of the braking energy for storage in the car or train batteries;

- an electric train can operate in the absence of the railway power supply contact line only if it is provided with its own energy storage system; the present invention allows the train to operate also using energy stored in the batteries of the cars onboard in the event of the absence of railway power supply; and

- for an electric car traveling on the road, the charging energy price is tied to the route that defines the areas and their rates; the present invention, by allowing individual charging of vehicles onboard the train, allows the choice of the charging source of individual cars on the different sections, according to the criterion of greater economy.

In the known solutions, nothing is described regarding the bidirectionality of the energy flow. In the known solutions, car battery charging cannot be regulated individually nor it is bi-directional, nor can the train use it, nor can it be exchanged between the various cars onboard.

Furthermore, it is worth noting that the systems described in the prior art only relate to the energy flows exchanged between the transported vehicle and the main carrier without taking the third level of exchange with the railway contact line power supply subsystem into consideration.

The basic circuit diagram is now described.

In the preferred but not exclusive embodiment, with reference to Figure 1 , the system allows the charging and discharging of the batteries BE1-BEn of the cars BEV1-BEVn through a direct current charging bus BDC generated downstream of dedicated reversible electronic power converters CR.

The individual reversible converters CM -Cl controlled by the energy control and management system CEMS, which control and regulate the charging and discharging of the batteries BEi of the car BEVi, are connected to the bus BDC.

The power connection between the car battery BEn and the converter Cln can also be of the wireless induction type.

The reversible control converter RBT, through which the energy control and management system CEMS monitors and regulates the charging and discharging of the train battery BT, is connected to said direct current charging bus BDC.

The set described above is connected to the train power bus BBT by means of the converter CR through which the energy control and management system CEMS controls and regulates the bidirectional energy flows between the direct current charging bus BDC and the train bus BBT.

The train bus BBT is generated by the four-quadrant line input converters 4QIL downstream of the railway power supply contact line LDC/LCA (direct current line, alternating current line).

In the case of alternating current railway power supply, there is the input step-down transformer Tl the windings of which, in the case of direct current supply, act as a line input filter (Figure 1).

Finally, the traction inverters INV1 -INVn, which drive the traction motors M1-Mn, and the converters for powering the auxiliary services of the train (not shown in Figure 1) are connected to the bus BBT.

All converters are reversible. The transformer is such by definition. In this manner, the energy flows can be directed and controlled in all directions.

When the train TSE travels along or is connected to an electrified line, the primary source of power is the railway contact line power supply subsystem LDC/LCA.

Furthermore, the train TSE can be equipped with special power sockets CBS to be powered and charge the batteries of the cars BE1-BEn and the train BT, even when it is parked in the terminals or dedicated stations even in the absence of the overhead power supply line LDC/LCA. The preferred embodiment is one in which no railway power supply line LDC/LCA is present at the terminals/stations.

Charging can be done through special power sockets CBS which can implement the connection of an external power source to the bus BDC of the train TSE without human intervention or through a wireless induction connection.

Finally, the sensors SB and ST are provided to measure all the electrical (and non electrical) parameters needed to control the system (by way of example, energy absorbed by the railway power supply line, state of charge of all the car batteries, data on the destination of the car, etc.). These sensors SB and ST are shown in Figure 2. For each car BEVi (i = 1 , ..., n), the sensors SB comprise a state of charge sensor of the battery BEi, a passenger presence sensor, and a car presence sensor on the train.

For the train, the sensors ST comprise at least one voltage sensor BDC, one state of charge sensor BT, line frequency sensors, one line voltage sensor VI, and one current sensor II. Obviously, other sensors can be provided.

The parameters measured by said sensors SB and ST are used as input data to control the converters CM - Cln, INV1 - INVn, CR, RBT, and 4QIL described above.

The sensors SB and ST and converters CM - Cln are managed by the real-time energy control and management system OEMS described in Figure 2, the software of which makes it possible to implement the system functions.

The block diagram of the energy control and management system OEMS will be described with reference to Figure 2. The function of the energy control and management system OEMS is to real-time control and regulate the energy flows exchanged between the car BEVn, the train TSE, and the power supply line LDC/LCA.

The energy control and management system OEMS enables the basic functions of the present invention to be implemented without precluding the provision of other additional functions. The energy control and management system OEMS will consist of a single or multiple CPU microprocessor platform, the input and output interface systems, and volatile or non-volatile memories containing the firmware and the databases. Said energy control and management system OEMS resides on the train TSE and is connected by the converters CM - Cln, INV1- INVn, CR, RBT and 4QIL (actuators) which it drives through actuation commands.

The energy control and management system CEMS is connected to the sensors SB and ST which measure the parameters used to carry out the regulation and control processes. Said sensors SB and ST measure the state of charge of the batteries of the train TSE, line frequency, DC charging BDC bus voltage, line current, and line voltage. Measuring the state of charge of the batteries BT of the train and of the cars BE1 -BEn may require additional sensors on the bus BDC, BBT, and on the individual and selective charging branches of the individual cars BEVi (i=1 , ..., n).

With reference to Figure 2, the energy control and management system CEMS is then connected to the train and driver control system (of the train or the train driver) TCU to acquire, in this case in hand, but not only, any absorbed current or energy limitation requests (LIL), running without railway power supply line (Maut), forced sending of current into the railway power supply line. The energy control and management system CEMS is connected through physical or wireless local point-to-point connections or through a general communications network RC to the sensors SB of state of charge, of car presence, and of the presence of passengers residing in the cars BEVn. The integrated energy management system OEMS is then connected by means of physical or wireless point-to-point connections or by means of the general communication network RC to the car control system BCU to acquire, in the case in hand, but not only, the destination parameters and level of charge of the battery BEn requested upon disembarking. Other sensors can be added to implement additional functions, such as temperature control, fire fighting, the physical status of passengers etc.

Furthermore, the energy control and management system OEMS is connected through the general communication network RC to the user through either the customer's AC handheld device or through the car control system BCU to capture specific additional customer requests or to give notifications to the customer (e.g. energy credits, delays, route changes etc.).

The energy control and management system CEMS is connected to a server SERVER on which the databases necessary for the management of the service provision are loaded. For example, the databases may comprise energy prices DBE on the various sections traversed, and alternative routes DBP, and more. Said databases DBE and DBP are continuously updated through the general communications network RC.

The functions of the system of the invention will now be described.

The flow charts of the various functions will be described with reference to Figures 4 to 10.

The charging and discharging of the batteries BE1 -n of the cars BEV1 -n aboard the train is regulated independently and selectively by the energy control and management system CEMS in the manner described in Figure 4 for charging and in Figure 5 for discharging, car by car in real-time and with adjustable charge and discharge current values. The batteries BE1-BEn of the cars BEV1 -BEVn are charged to store energy which can be used to move the car once disembarked from the train or to provide power to the train system for autonomous running, dynamic railway power supply line stabilization, and other uses.

Figure 4 shows an example of the preferred embodiment of the method CBE for performing the independent and selective charging function of the battery BEn of the generic car BEVn. The general sequence of steps in the method CBE described in Figure 4 may involve more or fewer steps differently than that shown in the example flow chart in Figure 4. Hereafter, the method CBE can be executed as a series of instructions which form a program executable by a computer and storable in a read memory. In general, the method has a start instruction and an end instruction. This method concerns and is performed individually and selectively for each battery BEn of each car BEVn present at any instant on the train.

The process is started by a start command from the energy control and management system CEMS, which may be automatic upon the occurrence of the terminated disembarkation condition or may be manually set or triggered only for the cars that are embarked for a successive destination even though others are still disembarking.

The battery charge command BEn is acquired in step 10.

Either subsequently or simultaneously, in step 12, the information on the destination of each car BEVn present on the train is acquired by means of a special interface, also wireless, with the car control system BCU, or this information may already reside within the energy control and management system CEMS. The battery level BEn of the car BEVn is acquired in the successive step 14. Said level can be expressed as a percentage and transmitted through the connection with the converter Cln, or through wireless point- to-point data transmission from the control system BCU of the car BEVn to the CEMS or alternatively through the communication network RC as the cars BEVn are electrically connected to the converters Cln.

In the next step 16, starting from the detected charge level of the battery BEn of the car BEVn, the time (tmin) needed to charge the battery BEn up to the maximum charge level with the maximum current which can be delivered by the system through the converter Cln is calculated. The time in which the car BEVn will arrive at its destination is calculated (tdest) at the same time.

In a decisional step 18, the method checks whether the forced charge command from CEMS must be activated.

In the positive case, the charging of the battery BEn with maximum current is started in step 42.

In the negative case, in a decisional step 20, the method verifies whether the user of the generic car BEVn required a particular level of charge upon disembarkation. In the negative case, the method goes to step 24; in the positive case, the method goes to step 22.

The minimum time timinc for the required recharge is calculated in step 22. The request to have a particular charge level at the disembarkation may be made in the preferred embodiment:

-through personal mobile device of the user AC or of the car BEVn using an app owned by the service provider, or

-through a handheld device provided for use using an application owned by the service provider, or

-through human interface with the control system of car BCU.

In a successive decisional step 26, the method checks whether the minimum time timinc for the required recharge is less than the target time tdest. In the negative case, the method goes to step 38 in which the charging of the battery BEn with maximum current is activated and a charge deficit warning is sent in step 40. In the positive case, the method continues with step 28 and calculates the charge current cdest as a function of the target time tdest. In a successive decisional step 32, it is checked whether there is a charge current limit dim to be met. In the positive case, the charging of the battery BEn starts with the limited current dim, in step 34, and in the negative case, the charging of the battery BEn with the charging current cdest as a function of the target time tdest is commanded in step 36.

The system OEMS assumes that in the absence of request, the target final level charge at disembarking is the maximum level. Therefore, in the absence of request in step 24 the maximum current and the minimum time required to reach the maximum charge level of the battery BEn is calculated.

At this point, in decisional step 30, the method checks whether the minimum time tmin of charging at maximum current is less than the target time tdest. In the negative case, the method continues with step 38 in which the battery charge BEn with maximum current is activated, and a charge deficit warning is sent in step 40.

In the positive case, i.e., if the minimum charging time tmin at maximum current is less than the target time tdest, the method goes to step 28 described above and the charging current cdest is calculated as a function of the target time tdest. In a successive decisional step 32, it is checked whether there is a charge current limit dim to be met. In a positive case, the charging of the battery BEn with the limited current dim starts in step 34, and in a negative case, the charging of the battery BEn with the charging current cdest as a function of the target time tdest starts in step 36.

Specifically, in step 36, the BEn battery charging current is started at a current cdest which is less than the maximum but allows the required charge level to be reached.

On the other hand, in step 38, if there is no request from the user the BEn battery charging current is started with the maximum current cmax.

The current cdest is calculated as a function of the available time tdest.

If the time to destination tdest is less than the minimum charge time tmin, or the minimum charge time to reach the user's required charge level tminc, a warning will be sent to the user's mobile device alerting that it will not be possible to reach the maximum charge or the required charge, respectively.

In both cases, the power will be delivered to the car BEVn with the maximum current to still achieve an energy level, albeit not maximum, as close as possible to the maximum or requested level upon disembarkation.

Figure 5 shows a preferred embodiment of the method SCBE for performing the function which presides over the independent and selective discharge of the BEn battery of the generic car BEVn.

The general sequence of steps in the SCBE method described in Figure 5 may involve more or fewer steps differently than shown in Figure 5. Flereafter, the method SCBE can be executed as a series of instructions which form a program executable by a computer and storable in a read memory. In general, the method has a start instruction and an end instruction. This method concerns and is performed individually and selectively for each battery BEn of each car BEVn present at any instant on the train.

The discharging process of the batteries BEV1-BEVn takes place only at request of the energy control and management system CEMS in relation to the need either to run on the train battery or to send energy to the line for stabilization.

The energy level SC required by the energy control and management system CEMS is acquired in step 50, and the discharge command of the battery BEn is acquired in step 52. In decisional step 54, the method checks whether a forced discharge command was issued. In the positive case, the method goes to step 74 in which the battery BEn is discharged with the maximum current.

In the negative case, the destination of the car BEVn is acquired in step 56. The state of charge of the battery BEn is measured in step 58, and the destination time tdest to bring the car BEVn to its destination is calculated in step 60.

The minimum time timinc for the customer's required charging at maximum current is calculated in a successive step 62. In decisional step 64, the method checks whether the minimum time timinc is less than the target time tdest. In the negative case, the method continues with step 70 of charging the battery BEn of the car BEVn with maximum current, and the charge deficit is noticed in step 72.

In the positive case, the discharge current is calculated as a function of the target time tdest in step 66 and the value SC, and the discharge of the battery BEn to reach the value SC is started in step 68.

For this reason, the process always starts with a command to discharge the battery BEn of the car BEVn by the energy control and management system CEMS, which can be either discharged by a certain value SC or maximum discharge if the current to be sent to the line is forced (SF forced discharge).

The following steps are performed in the event of a well-defined energy discharge request SC by the energy control and management system CEMS from the battery BEn: Acquiring the destination of the corresponding vehicle BEVn, measuring the state of charge of the battery BEn, calculating the time to destination, calculating the minimum time to charge the battery BEn to the level required by the customer. The method then checks whether the minimum required charging time at maximum current tminc is less than the time to destination tdest. If this condition is true, it means that there is time to discharge the battery BEn for the uses established by the energy control and management system CEMS. In this case, the current absorbtion from the battery BEn is activated until the discharge energy SC is absorbtion. When the minimum charging time tminc at maximum current is less than the time to destination tdest, charging with maximum battery current BEn is activated, noticing the impossibility of reaching the required charge and informing about the charge that can be reached at disembarkation. In the event of a request for forced discharge SF by the energy control and management system CEMS, the battery BEn is in any case discharged with maximum current with successive notification of impossibility to reach the required charge, signaling of charge deficit and information of the charge which can be however reached at disembarkation. In all cases in which it has not been possible to disembark the car with the maximum charge level or the charge level required by the user, the user will be given an energy credit to be monetized or disbursed in other ways to be defined (including by means of blockchain technologies).

The charging and discharging functions independently managed by the energy control and management system CEMS also allow, by means of selective control of the converters Cln, and energy transfer regulation on the bus BDC by means of the converter CR, to transfer energy from the battery BEn of one car BEVn to another battery BEm of another car BEVm, as described in Figure 17.

The energy exchange takes place as a function of the state of charge of the batteries BEn and BEm themselves, possible charge level requests at disembarking by the concerned users, the individual charge and discharge request by the energy control and management system CEMS for the execution of procedures CBT, LIL and RDL.

The procedures CBE, SCBE, CBT, LIL, and RDL are performed following a multi objective simulation by the energy control and management system CEMS. This multi objective method is optimized during the transport service by means of self-learning techniques and then by applying them to the processing procedures performed by the energy control and management system CEMS. The CBE, SCBE, CBT, LIL, and RDL procedures allow, along with the SSDC and SSCA storage subsystems regulated by the reversible converters CDC and CCA, which may or may not be present in the electrical substations of the LDC/LCA system to contribute to the electrical power network real time balancing market (REN).

The train battery BT is managed in an optimized manner, with the methods shown in Figure 6, according to the energy needed to charge the batteries of the cars BE1 -BEn and on any need for autonomous Maut running on non-electrified or non-powered sections. Figure 6 shows a preferred embodiment of the CBT method for performing the function which presides over the independent and selective discharge of the BEn battery of the train BT.

The general sequence of steps in the method CBT described in Figure 6 may involve more or fewer steps and routes differently than shown in Figure 6.

The method CBT can be executed as a series of instructions which form a program executable by a computer and storable in a read memory. In general, the method has a start instruction and an end instruction. This process always starts with a maximum charge maintenance reference of the train battery BT unless there is a specific request from the energy control and management system CEMS to absorbtion energy up to a level SCT for autonomous train running or a forced discharge for dynamic line stabilization calculated by the RDL process. The constant reference of maximum charge maintenance of the battery BT is used to keep the system in the condition to react quickly to the energy demand for dynamic stabilization of the power supply line or to face emergencies due to lack of power from the railway contact line. If, for both dynamic stabilization and autonomous running on battery, a situation of complete discharge of both the train and the car batteries should occur, and since the latter cannot be discharged due to the priority of the customers' charging needs, the energy control and management system CEMS will configure a non-critical energy standby status for the line by implementing a limited absorption from the line in order not to compromise its stability (absorbed current limit as a function of VL, freql.)

If an SCT discharge level is required, the CEMS energy control and management system then implements it directly. If no discharge level SCT is required, the process checks for the presence or absence of cars BEVn onboard. The process then checks whether there is an autonomous running request Maut. Autonomous running means running the train on battery power without absorbing power from the power supply line LDC/LCA either because it is absent or because it is de-energized.

The following five scenarios are then presented: a) If there is no autonomous running request Maut and there are no cars onboard, the maximum charge of the train battery BT is maintained. b) If there is no autonomous running request, but there are cars BEVn onboard, the method proceeds by charging the battery BT of the train and charging the batteries BEn of the cars BEVn according to the process CBE. c) If there is an autonomous running request Maut and no car onboard, the system discharges the train battery BT and sends current to the inverters of the traction motors INVMNVn. d) If there is an autonomous running request Maut and there are cars onboard, the train battery is discharged and if energy is available in the car battery, the batteries BEn of the cars BEVn are discharged with the SCBE procedure and power is sent to the inverters of the traction motors INV1 -INVn. e) In both cases c) and d) if there is an autonomous running request and if the state of charge SCT of the battery BT is not sufficient to reach the target distance to the terminal at system performance, the energy control and management system CEMS will calculate a limited discharge current SCBTL which will still allow the train TSE to reach the terminal at reduced performance.

With reference to Figure 6, the CBT process is described. The command from the energy control and management system CEMS of maximum charge state BT is issued in step 80, and the method checks whether a discharge request to the state SCT exists from the energy control and management system CEMS in decisional step 82. In the positive case, the method continues with step 114 in which the battery BT discharge to SCT occurs.

In the negative case, the method goes to decisional step 84 in which it checks whether there are cars onboard, i.e., if there is a number n greater than zero of cars. In the negative case, the method goes to decisional step 102 and in the positive case, the method goes to decisional step 86.

In decisional step 102, the method checks whether autonomous running Maut is required. In the negative case, the method continues with step 104 of charging the battery BT with maximum current corrmaxBT. In decisional step 103a, the method checks whether the charge of the battery BT is sufficient to reach the target distance to the terminal at system performance. In the positive case, the method continues with step 106 in which the discharge current of the battery BT corrSCBT is calculated; the discharge of the battery BT with current corrSCBT takes place in step 108. In the negative case, in step 103b, a limited discharge current SCBTL is calculated to allow the train TSE to still reach the terminal at reduced performance, and the battery BT discharge with corrSCBTL takes place in step 103c. In step 110, the power is supplied to the inverters INV1-INVn with the current corrSCBT or corrSCBTL, and finally, the autonomous running signal Maut takes place in step 112.

In decisional step 86, the method checks whether autonomous running Maut is required. In the negative case, the method continues with step 88 in which the charging process CBE for the car BEVn-1 is activated and the charging process BT is activated with the current corrmaxBT in the successive step 90. In decisional step 87a, the method checks whether the charge of the battery BT is sufficient to reach the target distance to the terminal at system performance.

In the positive case, the method continues with step 92 in which the discharge current of the battery BT corrSCBT is calculated. In the negative case, in step 87b, a limited discharge current SCBTL is calculated to allow the train TSE to still reach the terminal at reduced performance, and the battery BT discharge with corrSCBTL takes place in step 87c. The battery BT discharge with current corrSCBT takes place in step 94, the battery discharge process BEVn-1 is activated in step 96, the power is delivered with current corrSCBT or corrSCBTL to the inverters INV1-INVn in step 98, and finally, the autonomous running signaling Maut takes place in step 100.

The procedures CBE, SCBE, CBT, LIL, and RDL are performed following a multi objective simulation by the energy control and management system CEMS. This multi objective method is optimized during the transport service by means of self-learning techniques and then by applying them to the processing procedures performed by the energy control and management system CEMS. The CBE, SCBE, CBT, LIL, and RDL procedures allow, along with the SSDC and SSCA storage subsystems regulated by the reversible converters CDC and CCA, which may or may not be present in the electrical substations of the LDC/LCA system to contribute to the electrical power network real time balancing market (REN).

The power absorbtion from the railway power supply line LDC/LCA is regulated, in the manner shown in Figure 7, so as not to exceed the set limits independently of the number of cars onboard and the state of charge of their batteries.

Figure 7 shows a preferred embodiment of the method LIL for performing the function which presides over the limitation of the current absorbed by the train TSE independently of the number of BEVn cars onboard and the state of charge of their batteries BEn. The general sequence of steps in the method LIL described in Figure 7 may involve more or fewer steps and routes differently than shown in Figure 7. The method LIL can be executed as a series of instructions which form a program executable by a computer and storable in a read memory. In general, the method has a start instruction and an end instruction. The first step in the procedure is to check whether the line current absorbtion limit has been set manually or is being handled automatically by the energy control and management system CEMS. This procedure applies only when the train TSE is in traction; i.e. , it absorbs energy for its own movement from the railway power supply line LDC/LCA. In this preferred embodiment, the train performance is prioritized, but by exchanging decision node locations, priority can be given to charging car BEn batteries or charging train batteries BT.

In the case of manual management: a. The method checks that whether the line current IL is higher than the set current limit LIL. If in this preferred embodiment, this condition occurs, the reference charge current dim of the battery BEn which supervises the CBE charging process is reduced. b. The method checks again whether the line current is greater than the LIL limit. If this condition is still met, the reference charge current corrSCBT of the battery BT of the train is reduced. c. The method checks again whether the line current is greater than the LIL limit. If this condition is still met, the current reference for the traction inverters of the train INV 1-n is reduced. d. When the line current falls below the value LIL in each of the cases described above, the method proceeds by delivering power to the traction inverters INV 1-n i. charging the batteries BEn of the cars BEVn following procedure CBE ii. charging the train batteries BT following the procedure CBT.

If instead there is no manually set limit, the energy control and management system CEMS immediately monitors the parameters of the power supply line LDC/LCA, in particular frequency and voltage, to verify whether the line is available to supply energy entering the train; in particular, the system is adjusted to maintain the optimal voltage Vrif and frequency Freqrif parameters of the power supply line LDC/LCA. If the actual parameters are less than the references, a limitation of the line current reference IL equal to LIL is automatically set, decreasing until VL is less than Vrif and Freql is less than Freqrif.

The entire procedure is repeated at steps a, b, c, d, until the current IL falls below the value LIL and then procedure d) is repeated.

In particular, in decisional step 120, the control method checks whether the limit of the current adsorbed by the line LIL has been set manually. In the positive case, the method proceeds to decisional step 122; in the negative case, the method proceeds to decisional step 136.

In decisional step 122, the method checks whether the line current IL is higher than the set current limit LIL. In the negative case, the method goes on to step 144. In the affirmative case, the method continues to step 124 and a reduction in the charge current reference dim of the batteries BEn which supervises the charging process CBE is provided to promote charging the battery BT. In decisional step 126, the method checks again whether the line current is greater than the limit LIL. In the negative case, the method goes back to decisional step 122. Instead, if this condition is still met in step 128, the reference charge current corrSCBT of the train battery BT is reduced in favor of the battery BEn. In decisional step 130, the method checks again whether the line current is greater than the limit LIL. In the negative case, the method goes back to decisional step 122. Instead, if this condition is still met, the method proceeds in step 132 to reduce the current reference for the traction inverters of the train INV1-INVn.

Finally, in decisional step 134, the method checks again whether the line current is greater than the limit LIL. In the negative case, the method goes back to decisional step 122. In the positive case, the method goes to step 144.

In step 144, power is delivered to the inverters INV1 -INVn. The process CBE for charging the battery BEn of the car BEVn is invoked in successive step 146, and the process CBT for charging the battery BT of the train is invoked in step 148.

If, on the other hand, there is no manually set limit, the energy control and management system CEMS proceeds in decisional step 136 to check if the actual parameters VI and FreqL are lower than the optimal voltage Vrif and frequency Freqrif references of the power supply line LDC/LCA. In the positive case, in step 140, the receptive line is set low and in step 142 the reference LIL of the line current is lowered to keep VL greater than Vrif and FreqL greater than Freqrif. At this point, the method goes to step 124.

In the negative case, the method continues with step 138 in which the line is set to non- receptive-high. Next, the method goes to step 144 in which power is delivered to the inverters INV1-INVn. The process CBE for charging the battery BEn of the car BEVn is invoked in successive step 146, and the process CBT for charging the battery BT of the train is invoked in step 148.

The CBE, SCBE, CBT, LIL, and RDL procedures are performed following a multi objective simulation by the energy control and management system. This multi-objective methodology is optimized during the transport service by means of self-learning techniques and then by applying them to the processing procedures performed by the energy control and management system CEMS by means of which it will thus be possible also to re-modulate the priorities present in the procedure LIL. The CBE, SCBE, CBT, LIL, and RDL procedures allow, along with the SSDC and SSCA storage subsystems regulated by the reversible converters CDC and CCA, which may or may not be present in the electrical substations of the LDC/LCA system to contribute to the electrical power network real-time balancing market (REN).

By virtue of the presence of significant on-board storage capacity, the absorption or generation of energy by the trains TSE1-TSEn to and from the railway power supply line LDC/LCA is regulated by the energy control and management system CEMS through the procedure RDL in the manner shown in Figure 8. The function RDL makes it possible: a) not to overload the railway power supply line when there are other conventional trains TT absorbing the power (Figure 11 ); b) to be able to increase the energy supplied to the batteries of the cars BE1 -BEn when the train TSE absorbs less energy (i.e. braking, low speed, running by inertia) and vice versa. A dynamic limitation of the energy absorbed by the power supply line is implemented in this manner. c) to transfer energy to the railway power supply line LDC/LCA to keep the line voltage and frequency stable if there is a surplus of energy in the train TSE1 (braking or energy stored in the car and train batteries at the highest level) and the line is receptive (Figure 12); d) to force an energy absorption of the train TSE1 when the voltage (or line frequency) goes up, e.g., due to the presence of other trains TSE2 or traditional trains TT generating braking energy (Figure 13). If the train is not in traction, the energy is forced into the batteries of the train BT and those of the cars BE1 -BEn before dissipating it on electrical resistors or brake discs. e) to allow the energy exchange between two trains TSE1 and TSE2 (Figure 14).

By virtue of the foregoing, the system of the present invention can act, in real-time, as a dynamic voltage and frequency stabilizer and current limiter of the contact line power system LDC/LCA. Figure 8 shows a preferred embodiment of the method RDL for performing the function which presides over the aforesaid functions from a) to e) which can be summarized as a parent dynamic stabilization function of the power supply line RDL. The general sequence of steps in the method RDL described in Figure 8 may involve more or fewer steps and routes differently than shown in Figure 8. The method RDL can be executed as a series of instructions which form a program executable by a computer and storable in a read memory. In general, the method has a start instruction and an end instruction. The first step of this procedure, which is always activated automatically but can be disabled manually for exceptional situations, is to check whether the power supply line LDC/LCA is receptive or not. The parameters to be measured are substantially the line voltage VI and, in the case of an alternating current line, the line frequency Freql. In particular, the line is considered receptive if the line voltage VI and the line frequency Freql are lower than certain thresholds or parameters Vrif and Freqrif. The line is considered non-receptive if the line voltage VI and line frequency Freql are above-given thresholds or parameters Vrif and Freqrif. In either case, there are two possibilities: either f) the train traction/braking power system is in a condition to generate power or t) is in a condition to absorb power.

In the case of receptive line, i.e., the line voltage and line frequency lower than a given reference:

1 . If the train is braking or otherwise able to return energy to the power supply line, the procedure allows both the return of energy to the line and the charging of the train batteries BT according to the procedure CBT and the charging of the batteries BEn of the car BEVn according to the CBE procedure.

2. If the train is in traction and therefore needs to absorb energy for its movement, the CEMS will limit as much as possible the energy absorption from the power supply line LDC/LCA by using the energy stored in the batteries BEn of the cars BEVn and in the batteries of the train TSE, discharging the batteries BEn and BT with the forced discharge processes SCBE and SCBT to send it to the inverters which drive the traction motors INV1-INVn. The absorption from the power supply line tends to be zero.

3. If the line is not receptive, that is if the voltage VI and frequency Freql tend to be higher than the reference value Vrif and Freqrif, it means that there are other trains which are sending energy to the line and a stabilization intervention is necessary to make sure that the excess energy sent to the line by the trains is not dissipated and lost as it happens today. If the train TSE is braking, the CEMS will command a charge of the batteries BEn and BT onboard to use the braking energy that would otherwise be dissipated. The energy sent to the line will thus be limited to a maximum of zero.

4. If the train is in traction and therefore needs to absorb energy for its own movement but this is not enough to absorb the excess energy potentially present in the network generated by other trains which are transferring energy to the line, the CEMS will command a forced charge of the batteries BEn and BT onboard in addition to the absorption by the inverters which drive the traction motors INV1 -INVn. In this manner, as much energy as possible will be absorbed from the line, preventing it from being lost with dissipative processes on other trains, even traditional ones, present in the section.

In decisional step 150, the method checks whether the voltage VL is lower than the reference voltage Vrif and whether the FreqL is lower than the reference frequency Freqif. In the affirmative case, the method continues with step 152; in the negative case, it continues with step 154. The line is set to low receptive in step 152. In decisional step 156, the method checks if braking is active. In the positive case, the method proceeds with step 158 and in the negative case, it proceeds with step 168.

Power is delivered to the line in step 158, the process CBT is invoked and the battery BT is charged in step 160, the process CBE is invoked and the battery BEn is charged in step 162, power is delivered towards the batteries BT and BEn in step 164, and finally the method checks whether the charge of the battery BT and the battery BEn are at the maximum value Cmax in decisional step 166. In the negative case, the method goes back to step 160. In the positive case, the process is terminated.

In step 168, the line absorption is limited to zero. The process CBT is invoked and the battery BT is discharged in step 170, the process CBE is invoked and the battery BEn is discharged in step 172, and power is delivered to the inverters INV1-INVn in step 174. In decisional step 176, the method checks whether the charge of the battery BT and the battery BEn are at the minimum value Cmin. In the negative case, the method goes back to step 170. In the positive case, the process is terminated.

The line is set to non-receptive-high in step 154. In decisional step 155, the method checks if braking is active. In the positive case, the method proceeds with step 178 and in the negative case, it proceeds with step 188.

The power delivery to the line is limited to zero in step 178, the process CBT is invoked and the battery BT is charged in step 180, the process CBE is invoked and the battery BEn is charged in step 182, power is delivered towards the batteries BT and BEn in step 184, and finally in decisional step 186 the method checks whether the charge of the battery BT and the battery BEn are at the maximum value Cmax. In the negative case, the method goes back to step 180. In the positive case, the process is terminated. Forced absorption of power from the line is set in step 188. The process CBT is invoked and the battery BT is forcibly charged in step 190, the process CBE is invoked and the battery BEn is forcibly charged in step 192, and power is delivered to the inverters INV1- INVn in step 194. In decisional step 196, the method checks whether the charge of the battery BT and the battery BEn are at the maximum Cmax. In the negative case, the method goes back to step 190. In the positive case, the process is terminated.

The procedures CBE, SCBE, CBT, LIL, and RDL are performed following a multi objective simulation by the energy control and management system CEMS. This multi objective methodology is optimized during the transport service by means of self-learning techniques and then by applying them to the processing procedures performed by the energy control and management system OEMS by means of which it will thus be possible also to re-modulate the priorities present in the procedure RDL. The CBE, SCBE, CBT, LIL, and RDL procedures allow, along with the SSDC and SSCA storage subsystems regulated by the reversible converters CDC and CCA, which may or may not be present in the electrical substations of the LDC/LCA system to contribute to the electrical power network real-time balancing market (REN).

The electrical systems of the train TSE can charge the batteries of the cars BE1 -BEn and batteries BT of the train when the train TSE is stationary at dedicated terminals even in the absence of the railway power supply line LDC/LCA. This is done through the external power socket CBS, in the manner shown in Figure 9. Figure 9 shows a preferred embodiment of the method CPE for executing the function which presides over the charging function of the batteries of the cars BEn and the train BT even when the train is stopped for loading and unloading the cars at a designated terminal. The general sequence of steps in the method CPE described in Figure 9 may involve more or fewer steps and routes differently than shown in Figure 9. The method CPE can be executed as a series of instructions which form a program executable by a computer and storable in a read memory. In general, the method has a start instruction and an end instruction. In the preferred embodiment in the terminals and areas provided for loading and unloading of cars and train maintenance, there will be no power supply line LDC/LCA and the batteries BEn of the cars and of the train BT are charged through one or more external power sockets named CBS and shown in Figure 1 .

This procedure starts with the command to lower pantographs by the TCU and the safety check to determine that there is no line voltage upstream of the converters 4QIL. Having performed these checks, the energy control and management system CEMS then commands the connection of the CBS socket with the external direct current power socket. The presence of direct voltage on the power socket CBS is then checked by means of the voltage sensor on the BDC. In the positive case, the method checks the charging process of the batteries BEn of the cars BEVn onboard is started with the procedure CBE and of the batteries BT of the train TSE with the procedure CBT. These procedures generally end upon detection by the energy control and management system CEMS of the terminated boarding status and command disconnection of the external power sockets CBS. The command to lower the pantographs is sent in step 200. In decisional step 202, the absence of line voltage is verified. In the negative case, the process is terminated. In the positive case, the command to connect to the external socket is sent in step 204. In decisional step 206, the method checks whether the voltage is present from the power socket CB. In the negative case, the process is terminated. In the positive case, the process CBE is invoked and the battery BEn is charged in step 208, and the process CBT is invoked and the battery BT is charged in step 210. In decisional step 212, the method checks whether boarding has ended and the train is departing. In the negative case, the method goes back to step 206, and in the positive case, the method continues with step 214 in which the disconnect command from the external socket is sent.

The electrical systems of the train TSE, by allowing individual charging of the battery BEn of the vehicle BEVn onboard, allow, in the manner shown in Figure 10, the control and management system CEMS to choose the most cost-effective charging source according to the rates in the various sections along the section. Figure 10 shows a preferred embodiment of the SCE method for performing the function which presides over the selection of the most cost-effective energy source for charging batteries BEn. The general sequence of steps in the method SCE described in Figure 10 may involve more or fewer steps and routes differently than shown in Figure 10. The method SCE can be executed as a series of instructions which form a program executable by a computer and storable in a read memory. In general, the method has a start instruction and an end instruction.

The procedure starts after verifying finished boarding or train ready. The destinations of the cars BEVn are detected in the successive step. In the successive step, the routes of the car BEVn are written and stored as a function of the data of the disembarkation locations and the train route. The CEMS then accesses a database in which all information relating to the daily prices of energy used by the train on the various sections where the train is allowed to travel is stored. As a function of this information, the CEMS identifies and stores for each BEVn the segment with the cheapest energy price. After that, the time spent on the section with the cheapest price of the various BEVn is calculated. Charge state levels required by the user or automatically assigned by CEMS are then acquired.

The minimum time tmin for charging the batteries BEVn of the various cars onboard to reach the required or automatically assigned state of charge is then calculated. The successive action checks that for each car BEVn, the crossing time ttrat of the most economically advantageous segment is or is not sufficient to reach the charge state level in time tmin. In the positive case, the charging will be started at the entrance of the most economically advantageous segment, while in the negative case, the charging will be started in advance by a=tmin - ttrat in the segment before the most economically advantageous segment or in the second most economically advantageous segment encountered on the segment on the train TSE of the car BEVn.

The acquisition of the BEVn destination occurs in step 220, and the predicted route is calculated in step 222. Next, the database 250 of energy prices in the sections is retrieved and the definition of the sections with the lowest energy price takes place in step 224. The section times are calculated in step 226. The charge level required by the costumer is acquired in step 228.

The time available for charging ttrat is calculated in step 230 and the time tmin for charging at maximum current is calculated in step 232.

In decisional step 234, the method checks whether the time available for charging ttrat is greater than the time for charging at maximum current tmin.

In the positive case, the method proceeds with step 236; in the negative case, the method proceeds with step 240.

The charging is started at the beginning of the segment in step 236 and the charging is performed with current c which is a function of the target time in step 238.

The charge is started early by a time a=tmin-ttrat in step 240. Charging at the maximum current cmax is performed in step 242.

This function (Figure 15) can be achieved by means of the RDL procedure. The function is described as an additional application example of the RDL procedure. In the case of virtual coupling of two trains TSE (TSE1 and TSE2) the transfer of energy or the exchange of energy flows between one train and the other is always possible through the railway power supply line, except in very short isolated sections between two sections belonging to two different power supply substations. A "virtual coupling" between two trains is defined as a situation in which they travel following each other at a distance of a few meters, but without being mechanically coupled, as is the case now. The control of the rear train is transmitted from the front train, which is the master, through high- availability wireless connection WD.

For example, a train TSE1 with a maximum state of charge (of both BEn-BE1 and BT) can supply (Figure15) the coupled train TSE2 with a deficit of charge (of both BEn-BE1 and BT). In this case, the virtually coupled train TSE2 is controlled through the high availability wireless connection WD, while the power between the two trains is exchanged through the electrical continuity provided by the railway power supply line conductor LCA/LDC. (Figure 15)

In case of non-electrified sections, in which there is no possibility of energy transfer between the two trains TSE1 and TSE2 through the conductor of the railway power supply line LDC/LCA or, in general, in all those cases in which a direct connection with electrical continuity between the two trains is not possible, the virtually coupled slave train TSE2 is controlled anyway through the high availability wireless connection WD while the energy between the two trains is exchanged through an induction electrical energy transfer device TIE, i.e. of the wireless or contactless type (Figurel 6).

Obviously, without prejudice to the principle of the invention, the construction details and the embodiments can widely vary with respect to that described and illustrated above by way of example, without however departing from the scope of the present invention.