Patent application title: Operator Control Arrangement For The Driver's Cab Of A Rail Vehicle
Inventors:
IPC8 Class: AB61C1712FI
USPC Class:
1 1
Class name:
Publication date: 2017-02-09
Patent application number: 20170036682
Abstract:
To be able to manufacture an operator control arrangement
cost-effectively, the display and operator control units are embodied
such that they are functionally identical and interchangeable. A
calculation unit is provided which converts process data of functional
units of a rail vehicle into image data and processes operator control
data on the basis of operator control actions performed at the display
and operator control units. The display and operator control units are
connected to the calculation unit via a data network by a network
protocol for transmitting the image data and the operator control action
data. A status unit is connected to the data network, which status unit
determines the respectively valid status of the operator control
arrangement by a rail-vehicle-specific configuration logic of the
possible combinations of the display and operator control units and the
calculation unit as a function of the respective status of the rail
vehicle.Claims:
1-7. (canceled)
8. An operator control configuration for a driver's cab of a rail vehicle, comprising: a plurality of display and operator control units being functionally identical and interchangeable; calculation units for converting process data of functional units of the rail vehicle into image data and processes operator control data on a basis of operator control actions performed at said display and operator control units; a data network connecting said display and operator control units to said calculation units by use of a network protocol for transmitting the image data and the operator control data; and a status unit connected to said data network, said status unit determining respectively valid status of the operator control configuration by means of a rail-vehicle-specific configuration logic of possible combinations of said display and operator control units and said calculation units in dependence on a respective status of the rail vehicle.
9. The operator control configuration according to claim 8, wherein: said calculation units are configured to generate the image data to form image sections for displays at said display and operator control units; and said status unit configured in respect of its configuration logic such that in each case a complete display is created at said display and operator control units from the image data to form the image sections.
10. The operator control configuration according to claim 8, wherein said display and operator control units, said calculation units and said status unit have standardized interfaces for connecting to said data network.
11. The operator control configuration according to claim 8, wherein said data network is an Ethernet network.
12. The operator control configuration according to claim 8, wherein said status unit is embodied to be redundant.
13. The operator control configuration according to claim 8, wherein a function of at least one of said calculation units is integrated into a functional unit of the rail vehicle.
14. The operator control configuration according to claim 8, further comprising additional calculation units connected to said data network and to an additional functional unit of the rail vehicle.
Description:
[0001] The invention relates to an operator control arrangement for the
driver's cab of a rail vehicle having a plurality of display and operator
control units.
[0002] The object of the invention is to specify an operator control arrangement which at little expense enables a high degree of flexibility, for example in terms of redundancy of display and operator control units or in terms of the integration of additional functional units.
[0003] To achieve this object, in an operator control arrangement of the type specified in the introduction the display and operator control units are inventively embodied such that they are functionally identical to one another and are interchangeable, and at least one calculation unit is provided which converts process data of functional units of the rail vehicle into image data and processes operator control data on the basis of operator control actions performed at the display and operator control units, wherein the display and operator control units are connected to the at least one calculation unit via a data network by means of a network protocol for transmitting the image data and the operator control action data, and a status unit is connected to the data network, which status unit determines the respectively valid status of the operator control arrangement by means of a rail-vehicle-specific configuration logic of the possible combinations of a plurality of display and operator control units and the at least one calculation unit as a function of the respective status of the rail vehicle. Functionally identical and interchangeable display and operator control units here refer both to units having a display and keyboard and to units having a touchscreen.
[0004] A major advantage of the inventive operator control arrangement is that it can be manufactured cost-effectively, because identical display and operator control units can be used, resulting in a cost-saving economy of scale. For users, the advantage is that only display and operator control units of one type need be stocked for replacement purposes.
[0005] In addition, the availability of the operator control arrangement is increased, because the identical display and operator control units can substitute each other (redundancy). Based on the available display and operator control units and the at least one calculation unit and the status of the rail vehicle, the status unit decides which data to display at the available display and operator control units.
[0006] To be able correspondingly to generate the displays at the display and operator control units particularly well at comparatively low cost in accordance with the respective different operating states of the rail vehicle, the calculation units are embodied such that they each generate image data to form image sections for displays at the display and operator control units, and the status unit is embodied in respect of its configuration logic such that from the image data to form the image sections a complete display is provided at each of the display and operator control units. Thus at the display and operator control units the image data from different calculation units would be combined to form an overall image. Depending on the valid status of the operator control arrangement in each case the status unit decides dynamically which image data is displayed at which display and operator control units.
[0007] For reasons of cost it is deemed to be advantageous if the display and operator control units, the calculation units and the status unit are connected to the data network via standardized interfaces. Various networks can be considered for the data network; it appears to be advantageous to deploy an Ethernet network as a data network, because it has been tested and adopted in data processing.
[0008] Via the data network the display and operator control units exchange at least image data and operator control actions with the calculation units.
[0009] One way of helping to producing a particularly reliable mode of operation is if the inventive operator control arrangement is provided with a further calculation unit which in a manner corresponding to the interface connection of the one calculation unit is connected to the display and operator control units, the status unit and the control arrangement is achieved in a key area.
[0010] To increase availability the status unit can also be embodied redundantly, if this is required on the basis of the safety classification of the operator control arrangement.
[0011] The availability of the operator control arrangement can additionally be increased by the use of redundant network components. In the case of an Ethernet network this can be achieved by the use of redundant Ethernet switches.
[0012] Furthermore the inventive operator control arrangement offers the advantage of integrating additional calculation units, which on the one hand are connected to the data network and on the other hand to an additional functional unit for the rail vehicle. In this way it is easy to retrofit or upgrade the operator control arrangement, ii without changes being necessary to the existing calculation units and display and operator control units.
[0013] A further advantage of the inventive operator control arrangement is the possibility of integrating the function of the calculation unit directly into the functional unit, thereby achieving a reduction in hardware costs.
[0014] To further explain the invention, an exemplary embodiment of the inventive operator control arrangement is shown schematically in the FIGURE.
[0015] As can be seen from the FIGURE, an operator control arrangement BA has a data network which is embodied as an Ethernet network EN. Connected to the Ethernet network EN are display and operator control units AE1 to AE6, which are functionally identical and hence interchangeable. Each display and operator control unit AE1 to AE6 has a programmable processor (not shown) with in each case a display, an input medium in the form of a touchscreen or keys, and an Ethernet interface. The operating software of the display and operator control units AE1 to AE6 is permanently stored and does not change during operation with the operator control arrangement BA. In addition the operating software is non-specific and independent of the functional units of the rail vehicle. Nor is any user data or configuration data stored by the display and operator control units AE1 to AE6. As a result a simple interchangeability of the display and operator control units AE1 to AE6 is achieved.
[0016] Also connected to the Ethernet network EN is a calculation unit BE1, which represents a programmable processor (not shown) having an Ethernet interface; the calculation unit BE1 does not possess a display and input medium. The calculation unit BE1 is also connected via a bus B to functional units FE1 to FE3 of the rail vehicle. The calculation unit BE1 consequently contains corresponding function-specific operating and application software. It can also store variable user data on integrated mass storage devices.
[0017] The operator control arrangement BA illustrated furthermore contains a further calculation unit BE2, which serves to attain a redundant form of embodiment and consequently is embodied like the one calculation unit BE1 and is arranged in the operator control arrangement BA and is linked in terms of circuitry.
[0018] Also connected to the Ethernet network (EN) is an additional calculation unit BE3, by means of which a supplementary functional unit FE4 for the rail vehicle is incorporated into the operator control arrangement. The additional calculation unit BE3 is structured like the calculation units BE1 and BE2, but differs in respect of the supplementary functional unit FE4 in its operating and application software.
[0019] Furthermore, according to the FIGURE a supplementary functional unit FE5 with a pre-integrated calculation unit BE4 is connected to the Ethernet network EN.
[0020] Essential for the functioning of the illustrated operator control arrangement BA is a status unit ZE, which is connected to the Ethernet network EN. The status unit ZE represents a logical unit which is formed by a programmable processor (not shown) with an Ethernet interface, but without a display or input medium.
[0021] The status unit ZE contains a specific configuration logic which is dependent on the respective equipment of the rail vehicle and which controls the interworking between the display and operator control units AE1 to AE6 and the calculation units BE1 to BE4.
[0022] The status unit ZE determines the respective status, based on an algorithmic method as a function of the respective status of the functional units of the rail vehicle and the availability of the display and operator control units AE1 to AE6 and the calculation units BE1 to BE4, and configures the display and operator control units AE1 to AE6 and the calculation units BE1 to BE4 correspondingly by issuing configuration data.
[0023] This configuration data is received by the respective display and operator control unit AE1 to AE6; the respective display and operator control unit AE1 to AE6 also receives image data from the calculation units BE1 to BE4 and combines this on the basis of the configuration data received, in order to form a graphic display. The image data is generated by the respective calculation unit BE1 to BE4 on the basis of the configuration data issued by the status unit ZE and is sent to the respective currently responsible display and operator control unit AE1 to AE6. In this case the image data is preferably assigned to image sections of the display in each case.
[0024] Communication between the display and operator control units AE1 to AE6 and the calculation units BE1 to BE4 takes place by means of a communication protocol, wherein the transmission of the image data from the calculation units BE1 to BE4 using a compression method as a function of the respective requirements regarding updating cycle, safety classification and respective load on the Ethernet network EN. In this case the granting of necessary resources for individual connections is configured by the status unit ZE.
[0025] By means of the communication protocol inputs which are made at the display and operator control units AE1 to AE6 are also transmitted to the calculation units BE1 to BE4.
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