阅读说明：本技术 用于基础设施和/或交通工具的模块化监视系统 (Modular monitoring system for infrastructure and/or vehicles ) 是由 住谷大介 日浦亮太 J.达格纳 S.梅塞尔 于 2020-06-17 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明涉及一种用于基础设施和/或交通工具的监视系统(1),包括：至少两个传感器模块(2a-2d),其配置为从相应相关的传感器(3a-3d)收集相应传感器数据(U、T、V、A)；至少一个访问模块(5、5a-5d),其配置为访问传感器数据(U、T、V、A)；以及时钟模块(4),其配置为向至少两个传感器模块(2a-2d)提供公共时间信号(t),其中,传感器模块(2a-2d)配置为向传感器数据(U、T、V、A)提供时间戳,其中时间戳基于公共时间信号(t)；并且访问模块(5、5a-5d)配置为通过考虑时间戳来转发访问的传感器数据(U、T、V、A),以便提供适用于大型和/或复杂基础设施、交通工具及其组合(1)的增强监视和/或维护系统。(The invention relates to a monitoring system (1) for an infrastructure and/or a vehicle, comprising: at least two sensor modules (2a-2d) configured to collect respective sensor data (U, T, V, A) from respective associated sensors (3a-3 d); at least one access module (5, 5a-5d) configured to access sensor data (U, T, V, A); and a clock module (4) configured to provide a common time signal (t) to at least two sensor modules (2a-2d), wherein the sensor modules (2a-2d) are configured to provide time stamps to the sensor data (U, T, V, A), wherein the time stamps are based on the common time signal (t); and the access module (5, 5a-5d) is configured to forward the accessed sensor data (U, T, V, A) by taking into account the time stamp in order to provide an enhanced monitoring and/or maintenance system suitable for large and/or complex infrastructures, vehicles and combinations (1) thereof.)

1. A monitoring system (1) for an infrastructure and/or a vehicle, comprising:

-at least two sensor modules (2a-2d) configured to collect respective sensor data (U, T, V, A) from respective associated sensors (3a-3 d);

-at least one access module (5, 5a-5d) configured to access sensor data (U, T, V, A);

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

-the clock module (4) is configured to provide a common time signal (t) to at least two of the sensor modules (2a-2 d);

-the sensor modules (2a-2d) are configured to provide timestamps to the sensor data (U, T, V, A), wherein the timestamps are based on the common time signal (t); and is

-the access module (5, 5a-5d) is configured to forward the accessed sensor data (U, T, V, A) by taking into account the time stamp.

2. The system (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the access module (5, 5a-5d) is configured to forward the sensor data (U, T, V, A) to an output module (6, 6c-6d), in particular an output module (6, 6c-6d) with a monitor and/or a speaker, and/or to another access module (5, 5a-5d) and/or an analysis module (7, 7a-7c) configured to analyze sensor data (U, T, V, A).

3. The system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the access module (5, 5a-5d) is configured to forward sensor data (U, T, V, A) of at least two different source modules in a synchronized manner to the output module (6, 6c-6d) and/or the storage module (8, 8a, 8c) and/or to the further access module (5, 5a-5d) and/or to the analysis module (7, 7a-7c), wherein in particular a source module may be a sensor module (2a-2d) or a storage module (8, 8a, 8c) or an output module (6, 6c-6d) or a mix of said modules.

4. The system (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that the access modules (5, 5a-5d) are configured to, for forwarding the sensor data (U, T, V, A) of the at least two different source modules in a synchronized manner, evaluate respective time lags (Aa-Ad) of the sensor data (U, T, V, A) originating from the different source modules, and delay forwarding the sensor data (U, T, V, A) of at least one source module based on the evaluated time lags (Aa-Ad), in particular based on the evaluated maximum time lag.

5. The system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the sensor modules (2a-2d) have at least two different types, wherein each type of sensor module (2a-2d) is associated with a different type of sensor (3a-3d) and is configured to collect different types of sensor data (U, T, V, A).

6. System (1) according to claim 5, characterized in that each of the different types of sensor modules (2a-2d) is associated with at least one of the following sensors as respective sensor (3a-3 d): camera sensors, multiple camera sensors, microphone sensors, multiple microphone sensors, temperature sensors, fire alarm sensors, smoke sensors, voltage sensors, power consumption sensors, door sensors, emergency button sensors, escalator load sensors, vehicle load sensors, electronic current sensors, flow rate sensors, pressure sensors, rotation and/or translation speed sensors, rotation and/or translation acceleration sensors, vibration sensors, motion detection sensors, radar sensors, hall sensors, ultrasonic sensors, GPS sensors, weighing sensors, light barrier sensors.

7. The system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sensor modules (2a-2d) and/or the access modules (5, 5a-5d) have a uniform interface and/or are configured to be replaceable, in particular during operation of the system (1).

8. The system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one storage module (8, 8a, 8c) is configured to store sensor data (U, T, V, A) of at least one sensor module (2a-2d), wherein the at least one access module (5, 5a-5d) is configured to access sensor data (U, T, V, A) in the sensor module (2a-2d) and/or sensor data (U, T, V, A) in the storage module (8, 8a, 8 c).

9. The system (1) of claim 8, wherein each sensor data (U, T, V, A) stored in the storage module (8, 8a, 8c) comprises a plurality of sub-data, each sub-data having a particular timestamp, and the access module (5, 5a-5d) is configured to access only the sub-data having the particular timestamp or timestamps within a particular range of particular access when accessing the sensor data (U, T, V, A) in the storage module (8, 8a, 8 c).

10. The system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sensor module (2a-2d) and/or at least one access module (5, 5a-5d) and/or at least one storage module (8, 8a, 8c) can be configured remotely and/or during operation of the system (1).

11. System (1) according to claim 10, characterized in that the sensor modules (2a-2d) and/or at least one access module (5, 5a-5d) and/or at least one storage module (8, 8a, 8c) are configurable to collect and/or access and forward and/or store sensor data (U, T, V, A) only within one or more preset time intervals and/or only with a data rate limited by a predetermined maximum data rate.

12. The system (1) according to any one of claims 10 or 11, characterized by having more than one access module (5, 5a-5d) and/or more than one storage module (8, 8a, 8c), wherein each access module (5, 5a-5d) and/or storage module (8, 8a, 8c) is configured to access and forward and/or store sensor data (U, T, V, A) of only a subset of sensor modules (2a-2d) and/or only a subset of time intervals.

13. The system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least two sensor modules (2a, 2b) and the at least one access module (5) are part of a first subsystem (1a), and a second subsystem (1b) with at least one further sensor module (2c, 2d) and at least one further access module (5c) is configured to access sensor data (V, A) of the further sensor module (2c, 2d), wherein the access module (5c) of the second subsystem (1b) forwards the sensor data (V, A) of the further sensor module (2c, 2d) to the access module (5) of the first subsystem (1 a).

14. The system (1) according to claim 13, characterized in that the first and second subsystems (1a, 1b) are installed in different entities, in particular the first subsystem (1a) is installed in the infrastructure and the second subsystem (1b) is installed in the vehicle.

15. A method for monitoring an infrastructure and/or a vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:

-collecting, by at least two sensor modules (2a-2d), respective sensor data (U, T, V, A) from respective sensors (3a-3d) associated with the respective sensor modules (2a-2 d);

-accessing sensor data (U, T, V, A) by at least one access module (5, 5a-5 d);

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

-providing a common time signal (t) by a clock module (4) to at least two sensor modules (2a-2 d);

-providing, by the sensor modules (2a-2d), a timestamp to the sensor data (U, T, V, A), wherein the timestamp is based on the common time signal (t); and

-forwarding, by the access module (5, 5a-5d), the accessed sensor data (U, T, V, A) by taking into account the time stamp.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a modular monitoring and/or maintenance system for an infrastructure, such as a train station, airport, shop or other public space, and/or for a vehicle, such as a train, airplane or ship. Such a monitoring system comprises: at least two sensor modules; configured to collect or record respective sensor data from respective associated sensors, such as a camera, a microphone or another sensor providing sensor data, and at least one access module configured to access the sensor data.

Background

As modern infrastructure and/or vehicle sizes and complexities increase, so too does the need for automated or at least partially automated monitoring and/or maintenance systems.

In this case, JP2002247562A provides a monitoring camera system coping with a network through which an operation rate equivalent to that of a multiprocessor type computer can be realized. The monitoring camera system is provided with the network for transmitting image data output from a plurality of monitoring camera units shared by a plurality of monitoring cameras, and a server for receiving the image data through the network. The plurality of monitoring cameras are provided with a communication control section for setting a protocol corresponding to the network to the image data, and the server is provided with a protocol control section for receiving the image data to which the protocol is set from the network.

As for vehicle surveillance, WO2018/180311a1 provides a technique for monitoring train doors to improve the detection accuracy of traps in the doors. In which the server compares the difference between a still image (reference image) from each monitoring camera in a normal state in which there is no trap in the door and a still image (observation image) acquired within a prescribed acquisition time. If a discrepancy is detected and therefore trapped in the door is possible, this may be indicated on the monitor.

Disclosure of Invention

The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an enhanced monitoring and/or maintenance system, in particular a system suitable for large and/or complex infrastructures, vehicles and combinations thereof.

This problem is solved by the subject matter of the independent claims. Advantageous embodiments are apparent from the dependent claims, the description and the drawings.

One aspect relates to a modular monitoring and/or maintenance system for an infrastructure, such as a train station, an airport, a store or another public space, and/or for a vehicle, such as a train, an airplane or a ship. The monitoring system may also be referred to as a monitoring system.

The system includes at least two sensor modules, each configured to collect or record respective sensor data from a respective sensor, such as a camera, a microphone, or another sensor associated with the sensor module, the sensor providing the sensor data. Wherein the sensor may also be or comprise a sensor unit having a plurality of sensors. The sensor modules are configured to provide sensor data to a data network of the system that connects the different modules of the system to, for example, an access module and/or a storage module (described below). Accordingly, the sensor modules may be considered source modules because they serve as sources or data in the network.

Furthermore, the system comprises at least one access module, i.e. one or more access modules, configured to access sensor data of one, more or all sensor modules. Wherein all sensor modules of the system are accessible by the at least one access module. The access module may be configured to access the sensor data directly in (or from) the respective sensor module via a data network or indirectly (i.e. via a storage module that may store sensor data of the sensor module), which will be described below. The access module is configured to forward the accessed sensor data to another module, e.g. a storage module and/or an output module and/or another access module, and/or an analysis module (which will be explained below). Thus, an access module may be considered a distribution module that forwards data from a specified source module to one or more specified target modules. Wherein the target module may be one or more of the storage module and/or the output module and/or the analysis module and/or the other access module. The source module may be one or more of the sensor module and/or the service storage module and/or other access module and/or clock module (as described below). Any access module may also be implemented as a software and/or hardware unit together with the associated object module.

The system further comprises said clock module configured to provide a common time signal to at least two of the at least two sensor modules, in particular to all sensor modules of the system. For example, the system may also comprise three sensor modules, only two of which are provided with a common time signal, and thus are able to provide time stamps for their respective sensor data, as will be described in the next paragraph. The system retains the advantages described below even in cases where the system also includes sensor modules that do not receive a common time signal and therefore are unable to provide timestamps for their respective sensor data. The clock module may also provide a common time signal to the at least one access module and/or the at least one memory module and/or the at least one output module and/or the at least one analysis module. The common time signal may contain time zone information to avoid confusion of data synchronization.

The clock module may be implemented in a single integrated hardware unit, but may also be implemented by a plurality of different and/or distributed cooperating clock units. The cooperating clock units may also be cascaded. Preferably, the cooperating clock units are synchronized. For example, one clock module (or one clock unit of a clock module) may source an absolute time signal via a Network Time Protocol (NTP), and another clock module (or another clock unit of a clock module) may source a sequentially numbered heartbeat time signal via a different protocol, where the latter clock module (or unit) is synchronized with the former clock module (or unit) via NTP.

This gives the advantage of synchronizing all sensor modules, including sensor modules that do not conform to the NTP protocol or such advanced communication capabilities due to limited computational resources.

The sensor module is configured to provide the sensor data with a timestamp to the network, i.e. to add a timestamp to the sensor data, wherein the timestamp is based on the common time signal. Accordingly, the access module is configured to forward the accessed sensor data to the respective other module taking into account the time stamp, the forwarding being dependent on the time stamp. Thus, the access unit uses the time stamp when forwarding or providing the sensor data to another (target) module. This may be done, for example, in the form of a sensor data stream comprising sensor data of different sensor modules in a timely sequence, in particular, for example, indexed by the time stamp.

Thus, the different modules are connected to each other by a data network, the sensor modules being configured to provide the collected sensor data to the network, and the sensor data is accessed by retrieving the sensor data from the network by means of the access unit and/or by means of one or more storage modules as described in more detail below. For example, one access module accesses the sensor data of two sensor modules and forwards it to an output module, for example a monitor, taking into account the time stamp. On the monitor, the sensor data can be displayed in parallel and fully synchronized due to the time stamp. This allows the user to better monitor the infrastructure and/or vehicle on a monitor, as a more realistic estimation of the infrastructure and/or vehicle state can be achieved. Accordingly, in this example, the sensor module will be the source module and the access module will be the target module, taking into account the connection between the sensor module and the access module. Considering the connection between the access module and the output module, the output module will be the target module and the access module will be the source module.

This provides the advantage of a flexible and reliable system which can also be used for monitoring and thus maintaining large or complex infrastructures and/or vehicles, since delays in the monitoring system network due to high data loads and/or due to different cable lengths from the respective sensor to the access/output/analysis module and/or due to different numbers of hierarchical levels (and thus processing steps) between the respective sensor module and the access/output/analysis module can be compensated by taking the time stamp into account when the access module forwards the sensor data. Thus, in a system comprising different hierarchical trees with multiple intermediate or parallel processing levels, reliable monitoring and maintenance is also possible: for example, a set of sensor modules at a first location, such as a train station, and another set of sensor modules at a second location, such as a train, may then be jointly monitored using a common output module, where the individual delays of the different hierarchical trees may be compensated by the system. This allows a better assessment of the state in which the monitored infrastructure and/or vehicle is, as the temporal correlation in events detected by different sensor modules can be more easily and reliably understood by supervisors as well as by supervision algorithms in the analysis module.

In an advantageous embodiment, the access module is configured to forward the sensor data to an output module, in particular an output module with a monitor and/or a speaker, and/or another access module and/or an analysis module configured to analyze the sensor data. For example, the analysis module may be or include a computer that runs an analysis routine or algorithm on the sensor data to detect correlations and/or anomalies.

This gives the advantage that the sensor data and thus the infrastructure and/or the vehicle can be monitored by a person (manually) and/or by a computer (automatically), wherein basically any arbitrary layout of the system can be designed in order to select the optimal configuration for the monitoring system in the respective infrastructure and/or vehicle to be monitored. It has to be noted here that the use of multiple access modules allows, among other things, that the system design can avoid certain bottlenecks in the network, since the data traffic can be more evenly distributed throughout the network than a single data node, which needs to transmit all data through e.g. a single access module.

In a further advantageous embodiment, the access module is configured to forward sensor data of or from at least two different source modules to the output module and/or the storage module and/or to a further access module and/or the analysis module in a synchronized manner. When forwarding sensor data in a synchronous manner, sensor data having the same time step will be forwarded together and/or simultaneously, wherein the same time may refer to the same time window according to a transmission protocol or the like. In particular, the source module may be or comprise a respective sensor module or a storage module or an output module or a mixture of said modules, and a clock module.

This gives the advantage that the sensor data can also be output and/or stored in a synchronized manner or can more easily be forwarded further in a synchronized manner. This makes further processing or manual supervision of the computer easier. Furthermore, the access module then only forwards (and potentially also accesses, particularly when the accessed sensor data is stored in the storage module) the sensor data that needs to be forwarded at a particular time, resulting in a more even workload in the network.

Wherein, that is, to forward sensor data of at least two different source modules in a synchronized manner, the access module may be configured to evaluate respective (relative and/or absolute) time lags of sensor data originating from the different source modules and to forward sensor data of at least one source module based on the evaluated time lags. In particular, the forwarding of sensor data of at least one source module may be based on an evaluated maximum time lag. Thus, the access module may be configured to forward sensor data from different sources with respective timestamps corresponding to the same point in time together and/or synchronously, the sensor data arriving at the access module at different times, i.e. with different (relative) time lags. In addition to or instead of the relative time lag, the module for evaluating the time lag may evaluate an absolute time lag of the sensor data. This may be accomplished, for example, by providing a common time signal to the respective modules and comparing the time stamp of the sensor data to the common time signal reflecting the global time. In particular, all sensor data forwarded by the access module may be forwarded and/or synchronized together. Alternatively, the subset of sensor data may be forwarded in an unsynchronized manner, such as at the time it arrives at the access module. For example, when such "out of sync" sensor data is output to the operator, it is preferably marked as out of sync. This gives the advantage that data that is preferentially observed has less delay than data that is synchronized with other data, can be displayed with minimal delay as needed, and does not confuse a human operator.

In a further advantageous embodiment, the sensor modules are of at least two qualitatively different types, wherein each type of sensor module is associated with a different type of sensor and is configured to collect qualitatively different types of sensor data. This gives the advantage of a system that provides a broad and particularly accurate overview of the status of the infrastructure and/or vehicle being monitored.

In particular, each of the different types of sensor modules may be associated with at least one of the following sensors as respective sensors: camera sensors, multiple camera sensors, microphone sensors, multiple microphone sensors, temperature sensors, fire alarm sensors, smoke sensors, voltage sensors, power consumption sensors, door sensors, emergency button sensors, escalator load sensors, vehicle sensors, electronic current sensors, flow rate sensors, pressure sensors, rotational speed sensors, translational speed sensors, rotational acceleration sensors, translational acceleration sensors, vibration sensors, motion detection sensors, radar sensors, hall sensors, ultrasonic sensors, GPS (which may include any global positioning system, GPS, GLONASS, galileo, etc.) sensors, weighing sensors (which may be used, for example, as dynamometers), light barrier sensors. Thus, one sensor module may collect sensor data from the camera sensor, which makes it a camera sensor module, while another sensor module may be associated with the voltage sensor as a corresponding sensor, which makes it a voltage sensor module, etc. Sensors and sensor modules of the type described have proven to be particularly useful in the monitoring and maintenance of infrastructures and/or vehicles and are therefore particularly advantageous.

In a further advantageous embodiment, the sensor module and/or the access module and/or the storage module and/or the output module and/or the evaluation module have one (or more) unified interface(s) and/or are configured to be replaceable or replaceable, in particular replaceable or replaceable during operation of the system ("hot-pluggable"). To this end, the sensor data may be encapsulated data, for example in a so-called container format, wherein all sensor data have the same data format, despite the different content types. The access module can then process the data without requiring information about the content. Furthermore, the different modules, for example the access module of the vehicle and the access module of the infrastructure, can be connected to themselves by a wireless connection, for example WLAN or bluetooth, in order to be exchangeable during operation of the system.

This gives the advantage of a particularly flexible system, wherein the sensor module can be upgraded or replaced during operation, and/or without the need to change the hardware and/or software of the rest of the system. This interchangeability also enables sensor modules of different entities (e.g., infrastructure and different vehicles) to be flexibly integrated into the monitoring and/or maintenance system. In such an arrangement, the access module of the vehicle is accessible (as a source module) by the access module of the infrastructure (as a destination module), thus allowing the system to integrate the vehicles as they enter the infrastructure, so their status is related to the status of the infrastructure.

In another advantageous embodiment, the system comprises at least one storage module configured to store sensor data of the at least one sensor module. In particular, the at least one memory module is configured to store sensor data of at least two sensor modules or of all sensor modules. The at least one access module (or one of the at least one access module) is configured to access collected sensor data in the sensor module and/or stored sensor data in the storage module. It will be apparent that there may be one access module that accesses sensor data in a sensor module and forwards it to a storage module (and/or another module, such as an output or further access module), while a second access module accesses sensor data in a storage module and forwards it to a further module, such as an analysis module.

This gives the advantage that the system flexibility is further increased, for example in order to reduce data traffic in the network, only part of the sensor data may be forwarded to the output or analysis module, for example once the data is available in a synchronized manner, but the complete sensor data may be stored for later analysis. Furthermore, by storing sensor data, an offline function may be enabled, wherein the complete sensor data (which may also include data not related to daily routing) may be viewed, for example after some event has occurred, in order to ascertain the cause and/or impact of the event.

Wherein each sensor data stored in the storage module may include a plurality of sub data, wherein each sub data has a specific time stamp, and the access unit is configured to access only the sub data having the time stamp designated for the specific access or the time stamp within a preset range designated as being designated for the specific access when accessing the stored sensor data in the storage module. This gives the advantage of an access function within the storage module, which further reduces the traffic load in the network, since only the required data specified in the access need to be transmitted, which is minimized in size. Specifying a time range for the time stamp rather than a particular time stamp facilitates searching for data within a given range (time a to time B) without necessarily matching exactly each time.

In a further advantageous embodiment, the sensor module and/or the at least one access module and/or the at least one further storage module can be configured remotely and/or dynamically as a function monitoring system during operation of the system. For example, upon entering an infrastructure (e.g., a train station), an access module of a vehicle (e.g., a train) may be configured to forward sensor data of a particular sensor module of the vehicle to a corresponding access module and/or output module and/or analysis module of the infrastructure upon entering the infrastructure. Upon leaving the infrastructure, the access module of the vehicle may be configured to forward sensor data of different specific sensor modules to respective modules located in the infrastructure.

This gives the advantage of further flexibility and reduced complexity of the system, since the individual modules can be dynamically configured to the specific requirements in the case of at-hand, which reduces the administrative overhead and unnecessary data transfers, thereby increasing the clarity of the output of data to a human supervisor.

In a further advantageous embodiment, the sensor module and/or the at least one access module and/or the at least one storage module may be configured to collect, access and forward and/or store sensor data, respectively, only during one or more preset time intervals and/or only with a data rate limited by a predetermined or preset maximum data rate. The preset time interval or preset maximum data rate may also be dynamically preset, e.g. depending on the network load. In particular, the preset time interval may be determined by a maximum size of the sensor data corresponding to the preset time interval, which is determined by a size of the sensor data forwarded in the specific time period under consideration. For example, the cameras may be configured to transmit collected or recorded images to the respective access modules only every second.

This gives the advantage that the data load in the system network can be reduced, data congestion and corresponding undesired effects avoided, while still the infrastructure and the vehicle can be effectively monitored according to the preset criteria. For example, transmitting only every second image of a camera still allows for effective visual monitoring of an area, while transmitting a complete set of all images in half the time may result in less effective monitoring.

The system may include more than one access module and/or more than one storage module, where each access module and/or each storage module may be configured to access and forward and/or store sensor data for only a subset of the sensor modules and/or only a subset of the time intervals. Thus, a particular sensor module may be associated with a particular access and/or storage module.

This gives the advantage of improving the distribution of data traffic in the network, thereby avoiding bottlenecks. Furthermore, distributed access and/or storage of sensor data may result in improved data security and/or robustness. In a particularly advantageous embodiment, the at least two sensor modules and the at least one access module are part of a first subsystem, which may further comprise one or more storage modules and/or output modules and/or analysis modules. The monitoring and/or maintenance system further comprises a second subsystem having at least one further sensor module and at least one further access module configured to access sensor data of the further sensor module, wherein the access module of the second subsystem is configured to forward the sensor data of the further sensor module to one of the access module or the access module of the first subsystem. As a first subsystem, the second subsystem may also comprise one or more further storage modules and one or more, i.e. at least one, output module. Thus, the access modules of the first and second subsystems may forward the sensor data of the first and second subsystems to the respective output modules of the first subsystem. The access module of the second subsystem may forward only the sensor data of the second subsystem to the corresponding output module of the second subsystem. Thus, by means of the output module of the second subsystem, the second subsystem can be monitored, and by means of the output module of the first subsystem, the first and second subsystems can be monitored. It is clear that the number of sensor modules in different subsystems is not limited to the described examples. The sensor modules (and other modules) of the complete monitoring and/or maintenance system that has been described may also be implemented in the sensor modules (and other modules) of the subsystem.

This gives the advantage that the system can be composed of different hierarchically arranged subsystems, thereby increasing the flexibility and possible applications of the system. Thus, the system can be expanded as needed at hand, for example, a plurality of different second subsystems associated with a first subsystem.

In particular, the first and second subsystems may be installed at different entities and/or different locations. The first subsystem may be installed in an infrastructure such as a train station, while the second subsystem may be installed in a vehicle such as a train. This gives the advantage that both locations, in particular the infrastructure and the vehicle, can be monitored individually or jointly.

Another aspect relates to a method for monitoring an infrastructure and/or a vehicle having a plurality of method steps. One method step is collecting, by at least two sensor modules, respective sensor data from respective sensors associated with the respective sensor modules. Another method step is accessing the sensor data by at least one access module. Yet another method step includes providing, by the clock module, a common time signal to all sensor modules and providing, by the sensor modules, timestamps to the respective sensor data, wherein the timestamps are based on the common time signal. Finally, another method step is for the accessing module to forward the accessed sensor data to another module, which may be referred to as a target module, taking into account the timestamp.

The advantages and advantageous embodiments of the method correspond to the advantages and advantageous embodiments of the monitoring and/or maintenance system.

The features and combinations of features described above and disclosed separately in the description of the figures or in the drawings may be used not only alone or in the combinations described but also with other features or without some of the disclosed features without departing from the scope of the invention. Thus, embodiments which are not explicitly shown and described in the drawings but which can be produced by individually combining the individual features disclosed in the drawings are also part of the invention. Accordingly, embodiments and combinations of features not including all of the features of the initially claimed independent claims are considered disclosed. Furthermore, embodiments and combinations of features other than or in addition to those described by the dependent claims are considered disclosed.

Drawings

Exemplary embodiments are further described below by way of schematic diagrams. Wherein the content of the first and second substances,

FIG. 1 shows a first exemplary embodiment of a monitoring system;

FIG. 2 shows a second exemplary embodiment of a monitoring system;

FIG. 3 shows a third exemplary embodiment of a monitoring system; and

fig. 4 shows a fourth exemplary embodiment of the monitoring system.

In the drawings, identical or functionally identical elements have the same reference numerals.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 shows a first exemplary embodiment of a monitoring system 1 for an infrastructure and/or a vehicle. The monitoring system 1 comprises at least two (in this example four) sensor modules 2a-2d configured to collect respective sensor data U, T, V, A from respective associated sensors 3a-3 d. In the present embodiment, the first sensor 3a is a voltage sensor, which provides corresponding voltage data U as sensor data. The second sensor 3b may be a temperature sensor, which provides corresponding temperature data T as sensor data. In the present example, the third sensor 3c is selected as a camera sensor, which provides the respective video data V as sensor data, and the fourth sensor 3D as a microphone sensor, which provides the audio data a as sensor data. Any other sensor may be used in addition to the example shown.

The monitoring system 1 further comprises a clock module 4, which may also be referred to as a master clock module, configured to provide a common time signal t to all sensor modules 2a-2 d. As indicated by the dashed arrow, the clock module 4 may also provide the time signal t to other modules, such as the access module 5 and/or the output module 6 (which in this example is also part of the monitoring system 1) and/or a memory module (not shown).

The sensor modules 2a-2d are configured to provide timestamps to the sensor data U, T, V, A, wherein the timestamps are based on the common time signal t. Thus, the sensor modules 2a-2d make available the sampled and typically digitized physical values corresponding to the respective sensors 3a-3d to the requesting module, i.e. the access module 5. Time stamped sensor data may be referred to as sensor data U_t,T_t,V_t,A_tWith the index omitted below. A time stamp may be attached to each sample value or intermittently. For example, when the sampling frequency is constant, a time stamp may be provided for every 10 samples of sensor data U, T, V, A.

At least one access module 5 is configured to access the sensor data U, T, V, A and forward the accessed sensor data U, T, V, A taking into account the timestamp T. The access module is thus configured to receive the necessary data from the respective sensor modules, in this example the sensor modules 2a-2 d. Where each inbound sensor data U, T, V, A has a respective lag or delay Aa-Ad depending on the route the data takes in the network of system 1.

Accordingly, in this example, the access module 5 also has a synchronization function, in which sensor data U, T, V, A from time t is buffered, i.e. temporarily stored in the access module 5 for a short period of time, and then sent to another module, here the output module 6, with a uniform latency or delay, e.g. at time t + x, where x is the uniform rendering latency. The uniform latency x may be the maximum delay of the Aa-Ad alone, or any latency longer than the maximum delay.

However, access module 5 may be configured to wait only for a certain maximum latency time to wait for sensor data U, T, V, A, which is less than the maximum latency of individual delays Aa-Ad. This effectively enables maximum waiting for the expiration date of the delay data. Such a cutoff time, i.e., a specific maximum wait time, may be programmed for each sensor module or group of sensor modules. For example, such a maximum waiting time or cutoff time may be selected to be relatively small for sensors providing values (e.g., voltage or temperature or audio sensors) and relatively large for camera images. For this purpose, it may be advantageous to provide the time signal t of the clock module 4 to the access module 5, so that the amount of delay can be accurately quantified.

Alternatively, the access module may be configured to forward the sensor data U, T, V, A to other modules without synchronization functionality, i.e. once the respective sensor data U, T, V, A is available in the access module 5. The output module 6 to which the sensor data U, T, V, A is forwarded in this example may be attached to or include a respective monitor and/or speaker in order to output synchronized or unsynchronized sensor data U, T, V, A to a user.

Additionally or alternatively, the access module 5 may forward the sensor data U, T, V, A to one or more additional modules, in this example analysis modules 7, 7a, configured to analyze the sensor data U, T, V, A (indicated by dashed arrows). The analysis module 7 may be a general analysis module 7 for detecting or analyzing a variety of events, or a specific analysis module 7a, 7b, 7c configured to detect or analyze a specific event, such as a fire, a vehicle malfunction, or a passenger behavior abnormality. In the present example, the specific analysis module 7b for detecting a vehicle fault only needs sensor data U, T from both sensor modules 2a, 2b, thus, for efficiency reasons, receiving sensor data U, T from the other access module 5b (indicated by the dashed arrow). Accordingly, in the present example, a particular analysis module 7c, e.g. for detecting passenger behavioural anomalies, relies on sensor data V, A from the other sensor modules 2c, 2d, which in the present example is forwarded by the further access module 5c (indicated by the dashed arrow) to the analysis module 7 c.

It is clear that also the specific analysis module 7b, 7c may be provided with corresponding sensor data U, T, V, A by the access module 5. In order to provide the analysis and/or storage and/or output module with a corresponding access module, the corresponding access module can be integrated into the module to which it is configured to forward the sensor data. This applies to hardware and/or software units being or comprising respective modules.

In fig. 2, another exemplary embodiment of the monitoring system 1 is shown. Here, in the standard "online" monitoring mode, the sensor data U, T of some sensor modules 2a, 2b are provided by a respective access module 5a to a first memory module 8a, while the sensor data V, A of other sensor modules 2C, 2d are provided by another respective access module 5C to a second memory module 8C, which is also shown in fig. 1.

In this online monitoring mode, the respective vehicle and/or infrastructure is monitored in real time or near real time by using the monitoring system 1, so that, for example, proper functioning of the vehicle and/or infrastructure can be ensured and an undesired event, such as an accident or fire, can be responded to in time. However, it may be desirable to understand the potential causal chains, for example, after the undesirable events have occurred, and thus access them hours or even days after the sensor data U, T, V, A is recorded. For this purpose, they are stored in the respective memory modules 8a, 8c in the present example. Instead of the decentralized storage shown, the access module 5 may also forward the sensor data U, T, V, A to a central storage module (not shown).

The clock module 4 may provide a common time signal t to the memory modules 8a, 8c in order to synchronize the sensor data U, T, V, A, but this is not essential. In case of data synchronization, the time stamp can be used, for example, as an index to the list data, whether by the respective access module 5a, 5c or the storage module 8a, 8c itself, which allows a more efficient data retrieval.

When the stored data U, T, V, A is to be retrieved for post-hoc analysis, the monitoring system 1 may operate in a so-called "offline" monitoring mode, wherein the sensor data U, T, V, A stored in the storage modules 8a, 8c is accessed by the access module 5 and forwarded to the modules, which may be the output module 6 for manual monitoring and/or the analysis module 7 for automatic monitoring. This access, i.e. offline mode, of the memory modules 8a, 8c is indicated in fig. 2 by dashed arrows.

Fig. 3 shows a further exemplary embodiment of the monitoring system 1. Wherein some of the sensor modules 2a, 2b and the access module 5 are part of a first subsystem 1a and one or more other sensor modules 2c, 2d and corresponding other access modules 5c are part of a second subsystem 1 b.

Here, the access module 5 of the first subsystem 1a is configured to access sensor data U, T of the sensor modules 2a, 2b of the first subsystem 1a and to access sensor data V, A of the sensor modules 2c, 2d of the second subsystem 1b, the latter via a further access module 5 c. In this example, the access module 5 is further configured to forward the accessed sensor data U, T, V, A to the output module 6 and the storage module 8. Additionally or alternatively, the access module 5 of the first subsystem 1a may also be configured to forward the accessed sensor data U, T, V, A to another module, such as an analysis module.

The access module 5c of the second subsystem 1b is configured to access the sensor data V, A of the sensor modules 2c, 2d of the second subsystem 1b and forward it to the access module 5 of the first subsystem 1 a. Furthermore, in the present example, the access module 5c is configured to forward the sensor data A, V to the respective (local) output unit 6c and the (local) storage module 8c of the second subsystem 1 b. When forwarding said sensor data A, V to the access module 5 of the first subsystem 1a, a corresponding delay Dc may occur, which may then be processed by the access module 5, similar to what was described above for the delays Aa-Ad. The first and second subsystems 1a, 1b may be installed in different entities, for example the first subsystem 1a may be installed in an infrastructure, while the second subsystem 1b may be installed in a vehicle, with the local output module 6c and the local storage module 8c installed in the vehicle. Then, throughout the operation of the vehicle, the user can monitor the state of the vehicle by using the output module 6 c. The sensor data of the respective sensor module 2c, 2d can be stored in said storage module 8c for later retrieval, in particular for making available a history of the sensor data of the vehicles available to the access module 5 of the infrastructure and thus to the users of the monitoring system 1a of the infrastructure. When the vehicle is likely to move, the delay Dc may also be dynamically varied, which may be compensated, in particular up to a given maximum latency x, or not, wherein the delayed data may be marked accordingly when output to the user. Additionally and/or alternatively, since the available network bandwidth between the vehicle and the infrastructure is typically limited, the access module 5c of the second subsystem 1b may also forward sensor data of only a subset of the sensor modules 2c, 2d of the second subsystem 1b to the access module 5, in particular depending on the available bandwidth.

Thus, in the infrastructure, not only the state of the infrastructure represented by the sensor data U, T of the sensor modules 2a, 2b of the first subsystem 1a can be monitored via the output module 6: since the access module 5C of the second subsystem 1b is accessible by the access module 5 of the first subsystem 1a, it is also possible to monitor the status of the vehicle (assuming that there is a data connection between the two access modules 5, 5C). To this end, the access module 5c and/or the access module 5 and other modules of the system 1 may be remotely configured, for example, to allow a data connection to be established between said access modules 5, 5 c. Such a data connection may be established automatically if a given condition is fulfilled, for example when a vehicle with subsystem 1b approaches the infrastructure with subsystem 1a to a given distance. Therefore, the state in which the train approaches the train station can be already monitored by the monitoring system 1a of the train station.

Fig. 4 shows another exemplary embodiment of the monitoring system 1. In addition to the modules and the corresponding connections shown in fig. 2, the present embodiment also comprises further access modules 5b, 5d and further output modules 6b, 6d, which are connected to the modules known from fig. 2 by means of additional data connections.

In addition to the access module 5, the sensor data V, A of some sensor modules 2c, 2d are accessed by a further access module 5d, which further access module 5d forwards the respective data to a further output module 6d and a second further access module 5 b. The second further access module 5d accesses the sensor data U, T of some other sensor module, here the remaining sensor modules 2a, 2b, and forwards it to the second further output module 6 b. In the present example, the second further access module 5b accesses the sensor data U, T via the sensor modules 2a, 2b (directly) and additionally (indirectly) via the storage module 8a and the access module 5.

Wherein the sensor modules 2a-2d and in this example the other modules 5, 5a-5d, 6b, 6d, 8a, 8c have a uniform interface, so that also different kinds of sensor data U, T, V, A can be processed by different modules having a common design. This enables to simplify the measurement of the system load and to dynamically take the system load into account for distributing the processing in the system, i.e. access, forwarding, storing, outputting, etc. For example, the tasks of an overloaded module or overloaded hardware component may be shared with or divided into another module by cascading the modules accordingly, an example of which is shown in fig. 4. In addition, the flow of data through the system may be adjusted by changing the flow routing. This flexible arrangement also allows certain sensor data, i.e. certain types of sensor data and/or sensor data of certain sensor modules, to be prioritized and e.g. forwarded to the respective output module, while other non-prioritized sensor data are not forwarded but e.g. only output locally or only stored for later access.