Author(s)

Q. Y. Wang, P. Wu, Z. C. Liang & X. Y. Feng

Abstract

The on-board controllers of high speed trains have been used to relieve drivers’ work by introducing a cruising control strategy or a target-speed automatic control strategy. However, the two control strategies above can only play a minor role during train operation, and the punctuality should be ensured by the train driver and the gradient profile may not be utilized to reduce energy consumption without debasing the punctuality. This paper investigates the real-time control problem of high speed trains, and then proposes a hierarchical control strategy to reduce energy consumption and improve the punctuality of the train operation planned by the railway timetable. The control strategy comprises of two modules, one of which is a speed profile planner, and the other is a speed tracking actuator. In the speed profile planner, an efficient algorithm via solving the optimal switching of adjoint variable based on the maximum principle is adopted to calculate the optimal speed profile of the train running section, meeting both the objective of energy consumption minimization and punctuality constraint. Then an active disturbance rejection controller is designed as the actuator to track the planned speed profile, implementing an accurate tracking of the accelerating process, cruising process and decelerating process. An extended state observer is designed to produce real-time estimates and compensation for the total disturbance. Simulations show that the hierarchical controller can ameliorate train operation effectively, from the aspects of planning and self-regulating ability which can improve operation punctuality offered by the speed profile planner, energy saving and riding comfort mainly offered by the speed tracking actuator with proper parameter values. Keywords: automatic train operation (ATO), energy-efficient control, train control, active disturbance rejection control (ADRC).

Keywords

automatic train operation (ATO), energy-efficient control, train control, active disturbance rejection control (ADRC).