Research on virtual coupling technology in rail transit train collision protection

In the research on the new generation of intelligent rail transit system, the prevention of train collision accidents is still a focus. Virtual coupling technology controls the running speed and interval distance of two or more trains cooperatively through Train-to-Train (T2T) direct communication technology. The aim is to form a coordinated logical system and jointly complete the train control and dispatching. In this paper, a virtual coupling train formation control method based on the model predictive control (MPC) framework is proposed. From the establishment of the virtual coupling system, the construction of an MPC model and decoupling method, how to integrate virtual coupling technology into the rail transit train collision protection is studied. The safety and reliability of the system are calculated through fault tree and the method of constructing reliability function. The research shows that if virtual coupling technology is used for train collision protection, the overall safety and reliability of the train control system is improved.