A Protection Method for Virtual Coupling Trains Based on the Coordinated Configuration of Emergency Braking Acceleration

In recent years, Virtual Coupling (VC) has emerged as a significant topic in the railway field. It aims to provide more frequent services by enabling trains to operate in closer proximity. However, the current safety protection methods are inadequate in meeting the train separation requirements of VC. The implementation of VC requires an advanced safety protection approach that allows trains to run closer to each other without sacrificing safety. Therefore, to reduce the safety distance and improve train operation efficiency, this paper introduces the concept of coordination. By actively controlling the braking performance of each unit train within VC, it is ensured that the braking performance of the following train is better than that of the leading train, thereby reducing the safety distance and meeting the requirements of VC. Finally, experiments verify the effectiveness of the proposed method. The results show that the minimum safe distance can be shortened by 83.8% when trains with VC technology operate at 80 km/h.