EP4324719A1 - Railroad car operation control apparatus - Google Patents

Railroad car operation control apparatus Download PDF

Info

Publication number
EP4324719A1
EP4324719A1 EP22788202.4A EP22788202A EP4324719A1 EP 4324719 A1 EP4324719 A1 EP 4324719A1 EP 22788202 A EP22788202 A EP 22788202A EP 4324719 A1 EP4324719 A1 EP 4324719A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
railroad vehicle
speed limit
calculate
calculation module
obstacle
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Pending
Application number
EP22788202.4A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
French (fr)
Inventor
Yusuke Takahashi
Hiroyuki Kobayashi
Takuya FUTAGAMI
Wataru Asano
Yohei Hattori
Hiroaki Ito
Noriyasu Kato
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Toshiba Corp
Toshiba Infrastructure Systems and Solutions Corp
Original Assignee
Toshiba Corp
Toshiba Infrastructure Systems and Solutions Corp
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Toshiba Corp, Toshiba Infrastructure Systems and Solutions Corp filed Critical Toshiba Corp
Publication of EP4324719A1 publication Critical patent/EP4324719A1/en
Pending legal-status Critical Current

Links

Images

Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B61—RAILWAYS
    • B61L—GUIDING RAILWAY TRAFFIC; ENSURING THE SAFETY OF RAILWAY TRAFFIC
    • B61L23/00—Control, warning or like safety means along the route or between vehicles or trains
    • B61L23/04—Control, warning or like safety means along the route or between vehicles or trains for monitoring the mechanical state of the route
    • B61L23/041—Obstacle detection
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B61—RAILWAYS
    • B61L—GUIDING RAILWAY TRAFFIC; ENSURING THE SAFETY OF RAILWAY TRAFFIC
    • B61L15/00—Indicators provided on the vehicle or train for signalling purposes
    • B61L15/0062—On-board target speed calculation or supervision

Definitions

  • Embodiments of the present invention relate to a railroad vehicle operation control apparatus.
  • railroad managers need to check for obstacles in the path of railroad vehicles, such as railroad trains and electric trains, in order to ensure the safety of the railroad vehicles in operation of the railroad vehicles.
  • sensors e.g., cameras
  • the maximum detection distance of the sensor to an obstacle differs according to geographical and environmental conditions (weather conditions, etc.). Therefore, for example, when the maximum detection distance of the sensor to an obstacle is short, if the traveling speed is not slowed down, a collision between the railroad vehicle and the obstacle may not be avoided if braking is started after the obstacle is detected.
  • conventional technology fails to take measures against this point.
  • an object of the present embodiment is to provide a railroad vehicle operation control apparatus capable of adjusting the traveling speed of a railroad vehicle according to the maximum detection distance of a sensor to an obstacle.
  • a railroad vehicle operation control apparatus includes: a sensor configured to detect an obstacle in a traveling direction of a railroad vehicle in traveling; a maximum detection distance calculation module configured to calculate a maximum detection distance within which the sensor is able to detect the obstacle; a stopping distance calculation module configured to calculate a stopping distance when an emergency brake of the railroad vehicle is applied; a temporary speed limit calculation module configured to calculate a temporary speed limit that is a vehicle speed at which the railroad vehicle is able to stop by the emergency brake at a smaller distance of the maximum detection distance and the stopping distance; a regular speed limit calculation module configured to calculate a regular speed limit corresponding to a position of the railroad vehicle during normal traveling; a traveling pattern setting module configured to calculate and set a traveling pattern representing relationship between the position and a target speed of the railroad vehicle based on the temporary speed limit and the regular speed limit; and a target speed generation module configured to generate the target speed based on the traveling pattern and transmit the target speed to a control device of the railroad vehicle.
  • a railroad vehicle operation control apparatus will be explained below with reference to the accompanying drawings. To facilitate understanding of the railroad vehicle operation control apparatus according to the embodiment, the conventional technology is first explained again.
  • railroad managers need to check for obstacles in the path of railroad vehicles, such as railroad trains and electric trains, in order to ensure the safety of the railroad vehicles in operation of the railroad vehicles.
  • the following may be installed in sections where obstacles to the path of railroad vehicles are likely to occur due to fall of passengers or luggage from station platforms and/or automobiles or bicycles stalled at railroad crossings, or the like.
  • emergency stop warning buttons may be installed in sections where obstacles are likely to occur in the path of railroad vehicles, to give notice of an emergency situation of railroad trains and/or stations, etc.
  • the stopping distance is the sum of the idle running distance by which the railroad vehicle travels until the driver or the above equipment detects the obstacle and takes action to slow down the railroad vehicle, and the braking distance from when the railroad vehicle starts to slow down to a stop.
  • railroad vehicles are different from automobile collision avoidance systems in that the railroad vehicles have longer braking distances and cannot avoid obstacles by steering due to the constraints of traveling on rails. Therefore, railroad vehicles are required to detect obstacles existing in their path from a distance with high accuracy.
  • the size of the detectable area (distance) of a sensor changes from time to time depending on the traveling conditions due to geographical and environmental conditions (e.g., weather conditions).
  • geographical and environmental conditions e.g., weather conditions.
  • the detectable distance is shorter than the stopping distance, it is likely that a collision with an obstacle cannot be avoided.
  • the only restriction is simply to travel at or below a preset speed limit for each section, so even if an obstacle is actually detected, there is a possibility that the vehicle may not be traveling at a speed at which a collision can be avoided.
  • the following explanation illustrates a technology that can adjust the traveling speed of railroad vehicles according to the maximum detection distance of the sensor to an obstacle.
  • FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a railroad vehicle RV according to an embodiment.
  • a railroad vehicle RV according to the present embodiment includes a travel obstacle detection sensor 10, a position and speed sensor 20, a speed calculation device 30, and a drive and braking control device 40.
  • the travel obstacle detection sensor 10 is an example of a device that detects obstacles in a traveling direction of the railroad vehicle RV in traveling.
  • the range in which the travel obstacle detection sensor 10 detects obstacles may be limited to a track.
  • the position and speed sensor 20 is an example of a device that measures the position and the traveling speed of the railroad vehicle RV.
  • the speed calculation device 30 is an example of a device that calculates a target speed based on detection results of obstacles and/or the detectable distance to obstacles by the travel obstacle detection sensor 10 and the position and the traveling speed of the railroad vehicle RV obtained by the position and speed sensor 20 and the like.
  • the drive and braking control device 40 is an example of a device that controls the traveling speed and other aspects of the railroad vehicle RV by powering, coasting, and braking based on the target speed and other factors.
  • FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the speed calculation device 30 according to the embodiment.
  • the speed calculation device 30 includes a maximum detection distance calculation module 301, a stopping distance calculation module 302, a temporary speed limit calculation module 303, a regular speed limit calculation module 304, a traveling pattern setting module 305, a target speed generation module 306, and a storage unit 307.
  • Some or all of the units 301 to 306 are achieved by a processor included in the railroad vehicle RV, such as a central processing unit (CPU), executing software stored in the storage unit 307.
  • CPU central processing unit
  • the units 301 to 306 may be achieved by hardware being a circuit board, such as a large scale integration (LSI), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and a field programmable gate array (FPGA), etc.
  • the units 301 to 306 may be achieved by cooperation of software executed by the processor and hardware.
  • the storage unit 307 includes a non-volatile storage medium, such as a read-only memory (ROM), a flash memory, a hard disk drive (HDD), and a secure digital (SD) card, and a volatile storage medium, such as a random-access memory (RAM) and a register.
  • ROM read-only memory
  • HDD hard disk drive
  • SD secure digital
  • RAM random-access memory
  • the storage unit 307 stores therein various information items, such as computer programs executed by the processor included in the railroad vehicle RV.
  • the maximum detection distance calculation module 301 timely calculates the maximum detection distance at which obstacles can be detected by the travel obstacle detection sensor 10 for the traveling direction of the railroad vehicle RV.
  • the travel obstacle detection sensor 10 can be any type of sensor, including a camera image recognition sensor (imaging device), a stereo camera sensor, a millimeter wave radar sensor, a 3D light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensor, and others.
  • FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of an image taken by the travel obstacle detection sensor 10 according to the embodiment. When the travel obstacle detection sensor 10 is a camera image recognition sensor, image data as illustrated in FIG. 3 can be obtained.
  • the detection performance may deteriorate due to the sunlight environment. For example, when the sun is included within the camera's angle of view, halation (overexposure) occurs in the camera image, or black clipping occurs in areas other than the sun to adjust the brightness level of the entire image. In addition, in low-illuminance environments, such as at night or in tunnels, accurate detection may only be possible in a range as far as the front lights of the railroad vehicle RV can reach. Regardless of the type of the travel obstacle detection sensor 10, detection performance may deteriorate due to weather conditions, such as clouds, rain, snow, fog, temperature, humidity, wind, and tornadoes.
  • weather conditions such as clouds, rain, snow, fog, temperature, humidity, wind, and tornadoes.
  • the maximum detection distance calculation module 301 calculates the maximum detection distance of the travel obstacle detection sensor 10 in a timely manner based on predetermined weather information obtained from outside.
  • Examples of the calculation method include a method of calculating the maximum detection distance by analyzing the actual measurement data of the travel obstacle detection sensor 10, and a method of performing measurement for the sunlight and/or environmental conditions and storing the relationship between those conditions and the maximum detection distance of the travel obstacle detection sensor 10 as a database in the storage unit 307 in advance.
  • the video image analysis technology of a visible light camera as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2019-84881 , the continuity of the rail area is analyzed from the video image of the rail track, to determine the distance at which a distant place cannot be visualized due to rain or fog and use it as the maximum detection distance.
  • the vegetation growing on the inside part of the curve may reduce visibility due to temporary concealment. While it does not obstruct traveling in itself, poor visibility reduces the distance at which an obstacle can be detected by the travel obstacle detection sensor 10. Also in this case, a distance up to the divided position can be calculated as the maximum detection distance by analyzing the continuity of the rail area on the image, as in the case of video analysis of a visible light camera, as in the technique in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2019-84881 described above.
  • the detection performance may deteriorate due to a defect in the travel obstacle detection sensor 10 itself.
  • a self-diagnostic function may be provided to check for degradation of output signals, sensitivity degradation due to sensor contamination, etc., or performance degradation due to external noise.
  • the maximum detection distance calculation module 301 calculates the maximum detection distance based on the self-diagnosis results acquired by the travel obstacle detection sensor 10.
  • the stopping distance calculation module 302 calculates the stopping distance at the time when the emergency brakes are applied based on the vehicle's own speed and other data obtained from the position and speed sensor 20.
  • a stationary distance at which the railroad vehicle RV can securely stop is calculated in a timely manner in consideration of the idle running distance until an emergency brake command is issued and the brakes are applied, as well as the actual vehicle body weight, brake characteristics, and the braking distance with the rail surface condition taken into account.
  • the temporary speed limit calculation module 303 calculates an upper limit value of the traveling speed, i.e., the temporary speed limit that is the vehicle speed at which the railroad vehicle RV can stop by emergency braking, from a maximum detection distance value Ld calculated by the maximum detection distance calculation module 301 and a stopping distance value Ls calculated by the stopping distance calculation module 302. During normal traveling, "Ld > Ls" is satisfied, and the railroad vehicle RV is traveling in a state in which a distant place farther than the distance at which the railroad vehicle RV can stop is detectable.
  • the railroad vehicle RV cannot necessarily stop at all distances at which the travel obstacle detection sensor 10 can detect an obstacle. Therefore, the vehicle speed at which contact with an obstacle can be avoided or damage can be reduced is calculated. For example, to avoid contact with an obstacle, the speed should be limited to speed at which "Ld > Ls" is satisfied. The speed is calculated as the temporary speed limit in a timely manner.
  • the travel obstacle detection sensor 10 can also measure the moving speed of the detected obstacle, it can also take the relative speed (relative approach speed) of the obstacle into account to reduce contact damage by setting the temporary speed limit smaller than normal.
  • the temporary speed limit may be set greater than normal, also in consideration of the relative speed (relative leaving speed) of the obstacle. It is also possible to perform control to apply no temporary speed limit, when the moving direction of the detected obstacle is the direction of exiting from the track.
  • the temporary speed limit is calculated according to the type of the detected obstacle. If the type of the obstacle is a wild animal or the like that is likely to leave the area by a whistle, for example, no temporary speed limit may be applied. If the type of the obstacle is a fire along the line, it may be better in some situations to allow the railroad vehicle RV to run through without stopping to reduce damage, and no temporary speed limit may be applied.
  • the regular speed limit calculation module 304 calculates a predetermined speed limit (regular speed limit) for the section based on the position information of the own vehicle (railroad vehicle RV) during normal traveling obtained from the position and speed sensor 20.
  • the maximum detection distance calculation module 301 calculates the maximum detection distance based on the images taken by the imaging device.
  • the detection performance by the imaging device deteriorates due to, for example, concealment by structures (station platforms, pillars, distribution boards, and other peripheral equipment) at curves and poor visibility due to uphill gradients, which occur depending on the traveling position of the own vehicle.
  • the regular speed limit determined in consideration of these factors may be stored as a database in the storage unit 307 and referred to, based on the own vehicle's position information.
  • the traveling pattern setting module 305 calculates and sets a traveling pattern that represents the relationship between the position and the target speed of the railroad vehicle RV based on the temporary speed limit and the regular speed limit. For example, the traveling pattern setting module 305 calculates and sets a traveling pattern that represents the relationship between the position and the target speed of the railroad vehicle RV as a vehicle traveling plan between the next station arrival time at which the traveling vehicle stops next and the current time. For example, in view of the temporary speed limit that changes from time to time, a traveling pattern is generated using conventional technologies, such as Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2004-357399 and Japanese Patent No. 3160793 .
  • the target speed generation module 306 generates a target speed based on the position and the traveling pattern of the railroad vehicle RV and transmits the target speed to the drive and braking control device 40.
  • the drive and braking control device 40 compares the target speed with the actual vehicle speed using known feedback (feedback) control techniques, performs compensation calculations to stabilize the control system, determines a thrust command, and provides it to a thrust controller.
  • the railroad vehicle RV can travel between stations according to the traveling pattern and arrive at the next station at the target time.
  • FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating processing executed by the railroad vehicle operation control apparatus 1 according to the embodiment.
  • the travel obstacle detection sensor 10 detects an obstacle in the traveling direction of the railroad vehicle RV in traveling.
  • the maximum detection distance calculation module 301 calculates the maximum detection distance at which an obstacle can be detected by the travel obstacle detection sensor 10 for the traveling direction of the railroad vehicle RV.
  • the stopping distance calculation module 302 calculates the stopping distance at the time when the emergency brakes are applied based on the own vehicle speed and other information obtained from the position and speed sensor 20.
  • the temporary speed limit calculation module 303 calculates the temporary speed limit at which the railroad vehicle RV can stop by emergency braking, based on the maximum detection distance value and the stopping distance value.
  • the regular speed limit calculation module 304 calculates the regular speed limit based on the position information of the railroad vehicle RV during normal traveling obtained from the position and speed sensor 20.
  • the traveling pattern setting module 305 calculates and sets a traveling pattern that represents the relationship between the position and the target speed of the railroad vehicle RV based on the temporary speed limit and the regular speed limit.
  • the target speed generation module 306 generates a target speed based on the position and the traveling pattern of the railroad vehicle RV.
  • Step S8 the drive and braking control device 40 controls the speed, etc. of the railroad vehicle RV by powering, coasting, and braking based on the target speed, etc.
  • the traveling speed of the railroad vehicle RV can be adjusted according to the maximum detection distance of the travel obstacle detection sensor 10 to an obstacle. In other words, this enables safer automatic operation control for the railroad vehicle RV, in consideration of the timely changing detection performance of the travel obstacle detection sensor 10 mounted on the railroad vehicle RV.
  • the maximum detection distance can be calculated with higher accuracy based on weather information, images taken by the travel obstacle detection sensor 10, and self-diagnosis results from the travel obstacle detection sensor 10.
  • the temporary speed limit can be calculated with higher accuracy based on the moving speed and/or the type of the obstacle.
  • the above embodiment illustrates a case in which the present invention is applied to speed control technology (automatic driving technology) using feedback control to cause the actual vehicle speed to follow the target speed, but the invention is not limited thereto.
  • the present invention may be applied to a guidance device that displays the target speed on the cab of a vehicle for the driver's reference.
  • data from other railroad vehicles that have traveled on the same track may be used to perform various calculations, etc.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Train Traffic Observation, Control, And Security (AREA)
  • Electric Propulsion And Braking For Vehicles (AREA)
EP22788202.4A 2021-04-15 2022-04-14 Railroad car operation control apparatus Pending EP4324719A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
JP2021069292A JP7458344B2 (ja) 2021-04-15 2021-04-15 鉄道車両運転制御装置
PCT/JP2022/017791 WO2022220279A1 (ja) 2021-04-15 2022-04-14 鉄道車両運転制御装置

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP4324719A1 true EP4324719A1 (en) 2024-02-21

Family

ID=83640748

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP22788202.4A Pending EP4324719A1 (en) 2021-04-15 2022-04-14 Railroad car operation control apparatus

Country Status (4)

Country Link
EP (1) EP4324719A1 (ja)
JP (1) JP7458344B2 (ja)
CN (1) CN117120319A (ja)
WO (1) WO2022220279A1 (ja)

Family Cites Families (10)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP3244870B2 (ja) 1993-04-28 2002-01-07 東日本旅客鉄道株式会社 鉄道車両用支障物検知装置
JP3160793B2 (ja) 1994-06-20 2001-04-25 株式会社日立製作所 車両の定時運転制御装置
JP2000264209A (ja) 1999-03-12 2000-09-26 Toshiba Corp 車両交通システム
JP2004357399A (ja) 2003-05-28 2004-12-16 Kawasaki Heavy Ind Ltd 鉄道車両の制御方法及び鉄道車両用制御装置
JP6430293B2 (ja) 2015-03-05 2018-11-28 株式会社日立製作所 侵入物検知システム
EP3408158A4 (en) 2016-01-31 2019-09-25 Rail Vision Ltd SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DETECTING DEFECTS IN AN ELECTRIC LADDER SYSTEM OF A TRAIN
JP7062407B2 (ja) 2017-11-02 2022-05-06 株式会社東芝 支障物検知装置
JP7181754B2 (ja) 2018-10-15 2022-12-01 株式会社日立製作所 軌道走行車両の障害物検知システムおよび障害物検知方法
JP7146686B2 (ja) 2019-03-29 2022-10-04 株式会社日立製作所 列車制御システム及び当該システムを搭載した鉄道車両
JP7166494B2 (ja) * 2020-07-06 2022-11-07 三菱電機株式会社 障害物検出装置および障害物検出方法

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
CN117120319A (zh) 2023-11-24
JP2022164064A (ja) 2022-10-27
WO2022220279A1 (ja) 2022-10-20
JP7458344B2 (ja) 2024-03-29

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
CN107590768B (zh) 用于对用于运输工具的位置和/或方向的传感器数据进行处理的方法
US10558865B2 (en) Route inspection system
KR20190055738A (ko) 운전 지원 장치
US20200312052A1 (en) Method for acquiring data captured by a capture module embedded in a mobile device following a predetermined trajectory, corresponding computer program and device
CN105518758A (zh) 用于核查机动车错误方向行驶的方法以及控制和检测装置
CN109849977B (zh) 一种基于异态检测的有轨电车辅助安全防护方法
CN105473402A (zh) 车载控制装置
US11373415B2 (en) Vehicle and method for avoiding a collision of a vehicle with one or more obstacles
CN113415266B (zh) 一种车辆磁钉循迹运行的轨迹偏离防护方法
US20240034371A1 (en) Sensor performance evaluation system and method, and automatic driving system
US11358618B2 (en) Crossing obstruction detection system
US20200159234A1 (en) Vehicle control device, vehicle control method, and storage medium
EP3219565A1 (en) Vehicle control arrangement, road vehicle and method of controlling a road vehicle
US11270130B2 (en) Route inspection system
CA3102494C (en) Vehicle speed management systems and methods
JP2019501831A (ja) 安全性を最適化したナビゲーション
US20200262452A1 (en) Vehicle, vehicle monitoring server, vehicle monitoring system, and vehicle monitoring method
EP4324719A1 (en) Railroad car operation control apparatus
EP3868631A1 (en) Obstacle sensing system and obstacle sensing method for track traveling vehicle
JP7132740B2 (ja) 物体検知システム
US10713503B2 (en) Visual object detection system
US20220306161A1 (en) Method for detecting inconsistencies in the outputs of perception systems of autonomous vehicles
CN113492846B (zh) 控制装置、控制方法以及存储程序的计算机可读取存储介质
US20230249723A1 (en) Obstacle detection device and obstacle detection method
CN111746534A (zh) 车辆驾驶辅助系统、包括其的车辆及相应的方法和介质

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
STAA Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent

Free format text: STATUS: THE INTERNATIONAL PUBLICATION HAS BEEN MADE

PUAI Public reference made under article 153(3) epc to a published international application that has entered the european phase

Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009012

STAA Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent

Free format text: STATUS: REQUEST FOR EXAMINATION WAS MADE

17P Request for examination filed

Effective date: 20231010

AK Designated contracting states

Kind code of ref document: A1

Designated state(s): AL AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR HR HU IE IS IT LI LT LU LV MC MK MT NL NO PL PT RO RS SE SI SK SM TR