Technical Field
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The present invention relates to a redundancy system including a main system and a sub system and to a control method therefor. In particular, the present invention is preferable to a railroad control device.
Background Art
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A railroad control device installed on the ground includes an electronic interlock device, an automatic train control device, or an operation management device. In many cases, these railroad control devices use a redundancy system including a main system and a sub system to improve availability.
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For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a technology for a train operation management device. This technology is as follows. Route control devices each include a main system route control section and a sub system route control section and are installed to two different stations respectively. The route control devices transmit and receive their own liveness information to and from each other. When the route control device of the own system is inactive, this route control device is difficult to transmit the own liveness information and to receive the liveness information from the other system. Thus, the route control device of the own system is deactivated in response to a deactivation command from the route control device of the other system.
Citation List
Patent Literature
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Patent Literature 1:
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2011-235682 Summary of Invention
Technical Problem
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Also for the above railroad control device installed on the ground, asset light tends to be encouraged for reduction in operation cost in recent years. As part of that, though the above control device group are proposed to be migrated to a cloud environment, additional costs for use of networks and security measures are incurred in the cloudification. Thus, not only simple cloudification of current facilities but also optimization of equipment usage such as equipment consolidation are required to be executed. In addition, the redundancy system is also required to consider operating hours of computing toward cost reduction.
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In addition, in the technology of Patent Literature 1, when the main system or the sub system is failed to be deactivated, liveness information about the own system is not transmitted, and liveness information about other systems is difficult to receive. Thus, the technology is to deactivate the own system after receiving a deactivation command from the other system. This deactivation process of the main system or the sub system is executed only in an abnormal situation, but not assumed to be executed in a normal situation.
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Then, an object of the present invention is to provide a technology of deactivating the sub system in a railroad control device using a redundancy to reduce cost and improve efficiency of equipment usage when an influence in an inactive state of a main system is small.
Solution to Problem
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To address the above problem, one representative redundancy system of the present invention is a redundancy system including a main system control device and one or more sub system control devices. When state information about a control target facility controlled by the main system control device or the sub system control device satisfies a predetermined condition, a sub system process by the sub system control device is deactivated.
Advantageous Effects of Invention
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According to the present invention, when the influence in the inactive state of the main system is small, the sub system is deactivated. Thus, operation cost is reduceable.
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Problems, configurations, and advantageous effects other than the above description become obvious in the explanation for the following embodiments of the present invention.
Brief Description of Drawings
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- FIG. 1 shows one example of a system configuration of First Embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 2 shows one example of components forming a main system control device or a sub system control device of each embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 3 shows one example of a flowchart of a sub system activation process executed by a sub system activation process section.
- FIG. 4 shows one example of a flowchart of a sub system deactivation process executed by a sub system deactivation process section.
- FIG. 5 shows one example of a system configuration of Second Embodiment of the present invention.
Description of Embodiments
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Hereinafter, in reference to the drawings, First Embodiment and Second Embodiment are explained as embodiments of the present invention. Note that the present invention is not limited by First Embodiment and Second Embodiment. In addition, in the description of the drawings, the same portions have the same reference signs.
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The embodiments of the present invention are intended for an electronic interlock device in railroad control devices installed on the ground, but not limited to the electronic interlock device. The present invention is applicable also to an automatic train control device or an operation management device.
First Embodiment
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FIG. 1 shows one example of a system configuration of First Embodiment of the present invention.
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A redundancy system 100 controls a control target facility 130, and includes a main system control device 110 and at least one or more sub system control devices 120. Hereinafter, the main system control device 110 is called the "control device (main system) 110," and the sub system control device 120 is called the "control device (sub system) 120." Here, the control device (main system) 110, the control device (sub system) 120, and the control target facility 130 are coupled to each other on, e.g., a network to transmit and receive required information to and from each other.
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In the present invention, the control device (main system) 110 and the control device (sub system) 120 both include a sub system activation process section 200 and a sub system deactivation process section 300. This is such that the sub system activation process section 200 and the sub system deactivation process section 300 are assumed to be configured as software and installed, and are provided to both the main system and the sub system. Thus, without fixing the control device (main system) 110 to only the main system and the control device (sub system) 120 to only the sub system, each control device is capable of being switched between the main system and the sub system. The control device 110 and the control device 120 may each be the main system or the sub system.
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Then, the present invention is characterized in that the main system control device operates the sub system activation process section 200, and the sub system control device operates the sub system deactivation process section 300 by itself.
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In FIG. 1, the control device (main system) 110 operates with the sub system activation process section 200 shown by the solid line frame being active, and the control device (sub system) 120 operates with the sub system deactivation process section 300 shown by the solid line frame being active. In contrast, the sub system deactivation process section of the control device (main system) 110 and the sub system activation process section of the control device (sub system) 120 are inactive, these sections being shown by the dotted line frames.
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Here, when the control device (sub system) 120 is switched to the main system, and the control device (main system) 110 is switched to the sub system, the sub system activation process section or the sub system deactivation process section in the dotted line frames become active (that is, in the solid line frames), and the sub system deactivation process section or the sub system activation process section in the solid line frames become inactive (that is, in the dotted line frames).
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In addition, it is possible that, as a fixed configuration, the control device (main system) 110 includes only the sub system activation process section 200, and the control device (sub system) 120 includes only the sub system deactivation process section 300. The sub system activation process section 200 and the sub system deactivation process section 300 are configured as software. Thus, each of the control device (main system) 110 and the control device (sub system) 120 easily includes both the sub system activation process section 200 and the sub system deactivation process section 300, and is capable of flexible response.
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It is natural that the sub system activation process section 200 and the sub system deactivation process section 300 are capable of using a hardware configuration instead of a software configuration.
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FIG. 2 shows one example of components forming a main system control device or a sub system control device (110 or 120) of each embodiment of the present invention.
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As well as a general control device, the control device (110 or 120) includes an arithmetic device 170, a memory 140, a storage device 190, an input device 160, an output device 150, and a communication device 180.
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The memory 140 stores the sub system activation process section 200 and the sub system deactivation process section 300 as software, and stores ground facility state information 400, control state information 500, a condition database (DB) 600, operation plan information 700, and train position information 800 as information (data).
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The ground facility state information 400 is state information about traffic lights, track circuits, and railroad switches, which are main ground facilities of a railroad. For example, the state information includes a color signal of a traffic light, energization or deenergization of a track circuit, and locking or unlocking of a railroad switch. These pieces of ground facility state information are outputted from each ground facility to an electronic interlock device (unshown).
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The control state information 500 is state information indicating control states such as locking or unlocking and a time count used in interlocking and controlling states of mutually related ground facilities. These pieces of information are state information understood from an output aspect from the electronic interlock device (unshown).
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The condition database (DB) 600 is a database storing a condition in which deactivation of the sub system control device is possible with respect to the above ground facility state information 400 and control state information 500. In addition, when the plurality of the sub system control devices with two or more are provided, the minimum number of the sub systems to be activated in the plurality of the sub system control devices with two or more may be stored.
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The operation plan information 700 is information about so-called a train diagram indicating an operation plan of trains, specifically a plan about when and where trains on rail tracks travel.
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The train position information 800 is position information about surrounding trains traveling outside a control range managed by the control device. The train positions within the own managed control range can be grasped from the state of the track circuit of the ground facility. However, the train positions within the own control range may be stored together with the ground facility state information 400 in a duplicate manner.
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Next, input and output aspects and processing aspects are explained with respect to the sub system activation process section 200 and the sub system deactivation process section 300 provided in the main system control device or the sub system control device (110 or 120).
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Input data of the sub system activation process section 200 and the sub system deactivation process section 300 are the ground facility state information, the control state information, and storage information of the condition database related to these pieces of information as essential data. In addition, optional data includes train operation plan information (or train operation prediction information) and train position information outside the control target range.
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In contrast, as output data from the main system control device or the sub system control device (110 or 120), sub system activation command data to activate the sub system is transmitted from the main system to the sub system, but there is no data transmitted from the sub system to the main system (the deactivation command for the sub system is executed by the sub system itself (own system command), which is described below).
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As shown in the above "Technical Problem," the present invention deactivates the sub system when the influence in the inactive state of the main system is small. The case in which the influence in the inactive state of the main system is small is applicable to the following cases on the basis of the above state information.
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That is, the state in which the facility control within the control range under the management is not executed, specifically, the state in which the following states 1) to 3) are achieved (AND) is mentioned.
- 1) The state in which there is no train within a range.
As one example, the state in which there is no train between the inside of a station and a previous station. - 2) The state in which the facility is locked and the time element count is not being executed.
- 3) The state in which a train is not coming within the control range for a while.
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For example, on the train operation plan, the state in which there is no approaching train within a predetermined period, or a response using an aspect in which the sub system is activated in setting a travel route without seeing the train operation plan.
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In addition, apart from the above states, the case in which the influence when the main system is inactive is small includes a case in which a train operation density is small. An example includes a case in which the train operation is executed during quiet hours or night time as a condition easier than those of the above states.
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Next, specific processing aspects of the sub system activation process and the sub system deactivation process are explained.
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FIG. 3 shows one example of a flowchart of a sub system activation process executed by the sub system activation process section 200. This flowchart is executed at a predetermined constant cycle, and executed by the sub system activation process section 200. Hereinafter, the executive body is not described.
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At Step S201, it is determined whether the sub system is active. When the sub system is already active (Yes), the sub system activation process flow is ended. When the sub system is not active (No), the flow proceeds to Step S202.
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At Step S202, a content of a sub system activation condition is determined. The sub system activation condition, described below, is an opposite condition to a sub system deactivation condition.
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At Step S203, it is determined whether the sub system activation condition is satisfied. When the sub system activation condition is satisfied (Yes), the flow proceeds to Step S204. When the sub system activation condition is not satisfied (No), the flow is ended.
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At Step S204, the activation of the sub system is directed, and after that, the sub system activation process flow is ended.
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FIG. 4 shows one example of a flowchart of the sub system deactivation process executed by the sub system deactivation process section 300. As well as the sub system activation process executed by the above sub system activation process section 200, this flowchart is executed by the sub system deactivation process section 300 at a predetermined constant cycle. Hereinafter, the executive body is not described.
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At Step S301, a content of the sub system deactivation condition is determined. The sub system deactivation condition, described below, is opposite to the sub system activation condition.
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At Step S302, it is determined whether the sub system deactivation condition is satisfied. When the sub system deactivation condition is satisfied (Yes), the flow proceeds to Step S303. When the sub system deactivation condition is not satisfied (No), the sub system deactivation process flow is ended.
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At Step S303, deactivation of the sub system, that is, deactivation of the own sub system is executed, and after that, the sub system deactivation process flow is ended.
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Next, the sub system activation condition and the sub system deactivation condition are explained.
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As described above, the sub system activation condition and the sub system deactivation condition are opposite to each other. Hereinafter, the sub system deactivation condition related to a point of the present invention are explained first.
<Sub System Deactivation Condition>
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The sub system deactivation condition is determined at Step S301 of the sub system deactivation process flow shown in FIG. 4. The sub system activation condition is determined at Step S202 of the sub system activation process flow shown in FIG. 3.
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These conditions both require "A) condition about a current state" described below as an essential condition. In addition, at least any one of "B) condition about a future prediction" and "C) condition about an operation density" is an optional condition.
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That is, the item "A) condition about a current state" is definitely determined as the sub system deactivation condition. In contrast, at least any one of the item "B) condition about a future prediction" and the item "C) condition about an operation density" is determined as an option, and is not necessarily required to be determined together with "A) condition about a current state," but determined as required.
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In addition, in determining at least any one of "B)" and "C)" as an option, even when the essential "A)" is not satisfied and the sub system deactivation is not executed, and when at least one of these "B)" and "C)" is not satisfied, the own sub system is deactivated.
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Specific conditions are described below.
A) Condition about Current State
a. Input Information
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- ·Ground facility state information: various pieces of state information about traffic lights, track circuits, and railroad switches
- ·Control state information: state information about a locking state and a time element
b. Determination Condition
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Matching of input information (that is, the state indicated by the ground facility state information and the control state information) with setting values of the condition database (DB) is the condition for establishment of deactivation. Here, the basic setting values of the condition database (DB) are default values in the ground facility state and in the control state. The default values include "no train on rail track," "no route setting," "facility being not locked," or "time element not being counted." When the AND condition of these default values is satisfied, the deactivation condition is satisfied.
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However, in the cases of "route being set" in, e.g., reverse retention and "train on rail track" in, e.g., stay, other than the default values, the sub system may be deactivated without problem. Thus, setting of the condition database (DB) is flexible.
B) Condition about Future Prediction
a. Input Information
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Train Operation Plan Information Or Train Operation Prediction Information, and Train Position Information Outside The Control Target Range
b. Determination Condition
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On the train operation plan or the train operation prediction, when a time of determining a route within the control range is larger than a predetermined threshold, the deactivation condition is satisfied. Specifically, when there is a sufficient time before a train enters the control range, the deactivation condition is satisfied.
C) Condition about Operation Density
a. Input Information
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Train Operation Plan Information or Train Operation Prediction Information
b. Determination Condition
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On the train operation plan or the train operation prediction, with respect to a time width predetermined from a current time, when a route setting frequency within the control range is smaller than a predetermined threshold, the deactivation condition is satisfied. Specifically, the operation density of trains within the control range is sufficiently low, the deactivation condition is satisfied.
<Sub System Activation Condition>
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In contrast, as described above, the sub system activation condition is opposite to the sub system deactivation condition, and explained below based on the above sub system deactivation condition.
A) Condition about Current State
a. Input Information
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This is the same information as in the sub system deactivation condition.
b. Determination Condition
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When input information does not correspond to even one of the default values of the ground facility state and control state, which are the setting values of the condition database (DB), the condition for activation is satisfied.
B) Condition about Future Prediction
a. Input Information
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This is the same information as in the sub system deactivation condition.
b. Determination Condition
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On the train operation plan or the train operation prediction, when a time of determining a route within the control range is smaller than a predetermined threshold, the activation condition is satisfied. Specifically, when there is no sufficient time before a train enters the control range, the activation condition is satisfied.
C) Condition about Operation Density
a. Input Information
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This is the same information as in the sub system deactivation condition.
b. Determination Condition
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On the train operation plan or the train operation prediction, with respect to a time width predetermined from a current time,when a route setting frequency within the control range is larger than a predetermined threshold, the activation condition is satisfied. Specifically, the operation density of trains within the control range is high, the activation condition is satisfied.
Second Embodiment
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FIG. 5 shows one example of a system configuration of Second Embodiment of the present invention.
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In Second Embodiment, the configuration of the redundancy system 100 of First Embodiment is expanded to multiple control ranges. Second Embodiment includes multiple combinations of the main system and sub system. As shown in FIG. 5, the configuration includes the main system control device 110 and the sub system control device 120 for a control target facility in a control range 1 and a main system control device 110' and a sub system control device 120' for a control target facility 130' in a control range 2. The main system control devices and the sub system control devices in both combinations each contain the sub system activation process section 200 and the sub system deactivation process section 300. In addition, when three or more control ranges are set, the configuration having the similar relationship to the above is made.
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A feature of Second Embodiment is such that the control device in the control range 2 is activatable from the control range 1, these control ranges being different from each other. For example, in the configuration of FIG. 5, the control device in the control range 2 is activatable from the control range 1 (the pattern opposite to this configuration is also available). That is, even when the main system control device 110' in the control range 2 is down, the main system control device 110 in the control range 1 functions as a backup to activate the sub system control device 120' in the control range 2. This backup procedure is the same as in the case in which the above down state occurs in the control range 1.
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As described above, First Embodiment and Second Embodiment have been explained as the embodiments of the present invention. The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and enables various modifications without departing from the scope of the present invention.
List of Reference Signs
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100: redundancy system, 110: control device (main system), 120: control device (sub system), 130: control target facility, 140: memory, 150: output device, 160: input device, 170: arithmetic device, 180: communication device, 190: storage device, 200: sub system activation process section, 300: sub system deactivation process section