JP2010284983A - Time correcting device for railroad vehicle, gps clock for railroad vehicle time correction, and time correcting method for railroad vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To automatically correct the time of a system clock equipped in a railroad vehicle without providing a ground radio device on the ground side. <P>SOLUTION: A GPS module 14 receives GPS signals transmitted from a GPS antenna 4 and outputs time information. An RTC 13 holds the time information output from the GPS module 14, and a time correcting part 11 corrects the time of the system clock 7 based on the time ticked by the RTC 13. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a railway vehicle time correction apparatus, a railway vehicle time correction GPS clock, and a railway vehicle time correction method.

  A system clock is provided in the central control device mounted on the railway vehicle in order to manage the operation record in the railway vehicle and the time displayed on the cab display. In this system clock, the time is updated with reference to a clock signal from an oscillation circuit provided therein, and the timekeeping accuracy is low. For this reason, the error increases with the passage of time, and the error may occur for about ten or more seconds per month. In order to prevent such an error from occurring, the driver manually corrects the time several times a month.

  Further, in Patent Document 1, time information based on the time of a reference time receiving device provided on the ground side is wirelessly transmitted by a ground wireless device provided on the ground side, and the railway is based on the transmitted time information. A technique for correcting the time of a clock mounted on a vehicle is disclosed.

JP 2008-302777 A

  However, in the method in which the driver manually corrects the error of the system clock, there is a problem that the driver's work load increases and the correct time may not be displayed due to a correction error or the like.

  Further, in the method disclosed in Patent Document 1, since it is necessary to provide a ground radio device on the ground side, the cost is high, and time information is wirelessly transmitted to the railway vehicle from the ground side, so the time is actually corrected. There was a problem that a deviation occurred in the timing.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and it is possible to automatically correct the time of a system clock mounted on a railway vehicle without providing a ground wireless device on the ground side. It is an object of the present invention to obtain a correction device, a railway vehicle time correction GPS clock, and a railway vehicle time correction method.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, a time correction device for a railway vehicle according to the present invention is equipped with a system clock that measures a reference time of a railway vehicle, and is mounted on the railway vehicle and receives GPS radio waves. A GPS clock that counts the time based on the result, and a time correction unit that corrects the time of the system clock based on the time clocked by the GPS clock.

  According to the present invention, there is an effect that it is possible to automatically correct the time of the system clock mounted on the railway vehicle without providing the ground wireless device on the ground side.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an embodiment of a railway vehicle to which a railway vehicle time correction apparatus according to the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the GPS timepiece of FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a time lag between the system clock time and the GPS clock time. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an error check sequence at the time of system startup. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an error check sequence at the time of system clock time correction.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of a time correction device for a railway vehicle according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an embodiment of a railway vehicle to which a railway vehicle time correction apparatus according to the present invention is applied. In FIG. 1, a train is formed by sequentially connecting subsequent vehicles 22 and 23 to the leading vehicle 21. Here, the driver's cab display 2, the GPS antenna 4, the GPS clock 5, the central control device 6, and the information recording device 8a are mounted on the head vehicle 21. The succeeding vehicle 22 is equipped with an information recording device 8b and a terminal control device 10b, and the succeeding vehicle 23 is equipped with an information recording device 8c and a terminal control device 10c.

  Here, the cab display 2 can display train operation information, the current time, etc., and can display abnormalities and error contents of the GPS clock 5. The cab display 2 is provided with an audio output device 3 such as a cab speaker. The voice output device 3 can output train operation information, the current time, and the like by voice, and can output abnormality and error contents of the GPS clock 5 by voice and buzzer sounds.

  The GPS antenna 4 can receive GPS radio waves transmitted from the GPS satellite 1 and output GPS signals. The GPS clock 5 can measure the time based on the GPS signal received by the GPS antenna 4. The central control device 6 can control train operation and manage train operation information.

  Here, the central control device 6 is provided with a system clock 7 for measuring time serving as a reference for the railway vehicle. Then, the system clock 7 can manage the operation record in the railway vehicle and the time displayed on the cab display 2. The system clock 7 is provided with an oscillation circuit inside, and the time can be updated based on the clock signal from the oscillation circuit. Further, it is not always necessary to use a high-precision clock as the system clock 7, and there may be an error of about a dozen seconds in the month.

  In addition, the central controller 6 is provided with a time correction unit 11. Here, the time correction unit 11 can correct the time of the system clock 7 based on the time counted by the GPS clock 5.

  The central controller 6 and the GPS timepiece 5 can be connected to each other by a communication cable and a power cable. The GPS clock 5 can be supplied with power from the central control device 6 via a power cable. Further, the central control device 6 and the GPS clock 5 can exchange various commands and data such as time information through a communication cable by a method such as serial communication. For example, when the GPS clock 5 is turned on, for example, time information, position information, and a self-test result of the GPS clock 5 can be transmitted to the central control device 6 in a cycle of 1 second. Note that examples of the self-test result of the GPS watch 5 include a ROM error, a RAM error, and an antenna connection error. In addition, the central control device 6 can transmit commands such as a geodetic system setting, a data output setting, and a local time zone setting to the GPS clock 5.

  The information recording device 8a can record railway vehicle operation records, self-diagnosis information, and the like. For example, the information recording device 8a may use a magnetic disk such as a hard disk, an optical disk such as a DVD, or a semiconductor memory such as a flash memory. .

  The terminal control devices 10b and 10c can manage train operation information for each of the subsequent vehicles 22 and 23. Here, the terminal control devices 10b and 10c are provided with terminal built-in clocks 9b and 9c, respectively, for measuring the time serving as a reference for the railway vehicle for each of the subsequent vehicles 22 and 23. The terminal control devices 10b and 10c can be used when displaying the time on an in-vehicle display path installed in each vehicle or recording operation information for each vehicle in the information recording devices 8b and 8c. The time of the terminal built-in clocks 9b and 9c can be corrected based on the time of the system clock 7. For example, the times of the terminal built-in clocks 9b and 9c may be corrected at the timing when the time of the system clock 7 is corrected. Here, by installing the terminal built-in clocks 9b and 9c in the succeeding vehicles 22 and 23, respectively, it becomes unnecessary to sequentially transmit the time of the system clock 7 to the succeeding vehicles 22 and 23, and the leading vehicle 21 and the succeeding vehicles 22 and 23 are eliminated. The amount of data transfer between the two can be reduced. The information recording devices 8b and 8c can record railway vehicle operation data and the like for each of the subsequent vehicles 22 and 23.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the GPS timepiece of FIG. In FIG. 2, the GPS timepiece 5 is provided with a power supply unit 12, an RTC (real time clock) 13, a GPS module 14, and a battery 15.

Here, the GPS module 14 can receive the GPS signal sent from the GPS antenna 4 and output the time information. Note that a default value may be set in the GPS module 14 so that the time information can be output even when the RTC 13 cannot hold the time due to battery exhaustion.
The RTC 13 holds time information output from the GPS module 14 and can measure the time internally. The power supply unit 12 can supply power to the GPS module 14 and the RTC 13. The battery 15 can hold a power source for operating the RTC 13 when the power supply unit 12 is turned off. An electric double layer capacitor or the like may be used instead of the battery 15.

  Then, when electric power is supplied to the railway vehicle of FIG. 1 via a pantograph or the like, power is supplied to the power supply unit 12 of the GPS clock 5 via the central controller 6, and the operation of the GPS clock 5 is started. The

  When the operation of the GPS clock 5 is started, GPS radio waves are received by the GPS antenna 4, and the time of the RTC 13 is updated every moment when in the positioning state. When the power of the power supply unit 12 is on, the time recorded in the RTC 13 is transmitted to the central control device 6 at a constant cycle.

  When the time recorded in the RTC 13 is transmitted to the central controller 6, the time correction unit 11 corrects the time of the system clock 7 based on the time recorded in the RTC 13. Then, the central control device 6 displays the time information of the system clock 7 corrected by the time correction unit 11 on the cab display 2, or displays the running state of the train during business operation and self-diagnosis information of the system clock 7. The information is recorded in the information recording device 8a together with the time information.

  Here, if the GPS signal cannot be received because the leading vehicle 21 has entered a tunnel or a garage, the GPS clock 5 cannot be positioned, but the RTC 13 keeps the time, so the time information of the GPS clock 5 is It will not disappear.

  Further, when the commercial operation of the railway vehicle is finished and the power supply unit 12 is turned off, the power for operating the RTC 13 is supplied from the battery 15 and the time is continuously ticked in the RTC 13, so that the time of the GPS clock 5 Information is never lost.

  Thus, even when the railway vehicle is in an environment where GPS radio waves cannot be received, the time of the system clock 7 mounted on the railway vehicle can be automatically corrected without providing a ground radio device on the ground side. It becomes possible. For this reason, it is possible to correct the time error of the system clock 7 while suppressing an increase in cost, and it is not necessary for the driver to manually correct the error of the system clock 7, so that the operation of the driver The load can be reduced.

  In addition, when the time of the system clock 7 is corrected, in order to prevent the reliability of the information recorded with respect to the time of the system clock 7 from being lost, the time correction unit 11 is provided in the center mounted on the railway vehicle. It is preferable that the time of the system clock 7 is corrected only once a day when the power supply before the commercial operation of the control device 6 is started.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a time lag between the system clock time and the GPS clock time. In FIG. 3, for example, when the time of the system clock 7 is corrected in a state where an error has occurred in the time of the system clock 7, the time of the system clock 7 suddenly returns or advances, and the system clock 7 The time of becomes discontinuous.

  As a result, if the time of the system clock 7 is corrected while the information is recorded based on the time of the system clock 7, the reliability of the information recorded based on the time of the system clock 7 is impaired. For this reason, it is preferable not to correct the time of the system clock 7 during the commercial operation of the railway vehicle. Further, it is preferable that the frequency of correcting the time of the system clock 7 is small.

  Therefore, it is preferable to correct the time of the system clock 7 only once a day when the power supply before the commercial operation of the central control device 6 mounted on the railway vehicle is started. Before the commercial operation, even when the time information recorded in the information recording device 8a becomes discontinuous, it is possible to prevent the reliability of the information recorded during the commercial operation from being impaired.

  If the operation is not in operation, the time of the system clock 7 may be corrected once a day before turning off the power after the operation of the central controller 6. As long as the timing does not affect the reliability, the correction timing and the number of corrections of the time of the system clock 7 are not limited.

  Here, even when the railway vehicle enters when the central control device 6 is powered on and cannot receive GPS radio waves, the time is kept in the RTC 13, so that the time of the system clock 7 can be corrected. . Note that when the time of the system clock 7 is corrected at this time, the time measured at the time of the previous operation of the GPS clock 5 can be used as a reference.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an error check sequence at the time of system startup. 4, when the central controller 6 in FIG. 1 is turned on and the central controller 6 is activated, the GPS clock 5 is set to geodetic system setting, data output setting, and local time zone setting. It is confirmed whether or not has been normally performed (steps S11 to S16).

  When each setting is not normally performed, each setting is repeatedly executed, and the error count is increased until each setting is normally performed. For example, when each setting fails three times in succession, it is processed as an abnormality of the GPS clock 5.

  When each setting is performed normally, an error confirmation sequence is executed (step S17). When an error is confirmed in the error confirmation sequence, error processing is executed (step S20).

  On the other hand, if no error is confirmed in the error confirmation sequence, the time correction unit 11 adjusts the time of the system clock 7 to the time of the GPS clock 5 (step S18). Then, when the time of the system clock 7 is corrected, the time correction unit 11 sets a time correction flag (step S19). The time correction flag is held until the central controller 6 is turned off, and the time of the system clock 7 is not corrected while the time correction flag is held.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an error check sequence at the time of system clock time correction. In FIG. 5, the central controller 6 acquires the data sent from the GPS clock 5 (step S21), and confirms whether the data has been received normally (step S22). If the data cannot be normally received from the GPS clock 5, the central controller 6 determines that there is a hardware failure of the GPS clock 5 or a communication line abnormality (step S26).

  Next, the central controller 6 confirms the self-test result of the GPS clock 5 (step S23). If there is an abnormality in the self-test result of the GPS watch 5, it is determined that there is a hardware failure of the GPS watch 5 (step S27).

  Next, the central controller 6 compares the time of the GPS clock 5 with the time of the system clock 7 (step S24). If the difference between the time of the GPS clock 5 and the time of the system clock 7 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (step S25), it is determined that the hardware of the GPS clock 5 is broken or the battery is dead (step S28). When the GPS clock 5 and the system clock 7 are operating normally, the error between the time of the GPS clock 5 and the time of the system clock 7 is about several seconds at most, so the hardware of the GPS clock 5 The difference between the time of the GPS clock 5 and the time of the system clock 7 when it is determined that there is a malfunction or battery exhaustion can be set to about several seconds.

  When the GPS clock 5 has an abnormality, the time correction unit 11 can display the occurrence of the abnormality of the GPS clock 5 on the cab display 2 without correcting the time of the system clock 7. The occurrence of an abnormality of the GPS clock 5 may be displayed on the cab display 2, and the abnormality or error content of the GPS clock 5 may be output to the audio output device 3 by voice or buzzer sound.

  When the occurrence of abnormality of the GPS clock 5 is displayed on the cab display 2, the display content may be changed according to the error content. For example, when data cannot be acquired from the GPS clock 5, the content of “GPS clock 5 is broken or communication line is abnormal” can be displayed. Further, when the time information of the GPS clock 5 is abnormal, it is possible to display the content “GPS clock 5 is broken or battery is dead”.

  Thereby, the driver can grasp the rough contents of the failure by referring to the driver's cab display 2 and can reduce the load on maintenance.

  As described above, the railway vehicle time correction apparatus according to the present invention is placed in an environment where the railway vehicle cannot receive GPS radio waves by causing the GPS clock to measure the time based on the GPS signal received by the GPS antenna. Even in such a case, the present invention is suitable for a method of automatically correcting the time of a system clock mounted on a railway vehicle without providing a ground radio device on the ground side.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 GPS satellite 2 Driver's cab display 3 Voice output device 4 GPS antenna 5 GPS clock 6 Central control device 7 System clock 8a-8c Information recording device 9b, 9c Terminal built-in clock 10b, 10c Terminal control device 11 Time correction unit 12 Power supply unit 13 RTC
14 GPS module 15 Battery 21 Leading vehicle 22, 23 Subsequent vehicle

Claims (10)

A system clock that measures the standard time of a railway vehicle composed of a plurality of vehicles;
A terminal built-in clock that measures the time in each vehicle based on the time of the system clock;
A GPS clock mounted on the railway vehicle, which measures the time based on the reception result of GPS radio waves,
A time correction device for a railway vehicle, comprising: a time correction unit that corrects the time of the system clock when the railway vehicle is not in a commercial operation based on the time measured by the GPS timepiece. The GPS clock is
A power supply for supplying power to the GPS watch;
A GPS module that outputs time information sent by the GPS radio wave;
An RTC that retains time information output from the GPS module and measures the time internally;
The time correction apparatus for railway vehicles according to claim 1, further comprising a battery or an electric double layer capacitor that holds a power source for operating the RTC.   The time correction device for a railway vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the time correction unit is mounted on the railway vehicle.   The said time correction | amendment part correct | amends the time of the said system timepiece only once a day at the time of the power activation of the central control apparatus mounted in the said rail vehicle. Time correction device for railway vehicles.   The time correction unit sets a time correction flag when the time of the system clock is corrected, holds the time correction flag until the power of the central control device is turned off, and holds the time correction flag. The time correction device for a railway vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the time of the system clock is not corrected in between.   2. The time correction unit determines an abnormality of the GPS clock, and when there is an abnormality in the GPS clock, warns the cab display without correcting the time of the system clock. The time correction apparatus for railway vehicles according to any one of 1 to 5.   The time correction unit performs geodetic system setting, data output setting, and local time zone setting for the GPS clock when the central control device mounted on the railway vehicle is turned on, and sets the geodetic system setting and the data output. The time correction device for a railway vehicle according to claim 6, wherein when the setting and the local time zone setting have failed, the GPS timepiece is determined to be abnormal.   When the time correction unit cannot acquire data from the GPS clock, when there is an abnormality in the self-test result of the GPS clock, or the difference between the time of the GPS clock and the time of the system clock is greater than or equal to a predetermined value In this case, it is determined that there is an abnormality in the GPS timepiece, and the time correction apparatus for railway vehicles according to claim 6 or 7. A GPS module that outputs time information sent by GPS radio waves;
An RTC that retains time information output from the GPS module and measures the time internally;
A power supply for supplying power to the GPS module and the RTC;
A railway time correction GPS timepiece comprising a battery or an electric double layer capacitor that holds a power source for operating the RTC when the power supply unit is turned off. A GPS clock mounted on a railway vehicle receives GPS radio waves;
Measuring the time based on the reception result of the GPS radio wave by the GPS clock;
Correcting the time of the system clock that measures the reference time of the railway vehicle based on the time counted by the GPS clock when the railway car is not in commercial operation. A time correction method for railway vehicles.

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