JP2023166665A - wireless communication system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a wireless communication system capable of reducing the excessive stoppage of a train when an abnormality occurs in a railroad crossing.SOLUTION: The wireless communication system comprises: a ground device 10 that transmits a wireless signal indicating a state in a railroad crossing; and an on-board device 20 that is mounted on a train and receives the wireless signal. The ground device 10 transmits a wireless signal indicating an abnormal state in the railroad crossing when an abnormality has occurred in the railroad crossing, and a wireless signal indicating a normal state in the railroad crossing when there is no abnormality in the railroad crossing. The on-board device 20 determines, when the received wireless signal indicates the abnormal state in the railroad crossing, a running state to be taken by the train on the basis of a distance from the train to the railroad crossing, and notifies a driver of the train of the determination result of the running state to be taken by the train.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to a wireless communication system, and more particularly to a wireless communication system for railroad crossing protection that prevents train accidents within railroad crossings.

Development of a wireless communication system for level crossing protection to prevent train accidents within level crossings is progressing. For example, in Patent Document 1 below, when a train approaches a level crossing, a level crossing device lowers the barrier and determines the condition inside the level crossing, and if an abnormality is detected within the level crossing, the occurrence of an abnormality is notified to the train driver. A wireless communication system for providing notification is disclosed. According to this wireless communication system, train drivers can learn in real time if an abnormality occurs at a level crossing, and by decelerating the train in advance, they can ensure that the train stops by the time it reaches the level crossing. be able to.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 7-47959

Since the wireless communication system disclosed in Patent Document 1 only notifies the train driver of the occurrence of an abnormality within the level crossing, the driver who receives the notification has no choice but to stop the train. However, depending on the nature of the abnormality and the location of the train in relation to the railroad crossing, it may be possible for the train to slow down without having to stop. Excessive train stoppages can lead to major disruptions to train schedules, placing a burden on both drivers and passengers.

The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a wireless communication system that can reduce excessive train stops when an abnormality occurs at a railroad crossing.

A wireless communication system according to the present disclosure includes a ground device that transmits a radio signal indicating a state inside the railroad crossing, and an on-board device that is mounted on a train and receives the radio signal, and the ground device is configured to When there is an abnormality within the level crossing, the wireless signal indicating that the condition within the level crossing is abnormal is transmitted, and when there is no abnormality within the level crossing, the wireless signal indicating that the condition within the level crossing is normal. transmitting a radio signal, and the onboard device determines what course the train should take based on the distance from the train to the railroad crossing when the received radio signal indicates that the condition within the railroad crossing is abnormal. The operating state is determined, and the driver of the train is notified of the result of the judgment regarding the operating state that the train should take.

According to the present disclosure, the ground device transmits not only a radio signal indicating that the condition inside the level crossing is abnormal, but also a radio signal indicating that the condition inside the railroad crossing is normal, and the onboard device transmits a wireless signal indicating that the condition inside the railroad crossing is normal. Based on the distance from the station to the level crossing where the abnormality is occurring, the operating state that the train should be in is determined. For example, when the train is far from the railroad crossing where the abnormality has occurred and there is no need to stop the train, it is possible to decide to continue the normal operation of the own vehicle or to slow down the own vehicle. Therefore, excessive train stops can be reduced.

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a wireless communication system according to Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a wireless transmitter. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a wireless communication system according to Embodiment 2. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a wireless communication system according to Embodiment 3. FIG.

<Embodiment 1>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a wireless communication system according to the first embodiment. The wireless communication system is a level crossing protection wireless communication system that notifies trains of abnormalities occurring at level crossings by radio, and includes a ground device 10 installed at the level crossing and an onboard device 20 mounted on a train car. It consists of

The ground device 10 includes a level crossing facility 11, a train detection unit 12, a level crossing control unit 13, an abnormality notification unit 14, a wireless transmitter 15, and an antenna 16.

The level crossing equipment 11 is equipment such as a warning device and a barrier installed at a level crossing on a train track.

The train detection unit 12 detects the approach and passage of a train to a level crossing and notifies the level crossing control unit 13 of the detection. The train detection method may be any method, such as a track circuit method, a wayside/onboard method, etc.

The level crossing control unit 13 controls the level crossing equipment 11 in response to notifications from the train detection unit 12. For example, when the train detection unit 12 notifies that a train is approaching, the level crossing control unit 13 controls the level crossing equipment 11 when the train approaches, such as sounding an alarm and lowering a barrier. When the train detection unit 12 notifies that a train is passing, the level crossing control unit 13 controls the level crossing equipment 11 at the time of the train passing, such as stopping the sound of the alarm and raising the barrier.

In addition, the level crossing control unit 13 sends information indicating its own operating state, specifically, whether it is in a state of implementing control when a train is approaching or a state where control is being implemented when a train is passing, in order to report an abnormality. Department 14. Hereinafter, the operating state in which the level crossing control unit 13 performs control when a train approaches is referred to as a "train approaching state", and the operating state in which the level crossing control unit 13 performs control when a train passes is referred to as a "train passing state". .

Further, the level crossing control unit 13 notifies the wireless transmitting unit 15 of information on the position of the level crossing to be controlled (that is, the installation position of the level crossing equipment 11) and identification information of the level crossing. The position of a railroad crossing is expressed, for example, as a distance from a specific reference point. Hereinafter, the identification information of a railroad crossing may be referred to as a "level crossing ID."

The abnormality alarm unit 14 is equipped with an emergency button pressed by a person who notices an abnormality at a level crossing, and abnormality detectors such as cameras and radars that automatically detect obstacles within a level crossing. Then, the condition within the level crossing is determined, and the presence or absence of an abnormality within the level crossing is notified to the wireless transmitter 15. More specifically, when the level crossing control unit 13 enters the train approaching state, the abnormality notification unit 14 starts monitoring the state inside the level crossing, and when no abnormality within the level crossing is detected, it indicates that the inside of the level crossing is in a normal state. When an abnormality is detected, a notification to the effect that there is an abnormal condition inside the railroad crossing is sent to the wireless transmission section 15. Hereinafter, the notification of the condition inside the level crossing (the presence or absence of an abnormality) sent from the abnormality reporting unit 14 to the wireless transmission unit 15 will be referred to as a “level crossing status notification”, and the notification that the level crossing is in a normal condition will be referred to as a “level crossing status notification”. A notification that the level crossing is in an abnormal state is called a ``level crossing abnormality notification.''

Here, the abnormality notification unit 14 detects an abnormality in the level crossing and sends a level crossing abnormality notification to the wireless transmission unit 15, and then, if the abnormality is resolved and no abnormality is detected, it wirelessly transmits a normal level crossing notification again. Send to Department 15. Furthermore, when the level crossing control unit 13 enters the train passing state, the abnormality notification unit 14 finishes monitoring the state within the level crossing. In other words, the abnormality notification unit 14 informs the wireless transmission unit 15 in real time whether the inside of the level crossing is in a normal state or an abnormal state from when the level crossing control unit 13 enters the train approaching state until the train enters the passing state. Notice.

When the wireless transmitting unit 15 receives a notification indicating the condition inside the level crossing from the abnormality reporting unit 14 (level crossing status notification), it acquires the position information of the level crossing from the level crossing control unit 13 and determines whether the status inside the level crossing is normal. Information indicating whether there is an abnormality and information about the position of the railroad crossing are transmitted from the antenna 16 as a radio signal. Further, the wireless transmitter 15 stops transmitting the wireless signal when the level crossing controller 13 enters the train passing state.

FIG. 2 shows a detailed configuration of the wireless transmitter 15. As shown in FIG. 2, the wireless transmitter 15 includes a transmit signal processor 151, a transmit processor 152, and a transmit controller 153.

The transmission control unit 153 transmits the transmission signal to the transmission signal processing unit 151 based on the condition inside the level crossing notified from the abnormality notification unit 14 and the position information and identification information (level crossing ID) of the level crossing notified from the level crossing control unit 13. By controlling the transmission processing unit 152 and the transmission processing unit 152, the transmission of wireless signals is controlled. The transmission signal processing unit 151 generates a transmission signal including information on the state inside the railroad crossing and the position of the railroad crossing acquired by the transmission control unit 153. The transmission processing unit 152 transmits the transmission signal generated by the transmission signal processing unit 151 as a wireless signal from the antenna 16, and the transmission control unit 153 controls the start and stop of transmission of the wireless signal by the transmission processing unit 152.

Next, the on-vehicle device 20 will be explained. The on-board device 20 includes a wireless receiving section 21 , an antenna 22 , an operation determination section 23 , a position information acquisition section 24 , and an operation instruction notification section 25 .

The antenna 22 receives a wireless transmission signal transmitted via the antenna 16 of the on-vehicle device 20.

The radio receiving unit 21 receives a radio signal transmitted from the ground equipment 10 via the antenna 22, and performs demodulation processing on the radio signal to determine the state of the railroad crossing and the state included in the radio signal. Information on the position of the railroad crossing is extracted and sent to the operation determination section 23.

The position information acquisition unit 24 acquires position information of a train (hereinafter also referred to as “own vehicle”) equipped with the wireless reception unit 21 and notifies the operation determination unit 23 of the position information. There are no restrictions on the method of acquiring train position information; for example, the train position can be acquired using any method that can identify the train position, such as a beacon on the track, wheel rotation, or GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System). do it.

The operation determination section 23 calculates the distance from the own vehicle to the railroad crossing based on the position information of the railroad crossing acquired from the wireless reception section 21 and the position information of the own vehicle acquired from the position information acquisition section 24. Then, the operation determination unit 23 determines the operation state that the own vehicle should take (normal operation, slowing down, stopping) based on the calculated distance from the own vehicle to the railroad crossing and the state inside the railroad crossing acquired from the radio reception unit 21. either) and notifies the operation instruction notification section 25 of the determination result.

Specifically, when the condition inside the railroad crossing is normal, the operation determination unit 23 determines that the own vehicle should operate normally. Furthermore, when the condition inside the railroad crossing is abnormal, the operation determination unit 23 determines the operation state that the vehicle should take based on the distance from the vehicle to the railroad crossing. That is, the operation determination unit 23 determines that the vehicle should slow down if the distance from the vehicle to the railroad crossing is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, and if the distance from the vehicle to the railroad crossing is less than the threshold. , determines that the vehicle should stop. The above threshold value is defined as the distance at which the own vehicle will enter the railroad crossing if the vehicle is not stopped.

Note that when the on-board device 20 simultaneously receives radio signals from multiple ground devices 10, the operation determination unit 23 determines whether the on-board device 20 is receiving radio signals from multiple ground devices 10 at the same time, It is preferable to determine the operating state that the own vehicle should take based on information extracted from the radio signal from the ground equipment 10 of the railroad crossing located at the railroad crossing.

Additionally, if the radio signal received from the ground equipment 10 includes only the information on the position of the level crossing (does not include information on the state inside the crossing), it is assumed that some abnormality has occurred in the ground equipment 10. Therefore, the operation determination unit 23 may perform the same process as when the condition inside the railroad crossing is abnormal.

The driving instruction notifying unit 25 notifies the driver of the driving state that the own vehicle should take, as notified by the driving determining unit 23, and instructs the driver to put the own vehicle in the driving state. There are no restrictions on the means of notification to the driver, and any means such as sound, light, text, or a combination thereof may be used. By operating the driver's vehicle based on the notification from the operation instruction notification unit 25, the driver can prevent the driver's vehicle from entering a railroad crossing in an abnormal state.

According to the wireless communication system according to the first embodiment, the ground device 10 transmits the information on the position of the railroad crossing as well as the condition inside the railroad crossing to the onboard device 20 of the train, and the onboard device 20 detects abnormalities from the own vehicle. The system determines the operating state that the vehicle should take based on the distance to the railroad crossing and notifies the driver. Therefore, for example, even if an abnormality occurs at a railroad crossing, if the vehicle is far from the crossing and there is no need to make an emergency stop, the driver may be asked to continue operating the vehicle normally or to slow down. You can instruct them to do something. As a result, excessive train stops can be reduced, major disruptions to train schedules can be prevented, and the burden on drivers and passengers can be reduced.

Further, when the abnormal state inside the level crossing returns to a normal state, the ground device 10 sends a notification to the onboard device 20 again that the state inside the level crossing is normal. Therefore, the on-board device 20 can recognize the situation inside the railroad crossing in real time and change the operating state that the own vehicle should take, which is notified to the driver. This also reduces excessive train stops.

<Embodiment 2>
In the first embodiment, the distance from the train to the railroad crossing is calculated from the railroad crossing location information transmitted from the ground device 10 and the train location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit 24 of the onboard device 20. On the other hand, in the second embodiment, the onboard device 20 is provided with a database in which the locations of railroad crossings are stored in advance, thereby eliminating the need for the onboard device 20 to acquire the location information of railroad crossings from the ground device 10.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a wireless communication system according to the second embodiment. The configuration of the wireless communication system shown in FIG. 3 is such that a level crossing position database (DB) 26 is added to the on-board device 20 in addition to the configuration shown in FIG. The railroad crossing location database 26 is a storage medium that stores identification information (level crossing ID) of railroad crossings located in various places in association with their location information. Since the other configurations are basically the same as those in the first embodiment, only the differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described here.

In the first embodiment, the level crossing control unit 13 notifies the wireless transmitting unit 15 of the position information of the level crossing to be controlled and the identification information (level crossing ID) of the level crossing. Only the railroad crossing ID of the railroad crossing is notified to the wireless transmitter 15. Further, upon receiving a notification indicating the state inside the level crossing from the abnormality reporting unit 14 (level crossing state notification), the wireless transmitting unit 15 transmits information on the state inside the level crossing (normal or abnormal) and the level crossing ID of the level crossing. , is transmitted from the antenna 16 as a radio signal.

In the on-board device 20 , the radio receiving section 21 extracts information on the condition inside the railroad crossing and the railroad crossing ID of the railroad crossing from the radio signal transmitted from the ground device 10 and sends it to the operation determining section 23 . The operation determination unit 23 also refers to the level crossing position database 26 and acquires the position information of the level crossing linked to the level crossing ID acquired from the wireless reception unit 21, and obtains the position information of the level crossing and the position information acquisition unit 24. Based on the acquired vehicle position information, the distance from the vehicle to the railroad crossing is calculated. Then, the operation determination unit 23 determines the operation state that the own vehicle should take (normal operation, slowing down, stopping) based on the calculated distance from the own vehicle to the railroad crossing and the state inside the railroad crossing acquired from the radio reception unit 21. either) and notifies the operation instruction notification section 25 of the determination result.

Note that even if a train approaches the position of a level crossing registered in the level crossing position database 26, if the radio signal from the ground equipment 10 that monitors the status of the level crossing is not received by the radio receiver 21, the ground equipment 10 or Since it is considered that some kind of abnormality has occurred in the on-board device 20, the operation determination unit 23 may perform the same process as when the condition inside the railroad crossing is abnormal.

According to the wireless communication system according to the second embodiment, since the on-board device 20 includes the railroad crossing location database 26, there is no need for the ground device 10 to transmit the location information of the railroad crossing, and the ground device 10 is simplified. be able to.

In addition, the operation determination unit 23 periodically refers to the position information of the level crossing stored in the level crossing position database 26 and the position information of the own vehicle acquired from the position information acquisition unit 24, and determines whether the own vehicle is next The location of the railroad crossing to be reached may also be determined. In that case, there is no need for the ground device 10 to transmit the railroad crossing ID, and the ground device 10 can be further simplified. However, if the onboard device 20 is in a state where it simultaneously receives radio signals that do not include a railroad crossing ID from multiple ground devices 10, it will not be possible to determine from which ground device 10 the radio signal was received. (For example, the distance between railroad crossings is wide to some extent, and two or more ground devices 10 are not brought into a train approaching state at the same time by one train.)

<Embodiment 3>
The operation instruction notification unit 25 of the on-board device 20 shown in Embodiments 1 and 2 notifies the driver only of the operation state (normal operation, slow speed, or stop) that the own vehicle should take. . In the third embodiment, the operation instruction notification unit 25 of the on-board device 20 is provided with a function of notifying the level crossing ID of the level crossing where an abnormality has occurred.

In this embodiment as well, there are no restrictions on the means of notifying the driver, but for example, if the operation instruction notification unit 25 displays on the screen the level crossing ID of the level crossing where an abnormality has occurred, the abnormality may occur at multiple level crossings. In such cases, the railroad crossing IDs of those railroad crossings can be shown to the driver at the same time. In that case, the level crossing IDs of a plurality of level crossings where an abnormality has occurred may be displayed in order of proximity to the vehicle, and there is no restriction on the number of level crossing IDs to be displayed. Note that even if an abnormality occurs at a plurality of level crossings, the operation instruction notification unit 25 may notify the driver only of the level crossing ID of the nearest level crossing where the abnormality has occurred.

For example, as shown in FIG. 4, two railroad crossing ground devices 10 (ground device 10A and ground device 10B) having different railroad crossing IDs are installed close to each other, and the onboard device 20 receives wireless communication from the ground device 10A. It is assumed that the signal and the radio signal from the ground device 10B are being received simultaneously. Note that the on-vehicle device 20 shown in FIG. 4 is the same as that in the second embodiment (FIG. 3), but may be the same as that in the first embodiment (FIG. 1).

When a train approaches a monitored railroad crossing, each of the ground devices 10A and 10B enters a train approach state, and transmits a radio signal containing the condition inside the railroad crossing and the railroad crossing ID of the railroad crossing. The operation determination unit 23 of the on-board device 20 determines the operation state that the vehicle should be in (normal operation, slow operation, or stop), and notifies the operation instruction notification unit 25 of the determination result and, if an abnormality has occurred in any of the level crossings, the level crossing ID of that level crossing. The operation instruction notification unit 25 notifies the driver of the operation state that the own vehicle should take and the level crossing ID of the level crossing where the abnormality has occurred. As a result, the driver can recognize at which railroad crossing an abnormality is occurring, and the burden on the driver when operating the vehicle is reduced.

In addition, the ground device 10 transmits information about the nature of the abnormality that has occurred within the level crossing (for example, failure of a barrier or alarm, presence or absence of an obstacle within the level crossing, etc.) in a wireless signal. The information may be obtained from the received radio signal. In that case, the operation instruction notification unit 25 may notify the driver of the details of the abnormality in addition to the operating state that the own vehicle should be in and the level crossing ID of the level crossing where the abnormality has occurred.

Note that it is possible to freely combine each embodiment, or to modify or omit each embodiment as appropriate.

Hereinafter, various aspects of the present disclosure will be collectively described as supplementary notes.

(Additional note 1)
a ground device that transmits a radio signal indicating conditions within the railroad crossing;
an on-board device that is mounted on a train and receives the radio signal;
Equipped with
The ground equipment is
When an abnormality occurs within the level crossing, transmitting the wireless signal indicating that the state within the level crossing is abnormal;
When there is no abnormality within the level crossing, transmitting the radio signal indicating that the state within the level crossing is normal;
The on-board device is
If the received radio signal indicates that the condition within the level crossing is abnormal, determining the operating state that the train should take based on the distance from the train to the level crossing;
Notifying the driver of the train of the determination result of the operating state that the train should take;
Wireless communication system.

(Additional note 2)
The ground device transmits location information of the railroad crossing by including it in the radio signal,
The on-board device calculates a distance from the train to the railroad crossing based on position information of the railroad crossing extracted from the received radio signal.
The wireless communication system described in Appendix 1.

(Additional note 3)
Equipped with a level crossing location database that stores the identification information of the level crossing and the location information of the level crossing,
The ground device includes identification information of the railroad crossing in the wireless signal and transmits it,
The on-board device acquires, from the level crossing position database, the position information of the level crossing linked to the identification information of the level crossing extracted from the received radio signal, and the position information of the level crossing acquired from the level crossing position database. Calculating the distance from the train to the railroad crossing based on
The wireless communication system described in Appendix 1.

(Additional note 4)
The ground device includes identification information of the railroad crossing in the wireless signal and transmits it,
The on-board device notifies the driver of the train of identification information of the level crossing where the abnormality is occurring, which is extracted from the received radio signal, along with the determination result of the operating state that the train should take.
The wireless communication system according to any one of Supplementary notes 1 to 3.

(Appendix 5)
The ground device transmits information on the nature of the abnormality that has occurred within the railroad crossing by including it in the radio signal,
The on-board device uses information on the content of the abnormality extracted from the received radio signal, together with the judgment result of the operating state that the train should take and the identification information of the level crossing where the abnormality has occurred, to improve the operation of the train. notify the officer,
The wireless communication system according to appendix 4.

10, 10A, 10B ground equipment, 11 level crossing equipment, 12 train detection unit, 13 level crossing control unit, 14 abnormality notification unit, 15 radio transmission unit, 16 antenna, 151 transmission signal processing unit, 152 transmission processing unit, 153 transmission control unit , 20 on-board device, 21 radio receiving unit, 22 antenna, 23 operation determination unit, 24 position information acquisition unit, 25 operation instruction notification unit, 26 level crossing position database.

Claims (5)

a ground device that transmits a radio signal indicating conditions within the railroad crossing;
an on-board device that is mounted on a train and receives the radio signal;
Equipped with
The ground equipment is
When an abnormality occurs within the level crossing, transmitting the wireless signal indicating that the state within the level crossing is abnormal;
When there is no abnormality within the level crossing, transmitting the radio signal indicating that the state within the level crossing is normal;
The on-board device is
If the received radio signal indicates that the condition within the level crossing is abnormal, determining the operating state that the train should take based on the distance from the train to the level crossing;
Notifying the driver of the train of the determination result of the operating state that the train should take;
Wireless communication system. The ground device transmits location information of the railroad crossing by including it in the radio signal,
The on-board device calculates a distance from the train to the railroad crossing based on position information of the railroad crossing extracted from the received radio signal.
The wireless communication system according to claim 1. Equipped with a level crossing location database that stores the identification information of the level crossing and the location information of the level crossing,
The ground device includes identification information of the railroad crossing in the wireless signal and transmits it,
The on-board device acquires, from the level crossing position database, the position information of the level crossing linked to the identification information of the level crossing extracted from the received radio signal, and the position information of the level crossing acquired from the level crossing position database. Calculating the distance from the train to the railroad crossing based on
The wireless communication system according to claim 1. The ground device includes identification information of the railroad crossing in the wireless signal and transmits it,
The on-board device notifies the driver of the train of identification information of the level crossing where the abnormality is occurring, which is extracted from the received radio signal, along with the determination result of the operating state that the train should take.
The wireless communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The ground device transmits information on the nature of the abnormality that has occurred within the railroad crossing by including it in the radio signal,
The on-board device uses information on the content of the abnormality extracted from the received radio signal, together with the judgment result of the operating state that the train should take and the identification information of the level crossing where the abnormality has occurred, to improve the operation of the train. notify the officer,
The wireless communication system according to claim 4.

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