JP5030613B2 - Crew support system and in-vehicle terminal device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a crew member support system and its in-vehicle terminal device that can avoid an operation error of a crew member without particularly modifying or changing a vehicle or ground equipment.

  Conventionally, support systems such as station stop train indicator lights have been provided to avoid driving troubles caused by accidental mistakes of crew, such as forgetting the train stop and overrunning the platform. However, a single railway line has various modes of operation divided into normal, semi-express and express, and driving operations such as power running and braking are basically left to the driver. It is not a mechanism that can completely prevent mistakes. Under such circumstances, it is desired to develop a device for surely preventing forgetting of the stop station.

  Here, it is conceivable to construct a large-scale system such as an automatic train operation system. However, in this case, it is necessary to greatly change the vehicle and the ground equipment, and this lacks simplicity. In the first place, accidental mistakes by crew members can be solved almost certainly by installing a simple support system for crew members without introducing a large-scale system.

Therefore, as a method to reasonably solve the problem of operation mistakes by crew, a device that uses GPS (Global Positioning System) technology to identify the position of the vehicle and based on the position information to provide various driving assistance to the crew Has been proposed (Patent Document 1).
JP 2005-186651 A

However, the vehicle position calculation device described in Patent Document 1 is not simple because it requires extensive vehicle modification. There is also a fatal problem that it does not function in places where GPS signals do not reach such as tunnels and underground. Therefore, the applicant has previously proposed an operation support device that can notify the driver of the next stop station, overspeed condition, etc. even at locations where GPS signals do not reach (Patent Document 2).
Japanese Patent Application No. 2006-062450

  However, in the invention described in Patent Document 2, since the elapsed time is grasped by a clock timer and a notification operation is performed at a location where the GPS signal does not reach, a separate operation speed of the train is not separately detected. There is a problem that the accuracy of the notification timing is lacking.

  In addition, in the case where the next stop station is approaching as soon as it goes on the ground after operating an underground station where GPS signals cannot be received from the first station to multiple stations, the invention of Patent Document 2 does not function effectively. .

  In other words, the GPS receiver positioning start state includes a cold start, a warm start, and a hot start. For example, in the case of a train that has been waiting for a long time at the first station in the basement, it must be a cold start. Absent. In the cold start state, neither almanac data (satellite calendar almanac) nor ephemeris data (orbital calendar ephemeris) is grasped. First, a receivable satellite is detected and the almanac is received to determine the optimum satellite. After that, it is necessary to start by receiving the ephemeris of the determined satellite and knowing the exact position of the satellite.

  Therefore, a considerable initial positioning time (TTFF: Time To First Fix) is consumed, and the positioning is not completed before the arrival at the first ground stop station. Even in the warm start state in which the almanac is grasped, the initial positioning time is required (for example, about 33 seconds), and positioning may not be completed by the required time.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and is an inexpensive and rational crew member capable of notifying a crew member of support information at an accurate timing without specially changing a vehicle or ground equipment. The purpose is to provide a support system. Moreover, it aims at providing the vehicle-mounted terminal device used with the said crew member assistance system.

In order to achieve the above object, a support system for a vehicle crew according to the present invention receives a portable in-vehicle terminal device incorporating a GPS receiver and a radio wave from a GPS satellite, and is installed on the vehicle when a GPS positioning operation starts. The client device that can communicate with the server device that generates and distributes the assist information including the satellite number that identifies the satellite to be captured by the terminal device, and transmits the assist information received by the client device to the in-vehicle terminal device A transmitter and a point transmitter that is arranged in a place where radio waves from a GPS satellite cannot be received and that is mounted on the vehicle are transmitted to the in-vehicle terminal device. The device stores all the work details of the day that the vehicle crew should perform together with the time information in advance, and pays attention to the crew corresponding to the work details. It is stipulated that the crew's work is started in a state where the location information of the alert location to be alerted and the alert information to be notified at the alert location identified by the location information are stored in relation to each other The in-vehicle terminal device grasps the current position of the vehicle on the basis of information received from the transmitter, the point transmitter, and the GPS satellite, informs the contents of the work being executed, and is specified in advance. When reaching the alerting point, the alerting information is notified. Moreover, this invention is also a vehicle-mounted terminal device used with this support system.

The point transmitter and the in- vehicle terminal device are preferably connected in accordance with a short-range wireless communication standard such as Bluetooth or ZigBee.

The position information and the alert information are stored in an external storage medium attached to the in-vehicle terminal device, or are read from the external storage medium and stored in the in-vehicle terminal device.

  It is effective that the alert information is any one of voice information, character or symbol display information, and lamp display information, or a combination thereof.

  Further, the position information of the point to call attention is specified in relation to a structure existing on the route on which the crew is on board, or is acquired by operating the in-vehicle terminal device on the route. Is preferred.

  The in-vehicle terminal device preferably always grasps the vehicle speed based on the temporal transition of the position information obtained by the GPS receiver, and if the vehicle speed exceeds the limit value, executes the notification operation to that effect. . The in-vehicle terminal device is preferably provided with an acceleration sensor for detecting the departure timing of the vehicle.

The in- vehicle terminal device of the present invention is configured to receive assist information from a transmitter and / or notification information from a point transmitter through a wireless network for mobile communication devices including mobile phones and PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants). It is preferable to adopt.

  According to the above-described present invention, it is possible to realize an inexpensive and rational crew member support system capable of notifying a crew member of support information at an accurate timing without specially changing a vehicle or ground equipment.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on examples. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a crew member support system SYS according to the embodiment.

  The illustrated crew support system SYS receives a radio wave transmitted by the in-vehicle terminal device 1 that the driver brings to the driver's cab during the crew and the GPS satellite Sai that orbits the predetermined orbit of about 20,000 km above in a cycle of about 12 hours. The assist GPS server 2 that generates and distributes GPS assist information, the assist GPS client 3 that receives the distributed GPS assist information, the communication line 4 that connects the server 2 and the client 3, and the client 3 received It consists of a transmitter 5 that transmits assist information to a train and a point transmitter 6 that is arranged in a long tunnel or underground station.

  In the case of this system, the in-vehicle terminal device 1 is normally centrally stored in a storage in a charging operation state, and is lent to individual drivers at the time of a start call. As the communication line 4, for example, an in-house LAN (Local Area Network) or the Internet line is used. Of course, these communication lines may utilize mobile communication networks.

  One or a plurality of assist GPS servers 2 are provided for each area of a predetermined area corresponding to the usage range, network traffic, and the like. However, it is not always necessary to secure the assist GPS server 2 in-house, and it is a matter of course that distribution services from other companies may be used.

  In any case, a GPS receiver is arranged at the position of the server 2, and a navigation message transmitted from the GPS satellite Sai is received. The navigation message includes an ephemeris composed of orbit information and correction information of the source GPS satellite, and an almanac composed of rough orbit information of all GPS satellites. The assist GPS server 2 generates GPS assist information based on the received navigation message, and distributes it in response to a request from the client 3.

  The assist GPS client 3 is provided at a location where a GPS satellite navigation message cannot be received for a long time along the train line. For example, it is provided at a station where a crew station has to be used in a situation where a satellite cannot be captured for a long time, such as a first departure station or a crew change station.

  The assist GPS client 3 acquires GPS assist information in real time (at intervals of 1 second) through the communication line 4. The GPS assist information to be acquired is information including an almanac and an ephemeris so that a GPS receiver that has not been able to receive a navigation message until then can start a positioning operation quickly. Therefore, the GPS receiver that has acquired the GPS assist information can immediately grasp the satellite to be captured at that time and in that area, so that the initial positioning time TTFF can be greatly shortened. Incidentally, in this embodiment, the initial positioning time TTFF of about 5 seconds is realized by transmitting the GPS assist information including the satellite number and the Doppler frequency to the in-vehicle terminal device 1.

  The transmitter 5 is a device that transmits the GPS assist information received by the client 3 to the in-vehicle terminal device 1. The transmitter 5 and the in-vehicle terminal device 1 are wirelessly connected according to the ZigBee standard. Here, ZigBee is a short-range wireless communication standard of the same type as Bluetooth, and has the advantage of low power consumption and low cost, although it is slower and has a shorter transmission distance than Bluetooth. IEEE 802.15.4 is used for the physical layer interface, and the same 2.4 GHz frequency band as IEEE 802.11b of the wireless LAN standard is divided into 16 channels.

  The point transmitter 6 is placed in a tunnel or an underground station, or in a place where satellite radio waves are interrupted for a certain period of time due to the effects of high-rise buildings or mountains. However, the arrangement of the point transmitter 6 can be omitted if the satellite can be captured in a short time even in such a place. On the other hand, when there are multiple underground stations (for example, Namba Minamihonmachi on the Kintetsu Nara Line) or when there is a stop immediately after exiting the tunnel (for example, Ishikiri Ikoma on the Kintetsu Nara Line) A point transmitter 6 is arranged.

  The point transmitter 6 is specifically a wireless tag (Radio Frequency Identification Tag), and wirelessly transmits a point code stored in advance to the in-vehicle terminal device 1 according to the ZigBee standard. The point code transmitted by the point transmitter 6 specifies characters to be displayed on the in-vehicle terminal device 1 at the time of passing through the point, and the notification content by the speaker or LED. Such a point code may be returned in response to an instruction from the in-vehicle terminal device 1, but from the viewpoint of simplicity, in this embodiment, the point code is directed toward the train at regular intervals. Automatic transmission.

  FIG. 2A illustrates a schematic front view of the in-vehicle terminal device 1, and FIG. 3A illustrates a circuit configuration of the in-vehicle terminal device 1. As illustrated, the in-vehicle terminal device 1 is configured by arranging various lamps, keys, and the like around a liquid crystal display portion LCD of about 4.3 inches.

  As the display lamps, a warning lamp 10 composed of six LEDs that are lit / flashing for warning, a GPS lamp 11 using LEDs that indicate a GSP radio wave receivable state, and a charging lamp that indicates that charging is in progress. 12 and a power ON lamp 13 indicating that the power is on.

  An optical sensor 14 is arranged on the left side of the attention calling lamp 10 and measures the light intensity of the surroundings to automatically adjust the light emission luminance of the liquid crystal display LCD. Since this in-vehicle terminal device 1 is arranged and used on the cab, the ambient light intensity varies greatly between traveling on the ground and traveling underground, and the LCD brightness automatic adjustment function is Very important.

  In addition, a speaker 15 that utters an announcement voice is disposed above the charging lamp 12. On the other hand, as operation keys, a cross key 16 operated when a necessary item is selected on a navigation screen of the liquid crystal display LCD, a mode switch 17 for selecting an operation mode of the in-vehicle terminal device 1, a power ON A power switch 18 operated at the time of / OFF is provided.

  The in-vehicle terminal device 1 is lent to the driver for each work (business). The operations of the driver are divided into, for example, about 100 ways for each train section divided by region, and N ways (for example, about 700 ways) as a whole. As for the crew contents of the driver thus classified, all train districts or all duties of the train district in charge are stored in an SD memory card (Secure Digital Memory Card) 19 together with time information. Here, each SD memory card is assigned a work number of N kinds of work as a default value (default).

  Then, the driver receives the in-vehicle terminal device 1 (installed with the SD memory card) that is defaulted to the work number that he / she is in charge of at the start of the operation, and thereafter, the driver performs the work of the day according to the instructions of the in-vehicle terminal device 1 You can do it. The vehicle-mounted terminal device 1 starts up after the power is turned on and the default setting is automatically started. FIG. 2 illustrates the display contents during operation.

  FIG. 3 illustrates the internal configuration of the in-vehicle terminal device 1. As shown in the schematic side view of FIG. 3A, the in-vehicle terminal device 1 is configured by laminating a GPS circuit board 21 and a main circuit board 22 partitioned by a shield plate 20. A liquid crystal display LCD is stacked on the main circuit board 22.

  The shield plate 20 prevents the computer circuit of the main circuit board 22 from being adversely affected by GPS radio waves or ZigBee standard radio waves, and the upper surface and the left and right sides protrude forward to cover the main circuit board 22. . For the same purpose, the circuit elements on the main circuit board 22 are covered with a shield case 23.

  A built-in GPS receiver antenna 24 is disposed on the shield plate 20, and a rechargeable battery pack 25 is disposed on the back of the GPS circuit board 21. For example, a rechargeable lithium ion battery 7.4 V (2300 mAh) is used as the battery pack 25, but the power consumption of the in-vehicle terminal device 1 is appropriately set so that the daily work can be performed only by the battery pack 25. Designed.

  As shown in FIG. 3B, the GPS circuit board 21 includes a GPS receiving module 26 including a GPS receiver, a charging circuit 27 that receives an external power supply to charge the battery pack 25, and measures the acceleration of the train during operation. And a ZigBee receiver 29 that receives radio waves from the point transmitter 6 and the transmitter 5 of the assist GPS client.

The GPS reception module 26 receives information such as positioning time, latitude, longitude, and the number of received satellites from GPS satellites, and calculates the three-dimensional coordinates (latitude, longitude, altitude) of the reception point. Specifically, the radio wave propagation time ΔT (including the time deviation Tn) required from the GPS satellite to reach the receiver 26, the light propagation speed (light speed) C, the receiver clock, the precise satellite clock, In principle, the three-dimensional coordinates (X, Y, Z) at the receiver position are calculated based on the following basic equation based on the time difference Tn and the coordinate position (Xn, Yn, Zn) of the satellite. calculate. In the following expression, SQR means a root operation (1/2 power operation), and * means a product operation.
C * (ΔT−Tn) = SQR ((X−Xn) ² + (Y−Yn) ² + (Z—Zn) ² )
Since there are four unknowns (X, Y, Z, Tn) in the above equation, it is necessary to always receive radio waves from four satellites. Further, since the GPS satellites are not stationary satellites and orbit at a cycle of about 12 hours, it is necessary to continue to capture the optimum four satellites having appropriate elevation angles in accordance with the transition of time.

  In any case, the GPS receiving module 26 calculates (a) information on whether or not four optimal satellites have been acquired (GSP radio wave reception availability status) and (b) GSP radio wave reception availability status. The generated three-dimensional coordinates are output toward the main circuit board 22.

  By the way, when the in-vehicle terminal device 1 is located in a place where GPS radio waves do not reach, the ZigBee receiver 29 receives assist GPS information transmitted from the transmitter 5 of the assist GPS client 3 or a point transmitted from the point transmitter 6. I have a code. The ZigBee receiving unit 29 outputs each received information to the main circuit board 22.

  On the other hand, a control module 30 which is a computer circuit having a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM is mounted on the main circuit board 22. The CPU of the control module 30 operates based on a control program stored in the memory, and realizes various notification operations that support the driving operation of the crew. Windows CE (registered trademark) is used as an OS (Operating System).

  The main circuit board 22 also includes a reception data input unit 31 for receiving the various data output from the GPS circuit board 21, a key data input unit 32 for receiving data such as the cross key 16, and the SD memory card 19. A card data input unit 33 that reads registration data and a sensor data input unit 34 that receives detection data of the optical sensor 14 are provided. And CPU of control module 30 performs information operation which supports a crew member based on information received from each input part 31-34. Specifically, the liquid crystal display unit LCD is driven through the LCD control unit 35 and various LED lamps are driven through the lamp data output unit 36. Announcement sound is emitted from the speaker via the sound output unit 37.

  The main circuit board 22 is provided with a data output unit 38, and the control module 30 passes the GPS assist information received from the ZigBee receiving unit 29 to the GPS receiving module 26 through the data output unit 38. Yes. The GPS assist information may be directly passed from the ZigBee receiving unit 29 to the GPS receiving module 26 without passing through the main board 22.

  Next, data registered in the SD memory card 19 will be described. In the SD memory card 19, warning information is registered for each train type (normal, semi-express, express, rapid express, limited express, etc.) for all train zones or one service zone. Here, the alerting information includes notification contents at the alerting position set as appropriate, the maximum allowable speed, and the like. The notification content at the alerting position includes (a) screen display content on the liquid crystal display LCD, (b) lighting / flashing operation content by the LED lamp, and (c) announcement sound from the speaker.

  As described above, the alert information is registered in relation to the daily work content (crew system) of the driver specified by the work number. Depending on the work number, the work contents of the day will be on board A vehicle at * hour * minute, move to α station, wait at the station, and then on board B from ** hour ** minutes. It is specified according to the time, such as moving to β station.

  And if the work number of the day is selected in the vehicle-mounted terminal device 1, after passing confirmation operation, the control module 30 will calculate the relationship between time and a vehicle position based on GPS information, and will calculate a crew system automatically. I am doing so. It should be noted that the crew system is specified by manual operation at a point where GPS information cannot be obtained. After that, the driver acts with the in-vehicle terminal device until the work on that day is completed.

  Hereinafter, alert information registered in the SD memory card 19 will be described including its registration method. It is necessary to specify and register the coordinate position (latitude and longitude) of the point that should alert the crew, but this latitude and longitude information is obtained when the train is actually run. In some cases, a railway company already uses a database (mapping data). Normally, railway companies have mapping data including distances (distance data from the base point) about structures such as iron poles and stations, so it is effective to utilize them.

  FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a procedure for registering alert information using existing mapping data. First, the name of the railway line to be registered, the top and bottom, and the train type are specified, and the mapping data is read from the existing database. Since the mapping data read out here includes iron pole numbers, structures, and kilometres, the alerting point can be selected based on these.

  Further, while referring to detailed track information before and after the point to be selected, the alert message, the LED blinking method, and alert information such as speed information are specified. The specified speed information includes the maximum speed between stations including the alerting point, the stop limit speed when entering the stop station, and the like. In this way, by using mapping data that already exists, the alert information is specified along with the kilometer distance, so the kilometer distance is converted into latitude information and longitude information, and the SD card alert information is registered. become.

  FIG. 4A conceptually shows the alert information registered in the SD memory card. When the train travels from left to right in Fig. 4 (a), (a) how the LED lamp flashes at what point, and (b) what announcement is made at which point Or (c) what kind of display is made on the LCD at which point.

  FIG. 4B illustrates an operation when registering alert information using an existing database. Here, the point of the index number 216 is selected as the alerting point in front of the “iron pillar 10” located about 33K818M48 of the index number 217. Then, a message (announcement) number, LED blinking number, stop speed, maximum speed, LED blinking time, etc. used at the selected alerting point are registered.

  If an existing database is not used, a separately created point registration device (not shown) is brought into the train cab together with the in-vehicle terminal device 1 and the key of the point registration device is pressed when the warning position is reached. By pressing, the alerting position (latitude, longitude) and alerting information are registered correspondingly. The latitude information and longitude information are specified by the GPS receiving module 26 of the in-vehicle terminal device 1.

  Then, the operation | movement content of the vehicle-mounted terminal device 1 is demonstrated based on the flowchart of FIG.5 and FIG.6. In this crew support system, (a) as a rule, always perform a notification operation to the driver based on position information from the GPS receiving module 26, (b) However, in an underground line where GPS data cannot be obtained, etc. , Executing a notification operation based on an instruction from the point transmitter 6, (c) grasping a departure timing based on information from the acceleration sensor 28, and (d) GPS data from the point transmitter 6. In locations where no information is available, the rough current position is determined based on the departure timing, the travel time between stations determined by the train schedule, and the software timer TM.

  In the following, based on FIG. 5, when the driver receives the in-vehicle terminal device 1 corresponding to his work and turns on the power, the file data storing the business contents of the day is read and various initial settings are made. It is executed (ST1). Then, a work number for specifying a work to be started is displayed (ST2).

  Accordingly, it is confirmed that there is no mistake in the displayed work number, and the confirmation button is turned on (ST3). If the received in-vehicle terminal device 1 is wrong, the other person's work number is displayed, so the correct work number is input again (ST4). Then, the in-vehicle terminal device 1 that has acquired the work number shifts to the process of step ST1, reads out the file data corresponding to the newly designated work number, and executes the initial setting again, so that the work of the day Can be started (ST3).

  In the initial process of step ST1, the current position of the train is specified as the coordinate position of the first station. In this initial process, it is determined whether or not the radio wave from the GPS satellite Sai can be received. If reception is impossible, the assist GPS information is obtained from the assist GPS client 3 and the GPS reception module 26 receives the assist GPS information. Set. At the stage where the initial processing is completed, the management variable N for managing the business number is initially set to zero.

  Next, in the in-vehicle terminal device 1 set in the cab, after updating the management variable N, the Nth business system is read (ST5), for example, the Nth business line as shown in FIG. The initial screen of the crew is displayed (ST6). The preparation operation is completed as described above, and after that, it waits for the driver to press the departure button (ST7). Even if the departure button is not pressed, if the departure time determined in advance by the train schedule is reached, the standby process of step ST7 is exited.

  Next, based on the output of the acceleration sensor 28, it is determined whether or not the train has actually started (ST8). When the departure of the train is confirmed, the time required on the diagram to the next station is initially set in the clock timer TM (ST9). The timekeeping timer TM then continues to perform the timekeeping operation. However, it is based on the timekeeping timer TM between stations where radio waves from GPS satellites cannot be received and the point transmitter 6 is not provided. Then, the notification operation is executed (ST10).

  However, while the notification operation is normally performed based on GPS data, the notification operation is performed based on the point information from the point transmitter 6 in an underground line where radio waves from GPS satellites cannot be received (ST10). ). These notification operations will be further described later with reference to FIG.

  In any case, the in-vehicle terminal device 1 waits for the train to arrive at the next station while performing the necessary notification operation (the driving support operation in step ST10) (ST11). Whether or not the vehicle has arrived at the next station is determined based on the output of the value of the clock timer TM, the output value of the acceleration sensor, or the GPS position data.

  If it is determined that the vehicle has arrived at the stop station, it is next determined whether or not the Nth crew currently performing is completed (ST12). For example, if the Nth crew member is “ride on vehicle A and move to α station”, whether or not the stop station is α station is determined based on the GPS position data or the like. And when not having arrived at the target station yet, it returns to the process of step ST8 and waits for the departure from the stop station. If the current station is departed, the processes of steps ST9 to ST11 are repeated.

  On the other hand, if it is determined by the processing in step ST12 that the Nth crew currently being executed has been completed, it is determined whether or not all the tasks for the day have been completed (ST13). As described above, since all the daily crew contents are stored in the SD memory card 19, the in-vehicle terminal device 1 makes the determination in step ST13 based on the current position and the current time based on GPS data and other information. Can be executed.

  Then, for example, when the current day's work is further boarded by the B vehicle and moves to β station, the management variable N is updated, and the processes of steps ST5 to ST13 are executed.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the driving support process of step ST10 (FIG. 5) in more detail. In the driving support process, data is acquired from the GPS receiving module 26 and the ZigBee receiving unit 29 at intervals of 1 second, for example (ST21).

  If the acquired data is GPS data from the GPS module 26 (ST22: Yes), the current coordinate position is updated based on GPS data such as latitude information and longitude information (ST23). Further, the moving speed is calculated from the moving distance from the previous coordinate position, the elapsed time, and the ratio (ST24).

  Next, it is determined whether or not the calculated moving speed exceeds a preset maximum allowable speed at the point (ST26). However, in consideration of an error in position information calculated from GPS data, the determination is made based on a moving average value of a plurality of past calculated values (moving speeds). If the maximum allowable speed is exceeded, a warning notification process to that effect is executed (ST26).

  On the other hand, when the normal moving speed is maintained, it is determined whether or not the alerting point has been reached based on the position information updated in the process of step ST23 (ST27). And when it is an alerting point, the alerting process to that effect is performed (ST28). The notification process at this time is as illustrated in FIGS. 2B and 2C and FIG. 4A.

  By the way, when determination of step ST22 is No, it is determined whether acquisition data is the point information from the point transmitter 6 (ST29). If this determination is Yes, the coordinate data indicating the current position is updated based on the acquired point information (ST30). This position update process makes it possible to accurately grasp the current position even at a point where GPS radio waves cannot be received.

  Next, based on the received point information, the notification operation illustrated in FIGS. 2B and 2C and FIG. 4A is executed (ST31). Therefore, even in tunnels and underground stations where satellite radio waves cannot be received, an appropriate warning activation work for the crew is realized. Note that by limiting the transmission distance of the ZigBee wireless line to about several meters, a notification operation at an appropriate timing is realized simply by receiving point information and starting a notification operation.

  Further, at the timing of the alerting process in step ST31, the required time to the next station is reset to the timekeeping timer TM (ST32). The timekeeping timer TM is accurately updated after being initially set in the process of step ST9, but cannot reflect the deviation from the operation schedule. Therefore, the clock timer TM is reset at an appropriate time based on the distance to the next station based on the point information acquired this time.

  On the other hand, if the determination in step ST29 is No, it is determined whether the data acquired in the process of step ST21 is GPS assist information (ST33). If the GPS assist information is received, it is transferred to the GPS receiving module 26. The transferred GPS assist information is utilized in the GPS receiving module 26 when radio waves from GPS satellites can be subsequently received. Therefore, after operating the underground station over a plurality of stations, even when the next stop station is approaching as soon as it comes to the ground, the subsequent notification process (ST25 to 28) can be appropriately executed.

  The embodiments of the present invention have been specifically described above. However, the description of the embodiments does not particularly limit the present invention, and appropriate modifications can be made. In particular, the processing contents of FIGS. 5 to 6 are merely examples, and do not limit the present invention.

  In the above embodiment, the assist GPS information is transmitted through the Zigbee line. However, it is also effective to adopt the GPS re-radiation system in a place where the GPS antenna can be easily installed outdoors and the wiring is short. is there. In the re-radiation system, a signal from a GPS satellite is received by a ground GPS antenna, and the received data is re-radiated from the re-radiation antenna to the GPS receiver of the in-vehicle terminal device 1 via a cable. In this case, the GPS receiver of the in-vehicle terminal device 1 is in the same state as if it is receiving a radio wave directly from the satellite in a pseudo manner, and can always execute the positioning process.

  In the embodiment, a ZigBee wireless line is used, but instead, a (a) method using a mobile phone network, (b) a method using a wireless LAN, and (c) a method using Bluetooth. May be. Note that Bluetooth is a wireless communication technology specialized for connection to short-distance devices using the 2.4 GHz frequency band, and is standardized by IEEE 802.15.1.

  The system of the embodiment is constructed on the premise that no modification is made to the train. For example, the receiving antenna of the GPS receiver is arranged at an appropriate place on the train, and the antenna terminal is located near the cab. You may arrange in. In this case, the receiving sensitivity of the GPS receiver can be increased by connecting the in-vehicle terminal device 1 to the antenna terminal.

  Also, by constantly correcting the moving speed calculated from the acceleration sensor 28 based on the moving speed calculated based on the GPS data, the moving speed can be constantly grasped even at a point where radio waves from the GPS satellite cannot be received. It becomes possible to do. The calculated moving speed is based on the integration process of the output value of the acceleration sensor and an appropriate correction process. It is preferable to reflect the inclination angle of the train at each point in the correction process. Information such as the angle of inclination is specified by geographic data on the route stored in the SD memory card.

  Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the assist GPS client 3 and the transmitter 5 are provided, but these may be omitted.

  FIG. 8 illustrates such a modified system and the circuit configuration of the in-vehicle terminal device 1A. Here, the assist GPS server 2 is a server of an assist GPS data provider, and the client software of the terminal device via a general mobile communication line (mobile network) using a procedure such as GPRS (General Packet Radio Service). It is configured to be able to execute communication with.

  On the other hand, the in-vehicle terminal device 1A is provided with a mobile terminal circuit 40 that can be connected to a mobile communication line, and is loaded with client software. At the start-up time of the in-vehicle terminal device 1A, the mobile terminal circuit 40 makes a distribution request (request) for the orbital calendar ephemeris, the satellite almanac, the satellite position, the accurate time, and other satellite information (health, status). In response, the assist GPS server 2 receives the data. Therefore, by receiving these assist information, the GPS receiving module 26 of the in-vehicle terminal device 1A can improve TTFF at the time of initial reception, and positioning can be executed in about several seconds. The assist GPS data to be distributed has a size of 3 KB or less, and is quickly transmitted without imposing a burden on the mobile phone or the PDA wireless network.

  In addition, the structure of FIG. 8 is changed, the mobile terminal 40 is provided outside the in-vehicle terminal device 1B, and assist GPS data is transmitted from the transmitter 5 similar to FIG. 1 to the ZigBee receiving unit 29. Also good.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 9, it is preferable that the GPS receiving module 26 adopts a configuration for directly receiving assist GPS data. In this case, the assist GPS server 2 provides special information called “differential almanac correction data” to the GPS receiver built in the in-vehicle terminal device 1C. Since this information can be easily obtained at any time via the Internet, TTFF can be shortened and accurate positioning can be realized with a simple configuration.

It is a whole lineblock diagram showing crew member support system SYS concerning an example. The external appearance of a vehicle-mounted terminal device is illustrated. The internal structure of a vehicle-mounted terminal device is illustrated. It is drawing explaining the attention starting work and the registration data to the SD memory card. It is a flowchart explaining the processing content of a vehicle-mounted terminal device. It is another flowchart explaining the processing content of a vehicle-mounted terminal device. It is drawing which shows the use condition of a vehicle-mounted terminal device. The circuit structure of a deformation | transformation system and its vehicle-mounted terminal device is illustrated. Furthermore, the circuit structure of another deformation | transformation system and its vehicle-mounted terminal device is illustrated.

Explanation of symbols

1 In-vehicle terminal device 2 Server device 3 Client device 5 Transmitter

Claims (8)

A portable in-vehicle terminal device incorporating a GPS receiver;
A client device that can communicate with a server device that receives radio waves from a GPS satellite and generates and distributes assist information including a satellite number that identifies a satellite to be captured by the in-vehicle terminal device when the GPS positioning operation starts ;
A transmitter that transmits assist information received by the client device to the in-vehicle terminal device; and
A point transmitter that is arranged at a location where radio waves from a GPS satellite cannot be received and that transmits informing information at the point toward an in-vehicle terminal device mounted on the vehicle,
The in-vehicle terminal device stores in advance the work contents of the day that the vehicle crew should execute together with the time information, and corresponding to the work contents, the location information of the alerting point that should alert the crew , It is stipulated that the crew's work should be started in a state where the alert information to be notified at the alert location identified by the location information is stored in relation to the alert information,
The in-vehicle terminal device grasps the current position of the vehicle based on information received from the transmitter, the point transmitter, and the GPS satellite, notifies the contents of the work being executed, and has a precautionary calling point. A support system for vehicle crews configured to alert attention information when reaching.   The support system according to claim 1, wherein the transmitter and the in-vehicle terminal device are connected in accordance with a short-range wireless communication standard.   The in-vehicle terminal device always grasps the vehicle speed based on the temporal transition of the position information obtained by the GPS receiver, and when the vehicle speed exceeds the limit value, performs a notification operation to that effect Item 3. The support system according to item 1 or 2.   The support system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the position information of the alerting point is specified in relation to a structure existing on a route on which the crew is on board.   The support system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the position information of the alerting point is acquired by operating an in-vehicle terminal device on a route.   The support system according to claim 1, wherein the in-vehicle terminal device is provided with an acceleration sensor that detects a departure timing of the vehicle.   The in-vehicle terminal device receives assist information from a transmitter and / or notification information from a point transmitter through a wireless network for a mobile communication device including a mobile phone or a PDA. In-vehicle terminal device.   The vehicle-mounted terminal device used with the assistance system in any one of Claims 1-7.