JPH08315293A - Vehicle location system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a bus location system which can operate at lower cost. CONSTITUTION: Bus stop terminals provided at respective bus stops 12-1, 12-2, and 12-n are connected by a round transmission lines 16. Operation information or an operation number sent from a bus is received by the nearest bus stop terminal and transferred to other bus stop terminals through the round transmission line 16. Since the signal transmission distance may be short when compared with a case wherein a base station distribute operation information showing the operation state of buses 10 to respective bus stop terminals, the system can be actualized at a low cost. Specially, when radio transmission is performed by he round transmission line 16, since radio transmission of small power is employed, the need for application for a radio station license is eliminated.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle location system for providing the location of a vehicle and other information to users of vehicles such as buses.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A bus location system shown in FIG. 13 has been developed in order to provide bus users with bus location and other information. In this type of system, as shown in FIG. 14, a bus 10 and stops 12-1, 1 are provided.
Between 2-2, ... 12-n and stops 12-1, 12-
2, ... 12-n and the base station 14 communicate.
The procedure is roughly as follows.

First, a wireless device (vehicle-mounted device) mounted on the bus 10 wirelessly transmits operation information indicating the operation status of the bus 10 continuously or at predetermined time intervals. Since this operation information only needs to be receivable at the nearest stop, wireless transmission from the bus 10 is executed with low power.

Terminals are installed at the stops 12-1, 12-2, ... 12-n, respectively. Stop 12-
When the operation information from the bus 10 is received by any one of the stop terminals 1, 12, 2 ... 12-n, the stop terminal sends the received operation information and information indicating the status of the stop to the base station. To the station 14.

The base station 14 has stops 12-1, 12-.
2, ... 12-n The information sequentially supplied is integrated, and service information is created based on the result. The created service information is information to be supplied to the users of the stops 12-1, 12-2, ... 12-n, that is, the users of the bus 10. For example, the current location of the bus 10 or the bus 10 is used. Includes the time or required time to arrive at the stop.

The base station 14 transmits the created service information to the stops 12-1, 12-2, ... 12-n. At each stop 12-1, 12-2, ... 12-n, the service information from the base station 14 received by the vehicle-mounted device is displayed, for example, on the screen of its display unit. This makes bus 1
A user of 0 can obtain the location of the bus 10 and other information. In addition, stops 12-1, 12-2, ... 12-
Communication between n and the base station 14 may be performed by using a wired line such as a telephone line, or by using a wireless line.

[0007]

However, the conventional bus location system has some problems. First, in the conventional system, it is necessary to perform communication between the stop terminal and the base station. Since the distance between a terminal at a bus stop and a base station is generally long, if a wired line is used for communication between those terminals, a line maintenance cost or line usage fee that cannot be ignored cannot be ignored. To use it, it is necessary to apply for a radio station license and assign a radio worker. That is, a significant amount of cost is required for communication between the bus terminal and the base station.

Secondly, the conventional system is cost-effective (cost performance) when applied to a small-scale bus line (for example, a line with an extremely small number of stops or a line with an extremely small number of buses). There is a problem that becomes worse. That is, if the conventional system were applied to a small-scale bus route, it would be necessary to install and maintain a base station although the revenue from bus operation is not so large. The base station incurs a certain amount of cost even if it is small, and thus the conventional system is not suitable for constructing a small system in terms of cost performance.

Thirdly, the conventional system has a problem that a large amount of information is exchanged between the vehicle-mounted device and the stop terminal and between the stop terminal and the base station. For example, the information transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device to the stop terminal and further to the base station includes the operation number unique to the vehicle of the bus equipped with the vehicle-mounted device and the system number unique to the bus route on which the bus operates. It includes a wide variety of information such as the destination of the bus, the standard time when the bus departs and arrives at each stop (standard departure and arrival time), and the like. In order to handle such a large amount of information, it is necessary to store a large amount of data in the vehicle-mounted device. In addition, a long transmission time is required to transmit such a large amount of data.

Fourthly, in the conventional system, the contents of the operation information to be transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device must be updated every time the bus on which the vehicle-mounted device is mounted completes the operation of one route. There is a problem of not becoming. For example, considering the case where one bus travels back and forth on a single route, the operation information must be updated when the end of the outward bus route and the end of the return bus route are reached. . Also, when a certain bus is used on multiple routes alternately, the operation information must also be updated when moving from one route to another. Such an operation information update requires a troublesome operation of the vehicle-mounted device. The troublesome operation is not only a burden on the operator (for example, a crew member) but also easily causes an operation error.

Further, when operating the bus location system, it is necessary to accurately inform the user of the bus departure / arrival times, etc., and therefore each stop terminal must have a built-in clock and the clock must always be operated correctly. . For that purpose, it is necessary to calibrate at an appropriate frequency. A fifth problem of the conventional system is that it is troublesome to calibrate the clock of each stop terminal. For example, if the timepiece is to be manually calibrated, a large amount of labor is required because the stops are generally spread over a wide area. If this clock is calibrated by signal transmission from the base station, a relative error of the clock between terminals at the stop may occur due to signal delay due to long-distance transmission.

Sixth, in the conventional system, since the service information transmitted from the base station is provided only at the stop, the user must go to the stop in order to know the operating status of the bus. There was a problem that you had to wait at the stop when using the car. Therefore, if the user saves time waiting at the bus stop, he or she may have to wait for the bus to arrive at the bus stop even if the bus can arrive until the bus arrives, or stay in the bus stop even in bad weather. He was forced to suffer mental or physical disadvantages such as having to do it.

[0013] The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and by improving the transmission system of operation information of vehicles such as buses, fixed stations such as base stations and stop terminals. Abolishing communication with the other, thereby eliminating the need to maintain dedicated lines, use public pay lines, apply for wireless licenses, arrange wireless workers, etc., and realize a system that can be implemented at a lower cost. Is the first purpose.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a base station is eliminated and a vehicle location system suitable for a small scale route is realized by improving a transmission system of vehicle operation information.
The purpose of.

According to the present invention, the operation information to be transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device is limited to the information peculiar to the vehicle-mounted device to reduce the amount of information transmitted between the vehicle-mounted device and the fixed station. A third object is to reduce the amount of data stored in the machine and the transmission time.

According to the present invention, by limiting the operation information to be transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device to the information that does not depend on the route, it is not necessary to change the content of the operation information to be transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device for each route, and thus the vehicle-mounted device is mounted. A fourth object of the present invention is to prevent a troublesome operation of the machine and a load and a mistake caused by such a troublesome operation.

The present invention enables the timepiece to be calibrated without manual operation and without long distance signal transmission by improving the means for accessing the clock of each fixed station, thus reducing the calibration effort. A fifth object is to prevent or reduce the relative error of the clock between the terminals of the bus stop.

According to the present invention, by providing the operation status of the vehicle at a place other than the stop, it is possible to know the operation status of the vehicle at a place convenient for waiting, and eliminate the waiting in bad weather, thereby waiting. A sixth object is to enable effective use of time and eliminate mental or physical disadvantages.

[0019]

In order to achieve such an object, a first vehicle location system according to the present invention includes an on-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle which operates along a predetermined operation route, A plurality of first fixed stations arranged along the operation route and sequentially connected via a patrol transmission line, and wirelessly transmits operation information indicating the operation state of the vehicle from the in-vehicle device to the in-vehicle device. The first fixed station that receives the operation information from the station provides the operation information to the user and sends the operation information to the patrol transmission line, so that the operation information received by any of the first fixed stations is transmitted via the patrol transmission line. It is characterized in that it is cyclically transmitted to another first fixed station.

A second vehicle location system according to the present invention is an on-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle that operates along a predetermined operation route, and a first vehicle installed along the operation route.
The first fixed station, which has a fixed station, wirelessly transmits the operation number unique to the vehicle from the in-vehicle device, and receives the operation number from the in-vehicle device, has the reception time of the operation number at a predetermined standard departure / arrival time. On the other hand, it is characterized in that the user is provided with operation information regarding a vehicle that should arrive and depart at the standard departure and arrival time when the deviation is not more than a predetermined amount.

A third vehicle location system according to the present invention is an in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle that operates along a predetermined operation route, and a first vehicle installed along the operation route.
A first station that has a fixed station and wirelessly transmits time information indicating a time standard from the in-vehicle device and directly receives the time information from the in-vehicle device.
The fixed station calibrates the built-in clock based on the received time information.

According to a fourth vehicle location system of the present invention, an on-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle operating along a predetermined operation route and a first vehicle installed along the operation route.
A fixed station and a second fixed station provided corresponding to the first fixed station and separated from the corresponding first fixed station are provided, and operation information indicating the operation status of the vehicle is wirelessly transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device. The first fixed station that transmits and receives the operation information from the vehicle-mounted device relays the operation information to the second fixed station, and the second fixed station that receives the operation information through the corresponding first fixed station, The feature is that the operation information is provided to the user.

A fifth vehicle location system according to the present invention is a vehicle-mounted device mounted on a vehicle which runs along a predetermined operation route, and a first vehicle location system arranged along the above-mentioned operation route.
A fixed station, a second fixed station that is provided separately from the first fixed station, and a monitoring station that monitors the system, and wirelessly transmits operation information indicating the operation status of the vehicle from the in-vehicle device, The monitoring station that received the operation information directly or indirectly from the in-vehicle device,
The operation information is relayed directly or indirectly to the second fixed station, and the second fixed station receiving the operation information at least via the monitoring station provides the operation information to the user.

[0024]

In the first vehicle location system according to the present invention, the plurality of first fixed stations arranged along the operation route of the vehicle are sequentially connected via the cyclic transmission line. When the operation information indicating the operation status of the vehicle is wirelessly transmitted from the in-vehicle device, the first fixed station of the plurality of first fixed stations that receives the operation information from the in-vehicle device provides the operation information to the user on the one hand. On the other hand, on the other hand, the operation information is sent to the cyclic transmission line. The operation information sent to the cyclic transmission path is cyclically transmitted to another first fixed station. Therefore, in this configuration,
It is not necessary to provide a transmission line for supplying operation information to each fixed station between the base station and the first fixed station. On the other hand, although it is necessary to provide the above-mentioned cyclic transmission line, since this cyclic transmission line generally connects first fixed stations that are close to each other, a large cost is required for its maintenance and use. Also, even if a wireless line is used, low-power wireless (close-field electromagnetic communication) will suffice, and there will be no need to apply for a wireless station license or place wireless workers. As a result, a system that can be implemented at low cost is realized. At the same time, since a base station is not required, a vehicle location system suitable for small routes can be realized without impairing cost performance.

In the above-mentioned first configuration, in order to intensively grasp the transmission status of the operation information via the patrol transmission line, a monitoring station may be provided to intercept the operation information. Also for this monitoring station, it is sufficient if it is provided in the vicinity of the cyclic transmission path, so long-distance signal transmission is unnecessary.

In the second vehicle location system according to the present invention, the operation number unique to the vehicle to be mounted is wirelessly transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device to the first fixed station. The first fixed station, which has received the operation number from the vehicle-mounted device, uses the operation information regarding the vehicle that should arrive and depart at the standard departure and arrival time when the receipt time of the operation number does not deviate from the predetermined standard departure and arrival time by a predetermined amount or more. Provide to the person. Therefore, in this configuration, since only the operation number is transmitted between the vehicle-mounted device and the first fixed station, the amount of transmitted information is reduced and the transmission time is shortened. In addition, since the operation number transmitted is information that does not depend on the route, it is not necessary to change the content of the information to be transmitted from the in-vehicle device for each route, and therefore, the troublesome operation of the in-vehicle device or such a troublesome operation. The operation load and the error induction caused by the error will not occur.

In the third vehicle location system according to the present invention, the time information indicating the time standard is wirelessly transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device to the first fixed station. Upon receiving the time information directly from the vehicle-mounted device, the first fixed station calibrates the built-in clock based on the received time information. Therefore, in this configuration, since the timepiece is calibrated without manual operation, the labor for calibration is reduced. Also, since the watch is calibrated without long distance signal transmission, relative error of the watch between the stop terminals is prevented or reduced.

In a fourth vehicle location system according to the present invention, a second fixed station is provided corresponding to the first fixed station and separated from the corresponding first fixed station. When the operation information is wirelessly transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device and is received by the first fixed station, the first fixed station relays and transmits the operation information to the second fixed station. The second fixed station, which has received the operation information via the corresponding first fixed station, provides the operation information to the user. Therefore, in this configuration, it is possible to provide the operating status of the vehicle at the location of the second fixed station, for example, at a gathering place other than the bus stop. The user can know the operation status of the vehicle at the installation location of the second fixed station.
In particular, if the second fixed station is provided in a place where it can be used simultaneously with the waiting, such as various stores, the waiting time can be effectively used. Further, if the second fixed station is provided at least in a place where wind and rain can be overcome, there is no need to wait in bad weather, and there is no mental or physical disadvantage. Further, operation information can be provided to the user at the first fixed station.

In the fifth vehicle location system according to the present invention, the operation information is not directly transmitted from the first fixed station to the second fixed station as in the above-described fourth configuration, but is transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device. The obtained operation information is directly or indirectly received by the monitoring station and relayed to the second fixed station directly or indirectly. Also in such a configuration, the same operation as the fourth configuration occurs. Further, operation information can be provided to the user at the first fixed station.

The above-mentioned respective configurations can be combined as appropriate. For example, a combination of the first configuration and the second to fifth configurations, a combination of the second configuration and the third to fifth configurations, a combination of the third configuration and the fourth or fifth configuration, and the like are possible. is there. Furthermore, each of the above-described configurations allows the vehicle to travel back and forth along a single straight or curved operation route in which each first fixed station is arranged on both sides even when the operation route is a closed loop (for example, a circulating bus). It is also applicable when doing (for example, a round-trip bus). Further, it can be applied not only to a fixed-route bus but also to a delivery vehicle for a courier service, a product supply vehicle for a vending machine, and the like.

[0031]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The same or corresponding components as those of the conventional example shown in FIGS. 13 and 14 are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a bus location system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, each stop 12-1, 12-2, ... 12-
n are connected by the cyclic transmission line 16, and the base station 14 in the conventional example is eliminated. Therefore, the wired or wireless line connecting between the base station 14 and the stops 12-1, 12-2, ... 12-n is also abolished. The cyclic transmission line 16 in this embodiment can be realized by wireless or wire.

The vehicle-mounted device mounted on the bus 10 in this embodiment has, for example, the configuration shown in FIG. The vehicle-mounted device shown in this figure includes a transmitter 18, a memory 20, a clock 22, and a transmission antenna 24. The transmitter 18 transmits the operation number stored in the memory 20 from the transmitting antenna 24 at a predetermined cycle. This service number is a number unique to the onboard bus 10. Even if the bus 10 is diverted to another route, or if the route is changed from an outbound route to a return route, its content is changed. There is no such thing. In addition, the transmitter 18 transmits the time standard measured by the clock 22 to the transmission antenna 24 at a predetermined frequency.
Send by.

FIG. 3 shows each stop 1 in this embodiment.
An example of the configuration of stop terminals arranged at 2-1 12-2, ... 12-n is shown. The stop terminal shown in this figure includes a receiver 26 and a receiving antenna 28 in order to receive information transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device of the bus 10. The information received by the receiver 26 via the receiving antenna 28 is supplied to the control unit 30. The control unit 30 uses the receiver 2
By referring to the operation number received via 6 with the timetable stored in the memory 32, it is possible to determine at which standard departure and arrival time the bus 10 that transmitted the operation number is the bus 10 that should arrive and depart. The predetermined operation information is displayed on the screen of the display unit 34 according to the result. For example, the system number of the bus, the destination, the standard departure / arrival time, and other information are displayed. When comparing the received operation number with the standard departure / arrival time on the memory 32, the control unit 30 uses the offset time stored on the memory 36, that is, the allowable error of the departure / arrival time. The control unit 30 causes the transceiver 38 to send the operation number received via the receiver 26 or the operation information obtained based on this operation number onto the cyclic transmission line 16. In the stop terminal provided in the adjacent stop, this operation number or operation information is received by the transceiver 38, and the control unit 30 displays the screen on the display unit 34 or the cyclic transmission line 16 by the transceiver 38. Is used for sending out. The control unit 30 also includes a receiver 26.
A process for calibrating the built-in clock 40 is executed based on the time standard received from the vehicle-mounted device via the.

FIG. 4 shows the communication procedure in this embodiment. As shown in this figure, in the present embodiment, the in-vehicle device mounted on the bus 10 wirelessly transmits the operation number at a predetermined cycle. This service number need only be received by the terminal at the stop located at the nearest stop, so near field communication, that is, low-power radio that does not require application for a radio station license or placement of radio workers. It can be realized as communication. When the operation information transmitted from the in-vehicle device of the bus 10 is received by any of the stop terminals, the control unit 30 of the stop terminal causes the corresponding transceiver 38 to send or receive this operation number or the operation information corresponding to the operation number. Are transmitted to the cyclic transmission line 16. The sent operation number or operation information is sequentially relayed on the patrol transmission line 16 by the subsequent terminal terminals. By such cyclic transmission, each stop 12-1, 12-2,
The station terminal provided at 12-n can obtain the operation number or the operation information without executing the transmission with the base station 14 in the conventional example. At each stop terminal, the control unit 30 displays required information on the screen of the display unit 34 based on the operation number or the operation information received by the transceiver 38.
In 12-2, ... 12-n, the user can obtain necessary information. Further, the stop terminal that first transmitted the operation number or the operation information on the patrol transmission line 16 receives the same information as the information transmitted by itself through the transceiver 38, and thus the operation number or the operation information transmitted. It can be known that the user has made a round on the cyclic transmission line 16. At this point, the patrol on the patrol transmission line 16 ends.

Therefore, according to this embodiment, all the bus stops 12-
Since it can be supplied to the terminal terminals of 1, 12-2, ... 12-n, a system having a lower implementation cost than the conventional one can be obtained. In addition, the trouble of applying for a wireless station license is no longer necessary. Furthermore, each stop 12-1, 12-2, ... 12-n
The cyclic transmission line 16 connecting the terminals of the station is generally short in interval between stations, and thus can be realized without using long-distance transmission. For example, when wireless transmission is used, it can be realized by a low-power model that does not require a wireless license. If the information to be transmitted is substantially only the operation number, the information transmission amount and time can be compressed.

Although the length of the transmission line between the stop 12-n and the stop 12-1 is shown to be long in FIG. 1 for the purpose of drawing, the stop 12-n and the stop 1 are actually shown.
The length of the transmission line between 2-1 is a short interval like other stop intervals. This is easy because the bus route generally adopts either the form of a circuit line for operating the bus on a predetermined patrol route or the form of a round-trip route in which the bus reciprocates on a predetermined route. Understandable.

FIG. 5 shows a flow of the bus identifying procedure executed by the control unit 30 when the service number is received by the receiver 26 in the stop terminal of this embodiment. As shown in this figure, when the operation number is received by the receiver 26 (100), the corresponding control unit 30
Reads the time at that time, that is, the reception time of the operation number from the built-in clock 40 (102). The control unit 30
On the other hand, the standard departure / arrival time of the bus 10 corresponding to the received service number is read from the timetable stored in the memory 32 (104). The control unit 30 executes step 102.
The reception time obtained in step S4 and the standard departure / arrival time read out in step S104 are compared (106). As a result, it is determined whether or not the reception time of the operation number is after the standard departure / arrival time −T1 and before the standard departure / arrival time + T2 (108, 11).
0). When the control unit 30 determines that the reception time of the operation number is after the standard departure / arrival time −T1 and before the standard departure / arrival time + T2, the bus 10 associated with the operation number is read by the standard departure / arrival at step 110. At the time, it is determined that the bus should depart from and arrive at the stop, and the information corresponding to the standard departure and arrival time read in step 104, that is, the information such as the system number, the destination, and the standard departure and arrival time is used via the display unit 34 or the like. (112) to a person. In other cases, it is determined that the bus is not the one that should depart from or arrive at the stop at the standard departure and arrival times read in step 104 (11).
4).

FIG. 6 shows an example of setting the offset times T1 and T2 in this embodiment. In this figure, the offset time T1 is set to 5 minutes and T2 is set to 30 minutes. Further, in this figure, step 104
It is assumed that 7 o'clock is the standard departure / arrival time read at. Therefore, when the operation shown in FIG. 5 is executed under such a setting, if the operation number can be received from the bus 10 that should arrive and depart at 7 o'clock from 6:55 to 7:30, the bus Information regarding 10 can be provided to the user by the display unit 34. Therefore, it is necessary to set appropriate values in advance for the offset times T1 and T2 according to the situation of the route. With such a setting, it is possible to absorb an error in bus operation due to road conditions and the like.

As described above, since only the operation number is transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device of the bus 10 to the terminal at the stop 12-1, 12-2, ... 12-n, in the present embodiment, the amount of information transmitted. Can be reduced as compared with the conventional one, and therefore the transmission time can be shortened. Further, since the operation of changing the information to be transmitted from the in-vehicle device according to the change of the route is unnecessary, it is possible to reduce the burden on the staff operating the in-vehicle device (for example, the operator of the bus 10). In addition, operation mistakes can be eliminated.

FIG. 7 shows the procedure executed when calibrating the clock 40 in each stop terminal of this embodiment. As shown in this figure, when the receiver 26 receives time information from the vehicle-mounted device, that is, the time standard which is the time standard of the entire system measured by the clock 22 (2
00), the control unit 30 reads the time at the time of reception from the built-in clock 40 (202), and calibrates the clock 40 according to the difference between the read reception time and the standard time according to the received time information (204). Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the clocks 40 of the terminal terminals at each of the stops 12-1, 12-2, ... 12-n are calibrated with the clock 22 of the vehicle-mounted device mounted on the bus 10 as a standard. Therefore, high relative accuracy can be obtained. In addition, each stop 12-
Since it is not necessary to manually calibrate the clocks 40 of the stop terminals distributed in 1, 12-2, ... 12-n, labor for calibration is significantly reduced. However, the transmission interval of the time information from the vehicle-mounted device is longer than the time required for the bus 10 to pass through the receivable range of the receiver 26 of each stop terminal 12-1, 12-2, ... 12-n. , It should be short enough. In addition, the transmission of the time information related to the standard time measured by the clock 22 does not need to be executed by all the buses 10, and the specific bus 10 traveling on the route for a predetermined frequency (for example, once a day).
It suffices to do it only by.

Further, in this embodiment, the cyclic transmission line 16
Therefore, when the time information transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device of the bus 10 is received by the stop terminal at the stop, the cyclic transmission may be performed to another stop via the cyclic transmission line 16. . However, if you do this,
It is troublesome to compensate for the transmission delay between terminals at each stop and to eliminate the relative error. Therefore, as described above, it is easier to obtain high relative accuracy by executing the calibration operation shown in FIG. 7 when the bus 10 passes through the vicinity.

FIG. 8 shows the configuration of the bus location system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment has a configuration in which a monitoring station 42 is further added to the bus location system according to the first embodiment. Monitoring station 42
Is installed near any of the stops (stop 12-n in the figure) or near the cyclic transmission line 16, and the operation of the bus 10 can be performed by intercepting the transmission of information via the cyclic transmission line 16. I know the situation. Such a configuration can be applied when it is desired to intensively grasp the operation status of the bus 10. Further, the monitoring station 42 differs from the base station 14 in the conventional example in that each of the stops 12-1, 12-2, ...
No signal transmission is performed with the 12-n bus terminal, and only the information transmitted via the cyclic transmission line 16 is intercepted. Therefore, a wired or wireless line for signal transmission is used. It is not necessary to provide the monitoring station 42. In order to realize this embodiment, the cyclic transmission line 16 is configured as a wireless transmission line or a signal is transmitted so that the monitoring station 42 can intercept the information transmitted by the cyclic transmission line 16. It is necessary to use a leaky wired transmission line that radiates the heat to the outside.

FIG. 9 shows the configuration of a bus location system according to the third embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, each stop 12-1, 12-2, ... 12-
gathering places 44-1 and 44- in a position separated from n
2, ... 44-n are provided with gathering place terminals having the configuration shown in FIG. Gathering place 44-1, 44-
2, ... 44-n are facilities such as railway station shelters, convenience stores, hospitals, etc.
A good place to wait. In implementing this embodiment, as indicated by the broken line in FIG.
Under the control of the control unit 30, it is necessary to provide the transmitter 56 that transmits the operation information of the bus 10 to the corresponding gathering place terminal.

Gathering places 44-1, 44-2, ... 44-n
The gathering place terminal provided in the
The receiving antenna 46 and the receiver 48 for receiving the operation information of the bus 10 from the terminal terminals 1, 12-2, ... 12-n are provided. The operation information received by the receiver 48 is supplied to the control unit 50 and displayed by the display unit 52 under the control of the control unit 50. Gathering place 44-1, 4
A user waiting for the bus 10 at 4-2, ..., 44-n can obtain information regarding the operation of the bus 10 by referring to the operation information displayed on the screen of the display unit 52, Depending on the proximity or arrival of the bus 10, it is possible to go to the corresponding stops 12-1, 12-2, ... 12-n.

FIG. 11 shows an operation flow of the control unit 50 of the gathering place terminal in this embodiment. As shown in this figure, when the control unit 50 receives the operation information of the bus 10 by the receiver 48, for example, the information indicating that the bus 10 is approaching (300), the control unit 50 accordingly displays the information on the display unit 52. It is displayed on the screen (302). While the information of this kind is not received, the control unit 50 controls the service information stored in the memory 54, for example, the gathering place 4 concerned.
When 44-1, 44-2, ... 44-n are convenience stores, bargain information, company announcements, regional guidance information, etc. at the convenience stores are displayed on the display unit 5.
It is displayed on the second screen (304).

Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the users of the bus 10 are not necessarily the stops 12-1, 12-2, ... 12-n.
There is no need to wait for the bus 10 at. That is, the gathering places 44-1, 44-2, ... 44- located at positions separated from the stops 12-1, 12-2, ... 12-n.
Since it is possible to know the arrival or the approach of the bus 10 at n, until then, the gathering places 44-1, 44-2, ...
44-n can be used for shopping and the like, and especially in bad weather, a gathering place for indoor equipment 44-
It is also possible to overcome wind and rain with 1, 44-2, ... 44-n. As a result, a convenient system for the user of the bus 10 is realized, and the situation in which the mental or physical health of the user is affected does not occur. In addition, by providing the service information stored in the memory 54 to the users at the gathering places 44-1, 44-2, ... 44-n as appropriate, the operator of this system, for example, a bus company, It becomes possible to obtain advertising income and other secondary income, and it becomes possible to contribute to local resident services by providing regional guidance information. The communication between the terminal at the bus stop and the terminal at the gathering place may be wired or wireless. In any case, the disadvantages such as cost are small because it is short-range communication. Further, when the distance from the gathering place to the stop is extremely short, the operation information can be displayed only at the gathering place.

FIG. 12 shows the configuration of a bus location system according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. The system shown in this figure has a configuration in which the gathering place terminal in the third embodiment is combined with the aforementioned conventional example. That is, the operation information received by each stop 12-1, 12-2, ... 12-n is once transmitted to the monitoring station 58 and then
It is transmitted to the gathering place terminals at each gathering place 44-1, 44-2, 44-n. Even with such a configuration, the bus 10
It is possible to improve convenience and other effects for users of. Further, in this embodiment, the information transmitted from the bus 10 to each stop terminal 12-1, 12-2, ... 12-n is used as an operation number, thereby reducing the amount of transmission information and shortening the transmission time. You can also get

The above embodiments can be combined as appropriate. For example, the monitoring station 42 of the second embodiment that intercepts the information transmitted by the cyclic transmission line 16.
Can be provided in the bus location system according to the third embodiment. In this case, by providing a transmission line (for example, another patrol transmission line) that connects the monitoring station 42 and the gathering place terminal, a line that connects the stop terminal and the gathering place terminal, for example, proximity electromagnetic circuit communication. It will also be possible to abolish the low-power wireless line. Further, in each of the above-described embodiments, it is assumed that the information transmitted from the bus 10 to the stop terminal is only the operation number, but this may include other operation information. However, in that case, the effect of reducing the amount of operation information and the transmission time is less likely to occur. On the contrary, the amount of transmitted information and the performance time are shortened, or the clock 4
If it is only necessary to obtain the effect of suppressing the relative error of 0, it is not necessary to use the cyclic transmission line 16. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 13, a system for executing signal transmission between the stop terminal and the base station 14. Each embodiment can be modified to have the configuration.

The present invention is not limited to the bus location system, and can also be used in locations such as delivery and delivery vehicles for courier services and product supply vehicles for vending machines.

[0051]

As described above, according to the first configuration of the present invention, the plurality of first fixed stations arranged along the operation route of the vehicle are sequentially connected via the cyclic transmission line, The first fixed station that receives the operation information indicating the operation status of the vehicle provides the operation information to the user while sending the operation information to the cyclic transmission path and cyclically transmitting the operation information to the other first fixed stations. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a transmission line for supplying operation information to each fixed station between the base station and the first fixed station, and it is not necessary to provide a base station. On the other hand, the cyclic transmission line generally connects the first fixed stations that are close to each other, and does not require much cost and procedure. Therefore, according to this configuration, a system that can be implemented at low cost can be realized, and a vehicle location system suitable for small-scale routes can be realized without impairing cost performance. In addition, even when trying to intensively grasp the transmission status of the operation information via the patrol transmission line, it is sufficient to provide a monitoring station for intercepting the operation information in the vicinity of the patrol transmission line. Long-distance signal transmission is not necessary, and a large additional cost does not occur.

According to the second configuration of the present invention, the vehicle-mounted device wirelessly transmits to the first fixed station the operation number unique to the vehicle to be mounted, and the reception time of the operation number at the first fixed station is predetermined. When the standard departure / arrival time does not deviate from the standard departure / arrival time by a certain amount, the operation information regarding the vehicle that should arrive / depart at the standard departure / arrival time is provided to the user. Also, the transmission time can be shortened. In addition, since the operation number transmitted is information that does not depend on the route, it is not necessary to change the content of the information to be transmitted from the in-vehicle device for each route, and therefore, the troublesome operation of the in-vehicle device and that kind of troublesome operation. The burden caused by the error and the induction of mistakes will not occur.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the time information indicating the time standard is wirelessly transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device to the first fixed station, and the first fixed station is built in based on the time information directly received from the vehicle-mounted device. Since the timepiece is calibrated, the timepiece can be calibrated without manual operation, and the labor for calibration can be reduced. Further, since the timepiece can be calibrated without long distance signal transmission, the relative error of the timepiece between the stop terminals can be prevented or reduced.

According to the fourth configuration of the present invention, the second fixed station is provided corresponding to the first fixed station and separated from the corresponding first fixed station, and the first fixed station receives the operation information. Since the second fixed station relay-transmits to the second fixed station and receives the operation information via the corresponding first fixed station, the second fixed station provides the operation information to the user. It is possible to provide the information at a place of installation, for example, at a gathering place other than the bus stop. The user can know the operation status of the vehicle at the installation location of the second fixed station. In particular, if the second fixed station is provided in a place where it can be used at the same time as waiting, such as in various stores, the waiting time can be effectively used. Also, the second
If the fixed station is provided at least in a place where wind and rain can be avoided, there is no need to wait in bad weather, and there is no mental or physical disadvantage. Further, operation information can be provided to the user at the first fixed station.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the operation information transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device is directly or indirectly received by the monitoring station and relayed directly or indirectly to the second fixed station. The effect similar to that of the fourth configuration can be obtained by means different from that of the above configuration. Further, operation information can be provided to the user at the first fixed station.

It is to be noted that a composite effect can be obtained by appropriately combining the above-mentioned configurations. The present invention
Even when the operating route is a closed loop (for example, a circulating bus), when the first fixed station is arranged on both sides and the vehicle travels back and forth on a single straight or curved operating route (for example, a round-trip bus) Can also be applied. Further, it can be applied not only to a fixed-route bus but also to a delivery vehicle for a courier service, a product supply vehicle for a vending machine, and the like.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a bus location system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of an on-vehicle device.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of a stop terminal.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a communication procedure in the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a bus identification procedure executed by a terminal at a bus stop.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of offset time.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a timepiece calibration procedure executed by the stop terminal.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a bus location system according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a bus location system according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of a gathering place terminal.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an information providing procedure executed by the gathering place terminal.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a bus location system according to a fourth example of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a bus location system according to a conventional example.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a communication procedure in a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 buses, 12-1, 12-2, ... 12-n stops, 16 cyclic transmission lines, 18, 56 transmitters, 20, 3
2,36,54 memory, 22,40 clock, 26,4
8 receiver, 30, 50 control unit, 34, 52 display unit, 38 transceiver, 42, 58 monitoring station, 44-1,
44-2, ... 44-n Gathering place, T1, T2 offset time.

Claims (13)

[Claims] 1. An on-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle operating along a predetermined operation route, and a plurality of first fixed stations arranged along the operation route and sequentially connected via a cyclic transmission line. The first fixed station, which has, and wirelessly transmits the operation information indicating the operation status of the vehicle from the in-vehicle device, and receives the operation information from the in-vehicle device, provides the operation information to the user and also to the patrol transmission line. The vehicle location system, wherein the operation information received by any one of the first fixed stations is cyclically transmitted to another first fixed station via the cyclic transmission path by being transmitted. 2. The vehicle location system according to claim 1, further comprising a monitoring station that monitors the operation status of the vehicle by intercepting the transmission status of the operation information via the cyclic transmission path in the vicinity of the cyclic transmission path. Characteristic vehicle location system. 3. An in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle that travels along a predetermined travel route, and a first fixed station that is installed along the travel route, and an operation unique to the vehicle. If the first fixed station that wirelessly transmits the number from the in-vehicle device and receives the operation number from the in-vehicle device does not deviate from the predetermined standard arrival / departure time by a predetermined amount or more, the standard departure / arrival time A vehicle location system, which provides a user with operation information regarding a vehicle that should arrive and depart. 4. The vehicle location system according to claim 1, further comprising a second fixed station provided corresponding to the first fixed station and separated from the corresponding first fixed station. The first fixed station that receives the operation information or the operation number relays and transmits the operation information or the operation number to the second fixed station, and the second fixed station that receives the operation information or the operation number via the corresponding first fixed station. The vehicle location system, wherein the station provides the user with the operation information or the operation information corresponding to the operation number. 5. The vehicle location system according to claim 1, further comprising a second fixed station provided separately from the first fixed station, and a monitoring station for monitoring the system, which is operated from an in-vehicle device. The second fixed station, which receives the operation information or the operation number directly or indirectly, relays the operation information or the operation number directly or indirectly to the second fixed station, and receives the operation information through at least the monitoring station. The vehicle location system is characterized by providing the operation information to users. 6. A time information indicating a time standard, comprising an in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle operating along a predetermined operation route, and a first fixed station arranged along the operation route. The vehicle location system is characterized in that the first fixed station wirelessly transmits the time information from the vehicle-mounted device and directly receives the time information from the vehicle-mounted device, and calibrates the built-in clock based on the received time information. 7. An in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle operating along a predetermined operation route, a first fixed station arranged along the operation route, and corresponding to and corresponding to the first fixed station. And a second fixed station provided separately from the first fixed station, wirelessly transmitting operation information indicating the operation status of the vehicle from the in-vehicle device, and receiving the operation information from the in-vehicle device. The station relays the operation information to the second fixed station and receives the operation information via the corresponding first fixed station.
A vehicle location system in which a fixed station provides the operation information to users. 8. An in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle operating along a predetermined operation route, a first fixed station disposed along the operation route, and a device provided separately from the first fixed station. And a second fixed station and a monitoring station for monitoring the system, which wirelessly transmits the operation information indicating the operation status of the vehicle from the in-vehicle device and directly or indirectly receives the operation information from the in-vehicle device. However, the operation information is relayed directly or indirectly to the second fixed station, and the second fixed station which receives the operation information at least through the monitoring station provides the operation information to the user. Vehicle location system. 9. The vehicle location system according to claim 1, wherein the first fixed station that wirelessly transmits the time information indicating the time standard from the vehicle-mounted device and directly receives the time information from the vehicle-mounted device, A vehicle location system characterized by calibrating a built-in clock based on received time information. 10. The vehicle location system according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the first fixed station that receives the operation information from the vehicle-mounted device provides the operation information to the user. 11. The vehicle location system according to claim 1, wherein the operation route is a closed loop. 12. The vehicle location system according to claim 1, wherein the operation route is a single straight line or a curved line, the vehicle makes a round trip on the operation route, and each first fixed station operates the operation route. A vehicle location system that is installed on both sides of the vehicle. 13. The vehicle location system according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle is a route bus, the operation route is a bus route, and the first fixed station is located at a bus stop. Vehicle location system.