Railroad vehicle communication system
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- YAWATA ELECTRIC INDUSTRIAL CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2024-05-01
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-17
Smart Images
Figure 00000000_0000_ABST
Abstract
Description
[Technical field]
[0001] The present invention relates to a communication system provided in a railway vehicle. [Background technology]
[0002] Generally, railway vehicles are provided with equipment for transmitting various types of information between crew members and passengers, such as an emergency notification device, a speaker for in-car announcements, and a display device for presenting operation status, advertisements, and other information to passengers, either by law or for the purpose of improving customer service. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a method of providing a display control device in addition to a so-called monitor device having a function of controlling the operation of the vehicle, and having the control device assume the guidance display function, which is part of the function of the monitor device. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]
[0003] [Patent Document 1] WO 13 / 132656 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]
[0004] Conventionally, communication equipment installed in railroad vehicles was implemented as an integral part of equipment (so-called monitor equipment, train information management equipment) operated by crew members and necessary for operation. In addition, the specifications of monitor equipment generally differ depending on the railroad company, so it was difficult to repurpose communication equipment manufactured for one railroad company for use by another railroad company. In addition, in recent years, when improvement work such as strengthening communication lines or adding security cameras is required from the viewpoint of crime prevention and improving services for customers, such improvement work is generally not easy because communication control is basically integrated with the monitor equipment and involves software rewriting of the monitor equipment. An object of the present invention is to provide a communication system that can centrally manage a plurality of communication functions in a railway vehicle, independent of a monitor device. [Means for solving the problem]
[0005] In one aspect, the present invention provides a communication system for railway vehicles that is installed on a railway consisting of a plurality of cars, the communication system having a management device provided in one of the cars and a plurality of terminal devices provided in each of the cars, the management device having a transmitting means for transmitting an audio control signal and a video control signal to at least one of the terminal devices, a receiving means for receiving emergency call information from the at least one terminal device, and an output means for outputting the received emergency call information to at least one of equipment provided within the one of the cars and a device installed outside the railway, and each terminal device has a relay means for transmitting the audio control signal and the video control signal sent from the management device to other terminal devices, while transmitting the emergency call information supplied from the emergency call device provided in the own vehicle and the emergency call information received from the other terminal devices to the management device, and a control means for controlling the audio communication device and the display device provided in the own vehicle based on the control signal supplied from the management device. Effect of the Invention
[0006] According to the present invention, a plurality of communication functions in a railway vehicle can be managed in an integrated manner. [Brief description of the drawings]
[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system 10. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a management device 100 and a terminal device 200 mounted on a leading vehicle. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a terminal device 200 mounted on an intermediate vehicle. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the operation of the management device 100. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a management device 100A. [Figure 6] Example of the structure of table TBL1. [Figure 7] Example of the structure of the database DB1. [Figure 8] Example of the structure of table TBL3. [Figure 9] Example of the structure of table TBL4. [Figure 10] Example of the structure of table TBL2. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0008] <Example> 1 shows an overview of a communication system 10. The communication system 10 is a communication system for railway vehicles that is mounted on a railway vehicle 900 having an n-car configuration made up of multiple cars (C1 to Cn) (n is an integer equal to or greater than 1). The communication system 10 has a management device 100 (100-1, 100-2) provided in one or more cars of the railway vehicle 900, and multiple terminal devices 200 (200-1, 200-2, ...) provided in each car (passenger car; intermediate car) of the railway vehicle 900.
[0009] Vehicles C1 and Cn are so-called leading cars (rearmost cars) and carry crew members (driver, conductor, etc.). Vehicles C1 and Cn include a management device 100 and a terminal device 200. Vehicles Ck (k=2, 3, . . . n-1) are so-called intermediate cars and generally do not carry crew members. Each vehicle Ck is provided with a terminal device 200. The functions of each management device 100 and terminal device 200 are the same. Hereinafter, when there is no need to particularly distinguish between individual management devices 100 and terminal devices 200, they will be simply referred to as the management device 100 and the terminal device 200, respectively.
[0010] In the example shown in the figure, crew compartments (driver's cab and conductor's cab) are provided in the leading car C1 and the last car Cn, and management devices 100-1 and 100-2 are provided accordingly, but the number of management devices 100 possessed by the communication system 10 may be one, or three or more.
[0011] If the communication system 10 includes multiple management devices 100, for example, before a train begins operation, a process may be performed in which the functions of one management device 100 (typically the vehicle in which the driver rides) selected from the multiple management devices 100 are enabled, and the functions of the other management devices 100 that were not selected are disabled. Furthermore, when a vehicle is composed of only a driver's compartment, only the management device 100 is provided in this vehicle, and there is no need to provide the terminal device 200. The location where the management device 100 is provided does not necessarily have to correspond to the driver's compartment. For example, in the case of unmanned operation in which no driver is present, it is sufficient that the management device 100 is provided in one or more of the vehicles of the railway vehicle 900.
[0012] The control center server 910 is installed in the so-called control room of the railway company that manages the operation of the railway vehicle 900, and communicates with the crew of the railway vehicle 900, sends control signals to the railway vehicle 900 to control the operation of the railway vehicle 900, and obtains various information from the railway vehicle 900 to monitor the operating status. The management center 920 of related organizations is a terminal, server, or other communication device that allows organizations such as the police, fire department, and security companies, which are expected to work in cooperation with the railway company to respond in the event of an emergency involving the railway vehicle 900, to communicate with the railway vehicle 900 or the control center server 910. Railroad vehicle 900 communicates with a control center server 910 and a management center 920 of related organizations via a communication network 930. The communication network 930 includes a dedicated communication network including ground base stations installed on tracks and stations by the operating company of railroad vehicle 900, and a general communication network such as a mobile communication network such as 4G or 5G operated by a party other than the railroad operating company, and the Internet.
[0013] The functions of the management device 100 and the terminal device 200 will be described with reference to Fig. 2 and Fig. 3. Fig. 2 is a functional block diagram of the management device 100 and the terminal device 200 provided in the lead car C1. Fig. 3 is a functional block diagram of the terminal device 200 provided in each intermediate car Ck. Note that, although this example describes a case where a driver and a conductor board the railway car 900, only the driver may board, or the railway car may be unmanned (remotely controlled).
[0014] First, various facilities of the vehicle Ck that are linked to the communication system 10 will be described. Note that the various facilities shown in the figure are merely examples, and some of the facilities may be omitted except for those that are not required to be installed by laws and regulations, or conversely, the vehicle may further include explanations that are not shown in the figure.
[0015] As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle C1 is provided with a monitor device 810, an audio device 820, an emergency notification device 830, a speaker system 840, an in-vehicle display 850, and a camera system 860. The monitor device 810 and the audio device 820 are installed, for example, only in the driver's compartment, and are facilities for use by the driver. The emergency notification device 830, the speaker system 840, the in-vehicle display 850, and the camera system 860 are facilities for use by passengers (and the driver). In addition, in the case of unmanned operation, the monitor device 810 and the audio device 820 may be omitted. That is, in the present invention, the monitor device 810 is not essential.
[0016] The monitor device 810 includes a computer, a sensor, switches operated by the crew, instruments and monitors used by the crew, and is a system for performing various controls necessary for railway operation, such as acceleration / deceleration of the vehicle, opening and closing of doors, air conditioning control inside the vehicle, automatic voice announcements and other information provision to passengers, communication equipment for communicating with the outside of the railway vehicle 900 such as a control center, and a device (not shown) for sounding a horn or other visually or audibly alerting people inside and outside the vehicle, or for connecting to such systems to transmit and receive various information. Note that the monitor device 810 does not need to have a function for communication (audio communication, video communication, reporting, etc.) between passengers and crew (or other railway staff). Communication between passengers and crew, etc. is handled by the communication system 10. The monitor device 810 may be connected to communication equipment provided in each vehicle, such as an emergency notification device 830, by a signal line (not shown), and may have some of the functions of the communication system 10 (for example, a function to display whether or not the emergency notification device has been pressed on a screen used by the crew, without using the management device 100 and the terminal device 200). In this way, when the functions of the communication system and the monitor device 810 overlap, the function may be set not to be activated by setting the software on the monitor device 810 side, or may be operated in parallel with the communication system 10. In the following example, for convenience of explanation, it is assumed that all communication-related functions of the monitor device are performed by the communication system 10.
[0017] The audio device 820 is used by the crew as needed, and is audio equipment for making announcements to an unspecified number of passengers, and for communicating with the control center, other crew members, or specific passengers (if the emergency notification device 830 is equipped with a communication function).
[0018] The communication system 10 may be installed at the time of manufacturing the railcar 900 (i.e., in a newly built vehicle), or may be attached to an existing vehicle afterwards. When the communication system 10 is installed afterwards in an existing vehicle, it may have all or a part of the communication functions of the communication system 10 described below. In this case, for example, when the management device 100 is connected to the monitoring device 810, the communication system 10 may be configured to take on all or a part of the communication functions of the monitoring device 810. The setting and wiring on the monitor device 810 side may be changed. Similarly, when connecting the communication facilities of the emergency notification device 830 to the camera system 860 of each terminal device 200 to the terminal device 200, the electrical connection with the monitor device 810 may be changed. In this way, the communication system 10 takes on all of the communication functions that were previously taken on by the monitor device 810.
[0019] One or more of emergency notification device 830, speaker system 840, in-car display 850, and camera system 860 are installed on a wall surface or the like in each passenger car. The emergency notification device 830 is a device such as a button, and when pressed by a passenger, at least emergency notification information indicating that the button has been pressed is output to the control unit 210. Typically, the device is required by Japanese law to be installed and has a function of notifying the crew and a function of warning the surroundings by sounding a buzzer. Furthermore, the emergency notification device 830 may have a microphone and a speaker, and may have a function of allowing the caller and other passengers to talk to the crew when the button is pressed. In this case, voice data indicating the contents of the crew's speech input via the monitor device 810 is supplied to the emergency notification device 830 via the control unit 210, and the voice of the caller or environmental sounds inside the vehicle are collected and the voice data is supplied to the management device 100 via the control unit 210.
[0020] The speaker system 840 is a device for providing audio information to passengers and the like, and includes an in-vehicle broadcast speaker 841 and an outside-vehicle broadcast speaker 842 . The in-car broadcast speaker 841 is provided on the ceiling or the like inside the vehicle, and emits sound based on a voice control signal CA that is generated by the management device 100 and supplied via the control unit 210. The voice control signal CA includes voice data indicating the announcement voice of the driver picked up by the audio device 820, and an automatic announcement voice that is supplied from the management device 100 with a predetermined playback timing and playback contents. The exterior broadcast speaker 842 is installed outside the vehicle and, in accordance with an audio control signal supplied from the control unit 210, outputs the speech of the crew input via the audio device 820 to station staff, passengers at the station, and the like.
[0021] The camera system 860 is configured to capture images of the inside and outside of the vehicle and provide the images to the driver and others from the standpoint of grasping the situation, preventing crime, ensuring safety, etc., and includes an interior camera 861 and an exterior camera 862. The in-vehicle photographing camera 861 is a camera installed inside the vehicle, and for example, continuously photographs and sequentially outputs the recorded image data to the control unit 210. Alternatively, the emergency notification device 830 may receive control instructions via the control unit 210 and remotely control on / off, panning, zooming, and the like. The exterior camera 862 is a camera installed in the vehicle for the purpose of capturing images of station platforms and the like, and for example, continuously records images while the vehicle is in operation, and sequentially supplies the recorded data to the control unit 210. Note that in the leading or trailing car, images may be captured in front or behind the vehicle.
[0022] In-car display 850 is a display device such as a liquid crystal display provided on the inner wall surface above the vehicle door, and presents passengers with information about the operation of railway vehicle 900 (current position, stopping stations, and other operation schedule information), advertising content unrelated to operation, and other images and text information, based on a video control signal CV generated by management device 100 and supplied via control unit 210. That is, the video control signal CV includes at least the data of the video content.
[0023] Next, the functions of the management device 100 and the terminal device 200 will be described. The management device 100 manages a plurality of terminal devices 200, and is a device for communicating with the monitor device 810, the command center server 910, and the management center 920 of related organizations as necessary. The management device 100 includes a communication unit 110, an information processing unit 120, an output control unit 130, a positioning unit 140, and an acquisition unit 150.
[0024] The positioning unit 140 is a module for identifying the position of the railcar 900 based on radio waves received from a base station such as an LTE base station or radio waves received from an artificial satellite.
[0025] The acquiring unit 150 is an interface for connecting the management device 100 to the monitoring device 810. The information processing unit 120 can acquire various information related to operation and vehicle status from the monitoring device 810 via the acquiring unit 150. The information provided from the monitoring device 810 includes, for example, information related to the operation status of the train (current position, speed, acceleration, etc.) and information related to the in-car environment (temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide concentration, congestion (estimated occupancy rate)). These pieces of information are acquired by, for example, sensors provided in each vehicle and provided to the monitoring device 810. In addition, information related to information provided to the monitoring device 810 from outside the railcar 900, such as a control room, such as an operation schedule, may also be included.
[0026] The communication unit 110 is a communication interface for performing wireless communication according to a communication method such as IEE802.11 or wired communication according to IEEE802.3 (Ethernet) with at least one terminal device 200 (terminal device 200-1 in this example), and includes a transmission unit 111 and a reception unit 112. The transmission unit 111 transmits, to at least one terminal device 200, a voice control signal CA and a video control signal CV for controlling a speaker system 840 for controlling an in-car display 850. When the emergency notification device 830 has a voice communication function, it transmits speech voice data TA indicating the contents of the driver's speech to the at least one terminal device 200. When the emergency notification device 830 is operated by a passenger or a crew member in a certain vehicle, the receiving unit 112 receives emergency notification information RE indicating at least that operation from at least one of the terminal devices 200. When the emergency notification device 830 has a voice communication function, the voice data RA includes emergency notification information RE indicating the spoken voice of the caller and environmental sounds picked up by the emergency notification device 830.
[0027] The information processing unit 120 is realized by various processors and memories, and functionally includes a voice processing unit 121, a video processing unit 122, and an emergency call processing unit 123. The voice processing unit 121 performs encoding processing and the like on the voice signal supplied from the acoustic device 820 to generate voice data TA and outputs it to the communication unit 110. When the voice processing unit 121 acquires emergency call information RE including voice data RA from the terminal device 200 via the communication unit 110, it performs decoding processing and supplies the acoustic signal to the acoustic device 820, and also performs necessary processing (extraction of an identifier of the vehicle that made the call, extraction of features based on voice recognition processing, etc.) and supplies the processing result to the output control unit 130. The features may indicate the contents of the utterance, such as "help" or "fire," or may include information on the speaker's situation or the cause of the sound, such as the sound of destruction of an object, a scream, or an angry shout.
[0028] The video processing unit 122 generates content data to be displayed on the in-vehicle display 850, such as video advertising content and guidance content based on operation information supplied from the acquisition unit 150, and a video control signal CV for controlling the in-vehicle display 850, and supplies these to the communication unit 110. When different content is provided for each vehicle, a set of video control signals (CV(1), CV(2), etc.) associated with the vehicle identifier is generated as image data for each vehicle. When the video processing unit 122 receives image data RV from the terminal device 200 via the communication unit 110, it performs decoding and image recognition processing to generate feature amounts related to the captured image. The feature amounts are, for example, the features of the objects or people shown (whether there is fire or smoke, whether someone has fallen, whether a person is fleeing or violent, etc.). The generated information is supplied to the output control unit 130.
[0029] The emergency call processing unit 123 performs encoding processing and the like on the audio data supplied from the audio device 820 and outputs the data to the communication unit 110. In addition, the emergency call processing unit 123 reproduces an audio control signal CA based on the automatic announcement information received from the monitor device 810 and supplies the signal to the communication unit 110. When providing different audio content for each vehicle, the emergency call processing unit 123 generates an audio control signal CA that includes a vehicle identifier.
[0030] The video processing unit 122 and / or the emergency call processing unit 123 may generate a control signal (video control signal CV and / or audio control signal CA) by appropriately reflecting information acquired from the monitor device 810 via the acquisition unit 150. For example, when environmental information related to the environment inside the vehicle is acquired, video content including text information based on the environmental information is included in the video control signal CV. Furthermore, when the video processing unit 122 and / or the emergency call processing unit 123 acquires position information of the railway vehicle 900 based on the operation from the monitor device 810 or supplied from the positioning unit 140, the video processing unit 122 and / or the emergency call processing unit 123 may generate a control signal (video control signal CV and audio control signal CA) that instructs the display for informing the next stop station or the emission of automatic voice guidance based on the position information.
[0031] The output control unit 130, together with the acquisition unit 150, functions as a part of the connection interface to the monitor device 810. In addition, the output control unit 130 is realized as a processor and a memory, and when it receives information from the information processing unit 120, it outputs information based on the received information to at least one of the monitor device 810, the audio device 820, the command center server 910, and the management center 920 of the relevant organization. The information based on the received information may be the information itself supplied from the information processing unit 120, or may be information obtained by processing the information supplied from the information processing unit 120. For example, if the management center 920 of the relevant organization is a police station and only accepts reports by voice, the output control unit 130 generates a message text according to a predetermined algorithm based on the features of the voice and image supplied from the information processing unit 120, and reads out the generated message text by synthetic voice. If the contents of the report and the transmission protocol are predetermined for the destination, they are followed. The output destination is determined by storing a program in advance in a memory, in which an algorithm for determining the output destination is written, and by having a processor execute this program.
[0032] For example, the output control unit 130 determines the output destination of at least one of the emergency notification information RE, the voice data RA, and the image data received from the information processing unit 120, based on the operation information acquired from the monitor device 810. Alternatively, the output control unit 130 may determine the output destination for at least one of the emergency call information, audio information, and video data received from the information processing unit 120 based on at least one of (a) the contents of the emergency call information RE, audio data RA, and image data RV, (b) the timing at which the emergency call information RE, audio data RA, and image data RV were acquired, and (c) the vehicle from which the emergency call information RE, audio data RA, and image data RV were transmitted. Alternatively, the output control unit 130 may determine the importance of the incident or the need for response according to a predetermined algorithm based on at least one of the contents of the voice data RA and image data RV included in the emergency report information RE, and determine at least one of the output destination and output content based on the determined result.
[0033] As an example of a method for determining the output destination, all information received by the communication unit 110, including the emergency report information RE and image data RV, is always supplied to the monitor device 810. In other words, all information from the passenger car is always sent to a crew member (not shown) connected to the monitor device 810. The information is conveyed to the crew by being displayed on the vehicle display or output as audio from the audio device 820. Alternatively, when the received information satisfies certain conditions, in addition to or instead of being output to the monitor device 810, the information may be transmitted to the management center 920 of the relevant organization or the control center server 910. Such conditions include, for example, conditions regarding the train's operating status and conditions regarding the crew status (for example, whether the crew consists of one driver and the driver is unable to leave the driver's cab because he is operating the train, whether the driver can move from the driver's cab to a passenger car to deal with an emergency call because the train is stopped, whether the conductor can deal with an emergency call even while the train is moving, etc.).
[0034] The conditions may include conditions related to the timing of the emergency call (including whether multiple emergency calls were made from multiple vehicles at the same time, or whether multiple emergency call buttons were pressed simultaneously in one vehicle, etc.). Alternatively, if analysis of the voice data RA detects the occurrence of angry shouts or screams, or if the information processing unit 120 supplies information indicating that words such as "help" or "fire" that are indicative of the occurrence of a serious incident have been spoken, or if analysis results indicating that the occurrence of a serious incident is inferred from image data acquired immediately before and / or after the button was pressed (for example, from 30 seconds before to 30 seconds after the button was pressed), the output control unit 130 may select the command center server 910 and / or the management center 920 of the relevant institution as the destination in addition to the monitor device 810.
[0035] 4 shows an example of the operation of the output control unit 130. The output control unit 130 judges whether the information supplied from the information processing unit 120 is emergency report information RE (S501). If it is emergency report information RE (S501: YES), the output control unit 130 judges whether an incident has occurred (including a false alarm) and its seriousness based on the analysis results of the image data and the data and voice data RA supplied from the information processing unit 120 (S502). If it is judged to be serious (S502: YES), it decides whether or not cooperation with related organizations is necessary (S504). If it is judged that cooperation with related organizations is necessary (S504: YES), it decides on the crew room, the control room, and the related organizations (S507). If it is judged that cooperation with related organizations is not necessary (S504: NO), it selects the crew room and the control room as the notification destinations. If it is determined in S502 that the incident is not serious (S502: NO), it is determined (S503) whether or not the crew can handle the incident based on the operation status obtained from the monitoring device 810. If the crew can handle it, a notification is sent only to the crew cabin (S505), and if the crew cannot handle it, a notification is sent to the crew cabin and the control room (S506).
[0036] Conventionally, when a crew member receives a report from an emergency reporting device, the crew member first checks the situation themselves and then reports the situation to the control center server 910 or the management center 920 of related organizations at the crew member's discretion. In this embodiment, the output control unit 130 can select and transmit an appropriate notification destination for an event that has occurred without confirmation by the crew member. As a result, it is possible to quickly notify an appropriate notification destination according to the situation, regardless of the crew member's status.
[0037] The terminal device 200 receives control signals from the management device 100 and supplies them to the emergency notification device 830 to the camera system 860 of its own vehicle, and also transfers the control signals to the terminal devices 200 of other vehicles. It also transmits information supplied from the emergency notification device 830 and camera system 860 of its own vehicle via the control unit 210 to the management device 100 directly or via another terminal device 200, and when it receives information addressed to the management device 100 from the terminal device 200 of another vehicle, it functions as an access point that transfers the information to the management device 100 directly or via another terminal device 200. In this way, by connecting the terminal devices 200 of each vehicle in series for communication, it becomes possible to exchange information between the management device 100 and the multiple terminal devices 200. There are.
[0038] The terminal device 200 includes a control unit 210 and a relay unit 220. The control unit 210 controls the in-vehicle display 850 and the speaker system 840 based on the signal supplied from the relay unit 220, and supplies the emergency notification information RE supplied from the emergency notification device 830 and the image data supplied from the camera system 860 to the relay unit 220 as necessary. Specifically, the control unit 210 supplies the speaker system 840 and the in-vehicle display 850 provided in the host vehicle based on the audio control signal CA generated by the management device 100. When emergency notification information is received from the emergency notification device 830 of the host vehicle or from the emergency notification device 830 of another vehicle via the relay unit 220, image data for a predetermined time before and / or after the timing of receiving the emergency notification information RE is extracted and supplied to the relay unit 220. When the emergency notification information RE includes audio data indicating the voice of the caller or the voice picked up in the vehicle, the audio data is also supplied to the relay unit 220.
[0039] The relay unit 220 is connected to the control unit 210 of the vehicle itself, and is implemented as a communication module for performing wireless communication according to a communication method such as IEE802.11 or wired communication according to IEEE802.3 (Ethernet) with the relay unit 220 of another vehicle. The relay unit 220 includes a receiving unit 221 and a transmitting unit 222. The relay unit 220 outputs, to the speaker system 840 and the in-vehicle display 850 of C1, information received from the management device 100 or another terminal device 200 that does not specify a destination or that specifies a destination that is a device of C1 (terminal device 200-1 in the example of FIG. 2). On the other hand, among the information received from the communication unit 110 or from another terminal device 200, information for which the destination is not explicitly stated or the destination is another terminal device (terminal device 200-2, 200-3, ...) is forwarded to another device connected to terminal device 200-1 (terminal device 200-2 in the case of Figures 2 and 3). Furthermore, when the terminal device 200 receives information (emergency notification information RE or image data) supplied from the control unit 210, the terminal device 200 adds to the information an identifier of the vehicle itself indicating that it is the sender of the information and information specifying the management device 100 as the transmission destination, and transmits the information to the management device 100 directly or via another terminal device 200. As for the terminal device 200-1, since it is directly connected to the management device 100, it transmits the information to the communication unit 110, and as for the terminal device 200-2, since it is not directly connected to the management device 100, it transmits the information to the relay unit 220 of the terminal device 200-1.
[0040] In the above embodiment, the communication function is separated from the monitor device 810 and is assigned to the communication system 10. Therefore, for example, video distribution, which has a large processing load, can be realized without increasing the load on the monitor device 810. Alternatively, when making changes or improvements to new communication equipment or communication paths, such as adding cameras, it is only necessary to change the functions of the communication system 10, so that it can be realized without worrying about the possibility of disrupting operation, such as rewriting the control software of the monitor device 810. In addition, even if a problem occurs in the communication function, there is no need to inspect the entire monitor device 810, which is responsible for various functions related to operation. In this way, the above embodiment is superior in terms of construction, improvement, and maintainability of the communication function compared to a conventional system inseparably integrated with the monitor device 810.
[0041] In addition, by managing multiple communication paths such as emergency call acquisition, audio broadcasting, and video distribution in a centralized manner, it becomes easier to link the communication paths together. For example, when an emergency call is received, the system can analyze the video recording data and audio data collected at the relevant time as necessary, and notify the appropriate place in the appropriate manner. In addition, since the terminal device 200 is provided for each vehicle, the contents of control for broadcasting and video distribution can be changed. In addition, since it is a chained system, stable communication can be realized even if it is implemented as a wireless communication module.
[0042] Furthermore, when the communication system 10 is retroactively installed in an existing vehicle, by implementing the relay unit 220 as a wireless communication module and having it function as an access point with adjacent vehicles, it is possible to achieve stable communications even when the train has a large number of vehicles, while minimizing equipment changes such as wiring work associated with so-called inter-car crossing.
[0043] In the above embodiment, information is relayed between the terminal devices 200, but the management device 100 may broadcast information to all the terminal devices 200, or the terminal devices 200 may communicate directly with the management device 100. Furthermore, the analysis and extraction of features based on the voice data RA and / or image data RV acquired from the terminal device 200 may be performed by the terminal device 200 itself, rather than by the management device. Alternatively, the management device 100 may be provided with a communication means for communicating with an information processing server for analyzing audio and video that is provided outside the vehicle 900 via a communication network 930, and the communication means may be used to transmit characteristic information about the audio and video to the information processing server and receive the analysis results from the information processing server.
[0044] <Other Examples> In the present invention, communication of audio, video, and other information can be controlled based on various information acquired from the monitor device 810. For example, the contents of the operation performed by the driver may be acquired from the monitor device 810, and various information may be transmitted to passengers and / or people outside the railway, such as a control room or station staff, according to the acquired contents of the operation. The contents of the operation include normal operations such as acceleration, deceleration, and door opening and closing, as well as operations related to passenger safety, such as sounding a horn.
[0045] A management device 100A shown in Fig. 5 is a management device according to another embodiment of the present invention, which is provided in a vehicle C1. The following description will focus on the parts that are different from the management device 100 shown in Fig. 2. In addition, in this figure, the same configuration as in Fig. 2, such as the terminal device 200, is omitted. The acquisition unit 150 acquires operation information indicating operations performed by crew members (drivers, conductors, etc.) of the railway vehicle 900 from the monitor device 810. The operation information may include alarm information indicating the issuance status of an alarm issued by the railway. In a preferred embodiment, the operation information includes information related to the safety of passengers and other traffic. For example, information such as when, where, and under what circumstances sudden braking was performed, whether a horn or other warning to the surrounding area was sounded, and whether guidance for avoiding danger was provided to passengers. The acquired operation information is stored in the memory unit 160.
[0046] The information stored in the storage unit 160 may be acquired entirely from the monitor device 810, or a part or all of the information may be acquired from another route. For example, in the case of information that an operation of sounding a horn has been performed at a certain timing, information indicating the fact that the horn has been sounded, the date and time of the sounding, and the location where the sounding has been performed may be acquired from the monitor device 810, or information indicating the fact that the horn has been sounded and the timing of the sounding may be acquired from the monitor device 810, while information indicating the position of the railway vehicle 900 at the timing of the sounding may be acquired from the positioning unit 140, and these may be stored in association with each other. Alternatively, for example, if the acoustic device 820 has a function of sounding a horn, the fact that the horn has been sounded and the timing of the sounding are acquired from the acoustic device 820, and information regarding the location where the sounding has been performed is acquired from the positioning unit 140. In this way, when the operation information is acquired without going through the monitor device 810, the system according to the present invention can be constructed independently of the monitor device 810, regardless of the presence or absence of the monitor device 810 or its specifications.
[0047] The storage unit 160 stores tables TBL1, TBL2, TBL3 and a database DB1, which will be described later, and is referred to by the output control unit 130 as appropriate.
[0048] Based on the acquired operation information, the output control unit 130 determines at least one of the timing of notification, the content or manner of the notification, and the notification destination. Specifically, the output control unit 130 refers to a table TBL1 shown in Fig. 6 to determine the notification control to be executed in response to the operation content acquired from the monitor device 810. Fig. 6 defines the operation content and the notification control to be executed in association with each other.
[0049] In the example shown in the figure, when operation information is obtained from the monitor device 810 that sudden braking of danger level 1 (relatively light sudden braking) has occurred without sounding the horn, the output control unit 130 decides to perform control to emit a prepared voice announcement saying "Be careful of sudden braking" at a normal volume level to all passengers in the vehicle, and controls the information processing unit 120 based on this decision. As a result, the voice announcement is played from the in-vehicle public address speaker 841, reducing the possibility of passengers falling or suffering other injuries due to sudden braking. On the other hand, when information is acquired that level 2 (relatively strong sudden braking) has occurred, the output control unit 130 controls the information processing unit 120 so that a voice announcement saying "Sudden braking will be applied. Please hold on tight" is played at a loud volume from the in-car broadcast speaker 841, and text information with the same content is displayed on the in-car display 850. On the other hand, in cases where the incident does not directly affect passenger safety, for example, there was a worker on the side of the tracks and so emergency braking was not necessary, but the driver sounded the horn to alert the worker, no special notification is given to passengers, but from the perspective of operational management, information that the horn had been sounded is sent to the control room. Furthermore, if both emergency braking and the sound of the horn occur, it can be assumed that a serious incident has occurred, so in order to ensure the safety of passengers and those around vehicle 900, an announcement is made to passengers and the occurrence of the incident is notified to the control room.
[0050] In this way, rather than the crew themselves judging the situation and making the announcement, appropriate notifications can be automatically and quickly sent to the necessary parties according to the operating situation, thereby improving passenger safety while reducing the burden on the crew. In addition, whether or not sudden braking was performed and whether or not the horn was sounded are examples of the operation content that is acquired, and more detailed information may be included, such as when braking is performed (the magnitude of acceleration and its change over time) and the specific content of the alarm (the length and number of times the horn is sounded).
[0051] Alternatively, the timing of issuing a notification may be further controlled based on the acquired operation information. For example, instead of immediately controlling the notification when a safety-related operation occurs, the notification may be suspended for a certain period of time until a predetermined condition is satisfied. Alternatively, the possibility of sudden braking or other operations being performed may be predicted from past operations performed by the crew, and if there is a certain degree of probability of such an event occurring, a notification may be issued before the operation is actually performed (in other words, before such an incident actually occurs). A specific mechanism for making this notification will be described below with reference to Figs.
[0052] As shown in database DB1 in FIG. 7, when the memory unit 160 detects a predefined operation such as sudden braking or an alarm, it associates the incident with the date and time of occurrence, the location of occurrence, and other incidental information (weather, congestion rate, and other information that may be causally related to the occurrence). On the other hand, the operation contents and their risk levels are defined in advance as in a table TBL3 shown in FIG. Based on the information in the database DB1 and the table TBL3, the conditions under which an incident occurs (location, date and time, etc.) are defined as shown in the table TBL4, and the degree of danger when an incident occurs is defined for each occurrence condition. The conditions do not necessarily have to correspond one-to-one.
[0053] The output control unit 130 judges whether the operation information or driving information acquired from the monitor devices 810, 140, etc. meets the incident occurrence conditions defined in table TBL4 shown in Fig. 9 based on a predetermined algorithm, and if so, determines the risk level (current risk level or future risk level) by referring to table TBL4.Then, the output control unit 130 refers to table TBL2 shown in Fig. 10 and executes notification control corresponding to the identified risk level.
[0054] In the example shown in the figure, if the output control unit 130 determines that the danger level will be 1 one minute from now, it will first wait, and if this condition continues for a preset period of time, it will decide to execute an in-vehicle voice announcement saying, "Just to be safe, please be careful when braking suddenly." Alternatively, if it is predicted that the train will reach a point where sudden braking is likely to occur in one minute (suppose that if sudden braking actually occurs, it is predicted that this will be a risk level 2 incident; in other words, it is predicted that the conditions for a risk level 2 incident will be met in one minute), it will decide to play an audio announcement to passengers 10 seconds before reaching that point, such as "Please be careful of sudden braking just in case." In addition, if the output control unit 130 determines that the current or future danger level is 3 or 4 (there is a concern that a serious incident may occur), it decides to immediately execute control to play an in-car voice announcement saying, "We will apply the brakes suddenly. Please hold on tight," and to display text information with the same content.
[0055] In this way, by predicting the occurrence of an incident based on the crew's past operations and issuing notifications based on the predictions, passengers, the control room, and other recipients of the information can be given ample time to respond, thereby further improving safety.
[0056] When deciding the content of notification control to be executed based on the current or past acquired operation content, any algorithm other than referring to table-format data prepared in advance can be adopted. For example, a learning model that learns the past operation content (and the situation related to operation) and the risk level that occurs (or the notification control content to be executed) may be generated, and the operation information and / or the operation situation acquired from the monitor device 810, the positioning unit 140, etc. may be input to this learning model to decide the notification control content to be executed. In short, it is sufficient to judge the current or future risk based on the operation information performed in the past, and to execute the notification control according to the judgment result.
[0057] In short, the railway vehicle communication system of the present invention is mounted on a railway consisting of a plurality of cars, and comprises a management device provided in one of the cars, and a plurality of terminal devices provided in each of the cars, the management device having a transmitting means for transmitting an audio control signal and a video control signal to at least one of the terminal devices, a receiving means for receiving emergency call information RE from the at least one of the terminal devices, and an output means for outputting the received emergency call information to at least one of equipment provided within the one of the cars and devices installed outside the railway, and each terminal device has a relay means for transmitting a control signal sent from the management device to other terminal devices, while transmitting the emergency call information supplied from the emergency call device provided in the vehicle and the emergency call information received from the other terminal devices to the management device, and a control means for controlling the audio communication device and video display device provided in the vehicle based on the control signal supplied from the management device. [Explanation of symbols]
[0058] 10 communication system, 100 management device, 110 communication unit, 111 transmission a signaling unit, 112 receiving unit, 120 information processing unit, 121 voice processing unit, 122 video processing unit, 123 emergency call processing unit, 130 output control unit, 140 positioning unit, 150 acquisition unit, 160 storage unit, 200 terminal device, 210 control unit, 220 relay unit, 221 receiving unit, 222 transmitting unit, 810 monitor device, 820....Sound device, 830....Emergency notification device, 840....Speaker system, 841....Speaker for in-vehicle announcement, 842....Speaker for outside of vehicle announcement, 850....In-vehicle display, 860....Camera system, 861....Camera for taking pictures inside of vehicle, 862....Camera for taking pictures outside of vehicle, 910....Command center server, 920....Management center of related organizations, 930....Communication network
Claims
1. A railway vehicle communication system, installed on a railway composed of multiple vehicles, comprising a management device installed in one vehicle and multiple terminal devices installed in each vehicle, Each terminal device has relay means and control means, The control means, upon receiving emergency information from an emergency communication device installed in its own vehicle or receiving emergency information from an emergency communication device installed in another vehicle via the relay means, extracts video data from video data captured by a camera installed in its own vehicle for at least one predetermined time period before and after the timing of acquisition of the emergency information, adds the identifier of its own vehicle to the extracted video data, and supplies it to the relay means. The relay means communicates wirelessly with relay means of other terminal devices installed in adjacent vehicles, and the multiple terminal devices are wirelessly connected in series to each other, functioning as access points to adjacent vehicles, and transmits the extracted video data with identifiers attached, supplied from the control means, and other video data with identifiers attached, received from other first terminal devices, to the management device via other second terminal devices wirelessly connected in series. The management device receives the video data to which the identifier has been attached, which has been transferred from the plurality of terminal devices via the relay means. Communication system for railway vehicles.
2. The management device identifies the vehicle related to the emergency notification information based on the received identifier, and transmits instructions to the terminal device of the identified vehicle to remotely control the camera. When the terminal device of the identified vehicle receives the instruction via the relay means, it controls the camera of its own vehicle based on the instruction. The railway vehicle communication system according to claim 1.
3. The management device identifies the vehicle related to the emergency notification information based on the received identifier, generates an audio control signal containing the identifier for the identified vehicle, and transmits it via the relay means. The terminal device of the identified vehicle, when the identifier of the voice control signal containing the aforementioned identifier matches the identifier of the vehicle, controls the voice communication device installed in the vehicle based on the voice control signal to broadcast an evacuation guidance message. The railway vehicle communication system according to claim 1.
4. The management device further comprises output means for outputting the received video data to which the identifier has been added to a control center or equipment of a related organization located outside the railway, The railway vehicle communication system according to claim 1.