Interlocking device and interlocking control method

Abstract

To achieve a simple interlocking logic for train route control.SOLUTION: An interlocking device 10 includes: a sectioned route management unit 14 that selects a plurality of sectioned routes based on a request for a route of each train and manages the sectioned routes; a point control unit 18 installed for and in the vicinity of each point 70 to control each point 70; and a sectioned route securing unit 22 that instructs the point control units 18 corresponding to the points 70 included in the selected sectioned routes. With this configuration, a turnaround direction of the points 70 can be uniquely determined if a single sectioned route is reserved, and further, a logic for coping with a human incorrect operation is unnecessary because a point individual lever and a route lever are abolished and are not installed on a target railway road. Therefore, a simple interlocking logic for train route control can be achieved by an interlocking logic using a route locking as a base of a locking logic, executed only by management of the sectioned routes.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an interlocking device and an interlocking control method used for route control within a station on a railway line using a wireless train control system that mainly detects the on-board position. [Background technology]

[0002] Traditionally, the route control of trains in stations has evolved from mechanical interlocking devices that use iron pipes and wires to centralize levers for control, electric interlocking devices that incorporate some electrical information from electromagnets, electric interlocking devices that use electrical information, and relay interlocking devices that use relay circuits to construct chains and locks, and interlocking logic has been established along with this. Furthermore, with the subsequent development of electronic technology, electronic interlocking devices using CPUs have been developed, but the interlocking logic has not changed significantly from that of relay interlocking. On the other hand, train control systems that prevent train collisions and speeding have also progressed, and in recent years, systems that do not detect trains using track circuits using wireless systems have progressed significantly, and have been introduced both domestically and internationally. However, even when such wireless train control systems are used, the majority of route control in stations still follows the previous interlocking logic (see Patent Document 1, for example). This is because, with the accumulation of years of ensuring railway safety, there is a high risk of changing the interlocking logic that controls the station, and there has been no guideline for doing so. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2014-148260 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Therefore, the inventor analyzed the purpose and necessity of the existing interlocking logic (police lock, signal control, route lock, approach lock, etc.) and examined the possibility of simplification. As a result, he came to the conclusion that it is possible to simplify and rationalize the interlocking logic, assuming that a radio train control system with on-board position detection is used. The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to realize a simple interlocking logic for train route control. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] (Modes of the Invention) The following aspects of the invention are illustrative of the configuration of the present invention, and are described in terms of items to facilitate understanding of the various configurations of the present invention. Each item does not limit the technical scope of the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention may include any embodiment in which some of the components of each item are replaced or deleted, or other components are added, while taking into account the best mode for carrying out the invention.

[0006] (1) An interlocking device used for route control within a station on a railway line where a radio train control system using an on-board position detection method is used, the track is divided into multiple sections, and multiple route sectionalization routes are set in each section according to the direction of train travel and the opening direction of the point, and where manually operated point levers and route levers are not installed, the interlocking device including: a route sectionalization management unit that selects multiple consecutive route sectionalization routes required for each train based on the route requirements for each train entering, and manages the route sectionalization routes so that the selected route sectionalization routes are secured; a point control unit that is installed near each point and controls the point; and a route sectionalization securing unit that issues inspection, switching and locking commands to the point control unit corresponding to the point when the point is included in the selected route sectionalization route so that the route sectionalization selected by the route sectionalization management unit is secured.

[0007] The interlocking device described in this section is intended for railway lines using a radio-based train control system with on-board main position detection, and includes a route section management unit, a point control unit, and a route section securing unit. The route section management unit selects multiple consecutive route sections required for each train based on the route request for each train from the traffic control system, trains, etc. That is, the track of the target railway line is divided into multiple sections, and multiple route sections are set in each section according to the train's traveling direction and the point opening direction, so that multiple consecutive route sections that satisfy the route request of each train are selected from them. In addition, the route section management unit manages the route sections set on the track so that the selected route section for each train is secured. The management here includes monitoring whether each route section is reserved (secured), making reservations, etc.

[0008] The point control unit, which actually controls the point when the point is included in the section (section), is installed near each point. The section securing unit is located between the section management unit and the point control unit, communicating with both and directly instructing each of the point control units. Therefore, when a point is included in the section selected by the section management unit, the section securing unit checks the reservation of the competing section, and instructs the point control unit corresponding to the point included in the selected section to inspect, switch, and lock so that the section is secured.

[0009] With this configuration, once a section is determined, a section that is in the opposite direction to the section or that has a different point opening direction is exclusively excluded in each section. Therefore, when one section is reserved (locked), the switch direction is uniquely determined. Furthermore, since the target railway line does not have a single lever or a route lever operated by a human being and has been abolished and installed, there is no need for logic to deal with events such as erroneous operation by a human or erroneous return of the lever. Therefore, the interlocking device described in this section realizes a simple interlocking logic for train route control by an interlocking logic that is executed by managing only the section and that uses the route lock as the locking logic. This interlocking logic is extremely simplified compared to the conventional interlocking logic in which the route lock and the point opening were input as conditions separately.

[0010] (2) In the above paragraph (1), the section route securing unit is an interlocking device which, when a section route including a point is reserved, locks the point of the section route, when a train enters the section route including the point, locks the point of the section route until the train exits the section route, and, when a terminal section route which is the end of the selected plurality of sections is retracted, detects that the train has stopped before entering the terminal section route after the retraction or locks the point included in the terminal section route before the retraction until it is confirmed that the train is within a protection pattern having the terminal boundary of the terminal section route after the retraction as a stopping position.

[0011] The interlocking device described in this section executes an interlocking logic based on the locking logic of the route locking in a more concrete manner. Specifically, when a route section including a point is reserved by the route section management section, the route section securing section locks the point of the route section. At this time, the route section securing section checks whether the opening direction of the point matches that of the reserved route section, and if it does not match, changes the opening direction of the point, and then locks the point of the route section. In addition, when a train enters a route section including a point, the route section securing section locks the point of the route section until the train exits the route section. In other words, since the route lever has been abolished and is not installed on the target railway line, the conventional route locking and approach locking are handled without distinction.

[0012] Furthermore, when the terminal section of the selected multiple sections is pulled back, the section route securing unit locks the points included in the terminal section before the pullback until the condition described later is satisfied. Here, the pullback of the terminal section is a concept that replaces the forced reset by the abolished route lever, and this concept also supports the integration of the conventional route locking and the approach locking. In addition, the condition for unlocking the points up to the terminal section before the pullback is that the train is detected to have stopped before entering the terminal section after the pullback, or that the train is confirmed to be in a protection pattern with the terminal side boundary of the terminal section after the pullback as the stop position. In other words, the unlocking is determined by the direct event that the train is stopped or in pattern control, rather than the conventional logic of estimating from the time until the train stops. The above-mentioned point locking logic aims to integrate the conventional locking logic, and further simplifies and rationalizes the interlocking logic.

[0013] (3) In the above paragraph (2), the route sectional management unit ensures the sections including switches for the shunting and maintenance of vehicles and ensures the sections equivalent to home tracks for the parking of trains, and the route sectional securing unit checks for reservation conflicts between a plurality of route sectionals set for a section including switches and the switching of switches for the shunting of vehicles using the section and the switching of switches for the maintenance of the section, and an interlocking device that checks for reservation conflicts between a plurality of route sectionals set for a section equivalent to a home track and the parking of trains in the section.

[0014] In the interlocking device described in this section, the route sectional management unit secures the route sectionalization for shunting and maintenance of vehicles and for harboring trains as necessary, in addition to securing the route sectionalization. That is, the route sectional management unit secures the route sectionalization for shunting and maintenance of vehicles in a section including a switch, based on a request for shunting and maintenance of vehicles from a traffic control system or the like. Furthermore, the route sectional management unit secures the route harboring for trains in a section corresponding to a home track, based on a request for harboring a train from a traffic control system or the like. Then, the route sectionalization securing unit checks for a section including a switch whether there is a conflict in reservations between a plurality of route sectionalizations set in that section, a switch change for shunting vehicles using that section, and a switch change for maintenance of that section. Furthermore, the route sectionalization securing unit checks for a conflict in reservations between a plurality of route sectionalizations set in that section, and a train harboring in that section, for a section corresponding to a home track. In this way, by ensuring the shunting, maintenance, and parking of trains at the same level as securing the sectional routes, it is possible to flexibly respond to optional switching of points for shunting and maintenance of trains, and to the parking of trains on the home track.

[0015] (4) In the above paragraph (1), the section route securing unit is an interlocking device installed in the vicinity of each point. In the interlocking device described in this section, the section route securing unit is installed in the vicinity of each point included in the section route (section) in the same manner as the point control unit. As a result, the section route securing unit that issues commands to the point control unit is installed in the vicinity of the point and its corresponding point control unit, so that part of the communication such as the continuous inspection, which is a high communication frequency, is completed only in the vicinity of each point.

[0016] In other words, by installing the execution part of the point control logic and the section route logic (section route securing part) near the point, the verification information between the control logics is significantly reduced, and therefore the amount and frequency of communication performed by this interlocking device other than the communication performed only around each point is significantly reduced. Therefore, even wireless communication, in which communication speed is a concern, will be sufficient, and the possibility of realizing a cable-less network in the station premises will be increased. Furthermore, if a wireless network is realized, it will be possible to reduce cables and reduce the cost of equipment.

[0017] (5) In the above paragraph (1), the route division management unit is an interlocking device that, when an identical route division is included in a plurality of route divisions selected for a preceding train and a plurality of route divisions selected for a following train following the preceding train, the interlocking device secures the same route division in a redundant manner. The interlocking device described in this section reserves (secures) the same route sectional area in duplicate when the route sectional area management unit selects multiple route sectional areas for a preceding train and multiple route sectional areas selected for a following train immediately behind the preceding train, and the same route sectional area is included in the multiple route sectional areas.

[0018] Here, the fact that the section is the same means that the section is the same, and that both the direction of travel and the direction of the point are the same. When such an identical section is selected for two consecutive trains, overlapping reservations for the same section are permitted for both trains. This is intended to ensure the distance between two consecutive trains not by not allowing multiple trains to be on the same section, but by setting the stopping limit point of the following train using a radio train control system. This allows the following train to proceed behind the preceding train without being aware of the section boundary, and the radio train control system also provides control within the station in the same way as in the middle of the station.

[0019] (6) In paragraph (1) above, an interlocking device that does not perform signal control. The interlocking device described in this section does not perform signal control, which was included in the conventional interlocking logic. In other words, in a radio train control system, the interval between two consecutive trains is secured by setting a stopping limit point, etc., so the signal control overlaps with the interlocking logic. Therefore, the signal control is performed by the train control logic in the radio train control system, not the interlocking logic, and the signal control function is excluded from the interlocking device. This further simplifies the interlocking logic.

[0020] (7) An interlocking control method for controlling routes within a station on a railway line where a radio train control system with on-board position detection is used, the track is divided into multiple sections, and multiple section routes are set in each section according to the direction of train travel and the opening direction of the points, and no manually operated point levers or route levers are installed, the interlocking control method selecting multiple consecutive section routes required for each train based on the route requirements of the train entering, monitoring the section routes to ensure the selected section routes, and at this time, inspecting, switching and locking the point if the selected section route includes the point.

[0021] (8) In the above item (7), an interlocking control method is provided in which, when a section including a point is reserved, the point of the section is locked, and, when a train enters the section including the point, the point of the section is locked until the train exits the section, and, when a terminal section which is the end of a plurality of selected sections is retracted, the point included in the terminal section before the retraction is locked until it is detected that the train has stopped before entering the terminal section after the retraction or until it is confirmed that the train is within a protection pattern having the terminal boundary of the terminal section after the retraction as a stopping position.

[0022] (9) An interlocking control method as described in (7) above, which ensures that sections including switches are available for shunting and maintenance of rolling stock and that sections equivalent to home tracks are available for train parking, checks for reservation conflicts between a plurality of sectional routes set for a section including switches and point switching for shunting of rolling stock using the section and point switching for maintenance of the section, and checks for reservation conflicts between a plurality of sectional routes set for a section equivalent to a home track and train parking in the section.

[0023] (10) In the above paragraph (7), when a plurality of section routes selected for a preceding train and a plurality of section routes selected for a following train following the preceding train include the same section route, an interlocking control method is provided for overlappingly securing the same section route. (11) In the above item (7), an interlocking control method that does not involve signal control. The interlocking control methods described in items (7) to (11) are executed by the interlocking devices of items (1) to (3), (5), and (6) above, respectively, and thus achieve the same effects as the interlocking devices of items (1) to (3), (5), and (6) above. Effect of the Invention

[0024] Since the present invention has the above-mentioned configuration, it is possible to realize a simple interlocking logic for train route control. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0025] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of an interlocking device according to an embodiment of the present invention, together with a traffic control system and a part of a radio train control system. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an image diagram for explaining the concept of a route segment set on a railway line that is the target of the interlocking device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] 4 is a comparison table showing the interlocking logic used in the interlocking device according to the embodiment of the present invention together with the conventional interlocking logic. [Figure 4] This is an image diagram of a segmented path to explain the occurrence of deadlock and the concept of contention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a schematic process flow diagram showing an example of a process flow when reserving a sectioned route using an interlocking device according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0026] Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Hereinafter, detailed explanations of the same or corresponding parts as those in the prior art will be omitted, and the same or corresponding parts are indicated by the same reference numerals throughout the drawings. Fig. 1 shows an example of the configuration of the interlocking device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention, as a functional block diagram, together with a traffic control system 30 and a part of a wireless train control system 40. It is assumed that the railway line to which the interlocking device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention is applied uses the wireless train control system 40 of the on-board main position detection type, and that the independent levers and the route levers of the point machine operated by hand have been abolished and are not installed. Furthermore, the railway line to which the interlocking device 10 is applied is assumed to be a railway line in which a track 80 is divided into a plurality of sections 84, and a plurality of sectional routes SR are set in each section 84, as shown in Fig. 2, which will be described in detail later.

[0027] First, the traffic control system 30 and the wireless train control system 40 will be briefly described. The traffic control system 30 in FIG. 1 includes a diagram operation management unit 34 and a route request unit 36, some of whose functions are enclosed by a dashed line. The diagram operation management unit 34 manages the diagram and operation of the target railway line, and the route request unit 36 ​​requests routes within stations and the like for each train on the target railway line based on information from the diagram operation management unit 34. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the diagram operation management unit 34 and the route request unit 36 ​​are installed in the control center 32, but some of them may be installed on the trains. In this specification, the term "train" is not limited to a configuration in which multiple cars are connected, but also includes a configuration in which only one car is connected, unless otherwise specified.

[0028] 1, some of its functions are enclosed by dashed lines, and the radio train control system 40 includes a route management unit 44, a track location management unit 46, an aspect control unit 52, a train control unit 54, and a train position detection unit 56. In this embodiment, the route management unit 44 and the track location management unit 46 are installed on the ground side as part of the ground equipment 42, and the aspect control unit 52, the train control unit 54, and the train position detection unit 56 are installed in the driver's cab of the leading car or the trailing car of each train as on-board equipment 50. The train position detection unit 56 detects the position of the train itself by an on-board position detection method that does not rely on track circuits or the like.

[0029] The on-track management unit 46 manages the on-track status of each train based on information from the train position detection unit 56 of each train, and the route management unit 44 manages the route (route) for each train, including management of the limit stopping points, based on the position of each train from the on-track management unit 46. The train control unit 54 creates a speed inspection pattern and performs speed control for the train itself, based on information from the train position detection unit 56 and the route management unit 44. The aspect control unit 52 performs aspect control, including signal control and route display for the train itself, based on information from the route management unit 44 and the train control unit 54.

[0030] Next, moving on to the description of the interlocking device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention, as shown in Fig. 1, the interlocking device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a route section management unit 14, a point control unit 18, and a route section securing unit 22. The route section management unit 14 selects a plurality of continuous route sections SR required for each train based on a route request for each train to a station premises or the like from the route request unit 36. Here, referring to Fig. 2(a), an example of the configuration of a track 80 having a plurality of branching points in a station premises is illustrated. The track 80 is virtually divided into a plurality of sections 84 by boundaries 88, and the setting positions and setting methods of each boundary 88 in this case may be arbitrary.

[0031] For example, when attention is paid to the section 84A located at the lower left in FIG. 2(a), as shown in FIG. 2(b), this section 84A has one branch point controlled by the switch 70 (see FIG. 1) and is adjacent to three other sections 84 via three boundaries 88. Therefore, a train crosses one of the three boundaries 88 to enter this section 84A from another section 84 or to exit from this section 84A to another section 84. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2(c), this section 84A has four sectional routes SR (SR1 to SR4) according to the traveling direction of the train and the opening direction of the switch 70. Note that in a section 84 without a branch point, for example, a section 84B located to the right of the section 84A in FIG. 2(a), two sectional routes SR are set to the left and right in the figure according to the traveling direction of the train.

[0032] For this reason, the route division management unit 14 selects, for example, route division SRs proceeding to the right in FIG. 2(a) set in each of the consecutive sections 84A to 84D as a plurality of consecutive route divisions SRs required for each train. The route division management unit 14 also reserves the route division SRs and manages them after reservation so that the selected route division SRs are secured. Such management includes making reservations for each route division SR and checking locking until the train is fully advanced after reservation. Furthermore, the route division management unit 14 of this embodiment is configured to secure (reserve) the same route division SRs in duplicate when there are a plurality of trains proceeding consecutively and when the same route division SR is included in the plurality of route divisions SRs selected for the preceding train and the plurality of route divisions SRs selected for the following train following the preceding train. For example, when the route division SR2 set in the section 84A is selected for both of two consecutive trains, the route division management unit 14 reserves the route division SR2 for both of the two trains in cooperation with the route division securing unit 22. The route division management unit 14 of this embodiment is installed on the ground side as a part of the ground device 42.

[0033] Returning to FIG. 1, the point control unit 18 is installed near each point 70 in each section 84 having a branch point, such as sections 84A and 84C shown in FIG. 2(a), and directly controls each point 70. The section route securing unit 22 communicates with the section route management unit 14 and the point control unit 18 configured as described above, and issues commands to each point control unit 18 so that the section route SR selected by the section route management unit 14 is secured. The section route securing unit 22 of this embodiment is installed near each point 70 in each section 84 having a branch point, such as sections 84A and 84C shown in FIG. 2(a), and further near each point control unit 18.

[0034] For this reason, when a section route SR in a section 84 including a corresponding point 70 is reserved from the section route management unit 14, each of the section route securing units 22 commands the corresponding point control unit 18 to check, switch, and lock the point 70. More specifically, the section route securing units 22 command the corresponding point control unit 18 to check whether the open direction of the point 70 matches the section route SR to be reserved, switch the open direction of the point 70 when the open direction does not match as a result of the check, and lock the point 70 when the open direction matches the section route SR to be reserved. In other words, the section route securing units 22 execute locking logic as shown in FIG. 3 described later as an interlocking logic 60, and are installed in a distributed manner so that the interlocking logic 60 is applied to each point 70.

[0035] Here, the components of the interlocking device 10, the traffic control system 30, and the radio train control system 40 as described above are divided by functional unit, and are not divided by the hardware or software that actually constructs them. Furthermore, the hardware and software that constructs the interlocking device 10, the traffic control system 30, and the radio train control system 40 can use any hardware and software including communication devices, storage devices, processing devices, etc., in order to realize the required functions. Furthermore, the configurations of the interlocking device 10, the traffic control system 30, and the radio train control system 40 are not limited to the functional block diagram of FIG. 1, and may be configured such that some of the components shown in FIG. 1 are deleted, changed, or appropriately added depending on, for example, the railway line or situation to which they are applied.

[0036] The configuration of the track 80 in the station premises shown in FIG. 2 is an example, and the position of the boundary 88 and the length of the section 84 may be set arbitrarily. In addition, the route division SR may be set across two or more sections 84 depending on the situation. For example, a route division SR may exist in which a route division SR (SR3) going from the left side to the upper right side in the figure in the section 84A and a route division SR going from the lower left side to the right side in the figure in the section 84E are combined. Such a route division SR is adopted in railway lines with a relatively low train density, such as local lines. Note that such a route division SR will have multiple points 70, and for example, a route division securing unit 22 (distributed interlocking logic) may be installed near the point 70 in the section 84E, and wiring may be locally performed from there to the point 70 in the section 84A to control both points 70. Furthermore, the route divisions SR set in each section 84 do not necessarily have to cover all routes according to the traveling direction of the train and the opening direction of the point 70. As an example, in section 84A, all four route divisions SR1 to SR4 do not necessarily have to be set, and only two route divisions SR1 and SR4 may be set according to the traffic rules of each railway line (for example, driving on the left in Japan).

[0037] Next, Fig. 3 shows a new interlocking logic used in the interlocking device 10 and the interlocking control method according to the embodiment of the present invention, in comparison with conventional functions such as locking, which are based on the use of track circuits. In the new interlocking logic, a method is adopted in which the section route SR is used as the verification unit as described with reference to Fig. 2, and the interlocking logic is constructed by managing and verifying only the section route SR. In other words, the verification, switching, and locking of the point 70 are uniquely determined when the section route SR is reserved, so that verification of the point 70 for various locks can be omitted, and various controls and verifications of the point 70 are sufficient only to be verified against the section route logic. The new interlocking logic will be described in more detail below.

[0038] First, the conventional point locking locks the point 70 when a train is on the track circuit including the point 70, and is a response to erroneous operation by humans to prevent a person from accidentally operating the switch remotely. For this reason, in the new interlocking logic used in the interlocking device 10 and interlocking control method according to the embodiment of the present invention, which is intended for railway lines where a point individual lever operated by a person is not installed, consideration of human intervention is not required. Therefore, in the new interlocking logic, it is sufficient to use a method in which the point locking is performed by checking the section route SR, and when there is a reservation in the section route SR including the point 70, the point 70 of the section route SR is locked. In addition, in order to respond to the new interlocking logic, a mechanism for mutual checking with the route locking when it is necessary to switch / lock due to maintenance or shunting of vehicles, and a mechanism for mutual checking with the route locking based on the train position information when the train is stopped (no section route SR) are required.

[0039] For this reason, in this embodiment, the sectional route management unit 14 secures the section 84 including the point 70 for shunting and maintenance of vehicles, and secures the section 84 corresponding to the home track for stabling of trains. Furthermore, the sectional route securing unit 22 checks for the section 84 including the point 70 whether there is a conflict in reservations between the multiple sectional routes SR set in the section 84, the switching of the point 70 for shunting of vehicles using the section 84, and the switching of the point 70 for maintenance of the section 84. In addition, the sectional route securing unit 22 checks for the section 84 corresponding to the home track whether there is a conflict in reservations between the multiple sectional routes SR set in the section 84 and the stabling of trains in the section 84.

[0040] In addition, in the new interlocking logic for railway lines without a track lever, track locking, track section locking, and approach locking are treated without distinction. In other words, since the track lever has been abolished, there is no concept of "lever resetting", and instead, by defining it as "when the terminal section is pulled back", the locking logic is unified. For this reason, in the new interlocking logic, when a train enters a section SR including a point 70, the point 70 of the section SR is locked until the train exits the section SR. Furthermore, when the terminal section that is the end of the selected multiple sections SR is pulled back, the point 70 included up to the terminal section before the pullback is locked until any of the following conditions is confirmed. The conditions are that the train stops before entering the terminal section after the pullback, or that the train is within a protection pattern with the terminal side boundary of the terminal section after the pullback as the stop position.

[0041] For example, assume that the section SR proceeding to the right in the figure, which is set in each of the consecutive sections 84A to 84D shown in Fig. 2(a), is selected as a plurality of consecutive section SRs of a train proceeding to the right in the figure, and the terminal section SR is retracted from the section SR of section 84D to the section SR of section 84B. In this case, the points 70 included up to the section SR of section 84D (terminal section SR before retraction), i.e., the points 70 installed in sections 84A and 84C, are locked until it is confirmed that the train has stopped before entering the section SR of section 84B (terminal section SR after retraction) (terminal section SR after retraction) or that the train is within a protection pattern with the terminal side boundary (boundary 88 on the right side in the figure) of the section SR of section 84B (terminal section SR after retraction) as a stopping position. The retraction of the terminal section route can be performed, for example, in the traffic control system 30, by selecting the section 84 to be prohibited from entry on a screen showing the track 80 divided into multiple sections 84, or by selecting the relevant location to be prohibited from entry on the timetable screen.

[0042] On the other hand, the conventional signal control is a verification circuit for indicating a proceeding aspect to a signal after the route is cleared, and the track circuit condition among the conditions is to set the stopping limit point before the signal when there is a train on the inside, and to set the stopping limit point at the boundary of the destination track circuit when there is no train on the inside. Such conditions overlap with the functions of train control systems such as CBTC. Therefore, the new interlocking logic does not perform signal control, and signal control is performed by the functions (securing the route and managing the stopping limit point) of the train control system (radio train control system 40).

[0043] Although we will refrain from going into detailed explanation here, in the new interlocking logic described above, since the unit of chaining is the segmented route SR, the following points must be considered. First, when reserving a segmented route SR for different trains in sequence, there is a risk of a deadlock occurring. For example, as shown in FIG. 4(a), a case will be described in which a train on a route X (departure route) and a train on a route Y (intra-station route) simultaneously request a segmented route SR. In this case, X secures segmented route SR1 and then tries to secure a segmented route SR beyond that, but if Y has already secured segmented route SR2 and segmented route SR3, neither can secure a segmented route SR to the destination, resulting in a deadlock.

[0044] To avoid this, it is necessary to perform the exclusive control in a separate system such as the traffic management system 30. For example, in the embodiment of FIG. 1, the timetable operation management unit 34 of the traffic management system 30 is responsible for this, but it may also be performed by the route request unit 36. However, in a system in which the timetable operation management unit 34 and the route request unit 36 ​​are located on the train instead of in the command center 32, care must be taken to avoid deadlock. That is, in order to prevent deadlock from occurring, some ingenuity is required, such as setting a route segment pattern of a type in which a single route segment SR is formed from the starting point to the destination point. An example of this is the method of managing route segment SR as shown in FIG. 4(c) described later.

[0045] In addition, a route is a set of route segments SR selected by the route segment management unit 14, but information on the connection order of each route segment SR is lost when processing is performed on a route segment SR basis in the route segment securing unit 22. Information on adjacent connection destinations and connection order of these route segments SR is security information, and security logic for managing it will be newly provided.

[0046] Furthermore, in the case of a long freight train, it may not fit into the home track and may go beyond it (but actually pass through it). To deal with such a case, for example, as shown in Fig. 4(b), the traffic control system 30 may perform sequence management such as securing the sectional route SR2 first and then securing the sectional route SR1.

[0047] Here, the exclusion with other trains by the new interlocking logic as described above is not a concept of competition in the section 84 but a concept of competition in the route division SR, and whether or not there is competition with other train routes depends on whether or not there is competition between the route divisions SR that make up the route of each train. For example, in the example of eight route divisions SR1 to SR8 shown in FIG. 4(c), the route divisions SR2 to SR4 are in competition with the route division SR1, while the route divisions SR5 to SR8 are not in competition with the route division SR1 and are permitted. Furthermore, as a measure for clearance (vehicle contact limit), for example, as shown in FIG. 4(d), not only the route divisions SR2 to SR4 in the same section 84 but also the route divisions SR5 and SR6 in the adjacent section 84 on the upper right side of the figure are added as route divisions SR that compete with the route division SR1.

[0048] Next, with reference to the process flow diagram shown in Fig. 5, a specific process procedure for reserving a certain section route SR in the interlocking device 10 and the interlocking control method according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. Please also refer to Figs. 1 to 4 described above as necessary. Note that the process flow diagram shown in Fig. 5 shows an example for explaining the specific procedure, and the procedure for reserving a section route SR is not limited to the process flow diagram in Fig. 5. For this reason, the process flow may include some of the steps shown in Fig. 5 that are deleted, changed, or appropriately added depending on the configuration or situation of the interlocking device 10, for example.

[0049] S10 (route request): Based on the route request received from the route request unit 36 ​​of the traffic control system 30, the route segment management unit 14 selects a plurality of consecutive route segments SR to satisfy the route request. Among the plurality of route segments SR, the route segment SR in the section 84 in which the point 70 is installed because it has a branch point is to be reserved. To this end, the route segment management unit 14 requests the reservation of the route segment SR to the route segment securing unit 22 in charge of the point 70 in the section 84 in which the route segment SR to be reserved is set.

[0050] S20 (Route section verification): The route section securing unit 22, requested by the route section management unit 14 in S10 above, performs a verification prior to the reservation of the route section SR to be reserved. In other words, it checks whether the route section SR to be reserved is reserved or locked for another train. If it is confirmed by the verification that it is not reserved or locked, the process proceeds to S30 to reserve the target route section SR.

[0051] S30 (segment route reservation): The segment route management unit 14 reserves the target segment route SR. After this reservation, the segment route securing unit 22 performs the processes of S40 to S100 below to perform point switching corresponding to the segment route SR to be reserved. Note that the processes of S40 to S90 below are included in the processes of the conventional relay interlocking device, so they will be briefly explained here. Moreover, the various relays controlled in S40 to S90 below form part of the segment route securing unit 22 or the point control unit 18, and are installed in the vicinity of the corresponding point 70 in this embodiment. Furthermore, the control using various relays in S40 to S90 below is not limited to that realized by actually using physical relays, but may be that realized by using electronic data, etc., as long as the control contents are substantially the same. S40 (point locking relay raised): If the opening direction of the point 70 does not match that of the section route SR to be reserved, the point locking relay is raised in order to change the opening direction of the point 70.

[0052] S50 (switch control relay up): Next, the switch control relay is up in order to change the opening direction of the switch 70. S60 (point switching): When the point control relay is raised, the point 70 starts the switching operation, and switching to the specified direction is completed. S70 (switch indication relay up): The switch indication relay (KR) is up in order to display (normal position indication or reverse position indication) the open direction of the switch 70 switched in S60. S80 (point indication reaction relay raised): The reaction relay (KNPR or KRPR) which indicates the operating state of the point indication relay which was operated in S70 above is raised.

[0053] S90 (point locking relay drop): In order to lock the point 70 in the open direction changed in S60 above, the point locking relay is dropped. S100 (section route lock): If the result of the check in S20 above shows that the section route SR to be reserved has not been reserved for another train, and furthermore the point 70 is locked after passing through S90 above, the section route securing unit 22 locks the section route SR to be reserved. The remaining signal control, stopping limit point management, signal aspects, etc. are performed by the radio train control system 40.

[0054] According to the embodiment of the present invention having the above configuration, the following effects can be obtained. That is, the interlocking device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention is intended for a railway line using a radio train control system 40 with an on-board main position detection system, and includes a route division management unit 14, a point control unit 18, and a route division securing unit 22, as shown in FIG. 1. The route division management unit 14 selects a plurality of consecutive route divisions SR (see FIG. 2(c)) required for each train based on the route request for each train from the traffic control system 30, trains, etc. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, a track 80 of the target railway line is divided into a plurality of sections 84, and a plurality of route divisions SR are set in each section 84 according to the traveling direction of the train and the opening direction of the point 70, so that a plurality of consecutive route divisions SR that satisfy the route request of each train are selected from them. Also, the route division management unit 14 manages the route divisions SR set on the track 80 so that the route division SR selected for each train is secured. The management here includes monitoring whether or not each segment route SR has been reserved (secured), and making the reservation.

[0055] When a point 70 is included in a section SR (section 84), the point control unit 18 actually controls the point 70, and is installed in the vicinity of each point 70. The section route securing unit 22 is interposed between the section route management unit 14 and the point control unit 18, communicates with both, and directly commands each of the point control units 18. Therefore, when a point 70 is included in a section SR selected by the section route management unit 14, the section route securing unit 22 checks the reservation of the competing section route SR, and also commands the point control unit 18 corresponding to the point 70 included in the selected section route SR to check, switch, and lock so that the section route SR is secured.

[0056] With this configuration, once the route sectional SR in each section 84 is determined, the route sectional SR in the opposite direction to the route sectional SR or the route sectional SR in which the point 70 is opened in a different direction can be exclusively excluded in each section 84. Therefore, by reserving (locking) one route sectional SR, the change direction of the point 70 can be uniquely determined. Furthermore, since the target railway line has abolished and does not have a single lever or a route lever of the point 70 operated by a human being, it is possible to eliminate the need for logic to deal with events such as erroneous operation by a human being or erroneous return of the lever. Therefore, the interlocking device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention can realize a simple interlocking logic for train route control by the interlocking logic based on the route locking, which is executed by managing only the route sectional SR. Such interlocking logic can be greatly simplified compared to the conventional interlocking logic in which the route locking and the opening of the point 70 were input as conditions separately.

[0057] Moreover, the interlocking device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention executes an interlocking logic based on the locking logic of the route locking in a more concrete manner. Specifically, as shown in the right column of the table in Fig. 3, when a route section SR including a point 70 is reserved by the route section management unit 14, the route section securing unit 22 locks the point 70 of the route section SR. At this time, after checking whether the opening direction of the point 70 matches that of the route section SR to be reserved or not, and changing the opening direction of the point 70 when they do not match, the route section securing unit 22 locks the point 70 of the route section SR (see Fig. 5). Furthermore, when a train enters a route section SR including a point 70, the route section securing unit 22 locks the point 70 of the route section SR until the train exits the route section SR. In other words, since the target railway line has abolished and no longer has a track lock installed, conventional track locks and approach locks can be treated without distinction.

[0058] Furthermore, when the terminal section SR that is the end of the selected sections SR is pulled back, the section route securing unit 22 locks the points 70 included up to the terminal section before the pullback until the conditions described below are satisfied. Here, the pullback of the terminal section is a concept that replaces the forced resetting by the abolished route lever, and this concept can also support the integration of the conventional route locking and the approach locking. In addition, the condition for unlocking the points 70 up to the terminal section before the pullback that have been locked is that the train is detected to have stopped before entering the terminal section after the pullback, or that the train is confirmed to be within a protection pattern with the terminal side boundary of the terminal section after the pullback as the stop position. In other words, the unlocking is determined based on the direct event that the train is stopped or within the pattern control, rather than the conventional logic of estimating from the time until the train stops. The locking logic of the points 70 described above makes it possible to integrate the conventional locking logic and further simplify and rationalize the interlocking logic.

[0059] In the interlocking device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the route sectional management unit 14 ensures the route sectional SR, and also ensures the route sectional area for shunting and maintenance of vehicles and for storing trains, as necessary. That is, the route sectional management unit 14 ensures the route sectional area for shunting and maintenance of vehicles in the section 84 including the point 70, based on a request for shunting and maintenance of vehicles from the traffic control system 30 or the like. Furthermore, the route sectional management unit 14 ensures the route sectional area for storing trains in the section 84 corresponding to the home track, based on a request for storing trains from the traffic control system 30 or the like.

[0060] Then, for a section 84 including the point 70, the section route securing unit 22 checks for reservation conflicts between a plurality of section routes SR set in the section 84, the switching of the point 70 for shunting of vehicles using the section 84, and the switching of the point 70 for maintenance of the section 84. Furthermore, for a section 84 corresponding to a home track, the section route securing unit 22 checks for reservation conflicts between a plurality of section routes SR set in the section 84 and the retention of trains in the section 84. In this way, by securing for vehicle shunting, maintenance, and train retention at the same level as securing the section route SR, it becomes possible to flexibly respond to arbitrary switching of the point 70 for vehicle shunting and maintenance, and retention of trains on the home track.

[0061] In addition, in the interlocking device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the section route securing unit 22 is installed near each point 70 included in the section route SR (section 84) in the same manner as the point control unit 18. As a result, the section route securing unit 22 that commands the point control unit 18 is installed near the point 70 and the corresponding point control unit 18, so that a part of the communication such as the constant check, which is a communication with high frequency, can be completed only in the vicinity of each point 70. In other words, by installing the execution part (section route securing unit 22) of the point control logic and the section route logic near the point 70, the check information between the control logics can be significantly reduced, so that it is possible to significantly reduce the communication volume and communication frequency of the communication performed by the interlocking device 10 other than the communication performed only in the vicinity of each point 70. Therefore, even wireless communication, which is a concern in terms of communication speed, can be sufficient, and the possibility of realizing a cable-less network in the station premises can be increased. Furthermore, if wireless networking can be realized, it will be possible to reduce the number of cables and lower the cost of equipment.

[0062] Furthermore, the interlocking device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention secures (reserves) the same route sectional SR in duplicate when the route sectional management unit 14 selects a plurality of route sectional SRs for a preceding train and a plurality of route sectional SRs for a following train immediately following the preceding train. Here, the fact that the route sectional SRs are the same indicates that the section 84 is the same, and that both the traveling direction in the section 84 and the opening direction of the point 70 are also the same. When such an identical route sectional SR is selected for two consecutive trains, the interlocking device 10 allows the two trains to reserve the same route sectional SR in duplicate. This is intended to ensure the distance between two consecutive trains not by preventing multiple trains from being present on the same section, but by setting the stopping limit point of the following train by the radio train control system 40. This allows the following train to proceed behind the preceding train without being aware of the boundary 88 of section 84, and the radio train control system 40 allows the same control to be performed within the station as between stations.

[0063] In addition, the interlocking device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention, as shown in Fig. 3, does not perform signal control included in the conventional interlocking logic. In other words, in the radio train control system 40, the interval between two consecutive trains is secured by setting a stopping limit point, etc., so that the signal control overlaps with the interlocking logic. Therefore, if the signal control is performed by the train control logic in the radio train control system 40 instead of the interlocking logic, the signal control function can be removed from the interlocking device 10. This makes it possible to further simplify the interlocking logic. Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 4(d), in order to obtain clearance, the section route SR of the adjacent section 84 can be added to the competition judgment to take measures for clearance, which also simplifies the interlocking logic.

[0064] On the other hand, the interlocking control method according to the embodiment of the present invention can achieve the same effect as that of the interlocking device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention by being executed by the interlocking device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention as described above. [Explanation of symbols]

[0065] 10: interlocking device, 14: section route management unit, 18: point control unit, 22: section route securing unit, 40: radio train control system, 70: point, 80: track, 84: section, SR (SR1 to SR8): section route

Claims

1. An interlocking device used for route control within a station on a railway line where a wireless train control system using an on-board main position detection method is used, the track is divided into a plurality of sections, and a plurality of sectioned routes are set in each section according to the train's traveling direction and the point opening direction, and where no manually operated individual lever or point lever is installed, a route section management unit that selects a plurality of continuous route sections required for each train based on a route requirement for each train to enter, and manages the route sections so that the selected route sections are secured; A point control unit is installed in the vicinity of each point and controls the point; and a section route securing unit that issues inspection, switching, and locking commands to the point machine control unit corresponding to a point machine when the point machine is included in the selected section route so that the section route selected by the section route management unit is secured.

2. The section route securing unit includes: When a section of track including a point is reserved, the point of the section of track is locked; When a train enters a section including a point, the point of the section is locked until the train leaves the section; 2. The interlocking device according to claim 1, characterized in that, when a terminal section which is the end of a plurality of selected sections is pulled back, the interlocking device locks points included up to the terminal section before the pullback until it is detected that the train has stopped before entering the terminal section after the pullback, or until it is confirmed that the train is within a protection pattern having a terminal boundary of the terminal section after the pullback as a stopping position.

3. The route division management unit secures the shunting and maintenance of vehicles in a section including a point, and secures the parking of trains in a section corresponding to a home track, The section route securing unit includes: For a section including a point, checking for reservation conflicts between a plurality of section routes set for the section, a point change for shunting a vehicle using the section, and a point change for maintaining the section; 3. The interlocking device according to claim 2, characterized in that for a section corresponding to a home track, a check is made for reservation conflicts between a plurality of section routes set for said section and the stay of trains in said section.

4. 2. The interlocking device according to claim 1, wherein the section path securing unit is installed for each point in the vicinity of the point.

5. The interlocking device according to claim 1, characterized in that when an identical route section is included in a plurality of route sections selected for a preceding train and a plurality of route sections selected for a following train following the preceding train, the route section management unit secures the identical route section in duplicate.

6. 2. The interlocking device according to claim 1, wherein no signal control is performed.

7. A method of interlocking control for controlling routes within a station on a railway line in which a wireless train control system using an on-board main position detection method is used, the track is divided into a plurality of sections, a plurality of section routes are set in each section according to the train's traveling direction and the point opening direction, and no manually operated individual levers or point levers are installed, comprising: selecting a plurality of consecutive segmented routes required for each train based on the route requirements for each train; A method for interlocking control, comprising the steps of: monitoring a section route to secure a selected section route; and, if a point is included in the selected section route, inspecting, switching and locking the point.

8. When a section of track including a point is reserved, the point of the section of track is locked; When a train enters a section including a point, the point of the section is locked until the train leaves the section; The interlocking control method according to claim 7, characterized in that, when a terminal section which is the end of a plurality of selected sections is pulled back, points included up to the terminal section before the pullback are locked until it is detected that the train has stopped before entering the terminal section after the pullback, or until it is confirmed that the train is within a protection pattern having a terminal side boundary of the terminal section after the pullback as a stopping position.

9. The section including the switch is to be secured for shunting and maintenance of rolling stock, and the section equivalent to the home track is to be secured for storing trains. For a section including a point, checking for reservation conflicts between a plurality of section routes set for the section, a point change for shunting a vehicle using the section, and a point change for maintaining the section; The interlocking control method according to claim 8, characterized in that for a section corresponding to a home track, a check is made for reservation conflicts between a plurality of section routes set in the section and the stay of trains in the section.

10. The interlocking control method according to claim 7, characterized in that when the same sectional route is included in the plurality of sectional routes selected for the preceding train and the plurality of sectional routes selected for the following train following the preceding train, the same sectional route is duplicated and secured.

11. 8. The interlocking control method according to claim 7, wherein no signal control is performed.

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