Railroad facility management support system, railroad facility management support method, and railroad facility management support program

Abstract

To provide a railroad facility management support system in which the distance between two points along a railroad route can be calculated more accurately than before without visiting the site.SOLUTION: A railroad facility management support system 80 comprises a request acceptance unit 84, a retrieval processing unit 85, a distance calculation unit 86, a support information generating unit 87, and a data transmission unit 88. The request acceptance unit 84 accepts a distance calculation request including facility identification information for identifying one facility and another facility installed or planned to be installed, and a calculation instruction of the distance between two facilities. The retrieval processing unit 85 acquires the absolute positions of the facilities identified by the facility identification information from the absolute position information-based information and also acquires the kilometric position of the specified facilities from facility information. The distance calculation unit 86 calculates the distance between the two facilities using the absolute positions of them. The support information generating unit 87 generates support information including the kilometric position between the two facilities and the distance between the two facilities. The data transmission unit 88 transmits the support information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a railway facility management support system, a railway facility management support method, and a railway facility management support program that support the management of railway facilities. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a maintenance work support system that quickly provides necessary information to maintenance workers involved in railway maintenance and management, enabling them to perform their work safely. The maintenance work support system described in Patent Document 1 includes a mobile terminal carried by the maintenance worker, a server equipped with a position conversion engine capable of converting input location information into location information of a predetermined plurality of types, and a database in which information associated with any of the plurality of types of location information is stored. In the maintenance work support system described in Patent Document 1, the server converts the location information of the mobile terminal into location information of a plurality of types using the position conversion engine, searches for and reads information associated with location information within a predetermined range from the converted location from the database, and transmits the read information to the mobile terminal. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-226298 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Railway operators manage facility data, etc., in databases for each department using kilometers as location information. For example, when installing new facilities between existing facilities in one department and existing facilities in another department, the location information of the existing facilities is obtained from each department's database and the distance between the existing facilities is calculated. However, kilometers are ambiguous information. For this reason, when installing new facilities, it is necessary to confirm the distance between existing facilities by actually visiting the site, rather than just checking on a map. The technology described in Patent Document 1 converts location information in one form, such as latitude and longitude, address, line name and kilometers, or facility information, into other forms of location information. While it is possible to convert kilometers into other forms of location information, for example, latitude and longitude, facilities managed in databases for each department may have different latitudes and longitudes for the same kilometers, or different kilometers for the same latitude and longitude. For this reason, the technology described in Patent Document 1 is effective when converting kilometers from a database of one department into latitude and longitude, but has the problem of not being able to convert kilometers from databases of multiple departments into latitude and longitude. For this reason, there has been a demand for technology that allows railway operators to know the distance between two pieces of equipment without having to go to the site.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above, and aims to provide a railway equipment management support system that can calculate the distance between two locations along a railway line more accurately than conventional systems without having to go to the site. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] To solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the objectives, the railway facility management support system according to the present disclosure includes a request receiving unit, a search processing unit, a distance calculation unit, a support information generation unit, and a data transmission unit. The request receiving unit receives a distance calculation request including facility identification information that identifies one facility installed along a railway line and one facility installed or planned to be installed along the line, and an instruction to calculate the distance between two facilities identified by the facility identification information. The search processing unit obtains the absolute position of the facility identified by the facility identification information, which is indicated by the latitude, longitude, and altitude, from absolute position information infrastructure information that associates the facility identification information with the absolute position, and obtains the kilometer distance of the facility identified by the facility identification information from facility information, which is information about the facility including the kilometer distance, which is the distance measured based on a fixed position on the line. The distance calculation unit calculates the distance between the two facilities using the absolute position. The support information generation unit generates support information including the kilometer distance of the two facilities and the distance between the two facilities. The data transmission unit transmits the support information. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] The present disclosure provides an advantage in that the distance between two positions along a railway line can be calculated more accurately than before without going to the site. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] Diagram showing the outline of railway kilometers [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a railway facility management system including a railway facility management support system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a facility information management device. [Figure 4] An example of facility information [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a point cloud data management device. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an information processing terminal. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a railway facility management support system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a verification processing screen. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of absolute position information base information. [Figure 10] A diagram showing the relationship between the absolute location information base database, facility information database, and absolute location-assigned point cloud data database. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of support information [Figure 12] Flowchart showing an example of the procedure of a point cloud data matching method [Figure 13] Flowchart showing an example of the procedure of a distance calculation method [Figure 14] Flowchart showing an example of the procedure of a distance calculation method [Figure 15] Flowchart showing an example of a procedure for a distance calculation method [Figure 16] Flowchart showing an example of the procedure of a distance calculation method [Figure 17] A diagram showing an example of the layout of two facilities for calculating the straight-line distance [Figure 18] A diagram showing an example of a method for calculating rail center point cloud data, which is the measurement standard. [Figure 19] A diagram showing an example of a method for calculating rail center point cloud data, which is the measurement standard. [Figure 20] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a method for calculating distance according to a measurement standard. [Figure 21] A diagram explaining the current situation when constructing new equipment between two pieces of equipment. [Figure 22] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the content when the railway facility management support system according to the first embodiment is applied to the construction of new facilities between two facilities. [Figure 23] A diagram showing an example of conventional maintenance management around embankments [Figure 24] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example in which the railway facility management support system according to the first embodiment is applied to maintenance management around an embankment. [Figure 25] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a computer system that realizes a railway facility management support system according to a first embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, a railway facility management support system, a railway facility management support method, and a railway facility management support program according to embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0010] Before describing the embodiments, the problems associated with railway kilometers will be explained. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overview of railway kilometers. A kilometer is position information used to identify a position from a reference position on a line L. To manage positions using kilometers, kilometer markers MA and MB are installed along the line L at predetermined intervals from the reference position. Here, kilometer markers MA and MB are installed along the right rail L2R of line L2, one of two lines L1 and L2. In one example, line L1 is an up line, and line L2 is a down line. It is assumed that kilometer marker MA indicates A [km], and kilometer marker MB indicates B [km].

[0011] Various pieces of equipment such as signal poles PS and power poles PP are installed on line L. In one example, the equipment is managed by type. In the example of Figure 1, signal poles PS are managed by department S of the railway operator, and power poles PP are managed by department P of the railway operator. The location information of the equipment is managed using location information based on kilometres.

[0012] The kilometer markers MA and MB function like addresses. In the example of Figure 1, the signal pole PS is closer to the kilometer marker MA than the kilometer marker MB. The manager, worker, etc. of the signal pole PS in department S then records the position A [km] of the kilometer marker MA as a representative position indicating the location of the signal pole PS. Alternatively, the manager, worker, etc. may measure the distance from the kilometer marker MA to the representative position of the signal pole PS, and record this together with the measured position from the kilometer marker MA as the representative position of the signal pole PS. Data that represents the location of equipment using kilometers in this way is called relative position information.

[0013] In the example of Figure 1, power pole PP is closer to kilometer marker MB than kilometer marker MA. The manager, worker, etc. of power pole PP in department P records the position B [km] of kilometer marker MB as the representative position of power pole PP. Alternatively, the manager, worker, etc. measures the distance from kilometer marker MB to the representative position of power pole PP, and records the combined position from kilometer marker MB to the position of kilometer marker MB as the representative position of power pole PP.

[0014] The distance from the kilometer markers MA and MB to the equipment is measured by managers, workers, etc., and the measurement methods vary. For example, the distance may be measured by counting steps or by eyeballing. Thus, while the kilometers measured by the kilometer markers MA and MB are accurate, the distance from the kilometer markers MA and MB to the equipment's representative location may contain inaccurate measurements, resulting in ambiguous information containing errors. Furthermore, the distance from the kilometer markers MA and MB to the equipment's representative location may vary from person to person, and even for the same person, over time. In other words, the location of equipment managed using kilometers is less accurate. Therefore, while equipment information, including the relative location information between pieces of equipment, can provide the approximate location of the equipment, it is not suitable for processing that requires precise location information, such as calculating the distance between two pieces of equipment.

[0015] As described above, even if the distance between two pieces of equipment can be calculated using the relative position information of managed equipment, the reliability of the calculated distance between the two pieces of equipment is low, so it is necessary to go to the site and actually measure the distance between the two pieces of equipment. When measuring the distance between pieces of equipment, it is often measured along the rails. One example is the distance along the left rail L1L of line L1. In this case, the point where a perpendicular line is drawn from the representative position Ps of signal pole PS to the left rail L1L and intersects with it is defined as the starting point Ps1 of signal pole PS. Similarly, the point where a perpendicular line is drawn from the representative position Pp of power pole PP to the left rail L1L and intersects with it is defined as the starting point Pp1 of power pole PP. Then, the distance between the two pieces of equipment can be obtained by measuring the distance between the starting points Ps1 and Pp1.

[0016] Furthermore, the rail used as the reference when measuring the distance between facilities may not be the left rail L1L of line L1, but the right rail L2R of line L2. In this case, the distance between the two facilities can be obtained by measuring the distance between the starting point Ps2 of the signal pole PS and the starting point Pp2 of the power pole PP, which was obtained in the same way. When installing new facilities between the signal pole PS and the power pole PP, it is desirable to use the distance along the left rail L1L, which is closest to the two facilities, rather than the distance along the right rail L2R. In this way, the distance between facilities will differ depending on which rail is used as the reference. For this reason, a reference is needed when calculating the distance between two positions along a line.

[0017] As described above, in the past, kilometers were used to determine facility location information, but kilometers were ambiguous and subject to error. Therefore, when installing new facilities between two facilities, it was necessary to first check the approximate distance between the two facilities on a map, and then go to the site to actually measure and confirm the distance between the two facilities, which was time-consuming. Furthermore, when measuring distance along rails, it is desirable to be able to set measurement standards according to the application. Therefore, in the following embodiment, a railway facility management support system is described that can calculate the distance between two locations of facilities, etc., more accurately than in the past, using only facility information, without visiting the site.

[0018] Embodiment 1 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of the configuration of a railway facility management system including a railway facility management support system according to Embodiment 1. The railway facility management system 1 includes a railway operator-owned system 10, a point cloud data management device 50, a map information providing device 60, an information processing terminal 70, and a railway facility management support system 80. The railway operator-owned system 10, the point cloud data management device 50, the information processing terminal 70, and the railway facility management support system 80 are connected via a network 100, and are capable of transmitting and receiving information to and from each other. The network 100 is, for example, a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet, but may also be a local area network (LAN).

[0019] The railway operator-owned system 10 is an information system owned by the railway operator, and is an information system that manages information necessary for managing the facilities owned by the railway operator and designing new facilities. In this specification, information related to the facilities managed by the railway operator and the design of new facilities is referred to as facility information. In one example, the railway operator-owned system 10 manages facility information for each department. That is, the railway operator-owned system 10 has multiple facility information management devices 20A, 20B, etc. Each of the multiple facility information management devices 20A, 20B, etc. is a device that manages facility information for each department regarding facilities installed along the railway lines owned by the railway operator. In one example, the railway operator has a department that manages signal poles, a department that manages power poles, etc., and a facility information management device 20A, 20B, etc. is provided for each of these departments. FIG. 2 illustrates a facility information management device 20A owned by Department A and a facility information management device 20B owned by Department B, etc. In the following, when there is no need to distinguish between the equipment information management devices 20 of each department, they will be referred to as equipment information management device 20, and when there is a need to distinguish between the equipment information management devices 20 of each department, they will be referred to as equipment information management device 20A, equipment information management device 20B, etc. Also, while the case where an equipment information management device 20 is provided for each department has been shown here, the installation of an equipment information management device 20 is not limited to being provided for each department, and it is sufficient if the railway operator-owned system 10 manages different types of equipment information using multiple equipment information management devices 20A, 20B, etc.

[0020] Furthermore, although the case where facility information management device 20 is included in railway operator-owned system 10 has been described here, installation of facility information management device 20 is not limited to railway operator-owned system 10. For example, when constructing a building or other structure along a railway line, the building planned to be constructed by a construction company may be regarded as facility, and a facility information management device 20 may be present to manage facility information for this facility. In other words, a facility information management device 20 owned by the railway operator and a facility information management device 20 owned by the construction company may each be connected to network 100.

[0021] Fig. 3 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of the configuration of an equipment information management device. The equipment information management device 20 includes a data transmission unit 21 and a storage unit 22. The storage unit 22 stores an equipment information database 221, which is a database. In Fig. 3, the database is referred to as DB (Data Base). The same applies to Fig. 4 and subsequent figures.

[0022] When the data transmission unit 21 receives a distance calculation request from the railway equipment management support system 80, it obtains equipment information corresponding to the distance calculation request from the equipment information database 221 and transmits it to the railway equipment management support system 80 via the network 100.

[0023] The facility information database 221 stores facility information, which is information about facilities owned by each division of a railway operator. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of facility information. The facility information includes information in the fields of facility number, facility name, and mileage. Note that numbers are represented as No. in FIG. 4. The same applies to FIG. 5 and subsequent figures. The facility number field represents an identification number, which is identification information for identifying facilities owned by the railway operator, in this example, each division of the railway operator. The facility name field represents the name of the facility associated with the facility number. The mileage field represents the distance for the facility measured based on a fixed position on the line owned by the railway operator. The mileage indicates a relative position. As described above, the distance between the facility of interest and the nearest milepost to the facility of interest is measured ambiguously, so the mileage field contains an error. The facility number field in the facility information can uniquely identify facilities of the railway operator, and is therefore an example of facility identification information, which is information for identifying facilities installed along a railway line. The equipment name field is also an example of equipment identification information if it can uniquely identify equipment at the railway operator. The combination of the equipment number field and the equipment name field is also an example of equipment identification information.

[0024] In addition, image data of the facility may be associated with the facility and stored in the facility information database 221. Storing image data makes it easier to identify the target facility from the point cloud data.

[0025] In one example, the equipment information database 221 of the equipment information management device 20A in Department A stores equipment information regarding traffic light poles as equipment, and the equipment information database 221 of the equipment information management device 20B in Department B stores equipment information regarding power poles as equipment.

[0026] Returning to FIG. 2 , the point cloud data management device 50 is a device that manages point cloud data to which absolute positions have been assigned. The point cloud acquisition device 30 acquires three-dimensional point cloud data, and the absolute position acquisition device 35 acquires the absolute positions. The point cloud data processing device 40 assigns the absolute positions acquired by the absolute position acquisition device 35 to each point of the point cloud data acquired by the point cloud acquisition device 30. The point cloud data processing device 40 outputs the point cloud data to which absolute positions have been assigned to the point cloud data management device 50.

[0027] Point cloud data contains position information, i.e., three-dimensional coordinates, of multiple measurement points. Structures from which point cloud data is acquired include rails that make up the route and equipment arranged along the rails. Point cloud data for rails is information that indicates the rail positions of the left and right rails, and is data that indicates the extension direction of the rails on which trains run, the tilt in the left-right direction that is perpendicular to the extension direction, and the tilt in the extension direction. Point cloud data for equipment is data that indicates the size and appearance of the equipment. Absolute position is information that can uniquely specify a three-dimensional position on the Earth, and includes latitude, longitude, and altitude.

[0028] The point cloud data and absolute positions are obtained by measuring with the point cloud acquisition device 30 and the absolute position acquisition device 35 while a vehicle, aircraft, drone, or other such vehicle equipped with the point cloud acquisition device 30 and the absolute position acquisition device 35 is traveling along a route. The point cloud data may be measured by the point cloud acquisition device 30 and the absolute position acquisition device 35 installed at a predetermined position along the route. An example of the point cloud acquisition device 30 is a laser scanner. The point cloud acquisition device 30 records each point in the acquired point cloud together with the time of acquisition.

[0029] An example of the absolute position acquisition device 35 is a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver. In this case, the GNSS receiver measures the time it takes for radio waves to reach the GNSS receiver after being transmitted from multiple GNSS satellites, such as their positions and times at the time of transmission, and converts this information into distance. The GNSS receiver then determines the absolute position of the GNSS receiver by simultaneously calculating the distances from four or more satellites to the GNSS receiver, using a GNSS satellite whose position is known as a moving reference point. The absolute position acquisition device 35 records the determined absolute position together with the time.

[0030] The point cloud acquisition device 30 outputs point cloud data including the acquisition time to the point cloud data processing device 40, and the absolute position acquisition device 35 outputs the absolute position including the acquisition time to the point cloud data processing device 40.

[0031] The point cloud data processing device 40 is a device that generates absolutely positioned point cloud data that associates the point cloud data acquired by the point cloud acquisition device 30 with the absolute positions acquired by the absolute position acquisition device 35. The point cloud data processing device 40 extracts absolute positions that match the times assigned to each point of the point cloud data, and associates each point of the point cloud data with the absolute position. In this way, absolutely positioned point cloud data is generated. The point cloud data processing device 40 outputs the absolutely positioned point cloud data to the point cloud data management device 50.

[0032] The point cloud data management device 50 is a device that manages absolute positioned point cloud data. Fig. 5 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of the configuration of the point cloud data management device. The point cloud data management device 50 includes a data acquisition unit 51, a storage unit 52, and a data transmission unit 53. The storage unit 52 stores an absolute positioned point cloud data database 521, which is a database.

[0033] The data acquisition unit 51 acquires the absolutely positioned point cloud data output from the point cloud data processing device 40 and stores the acquired absolutely positioned point cloud data in an absolute positioned point cloud data database 521.

[0034] The absolute positioned point cloud data database 521 stores absolute positioned point cloud data.

[0035] When the data transmission unit 53 receives a request to acquire absolute positioned point cloud data from the railway equipment management support system 80, it reads out the absolute positioned point cloud data from the absolute positioned point cloud data database 521 and outputs the read out absolute positioned point cloud data to the railway equipment management support system 80.

[0036] Returning to Fig. 2, the map information providing device 60 is a device that provides map information in the form of electronic data. The map information is information in which positions on a map are managed as absolute positions. Examples of map information include basic map information provided by the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan.

[0037] The information processing terminal 70 is an information processing device used by an operator who plans, designs, constructs, manages, and maintains facilities at railway operators, construction companies, and other organizations that intend to construct buildings along the railway operators' lines. Hereinafter, the operator will be referred to as a user. By accessing the railway equipment management support system 80 using the information processing terminal 70, the user can receive support for managing railway equipment from the railway equipment management support system 80. The user transmits a distance calculation request from the information processing terminal 70, which includes facility identification information for two facilities between which the user wishes to calculate the distance and an instruction to calculate the distance between the two facilities identified by the facility identification information. The distance calculation instruction includes the type of distance to be calculated. Here, the distance calculation request can include a request to calculate the distance between two or more facilities. However, for simplicity of explanation, the following example illustrates a case where a request to calculate the distance between two facilities is transmitted. Examples of the information processing terminal 70 include a personal computer, a tablet terminal, and a smartphone.

[0038] 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an information processing terminal 70. The information processing terminal 70 includes an operation accepting unit 71, a data transmitting unit 72, a data receiving unit 73, a display processing unit 74, and a display unit 75.

[0039] The operation reception unit 71 is a processing unit that receives operations by a user, such as a request from a user to calculate the distance between two pieces of equipment, a request to associate a piece of equipment with an absolute position, and the like.

[0040] The data transmission unit 72 transmits the instruction received by the operation reception unit 71 to the railway facility management support system 80 via the network 100 .

[0041] The data receiving unit 73 receives data transmitted from the railway facility management support system 80 via the network 100. Examples of data transmitted from the railway facility management support system 80 include reception screen information that displays a reception screen that receives input of a distance calculation request that requests calculation of the distance between two pieces of equipment, result display screen information that displays result information obtained in response to the distance calculation request, and comparison screen information that displays a comparison screen that associates absolute position-assigned point cloud data with equipment.

[0042] The display processing unit 74 performs processing to display information to be provided to the user on the display unit 75. In one example, the display processing unit 74 generates a reception screen that displays the received reception screen information on the display unit 75. In another example, the display processing unit 74 generates a result display screen that displays the received result display screen information on the display unit 75. In yet another example, the display processing unit 74 generates a verification screen that displays the received verification screen information on the display unit 75.

[0043] The display unit 75 is a processing unit that displays information in accordance with instructions from the display processing unit 74. An example of the display unit 75 is a display such as a liquid crystal display screen.

[0044] Returning to FIG. 2, the railway facility management support system 80 is a system that enables a user to calculate the distance between two locations along a railway line, including facilities, without going to the site where the facilities are installed. FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of the configuration of the railway facility management support system according to the first embodiment. The railway facility management support system 80 includes a data acquisition unit 81, a matching processing unit 82, a storage unit 83, a request reception unit 84, a search processing unit 85, a distance calculation unit 86, a support information generation unit 87, and a data transmission unit 88. The storage unit 83 stores an absolute position information base database 831, which is a database.

[0045] The data acquisition unit 81 acquires absolute positioned point cloud data from the absolute positioned point cloud data database 521 of the point cloud data management device 50, and acquires facility information from the facility information database 221 of the facility information management device 20, via the network 100. In addition, the data acquisition unit 81 acquires map information of a range including the absolute positions of two facilities for which distances are to be calculated, from the map information providing device 60, via the network 100.

[0046] The matching processor 82 matches the acquired absolute-positioned point cloud data with the equipment information. If the equipment identified by the equipment identification information matches the equipment indicated by multiple points in the absolute-positioned point cloud data, the matching processor 82 links the absolute-positioned point cloud data to the equipment information and stores it in the absolute position information infrastructure database 831. The matching processor 82 acquires a record corresponding to one equipment number from the equipment information and identifies the corresponding equipment from the absolute-positioned point cloud data within a kilometer range of this equipment number. If the equipment information includes image data of the equipment, the accuracy of the association can be improved by comparing the image data of the equipment with the equipment indicated by multiple points in the absolute-positioned point cloud data. The matching processor 82 then associates the absolute position of the point cloud data of the identified equipment with the equipment identification information and stores it in the absolute position information infrastructure database 831. This allows the absolute position to be associated with the equipment managed by the equipment information management device 20 of each department.

[0047] Alternatively, the matching processing unit 82 may generate a matching processing screen to be displayed on the information processing terminal 70 connected to the railway facility management support system 80, and transmit the generated screen to the information processing terminal 70 via the data transmission unit 88. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the matching processing screen. The matching processing screen 820 has a point cloud data display area 821, a facility information display area 822, a registration button 823, and an end button 824. The point cloud data display area 821 is an area for displaying absolute positioned point cloud data. The point cloud data displayed in the point cloud data display area 821 can be selected using a pointing device such as a mouse. The facility information display area 822 is an area for displaying facility information. Here, an example is shown in which the facility information display area 822 displays image data of the facility in addition to the facility information shown in FIG. 4. The facility information displayed in the facility information display area 822 can be selected using a pointing device such as a mouse. When point cloud data indicating a structure is selected in the point cloud data display area 821 and a record of facility information is selected in the facility information display area 822, the user of the information processing terminal 70 presses the register button 823 to link the two selected data and save the linked content in the absolute position information platform database 831. Specifically, when the register button 823 is pressed, the matching processing unit 82 links the facility identification information of the selected facility information with the absolute position of the selected point cloud data and saves them in the absolute position information platform database 831. When the end button 824 is pressed, the user ends the linking process.

[0048] Returning to FIG. 7, the absolute position information infrastructure database 831 stores absolute position information infrastructure information that associates facility identification information with absolute positions. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of absolute position information infrastructure information. The absolute position information infrastructure information has the following fields: absolute position information number, absolute position, and department-specific equipment number. The absolute position information number field represents identification information that uniquely identifies data in the absolute position information infrastructure information. The absolute position field represents the absolute position of the associated facility. As described above, the absolute position is latitude, longitude, and altitude. In one example, latitude is represented by x, longitude by y, and altitude by z. The department-specific equipment number field represents the equipment number of the facility associated with the absolute position. The department-specific equipment number field is provided for each department, i.e., for each facility information management device 20. The department-specific equipment number corresponds to facility identification information.

[0049] Fig. 10 is a diagram schematically illustrating the relationship between the absolute position information infrastructure database, the facility information database, and the absolute-position-assigned point cloud data database. As shown in Fig. 10, the absolute position information infrastructure database 831 is associated with the absolute-position-assigned point cloud data stored in the absolute-position-assigned point cloud data database 521 through the absolute position field. The absolute position information infrastructure database 831 is also associated with the facility information stored in the facility information database 221 for each department through the department-specific facility number field, which is facility-specific information. In other words, the absolute position information infrastructure database 831 is a database that functions as a master table that associates the absolute-position-assigned point cloud data database 521 with the facility information database 221. With this configuration, the absolute position information infrastructure database 831 can manage the absolute position of each facility while retaining the distance in kilometers, which is the relative location information of each facility.

[0050] Returning to FIG. 7 , the request receiving unit 84 receives a distance calculation request that includes facility identification information that identifies one facility installed along a railway line and one facility installed or planned to be installed along the railway line, and an instruction to calculate the distance between two facilities identified by the facility identification information. The distance calculation instruction includes the type of distance to be calculated. Examples of the type of distance to be calculated include the straight-line distance between the two facilities and the distance between the two facilities according to a measurement standard. If the instruction instructs to calculate the distance according to a measurement standard, the distance calculation instruction also includes the measurement standard. The measurement standard is a standard that indicates the route along which the distance between two facilities is measured. Examples of the measurement standard are the right or left rail of the railway line, or the center of the rail between the right and left rails. If there are multiple railway lines, the specification of the measurement standard rail also includes the specification of the railway line. The request receiving unit 84 outputs the facility identification information included in the distance calculation request to the search processing unit 85 and outputs the type of distance to be calculated included in the distance calculation instruction to the distance calculation unit 86.

[0051] The search processing unit 85 acquires the absolute position, which is the position indicated by the latitude, longitude, and altitude of the facility identified by the facility identification information, from absolute position information infrastructure information that associates the facility identification information with absolute positions, i.e., the absolute position information infrastructure database 831. The search processing unit 85 also acquires the mileage of the facility identified by the facility identification information from facility information database 221, which is information about the facility including the mileage, which is the distance measured based on a fixed position on the route. Specifically, when the facility identification information is input from the request receiving unit 84, the search processing unit 85 acquires the corresponding absolute position from the absolute position information infrastructure database 831 using the facility identification information as a search key. Furthermore, when the facility identification information is input from the request receiving unit 84, the search processing unit 85 extracts facility location information including the mileage field from the corresponding facility information in the facility information database 221 of the facility information management device 20 using the facility identification information as a search key. The facility location information may include a facility name field in addition to the mileage field. The search processing unit 85 acquires the absolute position and the facility position information for each of the facilities identified by the two pieces of facility identification information.

[0052] The distance calculation unit 86 acquires, from the search processing unit 85, absolute positions corresponding to the two pieces of facility identification information acquired by the search processing unit 85, and calculates the distance between the two facilities using the absolute positions. The distance calculation unit 86 calculates the distance between the absolute positions according to the type of distance to be calculated input from the request receiving unit 84. When the straight-line distance between the two facilities is specified as the type of distance to be calculated, the distance calculation unit 86 calculates the straight-line distance between the two facilities using the absolute positions. When the distance according to a measurement standard between the two facilities is specified as the type of distance to be calculated, the distance calculation unit 86 calculates the distance according to the measurement standard between the two facilities using the absolute positions. The calculation process of the distance between two facilities by the distance calculation unit 86 will be described later.

[0053] The support information generation unit 87 generates support information including the kilometres between the two facilities and the distance between the two facilities. The support information may simply show the kilometres between the two facilities and the distance between the two facilities in a table format, may be overlaid on map information, or may be displayed in another format. Here, a case where support information is overlaid on map information will be described. In this case, the support information generation unit 87 generates support information that displays the absolute positions, kilometres between the two facilities, and the distance between the two facilities overlaid on map information. Specifically, the support information generation unit 87 generates support information that supports the management of railway facilities using the absolute position and facility position information corresponding to the facility identification information acquired by the search processing unit 85, the distance between the two facilities calculated by the distance calculation unit 86, and map information acquired by the data acquisition unit 81. The support information is data displayed on the display unit 75 of the information processing terminal 70 of the user who sent the distance calculation request. The support information generation unit 87 adds a marker to each of the absolute positions of the two facilities acquired in the map information within a range including the absolute position corresponding to the facility identification information. Each marker is associated with display data including the absolute position, facility name (information contained in the facility location), and kilometre distance. The calculated distance between two markers is also displayed.

[0054] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of support information. Support information 870 is a display in which distance information 872 indicating the distance between two selected pieces of equipment, a signal pole PS and a power pole PP, is superimposed on map information 871, and facility summary information 873 including the absolute positions and facility position information for the selected signal pole PS and power pole PP. FIG. 11 illustrates an example of support information 870 showing the calculation results of the straight-line distance between a power pole PP and a signal pole PS along line L3. Distance information 872 indicating that the straight-line distance between the representative position Pp of the power pole PP and the representative position Ps of the signal pole PS is d [km] is superimposed on the map information 871 in a balloon. Furthermore, facility summary information 873 for the power pole PP corresponding to the representative position Pp and facility summary information 873 for the signal pole PS corresponding to the representative position Ps are superimposed on the map information 871 in a balloon. The facility summary information 873 superimposed on the map information 871 includes the following fields: department name, facility name, mileage, and absolute location. The department name, facility name, and distance are stored in the facility information database 221, and the absolute position is stored in the absolute position information base database 831.

[0055] Users belonging to each department of a railway operator know the location of each facility in kilometers rather than absolute locations. Therefore, even if only the absolute location is displayed as the facility's location, users cannot understand the facility's location. However, by displaying the kilometers along with the absolute location, users can easily understand the facility's location.

[0056] Furthermore, when only kilometers are displayed as the locations of facilities, the distance from each facility's kilometer marker contains errors, and therefore even if the straight-line distance between two facilities is calculated from the kilometers, only a low-accuracy value is obtained. For this reason, the user must actually go to the site to measure the distance between the two facilities. However, in the first embodiment, the distance between two facilities is calculated using the absolute positions of the facilities. The absolute positions are obtained using absolute-position-assigned point cloud data, and are information that does not contain errors compared to kilometers. Therefore, the distance between two facilities calculated using the absolute positions is highly accurate. In other words, it is possible for the user to obtain a highly accurate distance between two facilities without actually going to the site.

[0057] Returning to FIG. 7, the data transmission unit 88 transmits the support information generated by the support information generation unit 87 to the information processing terminal 70 of the user via the network 100.

[0058] Here, the data acquisition unit 81 is configured to acquire map information from the map information providing device 60, but if the railway equipment management support system 80 holds map information, the held map information may be used.

[0059] The above-described railway equipment management support system 80 is configured, for example, by one or more cloud servers. A cloud server is a server built in a cloud environment that includes computer resources provided by a cloud service platform. The railway equipment management support system 80 may also be a server other than a cloud server, and for example, may be an on-premise server.

[0060] 7, the railway facility management support system 80 is configured to include the absolute position information base database 831, but the absolute position information base database 831 may be an external device. In this case, the data acquisition unit 81 of the railway facility management support system 80 may acquire absolute position information base information, which is information managed in the absolute position information base database 831, from the external device.

[0061] Next, a description will be given of a railway facility management support method in the railway facility management support system 80. Here, as the railway facility management support method, a point cloud data matching method and a distance calculation method will be described in this order.

[0062] 12 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure of the point cloud data matching method. First, the data acquisition unit 81 acquires absolute positioned point cloud data from the point cloud data processing device 40 (step S11). The data acquisition unit 81 also acquires facility information from the facility information management device 20 (step S12).

[0063] Next, the matching processing unit 82 associates the points in the absolute positioned point cloud data with the facility information (step S13). In this association, among the point clouds of facilities formed by the absolute positioned point cloud data, the point cloud of facilities that exist within the kilometer distance in the facility information is set as the point cloud representing the target facility. Alternatively, the matching processing unit 82 generates a matching processing screen 820 having a point cloud data display area 821 and a facility information display area 822 as shown in FIG. 8, displays it on the display unit 75 of the information processing terminal 70, and associates the points in the absolute positioned point cloud data with the facility information based on the result of the association between the point cloud and the facility information made by the user on this matching processing screen 820.

[0064] Then, the matching processing unit 82 registers the point clouds in the associated absolute positioned point cloud data and the facility information of the facility in the absolute position information base database 831 (step S14). Specifically, information including at least the absolute position obtained from the absolute positioned point cloud data associated with the facility, the name of the department in which the facility is managed, and facility identification information of the facility is registered in the absolute position information base database 831. The absolute position obtained from the absolute positioned point cloud data associated with the facility can be the absolute position at the representative position of the absolute positioned point cloud data associated with the facility. The representative position may be the center of gravity of the facility, or the position of the facility closest to the route. This completes the point cloud data matching method.

[0065] 13 to 16 are flowcharts showing an example of the procedure of the distance calculation method. First, the request receiving unit 84 receives a distance calculation request including facility identification information and a distance calculation instruction from the information processing terminal 70 (step S31). Here, it is assumed that the distance calculation request includes facility identification information of two facilities. The process of step S31 corresponds to a request receiving process.

[0066] The search processing unit 85 acquires the facility identification information from the distance calculation request (step S32), and determines whether the facility identification information exists in the absolute position information infrastructure database 831 (step S33). If the facility identification information does not exist in the absolute position information infrastructure database 831 (No in step S33), the matching processing unit 82 executes a point cloud data matching process (step S34). The point cloud data matching process is a process that executes the point cloud data matching method shown in FIG. 12. In this point cloud data matching process, the facility information indicated by the facility identification information and the absolute position-assigned point cloud data are associated with each other and stored in the absolute position information infrastructure database 831. After the point cloud data matching process is executed, the process returns to step S32.

[0067] If the facility identification information exists in the absolute position information infrastructure database 831 (Yes in step S33), the search processing unit 85 acquires the absolute position corresponding to the facility identification information from the absolute position information infrastructure database 831 (step S35). The search processing unit 85 also acquires facility position information corresponding to the facility identification information from the facility information database 221 associated with the facility identification information in the absolute position information infrastructure database 831 (step S36). The acquired facility position information includes at least the department name, facility name, and distance in kilometers. Steps S32, S35, and S36 correspond to the search processing step. Furthermore, the data acquisition unit 81 acquires map information of an area including the absolute positions of the two facilities acquired from the map information providing device 60 (step S37).

[0068] Next, the distance calculation unit 86 determines whether the calculation type of the distance between the two facilities is a straight-line distance (step S38). If it is a straight-line distance (Yes in step S38), the distance calculation unit 86 calculates the straight-line distance between the two facilities using the acquired absolute positions (step S39). The process of step S39 corresponds to a distance calculation process. Thereafter, the support information generation unit 87 places marks at the absolute positions of the two facilities on the map information, generates a line segment connecting the two marks, places facility overview information including the department name, facility name, distance in kilometers, and absolute positions near the marks of the two facilities, and generates support information in which distance information including the straight-line distance is placed near the line segment (step S40). The process of step S40 corresponds to a support information generation process. The data transmission unit 88 transmits the support information to the information processing terminal 70 (step S41). The process of step S41 corresponds to a data transmission process. The information processing terminal 70, which has received the support information, displays the support information on the display unit 75. This allows the user of the information processing terminal 70 to accurately ascertain the straight-line distance between two facilities without going to the site. This completes the process.

[0069] A method for calculating the straight-line distance between two facilities will be described below using a specific example. FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of the layout of two facilities for which the straight-line distance is to be calculated. Here, it is assumed that the distance calculation request received by the request receiving unit 84 includes, as facility identification information, a power pole PP with the facility name "power pole p1" and a signal pole PS with the facility name "signal pole s1", and the distance calculation instruction includes the straight-line distance. The request receiving unit 84 passes the facility identification information to the search processing unit 85 and the support information generation unit 87, and passes the type of distance to be calculated to the distance calculation unit 86 and the support information generation unit 87.

[0070] The search processing unit 85 acquires the absolute position corresponding to the received facility identification information from the absolute position information base database 831. That is, the search processing unit 85 acquires the absolute position "x1, y1, z1" corresponding to the facility name "power pole p1" and the absolute position "x2, y2, z2" corresponding to the facility name "signal pole s1" from the absolute position information base database 831. The search processing unit 85 passes the acquired absolute position "x1, y1, z1" of "power pole p1" and the absolute position "x2, y2, z2" of "signal pole s1" to the data acquisition unit 81, the distance calculation unit 86, and the support information generation unit 87. The data acquisition unit 81 acquires map information of the range including the two received absolute positions "x1, y1, z1" and "x2, y2, z2" from the map information providing device 60.

[0071] The search processing unit 85 acquires the kilometer distance corresponding to the facility name "power pole p1" and the kilometer distance corresponding to the facility name "signal pole s1" from the facility information database 221 of the facility information management device 20, and passes these to the support information generation unit 87. At this time, the search processing unit 85 also acquires the names of the departments that manage "power pole p1" and "signal pole s1", and passes these to the support information generation unit 87. In this case, since an example is shown in which the facility identification information is the facility name, acquisition of the facility name is omitted, but the search processing unit 85 associates the facility name, department name, and kilometer distance as facility location information.

[0072] The distance calculation unit 86 calculates the straight-line distance using the acquired absolute positions "x1, y1, z1" and "x2, y2, z2" of the two facilities. In one example, the distance calculation unit 86 calculates the two-dimensional straight-line distance between the two facilities using latitudes x1 and x2 and longitudes y1 and y2 according to Huberny's formula. Then, the distance calculation unit 86 calculates the three-dimensional straight-line distance between the two facilities according to Pythagoras' theorem using the elevation difference z1-z2 and the calculated two-dimensional straight-line distance. In this specification, the three-dimensional straight-line distance is simply referred to as the straight-line distance. The distance calculation unit 86 passes the calculated straight-line distance to the support information generation unit 87 as distance information.

[0073] The support information generation unit 87 generates facility summary information 873 of "power pole p1" to be displayed superimposed on map information 871, using the facility identification information of "power pole p1" received from the request reception unit 84 and the absolute position "x1, y1, z1", kilometer distance, and department name of "power pole p1" received from the search processing unit 85. The support information generation unit 87 generates facility summary information 873 of "signal pole s1" to be displayed superimposed on map information 871, using the facility identification information of "signal pole s1" received from the request reception unit 84 and the absolute position "x2, y2, z2", kilometer distance, and department name of "signal pole s1" received from the search processing unit 85. The support information generation unit 87 also generates distance information 872 indicating the straight-line distance between the two facilities. The support information generator 87 then generates support information 870 by attaching marks to the absolute positions of the "power pole p1" and the "signal pole s1" in the map information 871, connecting the two marks with a straight line, arranging distance information 872 near the straight line, arranging facility overview information 873 for the "power pole p1" near the mark for the "power pole p1," and arranging facility overview information 873 for the "signal pole s1" near the mark for the "signal pole s1." Note that, in one example, the absolute positions of the "power pole p1" and the "signal pole s1" can be set as representative positions Pp and Ps of the "power pole p1" and the "signal pole s1." The data transmitter 88 transmits the support information 870 so that the support information 870 is displayed on the display unit 75 of the information processing terminal 70. As a result, the support information 870 as shown in FIG. 11 is displayed on the display unit 75 of the information processing terminal 70.

[0074] As can be seen from the above explanation, the kilometres for each facility are obtained from the facility information database 221, but the kilometres are not used to calculate the straight-line distance between two facilities, but are only used as information indicating the general outline of the facility. Although kilometres are used as information indicating the general outline of the facility, kilometres are information that is easy for users belonging to each department to understand. In other words, if kilometres are not displayed, it will be difficult for users in each department to understand the location of unfamiliar facilities based only on their absolute positions, but by also displaying the kilometres, it will be possible for them to understand the location of the facilities.

[0075] Returning to FIG. 14, if the calculation type of the distance between two facilities in step S38 is not a straight-line distance, i.e., if it is a distance along a measurement standard (No in step S38), the distance calculation unit 86 acquires the measurement standard (step S42). The data acquisition unit 81 acquires absolute-positioned point cloud data from the absolute-positioned point cloud data database 521 of the point cloud data management device 50 (step S43). The data acquisition unit 81 only needs to acquire absolute-positioned point cloud data between the absolute positions of at least two facilities. In the following description of the procedure of the distance calculation method, the absolute-positioned point cloud data will be referred to as point cloud data. The distance calculation unit 86 determines whether the measurement standard is rail center point cloud data, which is point cloud data indicating the centers of the left and right rails (step S44).

[0076] If the measurement standard is rail center point cloud data (Yes in step S44), the distance calculation unit 86 selects one of the left rail or the right rail (step S45) and selects one starting point from the point cloud data of the selected rail (step S46). The distance calculation unit 86 generates an extension direction vector of the selected rail from the selected starting point (step S47). Next, the distance calculation unit 86 generates a left-right rail elevation difference vector, which is a vector perpendicular to the extension direction vector, from the generated extension direction vector toward the other rail that was not selected (step S48). The left-right rail elevation difference vector is a vector that has its starting point on the selected rail and its ending point on the other rail that was not selected. Thereafter, the distance calculation unit 86 places the rail center point at a position half the length of the left-right rail elevation difference vector (step S49). Thereafter, it is determined whether all points in the point cloud data of the selected rail between the two facilities have been selected as starting points (step S50). If all points of the point cloud data have not been selected as starting points (No in step S50), the process returns to step S46. The processes from step S46 to step S49 are executed until all points of the point cloud data have been selected as starting points.

[0077] 18 and 19 are diagrams showing an example of a method for calculating rail center point cloud data, which is the measurement standard. Here, it is assumed that point cloud data for the left rail L1L has been selected in FIG. 18 . The distance calculation unit 86 selects point L11 in the point cloud data for the left rail L1L and generates an extension direction vector V1 at point L11. Here, the extension direction vector V1 is a vector connecting point L11 to point L12 in the point cloud data for the left rail L1L. In this example, the number of points between the start point and end point of the extension direction vector V1 is zero, but it may be one or more. Increasing the number of points between the start point and end point of the extension direction vector V1 reduces the accuracy of the calculated extension direction vector V1, but makes it possible to reduce the calculation load. The extension direction vector V1 is a vector that indicates the extension direction of the left rail L1L, which is the selected rail, at the starting point.

[0078] Next, a left-right rail height difference vector V2 is generated, which is a vector perpendicular to the extension direction vector V1 from the extension direction vector V1 of the left rail L1L toward the right rail L1R. The left-right rail height difference vector V2 indicates the difference in elevation between the left and right rails at the starting point of the left-right rail height difference vector V2. The starting point of the left-right rail height difference vector V2 can be any position on the extension direction vector V1, but it is desirable that the starting point be set to a fixed position when calculating the left-right rail height difference vector V2. In one example, the starting point can be the starting point, end point, or midpoint of the extension direction vector V1. The end point of the left-right rail height difference vector V2 is set to the position where the line segment connecting two adjacent points in the point cloud data of the right rail L1R intersects with the left-right rail height difference vector V2. The distance calculation unit 86 calculates the distance between the left rail L1L and the right rail L1R, which is the length of the left-right rail height difference vector V2, i.e., the magnitude of the left-right rail height difference vector V2. The distance calculation unit 86 then places the rail center point Pc at the midpoint of the length of the calculated left and right rail elevation difference vector V2. This process is then performed for each point in the point cloud data of the left rail L1L. As a result, rail center point cloud data GPc is generated in which rail center points Pc are arranged between the left rail L1L and right rail L1R, as shown in Figure 19.

[0079] Returning to FIG. 15, if all points in the point cloud data of the selected rail are selected as starting points (Yes in step S50), rail center point cloud data has been generated. Furthermore, if the measurement standard in step S44 is not the rail center point cloud data (No in step S44), the measurement standard is the point cloud data of the left rail or the point cloud data of the right rail. That is, if all points in the point cloud data are selected as starting points in step S50 (Yes in step S50) or if the measurement standard in step S44 is not the rail center point cloud data (No in step S44), the distance calculation unit 86 sets the starting point and the end point for two pieces of equipment identified by the equipment identification information (step S51). One of the two pieces of equipment can be set as the starting point, and the other as the end point. FIG. 20 illustrates an example of a method for calculating the distance along the rail center between a signal pole PS and a power pole PP as two pieces of equipment. Here, the signal pole PS is set as the starting point, and the power pole PP is set as the end point. The starting point and the ending point are representative locations of each facility.

[0080] Returning to FIG. 15, the distance calculation unit 86 extracts two points of the point cloud data constituting the measurement standard that are closest to each of the starting point and the ending point, and generates a line segment connecting the two extracted points (step S52). The distance calculation unit 86 determines a starting point corresponding point and an ending point corresponding point, which are points where perpendicular lines drawn from each of the starting point and the ending point to the line segment intersect with the line segment (step S53). Thereafter, the distance calculation unit 86 calculates the distance between the starting point corresponding point and the ending point corresponding point along points of the point cloud data that exist between the starting point corresponding point and the ending point corresponding point (step S54). The process of step S54 corresponds to a distance calculation process.

[0081] In Figure 20, for signal pole PS, i.e., the starting point, points Pc1 and Pc2 in the rail center point cloud data GPc are the two points of point cloud data that make up the measurement reference that is closest to the starting point. The point where a perpendicular line PL1 dropped from the starting point to a line segment LS1 connecting points Pc1 and Pc2 intersects with the line segment LS1 is the starting point corresponding point SP. For power pole PP, i.e., the end point, points Pc8 and Pc9 in the rail center point cloud data GPc are the two points of point cloud data that make up the measurement reference that is closest to the end point. The point where a perpendicular line PL2 dropped from the end point to a line segment LS2 connecting points Pc8 and Pc9 intersects with the line segment LS2 is the end point corresponding point LP.

[0082] Then, the distance between the start point corresponding point SP and the end point corresponding point LP in the rail center point cloud data GPc, which is the measurement standard, is calculated. In one example, the straight-line distance between each point between the start point corresponding point SP and the end point corresponding point LP is calculated, and the sum of the calculated straight-line distances is obtained to obtain the distance along the measurement standard. In the example of FIG. 20 , the distance along the rail center point cloud data GPc, which is the measurement standard, is calculated by summing the straight-line distances between the start point corresponding point SP and point Pc2, between point Pc2 and point Pc3, between point Pc3 and point Pc4, between point Pc4 and point Pc5, between point Pc5 and point Pc6, between point Pc6 and point Pc7, between point Pc7 and point Pc8, and between point Pc8 and the end point corresponding point LP. In another example, the distance calculation unit 86 may calculate an approximation curve that passes through the start corresponding point SP and the end corresponding point LP and that approximates the positions of the sequence of points between the start corresponding point SP and the end corresponding point LP, and may calculate the distance between the start corresponding point SP and the end corresponding point LP on the calculated approximation curve as the distance according to the measurement standard. Alternatively, the measured distance may be calculated by other methods.

[0083] As described above, when the measurement reference is the left rail L1L or the right rail L1R, the distance calculation unit 86 uses one of the two pieces of equipment as the starting point and the other as the end point, calculates the starting point corresponding point, which is the position closest to the starting point of the curve made up of point cloud data that constitutes the rail that is the measurement reference, and the end point corresponding point, which is the position closest to the end point of the curve, and uses the point cloud data between the starting point corresponding point and the end point corresponding point to calculate the distance between the starting point corresponding point and the end point corresponding point as the distance according to the measurement reference.

[0084] Alternatively, when the measurement reference is the center of the rail, the distance calculation unit 86 sets one of the two facilities as the starting point and the other as the end point, calculates an extension direction vector at each point of the point cloud data that constitutes one of the rails between the two facilities, calculates a left-right rail elevation difference vector that is perpendicular to the extension direction vector and extends toward the point cloud data that constitutes the other rail, calculates the midpoint of the length of the left-right rail elevation difference vector as the rail center point, generates rail center point cloud data GPc that serves as the measurement reference, calculates a starting point corresponding point that is the position closest to the starting point of the curve made up of the rail center point cloud data GPc, and an end point corresponding point that is the position closest to the end point of the curve, and calculates the distance between the starting point corresponding point and the end point corresponding point as the distance along the measurement reference using the point cloud data between the starting point corresponding point and the end point corresponding point.

[0085] Returning to FIG. 16 , the support information generation unit 87 generates support information by placing marks at the absolute positions of the two facilities on the map information, placing point cloud data of the measurement standard between the two marks, placing facility overview information including the department name, facility name, distance in kilometers, and absolute location near the marks of the two facilities, and placing distance information including the distance along the measurement standard near the measurement standard (step S55). The process of step S55 corresponds to the support information generation process. The data transmission unit 88 transmits the support information to the information processing terminal 70 (step S56). The process of step S56 corresponds to the data transmission process. The information processing terminal 70, which has received the support information, displays the support information on the display unit 75. This allows the user of the information processing terminal 70 to accurately grasp the distance along the measurement standard between the two facilities without going to the site. This completes the process.

[0086] The measurement standard included in the distance calculation instruction of the distance calculation request may be selected by the user or may be predetermined by the railway operator or by each department of the railway operator. If the measurement standard is predetermined by the railway operator or by each department of the railway operator, the measurement standard included in the distance calculation instruction is a default value. In the above example, steps S40 and S55 generate support information in which facility overview information including the kilometers of two facilities and absolute positions and distance information between the two facilities are superimposed on map information. However, the generated support information is not limited to this. Support information may include the kilometers of two facilities and the distance between the two facilities. For example, the support information may display the kilometers of two facilities and the distance between the two facilities in a table format. In this case, the map information acquisition process of step S37 is omitted.

[0087] An example of the use of this railway equipment management support system 80 will be described. FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating the current situation when construction work is being carried out to install new equipment between two pieces of equipment. This example illustrates a case in which new equipment is to be installed between a power pole PP, whose equipment name is "power pole p1" and which is managed by the electrical management department, and a signal pole PS, whose equipment name is "signal pole s1" and which is managed by the signal and communications management department. Therefore, the system checks whether the distance along the center of the rail between the power pole PP and the signal pole PS is greater than a predetermined value. In FIG. 21, the electrical management department is referred to as "electrical management," and the signal and communications management department is referred to as "communications management." The same applies to FIG. 22 and subsequent figures. Conventionally, the distance of the target power pole PP is known to be 1 km 957 m from the equipment information database 221 managed by the electrical management department, and the distance of the target signal pole PS is known to be 1 km 954 m from the equipment information database 221 managed by the signal and communications management department. From these two pieces of information, it can be seen that the distance between the power pole PP and the signal pole PS according to the measurement standard calculated in kilometers on the facility information database 221 is 3 m.

[0088] However, while the mileage data for equipment stored in the equipment information database 221 is accurate for the distance from the reference position to the mileage marker, the distance from the mileage marker to the equipment is inaccurate. In other words, if mileage markers are installed every 100 meters, the value of 54 meters for the signal pole PS and the value of 57 meters for the power pole PP are inaccurate. Therefore, when installing new equipment, a user must go to the site to measure the distance between the power pole PP and the signal pole PS. In this case, the actual distance along the center of the rail between the power pole PP and the signal pole PS, i.e., the actual distance, is assumed to be 50 cm. Thus, even if the calculation in the equipment information database 221 indicates that new equipment installation is possible, the actual distance may be shorter than the reference value, which is the predetermined distance required for new equipment installation, making installation impossible. For this reason, it may be necessary to reconsider the installation of new equipment on site.

[0089] FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating a case where the railway equipment management support system according to the first embodiment is applied to a case where construction work is performed to install new equipment between two pieces of equipment. As illustrated in FIG. 22, in the absolute position information base database 831 of the railway equipment management support system 80 according to the first embodiment, the absolute position of equipment in each department is associated with the equipment identification information of each department. Therefore, using the absolute position information base database 831, the absolute position "x1, y1, z1" of the power pole PP is acquired from the equipment identification information of the power pole PP, and the absolute position "x2, y2, z2" of the signal pole PS is acquired from the equipment identification information of the signal pole PS. Then, the railway equipment management support system 80 calculates, using the absolute position, that the distance along the rail center, which is the measurement standard, is 50 cm. Furthermore, the display unit 75 of the information processing terminal 70 (not shown) indicates that the distance along the rail center is 50 cm, and the absolute position of the power pole PP is displayed together with the kilometer distance, and the absolute position of the signal pole PS is displayed together with the kilometer distance. In this way, the user can confirm on the information processing terminal 70 that the distance between the power pole PP and the signal pole PS is 50 cm without going to the site. In other words, it is possible to save the user the trouble of having to go to the site and measure the actual distance. Here, an example of calculating the distance along the center of the rail has been shown, but it goes without saying that the same applies when measuring the straight-line distance between the power pole PP and the signal pole PS.

[0090] Although Patent Document 1 describes converting between kilometers and latitude and longitude, this is only possible when equipment managed by kilometers is managed in a single department. The technology described in Patent Document 1 cannot be applied when equipment is managed by kilometers in multiple departments. This is because Patent Document 1 associates kilometers with latitude and longitude one-to-one. Therefore, data conversion does not work properly when equipment with the same kilometers but different absolute locations exists in different departments, or when equipment indicated by different kilometers but with the same absolute location exists in different departments. Thus, the railway equipment management support system 80 according to the first embodiment solves the problems that arise when applying the technology described in Patent Document 1. In other words, by leaving the equipment information database 221, which manages equipment information (information on equipment using kilometers in each department), intact, and providing an absolute position information base database 831 that associates the absolute positions of equipment in each department with equipment identification information for the equipment, the absolute position information base database 831 functions as a master table for the equipment information database 221. This makes it possible to obtain the kilometerage and absolute position corresponding to each piece of equipment, even if the equipment has different absolute positions despite being the same kilometerage but exists in different departments, or even if equipment indicated by different kilometerages but having the same absolute position exists in different departments.

[0091] The railway facility management support system 80 according to the first embodiment can be used not only to calculate the distance between facilities in different departments, but also to calculate the distance between two facilities, i.e., one facility installed along a railway line and another facility installed or planned to be installed along a railway line, in the planning, design, construction, maintenance, etc. of facilities, buildings, etc. along a railway line. For example, the railway facility management support system 80 can be used when checking whether the distance between a representative location of a building and a facility is greater than a predetermined reference value in the planning, design, etc. of a building, etc. along a railway line. In this case, the railway operator-owned system 10 includes a facility information management device 20 for each department as well as a facility information management device 20 for a construction company that will be constructing the building. For example, the construction company's facility information management device 20 includes information on the distance in kilometers of the planned construction site of the building. In this way, when a building or the like is to be constructed along a railway line, by associating the railway operator's facility information database 221 with the construction company's facility information database 221 via the absolute position information base database 831, it becomes possible for the railway facility management support system 80 to calculate the distance between the building to be constructed and the railway operator's facility using the absolute position, without the user having to go to the site. Also, if the distance is shorter than a predetermined reference value, the user can reconsider it on the information processing terminal 70, without having to go to the site.

[0092] In railways, embankments are constructed and various markers, such as kilometer markers and civil engineering grade markers, are installed on the embankments in addition to the line. Since markers on the embankments are prone to tilting, regular maintenance is required. For example, for facilities located within a set distance from the civil engineering grade markers installed on the embankment, regular checks are carried out to ensure that the embankment is not tilting, and warnings are required for this purpose.

[0093] FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of conventional maintenance management around an embankment. Conventionally, the kilometers of the civil engineering management grade marker MS are obtained from the equipment information database 221 of the civil engineering management department that manages the civil engineering management grade marker MS, and the kilometers of the power pole PP are obtained from the equipment information database 221 of the electricity management department that manages the power pole PP. A warning is issued based on the distance calculated from the kilometers between these. In one example, it is assumed that a warning is not issued if the distance from the civil engineering management grade marker MS is 10 meters or more, but is issued if the distance from the civil engineering management grade marker MS is less than 10 meters. In the example shown in FIG. 23, the kilometers of the civil engineering management grade marker MS is "5 km 422 m," and the kilometers of the power pole PP is "5 km 432 m." Using these kilometers, the equipment information database 221 calculates that the distance of the power pole PP from the civil engineering management grade marker MS is 10 meters. Therefore, the power pole PP is not subject to a warning because its distance from the civil engineering management grade marker MS is 10 meters or more. However, distances measured in kilometers have a large margin of error, and if the actual distance between the two is 3 meters, periodic warnings for this power pole PP will not be issued, even though they are necessary. In other words, this power pole PP will not be included in the targets of periodic warnings.

[0094] FIG. 24 is a diagram illustrating an example in which the railway facility management support system according to the first embodiment is applied to the maintenance of areas around embankments. As illustrated in FIG. 24, the railway facility management support system 80 according to the first embodiment calculates distances using absolute positions, thereby enabling accurate calculation of the distance between a power pole PP and a civil management grade marker MS. In this example, the absolute position of the power pole PP, whose facility name is "power pole p1," is "x1, y1, z1," and the absolute position of the civil management grade marker MS, whose facility name is "civil management grade marker m1," is "x3, y3, z3." Using these absolute positions, the actual distance is calculated to be 3 m. Therefore, the distance of the power pole PP from the civil management grade marker MS is less than 10 m, and the power pole PP becomes a target for a warning. In other words, by managing the power pole PP using its absolute position, the power pole PP becomes a target for periodic warnings. In this way, the railway facility management support system 80 according to the first embodiment can prevent oversight of warnings for facilities requiring maintenance around embankments.

[0095] Alternatively, the railway equipment management support system 80 may acquire equipment information from the equipment information database 221 for each department, calculate the distance of each piece of equipment from the civil engineering management grade marker MS using the absolute position of the acquired equipment information and the absolute position of the civil engineering management grade marker MS, and extract equipment whose distance from the civil engineering management grade marker MS is equal to or less than a predetermined reference value as a target for warning. In this case, the data acquisition unit 81 acquires equipment information from the equipment information database 221 for each department. The search processing unit 85 acquires the absolute position of the equipment associated with the equipment identification information of the acquired equipment information and the absolute position of the civil engineering management grade marker MS from the absolute position information base database 831. The distance calculation unit 86 calculates the distance between the civil engineering management grade marker MS and each piece of equipment using the absolute position, and acquires the equipment identification information of equipment whose calculated distance is equal to or less than the reference value. The support information generation unit 87 generates support information displaying data including at least the equipment identification information of equipment whose calculated distance is equal to or less than the reference value, and the data transmission unit 88 transmits the support information to the display unit 75 of the information processing terminal 70.

[0096] Furthermore, the information managed by the facility information management device 20 may be inspection car data, which is the result of inspections performed by a track inspection car. The track inspection car calculates distance using a speedometer and acquires position information of track anomalies. However, position information can become ambiguous due to factors such as iron wheel spin. In this case, the position information can contain an error of up to 20 meters. For this reason, it is possible to associate absolute positions with the inspection car data. In other words, the position information acquired from the inspection car data corresponds to kilometers. Furthermore, the absolute position information base database 831 stores the position information of track anomalies acquired from the inspection car data and each point of the absolute position-assigned point cloud data, which are matched and associated. This associates the position information of track anomalies acquired from the inspection car data with absolute positions, thereby improving the accuracy of the position information. Furthermore, it is possible to associate the inspection car data acquired by the track inspection car with data such as construction gauges and trolleys acquired by a mobile monitoring system (MMS) such as the point cloud acquisition device 30.

[0097] Next, a hardware configuration of the railway equipment management support system 80 will be described. In the railway equipment management support system 80 of the first embodiment, a computer system functions as the railway equipment management support system 80 by executing a computer program in which the processing in the railway equipment management support system 80 is described on the computer system. FIG. 25 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a computer system that realizes the railway equipment management support system according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 25, this computer system includes a control unit 901, an input unit 902, a storage unit 903, a display unit 904, a communication unit 905, and an output unit 906, which are connected via a system bus 907.

[0098] In FIG. 25 , the control unit 901 is, for example, a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that executes a program describing the processing in the railway facility management support system 80 according to the first embodiment. The input unit 902 is, for example, composed of a keyboard, a mouse, and the like, and is used by a user of the computer system to input various pieces of information. The storage unit 903 includes various types of memory, such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) and a ROM (Read Only Memory), and a storage device, such as a hard disk, and stores programs to be executed by the control unit 901, necessary data obtained during processing, and the like. The storage unit 903 is also used as a temporary storage area for programs. The display unit 904 is, for example, composed of a display, a liquid crystal display panel, or the like, and displays various screens to the user of the computer system. For example, the input unit 902 and the display unit 904 may be configured as a touch panel integrally formed with each other. The communication unit 905 is a receiver and a transmitter that perform communication processing. The output unit 906 is, for example, a printer, a speaker, or the like. Note that FIG. 25 is just an example, and the configuration of the computer system is not limited to the example of FIG.

[0099] Here, an example of the operation of the computer system until the program is ready to be executed will be described. In the computer system having the above configuration, the program is installed in the storage unit 903 from, for example, a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM inserted in a CD (Compact Disc)-ROM drive or DVD (Digital Versatile Disc)-ROM drive (not shown). When the program is executed, the program read from the storage unit 903 is stored in the main storage area of ​​the storage unit 903. In this state, the control unit 901 executes the processing as the railway facility management support system 80 of the first embodiment in accordance with the program stored in the storage unit 903.

[0100] In the above explanation, a program describing the processing in the railway equipment management support system 80 is provided using a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM as a recording medium, but this is not limited to this. Depending on the configuration of the computer system, the capacity of the program to be provided, etc., it is also possible to use a program provided via a transmission medium such as the Internet via the communication unit 905.

[0101] The matching processing unit 82, the request receiving unit 84, the search processing unit 85, the distance calculation unit 86, and the support information generation unit 87 shown in Fig. 7 are realized by the control unit 901 shown in Fig. 25 executing a program stored in the storage unit 903 shown in Fig. 25. The storage unit 903 shown in Fig. 25 is also used to realize the matching processing unit 82, the request receiving unit 84, the search processing unit 85, the distance calculation unit 86, and the support information generation unit 87. The input unit 902 shown in Fig. 25 is also used to realize the matching processing unit 82. The absolute position information base database 831 is realized by the storage unit 903 shown in Fig. 25. The data acquisition unit 81 and the data transmission unit 88 are realized by the communication unit 905 shown in Fig. 25.

[0102] As described above, the railway facility management support system 80 according to the first embodiment includes an absolute position information base database 831 that associates facility identification information of facilities managed by each department of a railway operator with the absolute position of the facilities, a search processing unit 85 that, when two facilities are selected, acquires the absolute positions of the two facilities from the absolute position information base database 831 and acquires the mileage of the two facilities from the facility information database 221, a distance calculation unit 86 that calculates the distance between the two facilities using the absolute positions, a support information generation unit 87 that generates support information in which the distance between the two facilities and the facility names, mileage, and absolute positions of the two facilities are superimposed on map information, and a data transmission unit 88 that transmits the support information to the information processing terminal 70. This has the effect of accurately measuring and presenting the distance between two facilities while presenting the mileage, which is a value managed by each department and has many errors, to members of each department so that the facilities can easily be identified.

[0103] Furthermore, the railway facility management support system 80 according to the first embodiment can select the distance to be calculated depending on the application. For example, when checking whether new equipment can be installed without interfering with the two pieces of equipment, the straight-line distance between the two pieces of equipment can be selected. This allows the information processing terminal 70 to check whether new equipment can be installed between the two selected pieces of equipment. Railway operators may also want to know the distance along the rails rather than the straight-line distance as the distance between the target pieces of equipment. Distance along the rails can be calculated using kilometers, but kilometers have errors. Therefore, kilometers cannot be used when accurate distances must be determined, such as when installing new equipment or determining construction gauges. Furthermore, even when there are multiple tracks, there is only one kilometer measurement. Therefore, at curved locations, the error between the distance along the inner rail and the distance along the outer rail increases. When determining the distance of a target piece of equipment, the distance along the rails is desired. However, when there are multiple tracks, which rail to target varies depending on the railway operator and the construction content. Therefore, the railway facility management support system 80 according to the first embodiment calculates the distance according to a measurement standard using absolute position and allows the measurement standard to be selected arbitrarily. This has the effect of making it possible to deal with cases where the rail to be used as the measurement standard changes depending on the railway operator or the construction content.

[0104] The configurations shown in the above embodiments are merely examples, and may be combined with other known technologies, and parts of the configurations may be omitted or modified without departing from the spirit of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0105] 1 Railway equipment management system, 10 Railway operator owned system, 20, 20A, 20B Equipment information management device, 21, 53, 72, 88 Data transmission unit, 22, 52, 83 Memory unit, 30 Point cloud acquisition device, 35 Absolute position acquisition device, 40 Point cloud data processing device, 50 Point cloud data management device, 51, 81 Data acquisition unit, 60 Map information providing device, 70 Information processing terminal, 71 Operation reception unit, 73 Data reception unit, 74 Display processing unit, 75 Display unit, 80 Railway equipment management support system, 82 Matching processing unit, 84 Request reception unit, 85 Search processing unit, 86 Distance calculation unit, 87 Support information generation unit, 100 Network, 221 Equipment information database, 521 Absolute position assigned point cloud data database, 820 Matching processing screen, 821 Point cloud data display area, 822 Equipment information display area, 823 Registration button, 824 Exit button, 831 absolute position information infrastructure database, 870 support information, 871 map information, 872 distance information, 873 facility overview information, 901 control unit, 902 input unit, 903 memory unit, 904 display unit, 905 communication unit, 906 output unit, 907 system bus, GPc rail center point cloud data, LP end point corresponding point, MA, MB kilometer marker, MS civil engineering management gradient marker, Pc rail center point, PP power pole, PS signal pole, SP start point corresponding point, V1 extension direction vector, V2 left and right rail height difference vector.

Claims

1. a request receiving unit that receives a distance calculation request including facility identification information that identifies one facility installed along a railway line and one facility installed or planned to be installed along the line, and an instruction to calculate the distance between the two facilities identified by the facility identification information; a search processing unit that acquires an absolute position, which is a position indicated by the latitude, longitude, and altitude of the facility identified by the facility identification information, from absolute position information base information that associates the facility identification information with the absolute position, and acquires the kilometer distance of the facility identified by the facility identification information from facility information that is information about the facility including the kilometer distance, which is a distance measured based on a fixed position of the route; a distance calculation unit that calculates a distance between the two pieces of equipment using the absolute positions; a support information generating unit that generates support information including the distances of the two facilities and the distance between the two facilities; a data transmission unit that transmits the support information; A railway facility management support system comprising:

2. the request receiving unit receives the distance calculation request, in which the distance calculation instruction is to calculate a straight-line distance between the two facilities; 2. The railway facility management support system according to claim 1, wherein the distance calculation unit calculates the straight-line distance between the two pieces of equipment using the absolute positions.

3. the request receiving unit receives the distance calculation request, the distance calculation instruction being a calculation of a distance between the two facilities according to a measurement standard; 2. The railway facility management support system according to claim 1, wherein the distance calculation unit calculates the distance along the measurement standard between the two pieces of equipment using the absolute positions.

4. 4. The railway facility management support system according to claim 3, wherein the measurement standard is a predetermined rail that constitutes the line.

5. a data acquisition unit that acquires point cloud data between the two facilities identified by the facility identification information; The railway equipment management support system according to claim 4, characterized in that the distance calculation unit calculates a start point corresponding point that is a position closest to the start point of a curve made up of the point cloud data that constitutes the rail that serves as the measurement standard, with one of the two pieces of equipment as a start point and the other as an end point, and an end point corresponding point that is a position closest to the end point of the curve, and calculates the distance between the start point corresponding point and the end point corresponding point as a distance along the measurement standard using the point cloud data between the start point corresponding point and the end point corresponding point.

6. a data acquisition unit that acquires point cloud data between the two facilities identified by the facility identification information; the measurement reference is a rail center, which is the center of two rails that constitute the track; 4. The railway equipment management support system according to claim 3, wherein the distance calculation unit calculates an extension direction vector at each point of the point cloud data constituting one of the rails between the two facilities, with one of the facilities as a start point and the other as an end point, calculates a left-right rail elevation difference vector that is perpendicular to the extension direction vector and extends toward the point cloud data constituting the other rail, calculates the midpoint of the length of the left-right rail elevation difference vector as a rail center point, generates rail center point cloud data that serves as the measurement standard, calculates a start point corresponding point that is a position closest to the start point of a curve formed from the rail center point cloud data, and an end point corresponding point that is a position closest to the end point of the curve, and calculates the distance between the start point corresponding point and the end point corresponding point as a distance along the measurement standard using the point cloud data between the start point corresponding point and the end point corresponding point.

7. The railway equipment management support system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the support information generation unit generates the support information in which the absolute positions of the two pieces of equipment, the distance in kilometers, and the distance between the two pieces of equipment are superimposed on map information of a range including the absolute positions of the two pieces of equipment.

8. a request receiving step of receiving a distance calculation request including facility identification information that identifies one facility installed along a railway line and one facility installed or planned to be installed along the line, and an instruction to calculate the distance between the two facilities identified by the facility identification information; a search processing step of acquiring an absolute position, which is a position indicated by the latitude, longitude, and altitude of the facility identified by the facility identification information, from absolute position information base information that associates the facility identification information with the absolute position, and acquiring the kilometerage of the facility identified by the facility identification information from facility information, which is information about the facility, including the kilometerage, which is a distance measured based on a fixed position of the route; a distance calculation step of calculating a distance between the two pieces of equipment using the absolute positions; a support information generating step of generating support information including the kilometers of the two facilities and the distance between the two facilities; a data transmission step of transmitting the support information; A railway facility management support method comprising:

9. On the computer, a request receiving step of receiving a distance calculation request including facility identification information that identifies one facility installed along a railway line and one facility installed or planned to be installed along the line, and an instruction to calculate the distance between the two facilities identified by the facility identification information; a search processing step of acquiring an absolute position, which is a position indicated by the latitude, longitude, and altitude of the facility identified by the facility identification information, from absolute position information base information that associates the facility identification information with the absolute position, and acquiring the kilometerage of the facility identified by the facility identification information from facility information, which is information about the facility, including the kilometerage, which is a distance measured based on a fixed position of the route; a distance calculation step of calculating a distance between the two pieces of equipment using the absolute positions; a support information generating step of generating support information including the kilometers of the two facilities and the distance between the two facilities; a data transmission step of transmitting the support information; A railway facility management support program characterized by executing the above.

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