Automatic train operation device

Abstract

To provide an automatic train operation device which realize safe and untroubled automatic operation even after a train arrives at a stop position corresponding to an onward movement prohibited area.SOLUTION: An automatic train operation device 1 is configured such that, on the basis of information related to an operation route stored in on-board data 14 of a train in an automatic operation and travel position information of a train T transferred from a ground side to a train side, if a position where the train T stops next is in an onward movement prohibited area, the automatic operation of the train T is stopped after the train T arrives at the stop position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an automatic train operation device that enables automatic operation of trains, and more particularly to an automatic train operation device that is capable of detecting the end of a track. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, in an Automatic Train Operation (ATO) system with a Grade of Automation (GOA) 2 driver on board, the driver presses a departure button located in the driver's cab to start the train, and the ATO then controls the powering (acceleration) and braking (deceleration) according to the target speed to make the train arrive (stop) at the next station.

[0003] In this case, if the train arrives at a stop position such as a terminal station corresponding to the end of the track and stops there, and a departure button is pressed at that stop position, the train can start running as normal. However, even if the train departs toward the end of the track, the safety of ATO is ensured by automatic brake control based on an Over Run Protector (ORP) pattern for that end (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-28926 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, with the conventional ATO described above, even if safety was ensured by the overrunning protection function, passengers could be frightened when a train departs into a no-go area, including the end of the track, so there was room for improvement in terms of realizing a safe and secure ATO.

[0006] The present invention has been made with the above points in mind, and aims to provide an automatic train operation device that can achieve safe and secure automatic operation even after a train arrives at a stopping position that falls within a no-travel area. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, an automatic train operation device according to one embodiment of the present invention is configured to stop automatic operation after the train arrives at the next stopping position if the next stopping position of the train is in a no-travel area, based on information regarding the route of the train during automatic operation stored in an on-board database and information regarding the train's running position transmitted from the ground side to the on-board side. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the automatic train operation device of the present invention, even if the driver presses the departure button when the train is stopped after arriving at a stopping position that falls within a no-travel area, the train will not depart toward the end of the track within the no-travel area, thereby achieving safe and secure automatic operation. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a train equipped with an automatic train operation device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of an automatic train operation device according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of image information captured in the direction of travel from a stopping position at a station in the embodiment. [Figure 4]FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of image information captured in the direction of travel from a stopping position at a terminal station in the embodiment. [Figure 5] 10 is a diagram showing another example of image information captured in the direction of travel from the stopping position at the terminal station in the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a no-progression area in the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a train T equipped with an automatic train operation device 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, the train T is one of various types of vehicles that run on a predetermined track R. In this embodiment, the train T is, for example, a vehicle (railroad vehicle) that runs on rails with iron wheels. Railroad vehicles also include vehicles used for LRT (Light Rail Transit) and streetcars.

[0011] The running state of the train T is automatically controlled by an automatic train operation device 1. In other words, the train T is automatically operated. In addition to the automatic train operation device 1, the train T is equipped with, for example, a tachometer generator 2, an on-board coil 3, a driving device 4, a braking device 5, and an imaging device 6 as on-board equipment.

[0012] The speed generator 2 is attached to the axle of the train T and is connected to the automatic train operation system 1 by a cable. The speed generator 2 outputs a signal corresponding to the rotation speed of the axle of the train T. The output signal of the speed generator 2 is input to the automatic train operation system 1 via the cable.

[0013] The on-board coil 3 is attached to the bottom of the train T (preferably the front bottom in the direction of travel) and is connected to the automatic train operation device 1 via a cable. When the train T passes above a ground coil G installed on the track R, the on-board coil 3 receives ground coil information transmitted from the ground coil G. A plurality of ground coils G are installed along the track R. The ground coil information received by the on-board coil 3 is provided to the automatic train operation device 1 via a cable.

[0014] The driving device 4 has an electric motor, an internal combustion engine (diesel engine), etc. that serve as the power source for the train T. The driving device 4 receives control commands output from the automatic train operation device 1 via a cable, and the driving force of the driving device 4 is controlled in accordance with the control commands.

[0015] The braking device 5 includes a service brake and an emergency brake. The service brake is a brake that is normally used to slow down and / or stop the train T. The emergency brake is a brake that is used when it is necessary to make an emergency stop of the train T. The braking device 5 receives a control command output from the automatic train operation system 1 via a cable. The braking device 5 controls the braking force of the service brake applied to the axles or wheels of the train T, or activates the emergency brake, in accordance with the received control command.

[0016] The imaging device 6 generates image information of the area ahead of the train T in the direction of travel using a camera or the like mounted on the lead car of the train T. The imaging device 6 starts imaging when the on-board devices including the automatic train operation device 1 are powered on, and continues to acquire image information of the area ahead of the train T in the direction of travel while the train T is in operation. The image information acquired by the imaging device 6 is provided to the automatic train operation device 1 via a cable.

[0017] Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the automatic train operation device 1. In Fig. 2, the automatic train operation device 1 includes, for example, a speed / distance calculation unit 11, a ground coil detection unit 12, an image processing unit 13, an on-board database (DB) 14, and a running control unit 15.

[0018] The speed / distance calculation unit 11 calculates the speed and travel distance of the train T based on the output signal from the tachometer generator 2. The calculation results of the speed / distance calculation unit 11 are transmitted to the travel control unit 15.

[0019] The ground coil detection unit 12 detects whether the ground coil information transmitted from the ground coil G has been received by the on-board coil 3, and if it has been received, detects the ground coil information itself. Based on the detected ground coil information, the ground coil detection unit 12 can correct the position information of the train T known on the on-board side (automatic train operation device 1). The detection result by the ground coil detection unit 12 is transmitted to the running control unit 15.

[0020] The image processing unit 13 is configured to, upon receiving image information of the traveling direction captured by the imaging device 6, identify the track R in the traveling direction of the train T by processing the image information using a known image processing technique. FIGS. 3 to 5 show examples of image information captured in the traveling direction from the stopping positions of stations along the train's route. The image processing unit 13, for example, recognizes rails R1 and sleepers R2 included in the image information to detect whether the track R continues ahead in the traveling direction of the train T (FIG. 3) or whether the track R ends at a terminal E (FIGS. 4 and 5). The image processing unit 13 may also detect the terminal E of the track R by recognizing a stop sign E1 (FIG. 4) included in the image information. Detecting a state in which the track R continues ahead in the traveling direction of the train T is, in other words, detecting a state in which the track R in the traveling direction can be identified. Detecting a state in which the track R ends at a terminal E is, in other words, detecting a state in which the track R in the traveling direction cannot be identified. The detection result in the image processing unit 13 based on the image information of the traveling direction captured by the imaging device 6 is transmitted to the travel control unit 15.

[0021] The on-board database 14 stores information about the train T and its operating route. The information about the train T includes the train type of the train T (e.g., local train, express train, etc.) and the characteristics of the traction device 4 and the braking device 5. The information about the operating route of the train T includes information about each station on the operating route (e.g., position information about each station and passing / stopping information according to the train type), and the type and position information of each ground sensor G installed along the track R (e.g., type and position information associated with a ground sensor ID, etc.).

[0022] The running control unit 15 grasps the speed and position of the train T based on the calculation results of the speed / distance calculation unit 11 and the detection results of the ground coil detection unit 12. Then, the running control unit 15 generates safety patterns and operation patterns (not shown) to be used for automatic operation control of the train T based on the running position information of the train T and the information stored in the on-board database 14.

[0023] The safety pattern is a pattern that indicates changes in the allowable upper limit speed corresponding to the maximum speed of each section on the operating route. The safety pattern may be an ATS speed check pattern and / or a speed check pattern based on the ATS speed check pattern. The safety pattern includes an overrun protection (ORP) pattern for the end of track R. The overrun protection pattern is a pattern for preventing train T from overrunning the end of track R, similar to the conventional technology described above. In this embodiment, automatic operation is stopped after train T arrives at the stopping position at the terminal station, as will be described later, so automatic brake control of train T according to the overrun protection pattern for the end of track R is not performed when normal train operation is being carried out.

[0024] The operation pattern is a pattern that indicates changes in the target speed for running the train T so that it does not exceed the allowable upper limit speed for each section on the operating route. The operation pattern is generated so that the target speed is lower than the allowable upper limit speed by a predetermined value (for example, -3 km / h) for the safety pattern. The operation pattern includes a fixed-position stop pattern (TASC pattern) for stopping the train T at the target stop position of the station.

[0025] The running control unit 15 controls the running state of the train T in accordance with the safety pattern and operation pattern as described above. That is, the running control unit 15 accelerates, runs at a constant speed, coasts, or decelerates the train T so that the train T follows the operation pattern by giving control commands to the driving unit 4 and / or the braking unit 5. Furthermore, when the speed of the train T exceeds the allowable upper speed limit of the safety pattern, the running control unit 15 gives a control command to the braking unit 5 to decelerate and / or stop the train T. The automatic operation of the train T is achieved by controlling the running state of the train T by the running control unit 15 in this way.

[0026] Furthermore, when the running control unit 15 recognizes that the train T will next stop at a terminal station Se based on information about each station S on the train route stored in the on-board database 14 and the running position information of the train T obtained using ground coil information, it determines that the stop position at the terminal station Se is a no-travel area A. The no-travel area A is set to an area that includes the stop position at the terminal station Se to the end E of the track R. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6 , stop positions P2 and P4 at the terminal station Se are set according to the train formation. When a two-car train T arrives at the terminal station Se, the no-travel area A is set to an area that extends from just before the stop position P2 corresponding to the two-car train to the end E of the track R. Within such no-travel area A, the train T is generally prohibited from traveling beyond the stop position.

[0027] When the running control unit 15 determines that the next stop position of the train T is the no-travel area A, it executes a process to stop automatic operation after the train T arrives at the stop position. As a result, even if the driver on board the train T presses a departure button (not shown) provided on the driver's cab while the train is stopped at the terminal station Se, the automatic operation by the running control unit 15 is stopped, so the train T is prevented from departing for the terminal E of the track R.

[0028] While automatic operation by the running control unit 15 is stopped as described above, the driver can manually operate the train T by operating a master controller (not shown) provided in the driver's cab. The driver's manual operation allows for fine adjustment of the train T's stopping position, changes in direction of travel, and movement. If the train T proceeds toward the end E of the track R due to an erroneous operation by the driver while automatic operation is stopped after the train T arrives at the terminal station Se, the running control unit 15 executes automatic brake control in accordance with the overrunning protection pattern, thereby ensuring the safety of the train T.

[0029] The state in which automatic operation by the running control unit 15 has been stopped is switched to a state in which automatic operation has been resumed by restarting the power supply to the on-board equipment, including the automatic train operation device 1. If the power supply to the on-board equipment is restarted for some reason and automatic operation is resumed while the train is stopped at terminal station Se, the running control unit 15 uses the detection result of the image processing unit 13 based on image information of the direction of travel captured by the imaging device 6 to determine again whether the stopping position is in no-travel area A, and stops automatic operation if it is in no-travel area A. This ensures that automatic operation by the running control unit 15 is stopped reliably while the train is stopped at terminal station Se.

[0030] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the running control unit 15 determines whether the next stopping position of the train T is in a no-travel area A each time the on-board coil 3 receives ground coil information from the ground coil G and transmits the information to the automatic train operation device 1. If the determination of the no-travel area A is made at such timing, even if a communication error occurs between the ground and the on-board, for example, the running position information of the train T is reset upon receiving ground coil information from the on-board coil G that passes thereafter, so it is possible to reliably determine whether the next stopping position is in a no-travel area A.

[0031] Next, the control operation of the automatic train operation device 1 in this embodiment will be described in detail. In the automatic train operation device 1 configured as described above, the running state of the train T running between each station on the operation route is controlled by the running control unit 15 to perform automatic operation. Here, for example, a control operation by the automatic train operation device 1 from when the train T departs from the station S (FIG. 3) just before the terminal station Se on the operation route until it stops at the terminal station Se (FIGS. 4 and 5) will be specifically described.

[0032] When the train T departs from the station S, the running control unit 15 of the automatic train operation device 1 generates a safety pattern and an operation pattern for the train T to travel at a required speed between the station S and the terminal station Se and stop at a fixed position at the terminal station Se. Then, when the driver on board the train T presses the departure button, the running control unit 15 automatically controls the running state of the train T in accordance with the operation pattern so that the speed of the train T becomes the target speed.

[0033] When train T passes beacon G while traveling from station S toward terminal station Se, the traveling control unit 15 receives beacon information and updates the traveling position information of train T using the beacon information. Based on the traveling position information and the information of each station stored in the on-board database 14, it is recognized that train T will next stop at terminal station Se, and it is determined that the stop position at terminal station Se is in no-travel area A. The updating of train T's traveling position information and the determination of whether the next stop position is in no-travel area A are performed each time the traveling control unit 15 receives beacon information.

[0034] When train T approaches terminal station Se, the running control unit 15 performs automatic brake control of train T so that train T stops at the target stopping position at terminal station Se according to a fixed-position stopping pattern (TASC pattern). When train T arrives at terminal station Se and stops, the stopping position falls within no-travel area A, so automatic operation by the running control unit 15 is stopped. This prevents train T from departing for terminal E of track R even if the driver presses the departure button while the train is stopped at terminal station Se.

[0035] After train T arrives at terminal station Se, for example, if it reverses its direction of travel from the outbound journey to head home, the driver of train T turns off the power to the on-board device in the outbound journey cab and then moves from the outbound journey cab to the homebound journey cab. If, during this driver's movement, the power to the on-board device in the outbound journey cab is restarted for some reason and automatic operation resumes, the traveling control unit 15 uses the detection result in the image processing unit 13 based on the image information of the outbound journey direction captured by the imaging device 6 (FIG. 4 or FIG. 5) to determine again that the stopping position is in no-travel area A, and automatic operation by the traveling control unit 15 is stopped.

[0036] When the driver moves to the driver's cab on the return journey side and the power supply of the on-board device of the driver's cab is turned on, the direction of travel of the train T is switched to the return journey side, and at the same time, the train is switched to a state where automatic operation by the travel control unit 15 is possible for the return journey. Then, when the driver presses the departure button provided in the driver's cab on the return journey side, the travel control unit 15 automatically controls the running state of the train T in accordance with the safety pattern and operation pattern corresponding to the direction of travel on the return journey side.

[0037] As described above, when the train T arrives at the terminal station Se on the outbound journey and reverses its direction of travel to head home, detecting the terminal end (terminal station) of the track R on the outbound journey is equivalent to detecting the starting end (starting station) of the track R on the return journey. In this case, the automatic train operation device 1 of this embodiment stops automatic operation of the train T traveling in the opposite direction to the direction of travel on the return journey in response to the detection of the starting end of the track R.

[0038] As described above, in the automatic train operation device 1 of this embodiment, if it is determined that the next stop position of the train T is in the no-travel area A based on information about the route of the train T during automatic operation stored in the on-board database 14 and the running position information of the train T using ground coil information, automatic operation after the train T arrives at the stop position is stopped. As a result, even if the driver presses the departure button while the train T is stopped after arriving, the train T is prevented from departing toward the end E of the track R in the no-travel area A, thereby realizing safe and secure automatic operation of the train T that does not frighten passengers of the train T.

[0039] Furthermore, in the automatic train operation system 1 of this embodiment, the information on the operating route of the train T stored in the on-board database 14 includes information on each station on the operating route, and when it is recognized that the train T will next stop at terminal station Se based on the information on each station and the running position information of the train T, it is determined that the stop position at terminal station Se is a no-travel area A. By determining whether the no-travel area A is present by referring to the information on each station on the operating route in this way, it is possible to reliably prevent the train T, which has arrived at the stop position at terminal station Se, from departing for the terminal E of the track R.

[0040] Furthermore, in the automatic train operation device 1 of this embodiment, if it is not possible to identify the track R in the direction of travel based on image information obtained by capturing an image of the train's direction of travel at the stop position at terminal station Se by the imaging device 6, it is determined that the stop position at terminal station Se is a no-travel area A that includes the end E of track R. By determining whether the no-travel area A is present using image information obtained by capturing an image of the train T's direction of travel at the stop position in this way, it is possible to reliably stop automatic operation by the automatic train operation device 1 even if the power supply of the on-board device is restarted for some reason and automatic operation is resumed while the train is stopped at terminal station Se.

[0041] Additionally, in the automatic train operation device 1 of this embodiment, every time ground coil information is transmitted to the on-board side, a determination is made as to whether the next stopping position is in a no-travel area A. As a result, even if a communication error occurs between the ground and on-board, the running position information of the train T is reset based on the ground coil information received after the communication error, so it is possible to reliably determine whether the next stopping position is in a no-travel area A.

[0042] Furthermore, in the automatic train operation device 1 of this embodiment, after automatic operation is stopped, the driver of the train T can manually operate the train. This allows the driver to manually adjust the stopping position, change the direction of travel, move the train, and so on while automatic operation is stopped.

[0043] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible based on the technical concept of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, an example was described in which automatic operation is stopped after the train T arrives at the stopping position of the terminal station Se, but the present invention is also effective in cases where the automatically operating train T next stops at a depot other than the stopping position of the terminal station Se.

[0044] In this case, the information about the train T's operating route stored in the on-board database 14 further includes information about depots connected to the operating route. Then, when the running control unit 15 recognizes that the train T will next stop at a depot based on the information about each station and depot on the operating route and the running position information of the train T, it determines that the stopping position at the depot is a no-travel area A, and stops automatic operation after the train T arrives at the stopping position. This makes it possible to prevent the train T from departing toward the end of the track in the depot even if the driver presses the departure button while the train T is stopped after arriving at the depot.

[0045] In the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which the train recognizes that the next stop of the train T is a terminal station by referring to the information of each station on the train route stored in the on-board database 14. However, instead of referring to the information of each station, the train may recognize that the next stop is a terminal station by receiving information indicating that the next station is a terminal station from, for example, a TASC ground coil installed just before the terminal station. Alternatively, the terminal station may be recognized by generating an overrun protection pattern for the end of the track. [Explanation of symbols]

[0046] 1...automatic train operation device, 2...speed generator, 3...on-board coil, 4...driving device, 5...braking device, 6...imaging device, 11...speed / distance calculation unit, 12...ground coil detection unit, 13...image processing unit, 14...on-board database, 15...running control unit, A...no-travel area, E...terminus, E1...stop sign, G...ground coil, P2, P4...stopping position, R...track, R1...rail, R2...sleeper, S...station, Se...terminal station, T...train

Claims

1. An automatic train operation device that, based on information about the route of an automatically operating train stored in an on-board database and information about the train's running position transmitted from the ground to the on-board side, stops automatic operation after the train arrives at the next stopping position if the next stopping position of the train is in a no-travel area.

2. The information about the train route includes information about each station on the route, 2. The automatic train operation device according to claim 1, wherein, when it is recognized that the train will next stop at a terminal station based on the information on each station and the running position information, it determines that the stopping position at the terminal station is a no-travel area.

3. 3. An automatic train operation device as described in claim 2, wherein an imaging device mounted on the train captures an image of the direction of travel at the stopping position at the terminal station, and if the track in the direction of travel cannot be identified based on the captured image information, the device determines that the stopping position at the terminal station is a no-travel area that includes the end of the track.

4. The information about the train route further includes information about a depot connected to the route; 3. An automatic train operation device as described in claim 2, wherein, when it is recognized that the train will next stop at a depot based on the information on each station and the depot and the running position information, it determines that the stopping position at the depot is a no-travel area.

5. 2. The automatic train operation device according to claim 1, wherein the no-travel area is determined each time the running position information is transmitted from the ground side to the on-board side.

6. 2. The automatic train operation device according to claim 1, wherein the automatic operation is stopped, and after that, the train driver can manually operate the train.

Images