Wireless communication device and railway vehicle communication system

Abstract

To provide a wireless communication device and a communication system for rail cars that enables easy expansion of the network even in existing rail cars.SOLUTION: Optical wireless communicator 11 has a radio wave wireless communication unit 111 and an optical wireless communication unit 112. The radio wave wireless communication unit 111 converts the transmission information contained in the received radio waves into electrical signals and outputs them to the optical wireless communication unit 112, and the optical wireless communication unit 112 converts the transmission information into optical signals and irradiates them to a rail car Tb. The optical wireless communication unit 112 converts the transmission information contained in the optical signals received from the railcar Tb into electrical signals and outputs them to the radio wave wireless communication unit 111, and the radio wave wireless communication unit 111 includes the transmission information in the radio waves and transmits them to a wireless LAN access point 12.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a wireless communication device provided in a railway vehicle and a railway vehicle communication system. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, railway vehicles have been equipped with display devices in passenger compartments to display, for example, the next stop, advertisements, etc. This type of display device has a server installed in, for example, the lead car, from which it distributes information to the displays in each car (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-16575 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] A system such as that described in Patent Document 1 can be installed when manufacturing new vehicles, but installing it in existing vehicles requires modification of the vehicles. In particular, building a network spanning multiple vehicles requires wiring work to the electrical couplers, which increases implementation costs.

[0005] Furthermore, if a network has already been established within a vehicle or train, it is necessary to connect multiple networks when linking them together to form a train, which requires reconfiguring the network within the train, which is time-consuming.

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a wireless communication device and a railway vehicle communication system that allow a network system to be easily added to existing vehicles. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The invention described in claim 1, which was made to solve the above problem, is a wireless communication device comprising: a radio wave wireless communication unit that receives radio waves from a wireless repeater installed in a railway vehicle and transmits radio waves to the radio repeater; and an optical wireless communication unit that irradiates an optical signal to another railway vehicle connected to the railway vehicle and receives an optical signal from the other railway vehicle, wherein the radio wave wireless communication unit converts transmission information contained in the received radio waves into an electrical signal and outputs it to the optical wireless communication unit, the optical wireless communication unit converts the transmission information into an optical signal and irradiates it to the other railway vehicle, the optical wireless communication unit converts transmission information contained in the optical signal received from the other railway vehicle into an electrical signal and outputs it to the radio wave wireless communication unit, and the radio wave wireless communication unit includes the transmission information in radio waves and transmits it to the radio repeater. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, the optical wireless communication unit eliminates the need for wiring to the electrical couplers between cars. Furthermore, the radio wireless communication unit eliminates the need for additional wired wiring within the cars. Therefore, it is possible to easily add a network system to existing cars. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a railway vehicle communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 2 is an example of the installation of the optical wireless communication device shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a functional configuration diagram of the optical wireless communication device shown in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a train consisting of multiple cars. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 4. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a railway vehicle communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The railway vehicle communication system is installed in a train in which multiple railway vehicles are coupled together, but Fig. 1 shows only the essential parts thereof.

[0011] The railway vehicle communication system 1 shown in Figure 1 includes an optical wireless communication device 11, a wireless LAN access point 12, in-car display devices 13 and 14, an optical wireless communication device 21, a wireless LAN access point 22, and a video distribution device 23.

[0012] 1, the optical wireless communication device 11, the wireless LAN access point 12, and the in-car display devices 13 and 14 are provided in train formation A. On the other hand, the optical wireless communication device 21, the wireless LAN access point 22, and the video distribution device 23 are provided in train formation B.

[0013] Formation A is made up of one or more cars including at least railway car Ta. In FIG. 1, only railway car Ta is shown as formation A, but it may be made up of multiple cars. Formation B is made up of one or more cars including at least railway car Tb. In FIG. 1, only railway car Tb is shown as formation B, but it may be made up of multiple cars. Formations A and B may be coupled together at a depot, but for example, during rush hour, formation B may be coupled to formation A at a specified station, etc.

[0014] The optical wireless communication device 11 is provided in railway car Ta, which is one of the railway cars that make up formation A and is coupled to formation B. The optical wireless communication device 11 is provided opposite an optical wireless communication device 21 provided in railway car Tb of formation B. The optical wireless communication device 11 is installed, for example, in a window of railway car Ta that faces railway car Tb. Fig. 2 shows an example of the installation of the optical wireless communication device 11.

[0015] FIG. 2 shows an example in which the optical wireless communication device 11 is installed behind (inside the window) the front window of a driver's cab provided at the end of a railway vehicle Ta. As shown in FIG. 2, a front window W is provided above an operation panel 51 in the driver's cab. In the case of FIG. 2, the optical wireless communication device 11 is installed above the front window W. In FIG. 2, the tracks can be seen beyond the front window, and a railway vehicle Tb is not coupled to the driver's cab. However, when constructing the railway vehicle communication system 1, the railway vehicle Tb can be seen through the front window W, and the optical wireless communication device 21 can be observed through the front window of the railway vehicle Tb. Note that the location is not limited to above the front window W, and any other location may be used as long as it allows transmission and reception of optical signals and does not interfere with the driver's duties in the driver's cab.

[0016] 3 shows the functional configuration of the optical wireless communication device 11. The optical wireless communication device 11 includes a radio wave wireless communication unit 111, an optical wireless communication unit 112, and a power supply unit 113.

[0017] The radio wave wireless communication unit 111 performs wireless communication using radio waves as a medium with the wireless LAN access point 12. Specifically, a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) communication standard such as IEEE802.11 can be used. As shown in FIG. 3, the radio wave wireless communication unit 111 includes a radio wave receiving unit 111a, a radio wave transmitting unit 111b, and an antenna 111c.

[0018] The radio wave receiving unit 111a receives, via the antenna 111c, radio waves transmitted from the wireless LAN access point 12. The radio wave receiving unit 111a extracts data (transmission information) to be transmitted to formation B from, for example, an IEEE802.11 frame included in the received radio waves, and outputs the extracted data to the optical transmitting unit 112a, which will be described later.

[0019] The radio wave transmitting unit 111b receives data (transmission information) output from the optical receiving unit 112b (described later), converts the input data into, for example, an IEEE802.11 frame, and transmits it as radio waves to the wireless LAN access point 12 via the antenna 111c.

[0020] The optical wireless communication unit 112 performs wireless communication using light, such as infrared light, with the optical wireless communication device 21 provided in the formation B. In other words, light is used as a medium to propagate through free space between the railway cars. As shown in FIG. 2, the optical wireless communication unit 112 includes an optical transmitter 112a and an optical receiver 112b.

[0021] The optical transmitter 112a receives the data (transmission information) output from the radio wave receiver 111a. The optical transmitter 112a has a light source such as a light emitting diode, converts the input data into an optical signal, and transmits (irradiates) it to the optical wireless communication device 21 as, for example, infrared light.

[0022] The optical receiver 112b has a light receiving element such as a photodiode, and receives (receives) for example infrared light transmitted from the optical wireless communication device 21. The optical receiver 112b converts the received optical signal into an electrical signal, extracts data (transmission information) to be transmitted to the network within formation A (railroad car Ta), and outputs the extracted data to the radio wave transmitter 111b.

[0023] The power supply unit 113 receives power from, for example, the railway vehicle Ta, and supplies power for operating each functional block in the optical wireless communication device 11.

[0024] The wireless LAN access point 12 is a well-known wireless communication device (also called a wireless LAN base station) installed in the railway vehicle Ta. The wireless LAN access point 12 performs wireless radio communication with wireless communication-capable devices (optical wireless communication device 11, in-car display devices 13, 14) installed in the railway vehicle Ta, and functions as a wireless repeater that relays communication between these devices.

[0025] The in-car display devices 13, 14 are in-car equipment installed, for example, above the entrance / exit doors in the passenger compartment. The in-car display devices 13, 14 display, for example, the next stop, advertisements, etc. The in-car display devices 13, 14 are equipped with wireless communication devices (also called wireless LAN adapters) for wireless communication with the wireless LAN access point 12. The in-car display devices 13, 14 are capable of receiving video data, etc. transmitted from the wireless LAN access point 12, storing it internally, and displaying it. Note that the in-car display devices 13 and 14 have the same configuration, but are designated by different reference numerals for convenience.

[0026] The optical wireless communication device 21 is provided in railway car Tb, which is one of the railway cars that make up formation B and is coupled to formation A. The optical wireless communication device 21 is provided opposite the optical wireless communication device 11 provided in railway car Ta of formation A. The optical wireless communication device 21 is installed, for example, in a window of railway car Tb that faces railway car Ta. The functional configuration of the optical wireless communication device 21 is similar to that of the optical wireless communication device 11, and therefore description thereof will be omitted.

[0027] The wireless LAN access point 22 is a well-known wireless communication device installed on the railway vehicle Tb. The wireless LAN access point 22 performs wireless communication via radio waves with devices capable of wireless communication (optical wireless communication device 21, video distribution device 23) installed on the railway vehicle Tb. Note that the wireless LAN access point 12 and the wireless LAN access point 22 have the same configuration, but are designated by different reference numerals for convenience.

[0028] Video distribution device 23 is an in-car facility installed in railway vehicle Tb, and stores video images such as advertisements to be distributed to in-car display devices 13, 14. Video distribution device 23 is equipped with wireless communication equipment for wireless communication with wireless LAN access point 22. Video images are stored in video distribution device 23 from a recording medium or the like connected by wire at, for example, a stop station or a depot. Alternatively, video distribution device 23 may acquire and store video images via wireless communication from a server device or the like outside the train while the train is running or stopped.

[0029] Next, the operation of the railway vehicle communication system 1 configured as described above will be described with reference to Fig. 1. First, train set A is coupled to train set B in a depot or the like. At this time, the optical wireless communication devices 11 and 21 face each other (they are able to receive each other's emitted light). Then, the network of train set A (the wireless network of train set Ta) and the network of train set B (the wireless network of train set Tb) are connected. Here, the optical wireless communication device 11 is a device that belongs to the network of train set A, and the optical wireless communication device 21 is a device that belongs to the network of train set B. The optical wireless communication device 11 is already in a state where it can communicate with other devices such as the on-board display device 13 on the network of train set A. Meanwhile, the optical wireless communication device 21 is already in a state where it can communicate with other devices such as the video distribution device 23 on the network of train set B.

[0030] One-to-one communication is performed between the optical wireless communication devices 11 and 21 using optical signals. At this time, no particular identification of the other party is performed. In other words, when the optical receiving unit 112b receives a signal that can be demodulated into an electrical signal, communication is performed regardless of the SSID (Service Set IDentifier) ​​or address of the other network (train set). Therefore, neither network is involved in communication between vehicles. Therefore, no network configuration is required when coupling train sets A and B. For example, video data from the video distribution device 23 transmitted from the optical wireless communication device 21 to the optical wireless communication device 11 is treated in train set A as data transmitted by the optical wireless communication device 11 (radio wave transmitting unit 111b).

[0031] When formations A and B are coupled as described above, the video data distributed from the video distribution device 23 is sent to the in-car display devices 13 and 14 via the wireless LAN access point 22, the optical wireless communication device 21, the optical wireless communication device 11, and the wireless LAN access point 12, and the video data is displayed or stored on the in-car display device 13.

[0032] In this embodiment, the on-board equipment includes the on-board display devices 13 and 14 and the video distribution device 23, but is not limited to these. For example, video data of moving images and still images captured by an on-board surveillance camera that captures the interior of the passenger compartment, or a vehicle-side surveillance camera installed on the side of the vehicle body that captures images of passengers getting on and off through the entrance and exit doors, may be transmitted. The recipient of the transmitted information may be a monitor installed in the driver's cab and monitored by the driver. Alternatively, operation signals for an emergency notification device or a door cock may be transmitted. In addition to information visually recognized by passengers and crew members, audio information and control information transmitted between devices may also be transmitted.

[0033] Although Figure 1 shows communication between cars at one location and a wireless network for two cars, it can also be applied to trains with three or more cars. A schematic configuration for a train with three or more cars is shown in Figure 4.

[0034] Fig. 4 shows an example of a train TR consisting of four railway cars T1 to T4. Each of the railway cars T1 to T3 is equipped with an optical wireless communication device 11, a wireless LAN access point 12, and an in-car display device 13. The railway car T4 is equipped with a video distribution device 23 in addition to the optical wireless communication device 11, the wireless LAN access point 12, and the in-car display device 13. Since the optical wireless communication device 11 and the optical wireless communication device 21 have the same configuration, they are shown as the optical wireless communication device 11 in Fig. 4. Similarly, the wireless LAN access point 12 and the in-car display device 13 are also shown with the reference numerals of the devices having the same configuration.

[0035] In Fig. 4, the dashed lines drawn inside the railway cars T1 to T4 indicate radio wave wireless communication such as IEEE802.11, and the solid lines between the railway cars (between the optical wireless communication devices 11) indicate optical wireless communication. Note that in Fig. 4, all the railway cars that make up the train TR use wireless LAN and optical wireless communication, but this may be the case for only some of the railway cars, such as railway cars T2 and T3.

[0036] 4, an in-car display device 13 may also be provided in the railway car T4 in which the video distribution device 23 is provided. In this case, the in-car display device 13 acquires video data via a wireless network within the railway car T4.

[0037] As is clear from the above description, the optical wireless communication devices 11 and 21 function as wireless communication devices according to this embodiment.

[0038] According to this embodiment, the optical wireless communication device 11 includes a radio wave wireless communication unit 111 that receives radio waves from a wireless LAN access point 12 installed in the railway vehicle Ta and transmits radio waves to the wireless LAN access point 12, and an optical wireless communication unit 112 that irradiates an optical signal to a railway vehicle Tb coupled to the railway vehicle Ta and receives the optical signal from the railway vehicle Tb. The radio wave wireless communication unit 111 converts transmission information included in the received radio waves into an electrical signal and outputs it to the optical wireless communication unit 112, and the optical wireless communication unit 112 converts the transmission information into an optical signal and irradiates it to the railway vehicle Tb. Furthermore, the optical wireless communication unit 112 converts transmission information included in the optical signal received from the railway vehicle Tb into an electrical signal and outputs it to the radio wave wireless communication unit 111, and the radio wave wireless communication unit 111 transmits the transmission information in a radio wave to the wireless LAN access point 12.

[0039] With the optical wireless communication device 11 configured as described above, the optical wireless communication unit 112 eliminates the need for wiring to electrical couplers between railway cars. Furthermore, the radio wave wireless communication unit 111 eliminates the need for additional wired wiring within the railway car. Therefore, it is possible to easily add a network system to existing cars.

[0040] In addition, because optical wireless communication is used between vehicles, even if the connected device changes and the network configuration of the entire train changes, there is no need to change settings, etc., and communication is possible immediately.

[0041] Furthermore, since the optical wireless communication device 11 is installed, for example, on the front window W of the driver's cab of the railway vehicle Ta, it is possible to communicate over the shortest distance with the optical wireless communication device 21 installed on the other railway vehicle Tb to which it is coupled. This makes it possible to minimize the influence of external environments such as weather and ensure the reliability of communication. Furthermore, since the optical wireless communication device 11 is installed indoors, there is no need to provide weather resistance such as waterproofing, and maintenance is easy.

[0042] The railway vehicle communication system 1 also includes an optical wireless communication device 11, a wireless LAN access point 12, and, for example, an in-car display device 13. The optical wireless communication device 11 performs optical wireless communication with the railway vehicle Tb and performs radio-wave wireless communication within the railway vehicle Ta. This makes it possible to build a network without installing wired wiring within the railway vehicle Ta. This makes it possible to easily add a network system to an existing vehicle.

[0043] Furthermore, since the in-car display device 13 is provided above the entrance door of the passenger compartment of the railway vehicle Ta, it is possible to obtain, via wireless communication, moving image data and the like to be displayed on the in-car display device 13. Therefore, when installing or adding an in-car display device 13 to an existing vehicle, there is no need to lay wired wiring, making it easy to retrofit the in-car display device.

[0044] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. That is, those skilled in the art can implement various modifications in accordance with conventional knowledge without departing from the gist of the present invention. As long as such modifications still comprise the configuration of the wireless communication device and railway vehicle communication system of the present invention, they are of course included in the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 1. Railway vehicle communication system 11 Optical wireless communication equipment (wireless communication device) 111 Radio Communication Department 112 Optical Wireless Communication Department 12 Wireless LAN access point (wireless repeater) 13 In-car display devices (in-car equipment, display devices) 21 Optical wireless communication equipment (wireless communication device) 22 Wireless LAN access point (wireless repeater) 23 Video distribution device (in-vehicle equipment) Ta railway vehicle Tb Railway vehicles (other railway vehicles)

Claims

1. a radio wave wireless communication unit that receives radio waves from a radio repeater installed in the railway vehicle and transmits radio waves to the radio repeater; an optical wireless communication unit that irradiates an optical signal to another railway vehicle coupled to the railway vehicle and receives an optical signal from the other railway vehicle, the radio wave wireless communication unit converts transmission information included in the received radio waves into an electrical signal and outputs the electrical signal to the optical wireless communication unit, and the optical wireless communication unit converts the transmission information into an optical signal and irradiates the optical signal to the other railway vehicle; the optical wireless communication unit converts transmission information included in the optical signal received from the other railway vehicle into an electrical signal and outputs the electrical signal to the radio wave wireless communication unit, and the radio wave wireless communication unit transmits the transmission information to the radio wave repeater by incorporating the transmission information into radio waves. A wireless communication device comprising:

2. 2. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein the wireless communication device is provided on a front window of a driver's cab of the railway vehicle.

3. a wireless communication device according to claim 1 or 2; the wireless repeater; an on-board facility capable of wirelessly communicating with the wireless repeater via radio waves, the on-board facility being provided in the railway vehicle; and the wireless communication device performs optical wireless communication with the other railway vehicle and performs radio wave wireless communication within the railway vehicle; A communication system for railway vehicles.

4. 4. The railway vehicle communication system according to claim 3, wherein the on-board equipment includes a display device provided above an entrance door of a passenger compartment of the railway vehicle.

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