Congestion Information Display System

Abstract

To provide an object detection device and an object detection method capable of detecting an object with high accuracy by a simple method.SOLUTION: A congestion information display system 1 includes: a congestion degree estimation unit 12 for generating the congestion degree inside a vehicle based on an image taken by a camera installed inside a railway vehicle 10; a train information collection server 20 for generating a plurality of types of congestion information having a hierarchical relation based on the congestion degree generated by the congestion degree estimation unit 12; and a congestion information distributing server 40 for distributing at least one or more of the plurality of types of congestion information generated by the train information collection server 20 in accordance with the type of a display unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a congestion information display system that displays the degree of congestion inside a railway vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] Various methods have been proposed for providing information on the degree of congestion inside railway cars. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a method in which the occupancy rate of each car is derived from the weight of each car detected by a load compensation device that is installed in each car and that detects the weight of the car, and information on the congestion state inside each car is transmitted to the station. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-190847 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In railway vehicles, data measured by load compensation devices is often used to control the current and braking force of the main motors according to the load. Furthermore, since the data measured by the load compensation device is only the load, not the number of people, there is a problem in that it has low accuracy as information indicating the degree of congestion.

[0005] Furthermore, as a method of providing information, simply showing the degree of congestion for each vehicle as a numerical value or the like does not reflect the actual situation, such as when there is a bias in the degree of congestion within a vehicle.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a congestion information display system that can display the congestion level accurately and reflects the actual situation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The invention described in claim 1, which was made to solve the above problem, is a congestion information display system characterized by comprising an estimation unit that estimates the degree of congestion inside a railway vehicle based on an image taken by a camera installed inside the railway vehicle, a generation unit that generates multiple types of display information having a hierarchical relationship based on the degree of congestion estimated by the estimation unit, and a transmission unit that transmits the display information generated by the generation unit to each display unit, at least one of the multiple types depending on the type of the display unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, the congestion level can be estimated based on camera images, making it possible to obtain a more accurate congestion level than a load-adjusting device. Furthermore, by generating multiple types of display information with a hierarchical relationship and transmitting at least one of them depending on the type of display unit, it is possible to select and display information that is appropriate for the display unit on the terminal carried by the passenger or inside the vehicle. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a congestion information display system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 2 is an explanatory diagram of a congestion degree generated by a congestion degree estimation unit 12 shown in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 3] 2 is an explanatory diagram of congestion information generated by the train information collection server shown in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 4] 2 is an explanatory diagram of congestion information generated by the train information collection server shown in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 5] 2 is an example of a display screen of an app installed on the smartphone shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 6] 2 is a sequence diagram of an operation in the congestion information display system shown in FIG. 1. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] An embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to Figures 1 to 6. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a congestion information display system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0011] The congestion information display system 1 includes a camera 11, a congestion degree estimation unit 12, an in-car display 13, a train information collection server 20, a train location distribution server 30, a congestion information distribution server 40, an in-station server 50, a display 61, and a smartphone 70. Here, the train information collection server 20, the train location distribution server 30, the congestion information distribution server 40, and the in-station server 50 do not have to be individual servers (server computers), and may be configured as a server that integrates the functions of several of these servers.

[0012] The camera 11, the congestion level estimation unit 12, and the in-car display 13 are installed inside the railway vehicle 10. The camera 11 is installed, for example, near a vehicle door that serves as an entrance and exit for the railway vehicle 10, and captures images of passengers near the vehicle door inside the vehicle. The camera 11 is not limited to a video camera that captures moving images, but may also be a camera that periodically captures still images (for example, every 1 to 10 seconds). Because there is little movement inside the railway vehicle 10, a system that periodically captures still images may also be used. Needless to say, the camera 11 is not limited to being installed in one location. It may of course be installed near all of the vehicle doors of the railway vehicle 10, or it may be installed in a location other than near the vehicle doors.

[0013] The congestion level estimation unit 12 estimates the congestion level based on the image captured by the camera 11. The congestion level estimation unit 12 is configured with a calculation device having a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and the like. The congestion level estimation unit 12 identifies and detects people from the image captured by the camera 11. For identifying people, a well-known method may be used, such as background subtraction, which subtracts the image from the background of the vehicle interior captured in advance, or machine learning image analysis using a neural network.

[0014] The congestion level estimation unit 12 is not limited to estimating the congestion level based on an image captured by one camera 11, but may estimate the congestion level for each capture range based on images captured by multiple cameras 11. Furthermore, the congestion level estimation unit 12 is not limited to being provided one per train or railcar 10, and multiple units may be provided per train or railcar 10.

[0015] The congestion level estimation unit 12 estimates the congestion level in the photographed area based on the person identified by the well-known method described above. The congestion level will be explained with reference to FIG. 2. In this embodiment, a circle of a predetermined radius is drawn with the identified person at its center, and the degree of overlap of the circles represents the congestion level. The radius of the circle is preferably about 0.5 m to 1 m, but may be set appropriately taking into account social distancing, etc. For example, the left side of FIG. 2 shows a case where there are two people. Here, the overlapping portions of the circles of each person are colored (transparency may be changed). The larger the area of ​​this colored portion, the closer the people are to each other.

[0016] The right side of Figure 2 shows a case where there are three people. In this case, too, the overlapping parts of the circles are colored. Furthermore, the overlapping parts of three circles are colored darker than the overlapping parts of two circles. This makes it possible to distinguish between the overlapping parts of three circles and the overlapping parts of two circles. In this embodiment, the degree of congestion is estimated based on the degree of overlap of the circles. The more overlapping parts of the circles, or the more darkly colored parts, the more crowded it can be estimated to be.

[0017] The estimation of the congestion level is not limited to the method shown in Fig. 2. For example, it may be quantified based on the number of people recognized per shooting range. The quantified value may be displayed as a heat map or the like.

[0018] The interior display 13 is installed above the vehicle door inside the railway vehicle 10. The interior display 13 is a display unit that displays, for example, the next stop station, advertisements, etc. The interior display 13 also displays congestion information based on the congestion degree estimated by the congestion degree estimation unit 12 (for example, FIG. 2). The next stop station, advertisements, and congestion information may be displayed by switching between them in sequence, or the screen may be split. The congestion information displayed on the interior display 13 is generated, for example, based on an image captured by a camera 11 installed near the vehicle door where the interior display 13 is installed. The congestion information displayed on the interior display 13 is not limited to congestion information generated by the congestion degree estimation unit 12, and may also display congestion information distributed from a congestion information distribution server 40, which will be described later.

[0019] The congestion level estimated by the congestion level estimation unit 12 is not only displayed on the in-car display 13, but also transmitted via wireless communication from the antenna 14 to the train information collection server 20 via base station B1, a predetermined network (not shown), etc.

[0020] The train information collection server 20 collects congestion levels from railway vehicles 10. The congestion levels collected by the train information collection server 20 are not limited to a single train, but are collected from all trains running on the route under the jurisdiction of the train information collection server 20. Furthermore, for a single train, the congestion level estimation unit 12 estimates the congestion level for each car door (each camera 11). Therefore, the railway vehicles 10 add identification information such as door number and car number for each congestion level, and also add train identification information such as the train number, and transmit the information to the train information collection server 20.

[0021] Furthermore, the train information collection server 20 generates congestion information for each car or each train from the collected congestion levels. Congestion information for each car or each train will be described with reference to Figs. 3 and 4. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of congestion information for each car. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing a railway car 10 as viewed from above. The railway car 10 is provided with car doors D1 to D6 on its sides. Passengers get on and off to the station platform through the car doors D1 to D6.

[0022] Fig. 3 shows the congestion status in one car of the railway car 10 as a heat map based on the congestion degree collected from the railway car 10. In Fig. 3, the darker the color, the more crowded it is. In Fig. 3, it can be seen that there is congestion near car doors D1 to D4, but that there is emptiness near car doors D5 and D6.

[0023] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of congestion information for each train formation. In FIG. 4, each railcar 10 is represented by a rectangle, and a train consisting of seven cars is shown. In FIG. 4, the congestion level for each car is indicated by the intensity of the color. For example, in FIG. 4, it can be seen that the third and fourth cars from the left are crowded, while the car on the far right is empty. The display shown in FIG. 4 may be obtained by averaging the congestion levels within the cars based on the heat map shown in FIG. 3, or may be obtained by directly averaging the collected congestion levels.

[0024] In this embodiment, the congestion level estimation unit 12 and the train information collection server 20 constitute a generation unit that generates multiple types of display information having a hierarchical relationship based on the congestion level estimated by the estimation unit. The congestion information (display information) shown in Figures 2 to 4 constitutes a hierarchical relationship as will be described later.

[0025] The railroad location distribution server 30 is a server that acquires the location information of the train (railroad vehicle 10) from the railroad vehicle 10 and distributes the railroad location, for example, when the train is stopped at station A or when the train is traveling between station A and station B.

[0026] The congestion information distribution server 40 is a server that acquires congestion information from the train information collection server 20 and the track location from the track location distribution server 30, and distributes congestion information according to each display unit. The congestion information distribution server 40 distributes congestion information to the smartphone 70 and the railway vehicle 10 (in-car display 13) via the station server 50 and the base station B2. In this embodiment, congestion information that indicates a display near the car door as shown in FIG. 2 is distributed to the station server 50 and directed to the display 61 of the platform door 60. All of the congestion information shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4 can be distributed to the smartphone 70. The congestion information shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 may also be distributed to the in-car display 13.

[0027] 3 and 4 is distributed from the congestion information distribution server 40 to the in-car display 13 in this embodiment, however, the congestion information may not be generated by the congestion degree estimation unit 12, and the train information collection server 20 may generate congestion information (FIG. 2) for the shooting range of the camera 11. In that case, the congestion information in FIGS. 2 to 4 can be distributed from the congestion information distribution server 40 to the in-car display 13.

[0028] As is clear from the above explanation, the congestion information distribution server 40 functions as a transmitting unit that transmits the congestion information (display information) generated by the congestion degree estimation unit 12 and the train information collection server 20 (generation unit) in at least one of multiple types for each display unit depending on the type of display unit (in-car display 13, display 61, smartphone 70).

[0029] The in-station server 50 is a server installed inside a station. The in-station server 50 is connected to the congestion information distribution server 40 via a network N such as a VPN (Virtual Private Network). The in-station server 50 outputs the congestion information distributed from the congestion information distribution server 40 to, for example, a display 61 of the platform door 60 for display.

[0030] The platform door 60 is a well-known device that is fixed to the station platform and includes a fixed fence that is installed along the edge of the platform, and a sliding door that slides along the fixed fence to open and close an opening that corresponds to the vehicle door of a railway vehicle 10 that stops on the platform.

[0031] For either fixed fences or sliding doors, platform doors 60 are provided with a display 61 on the inside of the platform, i.e., on the side facing passengers on the platform. The display 61 displays congestion information received by an antenna 63 installed on platform doors 60.

[0032] The smartphone 70 is a well-known portable information terminal carried by a passenger. An application for receiving and displaying congestion information is installed on the smartphone 70, and the passenger operates the application to display desired information.

[0033] Fig. 5 shows an example of the display of an app on a smartphone 70. In Fig. 5, a simplified view of a certain railway line from station A to station C is displayed on a display unit 71 of the smartphone 70. Train T1 is running from station B to station A, and train T2 is running from station B to station C.

[0034] In the display of Fig. 5, when the user of the smartphone 70 selects train T1 by touching or the like, congestion information by train formation unit as shown in Fig. 4 is displayed. Then, when Fig. 4 is displayed and the third car from the left is selected by touching or the like, congestion information by car unit as shown in Fig. 3 is displayed. Then, when Fig. 3 is displayed and the user selects, for example, by touching the vicinity of car door D3, a circle as shown in Fig. 2 is displayed.

[0035] 2 to 4 have a hierarchical structure when displayed. That is, the hierarchical relationship in this embodiment is based on the size of the target range of the congestion information. In other words, the congestion information for each train formation shown in FIG. 4 includes multiple target ranges of the congestion information for each 10 railway cars shown in FIG. 3. Furthermore, the congestion information for each 10 railway cars shown in FIG. 3 includes multiple target ranges of the congestion information for the shooting range of camera 11 shown in FIG. 2.

[0036] Next, the operation of the congestion information display system 1 described above will be described with reference to the sequence diagram of Fig. 6. First, the congestion level estimation unit 12 acquires an image from the camera 11 (step S11). Then, the congestion level estimation unit 12 estimates the congestion level using the method described above (step S12). Then, the congestion level estimation unit 12 transmits (outputs) the estimated congestion level to the in-car display 13 and the train information collection server 20 (step S13).

[0037] The in-vehicle display 13 acquires the congestion degree output by the congestion degree estimation unit 12 (step S21). Then, the in-vehicle display 13 waits for congestion information to be distributed from the congestion information distribution server 40, which will be described later. Note that the in-vehicle display 13 may first display congestion information such as that shown in FIG. 2 based on the congestion degree output by the congestion degree estimation unit 12, without waiting for the congestion information to be distributed from the congestion information distribution server 40.

[0038] The train information collection server 20 acquires the congestion degree output by the congestion degree estimation unit 12 (step S31). Then, the train information collection server 20 generates congestion information such as that shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 (step S32) and outputs it (step S33).

[0039] The congestion information distribution server 40 acquires congestion information from the train information collection server 20 (step S41), and further acquires the track location of each train from the track location distribution server 30. Then, the congestion information distribution server 40 distributes the congestion information to the station server 50, the smartphone 70, and the in-car display 13 (step S42).

[0040] The congestion information distribution server 40 distributes congestion information to the station premises server 50 of the station where each train next stops, based on the train location. Furthermore, since congestion information is displayed on the smartphone 70 from the train's location as shown in Fig. 5, the congestion information distribution server 40 first generates and distributes the train location information as shown in Fig. 5. Then, congestion information for the required level is distributed in response to the user's operation.

[0041] The in-vehicle display 13 receives the congestion information from the congestion information distribution server 40 (step S22). Then, the in-vehicle display 13 appropriately switches between displaying the congestion information acquired in step S21 and the received congestion information (step S23).

[0042] The station server 50 receives congestion information from the congestion information distribution server 40 (step S51). The station server 50 then identifies an output destination for the congestion information (step S52) and outputs the congestion information to the identified output destination (step S53). Identifying the output destination means, for example, identifying which platform door display 61 should display congestion information for each car door as shown in FIG. 2. This can be done by identifying and outputting the information to the platform door display 61 that matches the stopping position based on the car door number (car number and door position) and train formation (number of cars) indicated by the congestion information.

[0043] The display 61 of the platform door receives congestion information from the station server 50 via the antenna 63 (step S61) and displays it (step S62).

[0044] The smartphone 70 receives congestion information from the congestion information distribution server 40 (step S71). Then, it is determined whether an operation of the app has been performed, such as selecting train T1 in FIG. 5 (step S72). If the determination result shows that no operation has been performed (step S72; N), the smartphone 70 waits until an operation is performed. On the other hand, if the determination result shows that an operation has been performed (step S72; Y), the smartphone 70 displays congestion information for the floor corresponding to the operation (step S73).

[0045] 1, the congestion information is generated by the train information collection server 20, but the congestion information may also be generated by the congestion information distribution server 40. Also, the station server 50 may not be necessary, and the congestion information distribution server 40 may add information indicating which display device 61 should display the information and send it directly to the display device 61.

[0046] Furthermore, the display devices within the station are not limited to the display devices 61 on the platform doors 60, but may also be display devices such as departure boards and electronic bulletin boards installed on the platforms. Furthermore, the in-car display devices 13 are not limited to those installed above the vehicle doors. For example, by installing a display device on the deck of an express train, it is possible to check the congestion status of the passenger compartment without entering the passenger compartment. In this case, it is preferable to mainly display congestion information for each train formation and each car.

[0047] According to this embodiment, the congestion information display system 1 includes a congestion degree estimation unit 12 that generates the congestion degree inside the railway vehicle 10 based on camera images installed inside the vehicle, a train information collection server 20 that generates multiple types of congestion information having a hierarchical relationship based on the congestion degree generated by the congestion degree estimation unit 12, and a congestion information distribution server 40 that transmits at least one of the multiple types of congestion information generated by the train information collection server 20 depending on the type of display unit.

[0048] By configuring the congestion information distribution server 40 as described above, the congestion degree is generated (estimated) based on camera images, so that a more accurate congestion degree can be obtained compared to a load adaptive device. Also, by generating multiple pieces of congestion information and transmitting at least one depending on the type of display unit, it is possible to select and display information that matches the display unit on the terminal carried by the passenger or inside the vehicle.

[0049] In addition, the multiple types of congestion information (display information) include congestion information for the camera's 11 shooting range, congestion information for each railway car 10 that includes multiple camera's 11 shooting ranges, and congestion information for each train formation that includes multiple railway cars 10, and the display unit is capable of displaying at least one or more pieces of congestion information.

[0050] In this way, the smartphone 70 can hierarchically switch and display all of the congestion information for each train formation, each car, and the congestion information around the car doors. If the display unit is the in-car display 13, it can switch and display all of the congestion information for each train formation, each car, and the congestion information around the car doors as appropriate. For example, by displaying congestion information for each train formation and each car on the in-car display 13, it is possible to encourage passengers to move away from crowded areas. Furthermore, by displaying congestion information around the car doors on the display 61 of the platform door 60 as a display unit, it is possible to notify passengers on the platform in advance of the congestion situation at the boarding location for the upcoming train.

[0051] Furthermore, when the display is on the smartphone 70, the user can select from multiple types of congestion information, so that the information desired by the user can be displayed.

[0052] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. In other words, a person skilled in the art can implement various modifications in accordance with conventionally known knowledge without departing from the gist of the present invention. As long as such modifications still comprise the configuration of the congestion information display system of the present invention, they are of course included in the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0053] 1. Congestion Information Display System 10. Railway vehicles 11 Camera 12 Congestion level generation unit 13 In-car display 20 Train information collection server 40 Congestion information distribution server 61 Display 70 Smartphones (mobile devices)

Claims

1. an estimation unit that estimates a congestion level inside the railway vehicle based on images captured by a plurality of cameras installed inside the railway vehicle; a generation unit that generates a plurality of types of display information having a hierarchical relationship based on the congestion degree estimated by the estimation unit; a transmitter that transmits the display information generated by the generator to each display unit in accordance with the type of the display unit, and the plurality of types of display information include congestion information for each of the photographing ranges of the plurality of cameras, This congestion information display system is characterized in that the congestion information for each of the multiple cameras' shooting ranges is displayed by drawing a circle of a predetermined radius centered on a person detected from an image captured by the camera, and the degree of congestion is represented by the degree to which the circles overlap.

2. The plurality of types of display information further includes congestion information for each of the railway cars including the photographing ranges of the plurality of cameras, and congestion information for each of the train formations including the plurality of railway cars, The congestion information display system according to claim 1, wherein the display unit is capable of displaying at least one type of congestion information.

3. The congestion information display system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the display unit includes at least one of a display unit of a mobile terminal, a display unit installed in the railway vehicle, and a display unit installed in a station.

4. 4. The congestion information display system according to claim 3, wherein the mobile terminal allows a user to select the plurality of types of display information.

5. The camera is installed at each vehicle door, The display unit installed in the station premises includes a plurality of display units provided for each platform door, The congestion information display system described in claim 3, characterized in that each of the multiple display units provided for each platform door displays congestion information within the shooting range of a camera installed on the vehicle door corresponding to the platform door on which the display unit is provided.

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