Measuring device and measuring method

Abstract

To provide a measurement device for accurately measuring a vehicle length and a position of a vehicle end part without error even when the vehicle length is long without any limit on places by the vehicle itself.SOLUTION: A measurement device of an embodiment is provided with: a position calculation section for calculating a position of a vehicle based on a positioning signal received from a positioning section; a storage section for storing map information in which position information of vehicle travel route is registered; a calculation processing section for calculating position information of a reference position showing any of vehicle end parts of the vehicle relating to a positioning position; a search processing section for searching the vehicle end part in the map information based on a first distance of a three axial distance between the reference position and a vehicle end part in an opposite direction to the reference position on the vehicle; and a determination section for calculating a second distance between the vehicle ends in the map information based on information of searched vehicle end parts, determining a vehicle length and its position matching of the vehicle end part based on a difference between a specific vehicle length or a vehicle formation length and the second distance, and outputting the position information of the vehicle end part based on the determination result.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] FIELD Embodiments of the present invention relate to a measurement apparatus and a measurement method. [Background technology]

[0002] For trains or automobiles with a single vehicle or two or more vehicles, it is important for the safe operation of the vehicle to determine the positions of the front and rear ends that determine the vehicle length while the vehicle is moving or stopped, in order to determine whether the vehicle length is within the range in which it should stop, and whether the front or rear end of the vehicle has entered or remained at a junction while moving. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-120544 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-158077 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] It is desirable that such measurements of vehicle length and the positions of vehicle ends can be performed by the vehicle itself, without the need for measurement sensors other than the vehicle. It is also desirable that measurements of vehicle length and the positions of vehicle ends can be performed not only in locations such as above ground, underground, or in tunnel sections, but also in areas where the vehicle length is long, such as curved sections or branching sections, without errors occurring in the measurement results. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] a calculation processing unit that calculates position information of a reference position indicating an arbitrary vehicle end of the vehicle relative to the position determined by the positioning unit; a search processing unit that searches for the vehicle end in the map information based on a first distance, which is the three-axle distance between the reference position and the vehicle end in the opposite direction from the reference position; and a determination unit that calculates a second distance between the vehicle ends in the map information based on information about the vehicle ends searched by the search processing unit, determines the consistency of the positions of the vehicle and the vehicle end based on the difference between a predetermined vehicle length or the train length of the vehicle and the second distance, and outputs position information of the vehicle end based on the determination result. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0006] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the outline of the configuration of a measurement system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the measurement apparatus according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure of the measurement process according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure for a process of acquiring a positioning position according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure for acquiring the three-axis distance from the positioning position to the reference position according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure for calculating a reference position with respect to a positioned position according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure for acquiring the coordinates (distance L) of the vehicle edge position by referring to the map DB according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure for determining consistency between the vehicle length and the positions of the vehicle ends according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram for explaining calculation of the car end position according to the first embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure of the measurement process according to the second embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure for processing to acquire the coordinates (latitude, longitude) of the vehicle end position by referring to the map DB according to the second embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure for determining consistency between the vehicle length and the positions of the vehicle ends according to the second embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a measurement apparatus according to the third embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure of the measurement process according to the third embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a measurement system in a two-car train of a modified example. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of another configuration of a measurement system in a two-car train according to a modified example. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a diagram showing another example of the configuration of a measurement system in a two-car train according to a modified example. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a measurement system in a one-car train according to a modified example. [Figure 19] FIG. 19 is a diagram showing another example of the configuration of a measurement system in a modified three-car train. [Figure 20] FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an example of another configuration of a measurement system in a modified three-car train. [Figure 21] FIG. 21 is a diagram showing another example of the configuration of a measurement system in a modified three-car train. [Figure 22]FIG. 22 is a diagram showing an example of another configuration of a measurement system in a modified three-car train. [Figure 23] FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an example of another configuration of a measurement system in a modified three-car train. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0007] Hereinafter, a measurement device and a measurement method according to an embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. (First embodiment) FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the outline of the configuration of a measurement system according to the first embodiment. The measurement system 10 is mounted on a railway vehicle 1 and includes an antenna 300, a measurement device 100, and an on-board device 200. Here, the railway vehicle is referred to as a vehicle. In this embodiment, the vehicle is a two-car train, with the leading railway vehicle 1a and the second railway vehicle 1b coupled together and running. When there is no need to distinguish between the leading railway vehicle 1a and the second railway vehicle 1b, they are referred to as vehicles 1.

[0008] The antenna 300 receives radio signals transmitted from artificial satellites. The radio signals include information for measuring the position of the vehicle 1. The measurement device 100 is mounted on the vehicle 1 and is capable of measuring the position of the vehicle 1 based on radio signals received by an antenna 300 from an artificial satellite, and outputs the measurement results to the on-board device 200. Details of the measurement device 100 will be described later.

[0009] The on-board device 200 is a device that controls the running of the vehicle 1 based on the measurement results of the measurement device 100, and examples of this include a train control management system (TCMS), a driver assistance control device for automatic driving, and an on-board monitor.

[0010] 1, in this embodiment, the position of the antenna 300 is referred to as the positioning position, and the position in front of the leading vehicle 1a is referred to as the reference position. Also, the positions of the ends of the cars behind the leading vehicle 1a, i.e., the positions of the ends of the cars in the opposite direction to the direction of travel, and the positions of the ends of the cars behind the second vehicle 1b are referred to as the car end positions.

[0011] 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of functional blocks of the measurement device 100 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the measurement device 100 according to the present embodiment mainly includes a position measurement unit 110, a vehicle-end measurement unit 120, and a storage unit 130.

[0012] The position measurement unit 110 is a functional unit that calculates the position of the vehicle 1. The position measurement unit 110 mainly includes a GNSS positioning unit 111, an inertial sensor measurement unit, and a position calculation unit 113. The GNSS positioning unit 111 constitutes, for example, a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), receives radio waves from a positioning satellite, performs positioning (satellite positioning) of the vehicle 1, and outputs measurement result data to the position calculation unit 113. The antenna 300 and the GNSS positioning unit 111 are an example of a positioning unit.

[0013] Here, GNSS is a general term for satellite positioning systems such as the US GPS, Japan's Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), Russia's GLONASS (GLO), the European Union's Galileo (GAL), and China's Beidou (BDS). Therefore, the receiver constituting the GNSS positioning unit 111 is configured to be capable of performing positioning using any of these satellite positioning systems.

[0014] The inertial sensor measurement unit 112 is a processing unit that performs positioning using standalone sensors such as a triaxial acceleration sensor, a triaxial gyro sensor, and a triaxial geomagnetic sensor, and outputs the output of each sensor. The inertial sensor measurement unit 112 performs autonomous positioning of the vehicle 1 and outputs standalone positioning result data to the position calculation unit 113. The inertial sensor measurement unit 112 is an example of a standalone positioning unit.

[0015] The position calculation unit 113 calculates the position of the vehicle 1 based on the positioning result data and the autonomous positioning result data, and outputs the calculated position to the vehicle-end measurement unit 120 as position information data.

[0016] The storage unit 130 is a storage medium such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD), etc. The storage unit 130 stores a map database 131 (referred to as map DB 131).

[0017] The map DB 131 stores position information (i.e., latitude and longitude) of the travel route of the vehicle 1. Specifically, the travel route is, for example, the center line of the track on which the vehicle 1 travels. In this embodiment, since the vehicle 1 is a railroad vehicle, the travel route is the center line of the track, but if the vehicle 1 is an automobile such as a truck or tractor, the travel route can be the center line of the road.

[0018] The vehicle end measurement unit 120 is a functional unit that measures the vehicle end position of the vehicle 1. As shown in FIG. 2 , the vehicle end measurement unit 120 mainly includes a reference position calculation processing unit 122, a map information search processing unit 123, and a vehicle length / vehicle end position calculation processing unit 125.

[0019] The reference position calculation processing unit 122 calculates position information of a reference position relative to a position measured by the antenna 300. The reference position calculation processing unit 122 also calculates the three-axis distance between the reference position and the end of the vehicle 1 in the opposite direction.

[0020] Here, the reference position calculation processing unit 122 is an example of a calculation processing unit. The reference position is the vehicle end in the traveling direction of the vehicle 1. The three-axle distance between the reference position and the vehicle end in the opposite direction from the reference position on the vehicle 1 is an example of a first distance. Hereinafter, the vehicle end in the opposite direction from the reference position on the vehicle 1 will be simply referred to as the vehicle end, and the vehicle end in the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 will be referred to as the reference position.

[0021] More specifically, the reference position calculation processing unit 122 calculates the three-axis distance and direction angle between the reference position and the positioning position, calculates the latitude and longitude, which are the position information of the reference position, from the latitude, longitude and azimuth angle, which are the position information of the positioning position, and calculates the three-axis distance between the reference position and the end of the vehicle.

[0022] The map information search processing unit 123 refers to the map DB 131 based on the three-axle distance between the reference position and the car end, and searches for the car end in the map DB 131. In other words, the map information search processing unit 123 searches the map DB 131 for the position of the car end that is a preset car length or a train length of vehicle 1 away from the reference position.

[0023] More specifically, the map information search processing unit 123 searches the map DB 131 for the nearest point to the reference position, and searches the map DB 131 for position information of the nearest point to the position of the car end, tracing back a distance equal to the vehicle length of the vehicle 1 or the length of the train set of multiple vehicles 1 from the nearest point to the searched reference position. The map information search processing unit 123 is an example of a search processing unit.

[0024] The vehicle length / vehicle end position calculation processing unit 125 calculates the distance between vehicle ends in the map DB 131 based on the information about vehicle ends searched by the map information search processing unit 123, and determines the consistency of the vehicle length and the positions of the vehicle ends based on the difference between the vehicle length and the distance between the vehicle ends.The vehicle length / vehicle end position calculation processing unit 125 then outputs the position information of the vehicle ends based on the determination result.

[0025] Here, the distance between the car ends is the distance between the car end in the direction of travel and the car end in the opposite direction to the direction of travel, in other words, the distance between the reference position and the car end. The distance between the car ends is an example of a second distance. The car length / car end position calculation processing unit 125 is an example of a determination unit.

[0026] More specifically, the vehicle length / vehicle end position calculation processing unit 125 calculates the distance between the vehicle ends on the map DB 131 based on the position information of the vehicle ends searched by the map information search processing unit 123, and determines the consistency of the vehicle length and the position of the vehicle ends based on the difference between the vehicle length and the distance between the vehicle ends.

[0027] Next, a measurement process performed by the measurement device 100 according to this embodiment configured as described above will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure of the measurement process according to the first embodiment.

[0028] First, the position calculation unit 113 of the position measurement unit 110 calculates the position of the vehicle 1 based on the positioning result data from the GNSS positioning unit 111 and the autonomous positioning result data from the inertial sensor measurement unit 112 (S101), and outputs position information data (S102).

[0029] As an example, the GNSS positioning unit 111 performs positioning as follows. The GNSS positioning unit 111 extracts a time signal from the radio signal and acquires data related to time information. Next, the GNSS positioning unit 111 acquires data related to position information, including latitude and longitude information, based on satellite orbit information (e.g., satellite almanac information and satellite ephemeris information) and the acquired time signal. As a method for acquiring position information, the GNSS positioning unit 111 calculates the position coordinates (x, y, z) of the vehicle 1 using orbit information from an artificial satellite. That is, the GNSS positioning unit 111 calculates the position coordinates (x, y, z) of the vehicle 1 using information that is a set of the position of the artificial satellite and the distance between the artificial satellite and the measurement device 100 at that moment. In this case, the coordinates (x, y, z) can be calculated as long as there are three or more sets of information on the position of the artificial satellite and the distance between the artificial satellite and the measurement device 100 at that moment. In addition, a fourth satellite is generally required to ensure time accuracy.

[0030] More specifically, the GNSS positioning unit 111 calculates the position coordinates (x, y, z) of the vehicle 1 using the following formula based on satellite orbit information (for example, satellite almanac information and satellite ephemeris information) and the obtained time signal.

[0031]

number

[0032] In the above formula, (x, y, z) are parameters of the coordinate values ​​of the desired position, and (xn, yn, zn) are parameters of the coordinate values ​​of the position of the satellite transmitting the radio signal. Furthermore, t is a parameter of the time of positioning, and tn is a parameter of the time of transmission of the radio signal from the satellite. Note that the GNSS positioning unit 111 may receive the radio signal via a terrestrial base station or the like. The GNSS positioning unit 111 calculates the desired position information using these four parameters by the least squares method or the like.

[0033] Next, the GNSS positioning unit 111 acquires data related to the artificial satellites that measure the position of the vehicle 1. For example, the GNSS positioning unit 111 acquires the number of artificial satellites used for measurement based on a predetermined calculation.

[0034] Furthermore, the GNSS positioning unit 111 acquires other data and outputs a group of satellite positioning data including this information as positioning result data.

[0035] The positioning by the inertial sensor measurement unit 112 is performed as follows, for example. The inertial sensor measurement unit 112 acquires data from a triaxial acceleration sensor from an acceleration sensor, which is a standalone sensor, and acquires data from a triaxial gyro sensor, which is also a standalone sensor. The inertial sensor measurement unit 112 then acquires data from a triaxial geomagnetic sensor. Note that it is not necessary to acquire data from the triaxial geomagnetic sensor, and only two types of data from the triaxial acceleration sensor and the triaxial gyro sensor may be acquired.

[0036] Next, the inertial sensor measurement unit 112 acquires data from each sensor for 0.1 seconds, calculates the average value of the data from each sensor, and outputs the average value as standalone positioning result data.

[0037] The position calculation unit 113 obtains position information of the vehicle 1 from the positioning result data output from the GNSS positioning unit 111 and the standalone positioning result data output from the inertial sensor measurement unit 112, and outputs the obtained position information and the position (antenna position) of the antenna 300 as position information data. Here, the position calculation unit 113 may obtain the position information of the vehicle 1 only from the positioning result data output from the GNSS positioning unit 111, or may obtain the position information of the vehicle 1 by correcting the positioning result data output from the GNSS positioning unit 111 by taking into account the standalone positioning result data output from the inertial sensor measurement unit 112.

[0038] Next, the reference position calculation processing unit 122 of the vehicle-end measurement unit 120 acquires the positioning position (the position of the antenna 300) on the vehicle 1 (S103). FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure for a process of acquiring a positioning position according to the first embodiment.

[0039] The reference position calculation processing unit 122 acquires the position information data of the vehicle 1 from the position calculation unit 113 of the position measurement unit 110 (S201). Then, the reference position calculation processing unit 122 acquires the antenna position from the position information data as the measured position (S202).

[0040] Returning to FIG. 3, the reference position calculation processing unit 122 acquires the three-axis distance from the positioning position to the reference position (S104). FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure for acquiring the three-axis distance from the positioning position to the reference position according to the first embodiment.

[0041] The reference position calculation processing unit 122 determines the antenna position, i.e., the latitude and longitude of the positioning position, as the origin (S301). Next, the reference position calculation processing unit 122 acquires three-axis coordinate values ​​of the reference position relative to the positioning position (S302). Here, these three-axis coordinate values ​​may be measured in advance and stored in the storage unit 130 or the like, and then acquired from the storage unit 130. Next, the reference position calculation processing unit 122 calculates the three-axis distance from the origin to the reference position (S303). Here, the reference position calculation processing unit 122 performs the calculation assuming that the rotation angle is 0.

[0042] Returning to FIG. 3, next, the reference position calculation processing unit 122 calculates a reference position for the measured position (S105). FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure for calculating a reference position with respect to a positioned position according to the first embodiment.

[0043] The reference position calculation processing unit 122 calculates the azimuth angle of the reference position relative to the positioned position (S401). Then, the reference position calculation processing unit 122 calculates the latitude and longitude of the reference position from the positioned position based on the distance and direction angle (S402).

[0044] Here, the position coordinates of the positioning position are (x1, y1, z1), and the position coordinates of the reference position are (x2, y2, z2). These coordinates are acquired in advance as three-axis distances from the origin of vehicle 1 (usually the connecting plane).

[0045] The azimuth angle of vehicle 1 (obtained from a measuring device) is Azimuth_Train, and the direction angle (clockwise) of the reference position from antenna 300 is Heading. In this case, the direction angle of the reference position relative to the positioning position is expressed by the following equation (2-1). Also, the direction angle (clockwise) of the reference position from antenna 300 is expressed by the following equation (2-2).

[0046]

number

[0047] Another calculation method is as follows. The original latitude is denoted by Latitude. As described above, the azimuth angle of vehicle 1 (obtained from the measuring device) and the azimuth angle (clockwise) of the reference position from antenna 300 are denoted by Azimuth_Train and Azimuth_Base, respectively. The azimuth angle (clockwise) of the reference position from antenna 300 is expressed by the following equation: Azimuth_Base = Azimuth_Train + Azimuth_Base

[0048] The latitude of the new point is indicated by New_Latitude. The distance traveled along the latitude line is given by the following equation (3-1), the latitude per meter by equation (3-2), and the amount of latitude change by equation (3-3).

[0049]

number

[0050] Yet another calculation method is as follows. Let the original longitude be Longitude, and the longitude of the new point be New_Longitude. In this case, the distance traveled on the meridian is given by the following equation (4-1), the longitude per meter by equation (4-2), and the amount of latitude change by equation (4-3).

[0051]

number

[0052] Returning to FIG. 3, the reference position calculation processing unit 122 then calculates the distance (L) between the reference position and the car end (S106). Next, the map information search processing unit 123 refers to the map DB 131 (S107) and searches the map DB 131 for the car end, which is a position a distance L back from the reference position (S108).The map information search processing unit 123 then identifies the position of the car end from the searched car end (S109) and acquires position information of the car end, i.e., coordinates consisting of latitude and longitude (S110).

[0053] FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure for acquiring the coordinates (distance L) of the vehicle edge position by referring to the map DB according to the first embodiment.

[0054] The map information search processing unit 123 acquires the map DB 131 from the storage unit 130 (S601). Then, the map information search processing unit 123 searches the map DB 131 for a point that is a distance L back from the reference position, in other words, the nearest point in the map DB 131 (S602). Then, the map information search processing unit 123 identifies the searched point as the vehicle end, and acquires the latitude and longitude of the vehicle end (S603).

[0055] Returning to FIG. 3, next, the vehicle length / vehicle end position calculation processing unit 125 determines whether the vehicle length and the vehicle end positions are consistent (S111). FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure for determining consistency between the vehicle length and the positions of the vehicle ends according to the first embodiment.

[0056] The vehicle length / car end position calculation processing unit 125 acquires the vehicle length (Lt) and the car end (Ln) (S501). Here, the vehicle length (Lt) and the car end (Ln) may be calculated in advance for each vehicle 1 and for each formation and stored in the memory unit 130, and the vehicle length / car end position calculation processing unit 125 may be configured to read the vehicle length (Lt) and the car end (Ln) from the memory unit 130.

[0057] Next, the vehicle length / vehicle end position calculation processing unit 125 acquires the distance (Lm) between the front and rear vehicle ends of the vehicle 1 on the map DB 131 (S502). Next, the vehicle length / vehicle end position calculation processing unit 125 calculates the difference between the vehicle length (Lt) and the distance (Lm) (S503). Then, the vehicle length / vehicle end position calculation processing unit 125 performs threshold determination using the difference (S504).

[0058] That is, the vehicle length / vehicle end position calculation processing unit 125 determines whether the difference between the vehicle length (Lt) and the distance (Lm) is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold (e.g., 0.5 m). If the difference between the vehicle length (Lt) and the distance (Lm) is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold, the vehicle length / vehicle end position calculation processing unit 125 determines that the calculated position of the vehicle end is correct and sets a flag indicating that it is confirmed.

[0059] On the other hand, if the difference between the vehicle length (Lt) and the distance (Lm) is equal to or smaller than the predetermined threshold, the vehicle length / vehicle end position calculation processor 125 cannot determine that the calculated vehicle end position is correct, so it sets a flag indicating that it is provisional.Then, the vehicle length / vehicle end position calculation processor 125 outputs the calculated latitude and longitude of the vehicle end together with the flag (S505).

[0060] Returning to Figure 3, the vehicle length / vehicle end position calculation processing unit 125 refers to the flags of the latitude and longitude of the calculated vehicle end output in S505, and if the flags are set to indicate confirmation, outputs the vehicle length and the position (latitude, longitude) of the vehicle end (S112).

[0061] 9 is a schematic diagram for explaining the calculation of the car end position according to the first embodiment. As shown in Fig. 9, it is assumed that a two-car train 1 is running on a rail. When the car 1 is running on a straight section of the rail, as in the example on the left side of Fig. 9, it is possible to find the car end position by tracing back the car length from the reference position 1001 of the leading car 1a.

[0062] However, as shown in the example on the right side of Figure 9, when two cars 1a and 1b of a two-car train are traveling around a curve, the position 1002 obtained by simply tracing back the car length from the reference position 1001 of the leading car 1a is not the position of the car end. The actual position of the car end is shown by reference symbol 1003.

[0063] In contrast to this, in this embodiment, in the measuring device 100, the reference position calculation processing unit 122 calculates the position information of the reference position indicating the vehicle end on the vehicle 1's direction of travel side relative to the positioning position, the map information search processing unit 123 calculates the three-axle distance between the reference position and the vehicle end on the vehicle 1 in the opposite direction to the reference position, and searches for the vehicle ends in the map DB 131 based on the three-axle distance.The vehicle length / vehicle end position calculation processing unit 125 determines the distance between the vehicle ends in the map DB 131 based on the information about the searched vehicle ends, and determines the consistency of the vehicle length and the position of the vehicle ends based on the difference between a specified vehicle length or the length of the train of vehicle 1 and the distance between the vehicle ends in the map DB 131.

[0064] Specifically, in this embodiment, the reference position calculation processing unit 122 calculates the triaxial distance and direction angle between the reference position and the positioning position, calculates the latitude and longitude, which are position information of the reference position, from the latitude, longitude, and azimuth angle, which are position information of the positioning position, and calculates the triaxial distance between the positioning position and the reference position. The map information search processing unit 123 searches the map DB 131 for the position of the car end, tracing back the distance in car lengths or car length from the reference position. That is, the map information search processing unit 123 searches the map DB 131 for the point nearest to the reference position, and searches the map DB 131 for position information of the nearest point to the position of the car end, tracing back the distance in car lengths or car length from the nearest point to the searched reference position. The car length / car end position calculation processing unit 125 then calculates the distance between the car ends in the map DB 131 based on the searched position information of the car ends, and determines the consistency of the car length and the position of the car ends based on the difference between the car length and the distance between the car ends in the map DB 131.

[0065] Therefore, according to this embodiment, since the information in the map DB 131 is referenced, the vehicle length and the position of the vehicle end can be measured accurately and without error by the vehicle 1 alone, without the need for any other device, and without any location restrictions such as curve positions, even if the vehicle length is long.

[0066] (Second embodiment) In the first embodiment, the positions of the vehicle ends are detected, but in this second embodiment, the positions of the four corners of the vehicle 1 are detected.

[0067] The configurations of the measurement system 10 and the measurement device 100 according to the second embodiment are similar to those of the first embodiment. The reference position calculation processing unit 122 of the measurement device 100 according to this embodiment calculates the three-axis distance between the reference position and each of the four corners of the vehicle 1, including the end of the vehicle 1 on the opposite side from the reference position, based on the position information of the reference position. Here, the three-axis distance between the reference position and each of the four corners of the vehicle 1, including the end of the vehicle 1 on the opposite side from the reference position, is an example of a first distance.

[0068] Furthermore, the map information search processing unit 123 of the measuring device 100 according to this embodiment searches the map DB 131 for the positions of the four corners of the vehicle part based on the three-axis distances between the reference position and each of the four corners of the vehicle 1.

[0069] More specifically, the map information search processing unit 123 searches the map DB 131 for the nearest point to the reference position, and searches the map DB 131 for the position information of the nearest point to the end of the car, tracing back a distance of car length or length of the train set of car 1 from the nearest point to the searched reference position, and determines the positions of the four corners of car 1 that are half the length of the width of car 1 on a line perpendicular to the center line of the rail, which is the travel route.

[0070] In addition, the vehicle length / vehicle end position calculation processing unit 125 of the measuring device 100 in this embodiment calculates the three-axle distance between each vehicle end of each vehicle in the map DB 131 based on the position information of the four corners of the vehicle 1 searched by the map information search processing unit 123, and determines the consistency of the vehicle length and the position of the vehicle end based on the difference between the predetermined vehicle length of each vehicle and the above-mentioned three-axle distance of each vehicle.

[0071] Next, a measurement process performed by the measurement device 100 according to this embodiment configured as described above will be described. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure of the measurement process according to the second embodiment. The processes (S801 to S805) from the position measurement process to the calculation process of the reference position for the positioned position are performed in the same manner as the processes from S101 to S105 in the first embodiment.

[0072] After the reference position for the measured position is calculated in S805, the reference position calculation processing unit 122 next calculates the distance L between the reference position and the four corners of the vehicle 1 (S806).

[0073] Next, the map information search processing unit 123 refers to the map DB 131 (S807) and searches the map DB 131 for the latitude and longitude of the four corners of the vehicle 1, which are positions that are a distance L back from the reference position (S808).The map information search processing unit 123 then identifies the searched positions of the four corners of the vehicle 1 (S809) and acquires position information of the four corners of the vehicle 1, i.e., coordinates consisting of latitude and longitude (S810).

[0074] FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure for processing to acquire the coordinates (latitude, longitude) of the vehicle end position by referring to the map DB according to the second embodiment.

[0075] The map information search processing unit 123 acquires the map DB 131 from the storage unit 130 (S701). Then, the map information search processing unit 123 searches the map DB 131 for the coordinates of the nearest point to a point that is a distance L back from the nearest point to the reference position (S702). Then, the map information search processing unit 123 identifies positions that are half the width of the vehicle 1 on a line perpendicular to the center line of the rail from the searched point as the positions of the four corners of the vehicle 1, and acquires the latitude and longitude of the car ends (S703).

[0076] Returning to FIG. 10, next, the vehicle length / vehicle end position calculation processing unit 125 determines whether the vehicle length and the vehicle end position are consistent (S811). FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure for determining consistency between the vehicle length and the positions of the vehicle ends according to the second embodiment.

[0077] The vehicle length / car end position calculation processing unit 125 acquires the vehicle length (Lt) and car end (Ln) of each vehicle 1 (S901). Here, the vehicle length (Lt) and car end (Ln) of each vehicle are calculated in advance for each vehicle 1 and for each formation and stored in the memory unit 130, and the vehicle length / car end position calculation processing unit 125 may be configured to read the vehicle length (Lt) and car end (Ln) of each vehicle 1 from the memory unit 130.

[0078] Next, the vehicle length / vehicle end position calculation processing unit 125 acquires the distance (Lm) between the front and rear vehicle ends of each vehicle 1 on the map DB 131 (S902). Next, the vehicle length / vehicle end position calculation processing unit 125 calculates the difference between the vehicle length (Lt) and the distance (Lm) of each vehicle 1 (S903). Then, the vehicle length / vehicle end position calculation processing unit 125 performs threshold determination using the difference for each vehicle 1 (S904).

[0079] That is, the vehicle length / vehicle end position calculation processing unit 125 determines whether the difference between the vehicle length (Lt) and the distance (Lm) of each vehicle 1 is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value (e.g., 0.5 m). If the difference between the vehicle length (Lt) and the distance (Lm) is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold value, the vehicle length / vehicle end position calculation processing unit 125 determines that the calculated position of the vehicle end of each vehicle 1 is correct and sets a flag indicating that it is confirmed.

[0080] On the other hand, if the difference between the vehicle length (Lt) and the distance (Lm) is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold, the vehicle length / vehicle end position calculation processor 125 cannot confirm that the calculated positions of the vehicle ends of each vehicle 1 are correct, and so sets a flag indicating that the positions are provisional.The vehicle length / vehicle end position calculation processor 125 then outputs the calculated latitude and longitude of the four corners (also called vehicle space) of each vehicle 1 together with the flag (S905).

[0081] Returning to Figure 10, the vehicle length / vehicle end position calculation processing unit 125 refers to the flags for the latitude and longitude of the four corners of each vehicle 1 output in S905, and if the flags are set to indicate confirmation, outputs the positions of the four corners (vehicle space) of each vehicle 1 (S812).

[0082] In this embodiment, in the measuring device 100, the reference position calculation processing unit 122 calculates the three-axis distance between the reference position and each of the four corners of vehicle 1, including the vehicle end on the opposite side of the reference position, based on the position information of the reference position, the map information search processing unit 123 searches the map DB 131 for the positions of the four corners of vehicle 1 based on the three-axis distance between the reference position and each of the four corners of vehicle 1, the vehicle length / vehicle end position calculation processing unit 125 calculates the distance between each of the vehicle ends of each vehicle in the map DB 131 based on the searched position information of the four corners of vehicle 1, and determines the consistency of the vehicle length and the position of the vehicle end based on the difference between the vehicle length of each vehicle and the distance between each of the vehicle ends of each vehicle.

[0083] More specifically, in this embodiment, the map information search processing unit 123 searches the map DB 131 for the nearest point to the reference position, and searches the map DB 131 for position information of the nearest point to the position of the car end, tracing back a distance of car length or car set length from the nearest point to the searched reference position, and determines the positions of the four corners of the car 1 that are half the length of the width of the car 1 on a perpendicular line to the rail that is the travel route.

[0084] Therefore, according to this embodiment, since information from the map DB 131 is referenced, the vehicle length and the positions of the four corners of the vehicle 1 can be measured more accurately and without error by the vehicle 1 alone, without the need for any other device, and without location restrictions such as curve positions, even if the vehicle length is long.

[0085] (Third embodiment) In the third embodiment, the positions of the vehicle ends are obtained using a two-axis LUT, and then a learning process is performed.

[0086] The configuration of the measurement system according to the third embodiment is similar to that of the first embodiment. FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a measurement apparatus according to the third embodiment.

[0087] 3, the measurement device 1100 according to this embodiment mainly includes a position measurement unit 110, a car-end measurement unit 1120, and a storage unit 1130. The configuration of the position measurement unit 110 is the same as that of the first embodiment.

[0088] The storage unit 1130 is a storage medium similar to that in the first embodiment. The storage unit 1130 of this embodiment stores a map DB 131 and a two-axis lookup table 1132 (hereinafter referred to as "two-axis LUT 1132"). The map DB 131 is a database similar to that in the first embodiment.

[0089] The two-axis LUT 1132 is a table that associates the curvature of the rail, which is the travel route, at the position coordinates with the gradient of the rail at the position coordinates. More specifically, the biaxial LUT 1132 stores, for each position coordinate, the curvature, i.e., the curve radius (e.g., 1 m) on the vertical axis and the gradient (e.g., 1%) on the horizontal axis. The biaxial LUT 1132 is an example of correspondence information.

[0090] 13, the vehicle end measurement unit 1120 mainly includes a reference position calculation processing unit 1122, a map information search processing unit 123, a vehicle length / vehicle end position calculation processing unit 125, and a learning unit 1126. The functions and configurations of the map information search processing unit 123 and the vehicle length / vehicle end position calculation processing unit 125 are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0091] The reference position calculation processing unit 1122 of this embodiment calculates the three-axis distance (an example of the first distance) between the reference position and the vehicle end, and determines the position information of the vehicle end based on the three-axis distance between the reference position and the vehicle end by referring to the two-axis LUT 1132.

[0092] More specifically, the reference position calculation processing unit 1122 calculates the triaxial distance and direction angle between the reference position and the positioning position. The reference position calculation processing unit 1122 calculates the latitude and longitude, which are position information of the reference position, from the triaxial distance and direction angle between the reference position and the positioning position, and the latitude, longitude, and azimuth, which are position information of the positioning position. The reference position calculation processing unit 1122 calculates the triaxial distance between the reference position and the car end, and determines the position information of the car end by referring to a predetermined car length or train length of the vehicle, and the position coordinates, curvature, and gradient in the biaxial LUT 1132.

[0093] The learning unit 1126 learns the curvature and gradient at any point on the map DB 131 based on the position information of the car end. The learning unit 1126 can use, for example, a deep learning method as a learning method, but is not limited to this. The learning unit 1126 also updates the position information, curvature, and gradient of the car end in the two-axis LUT 1132.

[0094] Next, the measurement process according to this embodiment configured as above will be described. FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure of the measurement process according to the third embodiment.

[0095] The process from the position calculation process to the reference position calculation process for the positioned position (S1001 to S1005) is performed in the same manner as the process from S101 to S105 of the measurement process according to the first embodiment.

[0096] Next, as described above, the reference position calculation processing unit 1122 refers to the two-axis LUT 1132 to determine the position information of the end of the vehicle based on the three-axis distance between the reference position and the end of the vehicle, and the learning unit 1126 learns the curvature and gradient at the point of the end of the vehicle on the map DB 131 based on the position information of the end of the vehicle (S1006).

[0097] Next, the process from referring to the map DB 131 to determining the consistency of the vehicle length and the positions of the vehicle ends (S1007 to S1011) is performed in the same manner as the process from S1007 to S1011 of the measurement process according to the first embodiment.

[0098] Next, the learning unit 1126 updates the position information, curvature, and gradient of the end of the vehicle in the two-axis LUT 1132 based on the results of the consistency determination of the vehicle length and end of the vehicle by the vehicle length / end of the vehicle position calculation processing unit 125, and outputs the vehicle length and the position of the end of the vehicle in the same manner as in the first embodiment (S1012).

[0099] Specifically, if the flag for the position information of the end of the vehicle is set to "confirmed" as a result of the consistency determination of the vehicle length and the position of the end of the vehicle, the learning unit 1126 calculates the curvature and gradient, and updates the two-axis LUT 1132 by associating the calculated curvature and gradient with the position information of the end of the vehicle.

[0100] As described above, in this embodiment, in the measurement device 1100, the memory unit 1130 stores the biaxial LUT 1132 that associates the position coordinates of the vehicle end, the curvature of the travel route at the vehicle end, and the gradient of the travel route at the vehicle end, and the reference position calculation processing unit 1122 calculates the triaxial distance between the measured position and the reference position, and obtains position information of the vehicle end based on the biaxial LUT 1132 and the triaxial distance between the measured position and the reference position. In addition, the learning unit 1126 learns the curvature and gradient at any point on the map DB 131 based on the position information of the vehicle end.

[0101] More specifically, in this embodiment, in the measuring device 1100, the reference position calculation processing unit 1122 calculates the three-axis distance and direction angle between the reference position and the positioning position, calculates the latitude and longitude, which are the position information of the reference position, from the three-axis distance and direction angle between the reference position and the positioning position and the latitude, longitude and azimuth angle, which are the position information of the positioning position, calculates the three-axis distance between the reference position and the positioning position, and obtains the position information of the car end from the car length or train length and the two-axis LUT 1132.

[0102] Therefore, according to this embodiment, by further using the two-axis LUT 1132, it is possible to measure the vehicle length and the positions of the vehicle ends quickly, without error, and more accurately.

[0103] (Variation) Various modifications of the above-described embodiment are possible. In the first to third embodiments, the reference position is set to the vehicle end on the traveling direction side of the vehicle 1, but this is not limited to this. The reference position can also be set to the position of the vehicle end on the opposite side to the traveling direction of the vehicle 1. Note that the reference position is preferably close to the positioning position in order to reduce errors in calculating the position of the vehicle end.

[0104] In addition, in the above embodiment, the measuring device 100 is installed in the leading car of a two-car train, and the reference position is set at the end of the leading car 1a in the direction of travel, but this is not limited to this.

[0105] 15 to 17 are diagrams showing an example of the configuration of a measurement system for a modified two-car train. In the example of Fig. 15 to 17, a measurement device 100 and an antenna 300 are installed not only in the leading car 1a but also in the trailing car 1b. In both cases, the positioning location, which is the position of the antenna 300, is located in each car 1.

[0106] 15, the reference position is set to the end of the car in the direction of travel of the leading car 1a. In this case, the position of the end of the car can be determined only by the measurement device 100 of the leading car 1a. However, the measurement device 100 of the following car 1b can also be configured to determine the position of the end of the car using the reference position of the leading car 1a.

[0107] 16, the reference position is set to both the end of the leading vehicle 1a in the direction of travel and the end of the trailing vehicle 1a in the direction of travel. The measurement device 100 of the leading vehicle 1a and the measurement device 100 of the trailing vehicle 1b can be configured to determine the position of the end of the vehicle using their respective reference positions.

[0108] 17, the reference position is set to the end of the vehicle in the direction opposite to the traveling direction of the rear vehicle 1b. In this case, the position of the end of the vehicle can be determined only by the measurement device 100 of the rear vehicle 1b. However, the measurement device 100 of the leading vehicle 1a can also be configured to determine the position of the end of the vehicle using the reference position of the rear vehicle 1b.

[0109] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, a two-car train has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. Fig. 18 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a measurement system for a one-car train of a modified example. As shown in Fig. 18, it is also possible to provide a measurement device 100 in a vehicle 1 of a one-car train to determine the position of the car end.

[0110] 19 to 23 are diagrams showing an example of the configuration of a measurement system for a three-car train as a modified example. In the examples of Figs. 19 to 21, a measurement device 100 and an antenna 300 are provided on all cars 1. In either case, the positioning location, which is the position of the antenna 300, is located on each car 1.

[0111] In Fig. 19, the reference position is set to the end of the car in the direction of travel of the lead car 1a. In Fig. 20, the reference position is set to the end of the car in the direction of travel of the second car 1b. In Fig. 21, the reference position is set to the end of the car in the opposite direction to the direction of travel of the third car 1c.

[0112] In any of these examples, the position of the car end may be determined using one measuring device 100, or the position of the car end may be determined using two or all of the measuring devices 100, and the positions of the car end determined by each measuring device 100 may be adjusted.

[0113] In the example of Figure 22, a measurement device 100 is provided only on the second vehicle 1b, and the reference position is set to the end of the vehicle in the direction of travel of the second vehicle 1b. In the example of Figure 23, a measurement device 100 is provided only on the third vehicle 1c, and the reference position is set to the end of the vehicle in the opposite direction to the direction of travel of the third vehicle 1c. In either of these examples, the position of the end of the vehicle can be determined using the reference position with the measurement device 100.

[0114] In addition, in any of the above examples, the reference position and the measured position are merely examples and are not limited to these.

[0115] In addition, in the above embodiment, a railroad car has been described as an example of the vehicle 1, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present embodiment can be applied to trucks and tractor vehicles to obtain the same effects.

[0116] The following are examples of applications of measuring the positions of the vehicle ends and vehicle spaces (the four corners of the vehicle) using the measurement devices 100 and 1100 of the above-described embodiment and modified examples. For example, the measuring devices 100, 1100 of the above embodiments can be applied to checking the effective length of a railroad crossing or platform, and it can be confirmed from the vehicle length whether the vehicle has entered or exited the effective length of the railroad crossing or platform.

[0117] In addition, the door opening / closing control can be applied only to cars within the effective length, and control can be performed to open the doors when the effective length of the platform is short.

[0118] In addition, the measuring devices 100, 1100 of the above embodiments can be applied to post-processing of obstacle detection (for example, supporting the removal of objects within the preventive limits), making it possible to grasp the vehicle space and compare it with the results of continuous measurements on commercial trains.

[0119] Furthermore, the measurement devices 100 and 1100 of the above embodiments can be applied to estimate the measurement reference values ​​of other sensors, and it can be determined whether the calculation results of the reference positions of SLAM (measurement by a camera) and LiDAR are appropriate. It can also be used in the opposite direction to the vehicle's traveling direction.

[0120] The measuring devices 100, 1100 of the above-described embodiments and variations include a control device such as a CPU, a storage device such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) or RAM, an external storage device such as an HDD, SSD, or CD drive, a display device such as a display device, and input devices such as a keyboard and a mouse, and have a hardware configuration that utilizes a normal computer.

[0121] The measurement programs executed by the measurement devices 100 and 1100 of the above-described embodiment and modifications are provided in a state that they are pre-installed in a ROM or the like. The measurement programs executed by the measurement devices 100, 1100 of the above-described embodiments and variations may be configured to be provided by being recorded in an installable or executable format on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, a flexible disk (FD), a CD-R, or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk).

[0122] Furthermore, the measurement program executed by the measurement devices 100, 1100 of the above-described embodiments and modifications may be stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and provided by being downloaded via the network. Also, the measurement program executed by the measurement devices 100, 1100 of the above-described embodiments and modifications may be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.

[0123] The measurement program executed by the measurement devices 100, 1100 of the above-mentioned embodiments and variations has a modular structure including each of the above-mentioned functional units (position calculation unit 113, reference position calculation processing unit 122, 1122, map information search processing unit 123, vehicle length / vehicle end position calculation processing unit 125, learning unit 1126), and in terms of actual hardware, the CPU (processor) reads and executes the measurement program from the above-mentioned ROM, thereby loading each of the above-mentioned units onto the main memory device and generating each functional unit on the main memory device.

[0124] In the above-described embodiment and modified examples, various numerical values ​​are given in some places, but these numerical values ​​are merely examples and are not limited to these numerical values.

[0125] Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be embodied in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, and are also included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents as defined in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0126] 10 Measurement System 100,1100 Measuring equipment 110 Position measurement unit 111 GNSS positioning unit 112 Inertial sensor measurement unit 113 Position calculation section 120 Vehicle End Measurement Unit 122, 1122 Reference position calculation processing unit (calculation processing unit) 123 Map information search processing unit (search processing unit) 125 Vehicle length / car end position calculation processing unit (judgment unit) 1126 Learning Department 130 Storage section 131 Map DB 1132 2-axis LUT 200 Onboard equipment 300 Antenna

Claims

1. A measuring device mounted on a vehicle, a positioning unit that receives a positioning signal transmitted from an artificial satellite and that measures the position of the vehicle; a position calculation unit that calculates a position of the vehicle based on the positioning signal received by the positioning unit; a storage unit that stores map information in which position information of the vehicle's travel route is registered; a calculation processing unit that calculates position information of a reference position that indicates an arbitrary vehicle end of the vehicle relative to the position measured by the positioning unit; a search processing unit that searches for the vehicle end in the map information based on a first distance that is a three-axis distance between the reference position and a vehicle end in the opposite direction to the reference position on the vehicle; a determination unit that calculates a second distance between the car ends in the map information based on the information about the car ends searched by the search processing unit, determines the consistency of the car length and the positions of the car ends based on the difference between a predetermined car length or a train length of the rolling stock and the second distance, and outputs position information of the car ends based on the determination result; A measuring device equipped with:

2. The calculation processing unit further calculates the first distance, the search processing unit searches for the position of the car end portion by tracing back a distance from the reference position along the car length or the train length in the map information, the determination unit calculates the second distance based on the position information of the car end portion searched by the search processing unit, and determines the consistency between the car length and the position of the car end portion based on the difference between the car length and the second distance. The measurement device according to claim 1 .

3. the calculation processing unit calculates a three-axis distance and a direction angle between the reference position and the positioning position, calculates latitude and longitude, which are position information of the reference position, from latitude, longitude, and azimuth angle, which are position information of the positioning position, and calculates the first distance; The measurement device according to claim 2 .

4. the search processing unit searches the map information for a point nearest to the reference position, and searches the map information for position information of the point nearest to the position of the car end, tracing back a distance from the searched point nearest to the reference position along the car length or the train length. The measurement device according to claim 3 .

5. The calculation processing unit further calculates the first distances between the reference position and each of the four corners of the vehicle, including a vehicle end portion on the opposite side of the vehicle from the reference position, based on the position information of the reference position; the search processing unit searches for positions of the four corners of the vehicle in the map information based on the first distances from each of the four corners of the vehicle; the determination unit calculates a second distance between each vehicle end of each vehicle in the map information based on the position information of the four corners of the vehicle searched by the search processing unit, determines the consistency of the vehicle lengths and the positions of the vehicle ends based on the difference between the vehicle lengths of each vehicle and the second distances of each vehicle, and outputs the position information of the four corners of the vehicle based on the determination result. The measurement device according to claim 1 .

6. the search processing unit searches the map information for a point nearest to the reference position, searches the map information for position information of a point nearest to the position of the car end, tracing back a distance from the searched point nearest to the reference position along the vehicle length or along the length of the train of the vehicle, and determines positions on a line perpendicular to the travel route that are half the length of the width of the vehicle as the positions of the four corners of the vehicle. The measurement device according to claim 5 .

7. The storage unit further stores correspondence information that associates a curvature in the position information of the travel route with a gradient in the position information of the travel route; The calculation processing unit further calculates the first distance, and determines position information of the vehicle end based on the correspondence information and the first distance; The measuring device is a learning unit that learns the curvature and the gradient at an arbitrary point based on the position information of the car end; The measurement device of claim 1 further comprising:

8. the calculation processing unit calculates a three-axis distance and a direction angle between the reference position and the positioning position, calculates latitude and longitude, which are position information of the reference position, from the three-axis distance and direction angle between the reference position and the positioning position and latitude, longitude and azimuth, which are position information of the positioning position, calculates the first distance, and obtains position information of the car end from the vehicle length or the train length and the correspondence information. The measurement device according to claim 7.

9. The reference position is a vehicle end portion in the traveling direction of the vehicle. The measurement device according to claim 1 .

10. The vehicle further includes an autonomous positioning unit that performs autonomous positioning of the vehicle, the position calculation unit measures the position of the vehicle based on the positioning signal and an output from the stand-alone positioning unit. The measurement device according to claim 1 .

11. The travel route of the map information is the center line of a track or road on which the vehicle is traveling. The measuring device according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

12. A measurement method performed by a measurement device mounted on a vehicle, comprising: The measuring device is a positioning unit that receives a positioning signal transmitted from an artificial satellite and that measures the position of the vehicle; a storage unit that stores map information in which position information of a travel route of the vehicle is registered, calculating a position of the vehicle based on the positioning signal received by the positioning unit; calculating position information of a reference position indicating an arbitrary vehicle end of the vehicle relative to the position measured by the positioning unit; searching for the vehicle end in the map information based on a first distance, which is a three-axis distance between the reference position and a vehicle end in an opposite direction to the reference position on the vehicle; determining a second distance between the car ends in the map information based on the retrieved information about the car ends, determining the consistency of the car length and the positions of the car ends based on the difference between a predetermined car length or a train length of the rolling stock and the second distance, and outputting position information of the car ends based on the determination result; Measurement methods including.

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