Train monitoring system

Abstract

To provide a train monitoring system capable of not only confirming a state in the vicinity of a door but also confirming a state inside a vehicle properly.SOLUTION: A train monitoring system includes an out-vehicle camera 12 mounted on the outside of each vehicle of a train, an in-vehicle camera 13 mounted on the inside of each vehicle of the train, and a monitor 14 displaying images outside the vehicle captured by the out-vehicle camera 12 or images inside the vehicle captured by the in-vehicle camera 13. Further, the monitor 14 has an out-vehicle image display mode in which images outside each vehicle are displayed in accordance with out-vehicle display setting data that defines a display format for images outside the vehicle, and an in-vehicle image display mode in which images inside each vehicle are displayed in accordance with in-vehicle image display setting data that defines a display format of images inside the vehicle separately from the out-vehicle image display setting data.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a train monitoring system that monitors trains using camera images.

Background Art

[0002] In the operation of railway vehicles, for lines with few passengers and short train formations in operation, single-person operation by one driver is adopted. Amid the trend of a decreasing number of railway employees due to population dynamics associated with a decreasing working population, each railway operator is adopting a policy of increasing the lines and the number of cars in the formation to which single-person operation is applied. However, increasing the number of cars in the formation increases the burden of safety confirmation work for one driver, and there is concern that accidents due to oversight are likely to occur.

[0003] Conventionally, in order to support single-person operation, a system for checking the boarding and alighting status of passengers using cameras and monitors or mirrors installed on the platforms of each station has been used. There is also a car-side camera system in which cameras and monitors are installed on the train side, and it has been spreading in recent years because it does not require maintenance of infrastructure facilities.

[0004] Examples of the prior art in the technical field related to the present invention are as follows. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a train monitoring system that divides the screen area of a monitor into a plurality of areas and assigns and displays a plurality of camera images taken by the cameras of each vehicle to each area.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] Conventional train monitoring systems were configured to allow drivers to monitor passengers boarding and alighting in real time by displaying external video footage of the area around the doors, captured by cameras mounted on the outside of each car, on a monitor inside the driver's cab. Specifically, for example, multiple external video feeds capturing the area around the doors of each car were assigned to different areas of the monitor screen, allowing the driver to check the situation at all doors on the platform side. More recently, there has been consideration to install cameras inside each car as well, displaying the interior video footage on the monitor, so that the situation inside the car can also be monitored.

[0007] Train driver's cabs often lack sufficient space for large screens or multiple monitors. To minimize the impact on the driver's work and visibility, a configuration with only one small monitor, such as a 10-12 inch monitor, is typically adopted. Under these circumstances, simply adding interior footage to a monitor displaying multiple exterior footage would complicate the display and make it difficult to read. As a result, there are concerns that it would hinder the driver's primary purpose of checking the area around the doors (passengers getting on and off). Furthermore, since exterior footage has a different purpose and use than interior footage, the display format must be determined considering these differences.

[0008] This invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional circumstances, and aims to provide a train monitoring system that can appropriately check not only the situation near the doors but also the situation inside the train car. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] To achieve the above objective, a train monitoring system according to one aspect of the present invention is configured as follows. In other words, in a train monitoring system comprising an external camera mounted on the outside of each train car, an internal camera mounted on the inside of each train car, and a monitor that displays external images captured by the external cameras or internal images captured by the internal cameras, the monitor has two display modes: a first display mode that displays external images of each car according to first setting data that defines the display format of the external images, and a second display mode that displays internal images of each car according to second setting data that defines the display format of the internal images separately from the first setting data.

[0010] Here, it may be possible to switch between the first display mode and the second display mode in response to touch operations on the monitor.

[0011] Furthermore, the first configuration data may define multiple display formats for the external video feed, and the system may enable switching between the display formats used in the first display mode in response to touch operations on the monitor.

[0012] Furthermore, the second configuration data may define multiple display formats for the in-car video, and the system may enable switching between the display formats used in the second display mode in response to touch operations on the monitor.

[0013] Alternatively, the second configuration data may define multiple display formats for the in-car video feed, and the touch operation that instructs the user to switch from the first display mode to the second display mode may include the selection of the display format to be used in the second display mode.

[0014] Alternatively, the first setting data may define multiple display formats for the external video feed, and the touch operation that instructs the user to switch from the second display mode to the first display mode may include the selection of the display format to be used in the first display mode. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a train monitoring system that can appropriately check not only the situation near the door but also the situation inside the vehicle.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0016] [Figure 1] It is a figure which shows the structural example of the train monitoring system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. [Figure 2] It is a figure which shows the arrangement example of the camera in the train monitoring system of FIG. 1. [Figure 3] It is a figure which shows the example of the display form in the train monitoring system of FIG. 1. [Figure 4] It is a figure which shows the example of the display setting data for the outside-vehicle video in the train monitoring system of FIG. 1. [Figure 5] It is a figure which shows the example of the display setting data for the inside-vehicle video in the train monitoring system of FIG. 1. [Figure 6] It is a figure which shows the display example of the monitor in the train monitoring system of FIG. 1. [Figure 7] It is a figure which shows the example of the flowchart at the time of switching the display form in the train monitoring system of FIG. 1.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​On the outside of each vehicle 10, a plurality of external cameras 12 are attached to image the boarding and alighting of passengers on the train. In the example shown in FIG. 2, external cameras 12A and 12B are attached to one side surface of the vehicle 10, and external cameras 12C and 12D are attached to the other side surface. The external cameras 12A and 12C are arranged to photograph from the front side to the rear side of the train. On the other hand, the external cameras 12B and 12D are arranged to photograph from the rear side to the front side of the train. Thus, in this example, four external cameras 12 are provided per vehicle, but a larger or smaller number of external cameras 12 may be provided.

[0019] Also, on the inside of each vehicle 10, a plurality of internal cameras 13 are attached to image the interior of the vehicle. In the example shown in FIG. 2, an internal camera 13A is attached above the second door from the front side of one side surface of the vehicle 10, and an internal camera 13B is attached above the third door from the front side of the other side surface. That is, the internal cameras 13A and 13B are arranged alternately so that the interior of the vehicle can be imaged with a small number of cameras. Also, an internal camera 13C is attached above the vehicle connection part on the front side of the vehicle 10, and an internal camera 13D is attached above the vehicle connection part on the rear side. Thus, in this example, four internal cameras 13 are provided per vehicle, but a larger or smaller number of internal cameras 13 may be provided.

[0020] As the external cameras 12 and the internal cameras 13, for example, IP cameras each having an individual IP address are used. The external cameras 12 and the internal cameras 13 are managed using, for example, a table in which the IP address of each camera is associated with the installation position information of each camera (such as the vehicle number, the installation location inside and outside the vehicle, etc.). By using such a table, according to the external video display mode or the internal video display mode described later, the IP address corresponding to the external camera 12 or the internal camera 13 to be displayed can be specified, and a control signal or the like can be transmitted to the camera of that IP address.

[0021] The driver's cab in the leading car 10-1 is equipped with a monitoring monitor 14. Similarly, the driver's cab in the last car 10-6 is also equipped with a monitoring monitor 14. When the train is moving with car 10-1 at the front, the monitor 14 in car 10-1 is used, and when the train is moving in the opposite direction, the monitor 14 in car 10-6 is used. The monitor 14 has a touch panel function and can receive various instructions via touch operation. Therefore, there is no need to provide a dedicated control device or anything similar to manually switch the display on the monitor 14.

[0022] Furthermore, each train car 10 is equipped with a switching hub 11, which acts as a network relay device. Each train car's switching hub 11 is connected to the equipment within that train car, namely the external camera 12, the internal camera 13, the monitor 14, the control device 15, etc. In addition, each train car's switching hub 11 is connected to the switching hub 11 of the adjacent train car, thereby creating a train network.

[0023] Monitor 14 is controlled by a control device 15 installed in vehicle 10-1 so that it automatically turns on when a train enters the station platform and automatically turns off when a train leaves the station platform. During normal train operation, multiple external images captured by the external camera 12 on the platform side are assigned to and displayed in each of the multiple divided areas of the monitor 14 screen. The driver can also change the display format by operating the monitor 14, such as enlarging the external image of a specific vehicle or displaying it across the entire monitor. It is also possible to switch from displaying external images to displaying internal images by operating the monitor 14.

[0024] Next, the display of monitor 14 will be explained in more detail. Figure 3 shows examples of display formats that this system can use. This system has an external video display mode, which is a first display mode that displays external video of each vehicle, and an internal video display mode, which is a second display mode that displays internal video of each vehicle.

[0025] The external video display modes include, for example, display format A1, which displays one external video across the entire screen; display format A2, which displays two external videos in a horizontally split screen; and display format A3, which displays three external videos in a horizontally split screen. When displaying multiple external videos at once, as exemplified by display format A3, a vertically oriented image is used. This is because a vertically oriented image cropped from the external video showing the area near the doors is sufficient to check how passengers are getting on and off the vehicle.

[0026] The in-vehicle video display modes include, for example, display format B1, which displays one in-vehicle video across the entire screen, and display format B2, which displays four in-vehicle videos in a screen divided vertically by horizontally (a total of four divisions). As exemplified by display format B2, when displaying multiple in-vehicle videos at once, a widescreen image is used. This is because, in order to check what is happening inside the vehicle, wide-angle footage is necessary to allow for a broad view of the interior.

[0027] As described above, external and internal vehicle video have different purposes and uses, so they are configured to use different display formats (A1-A3 or B1-B2) respectively. In addition, separate display setting data is prepared to control these displays. Figure 4 shows an example of display setting data for external vehicle video, which defines multiple display formats for external vehicle video. Figure 5 shows an example of display setting data for internal vehicle video, which defines multiple display formats for internal vehicle video. This display setting data includes, for example, a "display format ID" that identifies each display format and a "screen division pattern" that indicates the division pattern of the monitor's screen area. This display setting data is pre-stored in the control device 15 (or a memory device connected thereto) and is used when the control device 15 controls the display of the monitor 14.

[0028] Figure 6 shows an example of the display on monitor 14. This figure shows an example of display format A3, which is an example of an external video display mode, and displays three external video feeds captured by three external cameras 12. During normal train operation, display format A3 is the default so that the situation near the doors of each car can be checked at once. When the display on monitor 14 is turned on, it is possible to intuitively switch the external camera 12 to be displayed by operations such as sliding or flicking horizontally on monitor 14. In addition, by performing predetermined operations such as long-pressing monitor 14, the first operation unit 20 and the second operation unit 30 for switching display modes and display formats are displayed as an overlay.

[0029] The first control panel 20, which is overlaid at the top of the screen, is the control panel for the external video display mode. The first control panel 20 includes three display switching buttons for selecting the display format for the external video: button 21 corresponding to display format A1, button 22 corresponding to display format A2, and button 23 corresponding to display format A3. The second control panel 30, which is overlaid at the bottom of the screen, is the control panel for the in-car video display mode. The second control panel 30 includes three display switching buttons for selecting the display format for the in-car video: button 31 corresponding to display format B1, and button 32 corresponding to display format B2. By operating these display switching buttons 21-23 and 31-32, it is possible to switch between display modes and display formats. Details will be explained with reference to Figures 7 and 8.

[0030] First, the display control in the external video display mode will be explained with reference to Figure 7. If a long press operation is detected on the screen of the monitor 14 while the external video display mode is active (step S11), the first operation unit 20, which includes the external video display switching buttons 21-23, and the second operation unit 30, which includes the in-car video display switching buttons 31-32, are overlaid on the display (step S12).

[0031] If a touch operation is detected that selects one of the display switching buttons 21 to 23 for external video (step S13), the system switches to displaying the external video in the selected display format (one of A1 to A3) according to the external video display setting data (step S14). On the other hand, if a touch operation is detected that selects one of the display switching buttons 31 to 32 for in-car video (step S15), the system switches to in-car video display mode (step S16), and displays the in-car video using the selected display format (one of B1 to B2) according to the in-car video display setting data (step S17).

[0032] Next, the display control in the in-car video display mode will be explained with reference to Figure 8. When a long press operation is detected on the screen of the monitor 14 while the in-car video display mode is active (step S21), the first operation unit 20, which includes the display switching buttons 21-23 for the external video, and the second operation unit 30, which includes the display switching buttons 31-32 for the in-car video, are displayed as overlays (step S22).

[0033] If a touch operation is detected that selects one of the in-car video display switching buttons 31 to 32 (step S23), the system switches to displaying the in-car video in the selected display format (one of B1 to B2) according to the in-car video display setting data (step S24). On the other hand, if a touch operation is detected that selects one of the external video display switching buttons 21 to 23 (step S25), the system switches to external video display mode (step S26), and displays the external video using the selected display format (one of A1 to A3) according to the external video display setting data (step S27).

[0034] As described above, the train monitoring system in this example includes an external camera 12 mounted on the outside of each train car, an internal camera 13 mounted on the inside of each train car, and a monitor 14 that displays external images captured by the external camera 12 or internal images captured by the internal camera 13. The monitor 14 has two display modes: an external image display mode that displays external images of each car according to external image display setting data that defines the display format of the external images, and an internal image display mode that displays internal images of each car according to internal image display setting data that defines the display format of the internal images separately from the external image display setting data.

[0035] In this way, by considering the difference between the external video feed used to check the area around the doors and the internal video feed used to check the interior of the vehicle, and controlling the external video display mode or the internal video display mode according to separate display setting data for each, it becomes possible to appropriately check not only the area around the doors but also the interior of the vehicle. Furthermore, because separate display setting data is used for the external and internal video feeds, it becomes easy to set and manage the display format suitable for checking the area around the doors and the display format suitable for checking the interior of the vehicle.

[0036] In this example, it is assumed that the control device 15 performs the display control of the monitor 14 as described above, but the configuration is not limited to this, and other devices may perform this function. For example, the monitor 14 may perform its own display control according to the display setting data. Furthermore, the above display control may be performed not only during train operation but also at other times, such as during maintenance work.

[0037] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are merely illustrative and do not limit the technical scope of the present invention. The present invention can take many other forms, and various modifications such as omissions and substitutions can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their variations are included in the scope and spirit of the invention as described herein, and are included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents as described in the claims.

[0038] Furthermore, the present invention can be provided not only as the devices described above or as systems composed of such devices, but also as methods executed by these devices, programs for a processor to realize the functions of these devices, and storage media for storing such programs in a computer-readable manner. [Industrial applicability]

[0039] This invention can be used in a train monitoring system that monitors trains using camera footage. [Explanation of symbols]

[0040] 10: Vehicle, 11: Switching hub, 12: Exterior camera, 13: Interior camera, 14: Monitor, 15: Control unit

Claims

1. A train monitoring system comprising an external camera mounted on the outside of each train car, an internal camera mounted on the inside of each train car, and a monitor that displays external images captured by the external cameras or internal images captured by the internal cameras, The monitor has a display mode that includes a first display mode which displays the external video of each vehicle according to a first setting data which defines the display format of the external video, and a second display mode which displays the in-vehicle video of each vehicle according to a second setting data which defines the display format of the in-vehicle video separately from the first setting data. The first display mode and the second display mode can be switched in response to a touch operation on the monitor. The first setting data described above defines multiple display formats for the external video feed. A train monitoring system characterized in that a touch operation that instructs switching from the second display mode to the first display mode includes the selection of a display format to be used in the first display mode.

2. A train monitoring system comprising an external camera mounted on the outside of each car of a train, an internal camera mounted on the inside of each car of the train, and a monitor that displays external images captured by the external cameras or internal images captured by the internal cameras, The monitor has a display mode that includes a first display mode which displays the external video of each vehicle according to a first setting data which defines the display format of the external video, and a second display mode which displays the in-vehicle video of each vehicle according to a second setting data which defines the display format of the in-vehicle video separately from the first setting data. The first display mode and the second display mode can be switched in response to a touch operation on the monitor. The second set of settings data defines multiple display formats for in-car video, A train monitoring system characterized in that a touch operation that instructs switching from the first display mode to the second display mode includes the selection of a display format to be used in the second display mode.

3. In the train monitoring system described in claim 1, A train monitoring system characterized in that, while displaying in the first display mode, the display format used in the first display mode can be switched in response to a touch operation on the monitor.

4. In the train monitoring system described in claim 2, A train monitoring system characterized in that, while displaying in the second display mode, the display format used in the second display mode can be switched in response to a touch operation on the monitor.

Images