Train information management device, sightseeing spot guidance system, and sightseeing spot guidance method

Abstract

A train information management device (30) for managing services of a train comprises: a train location acquisition unit (31) for acquiring a train location indicating the location of the train; a setting information acquisition unit (32) for acquiring setting information regarding operation of the train; a weather determination unit (33) for determining weather conditions at the train location; a sightseeing information retention unit (34) for retaining sightseeing information which includes sightseeing spots along railroad lines at least on which the train travels, guidance locations representing locations of the train at the time of guidance of the sightseeing spots, directions in which the sightseeing spots exist at the guidance locations, and guidance information for use in guidance by using a train guidance information device provided to the train, the sightseeing information being acquired from a database which has registered therein the sightseeing information; and a guidance determination unit (35) for determining, on the basis of the train location, the setting information, and the weather conditions, whether or not to perform guidance on the sightseeing spots indicated by the sightseeing information by using the train guidance information device.

Description

Train information management device, tourist spot guidance system, and tourist spot guidance method

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a train information management device mounted on a train, a tourist spot guidance system, and a tourist spot guidance method.

[0002] Conventionally, in transportation facilities such as trains and buses, passengers are provided with information other than information necessary for travel, such as stop stations, transfer information, etc. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a technology for an information providing system that provides passengers of transportation facilities with information within a predetermined area including stop stations, information on events around stop stations, etc.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-215076

[0004] In the above-described conventional technology, it is possible to include information about tourist spots in the information about a region, and some tourist spots may be visible to passengers traveling by public transport. However, the direction in which tourist spots can be seen from the public transport varies depending on the direction of travel of the public transport. Furthermore, tourist spots may not be visible from the public transport at night or in bad weather. Therefore, when information about tourist spots is included in the information about a region in the above-described conventional technology, there is a problem in that the public transport passengers may be provided with a uniform guide to tourist spots even in situations where they cannot see the tourist spots.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above, and aims to provide a train information management device that can determine whether or not to provide tourist spot guidance depending on the train operation status.

[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the objectives, the train information management device of the present disclosure is characterized by comprising: a train position acquisition unit that acquires a train position indicating the position of the train; a setting information acquisition unit that acquires setting information regarding train operations; a weather judgment unit that judges the weather conditions at the train position; a tourist information storage unit that stores tourist information acquired from a database in which tourist information including at least tourist spots along the route on which the train runs, a guidance position that is the position of the train when guiding the tourist spots, the direction in which the tourist spots are located at the guidance position, and guidance information used for guidance in the train guidance information device equipped on the train is registered; and a guidance judgment unit that judges whether to provide guidance to the tourist spots indicated in the tourist information in the train guidance information device based on the train position, the setting information, and the weather conditions.

[0007] The train information management device of the present disclosure has an effect of being able to determine whether or not to provide tourist spot guidance depending on the train operation status.

[0008] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a tourist spot guidance system according to embodiment 1. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a database used by a train information management device according to embodiment 1. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a train information management device according to embodiment 1. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the train information management device according to embodiment 1. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of tourist spot guidance information displayed on the train guidance information device under the control of the train information management device according to embodiment 1. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a case where a processing circuit realizing the train information management device according to embodiment 1 is configured with a processor and a memory. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a case where a processing circuit realizing the train information management device according to embodiment 1 is configured with dedicated hardware. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of tourist spot guidance information displayed on the train guidance information device under the control of the train information management device according to embodiment 2.

[0009] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A train information management device, a tourist spot guidance system, and a tourist spot guidance method according to embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0010] Embodiment 1. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example configuration of a tourist spot information system 1 according to Embodiment 1. The tourist spot information system 1 includes an on-board equipment 20 mounted on a train 10, a storage unit 62 storing a database 61, and a terminal device 63. Although the illustration in FIG. 1 is simplified, the following train 10 shown on the left also has the on-board equipment 20, similar to the preceding train 10 shown on the right. While the train 10 in the example of FIG. 1 is a two-car train, it may also be a three-or-more-car train. The train 10 may also be a single train consisting of one car. Furthermore, FIG. 1 illustrates a case in which the storage unit 62 storing the database 61 resides on a cloud service 60, but this is not a limitation. The storage unit 62 storing the database 61, like the terminal device 63, may be installed in a ground system (not shown) that manages the operation of the train 10. The location of the storage unit 62 storing the database 61 is not particularly important.

[0011] The on-board equipment 20 includes an antenna 21 , a public line network 22 , an on-board server 23 , a train information management device 30 , a train guidance information device 40 , and a display 50 .

[0012] The antenna 21, the public line network 22, and the on-board server 23 are devices used when the train information management device 30 performs wireless communication with a ground system (not shown), a database 61 of a cloud service 60, etc. The antenna 21, the public line network 22, and the on-board server 23 are general devices used for wireless communication between the train 10 and a ground system (not shown), and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted. A dedicated network or the Internet may be used for wireless communication between the train 10 and a ground system (not shown).

[0013] The train information management device 30 manages the operation of the train 10 on which the train information management device 30 is installed. In addition, in the present embodiment, the train information management device 30 determines whether or not to provide tourist spot information visible from the train 10 in a train guidance information device 40 that displays various information for passengers on the train 10. When the train information management device 30 determines that tourist spot information should be provided in the train guidance information device 40, the train information management device 30 controls the train guidance information device 40 to display tourist spot information. In the example of FIG. 1 , two train information management devices 30 are installed on the train 10. However, the two train information management devices 30 may independently determine whether or not to provide tourist spot information in the train guidance information device 40, or one train information management device 30 may determine whether or not to provide tourist spot information in the train guidance information device 40, and the other train information management device 30 may operate in accordance with the determination of the first train information management device 30. 1, one train information management device 30 controls the guidance display of one train guidance information device 40, but it is also possible for one train information management device 30 to control the guidance display of multiple train guidance information devices 40. The detailed configuration and operation of the train information management device 30 will be described later.

[0014] The train guidance information device 40 is a display device that includes a display unit such as a monitor and displays various information for passengers on the train 10. The train guidance information device 40 is installed, for example, above or next to the passenger entrance / exit doors of each car constituting the train 10. Under the control of the train information management device 30, the train guidance information device 40 displays information such as the next stop, transfer information to other connecting lines, and delay information for the line on which the train 10 runs or other lines. In the present embodiment, the train guidance information device 40 also displays information about tourist spots visible from the train 10 to passengers on the train 10 under the control of the train information management device 30.

[0015] The display 50 is a display device that is installed in a driver's cab (not shown) of the train 10 and displays various information for the crew of the train 10. The display 50 displays various information related to the operation of the train 10 under the control of the train information management device 30.

[0016] The storage unit 62 stores a database 61. The database 61 accepts registration of information about the tourist spots described above via a terminal device 63 from personnel of the railway company that operates the train 10, etc. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the database 61 used by the train information management device 30 according to the first embodiment. The database 61 includes tourist spots, distance in kilometers, rear stations, next stations, directions, weather, and guidance information. That is, the database 61 registers the distance in kilometers, rear stations, next stations, directions, weather, and guidance information for each tourist spot. The tourist spots, distance in kilometers, rear stations, next stations, directions, weather, and guidance information registered in the database 61 are collectively referred to as tourist information.

[0017] The tourist spots are located along the route on which the train 10 runs, and are the tourist spots that are the targets of guidance by the train guidance information device 40. In Fig. 2, Mount Fuji and XX Dam are exemplified as tourist spots.

[0018] The kilometer distance is the distance traveled by the train 10 from a specified position on the route on which the train 10 runs, and is the position of the train 10 when the tourist spot is visible to passengers on the train 10 and the train guidance information device 40 displays information about the tourist spot, i.e., the guidance position. The kilometer distance, i.e., the guidance position, may be expressed as a pinpoint that specifies a single point, or may be expressed as a range such as A km to B km if the tourist spot is visible over a wide area on the route on which the train 10 runs. Note that the position of the train 10 when the train guidance information device 40 displays information about the tourist spot, i.e., the guidance position, is not limited to kilometers, and may also use coordinates obtained by a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) such as a Global Positioning System (GPS).

[0019] The rear station is a station where the train 10 stops before reaching the tourist spot. The next station is a station where the train 10 stops after reaching the tourist spot. Note that the train 10 may be of multiple types, such as express, rapid, and local, and if the stations where the train 10 stops differ depending on the type of train 10, information on the rear station and the next station according to the type of train 10 may be included in the tourist information.

[0020] The direction is the direction in which the tourist spot is located at the aforementioned guidance position, i.e., the direction in which the tourist spot can be seen from the train 10. In the example of FIG. 2, the directions are "mountain side" and "sea side," but are not limited to these. In the example of FIG. 2, a rear station and a next station are defined for each tourist spot. However, taking into account the direction of travel of the train 10, the database 61 may register multiple tourist information items for the same tourist spot according to the direction of travel of the train 10. For example, for a certain tourist spot, it is possible to register the direction as "left side" when the train 10 is traveling in the upbound direction and the direction as "right side" when the train 10 is traveling in the downbound direction.

[0021] The weather corresponds to information on weather conditions at the train position of the train 10, as will be described later, acquired by the train information management device 30. The weather may be sunny, cloudy, rainy, snowy, or the like, but a combination of these may be used, or other weather conditions may be used.

[0022] The guidance information is information displayed by the train guidance information device 40 when the train information management device 30 determines that the train guidance information device 40 should provide tourist spot guidance. While the guidance information is assumed to be textual information, it may also include still images, video, audio, and the like. As shown in FIG. 2 , the database 61 can also store multiple pieces of guidance information depending on the weather. In the example of FIG. 2 , when the tourist spot, i.e., the target of guidance, is Mount Fuji, guidance information "A" is used when it is not snowing, and guidance information "B" is used when it is snowing, taking into account snowy scenery, etc. Also, as shown in FIG. 2 , when the tourist spot, i.e., the target of guidance, is a Dam, guidance information "C" is used when it is not raining, and when it is raining, it is possible to not use guidance information, i.e., not display guidance, because visibility is poor and the Dam is likely to be inaccessible from the train 10. Although not shown in FIG. 2 , it is possible to register one piece of guidance information for one tourist spot regardless of the weather, or to register three or more pieces of guidance information depending on the weather. In this way, tourist information can include different guidance information for the same tourist spot in multiple weather conditions.

[0023] The types of information registered in the database 61 are not limited to the example in Fig. 2. The information registered in the database 61 may include information other than the information shown in the example in Fig. 2. The database 61 only needs to register tourist information including at least tourist spots along the route on which the train 10 runs, a guidance position which is the position of the train 10 when providing guidance about the tourist spots, the direction to the tourist spots from the guidance position, and guidance information according to weather conditions used in guidance by the train guidance information device 40 for passengers equipped on the train 10.

[0024] The terminal device 63 is a device used by a person in charge of the railway company that operates the train 10 to register tourist information in the database 61 or edit tourist information registered in the database 61. The terminal device 63 has a communication function that enables access to the database 61 on the cloud service 60. When a new tourist spot opens along the line on which the train 10 runs, the person in charge of the railway company that operates the train 10 registers tourist information about the tourist spot in the database 61, and when a tourist spot that was along the line on which the train 10 runs disappears, the person in charge of the railway company that operates the train 10 deletes the tourist information about the tourist spot from the database 61. In addition, the person in charge of the railway company that operates the train 10 can also register tourist information about a limited-time event, such as a fireworks display or illumination lighting, as a tourist spot in the database 61 at the start of the event period and delete the tourist information about the tourist spot from the database 61 at the end of the event period.

[0025] Next, the configuration and operation of the train information management device 30 will be described. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example configuration of the train information management device 30 according to the first embodiment. The train information management device 30 includes a train position acquisition unit 31, a setting information acquisition unit 32, a weather determination unit 33, a tourist information storage unit 34, a guidance determination unit 35, and a train speed control unit 36. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the train information management device 30 according to the first embodiment.

[0026] The train position acquisition unit 31 acquires the train position indicating the location of the train 10 (step S1). As described above, the train position is assumed to be in kilometers indicating the distance traveled by the train 10 from a specified position on the line on which the train 10 runs. However, coordinates obtained by GNSS, etc., can also be used. The following description will be given using an example in which the train position is in kilometers. The train position acquisition unit 31 can acquire information about the train position, i.e., kilometers, from a tachometer generator (not shown), a sensor capable of measuring the speed of the train 10, etc. Furthermore, the train position acquisition unit 31 may correct the acquired kilometers based on information from a ground coil (not shown) installed on the ground and an on-board coil (not shown) mounted on the train 10.

[0027] The setting information acquisition unit 32 acquires setting information regarding the operation of the train 10 (step S2). The setting information includes information indicating whether the train 10 is operated on a weekday or a holiday on the day it runs, train type information indicating whether the train 10 is operated as a limited express, express, local, or other train, and information regarding the time period during which scenery can be seen from the train 10's window, taking into account the sunrise and sunset times on the day the train 10 runs. The train type information may be information such as a train number that uniquely indicates the operation status of the train 10. The setting information may also include information regarding the direction of travel of the train 10. The setting information acquisition unit 32 may acquire this setting information from a ground system (not shown), or may acquire it manually from equipment installed in the driver's cab of the train 10 by a train crew member, a railway company employee, or the like. Information indicating whether the train 10 will be operated on a weekday or a holiday on the day it runs may be set in the setting information acquisition unit 32 by a railway company employee as annual information at a stage when the railway company has finalized a schedule for special holiday operations that will be carried out on weekdays on the calendar, such as during the Obon period or the New Year period. The setting information acquisition unit 32 also acquires real-time information while the train 10 is running. The setting information acquisition unit 32 may acquire the real-time information from a time server used in a ground system (not shown), or from GNSS if GNSS is used.

[0028] The weather determination unit 33 determines the weather conditions at the train position acquired by the train position acquisition unit 31 (step S3). For example, the weather determination unit 33 determines that it is raining when the windshield wipers (not shown) installed on the leading car of the train 10 are operating, and determines that it is not raining when the windshield wipers are not operating. Furthermore, the weather determination unit 33 determines that it is snowing when the snow-resistant brakes (not shown) installed on the train 10 are operating, and determines that it is not snowing when the snow-resistant brakes are not operating. In this way, the weather determination unit 33 may determine the weather conditions based on operation information of the windshield wipers installed on the train 10, or may determine the weather conditions based on operation information of the snow-resistant brakes installed on the train 10. Furthermore, the weather determination unit 33 may determine whether the weather is sunny or cloudy using a sensor capable of measuring illuminance. Furthermore, if weather condition information is available from an external server or the like that provides information on weather conditions at the train position where the train 10 is traveling, the weather determination unit 33 may obtain weather condition information from the external server or the like and make a determination based on that information. The weather determination unit 33 may determine the weather conditions by combining multiple pieces of information listed above.

[0029] The tourist information storage unit 34 stores tourist information acquired from a database 61 in which tourist information including at least tourist spots along the route on which the train 10 runs, a guidance position which is the position of the train 10 when providing guidance about the tourist spots, the direction to the tourist spots from the guidance position, and guidance information according to weather conditions used in guidance by the train guidance information device 40 for passengers provided on the train 10 is registered (step S4). The tourist information storage unit 34 acquires and stores the tourist information from the database 61 via the antenna 21, the public line network 22, and the on-board server 23. For example, the tourist information storage unit 34 may refer to the database 61 based on the train position, i.e., the mileage, acquired by the train position acquisition unit 31, and acquire tourist information about the tourist spot when the train arrives a specified distance before the mileage of the tourist spot registered in the database 61, or may acquire tourist information about multiple tourist spots that the train will pass through in advance. There are no particular limitations on the timing at which the tourist information storage unit 34 acquires and stores tourist information from the database 61, but it is desirable to set the timing with ample time, taking into account the processing time required for the guidance determination unit 35 to display tourist spot information on the train guidance information device 40, as will be described later.

[0030] The guidance determination unit 35 determines whether to provide guidance for the tourist spots indicated in the tourist information on the passenger train guidance information device 40 provided on the train 10, based on the train position of the train 10 acquired by the train position acquisition unit 31, the setting information acquired by the setting information acquisition unit 32, and the weather condition acquired by the weather determination unit 33 (step S5). For example, if the tourist information target is XX Dam in the example of the database 61 of FIG. 2, the guidance determination unit 35 determines to provide guidance using guidance information C when the weather at the train position of the train 10 is sunny, cloudy, or the like, and determines not to provide guidance when the weather at the train position of the train 10 is rainy. Even if the weather is the same as rain, if the tourist information target is Mount Fuji in the example of the database 61 of FIG. 2, the guidance determination unit 35 determines to provide guidance using guidance information A, which targets weather other than snow. Note that if the tourist information target is Mount Fuji and the weather is snowy, the guidance determination unit 35 determines to provide guidance using guidance information B. The guidance determination unit 35 can change the determination of whether to provide guidance depending on the tourist spot that is the target of the tourist information, even if the weather conditions are the same. In this way, the guidance determination unit 35 can control the display of tourist spot guidance on the train guidance information device 40 using guidance information that corresponds to the weather conditions.

[0031] Furthermore, if it is specified that tourist spots will be provided when the train 10 is operating on a holiday, and that tourist spots will not be provided when the train 10 is operating on a weekday, the guidance determination unit 35 can determine that tourist spots indicated in the tourist information on the train guidance information device 40 will be provided when the current day is a holiday, and that tourist spots will not be provided when the current day is a weekday.

[0032] Furthermore, if it is specified that tourist spot information should be provided when the type of train 10 is an express or rapid train, and that tourist spot information should not be provided when the type of train 10 is a local train, the guidance determination unit 35 can determine that tourist spot information indicated in the tourist information on the train guidance information device 40 should be provided when the type of train 10 is an express or rapid train, and that tourist spot information should not be provided when the type of train 10 is a local train.

[0033] Furthermore, if it is specified that tourist spots should be guided when the current time is in the time period from sunrise to sunset, and that tourist spots should not be guided when the current time is before sunrise or after sunset, the guidance determination unit 35 can determine that tourist spots indicated in the tourist information on the train guidance information device 40 should be guided when the current time is in the time period from sunrise to sunset, and can determine that tourist spots should not be guided when the current time is before sunrise or after sunset.

[0034] The guidance determination unit 35 may determine that the tourist spots indicated in the tourist information on the train guidance information device 40 will be guided when all of the above-described conditions of weather conditions, holiday or weekday operation, type of train 10, and current time zone are met, and may determine not to guide the tourist spots indicated in the tourist information on the train guidance information device 40 when any of the conditions is not met. Note that the guidance determination unit 35 may also weight each condition when making a determination. For example, when the type of train 10 is a limited express or express train, the guidance determination unit 35 may determine that the tourist spots indicated in the tourist information on the train guidance information device 40 will be guided even if the train 10 is operating on a weekday.

[0035] If the guidance determination unit 35 determines that tourist spot guidance should be provided (step S5: Yes), it controls the train guidance information device 40 to display tourist spot guidance to passengers (step S6). For example, when the train position, i.e., the mileage, of the train 10 reaches the mileage indicated in the tourist information or arrives a specified distance before the mileage indicated in the tourist information, the guidance determination unit 35 outputs guidance information included in the tourist information to the train guidance information device 40. This allows the train guidance information device 40 to display tourist spot guidance to passengers of the train 10 by using the guidance information. The guidance determination unit 35 can cause the train guidance information device 40 to display tourist spot guidance in real time according to the running status of the train 10.

[0036] 5 is a diagram showing an example of guide information for tourist spots displayed on the train guide information device 40 under the control of the train information management device 30 according to the first embodiment. The guide determination unit 35 can calculate information such as "XX meters remaining" from the difference between the kilometer distance indicated in the tourist information and the kilometer distance representing the train position acquired by the train position acquisition unit 31. Furthermore, when the setting information includes information about the direction of travel of the train 10, the guide determination unit 35 may take the direction of travel of the train 10 into consideration and convert the direction in which Mount Fuji, a tourist spot, can be viewed from the train 10 into information such as "right side" so that passengers can uniquely determine the direction from the "mountain side" from which the tourist spot can be viewed.

[0037] At this time, the guidance determination unit 35 may control a display 50 for crew members installed in the driver's cab of the train 10 to display to the crew that the train guidance information device 40 is displaying guidance about tourist spots. The content displayed on the display 50 may be, for example, a digest version of the guidance about tourist spots displayed on the train guidance information device 40, or just the names of the tourist spots. This allows the crew of the train 10 to understand that the train guidance information device 40 is displaying guidance about tourist spots to passengers.

[0038] If the guidance determination unit 35 determines that tourist spot guidance will not be provided (step S5: No), it does not control the train guidance information device 40 to display tourist spot guidance for passengers (step S7). For example, even if the train position, i.e., the mileage, of the train 10 reaches the mileage indicated in the tourist information or arrives a specified distance before the mileage indicated in the tourist information, the guidance determination unit 35 does not output the guidance information included in the tourist spot information to the train guidance information device 40. As a result, the train guidance information device 40 cannot display tourist spot guidance for passengers on the train 10. Furthermore, because the train guidance information device 40 does not provide tourist spot guidance, the guidance determination unit 35 does not control the driver's display 50 installed in the driver's cab of the train 10 to display tourist spot guidance for the driver. This allows the driver of the train 10 to understand that the train guidance information device 40 is not displaying tourist spot guidance for passengers.

[0039] 2 is a XX Dam and it is raining, information such as an image of the XX Dam in good weather may be registered in the database 61 as guidance information D. This allows the guidance determination unit 35 to allow passengers to view the XX Dam in good weather, which cannot actually be seen due to bad weather, on the train guidance information device 40.

[0040] When the tourist information includes information about the next station where the train 10 will stop after passing the guided location, the guide determination unit 35 determines that tourist spot guidance will be provided, and the train guide information device 40 displays tourist spot guidance, the train speed control unit 36 ​​determines whether the train 10 can recover from the delay by the next station even if it decelerates (step S8). If the train speed control unit 36 ​​determines that the train 10 can recover from the delay by the next station even if it decelerates (step S8: Yes), it controls the train 10 to decelerate within a specified range that includes the guided location, and then controls recovery operation to recover the delay while the train 10 is traveling to the next station (step S9). If the train speed control unit 36 ​​determines that the train 10 cannot recover from the delay by the next station (step S8: No), it does not control the train 10 to decelerate (step S10).

[0041] The train speed control unit 36 ​​does not always determine whether to decelerate the train 10, but may make the determination based on setting information regarding the operation of the train 10. For example, when the train is operated on a holiday, the train speed control unit 36 ​​determines whether to decelerate the train at tourist spots because there are many tourists, and when the train is operated on a weekday, the train speed control unit 36 ​​does not determine whether to decelerate the train at tourist spots because there are few tourists. Furthermore, for example, when the train 10 is an express train, the train speed control unit 36 ​​determines whether to decelerate the train at tourist spots because there are many tourists, and when the train 10 is a local train, the train speed control unit 36 ​​does not determine whether to decelerate the train at tourist spots because there are few tourists.

[0042] The train information control device 30 repeatedly performs the operation of the flowchart shown in FIG. 4 at a specified cycle while the train 10 on which it is installed is in operation.

[0043] Next, we will explain the hardware configuration of the train information management device 30. In the train information management device 30, the train position acquisition unit 31, setting information acquisition unit 32, weather determination unit 33, tourist information storage unit 34, guidance determination unit 35, and train speed control unit 36 ​​are realized by processing circuits. The processing circuits may be a processor and memory that executes programs stored in memory, or may be dedicated hardware.

[0044] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example in which a processing circuit 90 that realizes the train information management device 30 according to the first embodiment is configured with a processor 91 and a memory 92. When the processing circuit 90 is configured with the processor 91 and the memory 92, each function of the processing circuit 90 of the train information management device 30 is realized by software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware. The software or firmware is written as a program and stored in the memory 92. In the processing circuit 90, each function is realized by the processor 91 reading and executing the program stored in the memory 92. That is, the processing circuit 90 includes the memory 92 for storing the program that results in the processing of the train information management device 30 being executed. It can also be said that these programs cause a computer to execute the procedures and methods of the train information management device 30.

[0045] The above program can also be said to be a program that causes the train information management device 30 to execute the following steps: a train position acquisition step in which the train position acquisition unit 31 acquires a train position indicating the position of the train 10; a setting information acquisition step in which the setting information acquisition unit 32 acquires setting information about the operation of the train 10; a weather determination step in which the weather determination unit 33 determines the weather conditions at the train position; a tourist information retention step in which the tourist information retention unit 34 retains tourist information acquired from a database 61 in which tourist information including at least tourist spots along the line on which the train 10 runs, a guidance position which is the position of the train 10 when providing guidance about the tourist spots, the direction in which the tourist spots are located at the guidance position, and guidance information used for guidance in the train guidance information device 40 equipped on the train 10 is registered; and a guidance determination step in which the guidance determination unit 35 determines whether or not to provide guidance about the tourist spots indicated in the tourist information in the train guidance information device 40 based on the train position, the setting information, and the weather conditions.

[0046] Here, the processor 91 may be a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a processing device, an arithmetic device, a microprocessor, a microcomputer, or a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), etc. The memory 92 may be, for example, a non-volatile or volatile semiconductor memory such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a flash memory, an EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), or an EEPROM (Electrically EPROM), a magnetic disk, a flexible disk, an optical disk, a compact disk, a minidisk, or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc).

[0047] 7 is a diagram illustrating an example in which the processing circuitry 93 that realizes the train information management device 30 according to the first embodiment is configured with dedicated hardware. When the processing circuitry 93 is configured with dedicated hardware, the processing circuitry 93 illustrated in FIG. 7 corresponds to, for example, a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, a parallel programmed processor, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or a combination thereof. Each function of the train information management device 30 may be realized by the processing circuitry 93 separately, or all functions may be realized collectively by the processing circuitry 93.

[0048] It should be noted that some of the functions of the train information control device 30 may be realized by dedicated hardware and some by software or firmware. In this way, the processing circuit can realize each of the above-described functions by dedicated hardware, software, firmware, or a combination of these.

[0049] As described above, according to this embodiment, in the train information management device 30, the guidance determination unit 35 determines whether or not to provide guidance on tourist spots indicated in the tourist information in the train guidance information device 40 based on the train position of the train 10 acquired by the train position acquisition unit 31, the setting information acquired by the setting information acquisition unit 32, and the weather conditions acquired by the weather determination unit 33, and if it is determined that guidance on tourist spots should be provided, it controls the train guidance information device 40 to display guidance on the tourist spots to passengers.

[0050] As a result, the guidance determination unit 35 can cause the train guidance information device 40 to display information about tourist spots when tourist spots are visible to passengers on the train 10, and can prevent the train guidance information device 40 from displaying information about tourist spots when tourist spots are not visible to passengers on the train 10. Furthermore, the guidance determination unit 35 can cause the train guidance information device 40 to display information about tourist spots for trains 10 that are likely to have many passengers traveling, and can prevent the train guidance information device 40 from displaying information about tourist spots for trains 10 that are likely to have many passengers commuting to work or school. By operating as described above, the guidance determination unit 35 can appropriately determine whether to provide information about tourist spots indicated in the tourist information on the train guidance information device 40, even when the train 10's schedule is disrupted. In this way, the guidance determination unit 35 can determine whether to provide information about tourist spots depending on the operating conditions of the train 10. As a result, passengers on the train 10 can understand the location and direction of the tourist spots when they are visible from the train 10.

[0051] Embodiment 2 In the first embodiment, it was assumed that the train information management device 30 causes the train guidance information device 40 to display one tourist spot at a time. In the second embodiment, a case will be described in which the train information management device 30 causes the train guidance information device 40 to display a plurality of tourist spots.

[0052] In the second embodiment, the configuration of the tourist spot information system 1 is the same as the configuration of the tourist spot information system 1 in the first embodiment shown in Fig. 1. Also, in the second embodiment, the configuration of the train information management device 30 is the same as the configuration of the train information management device 30 in the first embodiment shown in Fig. 3. Also, in the second embodiment, the configuration of the database 61 is the same as the configuration of the database 61 in the first embodiment shown in Fig. 2.

[0053] In the first embodiment, the tourist information storage unit 34 may store tourist information about only one nearby tourist spot, or may store tourist information about multiple tourist spots. In the second embodiment, the tourist information storage unit 34 stores tourist information about multiple tourist spots.

[0054] When the guidance determination unit 35 determines that guidance should be provided for the specified number of tourist spots, it controls the train guidance information device 40 to display guidance for the specified number of tourist spots in order of proximity to the current train position in the direction of travel of the train 10. Note that the specified number, which is the number of tourist spots that the guidance determination unit 35 causes the train guidance information device 40 to display, is equal to or less than the number of tourist information items for the tourist spots stored in the tourist information storage unit 34.

[0055] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of tourist spot guidance information displayed on the train guidance information device 40 under the control of the train information management device 30 according to the second embodiment. In the example of FIG. 8 , the guidance determination unit 35 causes the train guidance information device 40 to display guidance for Mt. Fuji, the nearest tourist spot, similar to that in the first embodiment shown in FIG. 5 , and for the second and subsequent tourist spots, the train guidance information device 40 displays only the names of the tourist spots as guidance. However, this is not limited to this example. If there is sufficient display space on the train guidance information device 40, the guidance determination unit 35 may also cause the train guidance information device 40 to display guidance for the second and subsequent tourist spots, such as Lake △△, the □□ Dam, and the ◇◇ Bridge in the example of FIG. 8 , similar to that for Mt. Fuji, the nearest tourist spot. If there is not enough display space on the train guidance information device 40, the guidance determination unit 35 may alternately display the display shown in the upper row of FIG. 8 and the display shown in the lower row of FIG. 8 at a specified interval.

[0056] The operation of the train information control device 30 of the second embodiment is simply to perform the operation of the flowchart shown in FIG. 4 explained in the first embodiment for each tourist spot, and therefore a detailed explanation will be omitted.

[0057] As described above, according to this embodiment, in the train information management device 30, the guidance determination unit 35 causes the train guidance information device 40 to display guidance for multiple tourist spots as tourist spot guidance. Even in this case, the train information management device 30 can determine whether or not to provide tourist spot guidance depending on the operating status of the train 10. Furthermore, by causing the train information management device 30 to display guidance for multiple tourist spots, the train information management device 30 can improve passenger convenience.

[0058] The configurations shown in the above embodiments are merely examples, and may be combined with other known technologies, or different embodiments may be combined with each other. It is also possible to omit or modify parts of the configurations as long as they do not deviate from the gist of the invention.

[0059] 1 Tourist attraction guidance system, 10 Train, 20 On-board equipment, 21 Antenna, 22 Public line network, 23 On-board server, 30 Train information management device, 31 Train position acquisition unit, 32 Setting information acquisition unit, 33 Weather determination unit, 34 Tourist information storage unit, 35 Guidance determination unit, 36 Train speed control unit, 40 Train guidance information device, 50 Display, 60 Cloud service, 61 Database, 62 Storage unit, 63 Terminal device, 90, 93 Processing circuit, 91 Processor, 92 Memory.

Claims

1. a train position acquisition unit that acquires a train position indicating the position of a train; a setting information acquisition unit that acquires setting information regarding the operation of the train; a weather determination unit for determining weather conditions at the train location; a tourist information storage unit that stores tourist information acquired from a database in which tourist information is registered, the tourist information including at least tourist spots along the line on which the train runs, a guidance position that is the position of the train when guiding the tourist spots, the direction to the tourist spots from the guidance position, and guidance information used in guidance by a train guidance information device equipped on the train; a guidance determination unit that determines whether or not to provide guidance on the tourist spots indicated in the tourist information in the train guidance information device based on the train position, the guidance rules according to the setting information, and the weather conditions; A train information management device comprising:

2. A train position acquisition unit that acquires a train position indicating the location of a train; a setting information acquisition unit that acquires setting information regarding the operation of the train; a weather determination unit for determining weather conditions at the train location; a tourist information storage unit that stores tourist information acquired from a database in which tourist information is registered, the tourist information including at least tourist spots along the line on which the train runs, a guidance position that is the position of the train when guiding the tourist spots, the direction to the tourist spots from the guidance position, and guidance information used in guidance by a train guidance information device equipped on the train; a guidance determination unit that determines whether or not to provide guidance on the tourist spots indicated in the tourist information in the train guidance information device based on the train position, the setting information, and the weather condition; Equipped with When the guidance determination unit determines that guidance for the tourist spot should be provided, the guidance determination unit controls the train guidance information device to display guidance for the tourist spot, and controls a display device installed in the driver's cab of the train to display that the train guidance information device is displaying guidance for the tourist spot. A train information management device characterized by:

3. A train position acquisition unit that acquires a train position indicating the location of a train; a setting information acquisition unit that acquires setting information regarding the operation of the train; a weather determination unit for determining weather conditions at the train location; a tourist information storage unit that stores tourist information acquired from a database in which tourist information is registered, the tourist information including at least tourist spots along the line on which the train runs, a guidance position that is the position of the train when guiding the tourist spots, the direction to the tourist spots from the guidance position, and guidance information used in guidance by a train guidance information device equipped on the train; a guidance determination unit that determines whether or not to provide guidance on the tourist spots indicated in the tourist information in the train guidance information device based on the train position, the setting information, and the weather condition; Equipped with the tourist information includes information about the next station where the train will stop after passing the guidance position, moreover, a train speed control unit that, when it is determined that the delay in the operation of the train can be recovered by the time of the next station even if the train is decelerated, controls the decelerated operation of the train within a specified range including the guide position, and then controls recovery operation to recover the delay in the operation of the train while the train is traveling to the next station; A train information management device comprising:

4. The tourist information includes information on the next station where the train will stop after passing the guidance position, moreover, a train speed control unit that, when it is determined that the delay in the operation of the train can be recovered by the time of the next station even if the train is decelerated, controls the decelerated operation of the train within a specified range including the guide position, and then controls recovery operation to recover the delay in the operation of the train while the train is traveling to the next station; 3. The train information management device according to claim 2, further comprising:

5. the tourist information storage unit stores the tourist information for a plurality of the tourist spots; When the guidance determination unit determines that guidance should be provided for the specified number of tourist spots, the guidance determination unit controls the train guidance information device to display guidance for the specified number of tourist spots in order of proximity to the current train position in the train's traveling direction.

2. The train information management device according to claim 1.

6. the weather determination unit determines the weather condition based on operation information of wipers provided on the train.

2. The train information management device according to claim 1.

7. the weather determination unit determines the weather condition based on operation information of a snow-resistant brake provided on the train.

2. The train information management device according to claim 1.

8. the tourist information includes different guide information for the same tourist spot for a plurality of the weather conditions; the guidance determination unit controls the train guidance information device to display guidance for the tourist spot using the guidance information according to the weather condition.

2. The train information management device according to claim 1.

9. a train information management device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, which is mounted on a train; a storage unit storing a database of tourist information including at least tourist spots along the line on which the train runs, a guide position that is the position of the train when guiding the tourist spots, the direction to the tourist spots from the guide position, and guide information used in guidance by a train guide information device equipped on the train; the train guide information device that is mounted on the train and displays information about the tourist spots under the control of the train information management device; A tourist spot guide system comprising:

10. a train position acquisition step in which a train position acquisition unit acquires a train position indicating the position of a train; a setting information acquisition step in which a setting information acquisition unit acquires setting information regarding the operation of the train; a weather determination step in which a weather determination unit determines weather conditions at the train location; a tourist information holding step in which a tourist information holding unit holds tourist information acquired from a database in which tourist information including at least tourist spots along the line on which the train runs, a guidance position which is the position of the train when guiding the tourist spots, a direction to the tourist spots from the guidance position, and guidance information used in guidance by a train guidance information device equipped on the train is registered; a guidance determination step in which a guidance determination unit determines whether or not to provide guidance on the tourist spots indicated in the tourist information in the train guidance information device based on the train position, the guidance rules in the setting information, and the weather conditions; A tourist spot guidance method comprising:

11. A train position acquisition step in which a train position acquisition unit acquires a train position indicating the position of a train; a setting information acquisition step in which a setting information acquisition unit acquires setting information regarding the operation of the train; a weather determination step in which a weather determination unit determines weather conditions at the train location; a tourist information holding step in which a tourist information holding unit holds tourist information acquired from a database in which tourist information including at least tourist spots along the line on which the train runs, a guidance position which is the position of the train when guiding the tourist spots, a direction to the tourist spots from the guidance position, and guidance information used in guidance by a train guidance information device equipped on the train is registered; a guidance determination step in which a guidance determination unit determines whether or not to provide guidance on the tourist spots indicated in the tourist information in the train guidance information device based on the train position, the setting information, and the weather condition; Including, In the guidance determination step, when the guidance determination unit determines that guidance for the tourist spot should be provided, the guidance determination unit controls the train guidance information device to display guidance for the tourist spot, and controls a display device installed in the driver's cab of the train to display that the train guidance information device is displaying guidance for the tourist spot. A tourist spot guidance method characterized by the above.

12. A train position acquisition step in which a train position acquisition unit acquires a train position indicating the position of a train; a setting information acquisition step in which a setting information acquisition unit acquires setting information regarding the operation of the train; a weather determination step in which a weather determination unit determines weather conditions at the train location; a tourist information holding step in which a tourist information holding unit holds tourist information acquired from a database in which tourist information including at least tourist spots along the line on which the train runs, a guidance position which is the position of the train when guiding the tourist spots, a direction to the tourist spots from the guidance position, and guidance information used in guidance by a train guidance information device equipped on the train is registered; a guidance determination step in which a guidance determination unit determines whether or not to provide guidance on the tourist spots indicated in the tourist information in the train guidance information device based on the train position, the setting information, and the weather condition; Including, the tourist information includes information about the next station where the train will stop after passing the guidance position, moreover, a train speed control step in which, when the train speed control unit determines that the delay in the operation of the train can be recovered by the time the train reaches the next station even if the train is decelerated, the train speed control unit controls the decelerated operation of the train within a specified range including the guide position, and then controls recovery operation to recover the delay in the operation of the train while the train is traveling to the next station; A tourist spot guidance method comprising:

13. The tourist information includes information on the next station where the train will stop after passing the guidance position, moreover, a train speed control step in which, when the train speed control unit determines that the delay in the operation of the train can be recovered by the time the train reaches the next station even if the train is decelerated, the train speed control unit controls the decelerated operation of the train within a specified range including the guide position, and then controls recovery operation to recover the delay in the operation of the train while the train is traveling to the next station; 12. The tourist spot guidance method according to claim 11, further comprising:

14. In the tourist information storage step, the tourist information storage unit stores the tourist information about the plurality of tourist spots, In the guidance determination step, when the guidance determination unit determines that guidance should be provided for the specified number of tourist spots, the guidance determination unit controls the train guidance information device to display guidance for the specified number of tourist spots in order of proximity to the current train position in the train's traveling direction.

11. The tourist spot guidance method according to claim 10.

15. In the weather determination step, the weather determination unit determines the weather condition based on operation information of wipers provided on the train.

11. The tourist spot guidance method according to claim 10.

16. In the weather determination step, the weather determination unit determines the weather condition based on operation information of a snow-resistant brake provided on the train.

11. The tourist spot guidance method according to claim 10.

17. the tourist information includes different guide information for the same tourist spot for a plurality of the weather conditions; In the guidance determination step, the guidance determination unit controls the train guidance information device to display guidance for the tourist spot using the guidance information according to the weather condition.

17. The tourist spot guidance method according to claim 10.