Portable distance measuring device, train operation system, control circuit, storage medium, and method for determining whether a train driver is inside or outside a train

Abstract

To provide a portable distance measuring device (20) capable of improving the accuracy of a train crew's inside / outside determination by wireless communication with an in-car distance measuring device installed inside a train that does not require a complicated antenna design. The portable distance measuring device (20) includes an in-car distance measuring device relative distance calculation unit (25) that calculates the relative distance between the portable distance measuring device (20) and multiple in-car distance measuring devices installed inside the train based on a propagation delay time of wireless communication between the portable distance measuring device (20) and multiple in-car distance measuring devices installed inside the train, a report information analysis unit (27) that analyzes report information transmitted from the multiple in-car distance measuring devices and acquires installation area information indicating the installation area of ​​the in-car distance measuring device that is the sender of the report information, an in-car / outside determination unit (26) that determines whether the portable distance measuring device (20) is inside or outside the train based on the relative distance and the installation area information and outputs the in-car / outside determination result, and a portable distance measuring device transmission unit (23) that wirelessly transmits the in-car / outside determination result to the in-car distance measuring device.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a portable distance measuring device carried by a train crew member, a train operation system, a control circuit, a storage medium, and a method for determining whether a crew member is inside or outside a train. [Background technology]

[0002] One possible form of an automatic train driving system is one in which no driver or attendant is on board the train, and only a crew member is on board to respond to unexpected train accidents, obstacles, and other troubles. In such an automatic train driving system, it is assumed that when a trouble occurs, the crew member will temporarily leave the train to respond. However, if the train mistakenly recognizes that the crew member has returned to the train when he or she has not, and starts automatically, this could develop into a major problem that disrupts train operations. In order to avoid such a situation, a means is required for the train to accurately determine whether the crew member is on or off the train.

[0003] As a means for grasping the position of a crew member on a train, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for a train operation system that estimates the position of the crew member using ultra-wideband radio, i.e., UWB (Ultra-Wide Band). The train operation system described in Patent Document 1 has a plurality of UWB wireless sensors installed inside or outside the train, and estimates the position of the UWB wireless tag based on Cartesian coordinates with a certain position as the origin by measuring the distance between each UWB wireless sensor and the UWB wireless tag carried by the crew member. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7229437 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] According to the above conventional technology, in order to estimate the position of the driver as a coordinate, it is basically necessary to measure the distance between three or more UWB wireless sensors and the UWB wireless tag, and the distance measurement needs to be relatively accurate. Since UWB wireless calculates the distance based on the propagation delay time of radio waves, in order to perform high-precision distance measurement, stable communication by direct waves is required without any objects that may cause obstruction or reflection between the transmitter and receiver. Therefore, when a driver with a UWB wireless tag is outside the vehicle, the UWB wireless sensor needs to ensure line of sight of radio waves with the UWB wireless tag outside the vehicle.

[0006] Therefore, the above-mentioned conventional technology discloses a method of installing UWB wireless sensors not only inside the vehicle but also outside the vehicle as one of the means for determining whether the crew is inside or outside the vehicle. However, when installing a UWB wireless sensor outside the vehicle, there are many restrictions on installing it outside the vehicle body from the viewpoint of the train's construction limit, and there is a problem that the UWB wireless sensor itself needs to have high environmental resistance performance such as temperature, wind and rain. In addition, the above-mentioned conventional technology discloses a means for performing the inside / outside determination using only the UWB wireless sensor inside the vehicle. However, since radio waves are forcibly transmitted from the antenna of the UWB wireless sensor inside the vehicle to the outside of the vehicle, it is necessary to install an antenna with a small gain for the inside of the vehicle and a large gain for the outside of the vehicle on the UWB wireless sensor, which causes a problem that the design of the antenna becomes complicated and it becomes difficult to apply a small and inexpensive antenna.

[0007] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above, and aims to obtain a portable ranging device that can improve the accuracy of crew members' determination of inside and outside the train through wireless communication with an in-train ranging device installed inside the train, which does not require a complex antenna design. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the present disclosure provides a portable distance measuring device carried by a train crew member, the portable distance measuring device including an in-car distance measuring device relative distance calculation unit that calculates the relative distance between the portable distance measuring device and multiple in-car distance measuring devices installed in the train based on the propagation delay time of wireless communication between the portable distance measuring device and multiple in-car distance measuring devices, a report information analysis unit that analyzes report information transmitted from the multiple in-car distance measuring devices and acquires installation area information indicating the installation area of ​​the in-car distance measuring device that is the source of the report information, and a height difference calculation unit which calculates a difference between the height of the installation position of the in-car distance measuring device and the height at which the portable distance measuring device is located, using the relative distance calculated by the in-car distance measuring device relative distance calculation unit when a crew member carrying a portable distance measuring device stands at a specified position inside the train and the portable distance measuring device communicates wirelessly with a specified in-car distance measuring device, and distance information between the installation position of the specified in-car distance measuring device, which is fixed in the train car, and the position at which the crew member stands, when projected onto a plane horizontal to the ground, and sets the difference in height between the installation position of the in-car distance measuring device and the height at which the portable distance measuring device is located, and sets the difference in height in the in-car distance measuring device relative distance conversion unit; an in-car distance measuring device relative distance conversion unit which converts the relative distance calculated by the in-car distance measuring device relative distance calculation unit into a horizontal plane relative distance between the in-car distance measuring device and the portable distance measuring device when projected onto a plane horizontal to the ground, using the difference in height between the installation position of the in-car distance measuring device set by the height difference calculation unit and the height at which the portable distance measuring device is located; and an inside / outside determination unit that determines whether the portable ranging device is inside or outside the train based on the installation area information and outputs the inside / outside determination result, and a portable ranging device transmission unit that wirelessly transmits the inside / outside determination result to the in-train ranging device. Effect of the Invention

[0009] The portable ranging device disclosed herein has the advantage of being able to improve the accuracy of train crew's determination of whether the train is inside or outside through wireless communication with an in-car ranging device installed inside the train, which does not require a complex antenna design. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] A diagram showing an outline of distance measurement using the general TWR (Two Way Ranging) method. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining that when an in-car distance measuring device according to the first embodiment is installed on the inside of a train near each door, the position of the portable distance measuring device can be estimated by calculating the distances between the in-car distance measuring device and the portable distance measuring device. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a second schematic diagram for explaining that when an in-car distance measuring device according to the first embodiment is installed on the inside of a train near each door, the position of the portable distance measuring device can be estimated by calculating the distances between the in-car distance measuring device and the portable distance measuring device. [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a determination condition for a vehicle inside / outside determination method in the portable distance measuring device according to the first embodiment; [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a train operation system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 shows an example of the configuration of an in-vehicle distance measuring device according to a first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a portable distance measuring device according to a first embodiment; [Figure 8] A flowchart showing the operation of the portable distance measuring device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a processing circuit that realizes a portable distance measuring device according to a first embodiment, in the case where the processing circuit is configured with a processor and a memory; [Figure 10] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a processing circuit for implementing a portable distance measuring device according to a first embodiment when the processing circuit is configured with dedicated hardware; [Figure 11] FIG. 1 is a first diagram showing an example of a time transition of a vehicle inside / outside determination result by a vehicle inside / outside determination unit of a portable distance measuring device according to a second embodiment; [Figure 12] FIG. 2 is a second diagram showing an example of a time transition of a vehicle inside / outside determination result by a vehicle inside / outside determination unit of a portable distance measuring device according to embodiment 2; [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example in which a result of vehicle inside / outside determination by a vehicle inside / outside determination unit of the portable distance measuring device according to the second embodiment is corrected. [Figure 14] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a portable distance measuring device according to a second embodiment; [Figure 15] A flowchart showing the operation of the portable distance measuring device according to the second embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram for explaining the concept of vehicle inside / outside determination in a portable distance measuring device according to a third embodiment; [Figure 17] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a portable distance measuring device according to a third embodiment; [Figure 18] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram for explaining the concept of vehicle inside / outside determination in a portable distance measuring device according to a fourth embodiment; [Figure 19] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a portable distance measuring device according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 20] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a portable distance measuring device according to a fifth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A portable distance measuring device, a train operation system, a control circuit, a storage medium, and a train crew inside / outside determination method according to embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0012] Embodiment 1 First, an example of a method for measuring distance by wireless communication, which is a premise of the first embodiment, will be described. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of measuring distance by a general TWR method. The mobile device 2 transmits transmission time data (transmission time T1) to the fixed device 1. When the fixed device 1 receives the transmission time data (transmission time T1) from the mobile device 2, it responds by adding transmission time data (transmission time T2) for returning a response to the mobile device 2 in addition to the received reception time data (reception time R1). The mobile device 2 can grasp the reception time data (reception time R2) at which it received the response from the fixed device 1, and as a result, it can grasp the time data of the transmission time T1, reception time R1, transmission time T2, and reception time R2.

[0013] The distance between fixed device 1 and mobile device 2 can be calculated from the propagation delay time between fixed device 1 and mobile device 2. This propagation delay time can be calculated in two ways: R1-T1 and R2-T2. If the average of these two propagation delay times is taken as TD, then TD can be calculated using the following formula (1).

[0014] TD={(R1-T1)+(R2-T2)}÷2 …(1)

[0015] Here, if perfect time synchronization is not achieved between the fixed device 1 and the mobile device 2, there will be a slight difference between their times. If we assume that the time of the fixed device 1 is shifted by α compared to the time of the mobile device 2, then R1 should be converted to R1+α and T2 to T2+α. In this case, formula (1) can be converted to the following formula (2).

[0016] TD=[{(R1+α)-T1}+{R2-(T2+α)}]÷2 ={(R1-T1)+(R2-T2)}÷2 …(2)

[0017] In other words, even if there is a time difference α between fixed device 1 and mobile device 2, α cancels out and equation (2) becomes equal to equation (1). Therefore, it is possible to correctly calculate the propagation delay time between fixed device 1 and mobile device 2 regardless of the value of α, and it is possible to calculate the distance between fixed device 1 and mobile device 2 from the result.

[0018] On the other hand, there is a method for calculating distance from the power of a received signal, but the power of a received signal is likely to fluctuate due to complex weakening and strengthening when a reflected wave is present, and so, as described above, distance measurement based on the propagation delay time of communication generally allows for more accurate distance calculation than distance measurement based on the received power. Therefore, in the first embodiment, distance measurement is performed in a similar manner to distance measurement based on the propagation delay time between a fixed device 1 and a mobile device 2 as shown in FIG. 1. Any wireless signal may be used between the fixed device 1 and the mobile device 2, but it is preferable to use a UWB signal, for example. A UWB signal is an ultrashort pulse signal in the time domain, and the use of a UWB signal allows the transmission and reception timing of communication to be grasped with high accuracy, making it possible to perform high-precision distance measurement. In addition, a UWB signal has the advantage of being able to perform not only high-precision distance measurement but also data communication in parallel.

[0019] In the following description, a system is assumed in which multiple fixed devices 1 are installed inside a train, and a determination is made of the inside or outside of the train crew by determining the inside or outside of the train for the mobile devices 2 carried by the train crew. The fixed devices 1 inside the train are referred to as the in-train distance measuring devices 10, and the mobile devices 2 carried by the train crew are referred to as the portable distance measuring devices 20. It is also assumed that the in-train distance measuring devices 10 are installed on the inside of the train near each door. The vicinity of each door of the train includes, for example, the top of each door, the left and right positions of each door, etc., but is not limited to these. The multiple in-train distance measuring devices 10 are installed inside the train within a specified range from each door equipped on the train.

[0020] FIG. 2 is a first schematic diagram for explaining that the position of the portable distance measuring device 20 can be estimated by calculating the distances between the in-car distance measuring devices 10a, 10b and the portable distance measuring device 20 when the in-car distance measuring devices 10a, 10b according to the first embodiment are installed on the inside of the train near each door. FIG. 3 is a second schematic diagram for explaining that the position of the portable distance measuring device 20 can be estimated by calculating the distances between the in-car distance measuring devices 10a, 10b and the portable distance measuring device 20 when the in-car distance measuring devices 10a, 10b according to the first embodiment are installed on the inside of the train near each door. Note that the in-car distance measuring devices 10a, 10b are the same as the in-car distance measuring device 10 described above. Here, FIG. 2 shows an example in which the portable distance measuring device 20 exists inside the train, and FIG. 3 shows an example in which the portable distance measuring device 20 exists outside the train. 2 and 3, an example is shown in which there are two in-vehicle distance measuring devices 10, but the number of in-vehicle distance measuring devices 10 does not necessarily have to be two.

[0021] The portable distance measuring device 20 estimates the distance between the portable distance measuring device 20 and each of the in-vehicle distance measuring devices 10a, 10b by wirelessly exchanging signals with the in-vehicle distance measuring devices 10a, 10b, as in the case of the moving device 2 and the fixed device 1 shown in FIG. 1. When the distance measuring result r1 between the portable distance measuring device 20 and the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10a can be estimated, it is understood that the portable distance measuring device 20 exists on a circumference 30a with a radius of r1 centered on the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10a. Similarly, when the distance measuring result r2 between the portable distance measuring device 20 and the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10b can be estimated, it is understood that the portable distance measuring device 20 exists on a circumference 30b with a radius of r2 centered on the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10b. Here, the circumferences 30a, 30b in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 are described assuming that no distance measuring error occurs. 2 and 3, if no distance measurement error occurs, the intersection point of the circumferences 30a and 30b is determined to be one point, and the portable distance measuring device 20 is located at that point. Note that the examples in Fig. 2 and 3 assume that the portable distance measuring device 20 is located on a straight line that passes through the two in-vehicle distance measuring devices 10.

[0022] However, in reality, especially when the portable distance measuring device 20 is located outside the vehicle, distance measurement errors occur during radio wave propagation between the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10 installed inside the vehicle and the portable distance measuring device 20 located outside the vehicle due to obstruction, reflection, etc., and the intersection point of the circle is not determined to be one point, so the portable distance measuring device 20 cannot obtain correct position coordinates, and as a result, it may be impossible to determine whether the vehicle is inside or outside. In addition, if the portable distance measuring device 20 is out of line of sight with some of the in-vehicle distance measuring devices 10 and can only perform distance measurement processing with a single in-vehicle distance measuring device 10, it may be impossible to draw multiple circles, and since no intersection points are generated, it may be impossible to obtain position coordinates, and it may be impossible to determine whether the vehicle is inside or outside. Therefore, it is desirable to realize the inside or outside of the vehicle determination using only information such as the absolute value of the distance between the portable distance measuring device 20 and the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10 and the relative relationship, without estimating the position coordinate of the portable distance measuring device 20.

[0023] Here, the upward direction in Figures 2 and 3 is expressed as the left side in the direction of travel, and the downward direction is expressed as the right side in the direction of travel. Also, assume that an in-car distance measuring device 10 is installed on both the left and right sides of the train in the direction of travel, as shown in Figures 2 and 3. Based on the absolute value of the distance measurement result r1 from the in-car distance measuring device 10a on the left side in the direction of travel, the absolute value of the distance measurement result r2 from the in-car distance measuring device 10b on the right side in the direction of travel, and the relative relationship between them, we consider determining whether the portable distance measuring device 20 is located inside or outside the train near each door of the train, and if it is outside the train, whether it is located on the left side or the right side in the direction of travel.

[0024] For example, if the portable distance measuring device 20 is outside the vehicle on the right side of the vehicle, and the boundary distance from the inside-vehicle distance measuring device 10a on the left side of the vehicle to the boundary between the inside and outside of the vehicle at the door on the right side of the vehicle is d1, the distance measuring result r1 should be equal to or greater than the boundary distance d1. Note that it is assumed here that the signal transmitted from the inside-vehicle distance measuring device 10a on the left side of the vehicle can be received by the portable distance measuring device 20 outside the vehicle through the door window on the right side of the vehicle.

[0025] On the other hand, the distance measurement result r2 from the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10b on the right side of the traveling direction is installed inside the vehicle, and the distance between the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10b on the right side of the traveling direction and the portable distance measuring device 20 located outside the vehicle on the right side of the traveling direction is basically outside the line of sight of radio waves. Therefore, the distance measurement result r2 is basically not the result of distance measurement using direct waves, but is the result of distance measurement using diffracted waves and reflected waves that arrive through other routes, and is expected to be a large value compared to the straight-line distance of direct waves, but is thought to be a small value compared to the distance measurement result r1.

[0026] In light of the above, for example, when the following two conditions are met, it is considered that the portable distance measuring device 20 is present outside the vehicle on the right side in the traveling direction. (Condition 1A) The distance measurement result r1 from the in-vehicle distance measurement device 10a on the left side in the traveling direction is equal to or greater than the boundary distance d1. (Condition 1B) The distance measurement result r1 is equal to or greater than the distance measurement result r2 from the in-vehicle distance measurement device 10b on the right side in the direction of travel.

[0027] In addition, based on the same concept, for example, when the following two conditions are satisfied, it is considered that the portable distance measuring device 20 is present outside the vehicle on the left side in the traveling direction. (Condition 2A) The distance measurement result r2 from the in-vehicle distance measurement device 10b on the right side in the traveling direction is equal to or greater than the boundary distance d2. (Condition 2B) The distance measurement result r1 from the in-vehicle distance measurement device 10a on the left side in the direction of travel is less than the distance measurement result r2. Under the above conditions, boundary distance d2 is the distance from the interior distance measuring device 10b on the right side of the direction of travel to the interior / exterior judgment boundary at the door on the left side of the direction of travel, and is equal to boundary distance d1 due to the structure of the vehicle in which the interior distance measuring devices 10a, 10b are installed.

[0028] Also, for example, if it is determined based on the above conditions that the portable distance measuring device 20 is not outside the vehicle on the left side of the traveling direction or the right side of the traveling direction, it is considered that the portable distance measuring device 20 is inside the vehicle. For simplicity, the above description has been given using Figs. 2 and 3 with reference to a case where the portable distance measuring device 20 is on a straight line passing through two in-vehicle distance measuring devices 10. However, if the portable distance measuring device 20 is at a point other than the straight line passing through two in-vehicle distance measuring devices 10, two intersections may occur even if there is no distance measurement error. However, this embodiment is a method for realizing vehicle inside / outside determination, focusing mainly on the position of the portable distance measuring device 20 in the perpendicular direction to the traveling direction, mainly around the door. Therefore, there is no difference in the vehicle inside / outside determination result between these two intersections, so there is no particular problem.

[0029] FIG. 4 shows a table of judgment conditions for the vehicle inside / outside judgment method based on the above-mentioned concept. FIG. 4 shows an example of judgment conditions for the vehicle inside / outside judgment method in the portable distance measuring device 20 according to the first embodiment. The contents of FIG. 4 are the same as those described above or those obtained from FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, so the explanation of the vehicle inside / outside judgment result according to each judgment condition is omitted. In this way, by utilizing the absolute value of the distance measurement result r1 between the portable distance measuring device 20 and the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10a installed near the left door in the traveling direction, the absolute value of the distance measurement result r2 between the portable distance measuring device 20 and the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10b installed near the right door in the traveling direction, and the relative relationship between them, it is possible to judge whether the portable distance measuring device 20 is inside or outside the vehicle without estimating the position coordinates of the portable distance measuring device 20. In addition, in Fig. 4, an example is shown in which it is determined that the vehicle is outside (right side in the direction of travel) when r1 ≥ d1, r2 ≥ d1, and r1 ≥ r2 at the top, but the part where r1 = r2 is a boundary condition for determining between the right side and the left side in the direction of travel, so it may be determined that the vehicle is outside (left side in the direction of travel). Also, in the sense that it is not possible to strictly determine whether the vehicle is outside or inside, it may be possible to output the result of the inside / outside vehicle determination as "indeterminate," or to hold the result of the previous inside / outside vehicle determination.

[0030] Depending on the positional relationship between the in-car distance measuring device 10 and the portable distance measuring device 20, it may be possible that the distance measuring result itself is completely out of sight. In such a case, the portable distance measuring device 20 may use the information that distance measuring was not possible to perform the inside / outside of the car determination. For example, the portable distance measuring device 20 is located at a location extremely far away from the in-car distance measuring device 10 that was not able to measure distance, or is basically in a positional relationship that is out of sight of radio waves because the train body is sandwiched between them, as in the positional relationship between the in-car distance measuring device 10b on the right side of the traveling direction and the portable distance measuring device 20 outside the car on the right side of the traveling direction shown in Figure 3, and performs the inside / outside of the car determination based on the information that distance measuring was not possible.

[0031] Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a train operation system 50 according to the first embodiment. The train operation system 50 includes multiple in-car distance measuring devices 10, a portable distance measuring device 20, and an in-car information aggregation device 40. In the example of Fig. 5, the train operation system 50 includes in-car distance measuring devices 10a-1, 10a-2, 10b-1, and 10b-2 as the multiple in-car distance measuring devices 10. Here, it is assumed that multiple in-car distance measuring devices 10 are installed on the inside of the train near each door, and that a crew member to be determined as being inside or outside the train carries a portable distance measuring device 20. Figure 5 also shows an example in which an in-car ranging device 10a-1 is installed on the inside of the car near the left train door A on the left side of the direction of travel, an in-car ranging device 10a-2 is installed on the inside of the car near the left train door B on the left side of the direction of travel, an in-car ranging device 10b-1 is installed on the inside of the car near the right train door A on the right side of the direction of travel, and an in-car ranging device 10b-2 is installed on the inside of the car near the right train door B on the right side of the direction of travel.

[0032] The portable distance measuring device 20 performs wireless communication with the multiple in-vehicle distance measuring devices 10, and estimates the distance to each in-vehicle distance measuring device 10 from the propagation delay time of the signal transmitted and received by wireless communication. The portable distance measuring device 20 performs a vehicle inside / outside determination as to whether the device itself, i.e., the portable distance measuring device 20, is inside or outside the vehicle, using the relative distance, which is the distance measurement result with each in-vehicle distance measuring device 10, and information on the installation position of each in-vehicle distance measuring device 10. At this time, when the portable distance measuring device 20 performs the vehicle inside / outside determination based on the determination conditions shown in FIG. 4 as an example, the portable distance measuring device 20 can simultaneously determine whether the outside area is the outside area on the left side of the traveling direction or the outside area on the right side of the traveling direction. In addition, when information such as an ID (IDentification) that can identify the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10 is transmitted from the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10, the portable distance measuring device 20 can also determine which train door the inside or outside of the vehicle is located around.

[0033] Specifically, when the portable distance measuring device 20 is outside the vehicle, in the example of Fig. 5, it can determine that the vehicle is in outside area A on the left side of the traveling direction, outside area B on the left side of the traveling direction, outside area A on the right side of the traveling direction, or outside area B on the right side of the traveling direction. Even when the portable distance measuring device 20 is inside the vehicle, it can determine that the vehicle is in inside area A or inside area B in the example of Fig. 5 from information such as the ID of the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10 with which it is communicating wirelessly. The portable distance measuring device 20 wirelessly transmits the result of the inside / outside-vehicle determination to the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10.

[0034] The in-vehicle distance measuring device 10 receives the vehicle inside / outside determination result of the portable distance measuring device 20 wirelessly transmitted from the portable distance measuring device 20, and transmits the received vehicle inside / outside determination result to the in-vehicle information aggregating device 40. The in-vehicle distance measuring device 10 may transmit the vehicle inside / outside determination result to the in-vehicle information aggregating device 40 via wired communication or wireless communication.

[0035] Based on the received train interior / exterior determination result, the in-train information aggregating device 40 automatically controls the running of the train in which the crew member carrying the portable distance measuring device 20 is on duty. The in-train information aggregating device 40 automatically controls, for example, the opening and closing of train doors, departure, and the like, as the automatic control of the running of the train.

[0036] Fig. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration example of an in-vehicle distance measuring device 10 according to embodiment 1. The in-vehicle distance measuring device 10 includes an antenna 11, a circulator 12, an in-vehicle distance measuring device transmitting unit 13, and an in-vehicle distance measuring device receiving unit 14. Although the antenna 11 is outside the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10 in Fig. 6, the antenna 11 is also included in the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10.

[0037] The circulator 12 is connected to the antenna 11, and separates the radio signal to be transmitted to the portable distance measuring device 20 from the radio signal transmitted from the portable distance measuring device 20 and received. The circulator 12 outputs the radio signal output from the in-vehicle distance measuring device transmitting unit 13 to the antenna 11, and outputs the radio signal received by the antenna 11 to the in-vehicle distance measuring device receiving unit 14.

[0038] The in-vehicle distance measuring device transmitter 13 transmits a radio signal via the circulator 12 and the antenna 11. The in-vehicle distance measuring device 10 transmits to the portable distance measuring device 20 not only a signal required to calculate the relative distance between the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10 and the portable distance measuring device 20, but also an ID that can identify the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10 in the notification information. The portable distance measuring device 20 can grasp the installation area of ​​each in-vehicle distance measuring device 10 by previously linking the ID that can identify the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10 with the installation area information of the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10 if it can receive the ID that can identify the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10 from the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10. The installation area information of the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10 is, for example, information on the absolute position of the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10, or information indicating the installation area of ​​the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10, such as which door the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10 is installed near on the left or right side of which car number in the traveling direction. The in-vehicle distance measuring device 10 may directly transmit the installation area information itself to the portable distance measuring device 20 by the notification information. In this way, the ID capable of identifying the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10 included in the notification information may be information such as coordinates capable of specifying the installation position of the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10, or information indicating which door the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10 is installed near on the left or right side in the traveling direction of which vehicle number. The information such as coordinates capable of specifying the installation position of the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10 may be coordinate information based on a specified position. The in-vehicle distance measuring device transmitting unit 13 may also transmit the in-vehicle / outside determination condition as exemplified in FIG. 4, information on the boundary distance d1 required for the determination, and the like to the portable distance measuring device 20 as notification information.

[0039] The in-vehicle distance measuring device receiving unit 14 receives the radio signal transmitted from the portable distance measuring device 20 via the antenna 11 and the circulator 12 .

[0040] When the TWR method shown in FIG. 1 is applied, in the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10, the in-vehicle distance measuring device receiving unit 14 measures the reception time R1, and the in-vehicle distance measuring device transmitting unit 13 measures the transmission time T2.

[0041] 7 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a portable distance measuring device 20 according to embodiment 1. The portable distance measuring device 20 includes an antenna 21, a circulator 22, a portable distance measuring device transmitting unit 23, and a portable distance measuring device receiving unit 24. Although the antenna 21 is external to the portable distance measuring device 20 in FIG. 7, the antenna 21 is also included in the portable distance measuring device 20.

[0042] The circulator 22 is connected to the antenna 21, and separates the radio signal to be transmitted to the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10 from the radio signal transmitted from and received from the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10. The circulator 22 outputs the radio signal output from the portable distance measuring device transmitting unit 23 to the antenna 21, and outputs the radio signal received by the antenna 21 to the portable distance measuring device receiving unit 24.

[0043] The portable distance measuring device receiving unit 24 receives the radio signal transmitted from the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10 via the antenna 21 and the circulator 22. The portable distance measuring device receiving unit 24 includes an in-vehicle distance measuring device relative distance calculation unit 25, a vehicle inside / outside determination unit 26, and a report information analysis unit 27.

[0044] The in-car ranging device relative distance calculation unit 25 calculates the relative distance between the portable ranging device 20 and the multiple in-car ranging devices 10 based on the propagation delay time of wireless communication between the portable ranging device 20 and the multiple in-car ranging devices 10 installed inside the train. The in-car ranging device relative distance calculation unit 25 includes relative distance calculation units 251-1 to 251-N, where N is an integer equal to or greater than 2. In the following description, when the relative distance calculation units 251-1 to 251-N are not distinguished from one another, they are referred to as relative distance calculation units 251. Each relative distance calculation unit 251 calculates the relative distance between the portable ranging device 20 and one in-car ranging device 10.

[0045] The report information analysis unit 27 analyzes report information transmitted from multiple in-vehicle distance measuring devices 10, and acquires installation area information indicating the installation area of ​​the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10 that transmitted the report information. If the report information includes an ID that can identify the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10, the report information analysis unit 27 converts the ID that can identify the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10 into installation area information, and if the report information includes the installation area information of the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10 itself, the report information analysis unit 27 extracts the installation area information of the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10 from the report information. Note that, when converting an ID that can identify the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10 into installation area information, the report information analysis unit 27 holds information in advance that links the ID that can identify the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10 with the installation area information of the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10. In addition, with regard to the inside / outside vehicle determination conditions as exemplified in Figure 4, and information on the boundary distance d1 required for the determination, if these are included in the notification information transmitted from the in-vehicle ranging device 10, the notification information analysis unit 27 may extract and obtain them from the notification information, or they may be stored in advance in the portable ranging device 20.

[0046] The train inside / outside determination unit 26 determines whether the portable distance measuring device 20 is inside or outside the train based on the multiple relative distances calculated by the train inside distance measuring device relative distance calculation unit 25 and the installation area information of the train inside distance measuring device 10 acquired by the report information analysis unit 27. The train inside / outside determination unit 26 outputs the train inside / outside determination result, which determines whether the portable distance measuring device 20 is inside or outside the train, to the portable distance measuring device transmission unit 23. In addition, when the train inside and outside areas are divided into multiple areas as shown in Fig. 5, the train inside / outside determination unit 26 may determine which of the multiple areas into which the train inside and outside areas are divided the portable distance measuring device 20 is located, and output the determination result as part of the train inside / outside determination result. In the example of Figure 7, the vehicle inside / outside determination unit 26 outputs the vehicle inside / outside determination result to the outside of the portable distance measuring device 20 in addition to the portable distance measuring device transmission unit 23, but this is not essential and it is not necessary to output the vehicle inside / outside determination result to the outside of the portable distance measuring device 20.

[0047] The portable distance measuring device transmission unit 23 transmits a radio signal via the circulator 22 and the antenna 21. For example, the portable distance measuring device transmission unit 23 wirelessly transmits the vehicle inside / outside determination result to the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10 via the circulator 22 and the antenna 21.

[0048] When the TWR method shown in FIG. 1 is applied, in the portable distance measuring device 20, the portable distance measuring device transmitter 23 measures the transmission time T1, and the portable distance measuring device receiver 24 measures the reception time R2.

[0049] 8 is a flowchart showing the operation of the portable distance measuring device 20 according to the first embodiment. In the portable distance measuring device 20, the portable distance measuring device receiving unit 24 waits when it has not received notification information from the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10 via the antenna 21 and the circulator 22 (step S101: No). When the portable distance measuring device receiving unit 24 receives notification information from the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10 (step S101: Yes), the in-vehicle / out-of-vehicle determining unit 26 of the portable distance measuring device receiving unit 24 designates multiple in-vehicle distance measuring devices 10 that are desired to respond in the distance measuring process (step S102). The designated in-vehicle distance measuring devices 10 respond to the portable distance measuring device 20.

[0050] In the portable distance measuring device 20, the in-vehicle distance measuring device relative distance calculation unit 25 of the portable distance measuring device receiving unit 24 estimates a propagation delay time using the response signal from each in-vehicle distance measuring device 10, and calculates the relative distance between the portable distance measuring device 20 and each in-vehicle distance measuring device 10 from the propagation delay time (step S103). The in-vehicle / out-of-vehicle determination unit 26 of the portable distance measuring device receiving unit 24 performs in-vehicle / out-of-vehicle determination as to whether the portable distance measuring device 20 is located inside or outside the vehicle using the multiple relative distances calculated by the in-vehicle distance measuring device relative distance calculation unit 25, i.e., the relative distance to each in-vehicle distance measuring device 10 (step S104). The portable distance measuring device transmitting unit 23 obtains the in-vehicle / out-of-vehicle determination result, which is the result of the in-vehicle / out-of-vehicle determination, from the in-vehicle / out-of-vehicle determination unit 26, and wirelessly transmits the obtained in-vehicle / out-of-vehicle determination result to the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10 via the circulator 22 and the antenna 21 (step S105).

[0051] Next, the hardware configuration of the portable distance measuring device 20 will be described. In the portable distance measuring device 20, the antenna 21 is an antenna element. In the portable distance measuring device 20, the other components are realized by a processing circuit. The processing circuit may be a processor and memory that executes a program stored in a memory, or may be dedicated hardware. The processing circuit is also called a control circuit.

[0052] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a processing circuit 90 in the case where the processing circuit for realizing the portable distance measuring device 20 according to the first embodiment is configured with a processor 91 and a memory 92. The processing circuit 90 shown in the figure is a control circuit and includes 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 is realized by software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware. The software or firmware is described 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 a memory 92 for storing a program that results in the processing of the portable distance measuring device 20 being executed. This program can also be said to be a program for causing the portable distance measuring device 20 to execute each function realized by the processing circuit 90. This program may be provided by a storage medium in which the program is stored, or may be provided by other means such as a communication medium. The above program can also be said to be a program for causing the portable distance measuring device 20 to execute the processing shown in the flowchart of FIG. 8.

[0053] Here, the processor 91 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a processing device, an arithmetic device, a microprocessor, a microcomputer, or a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), etc. Also, the memory 92 is, 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), an EEPROM (Electrically EPROM), a magnetic disk, a flexible disk, an optical disk, a compact disk, a mini disk, or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), etc.

[0054] Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a processing circuit 93 in the case where the processing circuit for realizing the portable distance measuring device 20 according to the first embodiment is configured with dedicated hardware. The processing circuit 93 shown in the figure 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 of these. The processing circuit may be partially realized with dedicated hardware and partially realized with software or firmware. In this way, the processing circuit can realize each of the above-mentioned functions by dedicated hardware, software, firmware, or a combination of these.

[0055] The hardware configuration of the portable distance measuring device 20 has been described above, but the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10 has a similar hardware configuration. In the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10, the antenna 11 is an antenna element. In the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10, the other components are realized by a processing circuit. The processing circuit may be a processor and memory that executes a program stored in a memory, or may be dedicated hardware.

[0056] In the first embodiment, a case where a plurality of pieces of relative distance information are collected on the portable distance measuring device 20 side to perform vehicle inside / outside determination is shown as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. Each in-vehicle distance measuring device 10 may estimate the relative distance between the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10 and the portable distance measuring device 20 from the propagation delay time based on the response signal from the portable distance measuring device 20, collect the relative distance information in a specific in-vehicle distance measuring device 10, and the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10 with the collected relative distance information may perform vehicle inside / outside determination for the portable distance measuring device 20.

[0057] In the first embodiment, an example of an in-vehicle distance measuring device 10-driven distance measuring method has been shown in which the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10 constantly and periodically transmits notification information, and the portable distance measuring device 20 responds and starts distance measuring processing upon receiving the notification information, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the portable distance measuring device 20 may constantly and periodically transmit notification information such as the ID of its own device, i.e., the portable distance measuring device 20, and the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10 responds upon receiving the notification information from the portable distance measuring device 20, and the portable distance measuring device 20 starts distance measuring processing.

[0058] As described above, according to this embodiment, when multiple in-car distance measuring devices 10 are installed inside the train near each door, the portable distance measuring device 20 can determine whether the portable distance measuring device 20 is inside or outside the train using the absolute value of the distance between the portable distance measuring device 20 and each in-car distance measuring device 10 and information on the relative relationship without estimating the position coordinates. This allows the portable distance measuring device 20 to determine whether the crew is inside or outside the train and also obtain information on the location of the nearest train door without installing the in-car distance measuring device 10 outside the train or complicating the antenna design of the in-car distance measuring device 10. The portable distance measuring device 20 can improve the accuracy of determining whether the crew is inside or outside the train through wireless communication with the in-car distance measuring device 10 installed inside the train and does not require a complicated antenna design.

[0059] Embodiment 2 In the first embodiment, when the inside / outside vehicle determination is performed based on the inside / outside vehicle determination conditions shown in FIG. 4, it is possible to determine whether the outside vehicle area is the left side of the vehicle in the direction of travel or the right side of the vehicle in the direction of travel at the same time. In addition, it is possible to determine which train door the inside / outside vehicle area is located around based on information such as an ID for identifying the inside / outside vehicle device 10 transmitted from the inside / outside vehicle distance measuring device 10. However, if a relatively large distance measurement error occurs due to the influence of a reflected wave or the like, and the portable distance measuring device 20 erroneously determines the inside / outside vehicle area for an instant, the portable distance measuring device 20 outputs the erroneous inside / outside vehicle determination result as it is. Therefore, in the second embodiment, a case where the portable distance measuring device 20 corrects the determination result of the inside / outside vehicle area is described. In the second embodiment, differences from the first embodiment are described, and the same parts as the first embodiment are omitted.

[0060] Fig. 11 is a first diagram showing an example of the time transition of the result of the inside / outside determination by the train inside / outside determination unit 26 of the portable distance measuring device 20 according to the second embodiment. Fig. 11 shows the time transition when the portable distance measuring device 20 carried by the crew member is first inside the train, then goes outside the train through the train door on the right side of the traveling direction, and then comes back inside the train. Fig. 12 shows an example in which, after going outside the train through the train door on the right side of the traveling direction, a distance measurement error occurs due to the influence of a reflected wave, etc., and the train inside / outside determination unit 26 momentarily erroneously determines that the position of the portable distance measuring device 20 is outside the train on the left side of the traveling direction, and then the distance measurement error is reduced and the train inside / outside determination unit 26 again determines that the portable distance measuring device 20 is outside the train on the right side of the traveling direction.

[0061] Fig. 12 is a second diagram showing an example of a time transition of the vehicle inside / outside determination result by the vehicle inside / outside determination unit 26 of the portable distance measuring device 20 according to the second embodiment. In this case, in order for the driver carrying the portable distance measuring device 20 to move from the outside of the vehicle on the right side of the traveling direction to the outside of the vehicle on the left side of the traveling direction, the driver must actually go through the inside of the vehicle, and therefore such a time transition can be interpreted as including a contradiction. Therefore, in the second embodiment, the portable distance measuring device 20 corrects the determination result to indicate that the vehicle was outside the vehicle on the right side of the traveling direction during the time period when the vehicle momentarily transitioned to the outside of the vehicle on the left side of the traveling direction in the example of Fig. 12, as shown in Fig. 13.

[0062] 13 is a diagram showing an example of correction of the vehicle inside / outside determination result by the vehicle inside / outside determination unit 26 of the portable distance measuring device 20 according to embodiment 2. In order to prevent erroneous determination due to such momentary distance measurement errors, it is considered effective to have the portable distance measuring device 20 average the time series data of the calculated relative distance before performing the vehicle inside / outside determination process, or to provide hysteresis to the vehicle inside / outside determination threshold applied to the calculated relative distance, and these measures may be used in combination.

[0063] In the second embodiment, the configuration of the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10 is similar to the configuration of the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 6, so the description of the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10 will be omitted.

[0064] Fig. 14 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a portable distance measuring device 20 according to embodiment 2. The portable distance measuring device 20 shown in Fig. 14 is obtained by adding a vehicle inside / outside area discrepancy correction unit 28 to the portable distance measuring device receiving unit 24 of the portable distance measuring device 20 according to embodiment 1 shown in Fig. 7.

[0065] The vehicle inside / outside determination unit 26 performs the same operation as in the first embodiment, but outputs the vehicle inside / outside determination result to the vehicle inside / outside area discrepancy correction unit 28 instead of the portable distance measuring device transmission unit 23 .

[0066] The vehicle interior / exterior area inconsistency correction unit 28 checks the time transition of the vehicle interior / exterior determination result output from the vehicle interior / exterior determination unit 26, and if it detects an inconsistency in the context of the time transition, it corrects the inconsistency in the vehicle interior / exterior determination result to eliminate the inconsistency.

[0067] FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing the operation of the portable distance measuring device 20 according to the second embodiment. In the flowchart shown in FIG. 15, the operations from step S101 to step S104 are the same as the operations from step S101 to step S104 in the flowchart of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 8. In the second embodiment, after step S104, in the portable distance measuring device 20, the vehicle inside / outside area inconsistency correction unit 28 of the portable distance measuring device receiving unit 24 checks the time transition of the vehicle inside / outside determination result, and corrects the vehicle inside / outside determination result so as to eliminate the inconsistency when a contradiction is detected (step S201). The portable distance measuring device transmitting unit 23 wirelessly transmits the vehicle inside / outside determination result acquired from the vehicle inside / outside area inconsistency correction unit 28 to the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10 via the circulator 22 and the antenna 21 (step S105).

[0068] As described above, according to this embodiment, in the portable distance measuring device 20, the vehicle inside / outside area inconsistency correction unit 28 checks the time transition of the vehicle inside / outside determination result, and corrects the inconsistency of the vehicle inside / outside determination result when an inconsistency is detected in the context of the time transition. This allows the portable distance measuring device 20 to reduce the influence of erroneous determination caused by the radio wave environment such as reflected waves, and achieves more stable vehicle inside / outside determination compared to the first embodiment.

[0069] Embodiment 3 In the first and second embodiments, the portable distance measuring device 20 performs the vehicle inside / outside determination using the relative distance between the portable distance measuring device 20 and the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10. However, in reality, the relative distance refers to the distance between the portable distance measuring device 20 and the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10 when considered in three dimensions. When considering whether the portable distance measuring device 20 is inside or outside the vehicle, the distance between the portable distance measuring device 20 and the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10 in two dimensions when projected onto a plane horizontal to the ground is important. Therefore, in the third embodiment, in order to perform the vehicle inside / outside determination based on a more realistic environment, the information on the height of the installation position of the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10 and the information on the height of the portable distance measuring device 20 are used to calculate the distance information between the portable distance measuring device 20 and the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10 when the relative distance between the portable distance measuring device 20 and the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10 is projected onto a plane horizontal to the ground, and the case where the vehicle inside / outside determination is performed using the distance information will be described. In the third embodiment, only the differences from the first and second embodiments will be described, and the description of the same parts as the first and second embodiments will be omitted.

[0070] FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram for explaining the concept of the inside / outside train determination in the portable distance measuring device 20 according to the third embodiment. In FIG. 16, the inside-train distance measuring device 10a is installed on the inside of the train above the train door. The relative distance between the portable distance measuring device 20 and the inside-train distance measuring device 10a is the distance measurement result r1, but the method of comparing this distance measurement result r1 with the boundary distance d1 does not allow the inside / outside train determination to be performed according to the real environment. In order to perform the inside / outside train determination to be performed according to the real environment, it is preferable to calculate the horizontal plane relative distance y, which is the distance when the distance measurement result r1, which is the relative distance, is projected onto a plane horizontal to the ground, and compare this horizontal plane relative distance y with the boundary distance d1 to perform the inside / outside train determination. To achieve this, it is necessary to calculate the horizontal plane relative distance y by the following formula (3) using the height h1 of the installation position of the inside-train distance measuring device 10a and the height h2 of the portable distance measuring device 20.

[0071] y=√(r1 2 -|h1-h2| 2 ) …(3)

[0072] In addition, in equation (3), √(r1 2 -|h1-h2| 2 ) is (r1 2 -|h1-h2| 2 ) is the square root of the horizontal plane relative distance y. In order to calculate the horizontal plane relative distance y based on equation (3), the portable distance measuring device 20 needs to know the height h1 of the installation position of the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10a and the height h2 of the portable distance measuring device 20. Here, since the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10a is fixedly installed inside the train, the height h1 of the installation position of the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10a is a fixed value. Therefore, the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10a transmits the information of the height h1 of the installation position of the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10a included in the notification information, so that the portable distance measuring device 20 can know the height h1 of the installation position of the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10a. Regarding the information of the height h1 of the installation position of the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10a, when the ID capable of identifying the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10a included in the notification information is information such as the coordinates capable of identifying the installation position of the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10a, the information may be included in the information such as the coordinates capable of identifying the installation position of the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10a.

[0073] On the other hand, the height h2 of the portable distance measuring device 20 is the height of the portable distance measuring device 20 carried by the crew member while performing their duties. Therefore, if the crew member significantly changes the position at which the portable distance measuring device 20 is carried, i.e., the height, the height h2 of the portable distance measuring device 20 also significantly changes, which causes a problem that it is difficult to constantly obtain a highly accurate horizontal plane relative distance y. Therefore, by installing the portable distance measuring device 20 on a hat, helmet, or the like worn by the crew member while performing their duties, the height h2 of the portable distance measuring device 20 can be kept at a substantially constant value at all times. That is, the portable distance measuring device 20 is attached to a hat or helmet worn by the crew member. It is expected that the height h2 of the portable distance measuring device 20 during such operation will vary depending on the height of the crew member, etc., so the portable distance measuring device 20 is made to be able to be set in advance from the outside. This allows the portable distance measuring device 20 to calculate the horizontal plane relative distance y based on the formula (3), and to perform vehicle inside / outside determination that is more suited to the actual environment.

[0074] In the third embodiment, the configuration of an in-vehicle distance measuring device 10a is similar to the configuration of the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 6, so a description of the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10a will be omitted.

[0075] Fig. 17 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a portable distance measuring device 20 according to embodiment 3. The portable distance measuring device 20 shown in Fig. 17 is obtained by adding an in-vehicle distance measuring device relative distance conversion unit 29 and a portable distance measuring device height setting unit 30 to the portable distance measuring device receiving unit 24, in comparison with the portable distance measuring device 20 according to embodiment 2 shown in Fig. 14.

[0076] The in-vehicle distance measuring device relative distance calculation unit 25 outputs the calculated relative distances between the portable distance measuring device 20 and the multiple in-vehicle distance measuring devices 10 a to the in-vehicle distance measuring device relative distance conversion unit 29 .

[0077] The report information analysis unit 27 performs the same operation as in embodiment 1 or embodiment 2. When the report information includes information on the height h1 of the installation position of the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10a, the report information analysis unit 27 extracts the height h1 of the installation position of the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10a from the report information and outputs it to the in-vehicle distance measuring device relative distance conversion unit 29.

[0078] The portable distance measuring device height setting unit 30 accepts the height at which the portable distance measuring device 20 exists, i.e., the height h2 of the portable distance measuring device 20, and sets it to the in-vehicle distance measuring device relative distance conversion unit 29. In the portable distance measuring device 20, if the portable distance measuring device height setting unit 30 can also accept the height h1 of the installation position of the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10a, the portable distance measuring device height setting unit 30 may set the accepted height h1 of the installation position of the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10a to the in-vehicle distance measuring device relative distance conversion unit 29.

[0079] The in-vehicle distance measuring device relative distance conversion unit 29 converts the relative distance calculated by the in-vehicle distance measuring device relative distance calculation unit 25 into a horizontal plane relative distance y between the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10a and the portable distance measuring device 20 when projected onto a plane horizontal to the ground. Specifically, the in-vehicle distance measuring device relative distance conversion unit 29 converts the relative distance calculated by the in-vehicle distance measuring device relative distance calculation unit 25 into a horizontal plane relative distance y using the difference between the height h1 of the installation position of the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10a, which is fixed in the interior of the train, and the height h2 at which the portable distance measuring device 20 exists. The in-vehicle distance measuring device relative distance conversion unit 29 includes relative distance conversion units 291-1 to 291-N, where N is an integer equal to or greater than 2. In the following description, when the relative distance conversion units 291-1 to 291-N are not distinguished from one another, they are referred to as relative distance conversion units 291. Each relative distance conversion unit 291 converts the relative distance between the portable distance measuring device 20 and one of the in-vehicle distance measuring devices 10a into a horizontal plane relative distance y. The in-vehicle distance measuring device relative distance conversion unit 29 may obtain the height h1 of the installation position of the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10a from the report information analysis unit 27, from the portable distance measuring device height setting unit 30, or may store it in advance.

[0080] The vehicle inside / outside determination unit 26 determines whether the portable distance measuring device 20 is inside or outside the train based on the multiple horizontal plane relative distances y converted by the vehicle inside distance measuring device relative distance conversion unit 29 and the installation area information of the vehicle inside distance measuring device 10a acquired by the report information analysis unit 27. The third embodiment is different from the first and second embodiments in that the vehicle inside / outside determination unit 26 uses the multiple horizontal plane relative distances y converted by the vehicle inside distance measuring device relative distance conversion unit 29 instead of the multiple relative distances calculated by the vehicle inside distance measuring device relative distance calculation unit 25. However, the process of the vehicle inside / outside determination by the vehicle inside / outside determination unit 26 in the third embodiment is similar to the process of the vehicle inside / outside determination by the vehicle inside / outside determination unit 26 in the first and second embodiments.

[0081] As described above, according to this embodiment, the portable distance measuring device 20 converts the calculated relative distance between the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10a and the portable distance measuring device 20 using the height h1 of the installation position of the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10a and the height h2 of the portable distance measuring device 20 into a horizontal plane relative distance y, which is the relative distance between the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10a and the portable distance measuring device 20 in two dimensions when projected onto a plane horizontal to the ground, and performs vehicle inside / outside determination using the horizontal plane relative distance y. This allows the portable distance measuring device 20 to perform vehicle inside / outside determination that is more suited to the real environment than in the first and second embodiments.

[0082] Embodiment 4 In the third embodiment, in order to perform vehicle inside / outside determination that is more suited to the actual environment, the height h2 of the portable distance measuring device 20 is manually set in advance for the portable distance measuring device 20. In the fourth embodiment, a case will be described in which the height h2 of the portable distance measuring device 20 is not manually set for the portable distance measuring device 20. Note that in the fourth embodiment, only the differences from the third embodiment will be described, and the same parts as in the third embodiment will not be described.

[0083] In embodiment 4, before starting work, a crew member sets the portable distance measuring device 20 to a specific mode such as "automatic setting mode," then carries the portable distance measuring device 20 and stands at a predetermined location, and establishes wireless communication with a specific in-vehicle distance measuring device 10.

[0084] FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram for explaining the concept of the inside / outside determination in the portable distance measuring device 20 according to the fourth embodiment. In FIG. 18, the horizontal position of the portable distance measuring device 20 is different from that in FIG. 16 described in the third embodiment. In FIG. 18, the position where the crew member carrying the portable distance measuring device 20 stands is set to the boundary between the inside and outside of the train at the right train door in the traveling direction. In this case, it can be seen that the horizontal relative distance y between the inside-car distance measuring device 10a and the portable distance measuring device 20 in the Y-axis direction is equivalent to the width of the train and is the same as the boundary distance d1. In addition, if the relative distance between the inside-car distance measuring device 10a and the portable distance measuring device 20 when the crew member stands at the position shown in FIG. 18 is set to the distance measurement result r1, the difference |h1-h2| between the height h1 of the installation position of the inside-car distance measuring device 10a and the height h2 of the portable distance measuring device 20 can be calculated by the following formula (4).

[0085] |h1-h2|=√(r1 2 -d1 2 ) …(4)

[0086] In addition, in equation (4), √(r1 2 -d1 2 ) is (r1 2 -d1 2 ) is expressed as the square root of |h1-h2|. In this way, the portable distance measuring device 20 can calculate |h1-h2| from equation (4) simply by measuring the distance to a specific in-vehicle distance measuring device 10a at a predetermined position before starting business. By automatically storing the value of |h1-h2| before starting business, the portable distance measuring device 20 does not need to obtain the height h1 of the installation position of the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10a from notification information from the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10a, nor does it need to receive the height h2 of the portable distance measuring device 20 from a crew member or the like. It can automatically calculate the horizontal plane relative distance y using equation (4) for the distance measurement result r1, which is the relative distance between each in-vehicle distance measuring device 10a.

[0087] Here, as can be seen from equation (3) explained in embodiment 3, the information required to calculate the horizontal plane relative distance y is the distance measurement result r1 and the difference |h1-h2| between the height h1 of the installation position of the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10a and the height h2 of the portable distance measuring device 20. The distance measurement result r1 can be estimated by the method explained in embodiment 1 or embodiment 2. In embodiment 3, the height h1 of the installation position of the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10a is set as a fixed value, and the height h2 of the portable distance measuring device 20 is set as a value set by the portable distance measuring device height setting unit 30, and the difference |h1-h2| between the height h1 of the installation position of the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10a and the height h2 of the portable distance measuring device 20 is calculated using these two values. However, the information required to calculate the horizontal plane relative distance y is the difference |h1-h2| between the height h1 of the installation position of the in-vehicle ranging device 10a and the height h2 of the portable ranging device 20. Therefore, if the difference |h1-h2| between the height h1 of the installation position of the in-vehicle ranging device 10a and the height h2 of the portable ranging device 20 can be obtained from equation (4), individual information on the height h1 of the installation position of the in-vehicle ranging device 10a and the height h2 of the portable ranging device 20 is not required.

[0088] For example, if the difference |h1-h2| between the height h1 of the installation position of the in-car distance measuring device 10a and the height h2 of the portable distance measuring device 20 is 0.5 m, h1=2.0 m and h2=1.5 m may be used, or h1=2.3 m and h2=1.8 m may be used, and the combination of h1 and h2 is not particularly important. Thus, in the fourth embodiment, it is not necessary to set in advance the height h1 of the installation position of the in-car distance measuring device 10a or the height h2 of the portable distance measuring device 20, and therefore the convenience of the train operation system 50 can be improved compared to the third embodiment.

[0089] In the fourth embodiment, the configuration of an in-vehicle distance measuring device 10a is similar to the configuration of the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 6, so a description of the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10a will be omitted.

[0090] Fig. 19 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a portable distance measuring device 20 according to embodiment 4. The portable distance measuring device 20 shown in Fig. 19 is obtained by replacing the portable distance measuring device height setting unit 30 with a height difference calculation unit 31 in the portable distance measuring device 20 according to embodiment 3 shown in Fig. 17.

[0091] In the state where the above-mentioned "automatic setting mode" is set, the height difference calculation unit 31 calculates the difference |h1-h2| between the height h1 of the installation position of the in-car distance measuring device 10a and the height h2 of the portable distance measuring device 20. Specifically, the height difference calculation unit 31 calculates the difference |h1-h2| between the height h1 of the installation position of the in-car distance measuring device 10a and the height at which the portable distance measuring device 20 exists, i.e., the height h2 of the portable distance measuring device 20, using the relative distance calculated by the in-car distance measuring device relative distance calculation unit 25 when the crew member carrying the portable distance measuring device 20 stands at a specified position in the train and wirelessly communicates with the specified in-car distance measuring device 10a, and the boundary distance d1, which is the distance information between the installation position of the specified in-car distance measuring device 10a, which is fixed in the train, and the position where the crew member stands, projected onto a surface horizontal to the ground. The height difference calculation unit 31 may obtain the information on the boundary distance d1 from the notification information analysis unit 27 that extracts the information on the boundary distance d1 from the notification information when the information is included in the notification information transmitted from the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10a, or may store the information in advance. The height difference calculation unit 31 sets the calculated difference |h1-h2| to the in-vehicle distance measuring device relative distance conversion unit 29.

[0092] The in-vehicle distance measuring device relative distance conversion unit 29 converts the relative distance calculated by the in-vehicle distance measuring device relative distance calculation unit 25 into a horizontal plane relative distance y between the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10a and the portable distance measuring device 20 when projected onto a plane horizontal to the ground. In the fourth embodiment, the in-vehicle distance measuring device relative distance conversion unit 29 converts the relative distance calculated by the in-vehicle distance measuring device relative distance calculation unit 25 into a horizontal plane relative distance y using the difference |h1-h2| between the height h1 of the installation position of the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10a set by the height difference calculation unit 31 and the height at which the portable distance measuring device 20 exists, i.e., the height h2 of the portable distance measuring device 20. The in-vehicle distance measuring device relative distance conversion unit 29 does not need to acquire the height h1 of the installation position of the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10a from the report information analysis unit 27, nor does it need to store it in advance.

[0093] As described above, according to this embodiment, the portable distance measuring device 20 automatically sets the difference |h1-h2| between the height h1 of the installation position of the in-car distance measuring device 10a and the height h2 of the portable distance measuring device 20 by having a crew member carry the portable distance measuring device 20 and stand at a specified position in the train before starting work, and have the portable distance measuring device 20 measure the distance between the portable distance measuring device 20 and a specific in-car distance measuring device 10a. This allows the portable distance measuring device 20 to improve the convenience of the train operation system 50 compared to the third embodiment.

[0094] Embodiment 5. In the third and fourth embodiments, it is assumed that the height h1 of the installation position of the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10a is fixed. However, the height h1 of the installation position of the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10a may differ depending on the type of vehicle constituting the train. In addition, even in the same vehicle, the height h1 of the installation position of the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10a may differ depending on the installation location of the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10a. Therefore, in the fifth embodiment, a case where the height h1 of the installation position of the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10a in a train varies depending on the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10a is described. In the fifth embodiment, differences from the first to fourth embodiments are described, and the same parts as the first to fourth embodiments are omitted.

[0095] First, the case of embodiment 3 will be described. In the case of embodiment 3, the portable distance measuring device 20 receives the height h2 of the portable distance measuring device 20 from the portable distance measuring device height setting unit 30. In embodiment 5, the portable distance measuring device 20 receives the height h2 of the portable distance measuring device 20 from the portable distance measuring device height setting unit 30, as in the case of embodiment 3.

[0096] In the case of the third embodiment, the portable distance measuring device 20 may extract the height h1 of the installation position of the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10a from the report information, may obtain it from the portable distance measuring device height setting unit 30, or may store it in advance. Here, in the fifth embodiment, it is assumed that there are in-vehicle distance measuring devices 10a with different installation heights h1 in the train. Therefore, it is not realistic for the portable distance measuring device 20 to obtain the height h1 of the installation position of the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10a from the portable distance measuring device height setting unit 30 or to store it in advance. Therefore, in the fifth embodiment, in which there are in-vehicle distance measuring devices 10a with different installation heights h1 in the train, the portable distance measuring device 20 obtains information on the height h1 of the installation position of the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10a from the report information reported by each in-vehicle distance measuring device 10a. In the fifth embodiment, the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10a transmits notification information including information on the height h1 of the installation position of the device itself, that is, the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10a.

[0097] This allows the portable distance measuring device 20 to grasp the height h1 of the installation position of the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10a that is the source of the notification information by acquiring notification information from the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10a in the vicinity where the portable distance measuring device 20 is located. Once the portable distance measuring device 20 has acquired information on the height h1 of the installation position of the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10a and the height h2 of the portable distance measuring device 20, it can determine whether the driver is inside or outside the vehicle by performing the same operations as in the third embodiment.

[0098] That is, in the fifth embodiment, the alarm information analysis unit 27 acquires information on the height h1 of the installation position of the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10a from the alarm information. The in-vehicle distance measuring device relative distance conversion unit 29 converts the distance measurement result r1, which is the relative distance calculated by the in-vehicle distance measuring device relative distance calculation unit 25, into a horizontal plane relative distance y using the difference between the height h1 of the installation position of the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10a acquired by the alarm information analysis unit 27 and the height h2 at which the portable distance measuring device 20 is located, accepted by the portable distance measuring device height setting unit 30.

[0099] Next, the case of the fourth embodiment will be described. In the case of the fourth embodiment, the portable distance measuring device 20 did not acquire specific value information for both the height h1 of the installation position of the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10a and the height h2 of the portable distance measuring device 20. Here, the portable distance measuring device 20 can acquire the height h1 of the installation position of the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10a from the notification information from the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10a, as described in the case of the third embodiment. Therefore, if the portable distance measuring device 20 can acquire the information of the height h2 of the portable distance measuring device 20, it can judge whether the driver is inside or outside the vehicle by the same operation as in the third embodiment. The following describes a method in which the portable distance measuring device 20 automatically calculates the height h2 of the portable distance measuring device 20.

[0100] Fig. 20 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a portable distance measuring device 20 according to embodiment 5. The portable distance measuring device 20 shown in Fig. 20 is obtained by replacing the height difference calculation unit 31 with a portable distance measuring device automatic height calculation unit 32 in the portable distance measuring device 20 according to embodiment 4 shown in Fig. 19. Note that arrows are added in Fig. 20 to indicate the flow of operations in which the notification information analysis unit 27 outputs information on the height h1 of the installation position of the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10a obtained from the notification information to the in-vehicle distance measuring device relative distance conversion unit 29 and the portable distance measuring device automatic height calculation unit 32.

[0101] The portable distance measuring device height automatic calculation unit 32 automatically calculates the height h2 at which the portable distance measuring device 20 is located and sets it in the in-vehicle distance measuring device relative distance conversion unit 29. Regarding the relationship between the height h1 of the installation position of the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10a and the height h2 at which the portable distance measuring device 20 is located, since the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10a is often installed above the train door, it is considered that h1 > h2. Therefore, the portable distance measuring device height automatic calculation unit 32 can automatically calculate the height h2 at which the portable distance measuring device 20 is located by transforming the formula (4) described in Embodiment 4 as the following formula (5).

[0102] h2 = h1 - √(r1 2 - d1 2 ) …(5)

[0103] In the formula (5), √(r1 2 - d1 2 ) represents the square root of (r1 2 - d1 2 ). Here, if h1 < h2, it may not be possible to calculate an accurate value from the formula (5). Therefore, the portable distance measuring device height automatic calculation unit 32 may let the crew member confirm the automatically calculated height h2 at which the portable distance measuring device 20 is located. The portable distance measuring device height automatic calculation unit 32 may display the automatically calculated height h2 at which the portable distance measuring device 20 is located on a display unit (not shown) for the crew member to confirm, or may output it as voice from a speaker (not shown) or the like. If h1 < h2 always holds, the formula (5) may be transformed as "h2 = h1 + √(r1 2 - d1 2 ). The portable distance measuring device height automatic calculation unit 32 may obtain the information on the boundary distance d1 from the notification information analysis unit 27 that extracts the information on the boundary distance d1 from the notification information included in the notification information transmitted from the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10a, or may hold it in advance. If the portable distance measuring device 20 automatically calculates the height h2 at which the portable distance measuring device 20 is located once using the formula (5), it can then perform the same operation as in the case of Embodiment 3.

[0104] That is, in the fifth embodiment, the alarm information analysis unit 27 acquires information on the height h1 of the installation position of the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10a from the alarm information. The in-vehicle distance measuring device relative distance conversion unit 29 converts the distance measurement result r1, which is the relative distance calculated by the in-vehicle distance measuring device relative distance calculation unit 25, into a horizontal plane relative distance y using the difference between the height h1 of the installation position of the in-vehicle distance measuring device 10a acquired by the alarm information analysis unit 27 and the height h2 at which the portable distance measuring device 20 exists calculated by the portable distance measuring device height automatic calculation unit 32.

[0105] As described above, according to this embodiment, even if the height h1 of the installation position of the in-car distance measuring device 10a varies depending on the in-car distance measuring device 10a in the same train, the portable distance measuring device 20 can convert the calculated relative distance between the in-car distance measuring device 10a and the portable distance measuring device 20 using the height h1 of the installation position of the in-car distance measuring device 10a and the height h2 of the portable distance measuring device 20 into a horizontal plane relative distance y, which is the relative distance between the in-car distance measuring device 10a and the portable distance measuring device 20 in two dimensions when projected onto a plane horizontal to the ground, and can perform inside / outside of the train using the horizontal plane relative distance y. As in the third and fourth embodiments, the portable distance measuring device 20 can perform inside / outside of the train that is more suited to the actual environment.

[0106] Embodiment 6 In the trains assumed in the first to fifth embodiments, there are many cases where a display device that displays information about stopping stations and train operation is mounted above the interior doors. The in-car distance measuring device 10 in the first to fifth embodiments is assumed to be installed on the inside of the train near each door. For this reason, the in-car distance measuring device 10 and the above-mentioned display device are integrated into one configuration, that is, the in-car distance measuring device 10 is integrated with a display device that is installed inside the train and displays information about train operation. This allows for improvements in terms of labor saving and reducing the number of wiring when installing the in-car distance measuring device 10.

[0107] The configurations shown in the above embodiments are merely examples, and may be combined with other known technologies, or the embodiments may be combined with each other. Also, parts of the configurations may be omitted or modified without departing from the spirit of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0108] 1 fixed device, 2 mobile device, 10, 10a, 10a-1, 10a-2, 10b, 10b-1, 10b-2 in-vehicle distance measuring device, 11, 21 antenna, 12, 22 circulator, 13 in-vehicle distance measuring device transmission unit, 14 in-vehicle distance measuring device reception unit, 20 portable distance measuring device, 23 portable distance measuring device transmission unit, 24 portable distance measuring device reception unit, 25 in-vehicle distance measuring device relative distance calculation unit, 26 in-vehicle / outside determination unit, 27 notification information analysis unit, 28 in-vehicle / outside area discrepancy correction unit, 29 in-vehicle distance measuring device relative distance conversion unit, 30 portable distance measuring device height setting unit, 31 height difference calculation unit, 32 portable distance measuring device height automatic calculation unit, 40 in-vehicle information aggregation device, 50 train operation system, 90, 93 processing circuit, 91 processor, 92 Memory, 251-1 to 251-N relative distance calculation units, 291-1 to 291-N relative distance conversion units.

Claims

1. A portable rangefinder carried by train crew members, An in-vehicle distance measuring device relative distance calculation unit calculates the relative distance between the portable distance measuring device and the multiple in-vehicle distance measuring devices based on the propagation delay time of wireless communication between the portable distance measuring device and the multiple in-vehicle distance measuring devices installed inside the train, A notification information analysis unit analyzes notification information transmitted from multiple in-vehicle distance measuring devices and acquires installation area information indicating the installation area of ​​the in-vehicle distance measuring device that transmitted the notification information, A crew member carrying the portable rangefinder stands at a designated position inside the train and the portable rangefinder communicates wirelessly with a designated in-car rangefinder. The relative distance calculated by the in-car rangefinder relative distance calculation unit and the distance between the designated in-car rangefinder, whose installation position is fixed inside the train, and the position where the crew member stands, projected onto a plane horizontal to the ground, are used to calculate the difference between the height of the installation position of the in-car rangefinder and the height at which the portable rangefinder exists, and set in the in-car rangefinder relative distance conversion unit. The vehicle-mounted range measuring device relative distance conversion unit converts the relative distance calculated by the vehicle-mounted range measuring device relative distance calculation unit, using the difference between the height of the installation position of the vehicle-mounted range measuring device and the height at which the portable range measuring device exists, when projected onto a plane horizontal to the ground, the vehicle-mounted range measuring device relative distance conversion unit An interior / exterior determination unit determines whether the portable distance measuring device is inside or outside the train based on the horizontal relative distance and the installation area information, and outputs an interior / exterior determination result. A portable distance measuring device transmitting unit that wirelessly transmits the vehicle interior / exterior determination result to the vehicle interior distance measuring device, A portable distance measuring device characterized by being equipped with [a specific feature].

2. A portable rangefinder carried by a train crew member, An in-vehicle distance measuring device relative distance calculation unit calculates the relative distance between the portable distance measuring device and the multiple in-vehicle distance measuring devices based on the propagation delay time of wireless communication between the portable distance measuring device and the multiple in-vehicle distance measuring devices installed inside the train, A notification information analysis unit analyzes notification information transmitted from multiple in-vehicle distance measuring devices and acquires installation area information indicating the installation area of ​​the in-vehicle distance measuring device that transmitted the notification information, An in-vehicle rangefinder relative distance conversion unit converts the relative distance calculated by the in-vehicle rangefinder relative distance calculation unit into a horizontal relative distance between the in-vehicle rangefinder and the portable rangefinder when projected onto a plane horizontal to the ground, A portable distance measuring device height automatic calculation unit that automatically calculates the height at which the portable distance measuring device is located and sets it in the in-vehicle distance measuring device relative distance conversion unit, An interior / exterior determination unit determines whether the portable distance measuring device is inside or outside the train based on the horizontal relative distance and the installation area information, and outputs an interior / exterior determination result. A portable distance measuring device transmitting unit that wirelessly transmits the vehicle interior / exterior determination result to the vehicle interior distance measuring device, Equipped with, The notification information analysis unit obtains information on the height of the installation position of the in-vehicle distance measuring device from the notification information, The in-vehicle distance measuring device relative distance conversion unit converts the relative distance calculated by the in-vehicle distance measuring device relative distance calculation unit into the horizontal plane relative distance using the difference between the height of the installation position of the in-vehicle distance measuring device acquired by the notification information analysis unit and the height at which the portable distance measuring device exists calculated by the portable distance measuring device height automatic calculation unit. A portable distance measuring device characterized by the following features.

3. The vehicle interior / exterior determination unit determines which of the multiple areas obtained by dividing the area inside and outside the train into multiple areas is located in which the portable rangefinder is located, and outputs the determination result in the vehicle interior / exterior determination result. A portable distance measuring device according to feature 1 or 2.

4. moreover, An interior / exterior area inconsistency correction unit checks the time transition of the interior / exterior determination result output from the interior / exterior determination unit, and corrects the interior / exterior determination result to resolve the inconsistency if an inconsistency is detected in the sequence of events of the time transition. The portable distance measuring device according to claim 3, characterized by comprising the following:

5. A portable distance measuring device according to claim 1 or 2, Multiple in-vehicle distance measuring devices receive the in-vehicle / out-of-vehicle determination result of the portable distance measuring device wirelessly transmitted from the portable distance measuring device, and transmit the in-vehicle / out-of-vehicle determination result to an in-vehicle information aggregation device. Based on the results of the determination of whether the train is inside or outside the train, the in-train information aggregation device automatically controls the running of the train on which the crew member carrying the portable rangefinder is working, A train operation system characterized by comprising the following features.

6. Multiple in-vehicle distance measuring devices are installed within a defined range from each door of the train inside the train. The train operation system according to claim 5, characterized in that it is as described above.

7. The portable rangefinder is attached to a hat or helmet worn by the crew member. The train operation system according to claim 5, characterized in that it is as described above.

8. The in-vehicle distance measuring device is integrated with a display device installed inside the train that displays information about the train's operation. The train operation system according to claim 5, characterized in that it is as described above.

9. A control circuit for controlling a portable rangefinder carried by train crew members, Based on the propagation delay time of wireless communication between multiple in-vehicle distance measuring devices installed inside the train, the relative distance between the multiple in-vehicle distance measuring devices is calculated. The notification information transmitted from multiple in-vehicle distance measuring devices is analyzed, and installation area information indicating the installation area of ​​the multiple in-vehicle distance measuring devices is obtained. The crew member carrying the portable rangefinder stands at a designated position inside the train and uses the relative distance calculated by wireless communication between the portable rangefinder and a designated in-car rangefinder, and the distance information obtained when the distance between the designated in-car rangefinder, whose installation position is fixed inside the train, and the position where the crew member stands, projected onto a plane horizontal to the ground, to calculate and set the difference between the height of the installation position of the in-car rangefinder and the height at which the portable rangefinder exists. Using the difference between the height of the set installation position of the in-vehicle rangefinder and the height at which the portable rangefinder exists, the calculated relative distance is converted into the horizontal relative distance between the in-vehicle rangefinder and the portable rangefinder when projected onto a plane horizontal to the ground. Based on the horizontal relative distance and the installation area information, it is determined whether the portable distance measuring device is inside or outside the train, and the inside / outside determination result is output. The vehicle interior / exterior determination result is wirelessly transmitted to the vehicle interior distance measuring device. A control circuit characterized by causing the portable distance measuring device to perform the following operation.

10. A storage medium containing a program for controlling a portable rangefinder carried by train crew members, The aforementioned program, Based on the propagation delay time of wireless communication between multiple in-vehicle distance measuring devices installed inside the train, the relative distance between the multiple in-vehicle distance measuring devices is calculated. The notification information transmitted from multiple in-vehicle distance measuring devices is analyzed, and installation area information indicating the installation area of ​​the multiple in-vehicle distance measuring devices is obtained. The crew member carrying the portable rangefinder stands at a designated position inside the train and uses the relative distance calculated by wireless communication between the portable rangefinder and a designated in-car rangefinder, and the distance information obtained when the distance between the designated in-car rangefinder, whose installation position is fixed inside the train, and the position where the crew member stands, projected onto a plane horizontal to the ground, to calculate and set the difference between the height of the installation position of the in-car rangefinder and the height at which the portable rangefinder exists. Using the difference between the height of the set installation position of the in-vehicle rangefinder and the height at which the portable rangefinder exists, the calculated relative distance is converted into the horizontal relative distance between the in-vehicle rangefinder and the portable rangefinder when projected onto a plane horizontal to the ground. Based on the horizontal relative distance and the installation area information, it is determined whether the portable distance measuring device is inside or outside the train, and the inside / outside determination result is output. The vehicle interior / exterior determination result is wirelessly transmitted to the vehicle interior distance measuring device. A storage medium characterized by having the portable distance measuring device perform the following action.

11. A method for determining whether a crew member is inside or outside a train using a portable rangefinder carried by the train crew, The first step is for the in-vehicle distance measuring device relative distance calculation unit to calculate the relative distance between a plurality of in-vehicle distance measuring devices based on the propagation delay time of wireless communication between the plurality of in-vehicle distance measuring devices installed inside the train, The second step involves the notification information analysis unit analyzing the notification information transmitted from multiple in-vehicle distance measuring devices and obtaining installation area information indicating the installation area of ​​the multiple in-vehicle distance measuring devices. A third step in which the height difference calculation unit calculates the difference between the height of the installation position of the in-vehicle rangefinder and the height at which the portable rangefinder exists, using the relative distance calculated by the in-vehicle rangefinder relative distance calculation unit, which is calculated using the distance information when the distance between the installation position of the specified in-vehicle rangefinder, whose installation position is fixed inside the train, and the position where the crew member is standing, projected onto a plane horizontal to the ground, and sets this difference in the in-vehicle rangefinder relative distance conversion unit. A fourth step in which the in-vehicle distance measuring device relative distance conversion unit converts the relative distance calculated by the in-vehicle distance measuring device relative distance calculation unit into a horizontal relative distance between the in-vehicle distance measuring device and the portable distance measuring device when projected onto a plane horizontal to the ground, using the difference between the height of the installation position of the in-vehicle distance measuring device and the height at which the portable distance measuring device exists, as set by the height difference calculation unit. A fifth step in which the vehicle interior / exterior determination unit determines whether the portable distance measuring device is inside or outside the train based on the horizontal relative distance and the installation area information, and outputs the vehicle interior / exterior determination result, A sixth step in which the portable distance measuring device transmitter wirelessly transmits the vehicle-inside / outside determination result to the vehicle-inside distance measuring device, A method for determining whether a crew member is inside or outside a vehicle, characterized by including the following:

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