Device, system, and method for generating communication environment model

Abstract

Provided is a technology capable of generating a communication environment model for appropriately evaluating wireless communication quality in consideration of a shield placement pattern based on a constraint condition and the like related to the operation plan and movement of a mobile object that can be a moving shield. This communication environment model generation device generates a communication environment model being an evaluation model for evaluating wireless communication quality in consideration of the influence of a moving shield, and has a moving shield placement pattern generation unit which receives, as inputs, position information, movement path information, and constraint information related to movements of a mobile object loaded with a communication terminal to be evaluated for wireless communication quality, and a mobile object that can be a moving shield, and generates a moving shield placement pattern being a placement pattern that can be generated for the moving shield.

Description

Apparatus, system and method for generating a communication environment model

[0001] The present invention relates to a technique for generating a communication environment model.

[0002] In a wireless communication system, in order to properly evaluate the quality of wireless communication between a wireless base station and a wireless terminal (hereinafter also referred to as "wireless communication quality"), it is essential to identify and evaluate the wireless communication quality while taking into account the effects of reflection, obstruction, diffraction, etc. caused by obstacles present in the propagation environment in which the wireless communication is carried out.

[0003] As one of such techniques, a technique is known that determines wireless communication quality by taking into consideration the influence of moving obstacles present in the wireless communication propagation environment (for example, Patent Document 1).

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-063929

[0005] In the technology described in Patent Literature 1, information on communication quality affected by obstructions, obstructions, etc. is acquired from a communication terminal equipped in a mobile object and stored in a terrestrial server, and when moving obstructions are placed in a similar placement pattern, wireless communication quality is estimated based on the information stored in the terrestrial server. Therefore, when wireless communication quality is estimated and evaluated using the technology described in Patent Literature 1, it is not possible to take into account the effects of reflection, obstruction, diffraction, etc. caused by moving obstructions, for which information on communication quality, obstructions, etc. is not stored in advance in the terrestrial server, making it difficult to appropriately evaluate wireless communication quality.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a technology that can generate a communication environment model for appropriately evaluating wireless communication quality, taking into account obstacle placement patterns that take into account operation plans of mobile objects that may become moving obstacles, movement constraints, etc.

[0007] The communication environment model generation device according to the present invention is a device that generates a communication environment model, which is an evaluation model for evaluating wireless communication quality taking into account the influence of moving obstacles, and has a moving obstacle placement pattern generation unit that receives as input position information, movement path information, and movement constraint information of a moving body carrying a communication terminal that is the subject of evaluation of wireless communication quality and a moving body that may become a moving obstacle, and generates a moving obstacle placement pattern, which is a placement pattern that may occur for the moving obstacle.

[0008] In addition, the communication environment model generation system according to the present invention is a system for generating a communication environment model, which is an evaluation model for evaluating wireless communication quality taking into account the influence of moving obstacles, and includes a communication environment model generation device for generating the communication environment model, and a wireless communication quality evaluation device for evaluating wireless communication quality using the generated communication environment model.The communication environment model generation device has a moving obstacle placement pattern generation unit that receives as input position information, movement route information, and movement constraint information of a moving body carrying a communication terminal whose wireless communication quality is to be evaluated and a moving body that may become a moving obstacle, and generates a moving obstacle placement pattern, which is a placement pattern that may occur for the moving obstacle.

[0009] Other problems and solutions disclosed in the present application will be made clear in the detailed description and drawings.

[0010] According to the present invention, a communication environment model can be generated to appropriately evaluate wireless communication quality by taking into account obstacle placement patterns that take into account operation plans of mobile objects that may become moving obstacles and movement constraints, etc.

[0011] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of functional blocks of a communication environment model generating device. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of a communication environment model generating device. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of a wireless communication system including a communication environment model generating system according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of a communication environment model generating process. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a shunting plan list. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a vehicle information list. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of a process for generating a vehicle movement pattern to be evaluated. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a route information list. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a track information list. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a track circuit information list. FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of a process for generating a moving obstacle placement pattern. FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a moving obstacle placement pattern.

[0012] In the following description, an "interface apparatus" may be one or more interface devices. The one or more interface devices may be at least one of the following: - One or more I / O (Input / Output) interface devices. The I / O (Input / Output) interface device is an interface device for at least one of an I / O device and a remote display computer. The I / O interface device for the display computer may be a communication interface device. The at least one I / O device may be a user interface device, for example, either an input interface device such as a keyboard and a pointing device, or an output interface device such as a display device. - One or more communication interface devices. The one or more communication interface devices may be one or more homogeneous communication interface devices (e.g., one or more NICs (Network Interface Cards)) or two or more heterogeneous communication interface devices (e.g., a NIC and an HBA (Host Bus Adapter)).

[0013] In the following description, "memory" refers to one or more memory devices, which are an example of one or more storage devices, and may typically be a primary storage device. At least one memory device in the memory may be a volatile memory device or a non-volatile memory device.

[0014] In the following description, an "auxiliary storage device" may refer to one or more auxiliary storage devices, which are an example of one or more storage devices. The auxiliary storage device may typically be a non-volatile storage device (e.g., a persistent storage device), and specifically may be, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), a non-volatile memory express (NVME) drive, or a storage class memory (SCM).

[0015] In the following description, the term "storage device" may refer to at least one memory, including a memory and an auxiliary storage device.

[0016] In the following description, a "processor" may refer to one or more processor devices. The at least one processor device may typically be a microprocessor device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), but may also include other types of processor devices such as a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). The at least one processor device may be a single-core or multi-core. The at least one processor device may also be a processor core. The at least one processor device may also be a broader processor device such as a circuit that is a collection of gate arrays written in a hardware description language that performs some or all of the processing (e.g., an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), a CPLD (Complex Programmable Logic Device), or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit)).

[0017] Furthermore, in the following description, functions may be described using the expression "xxx unit." However, the functions may be realized by one or more computer programs (hereinafter simply referred to as "programs") executed by a processor, by one or more hardware circuits (e.g., FPGAs or ASICs), or by a combination thereof. When a function is realized by a program executed by a processor, the specified processing is performed using a storage device and / or an interface device, etc., as appropriate, and therefore the function may be considered to be at least a part of the processor. Processing described using a function as the subject may also be processing performed by a processor or a device having the processor. A program may be installed from a program source. The program source may be, for example, a program distribution computer or a computer-readable recording medium (e.g., a non-transitory recording medium). The description of each function is merely an example; multiple functions may be combined into one function, or one function may be divided into multiple functions.

[0018] In the following description, information that provides an output for an input may be described using expressions such as "yyy table." However, this information may be a table of any data structure, or may be a neural network that generates an output for an input, or a learning model such as a genetic algorithm or random forest. In other words, to indicate that the information does not depend on the data structure, a "yyy table" may be referred to as "yyy information." In the following description, the structure of each table is an example, and one table may be divided into two or more tables, or all or part of two or more tables may be one table.

[0019] In the following description, a process may be described using a "program" as the subject, but the process described using a program as the subject may also be a process performed by a processor or a device having that processor. Two or more programs may be realized as one program, or one program may be realized as two or more programs.

[0020] Furthermore, in the following description, the "communication environment model generation system" may be a system (e.g., a cloud computing system) realized on a group of physical computing resources (e.g., a cloud infrastructure), or may be a system (e.g., an on-premise system) composed of one or more physical computers. When the communication environment model generation system "displays" display information, it may mean that the display information is displayed on a display device possessed by the computer, or that the computer transmits the display information to a display computer (in the latter case, the display information is displayed by the display computer).

[0021] Various embodiments will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0022] In the following description, the same or similar components will be designated by common reference numerals, and redundant description may be omitted.

[0023] Furthermore, when there are multiple elements having the same or similar functions, the multiple elements may be described by using the same reference numeral with different subscripts to distinguish between them. On the other hand, when there is no need to distinguish between the multiple elements, the subscripts may be omitted.

[0024] <Configuration Example of Communication Environment Model Generation System 100> First, a configuration example of the communication environment model generation system 100 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0025] 1 and 2 are diagrams showing an example of the configuration of a communication environment model generation device 101 that constitutes a communication environment model generation system 100. Of these, Fig. 1 shows an example of functional blocks of the communication environment model generation device 101, and Fig. 2 shows an example of the hardware configuration of the communication environment model generation device 101. Furthermore, Fig. 3 is a diagram that schematically shows an example of the overall configuration of a wireless communication system that includes the communication environment model generation system 100 according to this embodiment.

[0026] (Configuration example of communication environment model generation system) The communication environment model generation system 100 according to this embodiment is a computer system capable of generating a wireless communication environment model for evaluating the quality of wireless communication performed between a wireless base station and a wireless terminal in a wireless communication system operating in a railway depot environment, taking into account the effects of reflection, obstruction, diffraction, etc. caused by moving obstacles present in the propagation environment of the wireless communication, and is realized by a plurality of computer devices or server devices each having the configurations described below.

[0027] 2 and 3, this communication environment model generation system 100 includes, as a component, at least one communication environment model generation device 101. The communication environment model generation device 101 is a device that generates the above-mentioned wireless communication environment model based on various information (102, 103, 104, 105, 106) such as position information of mobile objects that may become moving obstacles and restriction information related to the movement of the mobile objects (described in detail below). This various information is acquired, for example, from a database stored in an external server device that is connected to each other via a network 200 so that data communication between them is possible.

[0028] 2 and 3 , the communication environment model generation system 100 includes, as a component, a wireless communication quality evaluation device 111 connected to the communication environment model generation device 101 so as to be capable of data communication. The wireless communication quality evaluation device 111 acquires the communication environment model generated by the communication environment model generation device 101 and evaluates wireless communication quality based on the communication environment model. Specifically, the wireless communication quality evaluation device 111 performs wireless quality evaluation while moving the position of the evaluation target vehicle, i.e., the position of the wireless terminal, based on a movement pattern of the evaluation target vehicle generated by an evaluation target vehicle movement pattern generation unit 107 (described later), while taking into account the influence of other railway vehicles other than the evaluation target vehicle as moving obstacles arranged based on an arrangement pattern generated by a moving obstacle arrangement pattern generation unit 108 (described later). Data representing the wireless communication quality evaluated by the wireless communication quality evaluation device 111 is recorded as a wireless communication quality evaluation result 113 in a database stored in an external server device connected to each other so as to be capable of data communication via a network 200.

[0029] The communication environment model generating device 101 and the wireless communication quality evaluation device 111 are connected to each other via an appropriate communication network (hereinafter simply referred to as "network") 200 such as the Internet or a dedicated line so that they can communicate data with each other, thereby collectively constituting a communication environment model generating system 100. Note that the communication environment model generating device 101 and the wireless communication quality evaluation device 111 are connected to the network 200 via wired connections via well-known communication devices (not shown), but they may also be connected wirelessly.

[0030] 2 and 3 , in the wireless communication system, a line design device 112 may be further connected to the communication environment model generation device 101 and / or the wireless communication quality evaluation device 111 via a network 200 so as to be able to perform data communications. The line design device 112 is a device that performs an evaluation of the validity of the layout of terrestrial wireless stations, an inspection of the influence of moving obstructions, etc., based on a wireless communication quality evaluation result 113 at each position of the evaluation target vehicle obtained by the wireless communication quality evaluation device 111, and outputs the results as the wireless communication quality evaluation result 113. In this case, the line design device 112 and the network 200 are connected by wire via well-known communication equipment (not shown), but may also be connected wirelessly. In this case, the communication environment model generation system 100 may further include the line design device 112 as a component.

[0031] Furthermore, user terminals (not shown), such as laptop PCs, tablets, smartphones, etc., owned by operators who are users of the communication environment model generation system 100, may be connected to the communication environment model generation device 101 and the wireless communication quality evaluation device 111 that constitute the communication environment model generation system 100 so as to be able to communicate data with each other via an appropriate network 200, such as the Internet or a dedicated line. In this case, each user terminal and the network 200 may be connected wirelessly or by wire.

[0032] Furthermore, other computer devices, server devices, etc. (hereinafter also referred to as "other devices") may be connected to the communication environment model generation device 101 and the wireless communication quality evaluation device 111 constituting the communication environment model generation system 100 so as to be able to communicate data with each other via the network 200. In this case, the other devices and the network 200 may be connected by wire or wirelessly via well-known communication equipment (not shown).

[0033] 1 to 3, the communication environment model generation device 101 and the wireless communication quality evaluation device 111 that constitute the communication environment model generation system 100 have been described as each consisting of a single device. However, for example, the communication environment model generation device 101 and / or the wireless communication quality evaluation device 111 may be composed of multiple devices.

[0034] 1 to 3, the present embodiment has been described assuming that the communication environment model generating device 101 and the wireless communication quality evaluation device 111 are separate devices. However, the communication environment model generating device 101 and the wireless communication quality evaluation device 111 that constitute the communication environment model generating system 100 may be configured as the same device. In this case, for example, the communication environment model generating device 101 may be configured to include some or all of the functions performed by the wireless communication quality evaluation device 111. Furthermore, for example, the wireless communication quality evaluation device 111 may be configured to include some or all of the functions performed by the communication environment model generating device 101.

[0035] 2 and 3, the communication environment model generation system 100 has been described as including the communication environment model generation device 101 and the wireless communication quality evaluation device 111, as well as various other devices such as the line design device 112, user terminals, and other devices, as separate devices. However, the communication environment model generation device 101 and / or the wireless communication quality evaluation device 111 and the various other devices may be configured as the same device. In this case, the communication environment model generation system 100 may be configured as, for example, a computer system including some or all of these various devices. Furthermore, for example, the communication environment model generation system 100 may be configured to include some or all of the functions performed by these various devices.

[0036] (Example of Hardware Configuration of Communication Environment Model Generation Device 101) Next, an example of the hardware configuration of the communication environment model generation device 101 that constitutes the communication environment model generation system 100 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0037] 2, this communication environment model generating device 101 is realized by a computer having at least a storage device including a memory 202 and an auxiliary storage device 203, an interface device including at least a communication interface 204, and a processor 201 connected to these. In addition, in this communication environment model generating device 101, the interface device may include an input interface 205 and / or an output interface 206.

[0038] In the following description, the communication environment model generating device 101 is assumed to be realized by a single general-purpose computer device that includes one or more processors 201, one or more memories 202, one or more auxiliary storage devices 203, one or more communication interfaces (hereinafter also referred to as "communication I / F") 204, one or more input interfaces (hereinafter also referred to as "input I / F") 205, one or more output interfaces (hereinafter also referred to as "output I / F") 206, and wired or wireless communication lines connecting them.

[0039] The auxiliary storage device 203 is an auxiliary storage device made up of a non-volatile storage element such as a flash memory. Specific examples of the auxiliary storage device 203 include a solid state drive (SSD) and a hard disk drive (HDD). The auxiliary storage device 203 stores at least a communication environment model generation program (not shown). This communication environment model generation program is a computer program for implementing the functions required by the communication environment model generation device 101.

[0040] That is, by executing the communication environment model generation program by the processor 201, functions are realized that are carried out by each functional unit of the communication environment model generation device 101, such as an evaluation target vehicle movement pattern generation unit 107, a moving obstacle placement pattern generation unit 108, and a communication environment model generation unit 109, which will be described later. In other words, by executing the communication environment model generation program by the processor 201, various processes are performed, including a process related to generation of a communication environment model (hereinafter also referred to as a "communication environment model generation process"), a process related to generation of a movement pattern of an evaluation target vehicle (hereinafter also referred to as an "evaluation target vehicle movement pattern generation process"), a process related to generation of a placement pattern of a moving obstacle (hereinafter also referred to as a "moving obstacle placement pattern generation process"), and a process related to display of the generation result (hereinafter also referred to as a "generation result display process"), which will be described later with reference to Figures 4 to 8.

[0041] The communication environment model generation program is provided to the communication environment model generation device 101 from various removable media such as a CD-ROM or flash memory or via the network 200, and is stored in a non-volatile auxiliary storage device 203, which is a non-transitory storage medium. Therefore, it is preferable that the communication environment model generation device 101 has an interface for reading data from the removable media.

[0042] The communication environment model generation program may also be installed from a program source. The program source may be, for example, a program distribution computer or a computer-readable recording medium. The communication environment model generation program may also be composed of a device driver, an operating system, various application programs located at higher levels than these, and a library that provides common functions to these programs. Furthermore, two or more programs may be realized as one communication environment model generation program, or one communication environment model generation program may be realized as two or more programs.

[0043] The memory 202 is a main storage device mainly composed of volatile storage elements such as RAM (Random Access Memory). The memory 202 also includes a ROM composed of nonvolatile storage elements. The ROM stores unchanging programs (e.g., BIOS) and the like. The memory 202 temporarily stores data representing various information read from the auxiliary storage device 203 and various data acquired via the communication interface 204 and / or the input interface 205.

[0044] The processor 201 is a processor device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and various co-processors. The processor 201 loads various computer programs, including a communication environment model generation program, into the memory 202 and executes them, thereby performing overall control of the communication environment model generation device 101 itself and also managing the control unit 11 that performs various processes such as calculation processing and determination processing.

[0045] The interface device includes a communication interface 204 that controls a communication unit 13 (described later), an input interface 205 that controls an input unit 41 (described later), and an output interface 206 that controls an output unit 42 (described later).

[0046] The communication interface 204 is a network interface device that controls communication with other devices in accordance with a predetermined protocol.

[0047] The input interface 205 is an interface to which input devices such as a keyboard 207, a mouse 208, a touch panel, etc. are connected and which receives input from an operator.

[0048] The output interface 206 is an interface to which various display devices 209 such as an LCD display or a touch screen, or an output device such as a printer (not shown), are connected, and outputs the results of program execution in a format that can be viewed by an operator.

[0049] The communication environment model generating device 101 may be an independent device or an embedded device.

[0050] (Example of Hardware Configuration of Wireless Communication Quality Evaluation Device 111) Next, an example of the hardware configuration of the wireless communication quality evaluation device 111 that constitutes the communication environment model generation system 100 will be described.

[0051] This wireless communication quality evaluation device 111 is realized by a single general-purpose computer device, as shown in Fig. 2. The following description will be given assuming that the wireless communication quality evaluation device 111 is realized by a single general-purpose computer device equipped with one or more processors (not shown), one or more memories (not shown), one or more auxiliary storage devices (not shown), one or more communication interfaces (not shown), one or more input interfaces (not shown), one or more output interfaces (not shown), and wired or wireless communication lines connecting them.

[0052] That is, the wireless communication quality evaluation device 111 has a storage device including a memory and an auxiliary storage device, an interface device including at least a communication interface, and a processor connected to these. In the wireless communication quality evaluation device 111, the interface device may include an input interface and / or an output interface.

[0053] The auxiliary storage device is an auxiliary storage device made up of a non-volatile storage element such as a flash memory. Specific examples of this auxiliary storage device include a solid state drive (SSD) and a hard disk drive (HDD). The auxiliary storage device stores various computer programs, including a program for implementing the functions required for the wireless communication quality evaluation device 111.

[0054] That is, when the program is executed by the processor, various processes are performed, including a process relating to wireless communication quality evaluation (hereinafter also referred to as "wireless communication quality evaluation process"), which will be described later in relation to FIG.

[0055] The program may be installed from a program source. The program source may be, for example, a computer that distributes the program or a computer-readable recording medium. The program may also be composed of a device driver, an operating system, various application programs located at higher levels than these, and a library that provides common functions to these programs. Furthermore, two or more programs may be realized as a single program, or one program may be realized as two or more programs.

[0056] The memory is a primary storage device primarily consisting of volatile memory elements such as RAM (Random Access Memory). The memory also includes ROM, which consists of nonvolatile memory elements. The ROM stores unchanging programs (e.g., BIOS). This memory temporarily stores data representing various information read from the secondary storage device and various data acquired via the communication interface and / or input interface.

[0057] The processor is a processor device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and various co-processors. This processor loads various computer programs, including the above-mentioned program, into memory and executes them, thereby performing overall control of the wireless communication quality evaluation device 111 itself and also managing a control unit (not shown) that performs various processes such as arithmetic processing and judgment processing.

[0058] The interface device includes a communication interface that connects to the network 200 to communicate with the communication environment model generation device 101 and other devices, and an I / O (Input / Output) interface that includes an input device and an output device.

[0059] The wireless communication quality evaluation device 111 may be an independent device or may be an embedded device.

[0060] (Example of Functional Blocks of the Communication Environment Model Generation Device 101) Next, an example of blocks of various functions provided in the communication environment model generation device 101 will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Note that each block described below does not represent a hardware-based configuration, but represents a functional-based block.

[0061] The communication environment model generating device 101 is mainly configured with the following functional blocks: a control unit 11 realized by the aforementioned processor 201; a memory unit 12 realized by the aforementioned storage devices (202, 203); a communication unit 13 realized by the aforementioned communication interface 204; and a user interface unit 14 realized by the aforementioned input interface 205 and output interface 206.

[0062] The control unit 11 executes various data processing operations based on the programs and data stored in the storage unit 12 and the data acquired by the communication unit 13. The control unit 11 also functions as an interface between the storage unit 12 and the communication unit 13.

[0063] As illustrated in FIG. 1 , the control unit 11 has the following functional blocks: an evaluation target vehicle movement pattern generation unit 107 , a moving obstacle arrangement pattern generation unit 108 , and a communication environment model generation unit 109 .

[0064] The evaluation target vehicle movement pattern generation unit 107 executes a process for generating a movement pattern of a railway vehicle (hereinafter also referred to as "evaluation target vehicle"), which is a moving body equipped with a communication terminal that communicates with a terrestrial wireless base station, for example, within a railway vehicle depot. This process executed by the evaluation target vehicle movement pattern generation unit 107 is referred to as evaluation target vehicle movement pattern generation process. Details of the evaluation target vehicle movement pattern generation process will be described later with reference to FIG. 5.

[0065] The moving obstacle placement pattern generation unit 108 executes a process for generating a placement pattern of railway cars as moving obstacles that affect the communication quality between the communication terminals loaded on the evaluation target vehicle and the terrestrial wireless base station. This process executed by the moving obstacle placement pattern generation unit 108 is referred to as a moving obstacle placement pattern generation process. Details of the moving obstacle placement pattern generation process will be described later with reference to FIG. 6 .

[0066] The communication environment model generation unit 109 uses information on terrain and buildings that affect the communication quality in addition to moving obstacles as base data for a spatial model that simulates the communication environment, and executes a process of generating a communication environment model for communication quality evaluation by superimposing, within the spatial model, data on the movement pattern of the vehicle to be evaluated, generated by the evaluation target vehicle movement pattern generation unit 107, and data on railroad vehicle objects that serve as obstacles based on the moving obstacle placement pattern generated by the moving obstacle placement pattern generation unit 108. This process executed by the communication environment model generation unit 109 is referred to as a communication environment model generation process. Details of the communication environment model generation process will be described later with reference to FIG. 4.

[0067] The control unit 11 is configured using a processor 201, and can realize these functional blocks by executing the above-mentioned communication environment model generation program. Note that the control unit 11 may be configured using a logic circuit such as an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) instead of the processor 201. The control unit 11 may also be configured by combining the processor 201 and a logic circuit.

[0068] The storage unit 12 is configured using a storage device, for example, consisting of a memory 202 and an auxiliary storage device 203, and stores a program that supplies various processing commands to the control unit 11, and data representing various information (102, 103, 104, 105, 106) used in the processing executed by the control unit 11.

[0069] The control unit 11 can execute various processes by reading and writing this information to the storage unit 12 .

[0070] The communication unit 13 is responsible for communication processing with other devices such as the wireless communication quality evaluation device 111 and the line design device 112 via the network 200. For example, the communication unit 13 is responsible for communication processing between the communication environment model generation unit 109 and the wireless communication quality evaluation device 111 and / or the line design device 112 in order to evaluate communication quality using the communication environment model generated by the communication environment model generation device 101. The communication unit 13 is configured using, for example, a network interface card (NIC) or a host bus adapter (HBA).

[0071] The user interface unit 14 includes the functional blocks of an input unit 41 and an output unit 42 .

[0072] The input unit 41 is responsible for input-related processing, such as accepting input operations from the user, among other processes related to the user interface. The input unit 41 is configured using input devices such as the keyboard 207, the mouse 208, a touch panel, etc., and detects various operations from the user.

[0073] The output unit 42 is responsible for output-related processes such as displaying various screens on the display device 209 and outputting audio, among other processes related to the user interface.

[0074] As illustrated in FIG. 1, the output unit 42 includes a display unit 110 as a functional block.

[0075] Among the processes related to output, the display unit 110 is responsible for processing to display various screens on the display device 209. The display unit 110 displays, for example, a screen including information on the generated communication environment model on the display device 209. The display unit 110 is configured using various display devices 209, such as a liquid crystal display or a touch screen.

[0076] It should be noted that the inclusion of the input unit 41 and / or the output unit 42 is not essential when, for example, remotely logging in to the communication environment model generation device 101 from another external device such as a user terminal, or when receiving input information from an external device or providing output information to an external device via the communication interface 204. In this case, the communication environment model generation device 101 may have a web server function and receive access from an external device using a predetermined protocol.

[0077] That is, each component of the communication environment model generating device 101 is realized by hardware including a processor 201, storage devices such as a memory 202 and an auxiliary storage device 203, wired or wireless communication lines and interface devices (204, 205, 206) that connect them, and software that is stored in the storage devices (202, 203) and supplies processing instructions to the computing unit (processor 201).

[0078] The above description of the functions of the communication environment model generation device 101 has been given assuming that each function of the communication environment model generation device 101 is implemented integrally by a single computer. However, each of these functions may be implemented by a plurality of interconnected computers and / or server devices. Furthermore, the communication environment model generation device 101 may be configured to include a general-purpose computer device such as a laptop PC and a web browser installed thereon, or may be configured to include a web server and various mobile devices.

[0079] The communication environment model generation device 101 is a computer system configured on one physical computer or on multiple logically or physically configured computers, and may operate on a virtual computer constructed on multiple physical computer resources. For example, functional units such as the evaluation target vehicle movement pattern generation unit 107 and the moving obstacle placement pattern generation unit 108 may each operate on a separate physical or logical computer, or multiple units may be combined to operate on a single physical or logical computer.

[0080] Furthermore, the above description of each function is merely an example, and multiple functions may be combined into one function, or one function may be divided into multiple functions.

[0081] Furthermore, the communication environment model generating device 101 may have other functions in addition to the above-mentioned functions. For example, the communication environment model generating device 101 may be configured to include some of the various functions of the wireless communication quality evaluation device 111, as described above.

[0082] (Example of Functional Blocks of the Wireless Communication Quality Evaluation Device 111) Next, an example of blocks of various functions provided in the wireless communication quality evaluation device 111 will be described. Note that each block described below does not represent a hardware-based configuration, but represents a functional-based block.

[0083] The wireless communication quality evaluation device 111 is configured to include the following functional blocks: a control unit (not shown) realized mainly by the aforementioned processor; a memory unit (not shown) realized by the aforementioned storage device; a communication unit (not shown) realized by the aforementioned communication interface; and a user interface unit (not shown) consisting of an input unit and / or an output unit.

[0084] The control unit executes various data processing operations based on the programs and data stored in the storage unit and the data acquired by the communication unit. The control unit also functions as an interface between the storage unit and the communication unit.

[0085] The control unit has, for example, a wireless communication quality evaluation unit as a functional block.

[0086] The wireless communication quality evaluation unit executes a process of evaluating wireless communication quality using the communication environment model generated by the communication environment model generation device 101. This process executed by the wireless communication quality evaluation unit is referred to as a wireless communication quality evaluation process. Details of the wireless communication quality evaluation process will be described later with reference to FIG. 15 .

[0087] The control unit is configured using a processor and can realize the above-mentioned functional blocks by executing a predetermined program. Note that instead of a processor, the control unit may be configured using a logic circuit such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). The control unit may also be configured by combining a processor and a logic circuit.

[0088] The storage unit is configured using a storage device consisting of, for example, a memory and an auxiliary storage device, and stores programs that supply various processing instructions to the control unit, and data representing various information used in the processing executed by the control unit.

[0089] The control unit can execute various processes by reading and writing these data to the storage unit.

[0090] The communication unit is responsible for communication processing with the communication environment model generation device 101 and other devices via the network 200. The communication unit is configured using, for example, a network interface card (NIC) or a host bus adapter (HBA).

[0091] The user interface section is configured to include functional blocks of an input section and an output section.

[0092] The input unit is responsible for input-related processes, such as accepting input operations from the user, among other processes related to the user interface. The input unit is configured using, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, etc., and detects various operations from the user.

[0093] The output unit is responsible for output-related processes such as displaying various screens on a display device, outputting audio, etc. The output unit is configured using, for example, a liquid crystal display, a touch screen, or the like, among other processes related to the user interface.

[0094] It should be noted that, for example, in cases where remote login to the wireless communication quality evaluation device 111 is performed from another external device, or where input information is received from an external device or output information is provided to an external device via a communication interface, the inclusion of an input unit and / or an output unit is not essential.

[0095] That is, each component of the wireless communication quality evaluation device 111 is realized by hardware including a processor, storage devices such as memory and auxiliary storage devices, wired or wireless communication lines and interface devices that connect them, and software that is stored in the storage devices and supplies processing instructions to the arithmetic units.

[0096] The above description of the functions of the wireless communication quality evaluation device 111 has been given assuming that each function of the wireless communication quality evaluation device 111 is implemented integrally by a single computer. However, these functions may also be implemented by multiple interconnected computers or server devices. Furthermore, the wireless communication quality evaluation device 111 may be configured to include a general-purpose computer such as a laptop PC and a web browser installed thereon, or may be configured to include a web server or various portable devices.

[0097] Furthermore, the above description of each function is merely an example, and multiple functions may be combined into one function, or one function may be divided into multiple functions.

[0098] Furthermore, the wireless communication quality evaluation device 111 may have other functions in addition to the above-mentioned functions. For example, the wireless communication quality evaluation device 111 may be configured to include some of the various functions of the communication environment model generation device 101.

[0099] <Example of Processing Flow> Next, the above-mentioned processes executed by the communication environment model generation system 100 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0100] (Communication Environment Model Generation Process) FIG. 4 is a flowchart 400 showing an example of the flow of communication environment model generation process.

[0101] As described above, the communication environment model generation process is a process executed by the communication environment model generation device 101 for generating a communication environment model including information on moving obstacles arranged in possible arrangement patterns. This communication environment model generation process is executed using as input the position information, movement route information, and movement restriction information of a mobile body carrying a communication terminal that performs communication and a mobile body that may become a radio wave obstacle.

[0102] In this embodiment, the input information used for the evaluation target vehicle movement pattern generation unit 107 and the moving obstacle placement pattern generation unit 108 includes track information 102 within the railway vehicle depot that represents information related to the position of the moving object, route information 103 within the railway vehicle depot that represents information related to the movement path of the moving object, vehicle information 104 that represents the identifier, dimensions, material, etc. of the moving object, and shunting plan information 105 that represents movement plan information for the moving object within the railway vehicle depot. Furthermore, the input information used for the communication environment model generation unit 109 is a terrain / building model 106 that represents information related to terrain and buildings that affect communication quality in addition to moving obstacles.

[0103] In step S401, the control unit 11 of the communication environment model generating device 101 executes processing to acquire shunting plan information 105 using the communication environment model generating unit 109. This processing executed in step S401 is performed to generate a communication environment model for each movement plan to be evaluated. The shunting plan information 105 is information representing a schedule of shunting operations, which are movements of moving bodies between specified tracks in a railway vehicle depot environment, and is managed by being recorded in a shunting plan list 500 illustrated in FIG. 5. As illustrated in FIG. 5, this shunting plan list 500 is composed of a job ID, date and time, a train set ID, and a route ID. The job ID is a unique identifier for shunting operations, which are movements of rolling stock within the railway vehicle depot. The date and time define the date and time when the shunting operation is performed. The train set ID is an identifier for the rolling stock set to be moved in the shunting operation specified by the job ID, and corresponds to the train set ID in the rolling stock information list 600, which will be described later in relation to FIG. 6. The route ID specifies the route along which the railway vehicle set specified by the set ID will travel during shunting operation, and corresponds to the route ID in the route information list 800, which will be described later in relation to Fig. 8. This allows the shunting plan information 105 to be acquired. When the processing in step S401 is completed, the control unit 11 of the communication environment model generation device 101 proceeds to step S402.

[0104] In step S402, the control unit 11 of the communication environment model generating device 101 executes processing to acquire vehicle information 104 using the communication environment model generating unit 109. The vehicle information 104 is information representing the dimensions, materials, etc. of railway vehicles, which are mobile bodies equipped with communication terminals in a railway depot environment and which may become mobile obstructions, and is managed by being recorded in a vehicle information list 600 illustrated in FIG. 6. This vehicle information list 600 is composed of a train set ID, a vehicle name, a vehicle length, a vehicle width, a vehicle height, and a vehicle material. The train set ID is a unique identifier for a train set of railway vehicles parked or running within a railway depot. The vehicle name is the name of the train set of railway vehicles at the site. The vehicle length is the length of the train set in the rail direction. The vehicle width is the dimension of the railway vehicle in the sleeper direction. The vehicle height is the height from the rail head surface or the track bed to the vehicle roof. A railway depot generally accommodates a plurality of railway vehicle formations with different train lengths and car body dimensions. Since there is a limit to the track length for each track, depending on the specifications of the railway vehicle formation, there may be cases where the track length is insufficient to allow the railway vehicle to enter the line. The control unit 11 of the communication environment model generating device 101 utilizes the vehicle information 104 to generate a communication environment model taking these factors into consideration. In this way, the vehicle information 104 is acquired. After completing the processing in step S402, the control unit 11 of the communication environment model generating device 101 proceeds to step S403.

[0105] In step S403, the control unit 11 of the communication environment model generating device 101 causes the evaluation target vehicle movement pattern generation unit 107 to execute an evaluation target vehicle movement pattern generation process based on the shunting plan information 105 acquired in step S401 and the vehicle information 104 acquired in step S402. As described above, this evaluation target vehicle movement pattern generation process is a process for generating a movement pattern of the evaluation target vehicle within the railway vehicle depot. Details of the evaluation target vehicle movement pattern generation process will be described later with reference to FIG. 7 . As a result, the movement pattern of the evaluation target vehicle is generated. When the process in step S403 is completed, the control unit 11 of the communication environment model generating device 101 proceeds to step S404.

[0106] In step S404, the control unit 11 of the communication environment model generating device 101 causes the moving object placement pattern generation unit 108 to execute a moving object placement pattern generation process. As described above, this moving object placement pattern generation process is a process for generating a placement pattern of railway cars as moving objects that are parked or shunted in the railway depot other than the evaluation target vehicle. In the moving object placement pattern generation process, the moving object placement pattern generation unit 108 generates a moving object placement pattern so as to be consistent with the movement pattern of the evaluation target vehicle generated by the evaluation target vehicle movement pattern generation unit 107. In the case of the railway depot of this embodiment, moving objects are placed at positions excluding positions on the movement path of the evaluation target vehicle and positions within a locked range determined by the specifications of the signal system, such as interlocking devices. Details of the moving object placement pattern generation process will be described later with reference to FIG. 11 . As a result, a moving object placement pattern is generated. Upon completing the process of step S404, the control unit 11 of the communication environment model generating device 101 proceeds to step S405.

[0107] In step S405, the control unit 11 of the communication environment model generating device 101 executes a process in which the communication environment model generating unit 109 generates and places an object corresponding to a railroad car as a moving obstacle (hereinafter also referred to as a "moving obstacle object") in a spatial model simulating the inside of the railroad car depot where wireless communication is performed, based on the moving obstacle placement pattern generated in step S404. As a result, the moving obstacle object is generated and placed in the spatial model. When the process in step S405 is completed, the control unit 11 of the communication environment model generating device 101 proceeds to step S406.

[0108] In step S406, the control unit 11 of the communication environment model generating device 101 executes processing to acquire the terrain and building model 106 using the communication environment model generating unit 109. This terrain and building model 106 is a spatial model that includes information on the terrain and buildings of the railroad depot to be evaluated. In this way, the terrain and building model 106 is acquired. When the processing in step S406 is completed, the control unit 11 of the communication environment model generating device 101 proceeds to step S407.

[0109] In step S407, the control unit 11 of the communication environment model generation device 101, by using the communication environment model generation unit 109, creates a spatial model by combining the spatial model in which railway vehicles other than the evaluation target vehicle are arranged as moving obstructions constructed in step S405 with the spatial model including the information on the topography and buildings of the railway depot acquired in step S406, and further executes processing to create a communication environment model by adding information on the movement pattern of the evaluation target vehicle generated in step S403 as movement information of a mobile body carrying the evaluation target wireless terminal within the created spatial model. As a result, a communication environment model is generated for the shunting plan. When the processing in step S407 is completed, the control unit 11 of the communication environment model generation device 101 proceeds to step S408.

[0110] In step S408, the control unit 11 of the communication environment model generating device 101 executes a process in which the communication environment model generating unit 109 evaluates the shunting work of all evaluation target vehicles included in the shunting plan information 105 acquired in step S401 and determines whether the generation of the communication environment model has been completed. If it is determined in step S408 that the evaluation of the shunting work of all evaluation target vehicles has not yet been completed and the generation of the communication environment model has not been completed (step S408: NO), the process returns to step S401 to again execute the processes of steps S401 to S407 in order to evaluate the shunting work that has not yet been evaluated and generate a communication environment model. In this case, the process of steps S401 to S407 is repeatedly executed until it is determined that the evaluation of the shunting work of all evaluation target vehicles has been completed and the generation of the communication environment model has been completed (step S408: YES). On the other hand, if it is determined in step S408 that the evaluation of the shunting operations of all the vehicles being evaluated has been completed and the generation of the communication environment model has been completed (step S408: YES), the process proceeds to step S409 to output the generated communication environment model.

[0111] In step S409, the control unit 11 of the communication environment model generating device 101 executes processing to output the communication environment model generated for each shunting task in step S407 using the communication environment model generating unit 109. The communication environment model is transmitted to the wireless communication quality evaluation device 111 and the line design device 112 via the communication unit 13 for wireless communication quality evaluation and line design. As a result, the communication environment model for each shunting task generated in step S407 is output to at least the wireless communication quality evaluation device 111 and the line design device 112. When the processing in step S409 is completed, the control unit 11 of the communication environment model generating device 101 proceeds to step S410.

[0112] In step S410, the control unit 11 of the communication environment model generating device 101 executes a generation result display process using the display unit 110. As described above, this generation result display process is a process for displaying information about the generated communication environment model. Details of the generation result display process will be described later with reference to FIG. 13. As a result, information about the generated communication environment model is displayed as the generation result. When the process in step S410 is completed, the control unit 11 of the communication environment model generating device 101 ends the communication environment model generation process shown in the flowchart 400 of FIG. 4.

[0113] In this way, the communication environment model generation device 101 generates, in the evaluation target vehicle movement pattern generation unit 107, a movement pattern of the evaluation target vehicle that is the subject of wireless communication quality evaluation, and generates, in the moving obstacle placement pattern generation unit 108, a placement pattern of moving obstacles that is consistent with the movement pattern of the evaluation target vehicle (a pattern in which moving obstacles are not placed in locked areas determined by the position on the movement route and the specifications of railway signaling devices), thereby making it possible to generate a communication environment model in which railway vehicles are placed as moving obstacles in placement patterns that can be imagined in advance, for each movement pattern of the evaluation target vehicle. This makes it possible to evaluate wireless communication quality in an environment in which wireless communication is performed, taking into account the influence of moving obstacles, without actually placing railway vehicles as moving obstacles in all placement patterns.

[0114] (Evaluation Target Vehicle Movement Pattern Generation Process) FIG. 7 is a flowchart 700 showing an example of the flow of evaluation target vehicle movement pattern generation process.

[0115] As described above, the evaluation target vehicle movement pattern generation process is a process executed by the communication environment model generation device 101 to generate the movement pattern of a mobile body carrying a communication terminal that performs communication as an evaluation target vehicle movement pattern.

[0116] In step S701, the control unit 11 of the communication environment model generating device 101 executes a process in which the evaluation target vehicle movement pattern generating unit 107 acquires a route ID of the shunting work of the evaluation target vehicle from the shunting plan list 500 of the shunting plan information 105. As a result, the route ID is acquired from the shunting plan list 500. When the process in step S701 is completed, the control unit 11 of the communication environment model generating device 101 proceeds to step S702.

[0117] In step S702, the control unit 11 of the communication environment model generating device 101 executes a process in which the evaluation target vehicle movement pattern generating unit 107 acquires, as the route information 103, the start track ID and the destination track ID of the route corresponding to the route ID acquired in step S701. The route information 103 represents route information in a railway vehicle depot environment and is managed by being recorded in a route information list 800 illustrated in FIG. 8. As illustrated in FIG. 8, this route information list 800 is composed of a route ID, a development track ID, a destination track ID, a start track name, and a destination track name. The route ID list is a unique identifier for each shunting route within the railway vehicle depot. The start track ID specifies the track on which a vehicle defined for each route exists before shunting begins, and is specified by the track ID in the track information list 900, which will be described later in relation to FIG. 9. Similarly, the destination track ID specifies the end point of the shunting route, i.e., the track on which the vehicle will be located after shunting is completed, by the track ID. The origin track name and destination track name are the track names of the tracks corresponding to the development track ID and destination track ID, respectively, and correspond to the track names in the track information list 900, which will be described later in relation to Figure 9. In this way, the origin track ID and destination track ID are obtained from the track information list 800. When the processing in step S702 is completed, the control unit 11 of the communication environment model generation device 101 proceeds to step S703.

[0118] In step S703, the control unit 11 of the communication environment model generating device 101 executes processing in which the evaluation target vehicle movement pattern generating unit 107 acquires, as track information 102, a list of related track circuits for the tracks corresponding to the departure track ID and destination track ID acquired in step S702. The track information 102 represents track information in the railroad depot environment, and the related track circuit list is managed by being recorded in a track information list 900 illustrated in FIG. 9 . This track information list 900 is composed of a track ID, a track name, and a related track circuit list. The track ID is a unique identifier associated with each track in the railroad depot. The track name is the name of the track associated with the track ID. The related track circuit list is a list of track circuit IDs associated with each track associated with the track ID. The elements of the related track circuit list correspond to the track circuit IDs in the track circuit information list 1000. Generally, multiple track circuits are installed for each track, and multiple related track circuits are often required when configuring a shunting route, so the related track circuit list has multiple track circuit IDs as elements. As a result, the track circuit list for the route ID is obtained from the track information list 900. When the processing in step S703 is completed, the control unit 11 of the communication environment model generation device 101 proceeds to step S704.

[0119] In step S704, the control unit 11 of the communication environment model generating device 101 executes a process in which the evaluation target vehicle movement pattern generating unit 107 acquires, as track information 102, a list of track circuit IDs and corresponding track circuit position information included in the related track circuit list for the tracks corresponding to the departure track ID and destination track ID acquired in step S703. This list of position information is managed by recording it in a track circuit information list 1000 illustrated in FIG. 10 . This track circuit information list 1000 is composed of track circuit IDs and track circuit position information. A track circuit ID is a unique identifier for identifying a track circuit installed on a track. In FIG. 10 , the track circuit position information is shown in the form of a list of longitude and latitude information for each track circuit ID. The track circuit position information may be information other than a list of longitude and latitude information that can identify the geographical location of a track circuit. As a result, a list of position information for the route corresponding to the route ID is acquired from the track circuit information list 1000. When the control unit 11 of the communication environment model generating device 101 completes the process in step S704, the process proceeds to step S705.

[0120] In step S705, the control unit 11 of the communication environment model generation device 101 executes a process in which the evaluation target vehicle movement pattern generation unit 107 combines the list of position information of the track circuits from the starting track to the destination track of the shunting route acquired in step S704 and saves the combined list as the movement pattern of the evaluation target vehicle. As a result, the acquired position information list is saved as the movement pattern of the evaluation target vehicle. When the process in step S705 is completed, the control unit 11 of the communication environment model generation device 101 ends the evaluation target vehicle movement pattern generation process shown in the flowchart 700 of FIG. 7.

[0121] In this way, the evaluation target vehicle movement pattern generation unit 107 acquires position information of the route (route) along which the evaluation target vehicle will travel during shunting work, using the route information 103 and the track information 102, based on the route information 103 for each shunting work of the evaluation target vehicle specified in the shunting plan information 105. The list of obtained position information is then saved as the movement pattern of the evaluation target vehicle. In this way, when generating a placement pattern of railway vehicles (other than the evaluation target vehicle) as moving obstructions described in FIG. 11 , evaluation target vehicle movement pattern information can be obtained as a constraint condition for placing vehicles that could become obstructions in positions that do not interfere with the route of the evaluation target vehicle.

[0122] (Moving Shielding Object Arrangement Pattern Generation Process) FIG. 11 is a flowchart 1100 showing an example of the flow of moving shielding object arrangement pattern generation process.

[0123] As described above, the moving obstacle placement pattern generation process is a process for generating a placement pattern of moving objects that can act as obstacles as a moving obstacle placement pattern, which is executed by the communication environment model generation device 101. This moving obstacle placement pattern generation process is executed based on the position information, movement route information, and movement restriction information of moving objects that carry wireless terminals that communicate and moving objects that can act as radio wave obstacles.

[0124] In step S1101, the control unit 11 of the communication environment model generating device 101 executes processing to cause the moving obstruction arrangement pattern generating unit 108 to acquire a list of all track circuits in the railway depot to be evaluated from the track circuit information list 1000 of the track information 102. As a result, the list of all track circuits is acquired from the track circuit information list 1000. Upon completing the processing in step S1101, the control unit 11 of the communication environment model generating device 101 proceeds to step S1102.

[0125] In step S1102, the control unit 11 of the communication environment model generating device 101 executes processing to cause the moving obstacle placement pattern generating unit 108 to acquire information on the track circuit list related to the movement pattern of the vehicle to be evaluated acquired in step S703 of Fig. 7. This acquires the track circuit list related to the movement pattern of the vehicle to be evaluated. Upon completing the processing in step S1102, the control unit 11 of the communication environment model generating device 101 proceeds to step S1103.

[0126] In step S1103, the control unit 11 of the communication environment model generating device 101 executes processing in which the moving obstacle placement pattern generating unit 108 acquires a track circuit list from the all track circuit list acquired in step S1101, excluding track circuit IDs included in the track circuit list related to the movement pattern of the evaluation target vehicle acquired in step S1102. This acquires a list of all track circuits other than those related to the evaluation target vehicle movement pattern. As a result, it is possible to acquire a list of track circuits that are not related to the evaluation target vehicle's movement due to shunting within the depot, i.e., track circuits on which other vehicles may exist as moving obstacles. When the control unit 11 of the communication environment model generating device 101 completes the processing in step S1103, the control unit 11 proceeds to step S1104.

[0127] In step S1104, the control unit 11 of the communication environment model generating device 101 executes a process in which the moving obstacle arrangement pattern generating unit 108 acquires, from the track circuit information list 1000 of the track information 102, position information of track circuits corresponding to each track circuit ID included in the track circuit list not related to the shunting movement of the evaluation target vehicle within the rolling stock depot obtained in step S1103, and acquires this as a list of position information of track circuits not related to the shunting movement of the evaluation target vehicle within the rolling stock depot. As a result, a list of position information of track circuits not related to the evaluation target vehicle movement pattern is acquired from the track circuit information list 1000. Upon completing the process of step S1104, the control unit 11 of the communication environment model generating device 101 proceeds to step S1105.

[0128] In step S1105, the control unit 11 of the communication environment model generating device 101 executes a process in which the moving obstacle placement pattern generating unit 108 combines the list of position information of track circuits that is not related to the movement of the evaluation target vehicle due to shunting within the train depot, which was acquired in step S1104, and saves the combined list as a moving obstacle placement pattern corresponding to the movement pattern of the evaluation target vehicle being evaluated. As a result, the acquired position information list is saved as a moving obstacle placement pattern. Upon completing the process in step S1105, the control unit 11 of the communication environment model generating device 101 ends the moving obstacle placement pattern generation process shown in the flowchart 1100 of FIG. 11 .

[0129] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a moving obstacle placement pattern generated by the moving obstacle placement pattern generation process. The example in FIG. 12 shows a case in which a shunting vehicle, which is a vehicle to be evaluated, moves from the depot entry / exit #1, which is the starting track, to the passageway #1, which is the destination track. At this time, a vehicle serving as a moving obstacle may be present at a track position that does not interfere with the shunting vehicle's path, i.e., a position excluding the range of tracks for the depot entry / exit #1 and passageway #1 that physically interfere, and the range of tracks that are locked and related to those tracks, as determined by the specifications of the interlocking device. Therefore, a vehicle serving as a moving obstacle is placed on the corresponding tracks of storage #1, storage #2, cleaning #1, and inspection / repair #1. Therefore, it should be noted that, since the track layout, track circuit specifications, signaling device specifications including interlocking devices, shunting operation plans, etc., differ from one railroad depot to another, the moving obstacle placement pattern will inevitably differ from one railroad depot to another.

[0130] In this way, the moving obstacle placement pattern generation unit 108 determines the possible locations of vehicles other than the evaluation target vehicle that could be moving obstacles by acquiring positions that do not interfere with the path of the evaluation target vehicle when the movement pattern of the evaluation target vehicle is given, based on the track information 102, which is information on the possible locations of moving objects, the path information 103, which is information on constraints on the movement of moving objects, and the information on the movement pattern of the evaluation target vehicle generated by the evaluation target vehicle movement pattern generation unit 107. This allows the generation of a placement pattern of moving obstacles that affect the communication quality between the communication terminal mounted on the evaluation target vehicle and the terrestrial wireless base station from the position information, movement pattern, and movement constraint information of the vehicle within the railway depot. Then, by using a communication environment model including these patterns, it becomes possible to perform a prior evaluation of communication quality using possible placement patterns of moving obstacles.

[0131] (Generation Result Display Processing) FIG. 13 is a flowchart 1300 showing an example of the flow of generation result display processing.

[0132] As described above, the generation result display process is executed in the communication environment model generation device 101 to display information about the generated communication environment model.

[0133] In step S1301, the control unit 11 of the communication environment model generating device 101 executes a process of displaying, on a GUI (Graphical User Interface) display screen, the movement pattern of the evaluation target vehicle within the railway depot obtained as a result of the evaluation target vehicle movement pattern generation process of Fig. 7, using the display unit 110. As a result, the evaluation target vehicle movement pattern is displayed on the GUI display screen. When the process of step S1301 is completed, the control unit 11 of the communication environment model generating device 101 proceeds to step S1302.

[0134] In step S1302, the control unit 11 of the communication environment model generating device 101 executes processing to display, on the GUI display screen, the arrangement of movable obstacles in the railway depot obtained as a result of the movable obstacle arrangement pattern generation processing of Fig. 11 . This displays the movable obstacle arrangement pattern. Upon completing the processing of step S1302, the control unit 11 of the communication environment model generating device 101 ends the generation result display processing shown in the flowchart 1300 of Fig. 13 .

[0135] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of the GUI display screen 1401. This GUI display screen 1401 is a screen that displays, on a GUI, information related to a communication environment model for each movement pattern of a target vehicle, including an evaluation target vehicle movement pattern and a moving obstacle placement pattern. The GUI display screen 1401 displays the moving obstacle placement pattern generated by the moving obstacle placement pattern generation unit 108 for each movement pattern of the target vehicle generated by the evaluation target vehicle movement pattern generation unit 107. Therefore, it has a function for selecting a desired movement pattern of the target vehicle from the results of evaluation using multiple movement patterns of the target vehicle. In the example shown in FIG. 14 , a pull-down menu 1402 allows a desired movement pattern of the target vehicle to be evaluated to be selected. A display of the moving obstacle placement pattern when the target vehicle moves according to the desired movement pattern of the target vehicle selected in the pull-down menu 1402 is displayed in the evaluation target vehicle movement pattern / moving obstacle placement pattern display unit 1403. In the example shown in FIG. 14, the movement pattern of the vehicle to be evaluated and the arrangement pattern of moving obstacles are overlaid on a diagram simulating the track layout in a railroad depot.

[0136] (Wireless Communication Quality Evaluation Process) FIG. 15 is a flowchart 1500 showing an example of the flow of wireless communication quality evaluation process.

[0137] As described above, the wireless communication quality evaluation process is a process for evaluating wireless communication quality taking into account the influence of moving obstacles, which is executed by the wireless communication quality evaluation device 111 and / or the line design device 112. This wireless communication quality evaluation process is executed using the communication environment model generated by the communication environment model generation device 101 as an input.

[0138] In step S1501, the control unit of the wireless communication quality evaluation device 111 executes a process of acquiring, via the communication unit, the communication environment model generated by the communication environment model generation device 101. This acquires the communication environment model. When the control unit of the wireless communication quality evaluation device 111 completes the process of step S1501, the process proceeds to step S1502.

[0139] In step S1502, the control unit of the wireless communication quality evaluation device 111 executes a process in which the wireless communication quality evaluation unit extracts information on the movement pattern of the vehicle to be evaluated from the communication environment model acquired in step S1501 and sets the information as the movement pattern of the communication terminal in the wireless communication quality evaluation. As a result, the movement pattern of the vehicle to be evaluated is extracted and set as the movement pattern of the communication terminal in the wireless communication quality evaluation. When the process in step S1502 is completed, the control unit of the wireless communication quality evaluation device 111 proceeds to step S1503.

[0140] In step S1503, the control unit of the wireless communication quality evaluation device 111 executes a process of evaluating wireless communication quality, such as the received power strength from a wireless base station, by moving the position of the wireless terminal serving as the reception point along the movement pattern of the evaluation target vehicle extracted in step S1502 using the wireless communication quality evaluation unit. Note that the specific evaluation method of wireless communication quality in step S1503 may be a method using a propagation model formula, a method using a ray tracing method, or any other wireless communication quality evaluation method, and evaluation can be performed using any method without being limited to a specific evaluation method. As a result, the received power strength along the movement route of the evaluation target vehicle is calculated. Upon completing the process in step S1503, the control unit of the wireless communication quality evaluation device 111 proceeds to step S1504.

[0141] In step S1504, the control unit of the line design device 112 executes processing to output the wireless communication quality evaluation result 113, such as the received power intensity, calculated by the wireless communication quality evaluation device 111. As a result, the calculation results such as the received power intensity are output as the wireless communication quality evaluation result 113. Upon completing the processing in step S1504, the control unit of the wireless communication quality evaluation device 111 ends the wireless communication quality evaluation processing shown in the flowchart 1500 of Fig. 15 .

[0142] In this way, in the wireless communication quality evaluation device 111 and the line design device 112, wireless communication quality evaluation is performed using a communication environment model including division of vehicle objects as moving obstructions arranged along the movement pattern of the evaluation target vehicle generated by the communication environment model generation device 101 and the corresponding arrangement pattern of moving obstructions, thereby making it possible to perform wireless communication quality evaluation that takes into account the influence of vehicles other than the evaluation target vehicle as moving obstructions that may be present in the railway depot for storage or shunting. This makes it possible to perform wireless communication quality evaluation that takes into account the influence of moving obstructions in advance in the arrangement patterns of moving obstructions that are conceivable for each movement pattern of all evaluation target vehicles in the railway depot, without actually arranging vehicles as moving obstructions, thereby making it possible to efficiently design, evaluate the performance, and monitor the operation of wireless systems and applications that perform wireless communication in the railway depot.

[0143] As described above, according to this embodiment, the communication environment model generation device 101 generates an evaluation model for evaluating wireless communication quality taking into account the influence of moving obstacles, and receives as input position information, movement route information, and movement constraint information of a mobile body carrying a communication terminal to be the subject of communication quality evaluation, and of a mobile body that may become a radio wave obstacle. The evaluation target vehicle movement pattern generation unit 107 generates a movement pattern of the evaluation target vehicle, and the moving obstacle placement pattern generation unit 108 generates a placement pattern of moving obstacles that may occur in advance according to the movement pattern of the evaluation target vehicle. The communication environment model generation unit 109 combines the generated movement pattern of the evaluation target vehicle and the placement pattern of the moving obstacles with the terrain / building model 106 to generate a communication environment model for wireless communication quality evaluation, which is displayed on the display unit 110 and output to the wireless communication quality evaluation device 111 and the line design device 112. The wireless communication quality evaluation device 111 and the line design device 112 perform wireless communication quality evaluation using the communication environment model acquired from the communication environment model generation device 101, and output the result as a wireless communication quality evaluation result 113. These processes enable communication quality evaluation that takes into account obstacle placement patterns that are based on the operation plan of the mobile object and constraints on movement in advance, thereby improving the accuracy of communication quality evaluation in a communication environment where moving obstacles are present. As a result, it becomes possible to design, evaluate the performance, and monitor the operation of a wireless system that meets high communication and availability requirements.

[0144] The communication environment model generation system 100 according to this embodiment has been described above.

[0145] Another Embodiment Next, a communication environment model generation system 100 according to another embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0146] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a wireless communication system including a communication environment model generation system 100 according to another embodiment.

[0147] In this other embodiment, the movement plans for the vehicle to be evaluated and vehicles other than the vehicle to be evaluated that may become moving obstacles are not obtained from a file or database as in the previously described embodiment, but are received from an in-yard shunting plan creation support device 1601 that supports the creation of shunting work schedules within the railway vehicle depot based on operating conditions and daily work plans.

[0148] In addition, the device equivalent to the yard shunting plan creation support device 1601 that receives the vehicle movement plan may also be an operation management system, a transportation planning system, or an yard shunting planning system that similarly controls and manages the operation and movement of trains and vehicles on main lines, stations, vehicle depots, freight yards, etc.

[0149] The other configuration is the same as that of the communication environment model generating device 101 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0150] As described above, the communication environment model generation device 101 constituting the communication environment model generation system 100 according to another embodiment has a communication interface 204 with the yard shunting plan creation support device 1601, and receives movement plans of the evaluation target vehicle and vehicles other than the evaluation target vehicle that may become moving obstacles from the yard shunting plan creation support device 1601, and uses these as input for generating the communication environment model. This makes it possible to generate a communication environment model for evaluating wireless communication quality based on real-time train movement plans that change depending on the train operation status and the work status within the railway depot.

[0151] The communication environment model generation system 100 according to another embodiment has been described above.

[0152] The above-described embodiment of the present invention can be summarized as follows.

[0153] (1) The communication environment model generating device 101 is a device for generating a communication environment model, which is an evaluation model for evaluating wireless communication quality taking into account the influence of moving obstacles, and includes a moving obstacle arrangement pattern generating unit 108 that receives as input position information, movement path information, and movement constraint information of a moving object carrying a communication terminal whose wireless communication quality is to be evaluated and a moving object that may be a moving obstacle, and generates a moving obstacle arrangement pattern, which is an arrangement pattern that may occur for the moving obstacle. As a result, the communication environment model generating device 101 can generate a communication environment model for appropriately evaluating wireless communication quality taking into account an obstacle arrangement pattern that takes into account an operation plan of a moving object that may be a moving obstacle, movement constraint conditions, etc.

[0154] (2) The moving obstacle placement pattern generating unit 108 evaluates the wireless communication quality using a moving obstacle placement pattern generated in advance.

[0155] (3) The moving obstacle placement pattern generated by the moving obstacle placement pattern generating unit 108 is immediately used to evaluate the wireless communication quality.

[0156] (4) The position information of the moving object includes at least one of track location information, track layout information, track circuit information, and block block information.

[0157] (5) The moving object's movement route information includes at least one of a train schedule, a shunting schedule, and a shunting work schedule.

[0158] (6) The restriction information regarding the movement of the moving object includes at least one of interlocking device information, track circuit information, and block block information.

[0159] (7) Receive moving object route information from one or more of an operation planning system, a transportation planning system, or a shunting planning system.

[0160] (8) The system further includes an evaluation target vehicle movement pattern generation unit 107 that receives input of the location information, movement route information, and movement constraint information of the moving object, and generates a movement pattern of the moving object carrying the communication terminal that is the subject of communication quality evaluation. The moving obstacle placement pattern generation unit 108 generates a moving obstacle placement pattern according to the movement pattern of the evaluation target vehicle generated by the evaluation target vehicle movement pattern generation unit 107.

[0161] (9) The communication environment model generation system 100 is a system for generating a communication environment model, which is an evaluation model for evaluating wireless communication quality taking into account the influence of moving obstacles, and includes a communication environment model generation device 101 that generates the communication environment model, and a wireless communication quality evaluation device 111 that evaluates wireless communication quality using the generated communication environment model.

[0162] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be implemented using any components without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0163] In the above description, a railway depot is assumed as the location where wireless communication is performed, and railway cars parked and shunted within the depot are assumed as moving obstacles that affect communication quality. An embodiment of generating a communication environment model for evaluating communication quality that takes into account the influence of moving obstacles in this case and evaluating communication quality using the model is illustrated. However, the present invention can also be applied to evaluating communication quality in other environments where moving obstacles are present. Among these, the present invention is suitable for use cases in which the movement route, movement plan (movement schedule), and movement constraints of moving objects can be known in advance, such as railway stops, signal stations, freight stations (freight yards, marshalling yards, etc.), and communication quality evaluation that takes into account the influence of moving obstacles for building communication systems for control and monitoring applications of autonomous buses, small autonomous mobility vehicles, autonomous guided vehicles in factories, and autonomous trucks.

[0164] Each of the above-described embodiments is merely an example, and the present invention is not limited to these details as long as the features of the invention are not impaired. Furthermore, although various embodiments have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these details, and not all of these details are necessarily essential to the solution of the present invention. Other aspects conceivable within the scope of the technical idea of ​​the present invention are also included within the scope of the present invention.

[0165] In the above figures, the control lines and information lines shown are those that are considered necessary for explanation, and do not necessarily show all the control lines and information lines that are necessary for implementation. For example, it can be assumed that in reality, almost all components are interconnected.

[0166] Furthermore, the above-described layout of the functional units of the communication environment model generation system 100 and the communication environment model generation device 101 is merely an example. The layout of the functional units can be changed to an optimal layout in terms of the performance, processing efficiency, communication efficiency, etc. of the hardware and software provided in the communication environment model generation system 100 and the communication environment model generation device 101.

[0167] Furthermore, the aforementioned configurations, functions, processing units, processing means, etc. may be realized in part or in whole in hardware, for example by designing them as integrated circuits, or may be realized in software by having a processor interpret and execute a program that realizes each function.

[0168] 100... communication environment model generation system, 101... communication environment model generation device, 111... wireless communication quality evaluation device, 112... line design device

Claims

1. A communication environment model generating device that generates a communication environment model, which is an evaluation model for evaluating wireless communication quality taking into account the influence of moving obstacles, the communication environment model generating device having a moving obstacle arrangement pattern generating unit that receives as input position information, movement route information, and movement constraint information of a moving body carrying a communication terminal to be evaluated for wireless communication quality and a moving body that may be a moving obstacle, and generates a moving obstacle arrangement pattern, which is an arrangement pattern that may occur for the moving obstacle.

2. A communication environment model generating device according to claim 1, wherein the moving obstacle placement pattern generating unit evaluates wireless communication quality using a moving obstacle placement pattern generated in advance.

3. A communication environment model generating device according to claim 1, which evaluates wireless communication quality by instantly using the moving obstacle placement pattern generated by the moving obstacle placement pattern generating unit.

4. A communication environment model generating device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the position information of the moving object includes at least one of track location information, track layout information, track circuit information and blocked block information.

5. A communication environment model generating device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the travel route information of the moving object includes at least one of an operation diagram, a shunting diagram and a shunting work schedule.

6. A communication environment model generating device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the constraint information relating to the movement of the moving object includes at least one of interlocking device information, track circuit information and blocked block information.

7. A communication environment model generating device as claimed in claim 1, which receives movement route information of the moving object from one or more of an operation planning system, a transport planning system, or a shunting planning system.

8. A communication environment model generating device as described in claim 1, further comprising an evaluation target vehicle movement pattern generation unit that receives as input position information of a moving object, movement route information, and movement constraint information, and generates a movement pattern of a moving object carrying a communication terminal that is the subject of communication quality evaluation, wherein the moving obstacle placement pattern generation unit generates a moving obstacle placement pattern in accordance with the movement pattern of the evaluation target vehicle generated by the evaluation target vehicle movement pattern generation unit.

9. A communication environment model generation system that generates a communication environment model, which is an evaluation model for evaluating wireless communication quality taking into account the influence of a moving obstacle, comprising: a communication environment model generation device that generates a communication environment model; and a wireless communication quality evaluation device that evaluates wireless communication quality using the generated communication environment model, wherein the communication environment model generation device has a moving obstacle arrangement pattern generation unit that receives as input position information, movement route information, and movement constraint information of a moving body carrying a communication terminal whose wireless communication quality is to be evaluated and a moving body that may be a moving obstacle, and generates a moving obstacle arrangement pattern, which is an arrangement pattern that may occur for the moving obstacle.

10. A method for generating a communication environment model, which is an evaluation model for evaluating wireless communication quality taking into account the influence of moving obstacles, comprising: a computer having at least a processor and a storage device inputting position information, movement route information, and movement constraint information of a moving body carrying a communication terminal to be evaluated for wireless communication quality and a moving body that may be a moving obstacle; and generating a moving obstacle arrangement pattern, which is an arrangement pattern that may occur for the moving obstacle.

11. A computer program comprising at least a processor and a storage device, for generating a communication environment model, which is an evaluation model for evaluating wireless communication quality taking into account the influence of moving obstacles, the computer being caused to execute the following operations: inputting position information, movement route information, and movement constraint information of a moving body carrying a communication terminal to be evaluated for wireless communication quality and a moving body that may be a moving obstacle; and generating a moving obstacle arrangement pattern, which is an arrangement pattern that may occur for the moving obstacle.

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