Vehicle operation control device and vehicle operation control method

Abstract

When a vehicle enters a dedicated track from a general-use road, it is necessary to control both a vehicle traveling on the dedicated track and the vehicle entering from the general-use road so that the two vehicles do not collide. It is also necessary to construct a vehicle operation control system capable of improving transport capabilities while ensuring safety.　A vehicle operation control device 201 according to the present invention comprises: a section direction determination unit 203 that, in regard to a section of a dedicated track that a general vehicle is going to enter, determines a section direction, which is the travel direction of a vehicle traveling within the section, in accordance with the travel state of the vehicle traveling in the section; and an entry / advance control unit that permits a vehicle to enter the section on the basis of the determined section direction. In cases where there are no on-rail vehicles in the section, the section direction determination unit determines that the section direction is not fixed. In cases where the section direction is not fixed, the entry / advance control unit permits vehicles to enter the section from both ends thereof.

Description

Vehicle operation control device and vehicle operation control method

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle operation control device and a vehicle operation control method.

[0002] In recent years, due to factors such as population decline in rural areas, profits on railroad and bus routes have declined, leading to reduced service and closure of railroad and bus lines, raising concerns about a decline in regional transportation capacity. To address these regional transportation issues, public transportation systems such as Light Rail Transit (LRT) and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) have been introduced. However, in these transportation systems using dedicated tracks, only dedicated vehicles are allowed to use the dedicated tracks, which poses a challenge in terms of their efficiency as transportation routes. Therefore, consideration has been given to improving the convenience of regional transportation and transport capacity by allowing vehicles to enter tracks dedicated to railroads and buses from public roads.

[0003] As a technology for controlling the entry of vehicles from public roads onto dedicated tracks, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which a public vehicle attempting to enter from a public road can obtain entry permission information, such as permitted entry gates and permitted entry times, from the operation control center of the dedicated road, and then enter the dedicated road.

[0004] Furthermore, Patent Document 2 discloses a technology for ensuring the safety of vehicles on dedicated tracks, in which the area between stations for dedicated vehicles is treated as a single block section, and gates installed at the entry and exit points to the dedicated track are controlled so that only one vehicle can travel in one block section, thereby managing entry and exit to the dedicated track.

[0005] JP 2003-30782 A JP 2007-87245 A

[0006] When a vehicle enters a dedicated track from a general road, it is necessary to control both the vehicle traveling on the dedicated track and the vehicle entering from the general road so that they do not collide. In particular, if the dedicated track is only wide enough for one vehicle to travel on, a head-on collision may occur if the vehicle entering from the general road travels in the opposite direction to the vehicle traveling on the dedicated track. Patent Document 1 discloses a method for adding a vehicle entering from a general road to a platoon traveling on the dedicated track. However, the technology described in Patent Document 1 requires the traffic control center to determine whether or not to allow each individual vehicle to enter a section where no vehicles are present, leaving room for improvement in terms of efficiency.

[0007] On the other hand, the technology described in Patent Document 2 ensures safety by defining the area between stations as one block section and allowing only one vehicle to enter each block, whether it is a vehicle on a dedicated track or a vehicle entering from a public road. However, with this method, the distance between vehicles is restricted by the length of the block, so there is a limit to the improvement in transportation capacity. Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle operation control device that can efficiently improve transportation capacity while ensuring safety.

[0008] To solve the above problems, one representative vehicle operation control device of the present disclosure is a vehicle operation control device that enables a general vehicle to enter a dedicated track from a general road. The vehicle operation control device of the present disclosure includes: a section direction determination unit that determines a section direction, which is the traveling direction of the vehicle in a section of a dedicated track that the general vehicle is about to enter, in accordance with the traveling state of the vehicle traveling in the section; and an approach / entry control unit that permits the vehicle to enter each section based on the determined section direction, wherein the section direction determination unit leaves the section direction undetermined when the number of vehicles on the track in the section is zero, and the approach / entry control unit permits the vehicle to enter from both ends of the section when the section direction is undetermined.

[0009] The present invention provides a vehicle operation control system that can efficiently improve transportation capacity while ensuring safety. Other problems, configurations, and effects will become clear from the following description of the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0010] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an overview of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of a vehicle control system according to a first embodiment. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the processing flow of a vehicle operation control device according to the first embodiment. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing the configuration of a vehicle operation control system according to a second embodiment. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing the processing flow of a vehicle operation control device according to the second embodiment.

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. In the drawings, identical parts are denoted by the same reference numerals. When multiple components having the same or similar functions are present, they may be described using the same reference numerals with different subscripts. Furthermore, when it is not necessary to distinguish between these multiple components, the subscripts may be omitted. Furthermore, although terms such as "first," "second," and "third" may be used to describe various elements or components in this disclosure, it should be understood that these elements or components should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one element or component from another. Therefore, a first element or component discussed below may also be referred to as a second element or component without departing from the teachings of the inventive concept. The position, size, shape, range, etc. of each component shown in the drawings may not represent the actual position, size, shape, range, etc., in order to facilitate understanding of the invention. Therefore, the present invention is not necessarily limited to the position, size, shape, range, etc. disclosed in the drawings.

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this disclosure, the term "vehicle" refers to a "dedicated vehicle" or a "general vehicle." A "dedicated vehicle" refers to a vehicle that is intended to run only on a dedicated track. A "general vehicle" refers to a vehicle that can run on public roads and sections where a dedicated track is laid. In this disclosure, the dedicated vehicle is described assuming a lightweight railcar or bus that runs on an LRT (Light Rail Transit) or BRT (Bus Rapid Transit), but is not necessarily limited to these. In this disclosure, the term "section" refers to the shortest section on a dedicated track from where a general vehicle enters the dedicated track to where it exits.

[0013] First, an overview of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1 . FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle operation control system in the first embodiment. In FIG. 1 , a dedicated track 101 is laid horizontally, and general roads 103(a) and 103(b) intersect with the dedicated track 101. FIG. 1 also illustrates a situation in which a dedicated vehicle 102 is traveling toward the right on the dedicated track 101, and general vehicles 104a and 104b are traveling behind the dedicated vehicle 102 in the same direction as the dedicated vehicle 102. Railroad crossings 106a and 106b are installed at the intersection between the dedicated track 101 and the general road 103, and gates 105a, 105b, 105c, and 105d are installed on the dedicated track. The railroad crossing 106 is intended to prevent vehicles from entering the railroad crossing from the general road while a vehicle is passing through it. The gate 105 is intended to restrict vehicles from entering the dedicated track 101 from the general road 103. Regarding the gate 105, if the gate is open, it means that it is possible to enter the section of the dedicated track 101, and if the gate is closed, it means that it is not possible to enter the section of the dedicated track 101.

[0014] In addition, a sensor 107 for detecting vehicles near the gate 105 is installed near the gate, and in Fig. 1, sensors 107a and 107b are installed near gates 105b and 105c, respectively. Furthermore, in Fig. 1, the section from the intersection of the general road 103a and the dedicated track 101 to the intersection of the general road 103b and the dedicated track 101 is an accessible section S (hereinafter, sometimes simply referred to as the "section"), and the section direction in this accessible section S is the direction of the arrow indicated by D.

[0015] (Vehicle Operation System) Next, a vehicle operation system 200 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a system configuration diagram of the vehicle operation system according to the first embodiment. The vehicle operation system 200 according to the first embodiment includes a vehicle operation control device 201, a sensor 107, and a gate 105.

[0016] (Vehicle Operation Control Device) The vehicle operation control device 201 is a device that controls the gate 105 and controls the entry of general vehicles onto the dedicated track 101 and the exit of general vehicles from the dedicated track 101 .

[0017] When there are multiple accessible sections as shown in Fig. 1, the vehicle operation control device 201 manages data on vehicles and the like present on the track for each accessible section, and individually controls the entry and exit of vehicles into that section. The following describes the control of vehicle entry and exit in one section in Example 1. The dedicated track 101 in Example 1 does not have enough width for multiple vehicles to pass each other, and vehicles can only travel in one direction. In other words, the description is based on the premise that it is a single track, as is known in railway lines.

[0018] 1, sensors are installed at both ends of the section to detect vehicles near the gate. The sensor 107 may be, for example, a Lidar or a camera that can detect vehicles. When the sensor 107 detects a vehicle, it transmits the information to the sensor control unit 202 of the vehicle operation control device 201.

[0019] (Gate) As explained in Fig. 1, the gate is used to restrict the entry of vehicles from the general road 103 onto the dedicated track 101, and is connected to the vehicle operation control device 201 and controlled by the entry / exit control unit 204. The gate needs to be able to confirm its open / closed state from vehicles on the general road, but it does not necessarily have to be physically operated to open or close. For example, it may be an indicator or display like a traffic light.

[0020] (Vehicle Operation Control Device) The vehicle operation control device 201 includes a sensor control unit 202, a section direction determination unit 203, and an approach / exit control unit 204, and repeatedly receives information from the sensor 107 and transmits control signals to the gate 105 at regular intervals.

[0021] (Sensor control unit / section direction determination unit) The sensor control unit 202 receives information regarding the detection of a vehicle from the sensor 107 and transmits it to the section direction determination unit 203. When the section direction determination unit 203 receives information that a vehicle has been detected from the sensor 107, if the number of vehicles in the accessible section is 0, it determines that the vehicle has entered from the side of the sensor 107 that detected the vehicle. Based on this, the section direction D of the accessible section is determined, and the number of vehicles in the accessible section is set to 1. In determining the section direction, for example, in FIG. 1 , if a vehicle is detected by the sensor 107a, the direction from left to right on the page is determined as the section direction D.

[0022] When sensor 107 detects a vehicle when the number of vehicles in the accessible section is not 0, if the sensor that detected the vehicle is the sensor in the direction of travel of section direction D (sensor 107b in the case of Figure 1), it is determined that the vehicle has exited the accessible section S, and the number of vehicles in the accessible section S is reduced by 1. If the sensor that detected the vehicle is the sensor in the forward direction of section direction D (sensor 107a in the case of Figure 1), it is determined that the vehicle has entered, and the number of vehicles in the accessible section S is increased by 1. When the number of vehicles in the accessible section becomes 0, the section direction is considered undetermined.

[0023] To further enhance safety, a sensor may be used that can detect not only that a vehicle has passed but also the direction in which it passed. In an accessible section S where the section direction D has already been determined, if the sensor detects a vehicle traveling in the opposite direction to the section direction D, the sensor may detect an abnormality and notify the system operator of the abnormality with a sound or a lamp.

[0024] That is, after the sensor 107 detects a vehicle, the section direction determination unit 203 determines whether the vehicle is entering or exiting the section, and updates the number of vehicles in the enterable section and the section direction. Then, the section direction determination unit 203 transmits the updated number of vehicles in the enterable section and the section direction to the entry / exit control unit 204.

[0025] (Entry / Exit Control Unit) When the number of vehicles in the entry-permitted section S is 0, the entry / exit control unit 204 determines that the section direction D is undetermined. When the section direction D is undetermined, it determines that vehicles can enter from either public road, and opens the gates 105 at both ends. When the number of vehicles in the entry-permitted section S is not 0 and the section direction D is determined, it opens the gate 105 on the entry side in accordance with the section direction, and closes the gate 105 on the opposite side. For example, in the case of Figure 1, when the section direction is from left to right, it opens gate 105b and closes gate 105c. When it is determined that the vehicle will exit, it temporarily opens the gate 105 on the exit side to allow the vehicle to exit.

[0026] (Railroad Crossing) The railroad crossing 106 is the same as a general railroad crossing installed to cross a dedicated road on a railway, and does not need to be installed in cases where travel on a general road has priority, such as BRT. The control of the railroad crossing may be the same as conventional ones, and the crossing may be controlled to close when a dedicated vehicle approaches the crossing. The operation of the approach / exit control unit 204 to open the gate 105 to allow the vehicle to exit may be linked to the state of the railroad crossing 106.

[0027] 1, when the railroad crossing 106b is closed, the gate 105c for exiting may be opened even if the sensor 107b does not detect an exiting vehicle. Also, in this embodiment, the intersection of the dedicated track 101 with the railroad crossing 106 and the general road 103 is used as the entrance for general vehicles to enter the dedicated track, but the entrance for general vehicles to enter the dedicated track is not limited to the intersection with the railroad crossing 106. For example, the general vehicle 104 may enter the dedicated track from a dedicated entrance for entering the dedicated track.

[0028] (Processing flow of embodiment 1) Next, a processing flow of the vehicle operation control device 201 in embodiment 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is an example of a flowchart of processing in which the section direction determination unit 203 of the vehicle operation control device 201 manages the section direction and the entry / exit control unit 204 controls entry into and exit from an accessible section. The vehicle operation control device 201 periodically performs the flow shown in Fig. 3 while the system is operating.

[0029] (Step 307) The section direction determination unit 203 receives information via the sensor control unit 202 as to whether or not the sensors 107 set at both ends of the accessible section have detected a vehicle. If a vehicle has been detected, the process proceeds to step 308; if not, the process proceeds to the next cycle.

[0030] Step 308: If the sensor 107 detects a vehicle, the section direction determination unit 203 checks the number of vehicles in the accessible section, and if the number of vehicles is 0, proceeds to step 309; if not, proceeds to step 310.

[0031] (Step 309) If sensor 107 detects a vehicle and the number of vehicles is 0, this means that a new vehicle has entered the entry-permitted section S, so the section direction determination unit 203 sets the number of vehicles on the rail in the entry-permitted section S to 1 and considers that the vehicle entered from the direction of sensor 107 that detected the vehicle. Then, the section direction determination unit 203 determines the running direction of that vehicle as the section direction. Furthermore, the determined section direction and the number of vehicles on the rail are transmitted to the entry / exit control unit 204. Furthermore, the entry / exit control unit 204 leaves the gate 105 on the entry side open and closes the gate 105 on the exit side, and moves on to the next cycle.

[0032] (Step 310) When the sensor 107 detects a vehicle and the number of vehicles on the track is not 0, the section direction determination unit 203 determines whether the vehicle detected by the sensor is on the approach side or the exit side of the section direction. If the vehicle is on the approach side, the process proceeds to step 311, and if the vehicle is on the exit side, the process proceeds to step 312.

[0033] (Step 311) If the vehicle detected by the sensor is on the approaching side of the section direction, the vehicle is approaching behind the vehicle currently on the track, so the section direction determination unit 203 increments the number of on-track vehicles in the entry-permitted section by 1. Then, without changing the section direction, after changing the number of vehicles, the process moves to the next cycle.

[0034] (Step 312) If the vehicle detected by the sensor is on the exiting side in the section direction, this means that the lead vehicle of the vehicles currently on the track is exiting the entry-enabled section, so the section direction determination unit 203 decrements the number of vehicles on the track in the entry-enabled section S by 1. The section direction D is not changed if the number of vehicles on the track after the decrement is not 0, and if the number of vehicles on the track becomes 0, the section direction is left unset. If the section direction is unset, the section direction is sent to the entry / exit control unit 204, which opens the gates 105 at both ends of the entry-enabled section, changes the number of vehicles, and then moves to the next cycle.

[0035] Next, a vehicle operation system 400 according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 4. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the vehicle operation control device 201 includes a plan receiving unit 205 connectable to an external system and performs entry / exit control of the accessible section S in consideration of the operation plan of the dedicated vehicle. Fig. 4 is a system configuration diagram of the vehicle operation system according to the second embodiment. In the following description, components that are the same as or equivalent to those in the first embodiment described above are designated by the same reference numerals, and their description will be simplified or omitted.

[0036] In the vehicle operation system 400 of Example 2, the vehicle operation control device 201 can be connected to a management system 410 that manages operation plans for dedicated vehicles. When a dedicated vehicle is operated according to a predetermined operation plan, the vehicle operation control device 201 of Example 2 can control the section direction and opening and closing of gates based on the schedule for the dedicated vehicle to operate through the accessible section S, and perform entry and exit control by giving priority to the operation of the dedicated vehicle. Specifically, the dedicated vehicle management system calculates the scheduled time for the dedicated vehicle to arrive at the accessible section from the timetable information, which is the dedicated vehicle operation plan, as the scheduled direction setting time Tp, and transmits the operating direction of the dedicated vehicle at that time as the scheduled direction plan to the plan receiving unit 205.

[0037] Next, the plan receiving unit 205 transmits the direction setting scheduled time Tp and the scheduled direction information to the section direction determining unit 203. The section direction determining unit 203 then calculates the section travel time Tr, which is the time required for the dedicated vehicle to travel through the enterable section S, by dividing the distance of the enterable section by the travel speed of the vehicle traveling through the enterable section S. The unit 203 then calculates the time that is the section travel time Tr before the direction setting scheduled time Tp as the scheduled no-entry time Th and transmits it to the entry / exit control unit 204.

[0038] Upon receiving the scheduled no-entry time Th, the entry / exit control unit 204 closes the gates 105 at both ends to prohibit general vehicles from entering the accessible section from the general road from the scheduled no-entry time until the scheduled direction setting time. The section direction determination unit 203 fixes the section direction to the scheduled direction even if there are no vehicles in the accessible section from the scheduled no-entry time until the scheduled direction setting time. This prevents general vehicles from being in the accessible section at the scheduled direction setting time Tp, allowing the dedicated vehicle to run at the scheduled time without being obstructed by general vehicles.

[0039] As described above, the section direction is determined based on the scheduled direction setting time Tp, the scheduled direction, and the vehicle's driving condition within the accessible section, and by opening the gate 105 on the entry side in the direction that matches the section direction and closing the gate 105 on the opposite side, it becomes possible to allow multiple vehicles to enter in the direction that matches the section direction while prohibiting entry in the opposite direction, thereby ensuring the safety of vehicle driving.

[0040] (Processing flow of embodiment 2) Next, a processing flow of the vehicle operation control device 201 in embodiment 2 will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is an example of a flowchart of processing in which the section direction determination unit 203 of the vehicle operation control device 201 manages the section direction and the entry / exit control unit 204 controls entry into and exit from an accessible section. The vehicle operation control device 201 periodically performs the flow shown in Fig. 4 while the system is operating.

[0041] (Step 401) When the plan receiving unit 205 receives the planned direction setting time Tp and planned direction from the management system 410, it transmits this information to the section direction determining unit 203. When the planned direction setting time Tp and planned direction are received, the planned direction setting time and planned direction of the section direction for the accessible section are received from the higher-level device via the plan. When the planned direction setting time Tp and planned direction are not received, the process proceeds directly to step 403.

[0042] (Step 403) If the section direction determination unit 203 receives the direction setting scheduled time Tp and the scheduled direction from the plan receiving unit 205, the process proceeds to step 404. If not, the section direction determination unit 203 determines that the entry prohibition scheduled time Th is undetermined, transmits the undetermined entry prohibition scheduled time to the entry / exit control unit 204, and then proceeds to step 405.

[0043] (Step 404) Having received the direction setting scheduled time Tp and the scheduled direction, the section direction determination unit 203 subtracts the section travel time Tr, which is the time required for the vehicle to travel through the previously calculated entry-permitted section, from the direction setting scheduled time Tp to obtain the entry prohibition scheduled time Th. The section direction determination unit 203 then transmits this to the entry / exit control unit 204.

[0044] (Step 405) If the scheduled no-entry time Th is not undetermined and the current time has passed the scheduled no-entry time, the entry / exit control unit 204 proceeds to step 406 to prohibit general vehicles from entering the accessible section S. If the scheduled no-entry time is undetermined or the current time has not passed the scheduled no-entry time, vehicle operation control based on the scheduled direction setting time is not necessary, so the process proceeds to step 407.

[0045] (Step 406) In order to prohibit general vehicles from entering the accessible section S, the entry / exit control unit 204 closes the gates 105 at both ends of the accessible section S via the entry / exit control unit 204, and moves on to the next cycle.

[0046] 3 described in the first embodiment, the explanation of the flow from step 307 to step 12 is omitted. The above processing enables the section direction, which is the vehicle travel direction in the accessible section, to be managed, and allows multiple vehicles to enter the accessible section if they are traveling in the same direction, thereby enabling efficient vehicle travel, and enables control to ensure safety by prohibiting the entry of vehicles traveling in different directions.

[0047] Example 3 differs from Example 1 in that it has a configuration that prohibits the private vehicle 102 from entering an accessible section where the general vehicle 104 or the private vehicle 102 is traveling. In the following description, the same or equivalent components as those in Example 1 or Example 2 described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be simplified or omitted.

[0048] In the first embodiment, a configuration was shown in which multiple vehicles could enter an accessible section S in the same direction as the section direction, but in the present embodiment, a configuration is used in which the entry of the dedicated vehicle 102 into an accessible section S in which a general vehicle 104 or a dedicated vehicle 102 is traveling is restricted. For example, if the dedicated vehicle 102 is a train that is heavier than a general vehicle and has a longer braking distance, it is important to ensure a distance between the dedicated vehicle 102 and other vehicles in order to improve the safety of the travel of the dedicated vehicle 102. For this reason, in the third embodiment, when a vehicle with a long braking distance enters an accessible section S currently on the track, the restriction for allowing entry is increased compared to the case of other vehicles, thereby improving safety.

[0049] In the third embodiment, permission for entry of a general vehicle 104 into an accessible section S is the same as in the first embodiment. That is, the general vehicle 104 is permitted to enter an accessible section S in which a general vehicle 104 or a dedicated vehicle 102 is traveling in the same direction as the section direction. However, the dedicated vehicle 102 is prohibited from entering an accessible section S in which a general vehicle 104 or a dedicated vehicle 102 is present, or is permitted to enter only if the distance to the present vehicle is equal to or greater than a certain value.

[0050] In order to most reliably and safely stop the dedicated vehicle 102 before the accessible section, for example, an existing railway signaling system may be used to stop the train before the accessible section, just as in the case of a train. Specifically, when a wireless train signaling system is used as the railway signaling system, the stopping limit point, which is the limit at which the train can safely travel, can be set before the accessible section, thereby prohibiting the dedicated vehicle from entering the accessible section.

[0051] Furthermore, sufficient safety can be ensured if the distance between the dedicated vehicle and the vehicle currently on the track traveling ahead of it is the braking distance Lb of the dedicated vehicle. Therefore, the stopping limit point of the dedicated vehicle may be set behind the vehicle currently on the track traveling ahead of it by the braking distance Lb of the dedicated vehicle, and the dedicated vehicle may be permitted to enter the accessible section only if the rearmost vehicle is traveling through the accessible section by Lb or more. Furthermore, the safety time Ts for ensuring the braking distance may be calculated by dividing the braking distance Lb of the dedicated vehicle by the traveling speed of the vehicles traveling through the accessible section S, and the dedicated vehicle may be permitted to enter the accessible section after the safety time Ts has elapsed since the rearmost vehicle entered the accessible section.

[0052] Specifically, when the section direction determination unit 203 determines that the number of vehicles on the track within the accessible section is not zero, for example, if a wireless train signaling system is used as the railway signaling system, the stopping limit point, which is the limit at which the train can safely travel, can be set to a point Lb or more behind the last vehicle traveling in the accessible section, thereby safely permitting the dedicated vehicle to enter the accessible section. As another method, the safety time Ts for ensuring the braking distance can be calculated by dividing the braking distance Lb of the dedicated vehicle by the traveling speed of the vehicles traveling in the accessible section S, and after the safety time Ts has elapsed since the last vehicle entered the accessible section, the approach / entry control unit may open the gate on the approach side to permit the dedicated vehicle to enter the accessible section.

[0053] By controlling the entry of the dedicated vehicle 102 into the accessible section as described above, it is possible to improve the safety of the travel of the dedicated vehicle 102.

[0054] While the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the present invention. For example, in the above disclosure, it has been described that the dedicated vehicle management system transmits the scheduled time Tp for setting a direction to the accessible section S and the scheduled direction of the section to the plan receiving unit 205. However, the dedicated vehicle management system may transmit an operation plan for the dedicated train to the plan receiving unit 205, and the plan receiving unit 205 may calculate the scheduled time Tp for setting a direction to the accessible section S and the scheduled direction of the section based on the received operation plan.

[0055] In the above disclosure, the gate 105 has been described as a means for permitting a vehicle to enter or exit the accessible section S. However, permission to enter or exit may be controlled using a means other than the gate 105. For example, a configuration may be adopted in which wireless devices are installed in dedicated vehicles and general vehicles, and permission / denial of entry into the accessible section is wirelessly given to vehicles approaching the location where the gate 105 is installed.

[0056] Furthermore, a display that displays the section direction may be installed where gate 105 is installed. When gate 105 is closed, vehicles cannot enter from the general road, but there is a possibility that vehicles may mistakenly believe that they can enter from the general road when gate 105 is temporarily opened to exit. To prevent this, the section direction is displayed where gate 105 is installed, allowing general vehicles to check the section direction display, and so even if gate 105 is open, if the section direction does not match, it can be determined that entry is not permitted.

[0057] Furthermore, the section direction determination unit may output an alarm when the traveling direction of the vehicle attempting to enter the accessible section input from the sensor contradicts the section direction.

[0058] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 101: Dedicated track 102: Dedicated vehicle 103: General road 104: General vehicle 105: Gate 106: Railroad crossing 200: Vehicle operation system 201: Vehicle operation control device 202: Sensor control unit 203: Section direction determination unit 204: Approach / exit control unit 205: Plan receiving unit 400: Vehicle operation system 410: Management system

Claims

1. A vehicle operation control device that enables general vehicles to enter a dedicated track from a general road, comprising: a section direction determination unit that determines a section direction, which is the traveling direction of vehicles in a section of a dedicated track that the general vehicle is about to enter, in accordance with the traveling conditions of vehicles traveling within the section; and an approach / entry control unit that permits the vehicle to enter the section based on the determined section direction, wherein the section direction determination unit leaves the section direction undetermined if the number of vehicles on the track in the section is zero, and determines the section direction based on the traveling direction of the vehicles on the track if the number of vehicles on the track is not zero, and the approach / entry control unit permits the vehicle to enter from both ends of the section when the section direction is undetermined, and permits the vehicle traveling in the same direction as the section direction determined by the section direction determination unit to enter the section.

2. A vehicle operation control device as described in claim 1, wherein the entry / exit control unit is connectable to gates located at both ends of the section and sensors that detect vehicles installed near the gates, the section direction determination unit determines the running status of vehicles running within the section and the number of vehicles present in the section based on information from the sensors, and the entry / exit control unit allows the vehicles to enter the section by setting the gates to an open state and a closed state.

3. A vehicle operation control device according to claim 2, wherein the entry / exit control unit allows the vehicle to exit the section when the sensor on the exit side of the section detects the vehicle.

4. A vehicle operation control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the vehicle operation control device comprises a plan receiving unit connectable to a management system that manages operation plans for dedicated vehicles, and the section direction determination unit receives from the plan receiving unit a planned direction setting time and a planned direction based on the operation plan for the dedicated vehicle, and determines the section direction based on the received planned direction setting time and planned direction.

5. A vehicle operation control device as described in claim 4, wherein the section direction determination unit calculates the time before the scheduled direction setting time by the section travel time, which is the time it takes for the dedicated vehicle to travel through the section, as the scheduled entry prohibition time, and the entry / exit control unit prohibits vehicles from entering the section from the scheduled entry prohibition time onwards until the scheduled direction setting time.

6. A vehicle operation control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the entry / exit control unit is connectable to a radio set installed in the vehicle, and the entry / exit control unit controls permission for the vehicle to enter the section via the radio set.

7. A vehicle operation control device according to any one of claims 2 to 6, characterized in that the section direction determination unit outputs an alarm when the driving direction of the vehicle attempting to enter an accessible section input from a sensor conflicts with the section direction.

8. A vehicle operation control device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the entry / exit control unit does not permit another dedicated vehicle to enter the section when a vehicle is present on the section.

9. A vehicle operation control device as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that when a vehicle is present on the section and another dedicated vehicle is about to enter the section, the entry / exit control unit allows the other dedicated vehicle to enter the section only if the distance between the last vehicle on the section and the other dedicated vehicle is equal to or greater than the braking distance Lb of the other dedicated vehicle, or if the time elapsed since the last vehicle entered the section is longer than a safety time calculated by dividing the braking distance Lb by the running speed of the other dedicated vehicle.

10. A vehicle operation control method using a vehicle operation control device connectable to gates arranged at both ends of a section of a dedicated track and sensors for detecting vehicles installed near the gates, and comprising a sensor control unit, a section direction determination unit, and an approach / entrance control unit, wherein the section direction determination unit, when receiving information that a vehicle has been detected from the sensor, transmits the number of vehicles present within the section and the section direction to the approach / entrance control unit, and the approach / entrance control unit: if the number of vehicles present is zero, opens both gates at both ends of the section; if the number of vehicles present is not zero, determines the section direction based on the traveling direction of the vehicles present; opens the gate on the approach side of the section direction and closes the gate on the exit side; determines whether the vehicle detected by the section direction sensor is on the approach side or the exit side in relation to the section direction; if the vehicle is on the approach side, leaves the gate open and allows entry; if the vehicle is on the exit side in relation to the section direction, opens the gate and allows entry; and if the vehicle is entering a section in a direction inconsistent with the section direction, leaves the gate closed and does not allow entry. A vehicle operation control method comprising:

11. A vehicle operation control method as set forth in claim 10, wherein the vehicle operation control device is connectable to a management system that manages operation plans for dedicated vehicles, the vehicle operation control device receives from the management system a direction setting scheduled time Tp for the train to arrive at the section accessible to the dedicated vehicle and the operating direction of the dedicated vehicle, the section direction determination unit divides the distance of the section by the vehicle's traveling speed to calculate a section traveling time Tr that is the time required for the dedicated vehicle to travel through the section, and calculates the time that is the section traveling time Tr before the direction setting scheduled time Tp as the scheduled no-entry time Th, and the entry / exit control unit prohibits general vehicles from entering the accessible section from general roads after the no-entry scheduled time until the scheduled direction setting time.

12. A vehicle operation control method as claimed in claim 10 or 11, characterized in that, when the section direction determination unit determines that the number of vehicles on the line within the section is not zero, a wireless train signal system is used for the dedicated vehicle to set the stopping limit point of the dedicated vehicle to a point just before the section where it can enter.

13. A vehicle operation control method as set forth in any one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that, when the section direction determination unit determines that the number of vehicles on the line within the section is not zero, a radio train signal system is used for the dedicated vehicle to set the stopping limit point, which is the limit at which the train can safely travel, to a point at least the braking distance Lb behind the last vehicle traveling at the rear.

14. A vehicle operation control method as set forth in any one of claims 10 to 13, characterized in that, when the section direction determination unit determines that the number of vehicles on the line within the section is not zero, the safety time Ts for ensuring the braking distance is calculated by dividing the braking distance Lb of the dedicated vehicle by the traveling speed of the vehicles traveling in the section, and after the safety time Ts has elapsed since the last vehicle entered the section, the approach / exit control unit opens the gate on the approach side to allow the dedicated vehicle to enter the accessible section.

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