FORM 2
THE PATENTS ACT, 1970
(39 of 1970)
&
THE PATENTS RULES, 2003
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
[See section 10, Rule 13]
DETERIORATION DIAGNOSIS APPARATUS, DETERIORATION DIAGNOSIS
SYSTEM, AND DETERIORATION DIAGNOSIS METHOD;
MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION, A CORPORATION ORGANISED
AND EXISTING UNDER THE LAWS OF JAPAN, WHOSE ADDRESS IS 7-3,
MARUNOUCHI 2-CHOME, CHIYODA-KU, TOKYO 100-8310, JAPAN
THE FOLLOWING SPECIFICATION PARTICULARLY DESCRIBES THE
INVENTION AND THE MANNER IN WHICH IT IS TO BE PERFORMED.
2
DESCRIPTION
DETERIORATION DIAGNOSIS APPARATUS, DETERIORATION DIAGNOSIS
SYSTEM, AND DETERIORATION DIAGNOSIS METHOD
5
Field
[0001] The present invention relates to a deterioration
diagnosis apparatus, a deterioration diagnosis system, and
a deterioration diagnosis method for diagnosing
10 deterioration of a device installed on a train.
Background
[0002] Conventionally, a device installed on a train is
periodically inspected so as to prevent failure of the
15 device during operation of the train. However, a train is
actually equipped with a lot of devices, so that it takes
much time to inspect these devices. In addition, as the
number of trains increases, it also takes more time to make
inspection from these trains. In order to address such a
20 problem, Patent Literature 1 discloses a technique for
reducing the time for inspecting a train by using data
obtained when the state of a device is monitored during
operation of a railroad car. In the technique disclosed in
Patent Literature 1, it is possible to diagnose
25 deterioration of a device by extracting and comparing the
state of the device operating under the same condition,
instead of performing periodic inspection.
Citation List
30 Patent Literature
[0003] Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent Application
Laid-open No. 2018-137967
3
Summary
Technical Problem
[0004] Patent Literature 1 specifically describes a
compressor as an example. However, it is difficult for
5 some devices, such as an air conditioner installed on a
train, to operate under the same condition due to things
like a season, a weather, and so on. For this reason,
there has been a problem that data during an operation
under the same condition, that is, data for deterioration
10 diagnosis may be unable to be acquired depending on a
device installed on a train.
[0005] The present invention has been made in view of
the above circumstances, and an object of the present
invention is to provide a deterioration diagnosis apparatus
15 capable of acquiring data indicating the states of a device
under the same measurement condition when a train is
operated.
Solution to Problem
[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems
20 and achieve the object, the present invention provides a
deterioration diagnosis apparatus comprising: a measurement
condition storage unit in which first measurement
conditions are stored, the first measurement conditions
being conditions under which measurement is performed for
25 diagnosing a state of a device installed on a train; a
measurement condition determination unit to determine
whether or not the first measurement conditions meet second
measurement conditions in operation data that has been
acquired from the train and includes a measurement result
30 indicating the state of the device, the second measurement
conditions being conditions under which the measurement
result has been obtained; a difference condition extraction
unit to extract a difference between the first measurement
4
conditions and the second measurement conditions when the
measurement condition determination unit determines that
there is inconsistency between the first measurement
conditions and the second measurement conditions; a control
5 command generation unit to generate a control command for
eliminating the difference; and a control command
transmission unit to transmit the control command to the
train.
10 Advantageous Effects of Invention
[0007] According to the present invention, a
deterioration diagnosis apparatus has an advantageous
effect that it can acquire data indicating the states of a
device under the same measurement condition when a train is
15 operated.
Brief Description of Drawings
[0008]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration
20 example of a deterioration diagnosis system according to a
first embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing examples of operation
states of an air conditioner, that is, measurement
conditions, immediately after operation of a train is
25 started in the deterioration diagnosis system according to
the first embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of operation in
which a deterioration diagnosis apparatus causes an onboard control apparatus to change a second measurement
30 condition in the deterioration diagnosis system according
to the first embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the
on-board control apparatus according to the first
5
embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the
deterioration diagnosis apparatus according to the first
embodiment.
5 FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of
deterioration diagnosis to be performed by a deterioration
diagnosis unit according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example in which a
processing circuit included in the deterioration diagnosis
10 apparatus according to the first embodiment is constructed
of a processor and a memory.
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example in which the
processing circuit included in the deterioration diagnosis
apparatus according to the first embodiment is constructed
15 of dedicated hardware.
FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a configuration
example of a deterioration diagnosis system according to a
second embodiment.
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an
20 operation in which a deterioration diagnosis apparatus
protects an on-board control apparatus from changing a
second measurement condition in the deterioration diagnosis
system according to the second embodiment.
FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of
25 the deterioration diagnosis apparatus according to the
second embodiment.
Description of Embodiments
[0009] Hereinafter, a deterioration diagnosis apparatus,
30 a deterioration diagnosis system, and a deterioration
diagnosis method according to embodiments of the present
invention will be described in detail with reference to the
drawings. Note that the present invention is not
6
necessarily limited by these embodiments.
[0010] First Embodiment.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration
example of a deterioration diagnosis system 300 according
5 to a first embodiment of the present invention. The
deterioration diagnosis system 300 includes a deterioration
diagnosis apparatus 100 and an on-board control apparatus
200. The deterioration diagnosis apparatus 100 serves as a
ground system that is installed on the ground and diagnoses
10 the states of devices installed on a train (not
illustrated), that is, deterioration of the devices. The
deterioration diagnosis apparatus 100 is, for example, a
remote maintenance support system. Examples of the devices
installed on the train include, but are not limited to, an
15 air conditioner, a brake, and a variable voltage variable
frequency (VVVF). The on-board control apparatus 200 serve
as an on-board system that is installed on the train (not
illustrated) and monitors the states of the devices
installed on the train (not illustrated). The on-board
20 control apparatus 200 is, for example, a train integrated
management system. The on-board control apparatus 200
monitors the state of each device installed on the train
after energization of the train, that is, when operation of
the train is started. The on-board control apparatus 200
25 transmits, to the deterioration diagnosis apparatus 100,
operation data including a result of monitoring the state
of each device, that is, a measurement result indicating
the state of each device. Once operation of the train is
started, the deterioration diagnosis apparatus 100 acquires
30 the operation data from the on-board control apparatus 200
during the operation of the train.
[0011] A configuration of the deterioration diagnosis
apparatus 100 will be described. The deterioration
7
diagnosis apparatus 100 includes a measurement start
condition defining unit 101, a measurement start condition
storage unit 102, a measurement start condition
determination unit 103, a measurement condition defining
5 unit 104, a measurement condition storage unit 105, a
measurement condition extraction unit 106, a measurement
condition determination unit 107, a difference condition
extraction unit 108, a control command generation unit 109,
a control command transmission unit 110, a measurement
10 result acquisition unit 111, and a deterioration diagnosis
unit 112.
[0012] The measurement start condition defining unit 101
receives an operation from a user, and thereupon defines a
measurement start condition using acquisition of operation
15 data from the on-board control apparatus 200 as a trigger.
The measurement start condition is a condition for starting
measurement for diagnosing the state of a device installed
on the train. Examples of the measurement start condition
include, but are not limited to, a case where the power to
20 a car is turned on when operation of the train (not
illustrated) is started and a case where a flag indicating
a failure of a specific device is detected.
[0013] The measurement start condition storage unit 102
stores one or more measurement start conditions defined by
25 the measurement start condition defining unit 101.
[0014] The measurement start condition determination
unit 103 lists the measurement start conditions stored in
the measurement start condition storage unit 102, and
monitors whether or not there is a relevant measurement
30 start condition for each piece of operation data of the
device. Specifically, the measurement start condition
determination unit 103 determines whether or not a
measurement start condition has been detected in the
8
operation data acquired from the on-board control apparatus
200 installed on the train, the operation data including a
measurement result indicating the state of the device. The
operation data shall include, in addition to the
5 measurement result, information indicating that the power
to the car has been turned on, a flag indicating a failure
of a particular device, and the like.
[0015] The measurement condition defining unit 104
receives an operation from the user, and defines a
10 measurement condition under which measurement is performed
for diagnosing deterioration of the device, the measurement
condition being associated with the measurement start
condition described above. The measurement condition
defined by the measurement condition defining unit 104 may
15 be referred to as a first measurement condition.
[0016] The measurement condition storage unit 105 stores
one or more first measurement conditions defined by the
measurement condition defining unit 104.
[0017] When one or more satisfied measurement start
20 conditions are detected in the measurement start condition
determination unit 103, the measurement condition
extraction unit 106 extracts one or more first measurement
conditions associated with the detected measurement start
conditions from the measurement condition storage unit 105.
25 [0018] The measurement condition determination unit 107
determines whether or not the first measurement condition
extracted by the measurement condition extraction unit 106
meet a second measurement condition which is included in
the operation data and used when the measurement result has
30 been obtained. The second measurement condition is a
condition under which the on-board control apparatus 200
has monitored the device in the train, that is, a
measurement condition under which the state of the device
9
has been determined.
[0019] In a case where the measurement condition
determination unit 107 determines that the first
measurement conditions do not meet the second measurement
5 conditions, the difference condition extraction unit 108
extracts a difference between the first measurement
conditions and the second measurement conditions in that
case.
[0020] The control command generation unit 109 generates
10 a control command for eliminating the difference extracted
by the difference condition extraction unit 108.
[0021] The control command transmission unit 110
transmits the control command generated by the control
command generation unit 109 to the on-board control
15 apparatus 200 installed on the train.
[0022] The measurement result acquisition unit 111
acquires, from the on-board control apparatus 200,
operation data including a measurement result obtained
under the second measurement conditions identical to the
20 first measurement conditions on the basis of the control
command transmitted by the control command transmission
unit 110. The measurement result acquisition unit 111 may
directly acquire the measurement result obtained under the
second measurement conditions identical to the first
25 measurement conditions from a communication unit 202 of the
on-board control apparatus 200, or may acquire the
measurement result via the measurement start condition
determination unit 103, the measurement condition
extraction unit 106, the measurement condition
30 determination unit 107, the difference condition extraction
unit 108, the control command generation unit 109, and the
control command transmission unit 110.
[0023] When the second measurement conditions meet the
10
first measurement conditions, the deterioration diagnosis
unit 112 makes a diagnosis based on a state of whether or
not the device installed on the train has deteriorated,
with use of the measurement result included in the
5 operation data.
[0024] A configuration of the on-board control apparatus
200 will be described. The on-board control apparatus 200
includes a control unit 201 and the communication unit 202.
[0025] The control unit 201 monitors the state of a
10 device installed on the train (not illustrated), and
generates operation data including a measurement result
indicating the state of the device. In addition, when
acquiring, from the deterioration diagnosis apparatus 100,
a control command for eliminating the difference extracted
15 by the difference condition extraction unit 108, the
control unit 201 performs control so as to change a
relevant measurement condition.
[0026] The communication unit 202 transmits the
operation data generated by the control unit 201 to the
20 deterioration diagnosis apparatus 100. In addition, the
communication unit 202 outputs, to the control unit 201,
the control command acquired from the deterioration
diagnosis apparatus 100.
[0027] Next, operation of the deterioration diagnosis
25 system 300 will be described. Here, a case where the
device installed on the train is an air conditioner will be
specifically described as an example. When transmitting
the operation data to the deterioration diagnosis apparatus
100, the on-board control apparatus 200 includes
30 information on the second measurement condition together
with the measurement result in the operation data. At this
time, even during the same hours of the day, a train driver
may differ from day to day. Therefore, the operation data
11
transmitted to the deterioration diagnosis apparatus 100 by
the on-board control apparatus 200 may have variations in
measurement condition under which the state of the air
conditioner is measured. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing
5 examples of operation states of an air conditioner 220,
that is, measurement conditions, immediately after
operation of a train 210 is started in the deterioration
diagnosis system 300 according to the first embodiment.
Note that it is assumed that the operation mode of the air
10 conditioner 220 is air cooling.
[0028] Assume that on July 1, 2017 a driver 250 of the
train 210 starts operation of the train 210 under the
following second measurement conditions: the vehicle
occupancy is 0%; doors of the train 210 are closed; an
15 operation level of the air conditioner 220 is 4; and a
fresh-air intake is closed, and measures the state of the
air conditioner 220. The second measurement conditions and
the first measurement conditions of the train 210 do not
match in terms of the operation level in a case where the
20 first measurement conditions stored in the measurement
condition storage unit 105 of the deterioration diagnosis
apparatus 100 are as follows: the vehicle occupancy is 0%;
the doors are closed; an operation level is 5; and the
fresh-air intake is closed. Note that the operation level
25 with a larger numerical value is set to represent operation
that consumes larger amount of energy.
[0029] Assume that on August 1, 2017 that is the next
month, another driver 251 of the train 210 starts operation
of the train 210 under the following second measurement
30 conditions: the vehicle occupancy is 0%; the doors of the
train 210 are open; the operation level of the air
conditioner 220 is 5; and the fresh-air intake is open, and
measures the state of the air conditioner 220. In this
12
case, the second measurement conditions and the first
measurement conditions of the train 210 do not match in
terms of the opening and closing of the doors and the
opening and closing of the fresh-air intake.
5 [0030] Furthermore, assume that on September 1, 2017
that is the month after that, still another driver 252 of
the train 210 starts operation of the train 210 under the
following second measurement conditions: the vehicle
occupancy is 0%; the doors of the train 210 are closed; an
10 operation level of the air conditioner 220 is 2; and the
fresh-air intake is closed, and measures the state of the
air conditioner 220. In this case, the second measurement
conditions and the first measurement conditions of the
train 210 do not match in terms of the operation level.
15 [0031] As described above, both the drivers and the
second measurement conditions in the train 210 differ
between the days on which data is acquired for diagnosing
deterioration of the device, that is, the air conditioner
220. Since the second measurement conditions in the train
20 210 also differ between the days, data sets for the days
are not allowed to be simply compared to each other.
Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the second
measurement conditions included in the operation data
acquired from the on-board control apparatus 200 are
25 different from the first measurement conditions stored in
the measurement condition storage unit 105, the
deterioration diagnosis apparatus 100 transmits, to the onboard control apparatus 200, a control command for changing
a measurement condition corresponding to or having the
30 difference. That is, the deterioration diagnosis apparatus
100 causes the on-board control apparatus 200 to measure
the state of the device under the first measurement
conditions.
13
[0032] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of
operation in which the deterioration diagnosis apparatus
100 causes the on-board control apparatus 200 to change a
second measurement condition in the deterioration diagnosis
5 system 300 according to the first embodiment. Although the
flow of operation in the case of July 1, 2017 illustrated
in FIG. 2 will be described as an example in FIG. 3,
substantially the same flow applies to the other cases,
that is, a case of August 1, 2017 and a case of September 1,
10 2017. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of
the on-board control apparatus 200 according to the first
embodiment. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an
operation of the deterioration diagnosis apparatus 100
according to the first embodiment.
15 [0033] As illustrated in the flowchart of FIG. 4, in the
on-board control apparatus 200, when operation of the train
210 is started, the control unit 201 generates operation
data including, together with the information indicating
that the power to the car has been turned on, the following
20 second measurement conditions: the doors of the train 210
are closed; the operation level of the air conditioner 220
is 4; and the fresh-air intake is closed. The
communication unit 202 transmits the operation data
generated by the control unit 201 to the deterioration
25 diagnosis apparatus 100 (step S101).
[0034] As illustrated in the flowchart of FIG. 5, in the
deterioration diagnosis apparatus 100, the measurement
start condition determination unit 103 detects a
measurement start condition that the power to the car be
30 turned on in the operation data acquired from the on-board
control apparatus 200 (step S201).
[0035] The measurement condition extraction unit 106
extracts, from the measurement condition storage unit 105,
14
a first measurement condition associated with the
measurement start condition that the power to the car
should be turned on. Specifically, the measurement
condition extraction unit 106 extracts, as first
5 measurement conditions under which the state of the air
conditioner 220 is measured, the following measurement
conditions from the measurement condition storage unit 105:
the vehicle occupancy is 0%; the doors are closed; the
operation level is 5; and the fresh-air intake is closed
10 (step S202).
[0036] The measurement condition determination unit 107
determines whether or not the first measurement conditions
extracted by the measurement condition extraction unit 106
meet the second measurement conditions included in the
15 operation data. The measurement condition determination
unit 107 determines that the first measurement conditions
do not meet the second measurement conditions in terms of a
measurement condition of the operation level (step S203).
[0037] The difference condition extraction unit 108
20 extracts a difference for the measurement conditions in
terms of which the measurement condition determination unit
107 has determined that they do not meet (step S204). More
specifically, in the situation where the operation level is
5 in the first measurement condition but the operation
25 level is 4 in the second measurement condition, the
difference condition extraction unit 108 extracts a
difference “-1” in operation level.
[0038] The control command generation unit 109 generates
a control command for eliminating the difference “-1” in
30 operation level, that is, a control command for raising the
operation level by one and changing the operation level to
the operation level 5 (step S205). Note that the control
command generation unit 109 may include an operation
15
inhibition message for the driver 250 in the generated
control command. The operation inhibition message is a
message for prompting the driver 250 to refrain from
performing an operation on the train 210 because
5 measurement of data for deterioration diagnosis is underway.
[0039] The control command transmission unit 110
transmits, to the on-board control apparatus 200, the
control command generated by the control command generation
unit 109 (step S206).
10 [0040] As illustrated in the flowchart of FIG. 4, in the
on-board control apparatus 200, the communication unit 202
acquires the control command from the deterioration
diagnosis apparatus 100 (step S102). The communication
unit 202 outputs the acquired control command to the
15 control unit 201.
[0041] The control unit 201 changes the measurement
condition based on the control command (step S103). More
specifically, the control unit 201 changes the operation
level of the air conditioner 220 from 4 to 5. After
20 changing the operation level to 5, the control unit 201
measures, as the state of the air conditioner 220, a change
in temperature in the car, a compressor electric current,
an indoor fan electric current, a pressure, and/or the like
(step S104). The control unit 201 periodically generates
25 operation data including a measurement result for one or
more measured items, and transmits the operation data to
the deterioration diagnosis apparatus 100 via the
communication unit 202 (step S105).
[0042] Note that after changing the operation level to 5,
30 the control unit 201 may receive an operation of the driver
250 and thereupon perform an operation of changing the
operation level to the original operation level 4, or may
perform an operation of automatically changing the
16
operation level to the original operation level 4 after a
lapse of a prescribed time length, for example, 5 minutes.
In the case where the operation level can be automatically
changed to the original operation level, the control unit
5 201 can surely change the operation level to the original
operation level 4 even if the driver 250 forgets to perform
an operation of changing the operation level to the
original operation level 4. In addition, in the case where
the operation level can be automatically changed to the
10 original operation level, the control unit 201 can surely
change the operation level to the original operation level
4 even if the control unit cannot acquire a control command
under the assumption that the operation level is changed to
the original operation level based on a control command
15 from the deterioration diagnosis apparatus 100.
[0043] As illustrated in the flowchart of FIG. 5, in the
deterioration diagnosis apparatus 100, the measurement
result acquisition unit 111 acquires, from the on-board
control apparatus 200, a measurement result included in
20 operation data generated after the on-board control
apparatus 200 has changed the operation level to 5 (step
S207).
[0044] The deterioration diagnosis unit 112 diagnoses
deterioration of the air conditioner 220 with use of the
25 measurement result acquired by the measurement result
acquisition unit 111 (step S208).
[0045] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation
of deterioration diagnosis to be performed by the
deterioration diagnosis unit 112 according to the first
30 embodiment. As described previously, description in this
part is directed to an example of an operation in which the
deterioration diagnosis unit 112 diagnoses deterioration of
the air conditioner 220 of the train 210. The
17
deterioration diagnosis unit 112 acquires a measurement
result for each car or vehicle constituting the train 210
(step S301).
[0046] The deterioration diagnosis unit 112 first makes
5 a diagnosis regarding a decrease in the amount of
refrigerant circulation of the air conditioner 220. More
specifically, an average value of the degrees of superheat
is calculated from the pressure and temperature of the
entire formation of the train 210 (step S302). When a
10 deviation of the degree of superheat of a selected car from
the average value is equal to or higher than a
predetermined threshold (step S303: Yes), the deterioration
diagnosis unit 112 adds information on the degree of
superheat of the relevant car to the contents of a
15 notification (step S304). When the deviation of the degree
of superheat of the selected car from the average value is
lower than the threshold (step S303: No), the deterioration
diagnosis unit 112 omits the operation of step S304. When
not all the cars have been inspected (step S305: No), the
20 deterioration diagnosis unit 112 selects a car yet to be
selected, and returns to step S303. When all the cars have
been inspected (step S305: Yes), the deterioration
diagnosis unit 112 transmits the contents of a notification
to the on-board control apparatus 200, a rail yard (not
25 illustrated), and the like (step S306).
[0047] Next, the deterioration diagnosis unit 112 makes
a diagnosis regarding refrigerant gas shortage of the air
conditioner 220. Specifically, the deterioration diagnosis
unit 112 calculates the average value of compressor
30 electric currents of the entire formation of the train 210
(step S307). When a deviation of the compressor electric
current of the selected car from the average value is equal
to or higher than a predetermined threshold (step S308:
18
Yes), the deterioration diagnosis unit 112 adds information
on the compressor electric current of the relevant car to
the contents of a notification (step S309). When the
deviation of the compressor electric current of the
5 selected car from the average value is lower than the
threshold (step S308: No), the deterioration diagnosis unit
112 omits the operation of step S309. When not all the
cars have been inspected (step S310: No), the deterioration
diagnosis unit 112 selects a car yet to be selected, and
10 returns to step S308. When all the cars have been
inspected (step S310: Yes), the deterioration diagnosis
unit 112 transmits the contents of a notification to the
on-board control apparatus 200, the rail yard (not
illustrated), and the like (step S306).
15 [0048] Next, the deterioration diagnosis unit 112 makes
a diagnosis regarding a decrease in low pressure of the air
conditioner 220. Specifically, the deterioration diagnosis
unit 112 calculates an average value of indoor fan electric
currents of the entire formation of the train 210 (step
20 S311). When a deviation of the indoor fan electric current
of the selected car from the average value is equal to or
higher than a predetermined threshold (step S312: Yes), the
deterioration diagnosis unit 112 adds information on the
indoor fan electric current of the relevant car to the
25 contents of a notification (step S313). When the deviation
of the indoor fan electric current of the selected car from
the average value is lower than the threshold (step S312:
No), the deterioration diagnosis unit 112 omits the
operation of step S313. When not all the cars have been
30 inspected (step S314: No), the deterioration diagnosis unit
112 selects a car yet to be selected, and returns to step
S312. When all the cars have been inspected (step S314:
Yes), the deterioration diagnosis unit 112 transmits the
19
contents of a notification to the on-board control
apparatus 200, the rail yard (not illustrated), and the
like (step S306).
[0049] Note that the deterioration diagnosis unit 112
5 may perform the operation of step S302 to step S305, the
operation of step S307 to step S310, and the operation of
step S311 to step S314 in sequence or in parallel.
Furthermore, the present embodiment is directed to a
diagnosis method in which the deterioration diagnosis unit
10 112 calculates the average values of certain device
information such as the degree of superheat, the compressor
electric current, and the indoor fan electric current for
the entire formation of the train 210, and makes diagnoses
based on determination as to whether or not a deviation of
15 the certain device information on the selected car from the
average value is equal to or higher than the predetermined
threshold, but the present invention is not limited to this
diagnosis method. The deterioration diagnosis unit 112 may
perform deterioration diagnosis using single regression
20 analysis, multiple regression analysis, or the like, on the
basis of the measured device information and the past
device information stored in a storage device (not
illustrated). In addition, the deterioration diagnosis
unit 112 may perform deterioration diagnosis based on
25 comparison with device information on the same device
installed on another train.
[0050] The user can judge whether or not there is a
difficulty in operation of the train 210, necessity of
detailed inspection, replacement of a device, or the like
30 by checking the contents of a notification transmitted from
the deterioration diagnosis apparatus 100 to the on-board
control apparatus 200, the rail yard, or the like. Note
that the thresholds to be used in steps S303, S308, and
20
S312 are predetermined by the user.
[0051] The case where the deterioration diagnosis
apparatus 100 is installed on the ground has been described
in the present embodiment, but the present invention is not
5 limited to this manner. The deterioration diagnosis
apparatus 100 may be installed on the train 210. In
addition, some components of the deterioration diagnosis
apparatus 100 may be installed on the train 210, and the
other components thereof may be installed on the ground.
10 For example, the measurement result acquisition unit 111
and the deterioration diagnosis unit 112 of the
deterioration diagnosis apparatus 100 may be installed on
the ground, and the other components of the same may be
installed on the train 210.
15 [0052] Next, a hardware configuration of the
deterioration diagnosis apparatus 100 will be described.
In the deterioration diagnosis apparatus 100, the
measurement start condition defining unit 101 and the
measurement condition defining unit 104 correspond to
20 interfaces such as a keyboard and a mouse capable of
receiving an operation from a user. The measurement start
condition storage unit 102 and the measurement condition
storage unit 105 correspond to memories. The control
command transmission unit 110 and the measurement result
25 acquisition unit 111 correspond to communication devices
capable of communicating with the on-board control
apparatus 200. The measurement start condition
determination unit 103, the measurement condition
extraction unit 106, the measurement condition
30 determination unit 107, the difference condition extraction
unit 108, the control command generation unit 109, and the
deterioration diagnosis unit 112 are implemented by a
processing circuit. The processing circuit may be a memory
21
and a processor that executes a program stored in the
memory, or may be dedicated hardware.
[0053] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example in which
the processing circuit included in the deterioration
5 diagnosis apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment
is constructed of a processor and a memory. In a case
where the processing circuit is constructed of a processor
91 and a memory 92, each function of the processing circuit
of the deterioration diagnosis apparatus 100 is implemented
10 by software, firmware, or a combination of software and
firmware. The software or firmware is described as a
program, and stored in the memory 92. The processor 91
reads and executes the program stored in the memory 92 to
implement each of the functions in the processing circuit.
15 That is, the processing circuit has the memory 92 for
storing programs therein, the program being configured to
execute processing for the deterioration diagnosis
apparatus 100. In addition, it can also be said that these
programs cause a computer to execute a procedure and a
20 method for the deterioration diagnosis apparatus 100.
[0054] Here, the processor 91 may be a central
processing unit (CPU), a processing device, an arithmetic
device, a microprocessor, a microcomputer, a digital signal
processor (DSP), or the like. Furthermore, what is
25 applicable to the memory 92 is for example, a nonvolatile
or volatile semiconductor memory such as a random access
memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), a flash memory, an
erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), or an electrically EPROM
(EEPROM) (registered trademark); a magnetic disk; a
30 flexible disk; an optical disk; a compact disk; a mini
disk; or a digital versatile disc (DVD).
[0055] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example in which
the processing circuit included in the deterioration
22
diagnosis apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment
is constructed by using dedicated hardware. In a case
where the processing circuit is constructed by using
dedicated hardware, what is applicable to a processing
5 circuit 93 illustrated in FIG. 8 is for example, a single
circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, a
parallel-programmed processor, an application specific
integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array
(FPGA), or any combination thereof. Each of the functions
10 of the deterioration diagnosis apparatus 100 may be
implemented by the corresponding processing circuit 93
function by function, or all the function may be
collectively implemented by one and the same processing
circuit 93.
15 [0056] Note that some of the functions of the
deterioration diagnosis apparatus 100 may be implemented by
dedicated hardware, and some or all of the other functions
thereof may be implemented by software or firmware. Thus,
the processing circuit is capable of implementing each of
20 the above-described functions by means of dedicated
hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof.
[0057] A hardware configuration of the on-board control
apparatus 200 will be described. In the on-board control
apparatus 200, the communication unit 202 is a
25 communication device capable of communicating with the
deterioration diagnosis apparatus 100. The control unit
201 is implemented by a processing circuit. As in the case
of the deterioration diagnosis apparatus 100, the
processing circuit may be configured with a memory and a
30 processor that executes a program stored in the memory, or
may be a dedicated hardware set.
[0058] As described above, according to the present
embodiment, the deterioration diagnosis apparatus 100
23
acquires operation data including a measurement result
indicating the state of a device from the on-board control
apparatus 200, transmits a control command to the on-board
control apparatus 200 when a second measurement condition
5 under which the measurement result has been obtained is
different from a first measurement condition prescribed in
the deterioration diagnosis apparatus 100, and sets a
measurement condition under which the state of the device
is measured in the train 210 to the first measurement
10 condition. The on-board control apparatus 200 measures the
state of the device in an environment conforming to the
prescribed first measurement conditions, and transmits
operation data including the measurement result to the
deterioration diagnosis apparatus 100. In this way, the
15 on-board control apparatus 200 controls operation of the
device installed on the train 210 on the basis of the
control command acquired from the deterioration diagnosis
apparatus 100. As a result, when the train 210 is operated,
the deterioration diagnosis apparatus 100 can acquire data
20 indicating the states of the device under the same
measurement conditions. The deterioration diagnosis
apparatus 100 can perform deterioration diagnosis of the
device by virtue of use of the measurement result measured
in the environment conforming to the prescribed first
25 measurement conditions. The deterioration diagnosis
apparatus 100 can diagnose the degree of deterioration, the
progress of deterioration, and the like of a target device
by virtue of use of measurement results which have been
made under the first measurement conditions, and acquired
30 on different days.
[0059] Note that in the present embodiment, the air
conditioner 220 has been described as an example of the
device installed on the train 210, but the present
24
invention is not limited to this example. Although there
is a different case in terms of the first measurement
conditions and the like, the present embodiment is
applicable even to a case where the device installed on the
5 train 210 is the above-described brake, VVVF, or the like.
[0060] Second Embodiment.
In the first embodiment, when a second measurement
condition under which the state of a device installed on
the train 210 is measured is different from a first
10 measurement condition prescribed in the deterioration
diagnosis apparatus 100, the deterioration diagnosis
apparatus 100 transmits, to the on-board control apparatus
200, a control command to change the measurement condition.
In a second embodiment, a description will be given of a
15 case where a deterioration diagnosis apparatus does not
transmit a control command even if the second measurement
condition is different from the first measurement condition.
[0061] FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a configuration
example of a deterioration diagnosis system 300a according
20 to the second embodiment. The deterioration diagnosis
system 300a includes a deterioration diagnosis apparatus
100a and the on-board control apparatus 200. The
deterioration diagnosis apparatus 100a is obtained by
addition of a control command determination unit 113 to the
25 deterioration diagnosis apparatus 100 of the first
embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1. The control command
determination unit 113 determines whether or not a control
command generated by the control command generation unit
109 will cause no problem even if the control command is
30 transmitted to the on-board control apparatus 200. A user
specifies in advance information on a measurement condition
to be used as a target for discarding a control command in
the control command determination unit 113, and stores the
25
information in the control command determination unit 113.
That is, when the control command generated by the control
command generation unit 109 has been set for eliminating a
difference in terms of the specified measurement condition,
5 the control command determination unit 113 discards the
control command.
[0062] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of
operation in which the deterioration diagnosis apparatus
100a protects the on-board control apparatus 200 from
10 changing a second measurement condition in the
deterioration diagnosis system 300a according to the second
embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 10, a first measurement
condition specifies that doors are closed, whereas a second
measurement condition specifies that the doors are open,
15 and thus there is a difference in measurement condition.
However, it is not desirable that an operation such as the
opening or closing of the doors is changed before the
operation is recognized by the driver 251 or a conductor
(not illustrated) actually working on the train 210, that
20 is, automatically changed by the control command from the
deterioration diagnosis apparatus 100a. Therefore, in the
second embodiment, the control command determination unit
113 checks the content of the control command generated by
the control command generation unit 109, then causes the
25 control command transmission unit 110 to transmit a control
command for changing a measurement condition having no
problem even if the condition is changed before the driver
251 or the conductor recognizes the change, but discards a
control command for changing a measurement condition having
30 undesirability if the condition is changed before the
driver 251 or the conductor recognizes the change. The
measurement condition having undesirability if the
condition is changed before the driver 251 or the conductor
26
recognizes the change corresponds to or means a measurement
condition on a device that affects operation of the train
210, for example, a door, a device related to traveling or
stopping of the train 210, or the like.
5 [0063] FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an operation
of the deterioration diagnosis apparatus 100a according to
the second embodiment. In FIG. 11, the operation of step
S201 to step S205 and the operation of step S206 to step
S208 are the same as those in the flowchart of the first
10 embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5. In the second embodiment,
the control command determination unit 113 determines,
after step S205, whether or not to transmit the control
command generated by the control command generation unit
109 to the on-board control apparatus 200 (step S209).
15 When the control command determination unit 113 determines
to transmit the control command generated by the control
command generation unit 109 to the on-board control
apparatus 200 (step S209: Yes), the deterioration diagnosis
apparatus 100a proceeds to the operation of step S206.
20 When the control command determination unit 113 determines
not to transmit the control command generated by the
control command generation unit 109 to the on-board control
apparatus 200 (step S209: No), the deterioration diagnosis
apparatus 100a terminates the operation.
25 [0064] Note that when a determination of “No” is made in
step S209, the deterioration diagnosis apparatus 100a
cannot acquire a result of measurement made under the first
measurement conditions. In this case, the deterioration
diagnosis apparatus 100a does not perform any operation of
30 forcibly acquiring the measurement result, but retries the
operation illustrated in FIG. 11 in the next chance such as
the following day.
[0065] Regarding a hardware configuration of the
27
deterioration diagnosis apparatus 100a, the control command
determination unit 113 is implemented by a processing
circuit. As in the case of the deterioration diagnosis
apparatus 100, the processing circuit may be a memory and a
5 processor that executes a program stored in the memory, or
may be dedicated hardware.
[0066] As described above, according to the present
embodiment, the deterioration diagnosis apparatus 100a does
not transmit a control command to the on-board control
10 apparatus 200 in the case where there is inconsistency
between the first measurement conditions and the second
measurement conditions, when a measurement condition having
the inconsistency is a specified measurement condition. As
a result, the deterioration diagnosis apparatus 100a can
15 prevent a measurement condition from being changed, the
measurement condition having undesirability if the
condition is changed in contents of operation therefor
without recognition of the driver 251 or the conductor in
the train 210.
20 [0067] Note that the case where the deterioration
diagnosis apparatus 100a does not transmit a control
command depending on a measurement condition has been
described in the present embodiment, but this is an example
and the present invention is not limited thereto. For
25 example, the deterioration diagnosis apparatus 100 of the
first embodiment may transmit a control command, and the
on-board control apparatus that has acquired the control
command may have the same function as the control command
determination unit 113 and discard the control command
30 depending on a measurement condition. Also in this case,
the deterioration diagnosis system can achieve the same
effect as that in the case of the operation performed by
the deterioration diagnosis apparatus 100a. Furthermore,
28
the user may choose whether or not the on-board control
apparatus should discard the control command.
[0068] The configurations set forth in the above
embodiments show examples of the contents of the present
5 invention, and can each be combined with other publicly
known techniques and partially omitted and/or modified
without departing from the scope of the present invention.
Reference Signs List
10 [0069] 100, 100a deterioration diagnosis apparatus; 101
measurement start condition defining unit; 102 measurement
start condition storage unit; 103 measurement start
condition determination unit; 104 measurement condition
defining unit; 105 measurement condition storage unit; 106
15 measurement condition extraction unit; 107 measurement
condition determination unit; 108 difference condition
extraction unit; 109 control command generation unit; 110
control command transmission unit; 111 measurement result
acquisition unit; 112 deterioration diagnosis unit; 113
20 control command determination unit; 200 on-board control
apparatus; 201 control unit; 202 communication unit; 300,
300a deterioration diagnosis system.

29
We Claim :
1. A deterioration diagnosis apparatus comprising:
a measurement condition storage unit in which first
5 measurement conditions are stored, the first measurement
conditions being conditions under which measurement is
performed for diagnosing a state of a device installed on a
train;
a measurement condition determination unit to
10 determine whether or not the first measurement conditions
meet second measurement conditions in operation data that
has been acquired from the train and includes a measurement
result indicating the state of the device, the second
measurement conditions being conditions under which the
15 measurement result has been obtained;
a difference condition extraction unit to extract a
difference between the first measurement conditions and the
second measurement conditions when the measurement
condition determination unit determines that there is
20 inconsistency between the first measurement conditions and
the second measurement conditions;
a control command generation unit to generate a
control command for eliminating the difference; and
a control command transmission unit to transmit the
25 control command to the train.
2. The deterioration diagnosis apparatus according to
claim 1, further comprising:
a measurement start condition storage unit in which
30 measurement start conditions are stored, the measurement
start conditions being conditions for starting the
measurement for diagnosing the state of the device
installed on the train, the measurement start conditions
30
being associated with the first measurement conditions;
a measurement start condition determination unit to
determine whether or not any of the measurement start
conditions has been detected in the operation data that has
5 been acquired from the train and includes the measurement
result indicating the state of the device; and
a measurement condition extraction unit to extract any
of the first measurement conditions from the measurement
condition storage unit when any of the measurement start
10 conditions has been detected in the measurement start
condition determination unit, the extracted first
measurement condition being associated with the detected
measurement start condition.
15 3. The deterioration diagnosis apparatus according to
claim 1 or 2, further comprising:
a deterioration diagnosis unit to make a diagnosis
based on determination as to whether or not the device has
deteriorated, with use of the measurement result included
20 in the operation data when the second measurement
conditions meet the first measurement conditions.
4. The deterioration diagnosis apparatus according to any
one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising:
25 a control command determination unit to discard the
control command generated by the control command generation
unit when the control command has been set for eliminating
the difference in terms of a specified measurement
condition.
30
5. A deterioration diagnosis system comprising:
the deterioration diagnosis apparatus according to any
one of claims 1 to 4; and
31
an on-board control apparatus to control operation of
a device installed on a train, on the basis of a control
command acquired from the deterioration diagnosis apparatus.
5 6. A deterioration diagnosis method comprising:
a measurement condition determination step of causing
a measurement condition determination unit to determine
whether or not first measurement conditions meet second
measurement conditions in operation data that has been
10 acquired from a train and includes a measurement result
indicating the state of the device, the first measurement
conditions being conditions under which measurement is
performed for diagnosing a state of a device installed on
the train, the second measurement conditions being
15 conditions under which the measurement result has been
obtained;
a difference condition extraction step of causing a
difference condition extraction unit to extract a
difference between the first measurement conditions and the
20 second measurement conditions when the measurement
condition determination unit determines that there is
inconsistency between the first measurement conditions and
the second measurement conditions;
a control command generation step of causing a control
25 command generation unit to generate a control command for
eliminating the difference; and
a control command transmission step of causing a
control command transmission unit to transmit the control
command to the train.
30
7. The deterioration diagnosis method according to claim
6, further comprising:
a measurement start condition determination step of
32
causing a measurement start condition determination unit to
determine whether or not any of measurement start
conditions has been detected in the operation data that has
been acquired from the train and includes the measurement
5 result indicating the state of the device, the measurement
start conditions being conditions for starting the
measurement for diagnosing the state of the device
installed on the train; and
a measurement condition extraction unit of causing a
10 measurement condition extraction unit to extract any of the
first measurement conditions from a measurement condition
storage unit in which the first measurement conditions
associated with the measurement start conditions are stored,
when any of the measurement start conditions has been
15 detected in the measurement start condition determination
unit, the extracted first measurement condition being
associated with the detected measurement start condition.
8. The deterioration diagnosis method according to claim
20 6 or 7, further comprising:
a deterioration diagnosis step of causing a
deterioration diagnosis unit to make a diagnosis based on
determination as to whether or not the device has
deteriorated, with use of the measurement result included
25 in the operation data when the second measurement
conditions meet the first measurement conditions.
9. The deterioration diagnosis method according to any
one of claims 6 to 8, further comprising:
30 a control command determination step of causing a
control command determination unit to discard the control
command generated by the control command generation unit
when the control command has been set for eliminating the
33
difference in terms of a specified measurement condition.