1
FORM 2
THE PATENTS ACT, 1970
(39 of 1970)
&
THE PATENTS RULES, 2003
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
[See section 10, Rule 13]
ONBOARD CONTROL DEVICE, WAYSIDE COIL, GROUND CONTROL
DEVICE, WIRELESS TRAIN CONTROL SYSTEM, AND TRAIN LOCATION
CORRECTION METHOD
MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION., A CORPORATION ORGANIZED
AND EXISTING UNDER THE LAWS OF JAPAN, WHOSE ADDRESS IS 7-3,
MARUNOUCHI 2-CHOME, CHIYODA-KU, TOKYO 1008310, JAPAN
THE FOLLOWING SPECIFICATION PARTICULARLY DESCRIBES THE
INVENTION AND THE MANNER IN WHICH IT IS TO BE PERFORMED.
2
DESCRIPTION
ONBOARD CONTROL DEVICE, WAYSIDE COIL,
GROUND CONTROL DEVICE, WIRELESS TRAIN CONTROL SYSTEM,
AND TRAIN LOCATION 5 CORRECTION METHOD
Field
[0001] The present invention relates to an onboard
control device including an onboard pickup coil, a wayside
10 coil, a ground control device, a wireless train control
system, and a train location correction method.
Background
[0002] A known train traveling on a track detects its
15 train location and transmits information on the train
location to a wayside device. The wayside device controls
the operation of the train on the basis of the train
location obtained from the train. One of the detection
methods, which a train carries out for detecting its
20 current train location, is to connect a rate generator to
an axle of the train, calculate a traveling distance from a
predetermined reference location on the basis of an output
pulse signal generated by rotation of the axle, and detect
the current train location by using the calculated
25 traveling distance. Unfortunately, the detection method as
described above may include an error between the actual
traveling distance and the calculated traveling distance
due to wheel slipping or skidding during travelling of the
train.
30 [0003] According to technique disclosed in Patent
Literature 1, an additional length extending from a front
part of the train in the traveling direction and an
additional length extending from a rear part of the train
3
in a direction opposite to the traveling direction are
provided on the basis of a measurement error. A location
of the train location is then detected regarding a location
of the train having these additional lengths as the train
location. The train described in Patent 5 Literature 1
transmits, to a wayside device, information on the location
of the train with the additional lengths provided on the
basis of the measurement error.
10 Citation List
Patent Literature
[0004] Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent Application
Laid-open No. 2007-331629
15 Summary
Technical Problem
[0005] In general, when an onboard pickup coil installed
in a train receives wayside-coil location information
transmitted from a wayside coil installed on the wayside,
20 the train corrects a train location on the basis of the the
wayside-coil location information. When the train
described in Patent Literature 1 receives location
information transmitted from the wayside coil, the train
brings the additional length provided on the basis of the
25 measurement error to 0. That is, at the point in time when
the train corrects its train location, a phenomenon in
which the location having been regarded as a front-part
location of the train is displaced rearward by the added
measurement error occurs. As a result of the correction to
30 the train location, a stop-limit position of the train
shifts from a position past a signal back to a position
before the signal in which case, the wayside device changes
indication of the signal from "go" to "stop". This is a
4
problem because a sudden change in the indication of the
signal from "go" to "stop" causes the train to be urgently
stopped.
[0006] The present invention has been achieved to solve
the above problem, and an object of the 5 present invention
is to provide an onboard control device capable of
controlling correction to a train location.
Solution to Problem
10 [0007] To solve the above problem and achieve the object,
the present invention provides an onboard control device to
be installed along with an onboard pickup coil in a train.
The onboard control device comprising: an obtaining unit to
obtain wayside coil information from a wayside coil through
15 the onboard pickup coil, the wayside coil information being
capable of identifying a location of the wayside coil; and
a control unit to correct train location information, or
not to correct the train location information on a basis of
correction permission information, the train location
20 information indicating a location of the train, the
correction permission information being associated with the
wayside coil, the correction permission information
including information that indicates whether correction to
the train location information is permissible, wherein when
25 the information included in the correction permission
information indicates that the correction is permissible,
the control unit corrects the train location information by
using the wayside coil information at a time when the
onboard pickup coil has passed through the wayside coil,
30 and when the information included in the correction
permission information indicates that the correction is not
permissible, the control unit does not correct the train
location information at a time when the onboard pickup coil
5
has passed through the wayside coil.
Advantageous Effects of Invention
[0008] The onboard control device according to the
present invention has an effect that 5 it is possible to
control the correction to the train location.
Brief Description of Drawings
[0009] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration
10 example of a wireless train control system according to a
first embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration
example of a wayside coil according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration
15 example of a train according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of
correction permission information to be transmitted by a
wayside coil 20a according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of
20 correction permission information to be transmitted by a
wayside coil 20b according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of an
onboard control device according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the
25 wayside coil according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a case
where a processing circuitry included in the onboard
control device according to the first embodiment is
configured by a processor and a memory.
30 FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a case
where the processing circuitry included in the onboard
control device according to the first embodiment is
configured by dedicated hardware.
6
FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a
configuration example of a train according to a second
embodiment.
FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of
correspondence information stored in a 5 storage unit in an
onboard control device according to the second embodiment.
FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of
the onboard control device according to the second
embodiment.
10 FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a
wayside coil according to the second embodiment.
FIG. 14 is a block diagram illustrating a
configuration example of a ground control device according
to a third embodiment.
15 FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram for describing
operations of a train and the ground control device
according to the third embodiment.
FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of an
onboard control device according to the third embodiment.
20 FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of
the ground control device according to the third embodiment.
FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating an operation by
which a control unit in the ground control device according
to the third embodiment searches for a wayside coil.
25
Description of Embodiments
[0010] An onboard control device, a wayside coil, a
ground control device, a wireless train control system, and
a train location correction method according to embodiments
30 of the present invention will be described in detail below
with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present
invention is not limited to the embodiments.
[0011] First embodiment.
7
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration
example of a wireless train control system 100 according to
a first embodiment of the present invention. The wireless
train control system 100 includes trains 10a and 10b,
wayside coils 20a and 20b, and a ground 5 system 30. Where
appropriate, the trains 10a and 10b are hereinafter
referred to as trains 10 without being distinguished from
each other. The train 10 may be made up of a plurality of
vehicles, or a single vehicle. Where appropriate, the
10 wayside coils 20a and 20b are hereinafter referred to as
"wayside coils 20" without being distinguished from each
other.
[0012] The train 10 has an onboard pickup coil installed
therein as described later. The train 10 is capable of
15 correcting a calculated location of the train 10, by using
information intended for location correction. The
information intended for location correction is obtained
from the wayside coil 20 through the onboard pickup coil.
The train 10 transmits train location information to the
20 ground system 30. The train location information indicates
the location of the train 10. In the wireless train
control system 100, the ground system 30 obtains train
location information from the train 10, determines a path
and a stop-limit position of the train 10 on the basis of
25 the train location information on the train 10, and
controls the operation of the train 10. While in FIG. 1,
the number of trains 10 is two, this is merely an example.
The ground system 30 is capable of controlling the
operation of one train 10 or more than two trains 10.
30 [0013] The configuration of the ground system 30 is
described below. The ground system 30 includes a wireless
device 40, a ground control device 50, and an electronic
interlocking device 60.
8
[0014] The wireless device 40 wirelessly communicates
with the train 10. Specifically, the wireless device 40
receives train location information from the train 10, and
transmits, to the train 10, control information generated
by the ground 5 control device 50.
[0015] The ground control device 50 controls the
operation of the train 10 that communicates with the
wayside coil 20 through an onboard pickup coil. On the
basis of train location information obtained from the train
10 10, the ground control device 50 determines a path and a
stop-limit position of the train 10, and generates control
information for the train 10.
[0016] On the basis of train location information on the
train 10 obtained from the ground control device 50, the
15 electronic interlocking device 60 determines on which of
track circuits 81 to 85 the train 10 is present. The
electronic interlocking device 60 then controls signals 71
and 72.
[0017] In the wireless train control system 100, at the
20 time when the train 10 having an onboard pickup coil
installed therein passes through the wayside coil 20, the
wayside coil 20 communicates with the onboard pickup coil.
A configuration of the wayside coil 20 is described below.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration
25 example of the wayside coil 20 according to the first
embodiment. The wayside coil 20 includes a storage unit 21
and a communication unit 22. The wayside coils 20a and 20b
are identical in configuration to each other, although the
wayside coils 20a and 20b have different pieces of
30 information stored in their storage units 21.
[0018] The storage unit 21 stores therein wayside-coil
location information and correction permission information.
The wayside-coil location information indicates the
9
location where the wayside coil 20 is installed. The
correction permission information includes information
indicating whether it is permissible for the train 10 to
correct train location information. The train location
information indicates the location of the 5 train 10 in the
train 10. The wayside-coil location information is wayside
coil information capable of identifying the location where
the wayside coil 20 is installed. The correction
permission information, which is associated with the
10 wayside coil 20, includes information that indicates
whether correction to train location information indicating
the location of the train 10 is permissible.
[0019] The communication unit 22 transmits, to the train
10, the wayside-coil location information that is the
15 wayside coil information, and the correction permission
information, both of which are stored in the storage unit
21.
[0020] A configuration of the train 10 is described
below. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a
20 configuration example of the train 10 according to the
first embodiment. The train 10 includes an onboard pickup
coil 11, a tachometer generator 12, a communication unit 13,
and an onboard control device 14. The train 10 has these
devices installed therein. The onboard control device 14
25 includes an obtaining unit 15 and a control unit 16. The
trains 10a and 10b are identical in configuration to each
other.
[0021] The onboard pickup coil 11 communicates with the
wayside coil 20. The onboard pickup coil 11 obtains, from
30 the wayside coil 20, wayside coil information capable of
identifying the location where the wayside coil 20 is
installed, and correction permission information. In the
first embodiment, the wayside coil information is wayside10
coil location information that indicates the location where
the wayside coil 20 is installed.
[0022] The tachometer generator 12 is connected to an
axle of the train 10, and outputs a pulse signal in
response to rotation 5 of the axle.
[0023] The communication unit 13 wirelessly communicates
with the ground system 30. The communication unit 13
transmits, to the ground system 30, train location
information on the train 10 calculated by the onboard
10 control device 14. The communication unit 13 receives,
from the ground system 30, control information for the
train 10 to move or stop.
[0024] The onboard control device 14 controls the
operation of the train 10. The onboard control device 14
15 calculates the location of the train 10, by using a signal
output from the tachometer generator 12. The onboard
control device 14 can correct the calculated location of
the train 10, by using wayside coil information obtained
from the wayside coil 20 through the onboard pickup coil 11.
20 [0025] The obtaining unit 15 obtains wayside coil
information and correction permission information from the
wayside coil 20 through the onboard pickup coil 11.
[0026] The control unit 16 calculates the location of
the train 10, by using a signal output from the tachometer
25 generator 12. The control unit 16 can correct the
calculated location of the train 10 in accordance with the
correction permission information, by using the wayside
coil information obtained from the wayside coil 20 through
the obtaining unit 15 and the onboard pickup coil 11.
30 Specifically, when information included in the correction
permission information indicates that correction is
permissible, the control unit 16 corrects the train
location information by using the wayside coil information
11
at the time when the onboard pickup coil 11 has passed
through the wayside coil 20. When information included in
the correction permission information indicates that
correction is not permissible, the control unit 16 does not
correct the train location information at 5 the time when the
onboard pickup coil 11 has passed through the wayside coil
20.
[0027] Operations of the trains 10a and 10b are
described next.
10 [0028] In the train 10a, the control unit 16 in the
onboard control device 14 calculates a train location of
the train 10a on the basis of a signal output from the
tachometer generator 12. Unfortunately, there is a
possibility that wheel slipping or skidding may cause an
15 error in the train location of the train 10a. To address
this, the control unit 16 in the train 10a provides
allowances for the length of the train 10a. That is, the
control unit 16 regards a length of the train 10a as being
larger than the real length. Specifically, the control
20 unit 16 in the train 10a adds a front-part allowance length
91a to the front part of the train 10a, and adds a rearpart
allowance length 92a to the rear part of the train 10a.
As a result, the train 10a travels, having the front part
of the train 10a deemed to be located the front-part
25 allowance length 91a ahead of the real location of the
front part of the train 10a. The train 10a travels, having
the rear part of the train 10a deemed to be located the
rear-part allowance length 92a behind the real location of
the rear part of the train 10a. The train 10a transmits,
30 to the ground system 30, the location information on the
train with the front-part allowance length 91a and the
rear-part allowance length 92a added. The ground control
device 50 in the ground system 30 performs a process of
12
determining, for example, a path and a stop-limit position
on the basis of the transmitted train location information.
The control unit 16 in the train 10a is capable of changing
the front-part allowance length 91a and the rear-part
allowance length 92a depending on the 5 traveling distance
since the last correction to the train location. For
example, the control unit 16 in the train 10a increases the
front-part allowance length 91a and the rear-part allowance
length 92a in proportion to the traveling distance since
10 the last correction to the train location.
[0029] In FIG. 1, the wayside coil 20a is more distant
from the next station than the wayside coil 20b is, and is
not close to the signals 71 and 72. It is thus believed
that there are no problems with the train 10a even when the
15 location of the train 10a is suddenly changed correcting
the train location at the time when the train 10a has
passed through the wayside coil 20a. For this reason, the
wayside coil 20a transmits, to the train 10a, wayside-coil
location information indicating the location where the
20 wayside coil 20a is installed, and correction permission
information associated with the wayside coil 20a, as well.
[0030] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of
the correction permission information to be transmitted by
the wayside coil 20a according to the first embodiment.
25 FIG. 4 illustrates a target for correction to the train
location of the train 10a. Specifically, FIG. 4 shows that
the train 10a having passed through the wayside coil 20a
corrects the front-part location of the train 10a, and
corrects the rear-part location of the train 10a.
30 Information included in the correction permission
information illustrated in FIG. 4, that is, information
that indicates whether correction to the front-part
location of the train 10a is permissible is defined as
13
first information, and information that indicates whether
correction to the rear-part location of the train 10a is
permissible is defined as second information. Specifically,
in FIG. 4, the first information indicates that the
correction target is the front-part location 5 and correction
to the front-part location is permissible, and the second
information indicates that the correction target is the
rear-part location and correction to the rear-part location
is permissible. Whether correction to the front-part
10 location is permissible is determined on a case-by-case
basis. The correction is determined to be "not
permissible", for example, in a case where there is an
installation such as a signal near the train in the
traveling direction of the train 10 and thus a change in
15 the location of the train 10 probably causes a change in
the state of the installation. Otherwise, the correction
is determined to be "permissible". Whether correction to
the rear-part location is permissible is determined on a
case-by-case basis. The correction is determined to be
20 "not permissible", for example, in a case where whether the
train 10 has a length that allows the train 10 to fit
within a facility such as when stopping at a station is
being checked. Otherwise, the correction is determined to
be "permissible".
25 [0031] The correction permission information to be
transmitted from the wayside coil 20 to the train 10 can be
expressed in two bits of information located at a certain
position within a signal transmitted from the wayside coil
20 to the train 10. For example, when a first one of the
30 two bits is 1, correction to the front-part location is
permissible. When the first bit is 0, correction to the
front-part location is not permissible. When a second one
of the two bits is 1, correction to the rear-part location
14
is permissible. When the second bit is 0, correction to
the rear-part location is not permissible.
[0032] At the time when the train 10a has passed through
the wayside coil 20a, the control unit 16 in the train 10a
obtains wayside-coil location information 5 and correction
permission information transmitted from the wayside coil
20a through the onboard pickup coil 11. The control unit
16 in the train 10a corrects the front-part location and
the rear-part location of the train 10a on the basis of the
10 obtained wayside-coil location information and the obtained
correction permission information. Specifically, the
control unit 16 in the train 10a resets, that is,
eliminates the front-part allowance length 91a added to the
front part of the train 10a, and also resets, that is,
15 eliminates the rear-part allowance length 92a added to the
rear part of the train 10a. In the manner as described
above, the control unit 16 in the train 10a can accurately
acquire the location of the train 10a by correcting the
location of the train 10a at the time when the train 10a
20 has passed through the wayside coil 20a.
[0033] Next, the train 10b is described. The control
unit 16 in the train 10b adds a front-part allowance length
91b to the front part of the train 10b, and adds a rearpart
allowance length 92b to the rear part of the train 10b.
25 As a result, the train 10b travels, having the front part
of the train 10b deemed to be located the front-part
allowance length 91b ahead of the actual location of the
front part of the train 10b. The train 10b travels, having
the rear part of the train 10b deemed to be located the
30 rear-part allowance length 92b behind the actual location
of the rear part of the train 10b. The train 10b transmits,
to the ground system 30, the location information on the
train with the front-part allowance length 91b and the
15
rear-part allowance length 92b added. The ground control
device 50 in the ground system 30 performs a process of,
for example, determining a path and a stop-limit position
on the basis of the transmitted train location information.
The control unit 16 in the train 10b is capable 5 of changing
the front-part allowance length 91b and the rear-part
allowance length 92b depending on the traveling distance
since the last correction to the train location. For
example, the control unit 16 in the train 10b increases the
10 front-part allowance length 91b and the rear-part allowance
length 92b in proportion to the traveling distance since
the last correction to the train location.
[0034] In FIG. 1, the wayside coil 20b is less distant
from the next station than the wayside coil 20a is, and is
15 close to the signals 71 and 72. When the location of the
train 10b is suddenly changed correcting the train location
at the time when the train 10b has passed through the
wayside coil 20b, the train 10b may encounter a problem due
to such a sudden change. For example, when the correction
20 to the front-part location of the train 10b changes the
stop-limit position (not illustrated) of the train 10b from
a position between the station and the signals 71 and 72 to
a position before the signals 71 and 72, the electronic
interlocking device 60 suddenly switches indication of one
25 of the signals 71 and 72, which corresponds to the path of
the train 10b, from "go" to "stop". As a consequence, the
train 10b needs to suddenly stop due to a sudden change in
the signal indication. For this reason, the wayside coil
20b transmits, to the train 10b, wayside-coil location
30 information indicating the location where the wayside coil
20b is installed, and transmits correction permission
information associated with the wayside coil 20b, as well.
[0035] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of
16
the correction permission information to be transmitted by
the wayside coil 20b according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 5 illustrates a target for correction to the train
location of the train 10b. Specifically, FIG. 5 shows that
the train 10b having passed through the 5 wayside coil 20b
does not correct the front-part location of the train 10b,
but corrects the rear-part location of the train 10b. In
the correction permission information illustrated in FIG. 5,
information that indicates whether correction to the front10
part location is permissible is defined as first
information, and information that indicates whether
correction to the rear-part location is permissible is
defined as second information. Specifically, in FIG. 5,
the first information indicates that the correction target
15 is the front-part location and correction to the front-part
location is not permissible, and the second information
indicates that the correction target is the rear-part
location and correction to the rear-part location is
permissible.
20 [0036] At the time when the train 10b has passed through
the wayside coil 20b, the control unit 16 in the train 10b
obtains wayside-coil location information and correction
permission information transmitted from the wayside coil
20b through the onboard pickup coil 11. The control unit
25 16 in the train 10b corrects the rear-part location of the
train 10b, but does not correct the front-part location of
the train 10b on the basis of the obtained wayside-coil
location information and the obtained correction permission
information. Specifically, the control unit 16 in the
30 train 10b does not reset the front-part allowance length
91b added to the front part of the train 10b, but resets,
that is, eliminates the rear-part allowance length 92b
added to the rear part of the train 10b. In this manner,
17
the control unit 16 in the train 10b can avoid an incident
such as a sudden stop of the train 10b by partially
correcting the location of the train 10b at the time when
the train 10b has passed through the wayside coil 20b.
[0037] An operation of the onboard 5 control device 14
installed in the train 10 is described below with reference
to a flowchart. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the
operation of the onboard control device 14 according to the
first embodiment. In the onboard control device 14, the
10 control unit 16 calculates a train location of the train 10
on the basis of an output signal from the tachometer
generator 12 (Step S1). The control unit 16 determines
whether the obtaining unit 15 has obtained wayside coil
information that is wayside-coil location information
15 indicating the location where the wayside coil 20 is
installed, and correction permission information, from the
wayside coil 20 through the onboard pickup coil 11 (Step
S2).
[0038] When the obtaining unit 15 has obtained the
20 wayside-coil location information and the correction
permission information from the wayside coil 20 through the
onboard pickup coil 11 (YES at Step S2), the control unit
16 checks whether the first information included in the
correction permission information indicates that correction
25 is permissible (Step S3). When the first information
indicates that correction is permissible (YES at Step S3),
the control unit 16 corrects the front-part location of the
train 10 by using the wayside-coil location information
(Step S4). When the first information indicates that
30 correction is not permissible (NO at Step S3), the control
unit 16 does not correct the front-part location of the
train 10, that is, omits the process at Step S4.
[0039] After Step S4 or when the determination at Step
18
S3 is NO, the control unit 16 checks whether the second
information included in the correction permission
information indicates that correction is permissible (Step
S5). When the second information indicates that correction
is permissible (YES at Step S5), the 5 control unit 16
corrects the rear-part location of the train 10 by using
the wayside-coil location information (Step S6). When the
second information indicates that correction is not
permissible (NO at Step S5), the control unit 16 does not
10 correct the rear-part location of the train 10, that is,
omits the process at Step S6.
[0040] When the determination at Step S2 is NO, or when
the determination at Step S5 is NO, or after Step S6, the
control unit 16 transmits train location information on the
15 train 10 including the front-part location of the train 10
and the rear-part location of the train 10 to the ground
system 30 through the communication unit 13 (Step S7). The
control unit 16 returns to Step S1 to repeat the operations
described above.
20 [0041] An operation of the wayside coil 20 is described
below with reference to a flowchart. FIG. 7 is a flowchart
illustrating the operation of the wayside coil 20 according
to the first embodiment. The communication unit 22 checks
whether the onboard pickup coil 11 in the train 10 has
25 passed through the wayside coil 20, that is, whether the
wayside coil 20 has detected the onboard pickup coil 11 in
the train 10 (Step S11). When the wayside coil 20 does not
detect the onboard pickup coil 11 (NO at Step S11), the
communication unit 22 is on standby until the wayside coil
30 20 detects the onboard pickup coil 11. When the wayside
coil 20 has detected the onboard pickup coil 11 (YES at
Step S11), the communication unit 22 reads wayside-coil
location information and correction permission information
19
from the storage unit 21 and transmits the read information
to the onboard pickup coil 11 (Step S12). The
communication unit 22 returns to Step S11 to repeat the
operations described above.
[0042] The correction permission information 5 stored in
the storage unit 21 in the wayside coil 20 is set in
advance by personnel of a railway operating company in
charge, taking nearby installations into account. Although
the correction permission information to be transmitted
10 from the wayside coil 20 has been described with reference
to FIGS. 4 and 5 as an example, the correction permission
information is not limited thereto. The correction
permission information to be stored in the storage unit 21
in the wayside coil 20 may include, for example, the first
15 information indicating that correction to the front-part
location is permissible, and the second information
indicating that correction to the rear-part location is not
permissible. Alternatively, the correction permission
information may include the first information indicating
20 that correction to the front-part location is not
permissible, and the second information indicating that
correction to the rear-part location is not permissible.
Alternatively, correction permission information to be
stored in the storage unit 21 in the wayside coil 20 may
25 include only the first information, targeting only the
front-part location for correction, or include only the
second information, targeting only the rear-part location
for correction. When the correction permission information
includes only the first information, the control unit 16 in
30 the train 10 omits the operations at Steps S5 and S6 in the
flowchart in FIG. 6. When the correction permission
information includes only the second information, the
control unit 16 in the train 10 omits the operations at
20
Steps S3 and S4 in the flowchart in FIG. 6.
[0043] Next, a hardware configuration of the onboard
control device 14 is described. In the onboard control
device 14, the obtaining unit 15 is an input interface to
obtain information received by the onboard 5 pickup coil 11.
The control unit 16 is implemented by a processing
circuitry. It is allowable that the processing circuitry
is either dedicated hardware, or a processor and a memory
that execute programs stored in the memory.
10 [0044] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a
case where the processing circuitry included in the onboard
control device 14 according to the first embodiment is
configured by a processor and a memory. In a case where
the processing circuitry is configured by a processor 201
15 and a memory 202, the functions of the processing circuitry
of the onboard control device 14 are implemented in
software, firmware, or a combination of the software and
the firmware. The software or the firmware is described as
a program and stored in the memory 202. In the processing
20 circuitry, the processor 201 reads and executes the program
stored in the memory 202 to thereby implement each of the
functions. That is, the processing circuitry includes the
memory 202 that stores therein programs that eventually
execute the processing of the onboard control device 14.
25 These programs are also regarded as causing a computer to
execute the procedure and the method of the onboard control
device 14.
[0045] The processor 201 may be a device such as a CPU
(Central Processing Unit), a processing device, an
30 arithmetic device, a microprocessor, a microcomputer, or a
DSP (Digital Signal Processor). For example, a nonvolatile
or volatile semiconductor memory such as a RAM (Random
Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a flash memory,
21
an EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), and an EEPROM®
(Electrically EPROM), or a magnetic disk, a flexible disk,
an optical disk, a compact disk, a MiniDisk, or a DVD
(Digital Versatile Disc) corresponds to the memory 202.
[0046] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating 5 an example of a
case where the processing circuitry included in the onboard
control device 14 according to the first embodiment is
configured by dedicated hardware. When the processing
circuitry is configured by dedicated hardware, then for
10 example, a single circuit, a combined circuit, a programmed
processor, a parallel-programmed processor, an ASIC
(Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field
Programmable Gate Array), or a combination thereof
corresponds to a processing circuitry 203 illustrated in
15 FIG. 9. The functions of the onboard control device 14 may
be respectively implemented by each individual processing
circuitry 203 or may be collectively implemented by a
single processing circuitry 203.
[0047] As for the respective functions of the onboard
20 control device 14, it is possible to configure that some
parts of the functions are implemented by dedicated
hardware and other parts thereof are implemented by
software or firmware. In this manner, the processing
circuitry can implement each function described above by
25 dedicated hardware, software, firmware, or a combination of
these elements.
[0048] A hardware configuration of the wayside coil 20
is now described. In the wayside coil 20, the
communication unit 22 is a transmission device to transmit
30 information stored in the storage unit 21 when the wayside
coil 20 detects radio waves and the like irradiated from
the onboard pickup coil 11 in the train 10. The storage
unit 21 is implemented by a memory.
22
[0049] As described above, according to the present
embodiment, in the train 10, the control unit 16 in the
onboard control device 14 obtains wayside-coil location
information and correction permission information from the
wayside coil 20, and corrects or does 5 not correct train
location information in accordance with the details of the
correction permission information. This enables the train
10 to control correction to the train location information
in accordance with whether there are facilities in the
10 vicinity of the wayside coil 20, that is, there is a signal
in the above example, such that it is possible to avoid an
incident such as a sudden stop as a result of a sudden
change in the train location information.
[0050] Although not illustrated in FIG. 1, it is also
15 possible to additionally install a wayside coil 20 inside a
station, so that the train 10 having passed through the
signals 71 and 72 can correct the train location
information, specifically, correct the front-part location
of the train 10 by using the wayside coil 20 installed
20 inside the station.
[0051] Second embodiment
In the first embodiment, the train 10 obtains
correction permission information from the wayside coil 20.
In this case, all of the trains 10 passing through the
25 wayside coil 20 obtain, from the wayside coil 20, pieces of
correction permission information that contain the same
details, and accordingly correct the train locations in the
same manner. In a second embodiment, a description is made
as to a case in which the train 10 holds correction
30 permission information therein.
[0052] In the second embodiment, the configuration of
the wireless train control system 100 is identical to that
of the wireless train control system 100 according to the
23
first embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1. The configuration
of the wayside coil 20 is also identical to that of the
wayside coil 20 according to the first embodiment
illustrated in FIG. 2. However, in the second embodiment,
the storage unit 21 has wayside coil information 5 that is
wayside-coil identification information stored therein.
The wayside-coil identification information is capable of
identifying the wayside coil 20. The wayside-coil
identification information is, for example, an ID
10 (IDentification) that can uniquely represent each wayside
coil 20 in the wireless train control system 100. The
communication unit 22 transmits, to the train 10, waysidecoil
identification information stored in the storage unit
21. The storage unit 21 may have wayside-coil location
15 information stored therein similarly to the first
embodiment. In a case where the storage unit 21 has
wayside-coil location information stored therein, the
communication unit 22 transmits the wayside-coil location
information along with the wayside-coil identification
20 information.
[0053] FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a
configuration example of the train 10 according to the
second embodiment. The train 10 includes the onboard
pickup coil 11, the tachometer generator 12, the
25 communication unit 13, and the onboard control device 14.
The onboard control device 14 includes the obtaining unit
15, the control unit 16, and a storage unit 17. The trains
10a and 10b are identical in configuration. The storage
unit 17 stores therein correspondence information in which
30 wayside-coil identification information capable of
identifying the wayside coil 20 is associated with
correction permission information.
[0054] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of
24
the correspondence information stored in the storage unit
17 in the onboard control device 14 according to the second
embodiment. In the correspondence information illustrated
in FIG. 11, the wayside-coil identification information is
an ID that can uniquely represent each 5 wayside coil 20 in
the wireless train control system 100 as described above.
In the correspondence information illustrated in FIG. 11,
correction permission information is set for each waysidecoil
identification information, and indicates whether
10 correction to the train location is permissible. In FIG.
11, information in the field "front-part location" in the
correction permission information corresponds to the first
information, and information in the field "rear-part
location" in the correction permission information
15 corresponds to the second information. In FIG. 11, the
wayside-coil location information indicates the location
where the wayside coil 20 is installed, the wayside coil 20
being indicated by the wayside-coil identification
information. In a case where the wayside-coil location
20 information is transmitted from the wayside coil 20, the
wayside-coil location information may be deleted from the
correspondence information illustrated in FIG. 11. The
onboard control device 14 may obtain the wayside-coil
location information along with the wayside-coil
25 identification information from the wayside coil 20, or
include the wayside-coil location information in the
correspondence information stored in the storage unit 17.
[0055] In the second embodiment, when the onboard pickup
coil 11 in the train 10 has passed through the wayside coil
30 20, the wayside coil 20 transmits, to the train 10, wayside
coil information that is wayside-coil identification
information. The wayside coil 20 may transmit the waysidecoil
location information along with the wayside-coil
25
identification information similarly to the first
embodiment.
[0056] In the train 10, when the control unit 16 in the
onboard control device 14 obtains wayside-coil
identification information from the wayside 5 coil 20 through
the onboard pickup coil 11 and the obtaining unit 15, the
control unit 16 searches the correspondence information
stored in the storage unit 17 on the basis of the waysidecoil
identification information. For example, when the
10 wayside-coil identification information obtained from the
wayside coil 20 is "A1", the control unit 16 searches the
correspondence information with the wayside-coil
identification information "A1", and obtains correction
permission information associated with the wayside-coil
15 identification information "A1". In the example in FIG. 11,
the control unit 16 obtains correction permission
information indicating that correction to the front-part
location is not permissible, and correction to the rearpart
location is permissible. When the control unit 16
20 does not obtain wayside-coil identification information
from the wayside coil 20 through the onboard pickup coil 11
and the obtaining unit 15, the control unit 16 obtains
wayside-coil identification information "B1" associated
with the wayside-coil identification information "A1" in
25 the example in FIG. 11. The control unit 16 executes
control to correct the location of the train 10 on the
basis of the correction permission information obtained by
searching the correspondence information and associated
with the wayside-coil identification information "A1".
30 [0057] The operation of the onboard control device 14
installed in the train 10 is described below with reference
to a flowchart. FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating the
operation of the onboard control device 14 according to the
26
second embodiment. In the onboard control device 14, the
control unit 16 calculates a train location of the train 10
on the basis of an output signal from the tachometer
generator 12 (Step S1). The control unit 16 determines
whether the obtaining unit 15 has obtained 5 wayside-coil
identification information from the wayside coil 20 through
the onboard pickup coil 11 (Step S21).
[0058] When the obtaining unit 15 has obtained waysidecoil
identification information from the wayside coil 20
10 through the onboard pickup coil 11 (YES at Step S21), the
control unit 16 searches correspondence information stored
in the storage unit 17 by using the obtained wayside-coil
identification information (Step S22), and obtains
correction permission information associated with the
15 obtained wayside-coil identification information (Step S23).
The operations at Steps S3 to S7 subsequent to Step S23 are
the same as the operations in the first embodiment
illustrated in FIG. 6. However, when the determination at
Step S21 is NO, or when the determination at Step S3 is NO,
20 or when the determination at Step S5 is NO, or after Step
S6, the control unit 16 transmits train location
information on the train 10 to the ground system 30 through
the communication unit 13 (Step S7).
[0059] The operation of the wayside coil 20 is described
25 below with reference to a flowchart. FIG. 13 is a
flowchart illustrating the operation of the wayside coil 20
according to the second embodiment. The communication unit
22 checks whether the onboard pickup coil 11 in the train
10 has passed through the wayside coil 20, that is, whether
30 the wayside coil 20 has detected the onboard pickup coil 11
in the train 10 (Step S31). When the wayside coil 20 does
not detect the onboard pickup coil 11 (NO at Step S31), the
communication unit 22 is on standby until the wayside coil
27
20 detects the onboard pickup coil 11. When the wayside
coil 20 has detected the onboard pickup coil 11 (YES at
Step S31), the communication unit 22 reads wayside-coil
identification information from the storage unit 21 and
transmits the read wayside-coil identification 5 information
to the onboard pickup coil 11 (Step S32). The
communication unit 22 returns to Step S31 to repeat the
operations described above.
[0060] The correspondence information stored in the
10 storage unit 17 in the onboard control device 14 is set in
advance by personnel of a railway operating company in
charge, taking account of the type of the train 10, nearby
installations, and other factors. In the correspondence
information illustrated in FIG. 11, wayside-coil
15 identification information and wayside-coil location
information are common to all the trains 10. However,
different pieces of correction permission information may
be set for different types of the train 10. For the
wayside coil 20 installed before some station (defined as
20 "station A"), for example, details of correction permission
information set for a train 10 that is supposed to stop at
the station A are different from those for another train 10
that is not supposed to stop at the station A. In this
case, personnel of a railway operating company in charge
25 can set different pieces of correction permission
information for different types of the train 10. Similarly
to the correction permission information stored in the
storage unit 21 in the wayside coil 20 according to the
first embodiment, correction permission information stored
30 in the storage unit 17 in the onboard control device 14 may
include only the first information, targeting only the
front-part location for correction, or may include only the
second information, targeting only the rear-part location
28
for correction.
[0061] In the hardware configuration of the onboard
control device 14, the storage unit 17 is implemented by a
memory. In the onboard control device 14, the hardware
configuration of the obtaining unit 15 and 5 the control unit
16 is identical to that of the obtaining unit 15 and the
control unit 16 according to the first embodiment.
[0062] As described above, according to the present
embodiment, the onboard control device 14 in the train 10
10 holds correction permission information therein, obtains
wayside-coil identification information from the wayside
coil 20, and corrects or does not correct train location
information in accordance with the details of the
correction permission information associated with the
15 wayside-coil identification information. With this
configuration, the wireless train control system 100 can
provide a setting per wayside coil 20 such that whether
correction to the train location information is permissible
is determined in accordance with the type of the train 10.
20 [0063] Third embodiment
In the first embodiment, the train 10 obtains
correction permission information from the wayside coil 20.
In the second embodiment, the train 10 holds correction
permission information therein. In a third embodiment, a
25 description is made as to a case in which the train 10
obtains correction permission information from the ground
control device 50.
[0064] In the third embodiment, the configuration of the
wireless train control system 100 is identical to that of
30 the wireless train control system 100 according to the
first embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1. The configuration
of the wayside coil 20 is also identical to that of the
wayside coil 20 according to the second embodiment. The
29
configuration of the train 10 is also identical to that of
the train 10 according to the first embodiment illustrated
in FIG. 3. However, in the third embodiment, the train 10
obtains, from the ground control device 50, correction
permission information in a form 5 of correspondence
information in which the correction permission information
is associated with wayside-coil identification information.
[0065] FIG. 14 is a block diagram illustrating a
configuration example of the ground control device 50
10 according to the third embodiment. The ground control
device 50 includes a storage unit 51 and a control unit 52.
The storage unit 51 stores therein correspondence
information in which wayside-coil identification
information capable of identifying the wayside coil 20 is
15 associated with correction permission information. The
correspondence information has the same details as those of
the correspondence information stored in the storage unit
17 in the onboard control device 14 according to the second
embodiment. Similarly to the second embodiment, in a case
20 where the wayside-coil location information is transmitted
from the wayside coil 20 to the train 10, the wayside-coil
location information may be deleted from the correspondence
information illustrated in FIG. 11. The onboard control
device 14 may obtain the wayside-coil location information
25 along with the wayside-coil identification information from
the wayside coil 20, or include the wayside-coil location
information in the correspondence information obtained from
the ground control device 50.
[0066] FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram for describing
30 the operations of the train 10 and the ground control
device 50 according to the third embodiment. In the third
embodiment, the control unit 16 in the onboard control
device 14 transmits train location information to the
30
ground system 30 through the communication unit 13.
[0067] When the control unit 52 in the ground control
device 50 obtains train location information from the train
10 through the wireless device 40, the control unit 52
determines paths 86 and 87 of the train 10 5 and determines a
stop-limit position 88 of the train 10 on the basis of the
train location information obtained from the train 10. The
control unit 52 in the ground control device 50 searches
for the wayside coils 20a and 20b present on the paths 86
10 and 87 extending from the rear-part location of the train
10 to the stop-limit position 88. The control unit 52 in
the ground control device 50 searches correspondence
information stored in the storage unit 51 on the basis of
wayside-coil identification information on the wayside
15 coils 20a and 20b. For example, when the wayside-coil
identification information on the wayside coil 20a is "A4",
the control unit 52 obtains correspondence information
about the wayside-coil identification information "A4". In
the example in FIG. 11, the control unit 52 obtains
20 correspondence information that the wayside-coil
identification information is "A4", correction to the
front-part location is permissible, and correction to the
rear-part location is permissible. For another example,
when the wayside-coil identification information on the
25 wayside coil 20b is "A5", the control unit 52 obtains
correspondence information about the wayside-coil
identification information "A5". In the example in FIG. 11,
the control unit 52 obtains correspondence information that
the wayside-coil identification information is "A5",
30 correction to the front-part location is not permissible,
but correction to the rear-part location is permissible.
The control unit 52 in the ground control device 50
executes control to transmit, to the train 10, control
31
information including the obtained correspondence
information.
[0068] The control unit 16 in the train 10 executes
control to correct the location of the train 10 on the
basis of the correspondence information 5 included in the
control information obtained from the ground control device
50. At the time when the train 10 passes through the
wayside coil 20a, the control unit 16 in the train 10
resets, that is, eliminates the front-part allowance length
10 91, and resets, that is, eliminates the rear-part allowance
length 92 on the basis of the correspondence information
obtained from the ground control device 50.
[0069] The operation of the onboard control device 14
installed in the train 10 is described below with reference
15 to a flowchart. FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating the
operation of the onboard control device 14 according to the
third embodiment. In the onboard control device 14, the
control unit 16 calculates a train location of the train 10
on the basis of an output signal from the tachometer
20 generator 12 (Step S1). The control unit 16 determines
whether the obtaining unit 15 has obtained wayside-coil
identification information from the wayside coil 20 through
the onboard pickup coil 11 (Step S41). When the obtaining
unit 15 has obtained wayside-coil identification
25 information from the wayside coil 20 through the onboard
pickup coil 11 (YES at Step S41), the control unit 16
determines whether the obtaining unit 15 has obtained, from
the ground control device 50, correspondence information in
which the wayside-coil identification information is
30 associated with correction permission information (Step
S42). When the obtaining unit 15 has obtained
correspondence information from the ground control device
50 (YES at Step S42), the control unit 16 searches the
32
correspondence information by using the wayside-coil
identification information obtained from the wayside coil
20, and checks whether first information indicates that
correction is permissible, the first information being
included in the correction permission 5 information
associated with the wayside-coil identification information
obtained from the wayside coil 20 (Step S3). The
operations at Steps S3 to S7 are the same as the operations
in the first embodiment illustrated in FIG. 6. However,
10 when the determination at Step S41 is NO, or when the
determination at Step S42 is NO, or when the determination
at Step S5 is NO, or after Step S6, the control unit 16
transmits train location information on the train 10 to the
ground system 30 through the communication unit 13 (Step
15 S7).
[0070] FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating an operation
of the ground control device 50 according to the third
embodiment. The control unit 52 checks whether the ground
control device 50 has obtained train location information
20 from the train 10 (Step S51). When the ground control
device 50 does not obtain train location information from
the train 10 (NO at Step S51), the control unit 52 is on
standby until the ground control device 50 obtains train
location information. When the ground control device 50
25 has obtained train location information from the train 10
(YES at Step S51), the control unit 52 determines the paths
86 and 87 of the train 10 (Step S52) and determines the
stop-limit position 88 of the train 10 (Step S53) on the
basis of the train location information. The control unit
30 52 searches for the wayside coil 20 present on the path
extending from the rear-part location of the train 10 to
the stop-limit position 88 (Step S54). The control unit 52
generates control information including the result of the
33
search for the wayside coil 20, and transmits the control
information to the train 10 through the wireless device 40
(Step S55). Specifically, the control unit 52 executes
control to transmit, to the train 10, correspondence
information associated with the wayside coil 5 20 detected as
a consequence of the search. The control unit 52 in the
ground control device 50 repeats the operations described
above.
[0071] The operation of the control unit 52 to search
10 for the wayside coil 20 at Step S54 in the flowchart
illustrated in FIG. 17 is described below in detail. FIG.
18 is a flowchart illustrating the operation by which the
control unit 52 in the ground control device 50 according
to the third embodiment searches for the wayside coil 20.
15 The control unit 52 in the ground control device 50
searches for the wayside coil 20 present on the paths 86
and 87 extending from the rear-part location of the train
10 to the stop-limit position 88 (Step S61). When the
control unit 52 has detected the wayside coil 20 (YES at
20 Step S62), the control unit 52 obtains, from the storage
unit 51, correspondence information about wayside-coil
identification information on the detected wayside coil 20,
and sets the obtained correspondence information in control
information as a result of the retrieval (Step S63). When
25 the control unit 52 cannot detect the wayside coil 20 (NO
at Step S62), the control unit 52 sets "no correction
permission information" as a result of the retrieval in the
control information (Step S64).
[0072] The train 10 may detect the wayside coil 20, and
30 transmits, to the ground control device 50, wayside-coil
identification information obtained from the wayside coil
20. In this case, in the ground control device 50, the
control unit 52 obtains, from the storage unit 51,
34
correspondence information about the wayside-coil
identification information obtained from the train 10,
generates control information including the obtained
correspondence information, and transmits the generated
control information to the train 10 through 5 the wireless
device 40. That is, when the control unit 52 obtains
wayside-coil identification information from the train 10,
the control unit 52 executes control to transmit, to the
train 10, the correspondence information including
10 correction permission information associated with the
obtained wayside-coil identification information. In the
ground control device 50, in a case where the control unit
52 obtains a single piece of wayside-coil identification
information from the train 10, the control unit 52 may
15 obtain correction permission information about the obtained
wayside-coil identification information from correspondence
information stored in the storage unit 51, generate control
information including the obtained correction permission
information, and transmit the generated control information
20 to the train 10 through the wireless device 40.
[0073] The ground control device 50 may have
correspondence information stored in the storage unit 51 in
accordance with the type of the train 10. When the control
unit 52 in the ground control device 50 obtains train
25 location information from the train 10, the control unit 52
also obtains train identification information capable of
identifying the type of the train 10. The control unit 52
in the ground control device 50 can generate control
information having a setting per wayside coil 20 such that
30 whether correction to the train location information is
permissible is determined in accordance with the type of
the train 10, and can transmit the generated control
information.
35
[0074] In the hardware configuration of the ground
control device 50, the storage unit 51 is implemented by a
memory. The control unit 52 is implemented by a processing
circuitry. The processing circuitry included in the ground
control device 50 is of an identical configuration 5 to the
processing circuitry included in the onboard control device
14 according to the first embodiment.
[0075] As described above, according to the present
embodiment, in the wireless train control system 100, the
10 ground control device 50 holds correction permission
information therein. The train 10 can obtain, from the
ground control device 50, correction permission information
associated with the wayside coil 20 present on the path.
In the wireless train control system 100, the ground
15 control device 50 is the only device that holds
correspondence information therein. In modifying the
correction permission information for each wayside coil 20,
therefore, personnel of a railway operating company in
charge only need to modify the data stored in the storage
20 unit 51 in the ground control device 50. This can help the
personnel do work more efficiently.
[0076] The configurations described in the above
embodiments are only examples of the content of the present
invention. The configurations can be combined with other
25 well-known techniques, and part of each of the
configurations can be omitted or modified without departing
from the scope of the present invention.
Reference Signs List
30 [0077] 10, 10a, 10b train, 11 onboard pickup coil, 12
rate generator, 13, 22 communication unit, 14 onboard
control device, 15 obtaining unit, 16, 52 control unit,
17, 21, 51 storage unit, 20, 20a, 20b wayside coil, 30
36
ground system, 40 wireless device, 50 ground control
device, 60 electronic interlocking device, 71, 72 signal,
81 to 85 track circuit, 86, 87 path, 88 stop-limit
position, 91, 91a, 91b front-part allowance length, 92,
92a, 92b rear-part allowance length, 100 5 wireless train
control system.
37
We Claim :
1. An onboard control device to be installed along with
an onboard pickup coil in a train, the onboard control
device comprising:
an obtaining unit to obtain wayside 5 coil information
from a wayside coil through the onboard pickup coil, the
wayside coil information being capable of identifying a
location of the wayside coil; and
a control unit to correct train location information,
10 or not to correct the train location information on a basis
of correction permission information, the train location
information indicating a location of the train, the
correction permission information being associated with the
wayside coil, the correction permission information
15 including information that indicates whether correction to
the train location information is permissible, wherein
when the information included in the correction
permission information indicates that the correction is
permissible, the control unit corrects the train location
20 information by using the wayside coil information at a time
when the onboard pickup coil has passed through the wayside
coil, and
when the information included in the correction
permission information indicates that the correction is not
25 permissible, the control unit does not correct the train
location information at a time when the onboard pickup coil
has passed through the wayside coil.
2. The onboard control device according to claim 1,
30 wherein
the obtaining unit obtains wayside-coil location
information and the correction permission information from
the wayside coil through the onboard pickup coil, the
38
wayside-coil location information being the wayside coil
information and indicating a location where the wayside
coil is installed, and
the control unit corrects a front-part location of the
train by using the wayside-coil location 5 information when
first information indicating whether correction to a frontpart
location of the train is permissible indicates that
the correction is permissible, the first information being
included in the correction permission information, and
10 the control unit does not correct a front-part
location of the train when the first information indicates
that the correction is not permissible.
3. The onboard control device according to claim 1,
15 comprising a storage unit to store therein correspondence
information in which wayside-coil identification
information is associated with the correction permission
information, the wayside-coil identification information
being capable of identifying the wayside coil, wherein
20 the obtaining unit obtains, from the wayside coil
through the onboard pickup coil, the wayside-coil
identification information that is the wayside coil
information,
the control unit searches the correspondence
25 information by using the wayside-coil identification
information obtained from the wayside coil, and
when first information indicating whether correction
to a front-part location of the train is permissible
indicates that the correction is permissible, the control
30 unit corrects a front-part location of the train on a basis
of wayside-coil location information, the first information
being included in the correction permission information,
the wayside-coil location information indicating a location
39
where the wayside coil is installed, and
when the first information indicates that the
correction is not permissible, the control unit does not
correct a front-part location of the train, and
the wayside-coil location information 5 is obtained
along with the wayside-coil identification information from
the wayside coil, or is included in the correspondence
information.
10 4. The onboard control device according to claim 1,
wherein
the obtaining unit obtains, from the wayside coil
through the onboard pickup coil, wayside-coil
identification information that is the wayside coil
15 information, the wayside-coil identification information
being capable of identifying the wayside coil,
the control unit obtains, from a ground control device,
correspondence information in which the wayside-coil
identification information is associated with the
20 correction permission information, and searches the
correspondence information by using the wayside-coil
identification information obtained from the wayside coil,
and
when first information indicating whether correction
25 to a front-part location of the train is permissible
indicates that the correction is permissible, the control
unit corrects a front-part location of the train on a basis
of wayside-coil location information, the first information
being included in the correction permission information,
30 the wayside-coil location information indicating a location
where the wayside coil is installed, and
when the first information indicates that the
correction is not permissible, the control unit does not
40
correct a front-part location of the train, and
the wayside-coil location information is obtained
along with the wayside-coil identification information from
the wayside coil, or is included in the correspondence
5 information.
5. The onboard control device according to any one of
claims 2 to 4, wherein when second information indicating
whether correction to a rear-part location of the train is
10 permissible indicates that the correction is permissible,
the control unit corrects a rear-part location of the train
on a basis of the wayside-coil location information, the
second information being included in the correction
permission information, and
15 when the second information indicates that the
correction is not permissible, the control unit does not
correct a rear-part location of the train.
6. A wayside coil to communicate with an onboard pickup
20 coil at a time when a train having the onboard pickup coil
installed therein passes through the wayside coil, the
wayside coil comprising:
a storage unit to store therein wayside-coil location
information and correction permission information, the
25 wayside-coil location information indicating a location
where the wayside coil is installed, the correction
permission information including information that indicates
whether correction to train location information is
permissible for the train, the train location information
30 indicating a location of the train in the train; and
a communication unit to transmit, to the train, the
correction permission information and the wayside-coil
location information that is wayside coil information.
41
7. The wayside coil according to claim 6, wherein the
correction permission information includes first
information indicating whether correction to a front-part
location of the train is permissible.
5
8. The wayside coil according to claim 6, wherein the
correction permission information includes first
information indicating whether correction to a front-part
location of the train is permissible, and second
10 information indicating whether correction to a rear-part
location of the train is permissible.
9. A ground control device to control an operation of a
train that communicates with a wayside coil through an
15 onboard pickup coil, the ground control device comprising:
a storage unit to store therein correspondence
information in which wayside-coil identification
information is associated with correction permission
information, the wayside-coil identification information
20 being capable of identifying the wayside coil, the
correction permission information including information
that indicates whether correction to train location
information is permissible for the train, the train
location information indicating a location of the train;
25 and
a control unit to execute control to transmit the
correspondence information to the train.
10. The ground control device according to claim 9,
30 wherein the correction permission information includes
first information indicating whether correction to a frontpart
location of the train is permissible.
11. The ground control device according to claim 9,
42
wherein the correction permission information includes
first information indicating whether correction to a frontpart
location of the train is permissible, and second
information indicating whether correction to a rear-part
location of the train 5 is permissible.
12. The ground control device according to any one of
claims 9 to 11, wherein when the control unit obtains, from
the train, train location information indicating a location
10 of the train, the control unit executes control to
determine a path and a stop-limit position of the train on
a basis of the train location information, search for a
wayside coil present on a path extending from a rear-part
location of the train to the stop-limit position, and
15 transmit, to the train, correspondence information
associated with a wayside coil detected as a consequence of
search.
13. The ground control device according to any one of
20 claims 9 to 11, wherein when the control unit obtains the
wayside-coil identification information from the train, the
control unit executes control to transmit correspondence
information to the train, the correspondence information
including correction permission information associated with
25 the obtained wayside-coil identification information.
14. A wireless train control system comprising:
the onboard control device according to claim 1; and
the wayside coil according to claim 6.
30
15. A wireless train control system comprising:
the onboard control device according to claim 1; and
the ground control device according to claim 9.
43
16. A train location correction method for an onboard
control device to be installed along with an onboard pickup
coil in a train, the train location correction method
5 comprising:
a first step of, by an obtaining unit, obtaining
wayside coil information from a wayside coil through the
onboard pickup coil, the wayside coil information being
capable of identifying a location of the wayside coil; and
10 a second step of, by a control unit, correcting train
location information, or not correcting the train location
information on a basis of correction permission information,
the train location information indicating a location of the
train, the correction permission information being
15 associated with the wayside coil, the correction permission
information including information that indicates whether
correction to the train location information is permissible,
wherein
when the information included in the correction
20 permission information indicates that the correction is
permissible, the control unit corrects the train location
information by using the wayside coil information at a time
when the onboard pickup coil has passed through the wayside
coil, and
25 when the information included in the correction
permission information indicates that the correction is not
permissible, the control unit does not correct the train
location information at a time when the onboard pickup coil
has passed through the wayside coil.
30
17. The train location correction method according to
claim 16, wherein
at the first step, the obtaining unit obtains wayside44
coil location information and the correction permission
information from the wayside coil through the onboard
pickup coil, the wayside-coil location information being
the wayside coil information and indicating a location
where the wayside coil 5 is installed, and
at the second step, the control unit corrects a frontpart
location of the train on a basis of the wayside-coil
location information when first information indicating
whether correction to a front-part location of the train is
10 permissible indicates that the correction is permissible,
the first information being included in the correction
permission information, and the control unit does not
correct a front-part location of the train when the first
information indicates that the correction is not
15 permissible.
18. The train location correction method according to
claim 16, wherein
at the first step, the obtaining unit obtains, from
20 the wayside coil through the onboard pickup coil, waysidecoil
identification information that is the wayside coil
information, the wayside-coil identification information
being capable of identifying the wayside coil,
at the second step, the control unit searches
25 correspondence information in which the wayside-coil
identification information is associated with the
correction permission information, by using the waysidecoil
identification information obtained from the wayside
coil, and
30 when first information indicating whether correction
to a front-part location of the train is permissible
indicates that the correction is permissible, the control
unit corrects a front-part location of the train on a basis
45
of wayside-coil location information at a time when the
onboard pickup coil has passed through the wayside coil,
the first information being included in the correction
permission information, the wayside-coil location
information indicating a location where the 5 wayside coil is
installed, and
when the first information indicates that the
correction is not permissible, the control unit does not
correct a front-part location of the train at a time when
10 the onboard pickup coil has passed through the wayside coil,
and
the wayside-coil location information is obtained
along with the wayside-coil identification information from
the wayside coil, or is included in the correspondence
15 information.
19. The train location correction method according to
claim 16, wherein
at the first step, the obtaining unit obtains, from
20 the wayside coil through the onboard pickup coil, waysidecoil
identification information that is the wayside coil
information, the wayside-coil identification information
being capable of identifying the wayside coil,
at the second step, the control unit obtains, from a
25 ground control device, correspondence information in which
the wayside-coil identification information is associated
with the correction permission information, and searches
the correspondence information by using the wayside-coil
identification information obtained from the wayside coil,
30 and
when first information indicating whether correction
to a front-part location of the train is permissible
indicates that the correction is permissible, the control
unit corrects a fron
of wayside-coil location information at a time when the
onboard pickup coil has passed through the wayside coil,
the first information being included in the correction
permission information, 5 the wayside
information indicating a location where the wayside coil is
installed, and
when the first information indicates that the
correction is not permissible, the control unit does not
10 correct a front-part location of the train at a time when
the onboard pickup coil has p
and
the waysidealong
with the wayside
15 the wayside coil, or is included in the correspondence
information.
20. The train location correction method according to any
one of claims 17 to 19, wherein at the second step, the
Control unit corrects a rear
a basis of the wayside
second information indicating whe
part location of the train is permissible indicates that
the correction is permissible,
included in the correction permission information
the control unit does not correct a rear
of the train when the second information indicates that the
correction is not permissible.