JP6786366B2 - Maintenance vehicle for railroad tracks - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a maintenance vehicle used for maintenance work of railway equipment and an alarm notification system thereof.

In the maintenance work of railroad tracks, maintenance vehicles such as track motor vehicles that can run on the railroad tracks and road-rail vehicles that can run on general roads as well as on the railroad tracks (hereinafter referred to as "maintenance vehicles"). Is used. When performing maintenance work on a track using such a maintenance vehicle, a section (obstruction section) where maintenance work is performed by an operation management system or the like so that the train does not enter the section where the maintenance work is performed (called an obstacle section). Is called) is set. By moving only within this obstructed section, the maintenance vehicle prevents an accident such as a collision of the maintenance vehicle with another train.

However, it is possible that the maintenance vehicle may enter an area other than the set obstacle section due to an operation error of the worker, so the worker is informed that the maintenance vehicle is traveling outside the obstacle section. We also need a means of notification. For example, in Patent Document 1, GPS (Global Positioning System) is mounted on a maintenance vehicle, the location of the maintenance vehicle is specified using latitude and longitude information measured by GPS, and the maintenance vehicle is based on the specified location. A technique for determining whether or not the vehicle deviates from the hindrance section is disclosed.

JP-A-2016-13783

As is well known, GPS is a system that identifies a position by receiving signals transmitted from multiple satellites in the sky, but depending on the environment or time zone around the positioning target, the satellite It may be difficult to receive the signal from. For example, when there is a tall building such as a high-rise building around the positioning object, the positioning object may block the signal from the satellite by the building or receive the signal reflected by the building. Yes, in that case the exact position cannot be specified. Therefore, in the maintenance vehicle as disclosed in Patent Document 1, the position of the own vehicle may not be accurately specified when the maintenance work is performed in an area with many buildings such as an urban area.

The maintenance vehicle according to the embodiment of the present invention also includes a laser scanner that measures the distance to a surrounding object, a communication device for communicating with a railway operation management server, and information obtained by the laser scanner. It also has a monitoring device that identifies the position of the maintenance vehicle. The monitoring device includes an environmental map that is position information of structures existing around the area where the maintenance vehicle travels, railway GIS information including geographical position information of each point on the railway track, and information on the closed section of the railway. Is stored in the storage unit.

The monitoring device identifies the position of the maintenance vehicle by collating the information obtained by the laser scanner with the environmental map, identifies the movable range of the maintenance vehicle from the railway GIS information and the information of the track closed section, and the maintenance vehicle. If it is determined that the position of is out of the movable range, an alarm is output.

According to the present invention, the position of the maintenance vehicle can be accurately specified without depending on the surrounding environment, and it is possible to prevent the maintenance vehicle from accidentally deviating from the obstacle section.

It is a block diagram of the warning system which concerns on one Example of this invention. This is an example of an area in which the maintenance vehicle according to this embodiment travels. It is explanatory drawing of the positioning method by a laser scanner. It is a figure which shows the example of the sensing data measured by a laser scanner. It is a figure which shows the example of the environment map. It is a figure explaining the example of the information stored in the vehicle shape storage part. It is a figure explaining another example of the information stored in the vehicle shape storage part. It is a figure explaining the line closed section. It is a figure which shows the example of the information stored in the line closed section information storage part. It is a figure which shows the example of the information stored in the railway GIS storage part. It is a flow chart of the position identification of a maintenance vehicle and the alarm output processing by a monitoring device. It is a figure explaining the calculation method of the line closed section. It is a figure explaining another example of the calculation method of a line closed section.

Hereinafter, the warning system of the maintenance vehicle 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an alarm system according to an embodiment. The warning system includes a maintenance vehicle 1 used for track maintenance work, and an operation management server 2 that manages railway line operation management and maintenance sections. The maintenance vehicle 1 and the operation management server 2 are configured to be able to communicate with each other via the network 3. Network 3 is, for example, the Internet. However, a dedicated line may be used for the network 3. Further, a part of the network 3 may include a wireless network used in a wireless LAN, a mobile phone, or the like.

The maintenance vehicle 1 according to the present embodiment includes a laser scanner 11, a GPS antenna 12, a communication device 13, and a monitoring device 20. The maintenance vehicle 1 is, for example, a road-rail vehicle capable of traveling on a general road and having equipment capable of traveling on a track (railroad track). However, the maintenance vehicle 1 may be a vehicle other than a road-rail vehicle.

The laser scanner 11 is a device also called a laser distance sensor or a laser range finder (LRF), which measures a distance to an object such as a building around the maintenance vehicle 1 by irradiating the object with a laser beam. It is a device to do. In this embodiment, the laser scanner 11 is provided, for example, on the roof of the maintenance vehicle 1 and is installed so as to irradiate the laser beam in the horizontal direction. Further, the laser scanner 11 according to the present embodiment can horizontally irradiate an object in a range of 135 degrees to the left and right from the front, for a total of 270 degrees. Hereinafter, the laser scanner 11 may be abbreviated as "scanner 11".

The GPS antenna 12 is an antenna for receiving signals from a plurality of GPS satellites (called GPS satellites) existing in the sky. The maintenance vehicle 1 identifies its own vehicle position (latitude, longitude) based on signals from a plurality of GPS satellites obtained by the GPS antenna 12. The communication device 13 is a device for communicating with the operation management server 2 via the network 3. Further, the communication device 13 is a device capable of communicating via a wireless network used in a mobile phone or the like so that the maintenance vehicle 1 enables wireless communication with the operation management server 2.

The monitoring device 20 identifies the position of the maintenance vehicle 1 using the information obtained from the laser scanner 11, the GPS antenna 12, and the communication device 13, and issues an alarm when the maintenance vehicle 1 deviates from the defined area. Output. The "defined area" here is an area where the maintenance vehicle 1 performs track maintenance work, etc., and is set so that trains do not enter the area in advance before the maintenance vehicle 1 enters this area. Will be done. In this embodiment, this area is referred to as a "line closed section". The line closing section is set by the operation management server 2, and the information on the line closing section is notified from the operation management server 2 to the maintenance vehicle 1.

The monitoring device 20 includes a processor, a memory such as a DRAM, a non-volatile storage device such as a hard disk, an input device such as a touch panel or a keyboard used by an occupant (worker) of the maintenance vehicle 1, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), a speaker, or the like. Has output devices (these are not shown in FIG. 1). In the processor of the monitoring device 20, a program for controlling the monitoring device 20 (hereinafter referred to as a "control program") is executed, so that the monitoring device 20 is divided into the alarm notification unit 21, the position detection processing unit 22, and the position detection processing unit 22. It is operated as a device having functional units of a vehicle end calculation unit 23, a track closing section determination unit 24, and a coordinate conversion unit 26. Further, the non-volatile storage device of the monitoring device 20 is a storage area for storing information used when each functional unit described above performs processing, that is, a map storage unit 31, a vehicle shape storage unit 32, and a railway. It is used as a GIS storage unit 33 and a line closed section information storage unit 34.

The alarm notification unit 21 is a functional unit that notifies an occupant (worker) of the maintenance vehicle 1 of an alarm when the maintenance vehicle 1 deviates from the movable range. For example, the alarm notification unit 21 displays a warning message on the LCD or outputs a warning sound using a speaker to notify the worker that the line is out of the closed section. Of course, both the display of the warning message and the output of the warning sound may be performed.

The position detection processing unit 22 is a functional unit that identifies the position of the maintenance vehicle 1 by using the information obtained from the laser scanner 11. The vehicle end calculation unit 23 calculates the position of each part (for example, front end, rear end, four corners, etc.) of the maintenance vehicle 1 based on the position of the maintenance vehicle 1 obtained by the position detection processing unit 22. The coordinate conversion unit 26 converts the position information calculated by the position detection processing unit 22 and the vehicle end calculation unit 23 into geographical position information (latitude and longitude).

The track closed section determination unit 24 compares the position information of each part of the maintenance vehicle 1 obtained by the vehicle end calculation unit 23 with the information of the track closed section obtained from the operation management server 2, and thereby the maintenance vehicle. It is determined whether or not 1 is located within the line closed section.

Although it has been described here that each functional unit is realized by a control program, as another embodiment, an alarm notification unit 21, a position detection processing unit 22, a vehicle end calculation unit 23, and a line closing section determination unit 24 Part or all of may be implemented by hardware. Further, details of the processing performed by each of these functional units will be described later.

The operation management server 2 has a communication device 41 and a database 42. The communication device 41 is a device for the operation management server 2 to communicate with the maintenance vehicle 1 via the network 3. The database 42 stores map data of railway tracks and information on maintenance sections. The operation management server 2 provides this information to the maintenance vehicle 1 in response to a request from the maintenance vehicle 1.

Subsequently, an example of the area in and around the railway facility in which the maintenance vehicle 1 according to the present embodiment travels will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 shows a view of railway facilities such as railroad tracks and surrounding buildings from above.

In the area shown in FIG. 2, line 105 of two lines (line A and line B) is laid. In addition, an electric pole 103 and a traffic light 104 for supporting the overhead wire are installed around the railroad track, and a building 101, a fence 102, and the like exist on the outside thereof. The maintenance vehicle 1 enters the railway facility from, for example, a space provided between two fences 102.

A method for the position detection processing unit 22 to specify the position of the own vehicle when the maintenance vehicle 1 travels in the facility will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 shows a state in which the maintenance vehicle 1 has entered the facility described with reference to FIG. 2 and is performing positioning using the scanner 11. Hereinafter, buildings such as buildings 101 and fences 102, facilities such as electric poles 103 and traffic lights 104, and the like may be collectively referred to as "structures".

The scanner 11 provided in the maintenance vehicle 1 measures the distance from the maintenance vehicle 1 (to be exact, the scanner 11) to the surrounding structure by irradiating the laser beam in the left-right direction. The solid arrow in the figure shows how the laser beam is irradiating the structure. For example, the arrow 111 represents the laser beam emitted by the scanner 11 in the front direction, while the arrow 112 represents the laser beam emitted by the scanner 11 diagonally to the right of the maintenance vehicle 1, and the angle formed by the arrow 111 and the arrow 112 is Represents the case where it was α. By irradiating the laser beam indicated by the arrows 111 and 112, the scanner 11 can measure the distance to the points 111'and 112' in the drawing. Points on the structure measured by the scanner 11 (for example, points 111'and 112' in FIG. 3) are referred to as "measurement points".

The scanner 11 can also measure the angle of the measurement point irradiated with the laser beam. In this embodiment, the angle of the measurement point existing in front of the maintenance vehicle 1 is set to 0 degree. In FIG. 3, the measurement point 111'is located in front of the maintenance vehicle 1, and the angle of the measurement point 111' is 0 degrees. The angle of the measurement point other than the measurement point 111', for example, the angle of the measurement point 112' is a straight line connecting the maintenance vehicle 1 to the measurement point 111'(corresponding to the arrow 111 in FIG. 3) and the measurement point from the maintenance vehicle 1. It is defined as the angle formed by the straight line connecting 112'(corresponding to the arrow 112 in FIG. 3). Therefore, the angle of the measurement point 112'is α. Further, in this embodiment, the angle of the measurement point on the left side of the maintenance vehicle 1 is a negative value, and the angle of the measurement point on the right side of the maintenance vehicle 1 is a positive value. Therefore, the angle α of the measurement point 112'is a positive value, and the angle β of the measurement point 113' is a negative value.

The position detection processing unit 22 converts a set of distances and angles to each measurement point into coordinates (x, y) on the Cartesian coordinate system when the position of the maintenance vehicle 1 (accurately, the scanner 11) is the origin. To do. In short, this conversion is a process of converting polar coordinates into coordinates on a Cartesian coordinate system. In addition, the scanner 11 performs a distance measurement at a predetermined angle (for example, every 1 degree) in a direction in the range of −135 degrees to 135 degrees in one measurement.

In this embodiment, the set of data obtained in one measurement (that is, the distance information obtained in the range of −135 degrees to 135 degrees) is referred to as sensing data. For example, when the scanner 11 measures the distance every degree in the range of −135 degrees to 135 degrees, the sensing data is composed of 271 measurement points.

FIG. 4 illustrates the sensing data collected by the scanner 11 in one measurement. In FIG. 4, the rectangle 1'shown by the dotted line represents the position of the maintenance vehicle 1 at the time of measurement, and the plurality of lines (101', 102', 103', 104') around it represent the position of the maintenance vehicle 1. , Indicates (a set of) measurement points measured when the scanner 11 (maintenance vehicle 1) was located at 1'in the figure.

Further, since one measurement by the scanner 11 is completed in an extremely short time, the maintenance vehicle 1 may move while performing the measurement by the scanner 11.

Next, an environmental map and a method of detecting the position of the maintenance vehicle 1 using the map will be described. The monitoring device 20 holds the map information of the surrounding environment in the map storage unit 31 in advance. In this embodiment, this map information is referred to as an "environmental map".

FIG. 5 shows an example of the environment map 300. The environment map 300 is configured as a set of coordinates of structures located in the surrounding environment. Each coordinate representing the structure is expressed as coordinates with a predetermined position in the environment as the origin (0,0). FIG. 5 is a diagram showing each coordinate value constituting the environment map 300 on the xy coordinate system in order to make the contents of the environment map 300 easy to understand. The map storage unit 31 actually records a list of coordinate values of each point on the structure.

The position detection processing unit 22 matches (superimposes) the sensing data (for example, FIG. 4) obtained by the laser scanner 11 with the environment map 300 (FIG. 5), thereby causing the maintenance vehicle 1 (laser scanner 11). ) Is located at which coordinate on the environment map 300. Matching here can be realized by using a known method, for example, a method disclosed in JP-A-2009-109200. Therefore, here we will only briefly explain the principle of the matching method.

The position detection processing unit 22 obtains coordinate values obtained by rotating the coordinates of each point of the sensing data by an angle θ around the origin (position of the maintenance vehicle 1) and translating them by (X, Y). Hereinafter, the data obtained by rotating and translating each point of the sensing data in this way is referred to as "sensing data after movement". Then, the position detection processing unit 22 performs a process of determining whether each coordinate of the sensed data after movement matches the structure on the environment map 300, and counts the number of coordinates that match the structure on the environment map 300. ..

The position detection processing unit 22 repeatedly performs this determination process while changing θ, X, and Y, so that the number of coordinates (coordinates of the sensing data after movement) that match the structure on the environment map 300 is the largest. Find θ, X, and Y when the number increases. The (X, Y) obtained here is the coordinate value of the maintenance vehicle 1 (laser scanner 11) on the environment map 300. Further, the angle θ obtained here represents the direction of the maintenance vehicle 1 on the environmental map. Hereinafter, the combination of the coordinate values (X, Y) and the orientation (angle θ) of the maintenance vehicle 1 will be referred to as the “posture” of the maintenance vehicle 1.

The matching method described here is an example, and the position detection processing unit 22 may obtain the posture of the maintenance vehicle 1 by using another method, for example, a method that requires less calculation than the method described above. ..

Further, the environmental map 300 includes geolocation information (latitude and longitude) of some points (at least two or more points). For example, as in the example of FIG. 5, it corresponds to the coordinates of two points on the environment map 300 ((XM1, YM1) and (XM2, YM2). These coordinates are the coordinates of points on a structure such as a building). It is preferable that the latitude and longitude information ((N1, E1) and (N2, E2)) is stored in the environment map 300.

The coordinate conversion unit 26 uses the latitude / longitude information of the two points stored in the environment map 300 to perform, for example, linear interpolation (or linear extrapolation) to obtain the coordinate values on the environment map 300 in latitude / longitude. Convert to information. On the contrary, the coordinate conversion unit 26 can also convert the latitude / longitude information into the coordinate values on the environment map 300.

Subsequently, the processing performed by the vehicle end calculation unit 23 will be described. FIG. 6 shows the information stored in the vehicle shape storage unit 32 used by the vehicle end calculation unit 23. As described above, the position detection processing unit 22 calculates the position (coordinates on the environment map 300) where the maintenance vehicle 1 is currently located by using the sensing data obtained by the laser scanner 11 and the environment map 300. However, the position obtained here is exactly the position of the laser scanner 11. Since the maintenance vehicle 1 is larger than the laser scanner 11, in order to accurately determine whether the maintenance vehicle 1 deviates from the defined area, the positions of each part (particularly the end) of the maintenance vehicle 1 are obtained and maintained. It is necessary to determine whether the end of the vehicle 1 does not extend beyond the defined area. The vehicle end calculation unit 23 calculates the position of the end portion of the maintenance vehicle 1 by using the information stored in the vehicle shape storage unit 32.

The monitoring device 20 holds information about the shape of the maintenance vehicle 1 in the vehicle shape storage unit 32. Any method may be adopted for expressing the shape of the maintenance vehicle 1, but the monitoring device 20 according to the present embodiment lists the coordinates of each part of the maintenance vehicle 1 when the position of the laser scanner 11 is the origin. Is held in the vehicle shape storage unit 32. Hereinafter, the coordinates stored in the vehicle shape storage unit 32 will be referred to as "relative coordinates of the vehicle" or simply "relative coordinates".

As shown in FIG. 6, for example, the vehicle shape storage unit 32 may store at least the coordinates of the end portions (front end, rear end, left end, right end, etc.) of the maintenance vehicle 1. FIG. 6 shows an example in which only the coordinates of 6 points ((x1, y1), (x2, y2), ... (x6, y6)) are stored in the vehicle shape storage unit 32, for example. When the shape of the maintenance vehicle 1 is complicated (in the case of a shape having a plurality of protrusions rather than a simple shape such as a rectangle), more coordinates (particularly the coordinates of the protrusions) are stored. Is preferable. Further, the coordinates stored in the vehicle shape storage unit 32 may be a negative value. For example, in FIG. 6, the x-coordinate (x1) and the y-coordinate (y1) of the coordinates (for example, (x1, y1)) located on the left side (or lower side) of the laser scanner 11 are negative values.

When the position (coordinates) of the maintenance vehicle 1 (laser scanner 11) is specified by the position detection processing unit 22, the vehicle end calculation unit 23 uses the position (coordinates) of each part of the maintenance vehicle 1 (on the environment map 300). (Coordinates of) is obtained. When the coordinates of the laser scanner 11 (coordinates on the environment map 300) obtained by the position detection processing unit 22 are (X, Y) and the orientation of the maintenance vehicle is θ, the coordinates of each part of the maintenance vehicle 1 (environment map 300). For the above coordinates), the coordinates obtained by rotating the relative coordinates by an angle θ around the origin (the position of the laser scanner 11) are obtained (this is called “post-rotation relative coordinates”), and the x of the post-rotation relative coordinates. It is obtained by adding X to the coordinates and adding Y to the y coordinate of the relative coordinates after rotation.

For example, in the example of FIG. 6, the relative coordinates of the left rear portion of the maintenance vehicle 1 are (x1, y1). When the coordinates of the laser scanner 11 obtained by the position detection processing unit 22 are (X, Y) and the orientation is 0 degrees, the coordinates of the maintenance vehicle 1 (coordinates on the environment map 300) are calculated as (X + x1, Y + y1). It is required by doing. Further, when the orientation of the maintenance vehicle 1 obtained by the position detection processing unit 22 is θ, the coordinates when the relative coordinates (x1, y1) are first rotated by the angle θ (temporarily, these coordinates are (x1', y1'). ), And by calculating (X + x1', Y + y1'), the coordinates of the left rear part of the maintenance vehicle 1 can be obtained. The vehicle end calculation unit 23 performs the same calculation for each part of the maintenance vehicle 1 to obtain the coordinates of each part of the maintenance vehicle 1 on the environment map 300.

The maintenance vehicle 1 may be provided with a work device such as a crane. In that case, it may be necessary to determine if the boom end of the crane is likely to deviate from the defined area. Therefore, when the maintenance vehicle 1 is equipped with a crane or the like, for example, as shown in FIG. 7, the vehicle shape storage unit 32 stores the relative coordinates of the movable range (range in which the end can move) of the crane. The vehicle end calculation unit 23 may obtain the coordinates of the movable range of the crane.

Further, the information stored in the vehicle shape storage unit 32 does not have to be a set of coordinate values. For example, when recording the movable range of the crane in the vehicle shape storage unit 32, it is assumed that the crane makes a circular motion around the maintenance vehicle 1 (for example, the boom end of the crane is a circle with a maximum radius r [m]). (It can be assumed that motion is performed), only the radius of the circle (r [m], etc.) is stored in the vehicle shape storage unit 32, and the vehicle end calculation unit 23 stores the radius stored in the vehicle shape storage unit 32. Each coordinate of the movable range of the crane may be calculated by using the information of.

Next, the outline of the line closing section and the processing performed by the line closing section determination unit 24 in this embodiment will be described. FIG. 8 illustrates a line closed section with respect to the area in and around the railway facility shown in FIG. In FIG. 8, the range between the alternate long and short dash lines 241 and 242 represents the line closed section, and the shaded area represents the area where the maintenance vehicle 1 is allowed to move. In the following, the area where the maintenance vehicle 1 is allowed to move and the warning is not notified is referred to as a “movable range”. When the maintenance vehicle 1 deviates from the movable range, the alarm notification unit 21 outputs an alarm.

The maintenance vehicle 1 acquires information (referred to as line closed section information) about the line closed section held by the operation management server 2 and stores it in the line closed section information storage unit 34. FIG. 9 shows an example of the line closed section information 340 stored in the line closed section information storage unit 34.

The line closing section information 340 is composed of a combination of a line name and a kilometer (distance from the starting point of the line). Specifically, the track closing section information 340 includes information on the line name 341, the station name / inter-station 342, the track name 343, the start kilometer 344, and the end kilometer 345. The line name 341 represents a line name in which a line closing section is set, and the line name 343 stores "up" or "down". Kilometers are stored in the start kilometer 344 and the end kilometer 345, respectively, indicating that the sections specified by the start kilometer 344 and the end kilometer 345 are line closed sections.

FIG. 8 shows an example in which a line closed section is set on line B of the two types of lines (line A and line B). On the other hand, no line closing section is set for line A, which is a line adjacent to line B.

The movable range of the maintenance vehicle 1 is mainly determined by the track closing section information 340 and the construction limit (the clearance provided for the track and the area where buildings and the like should not be installed). In the case of railways, the range of a predetermined distance (for example, 1.9 m) from the center of the track to the left and right is defined as the building limit.

An example will be described with reference to FIG. When the maintenance vehicle 1 moves in the direction along the track, the section defined in the track closing section information 340 (between the track closing section start kilometer and the track closing section ending kilometer) is the movable range. However, since it is desirable that the warning is output before the maintenance vehicle 1 deviates from the section defined in the track closing section information 340, the movable range is set narrower than this in the warning system according to the present embodiment. .. When the starting kilometer of the line closed section is a [km] and the ending kilometer of the line closed section is b [km], the range from (a + M) [km] to (b-M) [km] is defined as the movable range. .. In this embodiment, M is referred to as a "margin". M is a value of 0 or more, for example, a value of 0.0006 km (= 0.6 m) or the like.

On the other hand, when the maintenance vehicle 1 moves in a direction not along the track, for example, in the direction of the A line next to the B line up line, the construction limit of the A line down line adjacent to the B line up line is maintained. It is a factor that determines the movable range of the vehicle 1. Specifically, the range beyond the center of the A line down line (building limit + margin) is defined as the movable range. When the construction limit is 1.9 m and the margin is 0.6 m, the area between the up line B line and the down line A line is farther than 2.5 m from the center of the down line A line (Fig.) The shaded area in the middle) is the movable range of the maintenance vehicle 1, and conversely, when the maintenance vehicle 1 enters the area within 2.5 m from the center of the down line of the A line, an alarm is output. In this embodiment, the area within (building limit + margin) from the center of the line adjacent to the line for which the line closed section is set (the A line down line in the above explanation) is called a "detection area". .. In this way, the track closed section determination unit 24 obtains the movable range of the maintenance vehicle 1 in consideration of the track closed section information 340 and the building limit. Details will be described later.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of information stored in the railway GIS storage unit 33. The warning system according to this embodiment has a database 42 that manages information about the geographical position of the railway line, and in this embodiment, this is referred to as a railway GIS (Geographic Information System (s)). The railway GIS is managed by the operation management server 2. The information that can be obtained from the railway GIS includes the position information of each point on the railway. Specifically, the railway GIS has information on the position of the black circle shown in FIG. The database 42 also has other auxiliary information. For example, it also has information showing the relationship between each line (name of a line adjacent to each line, etc.).

The information acquired from the operation management server 2 is stored in the railway GIS storage unit 33. As shown in FIG. 10, the railway GIS storage unit 33 stores the GIS information 330 and the auxiliary information 350. The GIS information 330 has information on the line name 331, the line name 332, the kilometer 333, the latitude 334, and the longitude 335. The line name 331 and the line name 332 are the names of the railway lines and the information indicating up or down, respectively. The kilometer 333 is information representing the distance (number of kilometers) from the starting point of the railway line. The latitude 334 and the longitude 335 are information representing the latitude and longitude of the position specified by the line name 331, the line name 332, and the kilometer 333.

The auxiliary information 350 is information indicating the positional relationship between each line, and the name (and line name) of the line adjacent to the line specified by the line name 351 and the line name 352 is stored in the adjacent line name 353.

Information other than this may be stored in the railway GIS storage unit 33. The information format mentioned above is an example, and the information may be stored in the railway GIS storage unit 33 in any other format.

The information recorded in the line closed section information storage unit 34 is a combination of the line name and the kilometer, but the GIS information 330 includes latitude and longitude information in addition to the line name and the kilometer. .. Therefore, by referring to the information of the line closed section information storage unit 34 and the railway GIS storage unit 33, it is possible to specify the geographical position information (latitude and longitude) of the area designated as the line closed section. Further, by referring to the auxiliary information 350, it is possible to specify a line adjacent to the line designated as the line closed section.

Subsequently, the flow of position identification and alarm output processing of the maintenance vehicle 1 by the monitoring device 20 will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, in FIG. 11, the alphabet "S" preceded by the reference number means "step".

First, in step 201, the monitoring device 20 acquires the line closing section information 340 possessed by the operation management server 2 via the communication device 13. As described above, the line closing section information 340 includes the line name in which the line closing section is set and the section (about the start kilometer and the end kilometer). The monitoring device 20 also acquires the railway GIS and auxiliary information of the line set in the line closed section and the surrounding lines from the operation management server 2 based on the line closed section information 340 obtained from the operation management server 2. , Stored in the railway GIS storage unit 33. If the railway GIS storage unit 33 already stores the information of the line set in the line closed section, this process may not be performed.

In addition, maintenance work may be performed in a plurality of areas, and in that case, the operation management server 2 holds a plurality of line closed section information. When the worker of the maintenance vehicle 1 acquires the line closing section information and the railway GIS information from the operation management server 2, he / she informs the operation management server 2 of the area where he / she works, and the line closing section of the area where he / she works. Obtain information and railway GIS information.

Further, the monitoring device 20 uses the line closing section determination unit 24 to calculate the movable range from the line closing section information 340, the GIS information 330, and the auxiliary information 350. The details of this process will be described later.

Subsequently, the monitoring device 20 uses the laser scanner 11 to measure the distance to the structure around the maintenance vehicle 1 and obtain sensing data (step 202). Subsequently, the monitoring device 20 uses the position detection processing unit 22 to calculate the posture of the maintenance vehicle 1 (step 203). The method of calculating the posture by the position detection processing unit 22 is as described above, and the position detection processing unit 22 matches the sensing data obtained in step 202 with the environment map 300 stored in the map storage unit 31. To obtain the coordinate values and angles of the maintenance vehicle 1 on the environmental map.

In step 204, the monitoring device 20 uses the vehicle end calculation unit 23 to calculate the coordinates of each end of the maintenance vehicle 1. Since this calculation method is as described above, the description here is omitted. Further, after the vehicle end calculation unit 23 calculates the coordinates of each end portion of the maintenance vehicle 1, the monitoring device 20 uses the coordinate conversion unit 26 to obtain the coordinates of each end portion of the maintenance vehicle 1 in geographical position information. Convert to (latitude and longitude).

Subsequently, in step 205, the monitoring device 20 uses the track closing section determination unit 24 to determine whether the coordinates of the end portion of the maintenance vehicle 1 obtained in step 204 are located outside the movable range obtained in step 201. Or, determine whether it is located within the movable range.

As a result of the comparison in step 205, when it is determined that any one of the ends of the maintenance vehicle 1 is located outside the movable range (step 206: Yes), the monitoring device 20 outputs an alarm by the alarm notification unit 21 (step 206: Yes). Step 207). On the contrary, when all the ends of the maintenance vehicle 1 are located within the movable range (step 206: No), the alarm is not output. After that, the monitoring device 20 repeats the process from step 202 again.

The process of FIG. 11 is repeated while the maintenance vehicle 1 is moving. As a result, when the maintenance vehicle 1 deviates from the movable range, the worker is notified to that effect.

The monitoring device 20 may end the process of FIG. 11 based on the instruction from the worker when the work by the maintenance vehicle 1 is completed. For example, when the worker instructs the stop of the alarm output process using the input device (step 208: Yes), the monitoring device 20 may interrupt the process of FIG.

Finally, the process of calculating the movable range in step 201 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 shows an example in which a line closing section is set on line B of the two lines (line A and line B). The shaded area represents the movable range of the maintenance vehicle 1. Here, for the sake of simplicity, the movable range between the A line and the B line will be described. Therefore, in reality, the portion below the B line is also the movable range of the maintenance vehicle, but here, the movable range of the portion below the B line will be omitted. In this embodiment, unless otherwise specified, an example in which a range of 1.9 m from the center of the track to the left and right is the building limit and a margin of 0.6 m will be described. In FIG. 12, since the line closing section is not closed on the A line, an alarm is output when the maintenance vehicle 1 enters the range (detection area) of 2.5 m in the left-right direction of the A line.

When calculating the movable range, the movable range is obtained for each point stored in the railway GIS storage unit 33. In the example shown in FIG. 12, three points (B1, B2, B3) on the B line correspond to the line closed section. It is assumed that these position information is stored in the railway GIS storage unit 33, and its coordinates ((latitude, longitude)) are (N11, E11), (N12, E12), (N13, E13), respectively. .. Further, the position information of the three points (A1, A2, A3) of the A line adjacent to the B line is stored in the railway GIS storage unit 33, and the coordinates thereof are (N21, E21), (N22, E22), (N23, respectively). , E23).

At this time, in step 201, first, based on the information stored in the railway GIS storage unit 33, the position information of the point of the A line, which is a line adjacent to the B line (position information stored in the GIS information 330). ), Each point on the A line (A1, A2, A3 in the example of FIG. 12) closest to each point on the B line (B1, B2, B3) is specified. Next, points 2.5 m away from each point (A1, A2, A3) on line A in the direction orthogonal to the line (downward in FIG. 12) (hereinafter, each point is A1', A2', A3'. To find the coordinates of). In the following, it is assumed that the coordinates of A1', A2', and A3'are (N21', E21'), (N22', E22'), (N23', E23').

In this case, the line closing section determination unit 24 determines the area surrounded by the point B1, the point B2 adjacent to B1, the point A1', and the point A2'adjacent to A1'as the movable range. Similarly, the line closed section determination unit 24 determines that the area surrounded by A2', A3', B3, and B2 is also a movable range. The track closing section determination unit 24 obtains the movable range of the maintenance vehicle 1 by carrying out this process for each point stored in the railway GIS storage unit 33.

The example described here is an example in which each point (B1, B2, B3) is not the start position (or end position) of the line closed section. Next, an example of a method of determining the movable range of the maintenance vehicle 1 near the line closed section start position (or the line closed section end position) will be described.

FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining the movable range of the maintenance vehicle 1 in the vicinity of the line closed section start position (or the line closed section end position). In FIG. 13, the point B0 is the line closing section start position. Here, the point A0'is a point 2.5 m away from the point A0 on the A line (this is also a point where the position information is stored in the railway GIS storage unit 33 like A1 etc.) in the direction orthogonal to the line. Represents.

In the method of calculating the movable range at a point other than the line closing section start position (for example, near the point B1 or B2) described with reference to FIG. 12, the area sandwiched between A1', A2', B1 and B2 is determined. It is required as a movable range. However, when obtaining the movable range near the start position of the line closed section (point B0), the line closed section determination unit 24 first moves from the point B0 (start position of the line closed section) along the line toward the end position of the line closed section. Find the coordinates of the point moved by the margin (0.6m). Here, this point is called B0', and the coordinates of B0' are (N10', E10'). Subsequently, the line closing section determination unit 24 obtains a straight line L orthogonal to the line segment B0'-B1 and passes through the point B0', and is an intersection of the straight line L and the line segment A0'-A1'(point D in FIG. 13). Ask for. Then, in this case, the area surrounded by the points D, A1', B1, B0'is determined as the movable range (that is, in FIG. 13, the area on the left side of the straight line L is not the movable range).

Here, the method of determining the movable range of the maintenance vehicle 1 near the start position of the track closed section has been described, but the movable range of the maintenance vehicle 1 is determined by the same method near the end position of the track closed section.

As described above, in the maintenance vehicle according to the present embodiment, since the position is specified by using the laser scanner provided in the maintenance vehicle, it is accurate even when working in an area where the reception sensitivity of the signal from the GPS satellite is poor. The position of the vehicle can be specified.

Although the examples of the present invention have been described above, these are examples for explaining the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to these examples. That is, the present invention can be implemented in various other forms.

In the embodiment described above, the position of the maintenance vehicle and the movable range are calculated using the geographical position (latitude / longitude), but the geographical position does not necessarily have to be used. For example, by converting the information on the movable range into coordinate values on the environmental map and comparing this with the coordinates of the maintenance vehicle (coordinates on the environmental map), it is possible to determine whether or not the maintenance vehicle is within the movable range. You may judge.

Further, in the embodiment described above, the coordinates of each part (end) of the maintenance vehicle are obtained to determine whether or not each part of the maintenance vehicle is within the movable range, but in order to reduce the amount of calculation. In addition, the coordinates of each part of the maintenance vehicle may not be obtained, but only the coordinates of the laser scanner may be obtained to determine whether or not the position of the laser scanner is within the movable range. In that case, step 204 of FIG. 11 does not need to be performed. Then, in step 205, the monitoring device 20 may convert the coordinates of the maintenance vehicle 1 obtained in step 203 into latitude and longitude using the coordinate conversion unit 26, and compare this with the movable range.

1: Maintenance vehicle 2: Operation management server 3: Network 11: Laser scanner 12: GPS antenna 13: Communication device 20: Monitoring device 21: Alarm notification unit 22: Position detection processing unit 23: Vehicle end calculation unit 24: Line closed section Judgment unit 26: Coordinate conversion unit 31: Map storage unit 32: Vehicle shape storage unit 33: Railway GIS storage unit 34: Line closed section information storage unit

Claims (5)

A maintenance vehicle used for railway maintenance work
The maintenance vehicle
A laser scanner that measures the distance to surrounding objects, a communication device for communicating with a railway operation management server, and monitoring that identifies the position of the maintenance vehicle based on the information obtained by the laser scanner. Have a device,
The monitoring device is
A map storage unit that stores an environmental map that is position information of structures existing around the area where the maintenance vehicle travels, and a map storage unit.
A railway GIS storage unit that stores railway GIS information including geographical location information of each point on the track,
Of the tracks, a track closure section information storage unit that stores information on the track closure section, which is a section where trains are prohibited from entering,
A position information detection unit that identifies the position of the maintenance vehicle by collating the information obtained by the laser scanner with the environment map.
A railroad closing section determination unit that identifies the movable range of the maintenance vehicle from the railway GIS information and the information of the track closed section and determines whether the position of the maintenance vehicle is outside the movable range.
When the track closed section determination unit determines that the position of the maintenance vehicle is outside the movable range, an alarm notification unit that outputs an alarm and
Have a,
The monitoring device includes a vehicle shape storage unit that stores information about the shape of the maintenance vehicle.
It has a vehicle end calculation unit that specifies the position of each end of the maintenance vehicle by using the information about the shape of the maintenance vehicle and the position information of the maintenance vehicle.
When the position of any end of the maintenance vehicle is outside the movable range, the track closed section determination unit determines that the position of the maintenance vehicle is outside the movable range.
A maintenance vehicle characterized by that. The movable range includes areas other than those on the track.
The track closure section determination unit determines that, of the left and right regions of the track on which the track closure section is set, a region separated from the track adjacent to the track by a predetermined distance or more is defined as the movable range of the maintenance vehicle. To do,
The maintenance vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the maintenance vehicle is characterized in that. A maintenance vehicle used for railway maintenance work
The maintenance vehicle
A laser scanner that measures the distance to surrounding objects, a communication device for communicating with a railway operation management server, and monitoring that identifies the position of the maintenance vehicle based on the information obtained by the laser scanner. Have a device,
The monitoring device
A map storage unit that stores an environmental map that is position information of structures existing around the area where the maintenance vehicle travels, and a map storage unit.
A railway GIS storage unit that stores railway GIS information including geographical location information of each point on the track,
Of the tracks, a track closure section information storage unit that stores information on the track closure section, which is a section where trains are prohibited from entering,
A position information detection unit that identifies the position of the maintenance vehicle by collating the information obtained by the laser scanner with the environment map.
A railroad closing section determination unit that identifies the movable range of the maintenance vehicle from the railway GIS information and the information of the track closed section and determines whether the position of the maintenance vehicle is outside the movable range.
When the track closed section determination unit determines that the position of the maintenance vehicle is outside the movable range, an alarm notification unit that outputs an alarm and
Have,
The movable range includes areas other than those on the track.
The track closure section determination unit determines that, of the left and right regions of the track on which the track closure section is set, a region separated from the track adjacent to the track by a predetermined distance or more is defined as the movable range of the maintenance vehicle. To do,
Characterized in that, maintenance vehicles. The information on the closed section of the track includes the start kilometer and the end kilometer of the track where the train is prohibited from entering.
The railway GIS information includes latitude and longitude information of about each kilometer on the track.
The line closed section determination unit calculates a range of latitude and longitude corresponding to the movable range by using the information of the line closed section and the railway GIS information.
The maintenance vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the maintenance vehicle is characterized in that. The environmental map contains latitude and longitude information corresponding to points on the environmental map.
The monitoring device uses the latitude / longitude information included in the environment map to convert the position of the maintenance vehicle specified by the position information detection unit into latitude / longitude information.
By comparing the latitude and longitude of the maintenance vehicle with the latitude and longitude of the movable range, it is determined whether or not the position of the maintenance vehicle is outside the movable range.
The maintenance vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the maintenance vehicle is characterized in that.

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