JP7466136B2 - Maintenance work vehicle communication system and maintenance work vehicle communication method - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to a maintenance work vehicle communication system and a maintenance work vehicle communication method.

Maintenance vehicles used for track maintenance work move in both directions on the tracks, so there is a high risk of collisions between them. To avoid collisions, maintenance vehicles can use, for example, the Global Positioning System (GPS) to communicate their own positions to each other and avoid collisions.

Patent document 1 discloses a system that transmits its own position information determined by a GPS receiver, receives position information of other moving bodies transmitted from the other moving bodies, and determines the relative distance between its own moving body and the other moving bodies based on its own position information and the position information of the other moving bodies.

Patent document 2 discloses a method and device for adjusting the data transmission timing that can avoid collisions of radio waves transmitted between multiple maintenance vehicles equipped with wireless communication terminals, which are used for moving object interval control.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-86853 JP 2004-343628 A

Maintenance work vehicles used for track maintenance work are often made up of multiple hopper cars, which carry equipment for track maintenance, or other vehicles called trolleys attached to the front or rear of the powered vehicle. However, there is no method to automatically obtain the number of cars in the train, including the hopper cars and trolleys attached to the front or rear of the powered vehicle, which is information necessary to avoid collisions with other maintenance work vehicles.

The present invention aims to solve these problems and provide a method for automatically obtaining the train length of a maintenance work vehicle with a powered vehicle connected to the front or rear.

In order to achieve the above object, the maintenance work vehicle communication system of the present invention has ground equipment arranged near the track on which a maintenance work vehicle consisting of one or more vehicles runs, and on-board equipment mounted on the maintenance work vehicle, the ground equipment including a ground sensor that outputs a front end passing signal when the front end of the maintenance work vehicle passes a specified sign, and outputs a rear end passing signal when the rear end of the maintenance work vehicle passes a specified sign, a ground passing time determination unit that determines the front end passing time and the rear end passing time when the front end and the rear end of the maintenance work vehicle respectively pass a specified sign in response to the input of the front end passing signal and the rear end passing signal, and a ground passing time determination unit that indicates the front end passing time. The on-board equipment has a vehicle speed sensor that outputs a vehicle speed signal that indicates the traveling speed of the maintenance work vehicle, a vehicle speed storage processing unit that executes a vehicle speed storage process that associates the vehicle speed corresponding to the vehicle speed signal with the on-board time, which is the current time, and stores it over time, a passage time signal acquisition unit that acquires the front passage time signal and the rear passage time signal, a train length calculation unit that calculates the length of the maintenance work vehicle from the vehicle speed, on-board time, front passage time, and rear passage time, and a train length signal output unit that outputs a train length signal that indicates the length of the maintenance work vehicle.

The maintenance work vehicle communication system according to the present invention preferably further comprises an on-board equipment: an on-board antenna mounted on one of the maintenance work vehicles and receiving a time information radio signal including current time information; an on-board sensor that outputs an on-board antenna passing signal when the vehicle equipped with the on-board antenna passes a specified sign; an on-board passing time determination unit that determines the on-board antenna passing time at which the vehicle equipped with the on-board antenna passes a specified sign in response to the input of the on-board antenna passing signal; a front length calculation unit that calculates the front length, which is the length between the on-board antenna and the front of the maintenance work vehicle, from the time information associated with the vehicle speed, the tip passing time, and the on-board antenna passing time; an antenna position information calculation unit that calculates the antenna position, which is the current position of the on-board antenna, based on multiple positioning radio signals; a tip position calculation unit that calculates the tip position, which is the position of the tip of the maintenance work vehicle, from the antenna position and the front length; and a tip position signal output unit that outputs a tip position signal indicating the tip position.

In the maintenance work vehicle communication system according to the present invention, the ground equipment further includes a ground antenna that receives a time information radio signal including current time information, and a ground time information extraction unit that extracts the ground current time, which is the current time, from the time information radio signal received by the ground antenna, the on-board equipment further includes an on-board antenna that receives a time information radio signal including current time information, and an on-board time information extraction unit that extracts the on-board current time, which is the current time, from the time information radio signal including current time information received by the on-board antenna, the ground passage time determination unit determines the front end passage time and the rear end passage time using the ground current time, and the on-board passage time determination unit determines the on-board antenna passage time using the on-board current time.

The maintenance work vehicle communication method according to the present invention is a maintenance work vehicle communication method for communicating the formation of a maintenance work vehicle consisting of one or more vehicles traveling on a track, and includes the steps of outputting a front end passing signal when the front end of the maintenance work vehicle passes a specified sign and outputting a rear end passing signal when the rear end of the maintenance work vehicle passes a specified sign, which are executed by ground equipment; determining the front end passing time and the rear end passing time when the front end and the rear end of the maintenance work vehicle respectively pass the specified sign in response to the input of the front end passing signal and the rear end passing signal; and outputting a front end passing time signal indicating the front end passing time. The system has a step of outputting a vehicle speed signal indicating the running speed of the maintenance work vehicle, which is executed by the on-board equipment, a step of executing a vehicle speed storage process that associates the vehicle speed corresponding to the vehicle speed signal with the on-board time, which is the current time, and stores the vehicle speed over time, a step of acquiring the front passing time signal and the rear passing time signal, a step of calculating the length of the maintenance work vehicle from the vehicle speed, the on-board time, the front passing time, and the rear passing time, and a step of outputting a length signal indicating the length of the maintenance work vehicle.

It is possible to provide a method for automatically acquiring the length of a train of maintenance work vehicles in which a powered vehicle is coupled to the front or rear in order to avoid collisions between the maintenance work vehicles.

FIG. 1 is a diagram explaining an overview of the maintenance work vehicle communication system of the present invention, in which (a) is a diagram showing when the front of a maintenance work vehicle passes a reflector installed in the track, (b) is a diagram showing when a powered car passes the reflector, (c) is a diagram showing when the rear end of the maintenance work vehicle passes the reflector, and (d) is a diagram explaining an example of a method for calculating the train length L, front length L1, and rear length L2. 1A and 1B are diagrams showing an example of the outline of the appearance of a reflector and ground equipment, in which FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of ground equipment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic block configuration of an in-vehicle device 6. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between time, detection pulses of a rotary encoder of a vehicle speed sensor of an on-board equipment, and a traveling distance of a powered vehicle. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of mileage record data used for interpolation calculation of a mileage. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a flowchart of processing by ground equipment. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a flowchart of a passing time acquisition process of on-board equipment. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a flowchart of a process for communicating with an on-board device; 1A and 1B are diagrams showing an example of a position notification process of a maintenance work vehicle by on-board equipment, in which (a) is a flowchart of the process, and (b) is a diagram showing the relationship between the on-board antenna position and the tip position of the maintenance work vehicle.

The maintenance work vehicle communication system and maintenance work vehicle communication method according to one aspect of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, please note that the technical scope of the present disclosure is not limited to these embodiments, but extends to the inventions described in the claims and their equivalents. In the following description and drawings, components having the same functional configuration will be denoted by the same reference numerals to avoid redundant description.

(Outline of the maintenance work vehicle communication system according to the present invention)
Fig. 1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of the maintenance work vehicle communication system according to the present invention, taking the maintenance work vehicle communication system 1 according to the embodiment as an example. Fig. 1(a) is a diagram showing the state when the front end of the maintenance work vehicle 5 has passed a reflector 3 installed in the track 2. Fig. 1(b) is a diagram showing the state when the powered car 50 has passed the reflector 3. Fig. 1(c) is a diagram showing the state when the rearmost part of the maintenance work vehicle 5 has passed the reflector 3. Therefore, the reflector 3 is a sign for determining whether the maintenance work vehicle 5 has passed. Fig. 1(d) is a diagram for explaining an example of a method for calculating the train length L, the front length L1, and the rear length L2.

The maintenance work vehicle communication system 1 has a reflector 3 installed within the track 2, ground equipment 4 installed so that the reflector 3 can be seen from the ground, and on-board equipment 6 mounted on a maintenance work vehicle 5 traveling on the track 2. The reflector 3 and ground equipment 4 are installed near the exit of the maintenance base for the maintenance work vehicle 5. This is so that the maintenance work vehicle communication system 1 can measure the train length of the maintenance work vehicle 5 when the maintenance work vehicle 5 departs the maintenance base.

For example, the maintenance work vehicle 5 is made up of at least one powered car 50 and trolleys 51 to 55 coupled to the powered car 50. The powered car 50 is, for example, a maintenance car. For ease of explanation, the on-board equipment 6 is described as being mounted on the powered car 50. The train length L (m) of the maintenance work vehicle 5 is from the front end of the trolley 51 to the rear end of the trolley 55. The front length L1 (m) of the powered car 50 is from the front end of the trolley 51 to the powered car 50. The rear length L2 (m) of the powered car 50 is from the powered car 50 to the rear end of the trolley 55, where L2 = L - L1. The position where the on-board equipment 6 is mounted in the powered car 50 is the reference point for the front and rear lengths of the powered car 50.

The ground equipment 4 has a ground laser sensor (not shown), which irradiates the reflector 3 with laser light and receives the light reflected from the reflector 3. The ground laser sensor irradiates the reflector 3 with laser light at a constant period, for example, every few milliseconds.

The reflector 3 is installed within the railway line 2 having rails 21, sleepers 22, and ballast 23. It is preferable to install the reflector 3 on the sleeper 22 between two rails 21, as this stabilizes the reflector 3. When the maintenance work vehicle 5 starts to pass the reflector 3, the ground laser sensor stops receiving the reflected laser light. For example, the ground laser sensor does not receive the reflected laser light from the time when the front end of the trolley 51, which is the leading vehicle of the maintenance work vehicle 5, passes the reflector 3, until the rear end of the trolley 55, which is the rearmost vehicle, passes the reflector 3.

The ground equipment 4 receives a positioning radio signal from a positioning satellite via a ground antenna 41. The positioning radio signal includes a time information radio signal. Based on the positioning radio signal, the ground equipment 4 can determine the time T1 (hereinafter referred to as the "tip passing time") when the ground laser sensor no longer receives reflected light, i.e., when the tip of the toro 51, the leading vehicle of the maintenance work vehicle 5, passes the reflector 3.

The ground equipment 4 transmits a tip passing signal indicating the tip passing time T1 to the vehicle-mounted equipment 6 via the ground wireless antenna 42. The vehicle-mounted equipment 6 acquires the tip passing time T1 from the tip passing signal indicating the tip passing time T1 received via the vehicle-mounted wireless antenna 62.

Figure 1 (b) shows the state when the powered vehicle 50 passes the reflector 3.

The powered vehicle 50 is equipped with on-board equipment 6. The on-board equipment 6 has an on-board laser sensor (not shown), which irradiates the track 2 with laser light at a constant period, for example, every few milliseconds. When the powered vehicle 50 passes a reflector 3 on the track 2, the on-board laser sensor receives the reflected laser light from the reflector 3.

The on-board equipment 6 also receives positioning radio signals from multiple positioning satellites via the on-board antenna 61. The position obtained when the on-board equipment 6 receives the positioning radio signals from the positioning satellites is the mounting position of the on-board antenna 61. For ease of explanation, it will be explained that the mounting position of the on-board antenna 61 is the same as the mounting position of the on-board laser sensor that serves as the reference for the front length L1 and rear length L2 of the powered vehicle 50. Note that the positioning radio signal includes a time information radio signal.

Based on the received positioning radio signal, the on-board equipment 6 can determine the time T2 when the on-board laser sensor receives the reflected light, i.e., when the on-board antenna 61 passes the reflector 3 (hereinafter referred to as the "on-board antenna passing time").

Figure 1 (c) shows the rear end of the maintenance work vehicle 5 passing the reflector 3, which is a sign.

The reflector 3 is installed inside the track 2, so when the rear end of the toro 55, the rearmost vehicle of the maintenance work vehicles 5, passes the reflector 3, the ground laser sensor receives the reflected laser light again. The ground equipment 4 can determine, based on the positioning radio signal, the time T3 (hereinafter referred to as the "rear end passing time") when the ground laser sensor begins to receive the reflected light again, that is, when the rear end of the toro 55, the rearmost vehicle of the maintenance work vehicles 5, passes the reflector 3.

The ground equipment 4 transmits the rear end passing time signal to the vehicle-mounted equipment 6 via the ground wireless antenna 42. The vehicle-mounted equipment 6 obtains the rear end passing time T3 from the rear end passing time signal received via the vehicle-mounted wireless antenna 62.

The on-board equipment 6 has a train length calculation unit (not shown). When the on-board equipment 6 acquires the rear end passing time T3, it can calculate the train length L and the front length L1 as shown in FIG. 1(d) using the leading end passing time T1, the on-board antenna passing time T2, and the traveling distance corresponding to the rear end passing time T3. Therefore, the on-board equipment 6 of the maintenance work vehicle communication system 1 can communicate the train length L of the maintenance work vehicle 5 on which the on-board equipment 6 is mounted to other maintenance work vehicles.

Furthermore, the on-board equipment 6 can calculate the position of the on-board antenna 61 from the positioning radio signal received via the on-board antenna 61. If the reference point for the position of the maintenance work vehicle 5 is the front of the maintenance work vehicle 5, it is necessary to convert the position of the on-board antenna 61 to the position of the front of the maintenance work vehicle 5. Therefore, the on-board equipment 6 converts the position of the on-board antenna 61 to the position of the tip of the maintenance work vehicle 5 using the forward length L1 of the maintenance work vehicle 5 and, for example, a position displacement vector calculated from the positioning radio signal (for example, the position displacement between two consecutively positioned points).

The on-board equipment 6 can transmit a communication signal indicating the position of the front of the maintenance work vehicle 5 (for example, a position indicated by latitude lon and longitude lut) and the length of the train L to other maintenance work vehicles via the on-board wireless antenna 62. The on-board wireless antenna 62 functions as a transmitting/receiving antenna that receives signals indicating the front end passing time T1 and the rear end on-board antenna passing time T3 from the ground equipment 4, and transmits the position of the maintenance work vehicle 5 and the length of the train L, but may be separate antennas.

Figure 1(d) is a diagram explaining an example of a method for calculating the knitting length L, the front length L1, and the rear length L2.

The on-board equipment 6 has a set length calculation unit (not shown), which can calculate the set length L1 and the front length L1 based on the travel distances of the maintenance work vehicle 5 at the leading edge passing time T1, the on-board antenna passing time T2, and the rear edge passing time T3. In addition, the rear length L2 may be calculated. The set length L is expressed as follows:
L = (travel distance at rear end passing time T3) - (travel distance at front end passing time T1)
It is calculated as follows.

In addition, the front length L1 of the powered vehicle is from the tip of the trolley 51 to the mounting position of the vehicle-mounted antenna 61, so
L1 = (travel distance at time T2 when the vehicle antenna passes) - (travel distance at time T1 when the tip passes)
In addition, if L and L1 are known, the rear length L2 of the powered vehicle 50 is calculated from the position where the on-board equipment 6 of the powered vehicle 50 is mounted to the rear of the trolley 55,
L2=L−L1
It is calculated as follows.

The leading edge passing time T1 and trailing edge passing time T3 transmitted from the ground equipment 4, and the vehicle antenna passing time T2 acquired by the vehicle equipment 6 are all acquired based on positioning radio signals from multiple positioning satellites. The combination of multiple positioning satellites that transmit the positioning radio signals received by the ground equipment 4 may be different from the combination of multiple positioning satellites that transmit the positioning radio signals received by the vehicle equipment 6. This is because the current time acquired from the positioning radio signals of at least any four positioning satellites of the Global Positioning System (GPS) will be the same within an error range of about 1/1000 seconds.

Therefore, time synchronization between the ground equipment 4 and the on-board equipment 6 is not required, and the accuracy of the train length L, front length L1, and rear length L2 can be improved.

As described above, after determining the length L and forward length L1 of the maintenance vehicle, the maintenance vehicle communication system 1 obtains two positions of the on-board antenna 61 that change as the maintenance vehicle 5 moves. The reference point for the position of the maintenance vehicle 5 is the tip of the maintenance vehicle 5. The on-board equipment 6 converts the position of the on-board antenna 61 to the position of the tip of the maintenance vehicle 5 using the forward length L1 of the maintenance vehicle 5 and the position displacement vector calculated from the positioning radio signal (for example, the position displacement between two consecutively measured points).

The maintenance work vehicle communication system 1 can periodically communicate the position of the maintenance work vehicle 5, such as latitude ion and longitude lat, and length L, to other maintenance work vehicles, and provide information for avoiding collisions between maintenance work vehicles to, for example, a collision avoidance system.

(Outline of signs and ground facilities according to the embodiment)
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the outline of the appearance of the reflector and the ground equipment according to this embodiment, where (a) is a front view and (b) is a plan view.

The reflector 3 is installed on the surface of sleepers or ballast within the track 2. The ground equipment 4 is installed near the track 2 at a height of several meters, preferably 3 to 6 m, above the ground, so as to view the reflector within the track 2. The reflector 3 and ground equipment 4 are installed, for example, near the exit of a maintenance base. This is because the ground equipment 4 irradiates the reflector with laser light and detects the reflection of the laser light. Therefore, it is usually preferable that the reflector 3 is installed at an angle to the horizontal plane.

The ground equipment 4 has a ground laser sensor 43. The ground laser sensor 43 irradiates the reflector 3 with laser light and receives the reflected laser light again. The ground laser sensor 43 irradiates the reflector 3 with laser light at a constant period, for example, a period of several milliseconds. Since the reflector 3 is installed inside the track 2, when the maintenance work vehicle 5 passes the reflector 3, the ground laser sensor 43 stops receiving the reflected laser light.

For example, the ground laser sensor 43 does not receive reflected laser light from the time the front end of the leading vehicle, Toro 51, of the maintenance work vehicles 5 passes the reflector 3 until the rear end of the trailing vehicle, Toro 55, passes the reflector 3. When the ground laser sensor 43 stops receiving reflected light, the ground equipment 4 determines that the front end of the maintenance work vehicle 5 has started passing the reflector, and outputs a front end passing signal. When the maintenance work vehicle starts receiving light again, it determines that the rear end of the maintenance work vehicle 5 has completed passing the reflector 3, and outputs a rear end passing signal.

Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of the schematic configuration of the ground equipment. The ground equipment 4 has a ground antenna 41, a ground wireless antenna 42, a ground laser sensor 43, a ground radio wave receiving unit 44, a ground wireless communication unit 45, and a ground microcomputer unit 46.

The terrestrial radio wave receiving unit 44 receives positioning radio signals transmitted from positioning satellites via the terrestrial antenna 41. The terrestrial microcomputer unit 46 calculates the time using the received positioning radio signals. Note that it is necessary to receive positioning radio signals from multiple positioning satellites. This is because the position and time are calculated from multiple positioning radio signals. There are preferably four or more positioning satellites. Examples of positioning satellites include the US's Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites and Japan's quasi-zenith satellite "Michibiki."

The ground wireless communication unit 45 is connected to the ground microcomputer unit 46, and performs wireless communication between the ground equipment 4 and the on-board equipment 6 via the ground wireless antenna 42.

The ground laser sensor 43 periodically irradiates the reflector 3 with laser light and receives the reflected laser light again. The ground laser sensor 43 is controlled by the ground microcomputer unit 46, and the detection results of the ground laser sensor 43 are output to the ground microcomputer unit 46.

The ground microcomputer unit 46 has a ground microcomputer memory unit 460 and a ground microcomputer processing unit 470. The ground microcomputer memory unit 460 has one or more semiconductor memories. For example, the ground microcomputer memory unit 460 has at least one of non-volatile memories such as RAM, flash memory, EPROM, or EEPROM.

The ground microcomputer storage unit 460 stores driver programs, operating system programs, application programs, data, etc., used for processing by the ground microcomputer processing unit 470. For example, the ground microcomputer storage unit 460 stores, as a driver program, a device driver program that controls the ground laser sensor 43, etc.

The computer program may be installed in the receiving storage unit 120 from a computer-readable portable recording medium such as a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM using a known setup program or the like. It may also be downloaded from a program server or the like and installed. Furthermore, the ground microcomputer storage unit 460 may temporarily store temporary data related to a specified process. The ground microcomputer storage unit 460 stores a ground code table 461 for identifying the ground equipment 4, etc.

The ground microcomputer processing unit 470 has one or more processors and their peripheral circuits. The ground microcomputer processing unit 470 centrally controls the overall operation of the ground equipment 4, and is, for example, an MCU (Micro Computer Unit). When the maintenance work vehicle 5 passes the reflector 3, the ground microcomputer processing unit 470 communicates the leading edge passing time T1 and the trailing edge passing time T3 to the on-board equipment 6, and controls the operation so that various processes such as the ground laser sensor 43 are executed in an appropriate order.

The ground microcomputer processing unit 470 executes processing based on the programs (operating system program, driver program, application program, etc.) stored in the ground microcomputer storage unit 460. The ground microcomputer processing unit 470 may also execute multiple programs (application programs, etc.) in parallel. The ground microcomputer processing unit 470 has a ground pass time determination unit 471, a ground time information extraction unit 472, a pass time signal output unit 473, etc.

Each of these parts of the ground microcomputer processing unit 470 may be implemented in the ground microcomputer unit 46 as an independent integrated circuit, circuit module, microprocessor, or firmware.

(Overview of in-vehicle equipment according to the embodiment)
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic block configuration of the in-vehicle equipment.

The on-board equipment 6 mounted on the maintenance work vehicle 5 has an on-board antenna 61, an on-board wireless antenna 62, an on-board laser sensor 63, a vehicle speed sensor 64, an on-board radio wave receiving unit 65, an on-board wireless communication unit 66, and an on-board microcomputer unit 67. The on-board microcomputer unit 67 has an on-board microcomputer memory unit 670 and an on-board microcomputer processing unit 680, and is connected to the on-board laser sensor 63, the vehicle speed sensor 64, the on-board radio wave receiving unit 65, and the on-board wireless communication unit 66.

The units constituting the on-board equipment 6 do not need to be contained in the same housing. For example, it is preferable that the on-board laser sensor 63 is mounted under the floor of the powered vehicle 50, and the on-board antenna 61 and the on-board wireless antenna 62 are mounted on the roof of the powered vehicle 50. Furthermore, the on-board equipment 6 may be mounted not only on the powered vehicle 50, but also on any of the vehicles constituting the maintenance work vehicle 5, or may be mounted in a distributed manner.

The on-board radio wave receiving unit 65 receives the positioning radio wave signals transmitted from the positioning satellites via the on-board antenna 61. Using the received positioning radio wave signals, the on-board microcomputer unit 67 calculates the position of the powered vehicle 50 and the time when the powered vehicle 50 passed the reflector 3. To be precise, the position obtained by the on-board equipment 6 receiving the positioning radio wave signals from multiple positioning satellites is the mounting position of the on-board antenna 61.

For simplicity, the mounting position of the vehicle-mounted antenna 61 and the mounting position of the vehicle-mounted laser sensor 63 that detects the passage of the reflector 3 are assumed to be the same. Note that the positioning radio signals must be received from multiple positioning satellites. This is because the position and time are calculated from multiple positioning radio signals. There are preferably four or more positioning satellites.

The on-board wireless communication unit 66 is connected to the on-board microcomputer unit 67, and receives a leading edge passing time signal indicating the leading edge passing time T1 and a trailing edge passing signal indicating the trailing edge passing time T3 from the ground equipment 4 via the on-board wireless antenna 62. The on-board wireless communication unit 66 also transmits signals related to the position of the maintenance work vehicle 5 and the length L of the train to other maintenance work vehicles via the on-board wireless antenna 62. The on-board wireless antenna 62 functions as a transmitting and receiving antenna, but may be a separate antenna.

The on-board laser sensor 63 irradiates the reflector 3 with laser light and receives the reflected laser light. The on-board laser sensor 63 irradiates the track 2 with laser light periodically, for example at a period of several milliseconds. The reflector 3 is installed within the track 2, so when the powered vehicle 50 passes the reflector 3, the on-board laser sensor 63 receives the reflected laser light. The mounting position of the on-board antenna 61 is the same as that of the on-board laser sensor 63, so when the on-board laser sensor 63 passes the reflector, the on-board laser sensor 63 outputs an on-board antenna passing signal. The on-board antenna passing signal enables the on-board microcomputer unit 67 to detect that the on-board antenna 61 has passed the reflector.

The vehicle speed sensor 64 is a sensor for detecting the speed of the powered vehicle 50, i.e., the speed of the maintenance work vehicle 5. The vehicle speed sensor 64 is, for example, an encoder that counts the rotational displacement of a rotating disk with slits attached to the powered axle or wheel as a pulse signal. It may also be a gear-type vehicle speed sensor that rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the axle or wheel. Furthermore, it may also be a vehicle speed sensor that uses a positioning satellite system. This is because if the traveled distance is short, the traveled distance can be approximated as a straight line and the vehicle speed can be calculated.

The on-board microcomputer unit 67 has an on-board microcomputer memory unit 670 and an on-board microcomputer processing unit 680. The on-board microcomputer memory unit 670 has one or more semiconductor memories. For example, the on-board microcomputer memory unit 670 has at least one of a RAM, a flash memory, an EPROM, or a non-volatile memory such as an EEPROM.

The vehicle-mounted microcomputer storage unit 670 stores driver programs, operating system programs, application programs, data, etc. used for processing by the vehicle-mounted microcomputer processing unit 680. For example, the vehicle-mounted microcomputer storage unit 670 stores a device driver program that controls the vehicle-mounted laser sensor 63 as a driver program.

The computer program may be installed in the on-board microcomputer storage unit 670 using a known setup program or the like from a computer-readable portable recording medium such as a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM. It may also be downloaded from a program server or the like and installed. Furthermore, the on-board microcomputer storage unit 670 may temporarily store temporary data related to a specified process. The on-board microcomputer storage unit 670 stores mileage record data 671, a correction table 672 for correcting the length of the train, etc., an on-board code table 673 consisting of codes for identifying the ground equipment 4 and the maintenance work vehicle, etc.

The on-board microcomputer processing unit 680 includes one or more processors and their peripheral circuits. The on-board microcomputer processing unit 680 controls the operation of the on-board laser sensor 63 and the vehicle speed sensor 64 of the on-board equipment 6. It also periodically outputs the position that changes as the maintenance work vehicle 5 moves and the length of the vehicle L, and communicates information to other maintenance work vehicles to avoid collisions between the maintenance work vehicles. The on-board microcomputer processing unit 680 may be realized, for example, as an MCU (Micro Computer Unit).

Furthermore, the on-board microcomputer processing unit 680 executes processing based on the programs (operating system program, driver program, application program, etc.) stored in the on-board microcomputer storage unit 670. The on-board microcomputer processing unit 680 may also execute multiple programs (application programs, etc.) in parallel. The on-board microcomputer processing unit 680 has a vehicle speed storage processing unit 681, a passing time signal acquisition unit 682, an on-board time information extraction unit 683, a vehicle passing time determination unit 684, a train length calculation unit 685, a train length signal output unit 686, a front length calculation unit 687, an antenna position information calculation unit 688, a tip position calculation unit 689, and a tip position signal output unit 690.

(Outline of calculation of knitting growth etc. according to the embodiment)
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between time, detection pulses of the rotary encoder of the vehicle speed sensor 64 mounted on the power vehicle 50, and the travel distance of the power vehicle 50. In FIG.

The sequence in the lower row of Figure 5 shows the time elapsed in one-second intervals from the initial time T0 obtained from the positioning satellite when the maintenance work vehicle communication system 1 started operation. The sequence in the middle row shows the pulse value from the initial time T0 of the pulse detected by the rotary encoder of the vehicle speed sensor 64 of the powered vehicle 50 every second. The sequence in the upper row shows the travel distance (m) of the powered vehicle 50 from the initial time T0 every second. For simplicity of explanation, it is assumed that the powered vehicle 50 is traveling at a constant speed of 10 km/h.

For example, the rotary encoder of the vehicle speed sensor 64 is set to detect one pulse every 6 cm that the powered vehicle travels. The vehicle speed sensor 64 counts the number of detected pulses at one-second intervals. Therefore, the vehicle speed (m/sec) is proportional to the number of detected pulse counts. For example, if the vehicle speed sensor 64 detects 46 pulses per second, the powered vehicle 50 travels 2.76 m per second. Therefore, the vehicle speed is 2.76 m/sec, and multiplying the vehicle speed of 2.76 m/sec by 3600 gives a speed of approximately 10 km/h. Also, when the powered vehicle is traveling at a speed of 10 km/h, the detection pulse interval is approximately 22 msec.

For example, if the speed output by the vehicle speed sensor 64 every second is expressed as meters per second (m/sec), then the output speed per second (m/sec) is the distance traveled per second. Therefore, the distance traveled from the initial time T0 can be calculated by integrating the vehicle speed (m/sec) per second from the initial time T0.

For example, the tip passing time T1 is when the tip of the leading trolley 51 of the maintenance work vehicle 5 passes the reflector 3 at a constant speed of 10 km/h. The time that has passed since the initial time T0 is calculated by T1 - T0. The tip passing time T1 is assumed to be 2.65 seconds after the initial time T0. The travel distance is calculated as 5.52 + (8.28 - 5.52) x 0.65 = 7.314 m, using the travel distance of 5.52 m when 2 seconds have passed since the initial time T0 and the travel distance of 8.28 m when 3 seconds have passed.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the maintenance work vehicle 5 always travels at a constant speed of 10 km/h. However, in practice, the maintenance work vehicle 5 may accelerate or decelerate between the initial time T0 and the rear end passing time T3, and the speed may not be constant. Therefore, the travel distance at each time is calculated by interpolating the two travel distances before and after each time, which are calculated from the vehicle speed output by the vehicle speed sensor 64.

When each time is converted into the elapsed time from the initial time T0, the interpolation formula is as follows:
(Distance traveled just before the elapsed time) + (Distance traveled just after the elapsed time - Distance traveled just before the elapsed time) x (elapsed time less than 1 second)
This is expressed as:

Next, assume that the on-board equipment 6 detects that the powered vehicle 50 has passed the reflector 3 while maintaining a constant speed of 10 km/h. The on-board antenna passing time T2 when the powered vehicle 50 passed the reflector 3 is assumed to be 6.65 seconds after the initial time T0, converted into the elapsed time from the initial time T0. The travel distance is calculated as 16.56 + (19.32 - 16.56) x 0.65 = 18.354 m, using the travel distance of 16.56 m 6 seconds after the initial time T0 and the travel distance of 19.23 m 7 seconds after the initial time T0.

The distance traveled when the torpedo 51, the leading vehicle of the maintenance work vehicle 5, begins to pass the reflector 3 is 7.314 m. The distance traveled when the powered vehicle 50 passes the reflector 3 is 18.354 m. Therefore, the forward length L1, which is the length from the tip of the torpedo 51 to the position where the on-board equipment 6 of the powered vehicle 50 is mounted, is 18.354 - 7.314 = 11.04 m.

Furthermore, the rear end passing time T3 is when the rearmost trolley 55 of the maintenance work vehicle 5 passes the reflector 3 at a constant speed of 10 km/h. The time that has elapsed since the initial time T0 for the rear end passing time T3 obtained from the ground equipment 4 is calculated by T3 - T0. The rear end passing time T3 is converted to the elapsed time from the initial time T0 and is set to 12.65 seconds. The travel distance is calculated as 33.12 + (35.88 - 33.12) x 0.65 = 34.914 m, using the travel distance of 33.12 m when 12 seconds have elapsed since the initial time T0 and the travel distance of 35.88 m when 13 seconds have elapsed.

Therefore, the length L of the maintenance work vehicle 5, which is the length from the tip of the leading trolley 51 of the maintenance work vehicle 5 to the rear end of the rearmost trolley 55, is 34.914 - 7.314 = 27.6 m. In addition, the rear length L2, which is the length from the position where the on-board equipment 6 of the powered vehicle 50 is mounted to the rear end of the rearmost trolley 51, is L - L1 = 27.6 - 11.04 = 16.56 m.

In the above explanation, the initial time T0 is used as the time reference, but the time reference may be any time before the tip passing time T1 or the tip passing time T1.

The front end passing time T1 and rear end passing time T3 transmitted from the ground equipment 4 use the ground current time extracted from positioning radio signals from multiple positioning satellites. Also, the vehicle-mounted antenna passing time T2 uses the vehicle current time extracted from positioning radio signals from multiple positioning satellites. Therefore, theoretically, the front end passing time T1, vehicle-mounted antenna passing time T2, and rear end passing time T3 can be obtained with an accuracy of 1/1000 seconds. This makes it possible to calculate the length L of the maintenance work vehicle 5 with higher accuracy.

In addition, since the ground equipment 4 and the vehicle-mounted equipment 6 share the current time extracted from the positioning radio signals from multiple positioning satellites, there is no need to synchronize the timekeeping between the ground microcomputer unit 46 and the vehicle-mounted microcomputer unit 67. Note that, due to the processing capabilities of the ground microcomputer unit 46 and the vehicle-mounted microcomputer unit 67, there may actually be an error of about ±10 msec, so the actual calculation process may be performed in units of 1/100 seconds.

Furthermore, measurement errors may occur due to processing delays in the ground microcomputer unit 46 and the on-board microcomputer unit 67. As a measurement error of the set length L and the forward length L1, for example, the set length and the forward length may be corrected by adding 4 pulses, i.e. 24 cm, to the calculation result for the set length L and 2 pulses, i.e. 12 cm, to the forward length L1.

Figure 6 shows an example of mileage record data used to interpolate mileage calculations.

In the table of mileage record data 671, the left column indicates the current time on board the vehicle (hours:minutes:seconds), the middle column indicates the vehicle speed (m/sec) at each on-board time, and the rightmost column indicates the distance traveled (m).

The on-board time information extraction unit 683 of the on-board equipment 6 extracts the on-board current time, which is the current time, from multiple positioning radio signals via the on-board antenna 61. Every time one second of on-board time passes, the vehicle speed storage processing unit 681 of the on-board equipment 6 writes the vehicle speed obtained from the vehicle speed (m/sec) from the vehicle speed sensor 64 to the mileage record data 671 of the on-board microcomputer storage unit 670. Furthermore, the vehicle speed storage processing unit 681 accumulates the vehicle speed (m/sec) obtained every second and stores it as the mileage (m) corresponding to each on-board current time. Note that the mileage record data 671 may only record one of the vehicle speed (m/sec) or the mileage (m) corresponding to the on-board current time. This is because the mileage (m) corresponding to each time can be calculated by accumulation from the vehicle speed (m/sec) corresponding to each time.

In FIG. 5, the leading edge passing time T1, the vehicle antenna passing time T2, and the trailing edge passing time T3 are replaced with the elapsed time (sec) from the initial time T1, and a method for interpolating the travel distance for each elapsed time (sec) is explained. The travel distance record data 671 shown in FIG. 6 may be used to interpolate the travel distance corresponding to the time.

For example, if the tip passing time T1 is 22:30:33.65 seconds, the two times on either side of T1 are recorded in the mileage record data 671. They are 22:30:33.000 seconds and 22:30:34.000 seconds. The mileage corresponding to the time 22:30:33.000 seconds is 10.86 m, and the mileage corresponding to the time 22:30:34.000 seconds is 13.56 m. Therefore, the mileage corresponding to 22:30:33.65 seconds is 10.86 + (13.56 - 10.86) x 0.65 = 1.755 m.

The interpolation calculation formula at time T using the mileage record data 671 is
(Distance traveled at the time immediately before T) + (Distance traveled at the time immediately after T - Distance traveled at the time immediately before T) x (difference between T and the time immediately before)
This is expressed as:

Figure 7 shows an example of a flowchart for processing by ground equipment.

The ground pass time determination unit 471 periodically acquires a detection signal from the terrestrial laser sensor 43 (ST601). The ground pass time determination unit 471 determines whether the detection signal from the terrestrial laser sensor 43 detects reflected light (ST602).

When the ground pass time determination unit 471 detects that the detection signal indicates that the terrestrial laser sensor 43 is detecting reflected light (ST602-YES), the ground pass time determination unit 471 again acquires the detection signal from the terrestrial laser sensor 43 (ST601).

When it detects that the detection signal indicates that reflected light has not been detected (ST602-NO), the ground passing time determination unit 471 determines that the maintenance work vehicle 5 has started to pass the reflector 3, and determines the tip passing time using the current ground time (ST603). Note that the current ground time, which is the current time when the maintenance work vehicle 5 has started to pass the reflector 3, is extracted by the ground time information extraction unit 472 from multiple positioning radio signals via the ground antenna 41.

Furthermore, the passage time signal output unit 473 transmits a leading edge passage time signal indicating the leading edge passage time to the on-board equipment 6 via the ground radio antenna 42 (ST604).

The ground passing time determination unit 471 periodically continues to acquire the detection signal from the ground laser sensor 43 (ST605). This is to determine whether the maintenance work vehicle 5 has completed passing the reflector 3. The ground passing time determination unit 471 determines whether the detection signal from the ground laser sensor 43 detects reflected light (ST606).

When the ground pass time determination unit 471 detects that the detection signal indicates that the terrestrial laser sensor 43 has not detected reflected light (ST606-NO), the ground pass time determination unit 471 further acquires a detection signal from the terrestrial laser sensor 43 (ST605).

When the ground passing time determination unit 471 detects that the detection signal indicates that reflected light has been detected (ST604-YES), it determines that the maintenance work vehicle 5 has completed passing the reflector 3, and determines the rear end passing time using the current ground time (ST607). Note that the current ground time, which is the current time when the maintenance work vehicle 5 has completed passing the reflector 3, is extracted by the ground time information extraction unit 472 from multiple positioning radio signals via the ground antenna 41.

Furthermore, the passage time signal output unit 473 transmits a rear end passage signal indicating the rear end passage time to the on-board equipment 6 via the ground radio antenna 42 (ST608).

Figure 8 shows an example of a flowchart for the process of acquiring the passing time of the onboard equipment.

The vehicle passing time determination unit 684 periodically acquires a detection signal from the vehicle-mounted laser sensor 63 (ST701). The vehicle passing time determination unit 684 determines whether the detection signal from the vehicle-mounted laser sensor 63 detects reflected light (ST702).

When the vehicle passing time determination unit 684 detects that the detection signal indicates that the vehicle-mounted laser sensor 63 is not detecting reflected light (ST702-NO), the vehicle passing time determination unit 684 again acquires the detection signal from the vehicle-mounted laser sensor 63 (ST701).

When it detects that the detection signal indicates that reflected light has been detected (ST702-YES), the vehicle passing time determination unit 684 determines that the vehicle-mounted antenna 61 has passed the reflector 3, and obtains the vehicle-mounted antenna passing time using the vehicle-mounted current time (ST703). Note that the vehicle-mounted current time, which is the current time when the vehicle-mounted antenna 61 has passed the reflector 3, is extracted by the vehicle-mounted time information extraction unit 683 from multiple positioning radio signals via the vehicle-mounted antenna 61.

Figure 9 shows an example of a flowchart for the on-board equipment 6's inter-vehicle communication process.

The passing time signal acquisition unit 682 of the on-board equipment 6 acquires the leading edge passing time T1 at which the leading edge trowel 51 of the maintenance work vehicle 5 starts passing the reflector 3 from the start signal received from the ground equipment 4 (ST801). The train length calculation unit 685 acquires the travel distance corresponding to the closest time before and after the leading edge passing time T1 from the travel distance record data measured every second by the vehicle speed sensor 64 (ST802). The train length calculation unit 685 determines the travel distance l1 at the leading edge passing time T1 by interpolation calculation (ST803).

The interpolation calculation formula at time T1 using the mileage record data 671 is
(Distance traveled immediately before T1) + (Distance traveled immediately after T1 - Distance traveled immediately before T1) x (difference between T1 and the immediately preceding time)
It is.

The travel distance output by the vehicle speed sensor 64 every second is sequentially written by the vehicle speed storage processing unit 681 to the on-board microcomputer storage unit 670 as travel distance record data 671.

Next, the vehicle passing time determination unit 684 refers to the on-board current time and determines the on-board antenna passing time T2 when the on-board antenna 61 passed the reflector 3 (ST804). The on-board current time is extracted by the on-board time information extraction unit 683 from the positioning radio signal. The gear growth calculation unit 685 obtains the traveling distances at the times closest to and including the on-board antenna passing time T2 from the traveling distance record data measured every second by the vehicle speed sensor 64 (ST805). The gear growth calculation unit 685 determines the traveling distance l2 at the on-board antenna passing time T2 by interpolation (ST806).

The passing time signal acquisition unit 682 further acquires the rear end passing time T3, which is the time when the rearmost toro 55 of the maintenance work vehicle 5 has passed the reflector 3, from the rear end passing signal received from the ground equipment 4 (ST808). The train length calculation unit 685 acquires the travel distances before and after the rear end passing time T3 from the travel distance record data measured every second by the vehicle speed sensor 64, and calculates the travel distance l3 at the rear end passing time T3 by interpolation (ST809).

The train length calculation unit 685 calculates the train length L = l3 - l1 from the travel distance l1 at the leading end passing time T1 and the travel distance l3 at the trailing end passing time T3 (ST810).

In addition, the front length calculation unit 687 calculates the front length L1 = l2 - l1 from the travel distance l1 at the tip passing time T1 and the travel distance l2 at the vehicle antenna passing time T2 (ST811).

The position where it is determined whether the powered vehicle 50 has passed the reflector 3 is the location where the on-board laser sensor 63 is attached inside the powered vehicle 50, and the position of the powered vehicle 50 based on the positioning radio signal is the location where the on-board antenna 61 is attached. In order to correct the difference between the location where the on-board laser sensor 63 is attached and the location where the on-board antenna 61 is attached, the front length calculation unit 687 corrects the front length L1 using the correction table 672 (ST812).

The train growth signal output unit 686 outputs a train growth signal indicating the train growth L to other maintenance work vehicles via the vehicle-mounted wireless antenna 62 (ST813).

The knitting length calculation unit 685 may correct the knitting length by, for example, adding 4 pulses, or 24 cm, to the knitting length L in the calculation result as a knitting length L measurement error. The front length calculation unit 687 may correct the front length by, for example, adding 2 pulses, or 12 cm, to the front length L1 as a measurement error of the front length L1.

Figure 10 shows an example of a maintenance vehicle position notification process using on-board equipment. Figure 10(a) is a flowchart of the process, and Figure 10(b) is a diagram showing the relationship between the on-board antenna position and the tip position of the maintenance vehicle.

The antenna position information calculation unit 688 calculates the first antenna position (x1, y1) which is the first position of the vehicle-mounted antenna 61 based on the positioning radio signals from multiple positioning satellites (ST901). Furthermore, the antenna position information calculation unit 688 calculates the second antenna position (x2, y2) which is the second position of the vehicle-mounted antenna 61 based on the positioning radio signals from multiple positioning satellites (ST902). The antenna position information calculation unit 688 determines the displacement vector of the movement of the maintenance work vehicle 5 from the first and second antenna positions, and calculates, for example, the angle θ between the X-axis and the displacement vector (ST903).

The antenna position information calculation unit 688 calculates the tip position (x2 + L1 cos θ, y2 + L1 sin θ) of the maintenance work vehicle 5 corresponding to the second antenna position (x2, y2) (ST904). L1 is the forward length of the maintenance work vehicle 5. The tip position signal output unit 690 outputs a tip position signal indicating the tip position (x2 + L1 cos θ, y2 + L1 sin θ) of the maintenance work vehicle 5 to the other maintenance work vehicles via the on-board wireless antenna 62 (ST905). Furthermore, the train length signal output unit 686 outputs a train length signal indicating the train length L to the other maintenance work vehicles via the on-board wireless antenna 62 (ST906). Note that the position information may be indicated by latitude lon and longitude lat.

The train length signal output unit 686 and the tip position signal output unit 690 periodically repeat output of the train length signal and the tip position signal. The maintenance work vehicle communication system 1 periodically communicates the position of the maintenance work vehicle 5 and the train length L to other maintenance work vehicles, and can provide information for avoiding collisions between maintenance work vehicles to, for example, a collision avoidance system. Note that, for example, if the collision avoidance system uses track map information, there is no need to calculate the direction of the tip position of the maintenance work vehicle.

In this embodiment, the terrestrial current time information extraction unit and the in-vehicle time information extraction unit for extracting the current time use positioning radio signals from multiple positioning satellites as time information radio signals containing current time information. Instead of positioning radio signals, a standard radio signal from a radio clock may be used.

In this embodiment, a laser sensor is used as the ground sensor and on-board sensor to detect when a maintenance vehicle passes a sign by emitting a laser to a reflector and then reflecting it. In another embodiment, an image sensor may be used for the ground sensor and on-board sensor. For passing detection using an image sensor, a board with a specific mark displayed on it is preferable as the sign. Note that the sign does not have to be inside the track as long as it is in a position that can be seen from the ground equipment.

It should be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, substitutions, and modifications can be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

LIST OF SYMBOLS 1 Maintenance vehicle communication system 2 Track 3 Reflector 4 Ground equipment 41 Ground antenna 42 Ground wireless antenna 43 Ground laser sensor 44 Ground radio wave receiving unit 45 Ground wireless communication unit 46 Ground microcomputer unit 5 Maintenance vehicle 50 Powered vehicle 51-55 Toro 6 On-board equipment 61 On-board antenna 62 On-board wireless antenna 63 On-board laser sensor 64 Vehicle speed sensor 65 On-board radio wave receiving unit 66 On-board wireless communication unit 67 On-board microcomputer unit

Claims (4)

The system includes ground equipment arranged near a track on which a maintenance work vehicle consisting of one or more vehicles runs, and on-board equipment mounted on the maintenance work vehicle,
The ground equipment includes:
A ground sensor that periodically emits light to a reflector on the track and receives reflected light of the light,
a ground sensor that outputs a leading end passing signal when the leading end of the maintenance work vehicle passes through the optical path of the light in response to a change in the reflected light, and outputs a trailing end passing signal when the trailing end of the maintenance work vehicle passes through the optical path of the light;
a ground passing time determination unit that determines a front end passing time and a rear end passing time when the front end and the rear end of the maintenance work vehicle pass through the optical path of light, respectively, in response to the input of the front end passing signal and the rear end passing signal;
a passage time signal output unit that outputs a front end passage time signal indicating the front end passage time and a rear end passage time signal indicating the rear end passage time,
The vehicle-mounted equipment includes:
a vehicle speed sensor that outputs a vehicle speed signal indicating a traveling speed of the maintenance work vehicle;
a vehicle speed storage processing unit that executes a vehicle speed storage process for storing a vehicle speed corresponding to the vehicle speed signal over time in association with an on-board time, which is a current time;
a passage time signal acquisition unit that acquires the leading end passage time signal and the trailing end passage time signal;
a train length calculation unit that calculates a length of the maintenance work vehicle from the vehicle speed, the on-board time, the front end passing time, and the rear end passing time;
a train length signal output unit that outputs a train length signal indicating the length of the maintenance work vehicle;
An on-board antenna that is mounted on any one of the maintenance work vehicles and receives a plurality of positioning radio signals including current time information;
an on-board sensor that is mounted on a vehicle having the on-board antenna, periodically emits light to the reflector on the track, and receives reflected light of the light, and when the on-board sensor detects reflected light from the reflector on the track, outputs an on-board antenna passing signal indicating that the vehicle has passed the reflector;
an on-board passing time determination unit that determines a time when the vehicle carrying the on-board antenna passes through the reflector in response to an input of the on-board antenna passing signal;
and a front length calculation unit that calculates a front length, which is a length between the vehicle-mounted antenna and the front end of the maintenance work vehicle, from the time information associated with the vehicle speed, the front end passing time, and the vehicle-mounted antenna passing time .
A maintenance work vehicle communication system comprising: The vehicle-mounted equipment includes :
an antenna position information calculation unit that calculates an antenna position, which is a current position of the vehicle-mounted antenna, based on the plurality of positioning radio wave signals;
a tip position calculation unit that calculates a tip position that is the position of the tip of the maintenance work vehicle from the antenna position and the forward length;
a tip position signal output unit that outputs a tip position signal indicating the tip position;
The maintenance vehicle communication system according to claim 1 , further comprising: The ground equipment includes:
a ground antenna for receiving a time information radio signal including current time information;
a terrestrial time information extraction unit that extracts a terrestrial current time, which is the current time, from the time information radio wave signal received by the terrestrial antenna,
The vehicle-mounted equipment includes:
an on-board antenna for receiving a time information radio signal including current time information;
an on-board time information extraction unit that extracts an on-board current time, which is the current time, from a time information radio signal including current time information received by the on-board antenna;
and
the ground pass time determination unit determines the front end pass time and the rear end pass time using the current ground time;
The maintenance work vehicle contact system according to claim 1 , wherein the vehicle speed storage processing unit executes a vehicle speed storage process for storing the vehicle speed corresponding to the vehicle speed signal over time in association with the on-board current time. A maintenance work vehicle communication method for communicating the arrangement of a maintenance work vehicle consisting of one or more vehicles traveling on a railway track, comprising:
Implemented by ground equipment,
periodically irradiating a reflector on the line with light and receiving reflected light of the light;
a step of outputting a leading end passing signal when the leading end of the maintenance work vehicle passes through the optical path of the light in response to a change in the reflected light, and outputting a trailing end passing signal when the trailing end of the maintenance work vehicle passes through the optical path of the light;
determining a leading end passing time and a trailing end passing time at which the leading end and the trailing end of the maintenance work vehicle pass through the optical path of light, respectively, in response to the leading end passing signal and the trailing end passing signal;
outputting a front end passing time signal indicating the front end passing time and a rear end passing time signal indicating the rear end passing time,
Executed by on-board equipment,
outputting a vehicle speed signal indicating a traveling speed of the maintenance work vehicle;
executing a vehicle speed storage process for storing the vehicle speed corresponding to the vehicle speed signal over time in association with an on-board time, which is a current time;
acquiring the leading edge passing time signal and the trailing edge passing time signal;
calculating a length of the maintenance work vehicle from the vehicle speed, the on-board time, the leading edge passing time, and the trailing edge passing time;
outputting a length signal indicating the length of the maintenance work vehicle;
receiving a plurality of positioning radio signals including current time information via an on-board antenna mounted on any one of the maintenance work vehicles;
a step of outputting an on-board antenna passing signal indicating that the vehicle has passed a reflector when an on-board sensor capable of periodically emitting light onto the track and receiving reflected light of the light from the reflector on the track detects the reflected light;
determining a vehicle-mounted antenna passing time when a vehicle carrying the vehicle-mounted antenna passes through the reflector in response to an input of the vehicle-mounted antenna passing signal;
calculating a forward length, which is a length between the vehicle-mounted antenna and the front end of the maintenance work vehicle, from time information associated with the vehicle speed, the front end passing time, and the vehicle-mounted antenna passing time;
having
A maintenance work vehicle communication method comprising:

Images