JP7832086B2 - Train monitoring system - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a train monitoring system that monitors trains using camera footage.

In railway operations, single-driver operation is employed on lines with low passenger numbers and short train formations. Amidst a declining workforce and a resulting demographic trend of decreasing railway workers, railway operators are adopting policies to increase the number of lines and train formations that utilize single-driver operation. However, increasing the number of train formations raises concerns that the burden of safety checks performed by a single driver will increase, potentially leading to accidents due to oversights.

Traditionally, to support one-man operation, systems have been used that utilize cameras and monitors, or mirrors, installed on the platforms of each station to monitor passenger boarding and alighting. Additionally, on-board camera systems, where cameras and monitors are installed on the train itself, have become increasingly popular in recent years due to the lack of maintenance required on infrastructure.

Prior art in the field of the present invention includes the following. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a train monitoring system that divides the screen area of a monitor into multiple areas and assigns and displays multiple camera images captured by cameras on each train car to each area.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2018-113602

Conventional train monitoring systems were configured to allow drivers to monitor passengers boarding and alighting in real time by displaying external video footage of the area around the doors, captured by cameras mounted on the outside of each car, on a monitor inside the driver's cab. Specifically, for example, multiple external video feeds capturing the area around the doors of each car were displayed by dividing the monitor screen into multiple areas, allowing the driver to check the situation at all doors on the platform side. Furthermore, in recent years, there has been consideration of installing cameras inside each car and displaying internal video footage on the monitor to allow monitoring of the situation inside the cars as well.

Train driver's cabs often lack sufficient space for large screens or multiple monitors. To minimize disruption to the driver's work and field of view, a single small monitor, typically 10-12 inches in size, is often used. Under these circumstances, simply adding interior footage to a monitor displaying multiple exterior views would complicate the display and make it difficult to read. This raises concerns about hindering the driver's ability to monitor the area around the doors (passenger boarding and alighting), which is the primary purpose of the monitor. Furthermore, exterior footage differs from interior footage in its purpose and use, requiring careful consideration of these differences when determining the display format.

This invention was made in view of the above-mentioned conventional circumstances, and aims to provide a train monitoring system that can appropriately check not only the situation near the doors but also the situation inside the train car.

To achieve the above objective, a train monitoring system according to one aspect of the present invention is configured as follows.
In other words, in a train monitoring system comprising an external camera mounted on the outside of each train car, an internal camera mounted on the inside of each train car, and a monitor that displays external images captured by the external cameras or internal images captured by the internal cameras, the monitor has two display modes: a first display mode that displays external images of each car according to first setting data that defines the display format of the external images, and a second display mode that displays internal images of each car according to second setting data that defines the display format of the internal images separately from the first setting data.

Here, it may be possible to enable switching between the first and second display modes in response to touch operations on the monitor.

Furthermore, the first configuration data may define multiple display formats for the external vehicle image, and the system may allow switching between the display formats used in the first display mode in response to touch operations on the monitor.

Furthermore, the second configuration data may define multiple display formats for the in-car video feed, allowing the system to switch between these formats in response to touch operations on the monitor.

Furthermore, the second configuration data may define multiple display formats for the in-car video feed, and the touch operation used to switch from the first display mode to the second display mode may include the selection of the display format to be used in the second display mode.

Furthermore, the first configuration data may define multiple display formats for the external video feed, and the touch operation used to switch from the second display mode to the first display mode may include the selection of the display format to be used in the first display mode.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a train monitoring system that can appropriately check not only the situation near the doors but also the situation inside the train car.

This figure shows an example configuration of a train monitoring system according to one embodiment of the present invention. This figure shows an example of camera placement in the train monitoring system shown in Figure 1. Figure 1 shows an example of the display format in the train monitoring system. Figure 1 shows an example of display setting data for external video in the train monitoring system. Figure 1 shows an example of display setting data for in-car video in the train monitoring system. This figure shows an example of the display on the monitor in the train monitoring system shown in Figure 1. Figure 1 shows an example of a flowchart for switching display formats in the train monitoring system. Figure 1 shows an example of a flowchart for switching display formats in the train monitoring system.

One embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 shows an example of the configuration of a train monitoring system according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 shows an example of the arrangement of cameras in each car of the train. The train in Figure 1 is a formation consisting of six cars, 10-1 to 10-6. Here, the explanation will be given using the case where car 10-1 is the leading car (i.e., when the train is moving to the left in the drawing) as an example.

Multiple external cameras 12 are mounted on the exterior of each train car 10 to capture images of passengers boarding and alighting from the train. In the example shown in Figure 2, external cameras 12A and 12B are mounted on one side of train car 10, and external cameras 12C and 12D are mounted on the other side. External cameras 12A and 12C are positioned to photograph the rear of the train from the front. On the other hand, external cameras 12B and 12D are positioned to photograph the front of the train from the rear. Thus, in this example, four external cameras 12 are provided per train car, but more or fewer external cameras 12 may be provided.

Furthermore, multiple in-car cameras 13 are installed inside each vehicle 10 to capture images of the interior. In the example shown in Figure 2, in-car camera 13A is installed above the second door from the front on one side of vehicle 10, and in-car camera 13B is installed above the third door from the front on the other side. In other words, in-car cameras 13A and 13B are arranged alternately so that the interior can be captured with fewer cameras. In addition, in-car camera 13C is installed above the vehicle coupling section on the front side of vehicle 10, and in-car camera 13D is installed above the vehicle coupling section on the rear side. Thus, in this example, four in-car cameras 13 are provided per vehicle, but more or fewer in-car cameras 13 may be provided.

For example, IP cameras with individual IP addresses are used as the external camera 12 and the internal camera 13. The external camera 12 and the internal camera 13 are managed using a table that associates each camera's IP address with its installation location information (vehicle number, mounting location inside and outside the vehicle, etc.). Using such a table, it is possible to identify the IP address corresponding to the external camera 12 or internal camera 13 to be displayed, depending on the external or internal video display mode described later, and to send control signals to the camera with that IP address.

The driver's cab in the leading car 10-1 is equipped with a monitoring monitor 14. Similarly, the driver's cab in the last car 10-6 is also equipped with a monitoring monitor 14. When the train is proceeding with car 10-1 at the front, the monitor 14 in car 10-1 is used; when the train is proceeding in the opposite direction, the monitor 14 in car 10-6 is used. The monitors 14 have a touch panel function, allowing various instructions to be received via touch operation. Therefore, there is no need to provide a dedicated control device for manually switching the display on the monitors 14.

Furthermore, each train car 10 is equipped with a switching hub 11, which acts as a network relay device. Each train car's switching hub 11 is connected to the train's internal equipment, namely, the external camera 12, the internal camera 13, the monitor 14, and the control device 15. Each train car's switching hub 11 is also connected to the switching hub 11 of an adjacent train car, thereby establishing a train network.

Monitor 14 is controlled by a control device 15 installed in vehicle 10-1 so that it automatically turns on when a train enters the station platform and automatically turns off when the train departs from the station platform. During normal train operation, multiple external images captured by the platform-side external camera 12 are displayed, each assigned to a separate area of the monitor 14's screen. The driver can also change the display format by operating the monitor 14, such as enlarging or displaying the external image of a specific vehicle across the entire monitor. Furthermore, the monitor 14 can be operated to switch from displaying external images to displaying internal images.

Next, the display of monitor 14 will be explained in more detail. Figure 3 shows examples of display formats that this system can use. This system has a first display mode, the external image display mode, which displays external images of each vehicle, and a second display mode, the internal image display mode, which displays internal images of each vehicle.

The external vehicle image display modes include, for example, display format A1, which displays one external vehicle image across the entire screen; display format A2, which displays two external vehicle images in a horizontally split screen; and display format A3, which displays three external vehicle images in a horizontally split screen. When displaying multiple external vehicle images simultaneously, as exemplified by display format A3, a vertically oriented image is used. This is because, to check passengers getting on and off the vehicle, a vertically oriented image of the area near the doors from the external vehicle image is sufficient.

The in-vehicle video display modes include, for example, display format B1, which displays one in-vehicle video across the entire screen, and display format B2, which displays four in-vehicle videos in a 2x2 vertical and 2x2 (total of 4 divisions) screen. As exemplified by display format B2, when displaying multiple in-vehicle videos simultaneously, a widescreen image is used. This is because wide-angle footage is necessary to allow for a broad view of the vehicle's interior.

As described above, since the purpose and use of external and internal vehicle video differ, they are configured to use different display formats (A1-A3 or B1-B2) respectively. In addition, separate display setting data is provided to control these displays. Figure 4 shows an example of display setting data for external vehicle video, defining multiple display formats. Figure 5 shows an example of display setting data for internal vehicle video, defining multiple display formats. This display setting data includes, for example, a "display format ID" that identifies each display format and a "screen division pattern" that indicates the division pattern of the monitor's screen area. This display setting data is pre-stored in the control device 15 (or a memory device connected thereto) and is used when the control device 15 controls the display of the monitor 14.

Figure 6 shows an example of the display on monitor 14. This figure shows an example of display format A3, an example of an external video display mode, displaying three external video feeds captured by three external cameras 12. During normal train operation, display format A3 is the default, allowing for simultaneous viewing of the area around the doors of each car. When the monitor 14 display is turned on, it is possible to intuitively switch between the external cameras 12 being displayed by operations such as horizontal sliding or flicking on the monitor 14. Furthermore, by performing predetermined operations such as long-pressing the monitor 14, the first operation unit 20 and the second operation unit 30 for switching display modes and display formats are overlaid.

The first operation unit 20, overlaid at the top of the screen, is the operation unit for the external vehicle video display mode. The first operation unit 20 includes three display switching buttons for selecting the display format for the external vehicle video: button 21 corresponding to display format A1, button 22 corresponding to display format A2, and button 23 corresponding to display format A3. The second operation unit 30, overlaid at the bottom of the screen, is the operation unit for the in-vehicle video display mode. The second operation unit 30 includes three display switching buttons for selecting the display format for the in-vehicle video: button 31 corresponding to display format B1, and button 32 corresponding to display format B2. By operating these display switching buttons 21-23 and 31-32, it is possible to switch between display modes and display formats. Details will be explained with reference to Figures 7 and 8.

First, the display control in the external video display mode will be explained with reference to Figure 7.
If a long press operation is detected on the monitor 14 screen while the external video display mode is active (step S11), the first operation unit 20, which includes the external video display switching buttons 21-23, and the second operation unit 30, which includes the in-car video display switching buttons 31-32, are overlaid on the display (step S12).

If a touch operation is detected selecting one of the display switching buttons 21 to 23 for the external video feed (step S13), the system switches to displaying the external video feed in the selected display format (one of A1 to A3) according to the external video feed display setting data (step S14). On the other hand, if a touch operation is detected selecting one of the display switching buttons 31 to 32 for the in-car video feed (step S15), the system switches to the in-car video display mode (step S16) and displays the in-car video feed using the selected display format (one of B1 to B2) according to the in-car video feed display setting data (step S17).

Next, the display control in the in-car video display mode will be explained with reference to Figure 8.
If a long press operation is detected on the monitor 14 screen while the in-car video display mode is active (step S21), the first operation unit 20, which includes the display switching buttons 21-23 for the external video, and the second operation unit 30, which includes the display switching buttons 31-32 for the in-car video, are overlaid on the display (step S22).

If a touch operation is detected to select one of the in-car video display switching buttons 31 to 32 (step S23), the system switches to displaying the in-car video in the selected display format (one of B1 to B2) according to the in-car video display setting data (step S24). On the other hand, if a touch operation is detected to select one of the external video display switching buttons 21 to 23 (step S25), the system switches to external video display mode (step S26) and displays the external video using the selected display format (one of A1 to A3) according to the external video display setting data (step S27).

As described above, the train monitoring system in this example comprises an external camera 12 mounted on the outside of each train car, an internal camera 13 mounted on the inside of each train car, and a monitor 14 that displays external images captured by the external cameras 12 or internal images captured by the internal cameras 13. The monitor 14 has two display modes: an external image display mode that displays external images of each car according to external image display setting data that defines the display format of the external images, and an internal image display mode that displays internal images of each car according to internal image display setting data that defines the display format of the internal images separately from the external image display setting data.

In this way, by considering the difference between the external video feed used to check the area around the doors and the internal video feed used to check the interior of the vehicle, and controlling the external video display mode or the internal video display mode according to separate display setting data, it becomes possible to appropriately check not only the area around the doors but also the interior of the vehicle. Furthermore, because separate display setting data is used for the external and internal video feeds, setting and managing the display format suitable for checking the area around the doors and the display format suitable for checking the interior of the vehicle becomes easier.

In this example, it is assumed that the control device 15 performs the display control of the monitor 14 as described above. However, the configuration is not limited to this, and other devices may perform this control. For example, the monitor 14 may perform its own display control according to the display setting data. Furthermore, the above display control may be performed at other times, such as during maintenance work, rather than only during train operation.

The embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but these embodiments are merely illustrative and do not limit the technical scope of the present invention. The present invention can take many other forms, and various modifications such as omissions and substitutions can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their variations are included in the scope and spirit of the invention described herein, as well as in the claims and their equivalents.

Furthermore, the present invention can be provided not only as the devices described above or as systems composed of such devices, but also as methods executed by these devices, programs for realizing the functions of these devices using a processor, and storage media for storing such programs in a computer-readable format.

This invention can be used in a train monitoring system that monitors trains using camera footage.

10: Vehicle, 11: Switching hub, 12: Exterior camera, 13: Interior camera, 14: Monitor, 15: Control unit

Claims (4)

A train monitoring system comprising an external camera mounted on the outside of each train car, an internal camera mounted on the inside of each train car, and a monitor that displays external images captured by the external cameras or internal images captured by the internal cameras,
The monitor has a display mode that includes a first display mode which displays the external video of each vehicle according to a first setting data which defines the display format of the external video, and a second display mode which displays the in-vehicle video of each vehicle according to a second setting data which defines the display format of the in-vehicle video separately from the first setting data .
The first display mode and the second display mode can be switched in response to a touch operation on the monitor.
The first setting data described above defines multiple display formats for the external video feed.
A train monitoring system characterized in that a touch operation that instructs switching from the second display mode to the first display mode includes the selection of a display format to be used in the first display mode . A train monitoring system comprising an external camera mounted on the outside of each train car, an internal camera mounted on the inside of each train car, and a monitor that displays external images captured by the external cameras or internal images captured by the internal cameras,
The monitor has a display mode that includes a first display mode which displays the external video of each vehicle according to a first setting data which defines the display format of the external video, and a second display mode which displays the in-vehicle video of each vehicle according to a second setting data which defines the display format of the in-vehicle video separately from the first setting data.
The first display mode and the second display mode can be switched in response to a touch operation on the monitor.
The second set of settings data defines multiple display formats for in-car video,
A train monitoring system characterized in that a touch operation that instructs switching from the first display mode to the second display mode includes the selection of a display format to be used in the second display mode. In the train monitoring system described in claim 1,
A train monitoring system characterized in that , while displaying in the first display mode, the display format used in the first display mode can be switched in response to a touch operation on the monitor. In the train monitoring system described in claim 2 ,
A train monitoring system characterized in that , while displaying in the second display mode, the display format used in the second display mode can be switched in response to a touch operation on the monitor.