Railroad management system, track sensing device, track sensing method, control circuit, and storage medium

Abstract

A railroad management system includes: a plurality of first wireless terminals provided corresponding to a plurality of tracks, and each installed at an end of a platform of a corresponding track; a second wireless terminal installed at an end of a train, and configured to perform communication with the first wireless terminals using an ultra-wide band wireless signal; a distance estimation unit that estimates a distance between each of the plurality of first wireless terminals and the second wireless terminal using the ultra-wide band wireless signal; and a track sensing unit that senses a track that the train is entering based on an estimation result from the distance estimation unit.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A railroad management system comprising:
 a plurality of first wireless terminals provided corresponding to a plurality of tracks, and each installed at an end of a platform of a corresponding track;   a second wireless terminal installed at an end of a train, and configured to perform communication with the first wireless terminals using an ultra-wide band wireless signal;   distance estimation circuitry to estimate a distance between each of the plurality of first wireless terminals and the second wireless terminal using the ultra-wide band wireless signal; and   track sensing circuitry to sense a track that the train is entering based on an estimation result from the distance estimation circuitry, wherein   each of the first wireless terminals transmits the ultra-wide band wireless signal including a signal detection signal different for each route of the corresponding track, and detects the ultra-wide band wireless signal received using the signal detection signal different for each route of the corresponding track,   each of a plurality of the second wireless terminals transmits the ultra-wide band wireless signal including the signal detection signal different for each route of the train equipped with the second wireless terminal, and detects the ultra-wide band wireless signal received using the signal detection signal different for each route of the train equipped with the second wireless terminal, and   the first wireless terminal and the second wireless terminal use the signal detection signal in common when the route of the track corresponding to the first wireless terminal and the route of the train equipped with the second wireless terminal are identical.   
     
     
         2 . The railroad management system according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the first wireless terminal is installed at each of both ends of the platform,   the second wireless terminal is installed at each of both ends of the train,   the train is capable of traveling in a first direction or a second direction opposite to the first direction, and   among the plurality of first wireless terminals, the first wireless terminal installed at an end on a front side with respect to the train traveling in the first direction uses a signal detection signal that is different from a signal detection signal of the first wireless terminal installed at an end on a rear side with respect to the train traveling in the first direction, and is identical to a signal detection signal of the second wireless terminal installed at an end on the front side among a plurality of the second wireless terminals, and the first wireless terminal installed at an end on the rear side among the plurality of first wireless terminals uses a signal detection signal that is identical to a signal detection signal of the second wireless terminal installed at an end on the rear side.   
     
     
         3 . The railroad management system according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the second wireless terminal selects the first wireless terminal to be subjected to ranging from among the plurality of first wireless terminals based on an annunciation signal received from each of the plurality of first wireless terminals, and   the distance estimation circuitry estimates a distance between the first wireless terminal selected and the second wireless terminal, and does not estimate a distance between the first wireless terminal unselected and the second wireless terminal.   
     
     
         4 . The railroad management system according to  claim 1 , wherein the second wireless terminal includes the distance estimation circuitry and the track sensing circuitry. 
     
     
         5 . The railroad management system according to  claim 1 , wherein the first wireless terminal includes the distance estimation circuitry and the track sensing circuitry. 
     
     
         6 . The railroad management system according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the first wireless terminal includes the distance estimation circuitry,   the railroad management system further includes a communication terminal including the track sensing circuitry, and   the communication terminal collects the estimation result from the first wireless terminal, and senses a track that the train is entering based on the estimation result collected.   
     
     
         7 . The railroad management system according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 stop instruction circuitry to output a stop instruction for the train when a track that the train is scheduled to enter is different from a track sensed by the track sensing circuitry.   
     
     
         8 . The railroad management system according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a platform gate including a plurality of platform doors;   stop determination circuitry to determine whether the train has stopped based on the estimation result; and   door opening/closing control circuitry to control opening and closing of the platform doors based on a determination result from the stop determination circuitry.   
     
     
         9 . The railroad management system according to  claim 8 , further comprising:
 train length estimation circuitry to estimate a length of the train based on the estimation result, wherein   the door opening/closing control circuitry selects the platform doors to be opened and closed among the plurality of platform doors based on the length of the train estimated.   
     
     
         10 . The railroad management system according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a platform gate including a plurality of platform doors;   a third wireless terminal provided on the platform gate corresponding to each of the platform doors; and   a fourth wireless terminal provided on the train corresponding to a door of the train, and configured to estimate a distance to the third wireless terminal using ultra-wide band wireless communication and give an opening/closing instruction to the platform doors based on an estimation result.   
     
     
         11 . The railroad management system according to  claim 10 , wherein
 a plurality of the third wireless terminals are provided corresponding to each of the plurality of platform doors,   a plurality of the fourth wireless terminals are provided corresponding to each of a plurality of the doors of the train, and   the fourth wireless terminals give an opening/closing instruction for each platform door when the estimation result is equal to or less than a threshold predetermined, and do not give an opening/closing instruction to the platform doors when the estimation result is larger than the threshold.   
     
     
         12 . The railroad management system according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a platform gate including a plurality of platform doors; and   a communication terminal to collect the estimation result, wherein   the first wireless terminal includes the distance estimation circuitry, and   the communication terminal includes:   stop determination circuitry to determine whether the train has stopped based on the estimation result collected from the first wireless terminal; and   door opening/closing control circuitry to control opening and closing of the platform doors and doors of the train based on the estimation result.   
     
     
         13 . The railroad management system according to  claim 12 , further comprising:
 a ground wireless device provided on the platform gate; and   an on-board wireless device provided on the train, wherein   the communication terminal collects the estimation result from the first wireless terminal using wireless communication, and transmits an opening/closing instruction for the platform doors and doors of the train to both the ground wireless device and the on-board wireless device using wireless communication.   
     
     
         14 . The railroad management system according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a platform gate including a plurality of platform doors;   a ground wireless device provided on the platform gate; and   an on-board wireless device provided on the train and connectable to the second wireless terminal, wherein   the on-board wireless device gives an instruction to open doors of the train in accordance with a stop timing of the train provided from the second wireless terminal, and transmits a door opening instruction to open the platform doors to the ground wireless device, and   the ground wireless device opens the platform doors in response to the door opening instruction, gives an instruction to close the platform doors, and transmits a door closing instruction to close the doors of the train to the on-board wireless device.   
     
     
         15 . The railroad management system according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a plurality of monitoring cameras to capture the platform;   an on-board wireless device provided on the train; and   a camera wireless device to receive a monitoring video captured by each of the plurality of monitoring cameras, wherein   the camera wireless device selects a monitoring video to be transmitted to the on-board wireless device based on the track sensed by the track sensing circuitry, and transmits the monitoring video selected to the on-board wireless device.   
     
     
         16 . The railroad management system according to  claim 15 , wherein
 the second wireless terminal includes the track sensing circuitry,   the on-board wireless device is connectable to the second wireless terminal, and transmits a track sensing signal received from the second wireless terminal to the camera wireless device, and   the camera wireless device selects the monitoring video based on the track sensing signal received.   
     
     
         17 . The railroad management system according to  claim 15 , wherein
 the second wireless terminal includes the track sensing circuitry, generates a track sensing signal indicating the track sensed, and transmits the track sensing signal to the first wireless terminal,   the first wireless terminal receives the track sensing signal from the second wireless terminal, and transmits the track sensing signal received to the camera wireless device, and   the camera wireless device selects the monitoring video based on the track sensing signal received.   
     
     
         18 . The railroad management system according to  claim 15 , wherein when a communication link with the on-board wireless device is disconnected, the camera wireless device stops transmitting the monitoring video. 
     
     
         19 . The railroad management system according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a plurality of monitoring cameras to capture the platform;   an on-board wireless device connectable to the second wireless terminal and provided on the train;   a camera wireless device to receive a monitoring video captured by the monitoring camera; and   a core server to receive the monitoring video from the camera wireless device, wherein   the second wireless terminal includes the track sensing circuitry, generates a track sensing signal indicating a track sensed, and transmits the track sensing signal to the on-board wireless device,   the on-board wireless device transmits the track sensing signal received from the second wireless terminal to the camera wireless device,   the camera wireless device transmits the track sensing signal received to the core server, and   the core server selects a monitoring video to be transmitted to the on-board wireless device based on the track sensing signal, and transmits the monitoring video selected to the on-board wireless device.   
     
     
         20 . The railroad management system according to  claim 19 , wherein the second wireless terminal further includes the distance estimation circuitry, and instructs the core server to stop transmitting the monitoring video when an estimation result satisfies a predetermined condition. 
     
     
         21 . A track sensing device comprising:
 track sensing circuitry to sense a track that a train is entering based on an estimation result obtained by estimating a distance between a first wireless terminal and a second wireless terminal using an ultra-wide band wireless signal transmitted and received by: between the first wireless terminal provided corresponding to each of a plurality of tracks and installed at an end of a platform of a corresponding track and the second wireless terminal installed at an end of the train and configured to perform ultra-wide band wireless communication with the first wireless terminal, transmitting, by the first wireless terminal to the second wireless terminal, an ultra-wide band wireless signal including a signal detection signal different for each track corresponding to the first wireless terminal; detecting, by the second wireless terminal, the ultra-wide band wireless signal received using the signal detection signal different for each route of the train corresponding to the second wireless terminal; transmitting, by the second wireless terminal to the first wireless terminal, the ultra-wide band wireless signal including the signal detection signal different for each route of the train corresponding to the second wireless terminal; and detecting, by the first wireless terminal, the ultra-wide band wireless signal received using the signal detection signal different for each track corresponding to the first wireless terminal, wherein   the first wireless terminal and the second wireless terminal use the signal detection signal in common when the route of the track corresponding to the first wireless terminal and the route of the train equipped with the second wireless terminal are identical.   
     
     
         22 . A track sensing method comprising:
 estimating a distance between each of a plurality of first wireless terminals and a second wireless terminal using an ultra-wide band wireless signal transmitted and received, the first wireless terminals being provided corresponding to a plurality of tracks, and each installed at an end of a platform of a corresponding track, the second wireless terminal being installed at an end of a train, and configured to perform communication with the first wireless terminals using an ultra-wide band wireless signal, by: transmitting, by the first wireless terminal to the second wireless terminal, an ultra-wide band wireless signal including a signal detection signal different for each track corresponding to the first wireless terminal; detecting, by the second wireless terminal, the ultra-wide band wireless signal received using the signal detection signal different for each route of the train corresponding to the second wireless terminal; transmitting, by the second wireless terminal to the first wireless terminal, the ultra-wide band wireless signal including the signal detection signal different for each route of the train corresponding to the second wireless terminal; and detecting, by the first wireless terminal, the ultra-wide band wireless signal received using the signal detection signal different for each track corresponding to the first wireless terminal; and   sensing a track that the train is entering based on an estimation result of the distance between each of the plurality of first wireless terminals and the second wireless terminal, wherein   the first wireless terminal and the second wireless terminal use the signal detection signal in common when the route of the track corresponding to the first wireless terminal and the route of the train equipped with the second wireless terminal are identical.   
     
     
         23 . A control circuit that controls a track sensing device that senses a track that a train is entering, the control circuit causing the track sensing device to execute:
 sensing a track that a train is entering based on an estimation result of a distance between each of a plurality of first wireless terminals and a second wireless terminal, the first wireless terminals being provided corresponding to a plurality of tracks, and each installed at an end of a platform of a corresponding track, the second wireless terminal being installed at an end of the train, and configured to perform communication with the first wireless terminals using an ultra-wide band wireless signal, the estimation result being estimated using the ultra-wide band wireless signal transmitted and received by: transmitting, by the first wireless terminal to the second wireless terminal, an ultra-wide band wireless signal including a signal detection signal different for each track corresponding to the first wireless terminal; detecting, by the second wireless terminal, the ultra-wide band wireless signal received using the signal detection signal different for each route of the train corresponding to the second wireless terminal; transmitting, by the second wireless terminal to the first wireless terminal, the ultra-wide band wireless signal including the signal detection signal different for each route of the train corresponding to the second wireless terminal; and detecting, by the first wireless terminal, the ultra-wide band wireless signal received using the signal detection signal different for each track corresponding to the first wireless terminal, wherein   the first wireless terminal and the second wireless terminal use the signal detection signal in common when the route of the track corresponding to the first wireless terminal and the route of the train equipped with the second wireless terminal are identical.   
     
     
         24 . A storage medium storing a program for controlling a track sensing device that senses a track that a train is entering, the program causing the track sensing device to execute:
 sensing a track that a train is entering based on an estimation result of a distance between each of a plurality of first wireless terminals and a second wireless terminal, the first wireless terminals being provided corresponding to a plurality of tracks, and each installed at an end of a platform of a corresponding track, the second wireless terminal being installed at an end of the train, and configured to perform communication with the first wireless terminals using the ultra-wide band wireless signal, the estimation result being estimated using the ultra-wide band wireless signal transmitted and received by: transmitting, by the first wireless terminal to the second wireless terminal, an ultra-wide band wireless signal including a signal detection signal different for each track corresponding to the first wireless terminal; detecting, by the second wireless terminal, the ultra-wide band wireless signal received using the signal detection signal different for each route of the train corresponding to the second wireless terminal; transmitting, by the second wireless terminal to the first wireless terminal, the ultra-wide band wireless signal including the signal detection signal different for each route of the train corresponding to the second wireless terminal; and detecting, by the first wireless terminal, the ultra-wide band wireless signal received using the signal detection signal different for each track corresponding to the first wireless terminal, wherein   the first wireless terminal and the second wireless terminal use the signal detection signal in common when the route of the track corresponding to the first wireless terminal and the route of the train equipped with the second wireless terminal are identical.