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AssigneeHitachi, Ltd.
InventorsSatoru Murata, Atsushi Kawabata, Shuuichi Miura, Korefumi Tashiro, Yasuo Morooka, Masakazu Yahiro, Masaki Katahira, Kazuo Kera
Estimating the term…
A train control system includes an equipment for issuing, to a train under control based on a predetermined train schedule, an operational target to be attained in terms of the aimed position, aimed time and aimed speed. Once a target is issued, a possible run region of the train is determined, and another target may be set within the possible run region such that the train is not subjected to the ATC-based speed limitation or the like, thereby minimizing the cause of delay of the train operation.
A train control system comprising:
A train control system comprising:
A train control system, comprising:
A method for controlling trains comprising:
A train control system, comprising:
A method for controlling trains comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
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Operations, e.g. scheduling or time tables: trackside optimisation of vehicle or train operation
Operations, e.g. scheduling or time tables: following schedules
Guiding railway traffic
Term ended 15 Mar 2014 (estimated)
USPTO file history isn’t available for this patent, so only indexed dates are shown.
This invention relates to a train control system for controlling the operation of trains that run based on a planned schedule.
Conventionally, trains have been run by being dependent on the experience of train drivers. At the departure of one station, the driver is given only information on the scheduled arrival time and departure time of the next station. The driver runs the train by experience in consideration of the load factor, the slope in each railroad section, the speed limit imposed by signals and curves of railroad, the energy conservation, the ride comfort, etc., and uses a marginal time arbitrarily during a run and a stop at the next station until the departure time. If the train operation schedule is disrupted by bad weather or accident, the operation control equipment in the central control office determines a modified schedule and issues an inter-station run time that is based on the modified schedule to the train driver, and the driver runs the train within the modified inter-station run time.
For the security of the train operation, there is used the automatic train control (ATC) system. The ATC system is designed to divide the railroad between stations into multiple sections and impose a speed limit on the rear-running (latter) train depending on the number of free sections left behind the front-running (former) train, i.e., the fewer the number of free sections ahead of a train, the more severe speed limitation is imposed on the train, as described in Japanese patent publication JP-A-48-64604.
FIGS. 1A, 1B and 1C are divided block diagrams of the train control system based on an embodiment of this invention.
FIG. 2 through FIG. 7 are graphs used to explain the principle of this invention.
FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 are graphs used to explain the calculation of the value used for the judgement of the attainment of target.
Initially, the reduction of the train operation interval by application of this invention will be explained with reference to FIG. 2 through FIG. 7.
FIG. 2 shows the determination of a train existence region on the distance-time plane depending on the operational target (position, time and speed) issued to a train. By setting a pair of targets (position, time, speed) to be (s1, t1, v1) and (s2, t2, v2) for a train as shown in the figure, with the maximum acceleration, maximum deceleration and maximum speed being specific to the train and the railroad conditions (slope, curve, etc.) being specific to the railroad, the train existence region is defined uniquely by the curves on the distance-time plane as shown.
On the upper bound of the region, the train running at the position s1 slows down from the speed v1 to 0 at the maximum deceleration along a curve segment 311, and it is stopping along a line segment 312. The train speeds up from stoppage to the maximum speed at the maximum acceleration along a curve segment 315, keeps the maximum speed along a line segment 314, and slows down to the speed v2 along a curve segment 313. On the lower bound of the region, the train speeds up from the speed v1 to the maximum speed at the maximum acceleration along a curve segment 316, keeps the maximum speed along a line segment 317, and slows down to a stop at the maximum deceleration along a curve segment 320. After the train has stayed stationary along a line segment 319, it speeds up from stoppage to the speed v2 at the maximum acceleration along a curve segment 318. The train existence region is confined in this region.