Server, system, and method for automatically calculating platform dwell time of train

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018354535-A1
Application number	US-201515527709-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 22, 2015
Priority date	Apr 22, 2015
Publication date	Dec 13, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system, server, and method for automatically calculating a platform dwell time of a train. The system includes a passenger detection device configured to determine the number of passengers who board or deboard a train entering a station; an operation control server configured to calculate an appropriate dwell time of the train by using the number of passengers, which is received from the passenger detection device; and an ATO device configured to control a dwell time of the train by using the appropriate dwell time, which is received from the operation control server.

First claim

What is claim is:

1 . A system for automatically calculating a dwell time of a train, the system comprising:
a passenger detection device configured to determine the number of passengers who board or deboard a train entering a station; an operation control server configured to calculate an appropriate dwell time of the train by using the number of passengers received from the passenger detection device; and an automatic train operating (ATO) device configured to control a dwell time of the train by using the appropriate dwell time received from the operation control server.

2 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising a camera configured to capture the station or at least a portion of the station in a predetermined direction to generate an image thereof, wherein
the passenger detection device analyzes the image generated by the camera to calculate the number of passengers.

3 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the camera captures an area including at least one of a ticket gate, platform stairs, a platform passage, and a train door.

4 . The system of claim 2 , wherein:
the camera includes a plurality of cameras installed a predetermined distance apart from each other and configured to capture at least some portions of the station or the train in predetermined directions to generate images thereof; and the passenger detection device merges the generated images and analyzes the merged images to calculate the number of passengers.

5 . The system of claim 2 , wherein:
the camera includes a first camera configured to capture at least a portion of the station to generate a first image and a second camera configured to capture at least a portion of the train to generate a second image; the passenger detection device analyzes the first image and the second image to calculate the number of passengers who board the train and the number of passengers who deboard the train; and the operation control server uses the number of passengers who board the train and the number of passengers who deboard the train to calculate the appropriate dwell time of the train.

6 . The system of claim 5 , wherein:
the second camera includes a plurality of second cameras installed above doors of the train and configured to capture an interior of the train in predetermined directions to generate second images; and the passenger detection device extracts passengers from the generated second images and calculates the number of passengers who deboard the train at the station by using face directions of the extracted passengers.

7 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the passenger detection device measures the number of heads of passengers in the image to calculate the number of passengers.

8 . The system of claim 2 , wherein:
the camera captures at least a portion of the platform to generate an image thereof; the passenger detection device measures an area of the platform in the image and calculates a passenger density of the platform by using the area of the platform and the number of passengers; and the operation control server calculates the appropriate dwell time by using the calculated passenger density.

9 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the passenger detection device determines the number of passengers who are present the station when the train enters the station.

10 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the passenger detection device receives information on a time at which the train enters the station from the operation control server.

11 . The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the ATO device compares the appropriate dwell time received from the operation control server with a boarding and deboarding time of the passengers and transmits the boarding and deboarding time of the passengers to the operation control server when the appropriate dwell time is not equal to the boarding and deboarding time of the passengers; and the operation control server compiles statistics of the transmitted boarding and deboarding time of the passengers and the determined number of passengers, stores the statistics in a database, generates a formula for a correlation therebetween, and calculates the appropriate dwell time of the train by using the formula for the correlation.

12 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the passenger detection device uses at least one of a capturing device, a proximity detection sensor, a displacement detection sensor, a rotation detection sensor, a speed detection sensor, a vibration detection sensor, a weight detection sensor, a visible light sensor, an infrared sensor, an ultraviolet ray sensor, an image sensor, an electromagnetic wave sensor, a thermal sensor, and an ultrasonic sensor to determine the number of passengers.

13 . A method of automatically calculating a dwell time of a train, the method comprising:
entering, by a train, a station; transmitting, by an operation control server, information on a time at which the train enters the station to a passenger detection device; capturing, by a first camera, at least a portion of the station in a predetermined direction to acquire a first image; capturing, by a second camera, an interior of the train in a predetermined direction to acquire a second image; determining, by the passenger detection device, passengers from the first image and the second image; calculating, by the passenger detection device, the number of passengers; transmitting, by the passenger detection device, the calculated number of passengers to the operation control server; calculating, by the operation control server, an appropriate dwell time of the train by using the calculated number of passengers; transmitting, by the operation control server, the appropriate dwell time to an ATO device; and controlling, by the ATO device, a dwell time of the train by using a ground device.

14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the at least a portion of the station includes a ticket gate, platform stairs, a platform, and a platform passage.

15 . The method of claim 13 , wherein:
the first camera includes a plurality of first cameras installed a predetermined distance apart from each other and configured to capture at least some portions of the station in predetermined directions to acquire first images; and the determining, by the passenger detection device, of passengers from the first image and the second image comprises merging the acquired first images.

16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein:
the plurality of first cameras capture the at least some portions of the station such that the acquired first images partially overlap each other; and the merging of the acquired first images comprises merging the first images so that the overlapping portions of the acquired first images match each other.

17 . The method of claim 13 , wherein:
the second camera includes a plurality of second cameras installed above doors of the train and configured to capture the interior of the train in predetermined directions to generate second images; and the determining, by the passenger detection device, of passengers from the first image and the second image comprises extracting passengers from the generated second images and calculating the number of passengers who deboard the train at the station by using face directions of the extracted passengers.

18 . A recording medium readable by a digital processing device in which a program of instructions executable by the digital processing device is implemented to perform a method of automatically calculating a dwell time of a train, the instructions comprising functions o

Assignees

• Korea Railroad Res Institute

Inventors

• Cho Bong Kwan
• Park Kee Jun

Classifications

• H04N23/90

  Arrangement of cameras or camera modules, e.g. multiple cameras in TV studios or sports stadiums · CPC title

• B61L25/02

  Indicating or recording positions or identities of vehicles or trains · CPC title

• B61L23/041

  Obstacle detection · CPC title

• B61B1/00

  General arrangement of stations, platforms, or sidings; Railway networks; Rail vehicle marshalling systems (shunting humps and shunting devices B61J; construction of platforms E01F1/00; time-tables G09D) · CPC title

• G06K9/00778

  Physics · mapped topic