Japanese Railway Engineering No. 173, 2011

─　6　─

1. IntroductionWhen a train schedule is disrupted caused by various factors

such as accidents and disasters, a traffic controller undertakes a train rescheduling including a change of train departure and arrival tracks to restore the train schedule to the normal state, and an arrangement of temporary slowing-down for the purpose of ensuring a safe train running. These arrangements are called “Operation Notification”. In each arrangement, it is essential to transmit the above changed points to the crew on-board with the accuracy and good timing.

The operation notification has been done by the following method at present; ① A traffic controller informs a change point on the train

operation to a station master. The station master draws up a document called an “Operation notification card”. The station master stops a target train at the station, and passes it to the train driver,

② The traffic controller informs orally the change point on the train operation to the driver with a train radio.

However, it spends a lot of time to transmit the train operation notice from the traffic controller to the train driver, because each method depends on the manual procedures. There is a problem being rare occurrence of the failure such as a writing mistake of the operation notification card and a transmission omission.

Therefore, our company has launched the development of “Operation Notification transmission system” for realizing the safety improvement and work reduction on the operation notification through conducting the direct data transmission from the traffic controller to the train driver.

2. Transmission procedure of the systemWhen the operation notification is transmitted in the form of

data, it is necessary to do it only to the target train with good

timing. Taking a case, as an example, that an event that the train cannot help running slowly at some place occurred, it needs to transmit the operation notification with not too early/late timing to the train approaching the place concerned without transmitting it to the train already passed the place. And it is necessary that the sender stays in control of the identification data (ID) such as telephone number or Internet Protocol address of the target train which becomes a receiver of the operation notification, so as to perform the data transmission.

In the case developed so far, these functions have been achieved by acquiring the information such as train diagram data and train running position from Programmed Route Control System (PRC).

However, PRC has not been used within all the area of our company. And in the sections where PRC has already been used, there are some sections with the system specification which needs a large amount of expense and a long term for a system modification in order to transmit the train diagram data and the train running position data to other system. In addition, the traffic controller cannot acquire the detailed train position information concerning the section conducting the route control by each station master. In the case like this, it is difficult to transmit the data concerned to a particular train.

Therefore, it was decided to develop a system having a function that the device on-board acquires its own running position, and whenever the train gets to each station, inquires to the traffic controller the presence or absence of the operation notification concerning the following section of the station concerned, with its own address, and receives it if being any notifications (Fig. 1). As a method which the device on-board acquires its own running position, it is considered to utilize methods; calculating from the number of rotations of wheel and Global Positioning System (GPS). In this development, the method utilizing GPS has been adopted for a reason of being possible to remodel a device on-board with a small cost.

Development of Operation Notification Transmission System

Hisashi OZAKISenior staffPlanning & Development DivisionKintetsu Railcar Engineering Co., Ltd.

Hiroya UEDAAssistant ManagerThe second development group, Vehicle divisionWest Japan Railway Technos Co., Ltd.

Seigo TAJIMAAssistant ManagerElectrical Engineering Development DepartmentRailway Operation HeadquartersWest Japan Railway Company

Satoshi KOBAYASHISenior EngineerTechnical Research & Development DepartmentRailway Operation Headquarters West Japan Railway Company

Fig. 1 Transmission procedure of the system

ＪＲ ＪＲ ＪＲ ＪＲ ＪＲ ＪＲ ＪＲ ＪＲ

ＧＰＳ

ApproachingA station

Stop at A station

Ａ Ｂ

Approaching B station

Stop at B station

① Inquiring the presence of train operation notice

②Download, if any Device on-board

③Roger ①

Inquiring

② Download ③ Roger

Control Center system

Japanese Railway Engineering No. 173, 2011

─　7　─

3. Configuration of the systemThis system is composed of three components (Fig. 2).

(1) Control Center systemThe traffic control center system is composed of the “Operation

Notification server”, which manages the registration and transmission of the operation notification and a “Control terminal”, which is fed the notification data by the traffic controller.

The operation notification server, which is connected with the control terminal and the device on-board, conducts the receipt and reaction of demand, the management of transmission status of the operation notification, and the management of communication record.

The control terminal, which is connected with the operation notification server, creates the operation notification through accessing from the traffic controller, indicates the train running position and the transmission status on its display, and shows the issue record of the operation notification and the communication record.

(2) Device on-boardThe device on-board is composed of a main body of the device

and a mobile printer. The main body of the device connected with the operation notification server through the cellular phone network conducts the inquiry about the presence of the operation notification, receives the response, indicates the contents of the notification on its display by the handling of the train driver, and gives a notice of acknowledgement (Photo 1, Table 1).

The main body was improved on the basis of a “Train driver navigation system (we call it GPS Train Navi)” having now been advanced to introduce into our company. The GPS Train Navi has a function that informs the next stop station to the train driver through detecting the position and speed of a train by using the

GPS technology, and alerts to the train driver by sound, screen display and luminescence, comparing with the speed limit concerned when stopping at a stop station, and running a curve section and a gradient section.

The GPS Train Navi embedded the packet communication module of a cellular phone, and made it possible to do the data transmission with the operation notification server.

It was enabled to put in print the train operation notice ticket through connecting with the mobile printer by using the infrared data communication (IrDA).

The GPS Train Navi was standardized to accept the power supply from the car because it uses a lot of electricity on account of doing a certain frequency of packet communication, though it is driven only with the battery without using an external power supply. And it was standardized being driven with the battery only when the power supply was cut off.

(3) Device in the driver office The device in the driver office has the function that manages

the information on track facilities (railway track data), makes the point information (basic information on-board) for the notifying (inquiring) of the train position from the device on-board to the operation notification server, and writes the above information together with the train driver schedule for rolling stock usage on the recording part of the device on-board (flash memory).

Geographic Information System (GIS) was utilized for supporting the preparation of the basic information on-board.

4. Function of the system(1) Reception procedure of the operation notification

The device on-board transmits the information such as the train number and the station targeted for issuing the operation notification (the next station) to the server, when corresponding to the inquiry condition given beforehand (running point or time interval) through checking the basic information on-board with the position of its own train. In the case of the presence of the

Fig. 2 Operation notification transmission system

Photo 1 Device on-board

Table 1 Main parameter of hardware

External dimension (width × height × thickness) 160mm × 93mm × 39mm

Display TFT 4.3inch touch panel liquid crystal

OS Windows embedded CE 6.0 R3

Weight about 550g (include battery)

Main interfaces USB port, SD card slot, IrDA

Built-in battery 7.4V 2,300mAh

External power supply DC-12V 2A

ＪＲ

ＧＰＳ Control center system

Controlterminal

Operation notification server

SD card

Cellular phone network

Device in drivers office Device on-board

Japanese Railway Engineering No. 173, 2011

─　8　─

operation notification addressed its own train the device on-board downloads it and displays its content.

In this case, the inquiry point is set short of the station. When it was unable to perform the data transmission of the operation notification owing to an abnormality of communication, the traffic controller can stop the train departure through setting the signal aspect at the station in stop. By the above-mentioned procedure, it is possible to prevent the train targeted for receiving the operation notification from going into a slowing-down section without the notification.

(2) Communication controlIt is possible to set the inquiry condition according to an

arbitrary point and opportunity. The inquiry condition has only to be specified fitting a real business situation in the line section scheduled for introduction. This time, the following multiple conditions were set in response to the needs expressed by the traffic controller, who wants to finish the transmission procedure at a time point of shorter of the station, and set for the purpose of utilizing the train running position data for the display function of train running position (Fig. 3).

When inquiring the presence of the operation notification between C and D station; ① Once, by the point of 500m ahead from the platform end

after leaving A and B station, respectively ② Each cycle of 15-second, from the 500m short B and C

station to the departure at B and C station, respectively ③ Each cycle of 15-second, when lasting more than one minute

in running speed of no more than 5km/h between stations ④ When one minute passes from the last inquiry regardless of

the condition of ①, ② and ③

(3) Navigation according to the notification contentThough the GPS Train Navi being the base of the device on-

board has the speed watching function for the speed restriction in the curve section and the gradient section, in addition to this

function it was made possible to cope with the temporary speed restriction in case of the occurrence of disaster.

The device on-board registers the information on the notice content and the target point into the line data when the train driver does the consent operation after confirming the received notice content such as the operation at slowing-down, and the failure of level crossing devices or signals. The device on-board conducts the reminder for attention by sound and screen display to the driver when detecting the access to the target point for notification based on the above-cited registered information. Moreover, while the train is running within the notification target section, the device on-board warns the driver against the over-speed making a cross check of the speed information by GPS and the speed indicated by notification if necessary (Fig. 4).

However, the reminder is not done in the outside section of the GPS positioning (in the tunnel, for example), because the device on-board cannot detect the exact location and speed of its own train.

(4) Display function of the running position information at traffic control center

The device on-board of each train transmits the information of running position and speed obtained from GPS when inquiring the operation notification. In case the interval of inquiry point is long, the device on-board transmits the information of running position and speed to the train control system in a minute after finishing the last inquiring. It displays the train status on the line sketch map in the screen of the control terminal using the above information. And, the situation of the transmission (completed, waiting for “roger”, and transmission failure) is displayed in addition to the running position and speed (Fig. 5). This will make it possible to do a health diagnostics of each terminal seeking from the traffic controller, because a maximum access interval from each terminal is of one minute excluding outside of the cellular phone service areas.

Fig. 4 Reminder for attention of temporary slowing-down

Fig. 3 Inquiry condition of the operation notification

OK

BATTERYCHARGE

MODE

GPSK1

POWER

Slow downsection

1,000m Confirm slowing-down

Attention! (if necessary)

Slowdown Slowdown soon Confirm slow Slow approach

200m500m

1000m

① ②

D station

Target section for notification

A station B station

②①

C station

500m every 15sec 500m

every 15sec

Japanese Railway Engineering No. 173, 2011

─　9　─

5. Test result and its evaluationThe test of the operation notification transmission system was

run in the Hanwa line between Tennoji and Wakayama using the prototype model (Photo 2).

The transmission testing of the operation notification was carried out between the operation notification server and the temporary device on-board installed on the assistant driver seat side of super express, rapid and local trains. Besides, as to the device on-board, the confirmation of the navigation was performed according to the notice content, and as to the control terminal, the confirmation of the supervising function on the notification transmission status and the display function of train running position was done.

As a result of the examination, the completing rate of the transmission was 100%. It is considered to produce an excellent result that the communication line almost remained in connected state from the beginning of the test, under the selected testing line section and the set-up inquiry condition in the test of this time. The time required from the inquiry of presence or absence of the notice ticket to the receipt of its response was 2 to 3 seconds.

As to the device on-board, it was able to confirm that the navigation according to the notice content operated normally inside the good section of GPS positioning.

And as to the control terminal, it was able to ascertain that the supervising function of notification transmission operated normally. Furthermore, it is enough to accomplish the intention

that the traffic controller surely understands the train position through the train running position display function.

As mentioned above, we verified roughly the basic function as to the operation notification transmission system. We consider that it was able to build up the operation notification transmission system applicable for either line section regardless of the existing traffic control method and the adoption status of system such as PRC.

6. ConclusionThe operation notification transmission system is under

examination in the Nara line of JR West now. We plan to reflect the opinions expressed by users in this examination in the specification of practical equipment, with particular consideration on the evaluation and improvement of man-machine interface such as screen structure and input items.

In addition, we consider that it will be necessary to do a partial modification of specification for the purpose of corresponding to the parameter of each line section (single track, double tracks, quadruple lines, location of stations, level crossing facilities, and others) and the individual issues such as train driver schedule for rolling stock usage, with consideration for the expansion of this system to other line section in our company.

We are currently looking for expanding the application of this system over the area of our company through the accumulation of these examination and improvement.

◯ Inauguration of ATACS from September 30JR East announced on June 30, 2011 that the operations of ATACS (Advanced Train Administration and Communication System) with

wireless-based train control would be inaugurated on the Senseki line between Aobadori and Higashi-shiogama on September 25, which start has been postponed due to the Great East Japan Earthquake happened on March 11.

The company had carried out various tests on ATACS due to introduce to the section mentioned above initially on March 27, but the time schedule has been delayed because of the damages to the system and track facilities caused by the great earthquake and the following tsunami.

The company had worked hard on the repair work of ATACS and others to reach the inauguration of the operations. The system is planned to function on the basic scale for train operation in the initiation step, and its further functions on the operation such as the control of railway crossings will be enhanced in the next step after 2012.

Selected from Kotsu Shimbun Newspaper

Photo 2 Appearance of the function testFig. 5 Display of the train running position on the screen terminal