Patent Publication Number: US-2011058041-A1

Title: Route monitoring system for a vehicle and method for operating the same

Description:
The invention relates to a route monitoring system for a vehicle having at least one camera arranged on the route for recording video data which relate indirectly or directly to a route section on which the vehicle can travel, having at least one display device for displaying the recorded video data and having a control device which is connected indirectly or directly to the at least one camera and to the at least one display device and which is designed such that it displays video data recorded by the camera on the display device. 
     Such monitoring systems are known to be used in street cars or subways, for example. 
     The invention is based on the object of specifying a route monitoring system which ensures an even greater degree of security during the operation of the vehicle than the previous route monitoring systems. 
     The invention achieves this object by means of a route monitoring system having the features according to patent claim  1 . Advantageous refinements of the route monitoring system according to the invention are specified in sub claims. 
     Accordingly, the invention provides for the control device to be connected to a vehicle control system and/or operations management system for operating the vehicle and to receive from the vehicle control system and/or operations management system operational data from which it is possible to ascertain the respective vehicle location of the vehicle, and for the control device to be designed such that it displays the video data from the at least one camera on the display device on the basis of the respective vehicle location. 
     A fundamental advantage of the route monitoring system according to the invention can be seen in that it uses operational data which are supplied via vehicle control and/or operations management systems for operating the vehicle. The core of the invention thus involves coupling route monitoring systems to vehicle control and/or operations management systems, which are present for vehicle operation anyway, in order to be able to optimize the route monitoring on the basis of the operational data. This coupling of the two systems, that is to say of the route monitoring system on the one hand and of the vehicle control and/or operations management system on the other hand, achieves a synergistic effect, which means the costs can be saved for setting up and maintaining the route monitoring system. 
     In line with one preferred refinement of the route monitoring system, the control device respectively displays the video data from a route section which is ahead in the direction of travel on the display device, specifically before the vehicle reaches the displayed route section. In this refinement, it is advantageously possible to check whether the route of the vehicle is free of obstacles and can continue to be traveled without hazard. 
     Preferably, the control device is designed such that it displays the video data on the display device before the route section is visible from the vehicle. If the display device is arranged within the vehicle, the route monitoring system extends the range of vision of the vehicle driver, as described clearly. 
     It is regarded as particularly advantageous if the control device adaptively matches the display of the video data to the respective vehicle location and the respective vehicle speed, specifically such that at a relatively high speed the route section displayed is further ahead in the direction of travel than at a contrastingly lower speed. The matching of the display to vehicle location and speed allows obstacles or hazards on the route to be recognized so early that the vehicle still has the opportunity to brake in good time and possibly to avoid an accident, for example a collision with a person who is on the route. 
     In order to allow hazards to be recognized particularly easily and quickly on the display device, it is regarded as advantageous if the control device has an image editing device which adaptively matches the image detail and/or viewing angle displayed on the display device to the respective vehicle location and the respective vehicle speed. By way of example, the image editing device has an electronic zoom function which prompts a zoom effect computationally by converting the image information. 
     It is also regarded as advantageous if the camera has a zoom function, be it an electronic or an optical zoom function, and the control device controls the zoom function of the camera such that the camera takes the respective speed of the vehicle as a basis for zooming forwards and in so doing records a respective route section before the vehicle reaches the respective route section and/or the respective route section is visible from the vehicle. Preferably, the control device actuates the zoom function such that at a relatively high speed the route section displayed is further ahead in the direction of travel than at a contrastingly lower speed. In the case of this refinement too, it is thus possible to achieve a location-dependent and speed-dependent display on the display device and to reduce the risk of accident. 
     In line with a further particularly preferred refinement, the route monitoring system has a plurality of cameras arranged on the route which are arranged in succession along the route on which the vehicle can travel and which record successive route sections of the route, wherein the control device is designed such that it displays the video data from the cameras on the display device in chronological succession on the basis of the respective vehicle location and the respective vehicle speed and in so doing respectively switches from one camera to the next before the vehicle reaches the respective route section and/or the respective route section is visible from the vehicle. The switching allows continuous route monitoring to be achieved. In this case, the cameras and/or the image editing devices may also be equipped with an electronic or optical zoom function in order to match the image angle and the image detail on the basis of location and speed in the time periods between switching, that is to say in which the image from a single camera is being used. 
     Preferably, the control device is respectively switched from one camera to the next such that at a relatively high speed the route section displayed is further ahead in the direction of travel than at a contrastingly lower speed. 
     The at least one display device may be arranged in the driver&#39;s cab of the vehicle and/or in a monitoring control center on the route. 
     The invention also relates to a method for recording and displaying video data which relate indirectly or directly to a route section on which a vehicle can travel, wherein the method involves video data being recorded using at least one camera, and the video data being displayed on a display device. 
     For such a method, the invention proposes displaying the video data from the at least one camera on the basis of the respective vehicle location of the vehicle. 
     For the advantages of the method according to the invention, reference is made to the comments above in connection with the route monitoring system according to the invention, since the advantages of the method essentially correspond to those of the route monitoring system. Advantageous refinements of the method according to the invention are specified in sub claims. 
    
    
     
       The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to exemplary embodiments, in which, by way of example: 
         FIG. 1  shows a first exemplary embodiment of a route monitoring system according to the invention in which cameras are equipped with an optical zoom function and a display device is arranged in the driver&#39;s cab of the vehicle, 
         FIG. 2  shows a second exemplary embodiment of a route monitoring system according to the invention in which adaptive matching of the image detail and/or of the viewing angle is carried out in an image editing device, wherein the display device is arranged in the driver&#39;s cab of the vehicle, 
         FIG. 3  shows a third exemplary embodiment of a route monitoring system according to the invention in which a display device is arranged in a monitoring control center on the route, and 
         FIG. 4  shows a fourth exemplary embodiment of a route monitoring system according to the invention with a display device in a monitoring control center on the route. 
     
    
    
     In the figures, the same reference symbols are always used for identical or comparable components for the sake of clarity. 
       FIG. 1  shows a vehicle  10  traveling in a prescribed direction of travel F on a route  20 . The route section ahead in the direction of travel F of the vehicle  10  is denoted by the reference symbol  30 . 
     Along the route  20 , a route monitoring system  40  is installed which has a multiplicity of cameras on the route.  FIG. 1  representatively shows two of the cameras, which are denoted by the reference symbols  50  and  60 . The cameras have a control device  70  connected to them which is equipped with an image editing device  80  for the purpose of image editing. The image editing device  80  is furthermore connected to a vehicle control and/or operations management system  100  which transmits operational data B, which relate to the operation of the vehicle  10  on the route  20 , to the image editing device  80 . 
     The control device  70  is equipped with a radio device  110  which has a radio link  120  to a radio device  130  in the vehicle  10 . The radio device  130  has a vehicle display device  140  connected to it. 
     The route monitoring system  40  shown in  FIG. 1  can be operated as follows, for example: 
     The cameras  50  and  60  produce video data V which are sent to the image editing device  80 . The image editing device  80  evaluates the video data V and the operational data B from the vehicle control and/or operations management system  100  and produces a display signal A which is transmitted via the radio link  120  to the display device  140  and is displayed thereon. 
     When forming the display signal A, the image editing device  80  takes account of the respective location of the vehicle  10  on the route  20  and the speed of the vehicle  10 , specifically such that a route section  30  which is ahead in the direction of travel F is always displayed on the display device  140 . If the vehicle  10  is at high speed during this time, the image editing device  80  will display a route section which is further ahead in the direction of travel F, and if the vehicle is at a lower speed, it will display a route section which is not as far from or closer to the vehicle. Preferably, a route section ahead is displayed before which it is still possible to stop in the event of emergency braking. 
     In order to be able to take the respective location of the vehicle  10  and the respective speed as a basis for selecting and displaying the optimum route section  30 , the cameras  50  and  60  are respectively equipped with a zoom function, which may be an electronic zoom or an optical zoom. In  FIG. 1 , the zoom action of the camera  60  is symbolized by way of example using viewing angles α 1  and α 2 . It can be seen that the control signal ST can be used to adjust the camera  60  such that, by way of example, a relatively close route section is captured with the image angle α 1 . Alternatively, the camera  60  can also be operated such that a relatively remote route section is recorded by the camera  60  in a viewing angle which is directed a long way ahead. In summary, the image editing device  80  is thus capable of using the control signal ST to actuate the cameras  50  and  60  individually such that a route section which is ahead of the vehicle in the direction of travel is displayed on the basis of the respective vehicle location and the respective vehicle speed. This allows a vehicle driver to recognize any hazards on the route section ahead early and to prompt emergency braking, for example. 
     The operational data B which are supplied by the vehicle control and/or operations management system  100  may—as already mentioned—be the respective vehicle location and the respective speed of the vehicle  10 . Furthermore, it is also possible for further operational data from the vehicle control and/or operations management system  100  to be used, however: by way of example, it is thus possible to take account of the distance to the next respective station, to possible hazard points, to tunnel entrances, to platform edges, to curves or to route sections behind curve areas in the selection of the image data displayed on the display device  140  and to show sections which are particularly at risk or hazardous separately or to highlight them graphically on the display device. 
     In the case of the exemplary embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , the cameras  50  and  60  are mounted exclusively on the route. Furthermore, it is possible for further cameras to be mounted on the vehicle  10  too and for the video data from said cameras to be additionally taken into account. By way of example, the video data which are captured on the vehicle  10  can be transmitted via the radio link  120  to the control device  70  and hence to the image editing device  80  so that image selection and image processing can be carried out there—as described—on the basis of the operational data B. 
     It is also possible for the control device  70  and the image editing device  80  to be arranged in the vehicle  10  and for the data which are required for operating the route monitoring system  40  to be transmitted via the radio link  120  to the control device  70 . In such an embodiment, the video data V and also the operational data B would thus be transmitted via the radio link  120  to the vehicle  10  which contains the control device  70  with the image editing device  80  in order to evaluate the video data V and the operational data B for the purpose of producing the display signal A. 
     Furthermore, it is also possible for cameras to be mounted not only at the front of the vehicle  10  but also at the rear of the vehicle  10  in order to allow the route section behind the vehicle to be protected. 
       FIG. 2  shows a second exemplary embodiment of a route monitoring system  40 . In the route monitoring system  40  shown in  FIG. 2 , there are a plurality of cameras  200  to  205  arranged on the route which are arranged in succession along the route  20  on which the vehicle  10  can travel and which record successive route sections of the route  20 . The orientation of the cameras is shown by way of example using the camera  200 , from which the recorded image angle α 1  is symbolized in  FIG. 2 . 
     In the exemplary embodiment shown in  FIG. 2 , the control device  70  is designed such that it displays the video data V from the cameras  200  to  205  on the display device  140  in chronological succession on the basis of the respective vehicle location and the respective vehicle speed and respectively switches from one camera, for example the camera  200 , to the next camera, that is to say in this case the camera  201 , before the vehicle  10  reaches the respective route section and/or the respective route section is visible from the vehicle  10 . 
     The switching of the cameras on the basis of the vehicle location and the vehicle speed allows the vehicle driver of the vehicle  10  to display additional image data on the display device  140  which would otherwise not be available to him from the driver&#39;s cab. In this way, it is thus possible to recognize hazards early and to initiate emergency braking if necessary. 
       FIG. 3  shows a third exemplary embodiment of a route monitoring system. The route monitoring system shown in  FIG. 3  essentially corresponds to the exemplary embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 . In contrast to  FIG. 1 , however, the display device  140  is not arranged on the vehicle  10  but rather is arranged on the route, with the result that a radio link between the vehicle  10  and the control device  70  is not necessary. When the display device  140  is arranged on the route, it can be connected to the control device  70  by wire, for example. Alternatively, it is naturally also possible for there to be a wireless connection between the control device  70  on the route and the display device  140  on the route. 
       FIG. 4  shows a fourth exemplary embodiment of a route monitoring system. This essentially corresponds to the exemplary embodiment shown in  FIG. 2  with the exception that the display device  140  is not arranged on the vehicle  10  but rather is arranged on the route. The display device  140  on the route can be connected to the control device  70  on the route by wire, as shown in  FIG. 4 , or else alternatively wirelessly.