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EP 2 535 235 B1 |
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EUROPEAN PATENT SPECIFICATION |
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Mention of the grant of the patent: |
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20.11.2013 Bulletin 2013/47 |
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Date of filing: 14.06.2011 |
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International Patent Classification (IPC):
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Method and system for managing an automatic opening of first doors of a vehicle and
second doors of a platform
Verfahren und System zur Verwaltung eines automatischen Öffnens erster Türen eines
Fahrzeugs und zweiter Türen eins Bahnsteigs
Procédé et système pour la gestion de l'ouverture automatique des premières portes
d'un véhicule et des deuxièmes portes d'un quai
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Designated Contracting States: |
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AL AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR HR HU IE IS IT LI LT LU LV MC MK MT NL
NO PL PT RO RS SE SI SK SM TR |
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Date of publication of application: |
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19.12.2012 Bulletin 2012/51 |
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Proprietors: |
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- Siemens SAS
93200 Saint-Denis (FR)
- Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
80333 München (DE)
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Inventors: |
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- Nogueira Alves, Clara
92130 Issy Les Molineaux (FR)
- Ernst, Horst
38118 Braunschweig (DE)
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Representative: Fischer, Michael |
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Siemens AG
Postfach 22 16 34 80506 München 80506 München (DE) |
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References cited: :
DE-A1-102004 025 514 US-A- 3 502 851
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DE-C1- 19 625 193
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Note: Within nine months from the publication of the mention of the grant of the European
patent, any person may give notice to the European Patent Office of opposition to
the European patent
granted. Notice of opposition shall be filed in a written reasoned statement. It shall
not be deemed to
have been filed until the opposition fee has been paid. (Art. 99(1) European Patent
Convention).
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[0001] The present invention concerns a system for managing an automatic opening of first
doors of a vehicle and second doors of a platform at which side said vehicle is approaching,
in particular in public transport, according to claim 1.
[0002] The present invention relates generally to a secure automatically opening of swing
doors that permits a flow of passengers and/or merchandise entering and leaving a
vehicle from or onto a platform, said vehicle being for example a public transportation,
a distribution chain or a lift.
[0003] In the present invention the example of a public transportation like a
metro, a trolley, a train will be privileged because it covers all aspects for which the
invention applies.
[0004] Especially some recent automatic door opening systems includes two sets of automatic
swing doors, a first set on board of the vehicle and a second set on a platform at
the wayside of said vehicle like in a train station. If the vehicle is approaching
and stops at the platform, an exact positioning of both sets of swing doors is major
in order to ensure to avoid a risk for passenger to be blocked or even injured. As
well a not exact positioning of both sets of doors in front of each other will reduce
the flow of passenger entering and leaving the vehicle, giving rise for example to
a general public transport delay and to network congestions.
[0006] Usually it is foreseen that the driver of the train, an operator on the platform
or an ATC based command (in case of CBTC-Command Based Train Control for automatic
train, including the case of a train without driver) triggers the automatically opening
of such sets of doors, but all this systems or methods suffer from an uncertainty
of spatial positioning of both sets of doors, especially if the length or an endstop
position of the train is variable or does not match the length or a stop reference
point of the platform.
[0007] It is therefore an objective of the present invention to provide a system for managing
effectively an automatic opening of first doors of a vehicle and second doors of a
platform at which side said vehicle is approaching for stopping in order to avoid
the above-mentioned problems.
[0008] This objective is achieved according to the present invention with respect to a system
for managing an opening for a first and a second sets of automatically doors, the
first set belonging to a vehicle and the second set belonging to a platform at the
wayside of the vehicle (by approaching a platform at wayside), both sets of doors
having to be positioned exactly in front of each others before a command of opening
them is validated, characterized in that :
- at least two doors, one door of the first set and the another of the second set, said
doors having to be positioned in front of each other provide a transparency pattern
on a part of its window, said at least one pattern allowing to transmit an amount
of light within and though its associated window,
- a unit for measurement of said amount of transmitted light over said pattern is emitting
at least one trigger signal as the vehicle approaches the platform, said trigger signal
commanding a stop at a defined relative position between the vehicle and the platform
and enabling an opening of the sets of doors.
[0009] A preferred system is very simple to realize in that the pattern comprises a transparency
area with opaque boarders whose length is maximally equal to a width of a glass window
of a door and whose width is at least equal to a portion of height of said glass window.
Such a pattern can be e.g. realized by means of a rectangular sticker along the whole
top of each of the windows, said sticker including a hollow transparency area.
[0010] A similar preferred system is as well possible in that the pattern comprises a transparency
area with opaque boarders whose height is maximally equal to a height of a glass window
of a door and whose width is at least equal to a portion of width of said glass window.
Such a pattern can be e.g. realized by means of a rectangular sticker along the (whole)
lateral side of each of the windows, said sticker including a hollow transparency
area.
[0011] In order to compensate the uncertainty of the relative positioning between both sets
of doors, the system according to the invention can comprise that at least one of
the pattern comprises a light coded transparency area. By this way the amount of transmitted
light over two patterns that move in front of each other can be coded so that one
or more peaks of light are measured during the slow approach of vehicle at the platform
and provides an information on the time/location to stop the vehicle exactly at a
required position for both set of doors.
[0012] Ideally the unit of measurement of system according to the invention comprises a
line or an array light sensor, like a video camera, ideally located at the wayside
or between the two sets of doors. Major is that the unit of measurement is located
at a place where noisy lighting and even shadowing are minimized/eliminated so that
only the light being transmitted over both pattern can be measured.
[0013] In the same issue, such an improvement for guarantying a high signal-to-noise ratio
of the transmitted light signal, the system according to the invention can include
a lighting mean which is located closed to patterns for illuminating sufficiently
all transparency area of said pattern and ensuring a sufficient amount of light to
be measured by the unit of measurement. Such an illuminating can be a simple array
of diodes which provides enough lighting to image the alignment relative to the second
pattern to be superposed on the first one. It is also possible to provide a first
pattern with lighting means at the location of its usual transparency areas and the
second pattern to be aligned in front of the first pattern provides only transparency
parts which are free of lighting means.
[0014] Finally the accuracy of the system according to the invention can be also improved
in that it comprises a mean of pattern recognition with an input to an output signal
of the unit of measurement and with an output delivering the trigger signal to a control
unit for commanding a stop at a defined relative position between the vehicle and
the platform and enabling an opening of the sets of doors. Over such recognition means
some deficiencies in term of signal-to-noise of a transmitted lighting though a pattern
can be compensated. As unit of measurement in that case, a simple survey camera on
board or at the wayside can be used in order to check the position of a relative moving
pattern inversely at the wayside or on-board. The stop of the vehicle and the opening
of the sets of doors are hence foreseen as the pattern is imaged within an accurately
defined region of interest of the survey camera.
[0015] The invention will now be described in preferred but not exclusive embodiments with
reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein:
- Figure 1
- system according to the invention with horizontal patterns;
- Figure 2
- system according to the invention with vertical patterns;
- Figure 3
- system according to the invention with coded patterns;
- Figure 4
- system according to the invention with lighted patterns;
- Figure 5
- system according to the invention with pattern recognition means.
[0016] Figure 1 shows a system according to the invention for managing an opening for a
first and a second sets of automatically doors, the first set (DO1, DO2) belonging
to a vehicle (V) - which approaches a platform of a rail station - and the second
set belonging to the platform at the wayside (WS) of the vehicle, both sets of doors
having to be positioned exactly in front of each others before a command of opening
them is validated, characterized in that :
- at least two doors, one of the first set and another of the second set to be positioned
in front of each other, provide a transparency pattern (TP1, TP3) on a part of their
window, said at least one pattern (TP3) allowing to transmit an amount of light within
and though its associated window,
- (non represented) a unit for measurement of said amount of transmitted light/brithness
over said pattern (TP3) (assuming that first pattern TP1 on-board transmits a lighting
coming from on-board to the wayside or comprises bright regions) is emitting at least
one trigger signal as the vehicle approaches the platform, said trigger signal commanding
a stop at a defined relative position between the vehicle and the platform and enabling
an opening of the sets of doors.
[0017] At this position both sets of doors (D01, D02) are exactly aligned in front of each
others. By this example a left door of the first set (DO1) comprise a horizontal pattern
at the top of their corresponding glass windows and which provides a rectangular transparency
hollow region with dark boarders along the width of each window. Only one door (right
side) of the second set (D02) at the wayside comprises a similar pattern so that after
a first door of first set has moved before the right door of the second set, a first
peak of transmitted light over the patterns is achieved and determines that the vehicle
has to be stopped after a path equal to the width of one door. The pattern of the
first set (e.g. on right side) can be completely opaque under the same size of other
patterns. By this way as the right door on-board of vehicle travels before the right
door at the wayside, the amount of light decreases so that the previous peak of light
is easier to localize to order a next stop of the vehicle over a know length.
[0018] Figure 2 is a basically an alternative form of configurating two so called vertical
patterns (TP1, TP3) for aligning the respective doors (DO1a, D02a) of each set. The
patterns comprise a transparency area with opaque boarders whose height is maximally
equal to a height of a glass window of a door and whose width is at least equal to
a portion of width of said glass window. This alternative as well as the one of figure
1 presents the main advantage that these patterns at the boarders of windows can be
imaged under minimal perturbations (e.g. from passenger in front of windows) and the
unit of measurement of the amount of light can be located between the doors or at
the top of the rail station on wayside.
[0019] Figure 3 presents alternative patterns with specific coded light transmission properties.
Said coding of patterns which are moving relative to each others as the vehicle approaches
the platform has to be so chosen in order to predict/trigger when or where the vehicle
will be stopped. Assuming that the width of a door is known, the patterns (TP1 on-board
& TP3 wayside) including opaque and transparency regions (including e.g. here positive
and negative triangle formed masks) permits to detect a punctual decrease of the amount
of measured light (transparency or bright regions) that triggers an information signal
on that the vehicle has still to travel over a length of a single door to be stopped.
The present invention does not limit its scope to the presented coded patterns: many
geometrical opaque/transparent masks are possible so that the measured amount of transmitted
light (or the apparent transparent region) provides a trigger signal for informing
on when and where the vehicle has to stop.
[0020] Figure 4 presents a system according to the invention with a first pattern (TP1,
on-board) composed by a plurality of optical diodes that are arranged along the transport
direction of the vehicle. By this way the array of diodes is a lighting mean that
is located closed to the first pattern (on-board) for illuminating transparency areas
of said second pattern (TP3, wayside) and ensuring a sufficient amount of light to
be measured by the unit of measurement. The distances between at least some of the
diodes can be chosen non-linear so that a specific coding of transmitted spots is
enabled in order to detect a trigger signal providing the related information on when/where
the vehicle has to stop.
[0021] Figure 5 presents a system according to the ones of figure 1 to 4 providing patterns
(here with a new mask coded patterns comprising opaque and transparent regions) which
overlap during the approach of the vehicle at the platform of wayside. A camera (CAM)
as unit of measurement of the amount of light transmitted from the vehicle to the
wayside though both on-board and wayside patterns (TP1, TP3) is imaging the field
of the second pattern (TP3). In other words the camera collects intensity values at
a frequency higher so that a plurality of said intensity values can be measured as
a profile during the approach of the vehicle and the overlapping of the patterns,
By the configuration of the patterns in figure 5 said intensity profile presents sequentially
a first high intensity level, a decreasing portion and an increasing portion of intensity
and then finally the first intensity level again. It is hence possible to brake the
vehicle during the decreasing/increasing portions and to trigger the stop signal as
the first intensity level is achieved again.
[0022] Figure 5 presents another advantageous feature which could be implemented on all
other figures and systems according to the invention. In case that the patterns cannot
be properly illuminated so that transparent regions of patterns don't let pass enough
light to the unit of measurement, the system according to the invention may comprise
a mean of pattern recognition (REC) with an input to an output signal of the unit
of measurement (here the camera CAM) and with an output delivering the trigger signal
(STOP) to a control unit (CT) for commanding a stop at a defined relative position
between the vehicle and the platform and enabling an opening of the sets of doors.
In case of pattern recognition with combined transmitted light or not, such pattern
can provide other characteristics than opaque/transparency ones. For example, the
first pattern TP1 can comprise some bright regions or some diodes like in figure 4
whose moving locations are accurately recognized in a region of interest of the camera.
In that case the second pattern TP3 can only comprise transparent and opaque mask
regions. By this way the amount of effective transmitted (illumination based) light
to the unit of measurement or the amount of effective (from bright regions) received
light by the unit of measurement is permanently guarantied, because a lack of light
transmission can be compensated by a further recognition of bright regions of said
first pattern.
1. System for managing an opening for a first and a second sets of automatically doors,
the first set (DO1, DO2) belonging to a vehicle (V) and the second set belonging to
a platform at the wayside (WS) of the vehicle (V), both sets of doors having to be
positioned exactly in front of each others before a command of opening them is validated,
characterized in that :
- at least two doors, one of the first set (DO1, DO2) and another of the second set
to be positioned in front of each other, provide a transparency pattern on a part
of their window, said at least one pattern (TP3) allowing to transmit an amount of
light within and though its associated window,
- a unit for measurement of said amount of transmitted light over said pattern (TP3)
is emitting at least one trigger signal as the vehicle (V) approaches the platform,
said trigger signal commanding a stop at a defined relative position between the vehicle
(V) and the platform and enabling an opening of the sets of doors.
2. System according to claim 1, for which the pattern (TP3) comprises a transparency
area with opaque boarders whose length is maximally equal to a width of a glass window
of a door and whose width is at least equal to a portion of height of said glass window.
3. System according to claim 1, for which the pattern (TP3) comprises a transparency
area with opaque boarders whose height is maximally equal to a height of a glass window
of a door and whose width is at least equal to a portion of width of said glass window.
4. System according to one of the claims 1 to 3, for which
at least one of the pattern (TP3) comprises a light coded transparency area.
5. System according to one of the claims 1 to 4, for which the unit of measurement comprises
a line or an array light sensor like a video camera, ideally located at the wayside
(WS) or between the two sets of doors.
6. System according to one of the claims 1 to 5, for which a lighting mean is located
close to a first pattern for illuminating transparency area of said pattern and ensuring
a sufficient amount of light to be measured by the unit of measurement.
7. System according to claim 6, for which the second pattern to be aligned in front of
the first pattern provides transparency parts which are free of lighting means.
8. System according to one of the preceding claims comprising a means of pattern recognition
with an input to an output signal of the unit of measurement and with an output delivering
the trigger signal to a control unit for commanding a stop at a defined relative position
between the vehicle (V) and the platform and enabling an opening of the sets of doors.
1. System zum Steuern eines Öffnens für einen ersten und einen zweiten Satz automatischer
Türen, wobei der erste Satz (D01, D02) zu einem Fahrzeug (V) und der zweite Satz zu
einem Bahnsteig an der Außenkante (WS) des Fahrzeugs (V) gehört, wobei beide Türensätze
genau voreinander positioniert sein müssen, bevor ein Befehl, sie zu öffnen, validiert
wird,
dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass:
- mindestens zwei Türen - eine aus dem ersten Satz (D01, D02) und eine weitere aus
dem zweiten Satz, die voreinander positioniert werden sollen - auf einem Teil ihres
Fensters ein Durchlässigkeitsmuster bereitstellen, wobei das mindestens eine Muster
(TP3) das Leiten einer Lichtmenge in und durch sein zugehöriges Fenster zulässt,
- eine Einheit zum Messen der Durchlichtmenge über das Muster (TP3) hinweg mindestens
ein Auslösesignal aussendet, wenn sich das Fahrzeug (V) dem Bahnsteig nähert, wobei
das Auslösesignal ein Halten an einer bestimmten relativen Position zwischen dem Fahrzeug
(V) und dem Bahnsteig befiehlt und ein Öffnen der Türensätze ermöglicht.
2. System nach Anspruch 1, bei dem das Muster (TP3) einen Durchlässigkeitsbereich mit
lichtundurchlässigen Rändern umfasst, deren Länge maximal einer Breite eines Glasfensters
einer Tür und deren Breite zumindest einem Teil der Höhe des Glasfensters entspricht.
3. System nach Anspruch 1, bei dem das Muster (TP3) einen Durchlässigkeitsbereich mit
lichtundurchlässigen Rändern umfasst, deren Höhe maximal einer Höhe eines Glasfensters
einer Tür und deren Breite zumindest einem Teil der Breite des Glasfensters entspricht.
4. System nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 3, bei dem mindestens eines der Muster (TP3)
einen lichtcodierten Durchlässigkeitsbereich umfasst.
5. System nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 4, bei dem die Messeinheit einen Zeilen- oder
Feldlichtsensor wie eine Videokamera umfasst, der sich idealerweise an der Außenkante
(WS) oder zwischen den beiden Türensätzen befindet.
6. System nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 5, bei dem sich ein Beleuchtungsmittel zum Beleuchten
des Durchlässigkeitsbereichs eines ersten Musters und Sicherstellen einer von der
Messeinheit zu messenden ausreichenden Lichtmenge in der Nähe dieses Musters befindet.
7. System nach Anspruch 6, bei dem das vor dem ersten Muster auszurichtende zweite Muster
Durchlässigkeitsabschnitte ohne Beleuchtungsmittel bereitstellt.
8. System nach einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, das ein Mustererkennungsmittel mit
einem Eingang für ein Ausgabesignal der Messeinheit und einem Ausgang umfasst, der
das Auslösesignal an eine Steuereinheit liefert, das ein Halten an einer bestimmten
relativen Position zwischen dem Fahrzeug (V) und dem Bahnsteig befiehlt und ein Öffnen
der Türensätze ermöglicht.
1. Système de gestion d'une ouverture automatique d'un premier et d'un second ensemble
de portes, le premier ensemble (DO1, DO2) appartenant à un véhicule (V) et le second
ensemble appartenant à une plate-forme au bord (WS) du véhicule (V), les deux ensembles
de portes devant être positionnés exactement l'un en face de l'autre avant qu'une
commande d'ouverture ne soit validée,
caractérisé en ce que :
- au moins deux portes, l'une du premier ensemble (D01, D02) et une autre du second
ensemble devant être positionnées l'une en face de l'autre, fournissent un motif de
transparence sur une partie de leur fenêtre, ledit au moins un motif (TP3) permettant
de transmettre une quantité de lumière dans et à travers sa fenêtre associée,
- une unité de mesure de ladite quantité de lumière transmise sur ledit motif (TP3)
émet au moins un signal de déclenchement lorsque le véhicule (V) s'approche de la
plate-forme, ledit signal de déclenchement commandant un arrêt au niveau d'une position
relative définie entre le véhicule (V) et la plate-forme et permettant une ouverture
des ensembles de portes.
2. Système selon la revendication 1, pour lequel le motif (TP3) comprend une zone de
transparence avec des frontières opaques dont la longueur est au maximum égale à une
largeur d'une fenêtre en verre d'une porte et dont la largeur est au moins égale à
une partie de la hauteur de ladite fenêtre en verre.
3. Système selon la revendication 1, pour lequel le motif (TP3) comprend une zone de
transparence avec des frontières opaques dont la hauteur est au maximum égale à une
hauteur d'une fenêtre en verre d'une porte et dont la largeur est au moins égale à
une partie de la largeur de ladite fenêtre en verre.
4. Système selon l'une quelconque des revendications 1 à 3, pour lequel ledit au moins
un motif (TP3) comprend une zone de transparence à codage lumineux.
5. Système selon l'une quelconque des revendications 1 à 8, pour lequel l'unité de mesure
comprend un capteur optique linéaire ou matriciel, tel qu'une caméra vidéo, idéalement
placé au bord de la voie (WS) ou entre les deux ensembles de portes.
6. Système selon l'une quelconque des revendications 1 à 5, pour lequel un moyen d'éclairage
est situé à proximité d'un premier motif pour éclairer la zone de transparence dudit
motif et s'assurer qu'une quantité suffisante de lumière est mesurée par l'unité de
mesure.
7. Système selon la revendication 6, pour lequel le second motif devant être aligné en
face du premier motif fournit des parties de transparence qui sont dépourvues de moyens
d'éclairage.
8. Système selon l'une des revendications précédentes, comprenant un moyen de reconnaissance
de motifs avec une entrée pour un signal de sortie de l'unité de mesure et avec une
sortie délivrant le signal de déclenchement à une unité de commande pour commander
un arrêt au niveau d'une position relative définie entre le véhicule (V) et la plate-forme
et permettre une ouverture des ensembles de portes.
REFERENCES CITED IN THE DESCRIPTION
This list of references cited by the applicant is for the reader's convenience only.
It does not form part of the European patent document. Even though great care has
been taken in compiling the references, errors or omissions cannot be excluded and
the EPO disclaims all liability in this regard.
Patent documents cited in the description