Automatic message announcement system
First Claim
1. An automatic message announcement system for announcing the approach of a scheduled train upon tracks leading to a platform, comprising:
- train tracking means for receiving both a plurality of train passing signals when said train has passed corresponding predetermined points along said track and a route signal indicating the periods when the route for incoming trains is clear to said platform, and for generating therefrom a signal indicating the distance between the approaching train and the platform at a period when the route for incoming trains is clear;
train information memory means for storing train information about the approaching train;
message edition circuit means, including memory means for storing a series of predetermined message patterns including a part to be completed with train information, for combining the train information read out from said train information memory means with said series of message patterns and editing the combination into a plurality of short sentences arranged sequentially in accordance with a predetermined priority order; and
selection circuit means responsive to said signal indicating the distance between said approaching train and said platform at a period when the route for incoming trains is clear for selecting said short sentences for announcement in accordance with said priority order.
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Abstract
An automatic message announcement system for trains in the railroad station premises, including a train tracking circuit which tracks the location of approaching train, a trains information memory which stores information concerning each train, an edition circuit which combines the train information read out from said train information memory and a series of message patterns which include portions to be completed and which edits the message patterns to produce a series of short messages arranged sequentially according of their priority order to the content, an announcement message selection circuit which determines up to which short message among those arranged sequentially according to said priority order should be announced, in accordance with the location of the train at the time the announcement starts, and an automatic announcement system which includes a voice memory containing addressable voice segments for annoucing the message determined above.
32 Citations
10 Claims
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1. An automatic message announcement system for announcing the approach of a scheduled train upon tracks leading to a platform, comprising:
- train tracking means for receiving both a plurality of train passing signals when said train has passed corresponding predetermined points along said track and a route signal indicating the periods when the route for incoming trains is clear to said platform, and for generating therefrom a signal indicating the distance between the approaching train and the platform at a period when the route for incoming trains is clear;
train information memory means for storing train information about the approaching train;
message edition circuit means, including memory means for storing a series of predetermined message patterns including a part to be completed with train information, for combining the train information read out from said train information memory means with said series of message patterns and editing the combination into a plurality of short sentences arranged sequentially in accordance with a predetermined priority order; and
selection circuit means responsive to said signal indicating the distance between said approaching train and said platform at a period when the route for incoming trains is clear for selecting said short sentences for announcement in accordance with said priority order. - View Dependent Claims (2)
- train tracking means for receiving both a plurality of train passing signals when said train has passed corresponding predetermined points along said track and a route signal indicating the periods when the route for incoming trains is clear to said platform, and for generating therefrom a signal indicating the distance between the approaching train and the platform at a period when the route for incoming trains is clear;
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3. An automatic message announcement system for announcing the approach of scheduled vehicles advancing along a predetermined route to a vehicle boarding area, the messages announced being composed of at least one short sentence selected from a sequence of short sentences, comprising:
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addressable voice memory means for storing prerecorded voice segments forming said short sentences; announcement message edition circuit means for storing and reading out voice segment address data corresponding to said sequence of short sentences a plurality of vehicle passing signal means for generating vehicle passing signals when a vehicle passes predetermined points at different distances along said route to said vehicle boarding area; route signal means for generating a route signal during the period when no vehicles are located at said vehicle boarding area; and first means responsive to said plurality of vehicle passing signal means and said route signal means for addressing said voice memory means with voice segment address data read out from said announcement message edition circuit means when no vehicles are located at said vehicle boarding area and an advancing vehicle has past at least the most distant of said predetermined points, said first means selecting said short sentences for announcement by truncating said sequence at a point determined by the distance between said vehicle and the boarding area at the time said route signal appears if said distance is too short to allow announcement of all of the short sentences in the sequence. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A method for automatically announcing a message as an approaching vehicle draws near a stopping point in a transportation terminal, comprising the steps of:
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storing voice segments corresponding to a sequence of short sentences in an addressable voice memory; storing data for addressing the voice memory in an announcement message edition circuit; sensing the distance between the approaching vehicle and the stopping point at a time when no vehicles are positioned at said stopping point; composing a message corresponding to at least the first short sentence in the sequence of short sentences by selecting data read out from the announcement message edition circuit, the number of data selected depending upon the distance sensed at said time when no vehicles are positioned at said stopping point; addressing the voice memory with the selected data; and amplifying and transducing the output of the voice memory. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10)
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Specification