Method and apparatus for coordinating a plurality of passengers during boarding

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for coordinating a plurality of passengers when boarding a means of transport with a plurality of seats for passengers, comprising the steps a) providing a list of passengers, each passenger in the list being assigned a seat on the means of transport, b) Calculating a boarding order of passengers depending on the list of passengers and their assigned seats as well as at least one given means of transport-dependent boundary condition, c) displaying at least one waiting position determined from the boarding order for each individual passenger by means of a display unit, and d) At least some of the passengers take up the designated waiting position.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a method for coordinating a plurality of passengers during boarding of a means of transport with a plurality of passenger seats. The invention also relates to a device for this purpose.

[0002] Boarding, as used herein, refers to the boarding of passengers onto a means of transport. Such a means of transport can be, for example, an aircraft, a ship, a road vehicle such as a coach, a train, or another means of transport that has a plurality of seats and can transport a plurality of passengers simultaneously.

[0003] Boarding is often time-consuming. Airplane passengers usually have a designated seat. This is sometimes the case on ships, such as ferries. Depending on the type of train, passenger trains may or may not require seat reservations. In these cases, at least some passengers have assigned seats.

[0004] Airplanes usually have one or two boarding points and several rows of seats. Depending on the aircraft type, each row usually has one or two window seats, one to four aisle seats, and a number of additional seats depending on the aircraft type. Many ferries have a similar layout. Passenger trains also have rows of seats, seating groups, or group compartments. Here, too, boarding delays are common.

[0005] Currently, passengers with tickets in certain classes are generally allowed to board aircraft first. For comfort reasons, first-class passengers are generally allowed to board first, followed by business-class passengers. Economy class, which accounts for the majority of passengers, is the next boarding class.

[0006] However, this approach usually leads to congestion during boarding and delays. This increases travel times and costs for the operators of the transport system. The reason for this is that the limited space on these (mass) transport systems delays the passengers' ability to take their seats.

[0007] US 2021 / 0 166 164 A1 discloses a method for coordinated boarding of a commercial aircraft. Both the waiting area and the interior of the aircraft are monitored by cameras, and passengers are then called individually by name to board the aircraft. The next passenger to board is then determined based on both the monitoring and a points system in which each passenger receives a corresponding rating.

[0008] US 2021 / 0 342 753 A1 discloses a method for boarding a commercial aircraft, whereby the passengers are sorted into groups and then channeled into the aircraft in waves.

[0009] US 2016 / 0 039 539 A1 discloses a method in which a pattern of the aircraft's seats is projected onto the floor in a waiting area. Passengers must independently locate their seat, which has been projected onto the floor, and stand there. Once all passengers have taken their appropriate positions, boarding can begin.

[0010] Very similarly, US 2012 / 0 018 582 A1 and CN 1 04 386 261 A disclose a fixed floor plan that is integrated into the floor or designed as a carpet and that shows where the passenger should stand with which seat.

[0011] US 2021 / 0 209 714 A1 discloses a method for boarding a commercial aircraft, which displays a boarding pattern in which the passengers are divided into groups, with boarding then being carried out according to the displayed boarding pattern.

[0012] US 2023 / 0 166 866 A1 discloses a boarding system for commercial aircraft that tracks passengers and monitors their behavior. If a congestion situation is detected, boarding is adjusted accordingly.

[0013] The subsequently published EP 4 343 648 A1 also discloses a boarding system in which the occupancy of the seats and / or the tunnel is determined. Furthermore, a boarding sequence is determined and the passengers are grouped. A boarding time interval for each group is then determined accordingly, depending on the occupancy.

[0014] Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to propose an improved method for coordinating a plurality of passengers for boarding a means of transport having a plurality of passenger seats, with which the boarding time can be shortened.

[0015] The object is achieved according to the invention with the method according to claim 1 and the device according to claim 5. Advantageous embodiments of the invention can then be found in the corresponding subclaims.

[0016] The invention relates to a method for coordinating a plurality of passengers during boarding of a means of transport having a plurality of passenger seats. The method comprises providing a list of passengers, each passenger in the list being assigned a seat in the means of transport, calculating a boarding order for the passengers as a function of the list of passengers and their respectively assigned seats as well as at least one predetermined means of transport-dependent boundary condition, displaying at least one waiting position determined from the boarding order for each individual passenger by means of a display unit, and having at least some of the passengers assume the determined waiting position.

[0017] Seats can be arranged in rows, seating groups, and / or group compartments. The passenger group must be at least ten.

[0018] According to the invention, a list of passengers to be transported by the means of transport is first provided via an interface of a computing unit. The list contains not only the respective passengers, but also the specified seat in which the respective passenger is to be seated in the means of transport. Accordingly, each passenger on this list is assigned a corresponding seat.

[0019] Based on this list of passengers and their assigned seats, a boarding sequence is calculated, taking into account mode-specific constraints, that allows passengers to board the vehicle as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible. Depending on the seat and at least one specified constraint, an optimal boarding position within a boarding sequence is calculated for each passenger. From this boarding sequence, a waiting position is then determined where the respective passenger must report for boarding in order to board the vehicle according to the boarding sequence.

[0020] For this purpose, each passenger's individual waiting position is displayed on a display unit, after which at least some of the passengers, preferably all passengers, can take up their respective individual waiting positions. In the simplest case, the waiting position is a position within a queue in which the passengers organize themselves and board the appropriate means of transport.

[0021] After the passengers have taken up their respective waiting position, the person responsible for boarding the vehicle will then do so according to the boarding order defined by the waiting position.

[0022] The advantage of the procedure is that it avoids traffic jams and delays when passengers board the vehicle, thus shortening travel times and saving costs.

[0023] The passenger list includes, for example, a plurality of names and / or other identifiers of passengers assigned to the respective means of transport for the respective journey or specific flight. The identifiers are, for example, ticket numbers or other identification codes that can be uniquely assigned to a passenger or a group of passengers. According to the invention, the passenger list includes an assignment of the passengers to specific seats in the means of transport. For example, each individual passenger is assigned a specific seat in the means of transport. Groups of related passengers can be assigned to a number of seats corresponding to the number of groups, without the individual passenger-seat assignment being specified.

[0024] If the passenger list on a means of transport is not fully occupied, the number of passengers is smaller than the number of seats on the means of transport. In this case, it may be necessary to recalculate the boarding order, since an optimal boarding order for a fully occupied means of transport, for example, is not necessarily beneficial for the reduced number of passengers, i.e., without creating congestion. If, for example, an aircraft with two boarding options is only occupied in the rear half and an optimal boarding order for a fully occupied aircraft would stipulate that passengers with seats in the front half board via the front boarding option and passengers with seats in the rear half board via the rear boarding option, this is disadvantageous in the present case.On the other hand, it would be advantageous to allow some of the passengers with seats in the rear half to board through the front boarding point.

[0025] The boarding order is calculated by a processing unit. The processing unit is, for example, a computer or a smartphone. The input parameters to the processing unit include at least the list of passengers and at least one mode-dependent boundary condition. The output parameters include the boarding order of the passengers.

[0026] If not all passengers are assigned to specific, for example, reserved, seats, it is possible for the boarding order to be calculated only for passengers with predetermined seats, with all other passengers boarding after them. Alternatively, it is possible for the computing unit to randomly assign seats to passengers without predetermined seats, and for these passengers to be included in the boarding order calculation with the then determined seats. This offers the advantage that passengers do not have to spend a lot of time searching for the unreserved seats, which further reduces congestion and delays.

[0027] The boarding order is the order in which passengers on the passenger list should board the vehicle so that congestion is avoided as much as possible. The means of transport-dependent constraint is a predetermined constraint that depends on the means of transport in question. The boarding order is, for example, a sorted list that represents the order of boarding the vehicle in preferential order so that congestion is avoided as much as possible. For example, it is advantageous if the boarding order contains the seats located at the outer edge of the vehicle, e.g. window / wall seats, first, and the seats directly closest to the aisle last. It is also advantageous if those passengers whose seats in the vehicle are furthest from the boarding position are assigned to the front waiting positions.

[0028] The waiting position of the passengers determined from the boarding order includes information that assigns the passengers a position while waiting for boarding so that the passengers are positioned or coordinated in the calculated boarding order. The waiting positions are displayed, for example, on a display board in the boarding waiting area that is visible to all passengers and / or the respective passenger or a group of passengers receives information for the respective individual waiting position, for example on a smartphone via an app or during check-in as verbal, written and / or electronic information. The waiting position is, for example, a number in the queue or a position in the waiting area. The waiting area can preferably be provided with markings that include, for example, numbers, colors, letters, symbols and / or codes such as QR codes, which designate the individual waiting positions.In such a case, the waiting position may be displayed according to the respective marker.

[0029] Alternatively, it is possible for a smartphone app to realistically display the respective waiting area and indicate the waiting position, preferably in conjunction with the camera and / or a positioning system, so that, depending on the current position of the smartphone user, who is also one of the passengers, a direction is displayed in which the user must go in order to reach the respective specific waiting position.

[0030] In a preferred embodiment, the mode-dependent boundary condition comprises at least one of the following: - Number of seats in the means of transport (10), - Positions of the seats in the means of transport (10), - Position of at least one boarding point for the means of transport (10), and / or - Type of transport (10).

[0031] This allows the calculation of the boarding order to be adapted and optimized to the specific conditions of the mode of transport. In other words, the specific conditions of the mode of transport are taken into account with regard to an optimized boarding order.

[0032] The positions of the seats in the means of transport can be provided in various ways, for example as a list of the individual absolute positions in a given coordinate system, as a list of the relative positions with respect to one or more fixed points, which include, for example, the boarding point(s) and / or the front and / or rear end of the means of transport.

[0033] For example, the type of transport includes an identifier of the model. From the model, the distribution and positions of the seats can be deduced.

[0034] According to one embodiment, it is provided that the boarding order and / or the waiting position is further calculated as a function of a relationship and / or family ties between at least two passengers.

[0035] Passenger relationships include, for example, groups of passengers who booked together or who belong to a family unit. These related passengers are not separated when calculating the boarding order, but are assigned a common waiting position to avoid splitting up families with children in particular.

[0036] According to one embodiment, it is provided that the boarding order and / or the waiting position is displayed on a mobile device, in particular a smartphone.

[0037] Another aspect of the present invention is a device for calculating and displaying a waiting position for boarding a means of transport having a plurality of seats, comprising a) a passenger list interface configured to provide the device with a list of passengers, each passenger in the list being assigned a seat in the means of transport, (b) a computing unit designed to calculate a boarding sequence of passengers depending on the list of passengers and their respective assigned seats as well as at least one predetermined means of transport-dependent boundary condition, and (c) a display unit designed to display at least one boarding waiting position determined from the boarding order.

[0038] The computing unit can be distributed across various subunits. The display unit can be distributed across various subunits. Reference is made to the above explanations regarding the means of transport, the passenger list, the means of transport-dependent constraints, the boarding sequence, the waiting position, and the display and computing unit. The waiting position can also be determined by the computing unit.

[0039] The device preferably further comprises a transmission unit which is configured to transmit the boarding sequence and / or waiting positions calculated by the display unit to the display unit. The transmission takes place, for example, as an electronic sorted list of passenger identifiers or as an unsorted list with passenger identifiers and assigned numbers in the boarding sequence. In the case of multiple display units, part of the boarding sequence or individual waiting positions with assigned passengers can be transmitted. For example, the display unit can display a plurality of passengers' smartphones. The passengers have their respective waiting position displayed, for example, via an app. In such a case, the computing unit can transmit the respective waiting position to the respective smartphone, for example, via the app, SMS, WLAN, Bluetooth or similar. The assignment of a passenger orA group of passengers belonging together is linked to a smartphone, for example, via a passenger identifier that is shown on the ticket or otherwise communicated to the passenger and which the passenger enters in the app to display his or her waiting position.

[0040] The exemplary embodiments explained below are preferred embodiments of the invention. The described components of the embodiment each represent individual, independently considered features of the invention, which also further develop the invention independently of one another and are thus considered components of the invention, either individually or in a combination other than that shown. Furthermore, the described embodiment can also be supplemented by further features of the invention already described.

[0041] In the figures, the same reference symbols designate elements with the same function. Fig. 1 shows a method according to the invention for coordinating a plurality of passengers for boarding a means of transport having a plurality of passenger seats; Fig. 2 shows a device according to the invention for calculating and displaying a preferred waiting position for boarding a means of transport with a plurality of seats; Fig. 3 shows a computer program according to the invention for calculating a preferred waiting position for boarding a means of transport with a plurality of seats; Fig. Figure 4 shows an example of the numbering of seats in an aircraft as an advantageous boarding order; Fig. 5 example representation of taking a waiting position.

[0042] Fig. 1 shows a method 5 according to the invention for coordinating a plurality of passengers for boarding a means of transport 10 having a plurality of passenger seats. The method 5 comprises providing 22 a list of passengers 20, each passenger being assigned a seat, calculating 32 a boarding sequence 30 by the computing unit 35 from the list of passengers 20 and at least one means of transport-dependent boundary condition 40, displaying 55 a waiting position 51 determined from the boarding sequence 30 by a display unit 50, and assuming 55 the determined waiting position 51 by at least some of the passengers. The means of transport-dependent boundary condition includes, for example, a number of seats in the means of transport, positions of the seats in the means of transport, the position of at least one boarding option for the means of transport, and a type of means of transport.

[0043] Fig. 2 shows a device 8 according to the invention for calculating 32 and displaying 52 a preferred waiting position 51 for boarding a means of transport 10 having a plurality of seats. The device 8 comprises a computing unit 35 and a display unit 50. The computing unit 35 is configured to calculate a boarding sequence 30 from the input data of the list of passengers 20 and at least one means of transport-dependent boundary condition 40. The computing unit 35 transmits the calculated boarding sequence 30 to the display unit 50. The display unit 50 is configured to display at least one waiting position 51 of a passenger or a related group of passengers. The display unit 50 can comprise one or more display panels, one or more smartphones, or the like. The computing unit 35 can comprise, for example, one or more computers and / or one or more smartphones.

[0044] Fig. Figure 3 shows a computer program 9 according to the invention for calculating a preferred waiting position 51 for boarding a means of transport 10 with a plurality of seats. The computer program 9 receives as input data at least the passenger list 20 and at least one means of transport-dependent boundary condition 40. From this, the computer program 9 calculates a boarding order 30 of the passengers listed on the passenger list 20.

[0045] Fig. Figure 4 shows an example numbering of seats in an aircraft as an advantageous boarding order of 30. Rows eight to 32 are shown. Each row of seats has two aisle seats, two window seats, and two seats between the aisle and window seats. The numbers on the seats show an example advantageous boarding order of 30. Window seat occupants board first, starting with those to the right of the aisle in the direction of flight, starting with the seat furthest forward in the aircraft. After the window seat occupants, the passengers with seats located between the window and aisle seats board. Due to the special seat positions in this example, every other row is occupied and the omitted rows are filled later. Aisle seat occupants board last. This reduces congestion when boarding and trying to find a seat. This example does not take into account passengers who belong together.For example, if the passengers of seats "4" and "50" have booked together, the processing unit preferably calculates a boarding order 30 that places these two passengers in adjacent waiting positions 51. This ensures that passengers who belong together are not separated during boarding. For example, instead of "50," waiting position "5" is assigned, and all waiting positions "6" to "49" are moved back one seat accordingly.

[0046] Fig. Figure 5 shows an example of implementation after the boarding order has been calculated. In the first step a), the passengers are not shown a corresponding waiting position resulting from the boarding order. In the example of the Fig. 5, passenger "Max" is shown his waiting position using augmented reality on his smartphone. "Max" points his smartphone toward the waiting area, and based on the position of the smartphone and the passenger's determined waiting position, the corresponding waiting position is then displayed by overlaying it into the perceived reality.

[0047] In the example of Fig. 5, each passenger is assigned a corresponding waiting position, which they can then take as shown. The result is a queue, which is shown in the second step b). It can be seen that passenger "Max" is positioned at the fifth position in the queue, which he previously took using the augmented reality representation of his waiting position. List of reference symbols 5 procedures 8 Device 9 Computer program 10 means of transport 20 List of passengers 22 Providing a list of passengers 30 Entry order 32 Calculating an entry order 35 computing unit 40 mode-dependent boundary conditions 50 display units 51 Waiting position 52 Displaying a waiting position determined from the boarding order 55 Taking the specific waiting position

Claims

[1] Method (5) for coordinating a plurality of passengers when boarding a means of transport (10) having a plurality of seats for passengers, comprising the steps a) providing (22) a list of passengers (20), each passenger in the list being assigned a seat in the means of transport (10), b) calculating (32) a boarding order (30) of the passengers depending on the list of passengers (20) and their respective assigned seats as well as at least one predetermined means of transport-dependent boundary condition (40), c) displaying (52) at least one individual waiting position (51) determined from the boarding order (30) for each individual passenger by means of a display unit (50), wherein the individual waiting position is a position within a queue in which the passengers are to organize themselves and board the means of transport, and d) taking (55) the determined waiting position (51) by at least some of the passengers. [2] Method (5) according to claim 1, characterized by that the mode-dependent boundary condition (40) includes - Number of seats in the means of transport (10), - Positions of the seats in the means of transport (10), - Position of at least one boarding point for the means of transport (10), and / or - Type of transport (10). [3] Method (5) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by that the boarding order (30) and / or the waiting position (51) is further calculated as a function of a togetherness and / or family ties of at least two passengers (20). [4] Method (5) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the boarding order (30) and / or the waiting position (51) is displayed on a mobile terminal, in particular a smartphone. [5] Device (8) for calculating and displaying a waiting position (51) for boarding a means of transport (10) having a plurality of seats, comprising a) a passenger list interface configured to provide the device (8) with a list of passengers (20), each passenger in the list being assigned a seat in the means of transport (10), b) a computing unit (35) which is designed to calculate a boarding sequence (30) of the passengers as a function of the list of passengers (20) and their respectively assigned seats as well as at least one predetermined means of transport-dependent boundary condition (40), and c) a display unit (50) configured to display at least one individual waiting position (51) for boarding determined from the boarding sequence (30), wherein the individual waiting position is a position within a queue in which the passengers are to organize themselves and board the means of transport. [6] Device (8) according to claim 5, characterized by that the mode-dependent boundary condition (40) includes: - Number of seats in the means of transport (10), - Positions of the seats in the means of transport (10), - Position of at least one boarding point for the means of transport (10), and / or - Type of transport (10). [7] Device (8) according to claim 5 or 6, characterized bythat the computing unit (35) is configured to further calculate the boarding order (30) and / or the waiting position (51) depending on a relationship and / or family ties between at least two passengers (20). [8] Device (8) according to one of claims 5 to 7, characterized by that the display unit (50) is a mobile terminal, in particular a smartphone.

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