Station service system, station service method, and program

Abstract

To correctly apply regular fares in the event of entry in a peak time zone due to delays on other lines.SOLUTION: A station service system includes: a first ticket gate installed at a transit station where passengers can transfer from a line of a first railroad company to a line of a second railroad company and under control of the first railroad company; and a second ticket gate installed at a transit station and under control of the second railroad company. When an acquisition unit acquires delay information, in a case of entry / exit processing of a ticket, a first writing unit writes the delay information along with an exit record onto the ticket if the ticket is an off-peak commuter pass, and a second writing unit writes an entry record using a time zone in which a peak time zone at the transit station is postponed by a delay time occurred in the line of the first railroad company as a peak time zone if the ticket is the off-peak commuter pass, the entry is in the peak time zone and the delay information is written in the ticket.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] An embodiment of the present invention relates to a station service system, a station service method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Some IC cards and other passenger tickets have the function of an off-peak commuter pass, which applies the commuter fare when used during off-peak hours. However, when transferring from another line to a line that applies to the off-peak commuter pass, even if you intended to use the off-peak hours, you may end up entering during peak hours due to delays on the other line, and the commuter fare may not be applied correctly. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2004-295283 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2007-041719 A [Patent Document 3] JP 2002-203261 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a station service system, station service method, and program that can correctly apply regular fares when entry occurs during peak hours due to delays on other lines. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] A station service system according to an embodiment includes a first ticket gate that is installed at a transfer station at which transfer is possible from a line of a first railway company to a line of a second railway company and is under the control of the first railway company, the first ticket gate having an acquisition unit that acquires delay information when a delay occurs on the line of the first railway company, a first reading unit that reads a ticket record capable of recording electronic information, and a first writing unit that writes an electronic exit record to the ticket; and a second ticket gate that is installed at the transfer station and is under the control of the second railway company, the second ticket gate having a second reading unit that reads the ticket record and a second writing unit that writes an electronic entrance record to the ticket. When the acquisition unit acquires the delay information, during entry and exit processing of the ticket, the first reading unit The first writing unit reads whether the ticket is an off-peak commuter pass issued by a railway company such as a tertiary institution or a railroad company, for which a commuter fare is applied when used during off-peak hours on weekdays, and if the ticket is the off-peak commuter pass, the first writing unit writes the delay information to the ticket along with the exit record, and if the ticket is the off-peak commuter pass and entry using the ticket was made during a peak time period at the transfer station, the second reading unit reads whether the delay information has been written to the ticket, and if the ticket is the off-peak commuter pass, entry was made during the peak time period, and the second writing unit writes the entry record to a time period that is the peak time period equivalent to the delay time that occurred on the line of the first railway company and that is postponed from the peak time period at the transfer station, if the ticket is the off-peak commuter pass, entry was made during the peak time period, and the delay information has been written to the ticket. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0006] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a station service system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of setting of peak time periods for each station under the jurisdiction of the station service system according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a part of a route map of J Railway and K Railway under the jurisdiction of the station service system according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an entrance / exit record written on an IC card by the ticket gate system according to the embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the operation of the entrance / exit process in the station service system group according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the operation of entrance / exit processing in the station service system group according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the operation of entrance / exit processing in the station service system group according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the operation of entrance / exit processing in the station service system group according to the embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the operation of the entrance / exit process in the station service system group according to the embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the operation of the entrance / exit process in the station service system group according to the embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a flow diagram illustrating an example of a procedure of an exit process by the ticket gate of the ticket gate system according to the embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a flow diagram illustrating an example of a procedure of an entrance process by the ticket gate of the ticket gate system according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0007] (Example of station service system configuration) Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a station service system group 1 according to an embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the station service system group 1 includes a plurality of station service systems 2 and 3 under the management of a plurality of railway companies. In this specification, the station service system group 1, which is a complex of the plurality of station service systems 2 and 3, may be simply referred to as a station service system.

[0008] The station service system 2 is owned by, for example, J Railway, which is an example of a railway company, and is used for various ticket gate operations under the management of J Railway. The station service system 2 includes a plurality of ticket gate systems 20 (20A, 20B, 20C, etc.) installed at each station on the J Railway line, and a central server 23 that manages these ticket gate systems 20. J Railway is an example of a second railway company, and K Electric Railway, described below, is an example of a first railway company.

[0009] For example, ticket gate system 20A installed at station A includes multiple ticket gates 21 (21a, 21b, etc.) and a station server 22 that manages these ticket gates 21. Station A is a transfer station between J Railway and K Electric Railway, another example of a railway company. The multiple ticket gates 21a, 21b, etc. all have the same configuration, for example. Ticket gate systems 20B, 20C, etc. installed at other stations such as station B, station C, etc. also have the same configuration as ticket gate system 20A.

[0010] In this specification, among the multiple ticket gate systems 20A, 20B, 20C, etc., the ticket gate system 20A will be taken as an example for detailed explanation. Also, among the multiple ticket gates 21a, 21b, etc. provided in the ticket gate system 20A, the ticket gate 21a will be taken as an example for detailed explanation. Hereinafter, unless otherwise specified, the ticket gate system 20A installed at station A will be simply referred to as the ticket gate system 20, and among the multiple ticket gates 21a, 21b, etc., the ticket gate 21a will be simply referred to as the ticket gate 21.

[0011] In one station, the ticket gates 21 and the station server 22 are connected to each other so that they can exchange information, for example, via a network NTj. Also, the ticket gates 21 and the station servers 22 at each station are connected to the central server 23 so that they can exchange information, for example, via a network NTJ.

[0012] The ticket gate 21 a includes a processing machine 210 , a card reader 213 , a card writer 214 , a communication I / F (interface) 215 , a display 216 , a gate driving mechanism 217 , and a sensor 218 .

[0013] The processing device 210 is configured as a computer equipped with, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a read only memory (ROM), and a random access memory (RAM), not shown, and manages and controls each part of the ticket gate 21a. In the processing device 210, the CPU expands a control program stored in the ROM into the RAM and executes it, thereby realizing functions related to the ticket gate operation, such as the control unit 211 and the acquisition unit 212.

[0014] The control unit 211 controls each part of the ticket gate 21a, such as the processing machine 210, the card reader 213, the card writer 214, the communication I / F 215, the display 216, the gate driving mechanism 217, and the sensor 218. The acquisition unit 212 acquires various information transmitted, for example, from the central server 23 or the station server 22. An example of the information transmitted from the station server 22 is delay information indicating that a delay has occurred on a J-Railroad line.

[0015] The card reader 213 reads electronic records written on IC (Integrated Circuit) card tickets, etc. Information read by the card reader 213 includes service information such as commuter passes or off-peak commuter passes attached to the IC card ticket, and current status information such as records of entry and exit at each station using the IC card ticket.

[0016] Here, an off-peak commuter pass is a commuter pass for which the commuter fare applies when used during off-peak hours on weekdays and the normal fare applies when used during peak hours. Peak hours are set for each of a number of stations, and whether or not use is during an off-peak hour is determined based on the peak hour set for the station entered using the off-peak commuter pass.

[0017] The card reader 213 of the ticket gate 21 of the J Railway is an example of a second reading unit.

[0018] The card writer 214 writes electronic records onto an IC card ticket or the like. Information written by the card writer 214 includes records of entry and exit at the station (Station A) using the IC card ticket. When the IC card ticket is an off-peak ticket, information as to whether or not entry occurred during an off-peak time period is also written into the entry record. When the IC card ticket is an off-peak ticket, delay information acquired by the acquisition unit 212 may also be written into the exit record. The card writer 214 of the J Railway ticket gate 21 is an example of a second writing unit.

[0019] The communication I / F 215 transmits and receives information to and from the central server 23 and the station server 22 via the networks NTJ and NTj, respectively.

[0020] The displays 216 are provided, for example, at both ends of the ticket gate 21a in the passing direction, and provide various information to users who enter or exit the station through the ticket gate 21a. Information provided to users includes, for example, the status of the ticket gate 21a (normal operation or out of order), the entry / exit processing status of the IC card ticket, and the remaining charge amount. The remaining charge amount of an IC card ticket is the unused amount that has been charged to the IC card ticket as transportation fare or the like, and is called SF (Stored Fare), etc.

[0021] The gate driving mechanism 217 opens and closes a gate (not shown) provided on the passage side of the ticket gate 21a. If there is a problem with the entry and exit process of an IC card ticket or the like, the gate driving mechanism 217 closes the gate on the passage side to block the passage and prohibit the user from passing through.

[0022] The sensor 218 detects a user passing through the passage of the ticket gate 21a. The sensor 218 is, for example, a non-contact reflective photoelectric sensor equipped with a light projector and a light receiver, and a plurality of sensors may be provided along the passage of the ticket gate 21a.

[0023] The station server 22 is configured as a computer including, for example, a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, etc. (not shown), and supports various station services including ticket gate operations by station staff, etc. As an example, the station server 22 may be a monitoring panel that monitors the ticket gates 21a, 21b, etc.

[0024] In the station server 22, various functions related to station services, such as a processing unit 221, an input unit 222, an output unit 223, and a communication I / F 224, are realized by the CPU expanding control programs stored in the ROM into the RAM and executing them.

[0025] The processing unit 221 controls each unit of the station server 22, such as the input unit 222, the output unit 223, and the communication I / F 224. The input unit 222 accepts information input by station staff or the like from input devices such as a keyboard and a mouse (not shown) provided in the station server 22. The output unit 223 outputs various information related to station work from output devices such as a monitor and a printer (not shown) provided in the station server 22. The communication I / F 224 transmits and receives information to and from the central server 23 and the ticket gates 21a, 21b, etc., via the networks NTJ and NTj, respectively.

[0026] As an example, when a delay occurs on a J Railway line, for example, a station staff member inputs delay information including the delay time, etc., into the station server 22 via the input unit 222, and the processing unit 221 of the station server 22 performs a process of transmitting the inputted delay information to each ticket gate 21a, 21b, etc. via the network NTj via the communication I / F 224.

[0027] The central server 23 is configured as a computer equipped with, for example, a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, etc. (not shown), and collects various statuses from the ticket gate systems 20A, 20B, 20C, etc. at each station including the ticket gates 21a, 21b, etc., and monitors these ticket gate systems 20. In the central server 23, for example, a control program stored in the ROM is expanded into the RAM by the CPU and executed, thereby realizing functions related to the monitoring work of the processing unit 231, the communication I / F 232, etc. The J Railway central server 23 is an example of a second central server, and the processing unit 231 equipped in the central server 23 is an example of the second processing unit.

[0028] The station service system 3 is owned by, for example, K Railways and is used for various ticket gate operations under the management of K Railways. The station service system 3 includes a plurality of ticket gate systems 30 (30A, 30M, 30N, etc.) installed at each station on the K Railways line, and a central server 33 that manages these ticket gate systems 30.

[0029] For example, a ticket gate system 30A installed at station A includes a plurality of ticket gates 31 (31a, 31b, etc.) and a station server 32 that manages these ticket gates 31. The plurality of ticket gates 31a, 31b, etc. all have, for example, the same configuration. Also, ticket gate systems 30M, 30N, etc. installed at other stations such as station M, station N, etc. also have the same configuration as the ticket gate system 30A.

[0030] In this specification, of the multiple ticket gate systems 30A, 30M, 30N, etc., the ticket gate system 30A will be taken as an example for detailed explanation. Also, of the multiple ticket gates 31a, 31b, etc., provided in the ticket gate system 30A, the ticket gate 31a will be taken as an example for detailed explanation. Hereinafter, unless otherwise specified, the ticket gate system 30A installed at station A will be simply referred to as the ticket gate system 30, and of the multiple ticket gates 31a, 31b, etc., the ticket gate 31a will be simply referred to as the ticket gate 31.

[0031] In one station, the ticket gates 31 and the station server 32 are connected to each other so that they can exchange information, for example, via a network NTk. Also, the ticket gates 31 and the station servers 32 in each station are connected to the central server 33 so that they can exchange information, for example, via a network NTK.

[0032] The ticket gate 31 a includes a processing unit 310 , a card reader 313 , a card writer 314 , a communication I / F 315 , a display 316 , a gate driving mechanism 317 , and a sensor 318 .

[0033] The processing device 310 is configured as a computer equipped with, for example, a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM (not shown), and manages and controls each part of the ticket gate 31a. In the processing device 310, the CPU expands a control program stored in the ROM into the RAM and executes it, thereby realizing functions related to the ticket gate operation, such as the control unit 311 and the acquisition unit 312.

[0034] The control unit 311 controls each part of the ticket gate 31a, such as the processing machine 310, the card reader 313, the card writer 314, the communication I / F 315, the display 316, the gate driving mechanism 317, and the sensor 318. The acquisition unit 312 acquires various information transmitted from, for example, the central server 33 or the station server 32. An example of the information transmitted from the station server 32 is delay information indicating that a delay has occurred on the K Electric Railway line.

[0035] The card reader 313 reads electronic records written on IC card tickets, etc. Information read by the card reader 313 includes service information such as commuter passes or off-peak commuter passes attached to the IC card ticket, and current status information such as records of entry and exit at each station using the IC card ticket. The card reader 313 of the ticket gate 31 of K Railways is an example of a first reading unit.

[0036] Card writer 314 writes electronic records onto IC card tickets and the like. Information written by card writer 314 includes records of entry and exit at the station (Station A) using the IC card ticket. When the IC card ticket is an off-peak ticket, information as to whether entry occurred during an off-peak time period is also written into the entry record. When the IC card ticket is an off-peak ticket, delay information acquired by acquisition unit 312 may also be written into the exit record. Card writer 314 of K Railway's ticket gate 31 is an example of a first writing unit.

[0037] The communication I / F 315 transmits and receives information to and from the central server 33 and the station server 32 via the networks NTK and NTk, respectively.

[0038] The displays 316 are provided, for example, at both ends of the ticket gate 31a in the passing direction, and provide various information to users who enter or exit the station through the ticket gate 31a. Information provided to users includes, for example, the status of the ticket gate 31a (normal operation or out of order), the entry / exit processing status of the IC card ticket, and the remaining charge (SF), etc.

[0039] The gate driving mechanism 317 opens and closes a gate (not shown) provided on the passage side of the ticket gate 31a. If there is a problem with the entry and exit process of an IC card ticket or the like, the gate driving mechanism 317 closes the gate on the passage side to block the passage and prohibit the user from passing through.

[0040] The sensor 318 detects a user passing through the passage of the ticket gate 31a. The sensor 318 is, for example, a non-contact reflective photoelectric sensor equipped with a light projector and a light receiver, similar to the sensor 218 equipped in the above-mentioned ticket gate 21a, etc., and a plurality of sensors may be provided along the passage of the ticket gate 31a.

[0041] The station server 32 is configured as a computer equipped with, for example, a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc. (not shown), and supports various station services including ticket gate operations by station staff, etc. As an example, the station server 32 may be a monitoring panel that monitors the ticket gates 31a, 31b, etc. The station server 32 of K Electric Railway is an example of a station service server that performs these station service processes.

[0042] In the station server 32, various functions related to station operations, such as a processing unit 321, an input unit 322, an output unit 323, and a communication I / F 324, are realized by the CPU expanding control programs stored in the ROM into the RAM and executing them.

[0043] The processing unit 321 controls each unit of the station server 32, such as the input unit 322, the output unit 323, and the communication I / F 324. The input unit 322 accepts information input by station staff or the like from input devices such as a keyboard and a mouse (not shown) provided in the station server 32. The output unit 323 outputs various information related to station work from output devices such as a monitor and a printer (not shown) provided in the station server 32. The communication I / F 324 transmits and receives information to and from the central server 33 and the ticket gates 31a, 31b, etc., via the networks NTK and NTk.

[0044] As an example, when a delay occurs on a K Railway line, for example, a station staff member inputs delay information including the delay time, etc., into the station server 32 via the input unit 322, and the processing unit 321 of the station server 32 transmits the input delay information to each ticket gate 31a, 31b, etc. via the network NTk via the communication I / F 324.

[0045] The central server 33 is configured as a computer equipped with, for example, a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, etc. (not shown), and collects various statuses from the ticket gate systems 30A, 30M, 30N, etc. at each station including the ticket gates 31a, 31b, etc., and monitors these ticket gate systems 30. In the central server 33, for example, a control program stored in the ROM is expanded into the RAM by the CPU and executed, thereby realizing functions related to the monitoring work of the processing unit 331 and the communication I / F 332, etc. The central server 33 of K Railways is an example of a first central server, and the processing unit 331 equipped in the central server 33 is an example of a first processing unit.

[0046] (Example of station service system operation) Next, an example of the operation of ticket gate processing in the station service system group 1 of the embodiment will be described with reference to Figs.

[0047] In the embodiment, the off-peak commuter pass is a service provided by J Railway, one of the railway companies such as J Railway and K Electric Railway. When using the off-peak commuter pass, the commuter fare or the regular fare is applied depending on whether the entry time at the entry station is within the peak time period at the entry station, regardless of whether the entry station is within the regular section of the off-peak commuter pass. Figure 2 shows an example of the setting of the peak time period at each station of J Railway.

[0048] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of setting of peak time periods for each station under the jurisdiction of the station service system 2 according to the embodiment.

[0049] As shown in Fig. 2, J Railway's line includes multiple stations such as Station A, Station B, Station C, Station D, Station E, etc. A peak time period including a peak start time and a peak end time is set for each of Stations A to E. In the example of Fig. 2, for example, if an off-peak commuter pass is used to enter from Station B at 7:00 on a weekday, the trip will be considered as an off-peak time period, and the commuter fare will apply. Also, if an off-peak commuter pass is used to enter from Station B at 8:00 on a weekday, the trip will be considered as a peak time period, and the regular fare will apply.

[0050] As described above, in the example embodiment, Station A is a transfer station between J Railway and K Railway. An example of a route map of J Railway and K Railway is shown in FIG.

[0051] Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a portion of the route maps of J Railway and K Railway under the jurisdiction of station service systems 2 and 3 according to the embodiment. In the example of Fig. 3, the J Railway line includes stations A, B, C, etc., and the K Railway line includes stations L, M, A, N, etc. Here, station A is a transfer station between J Railway and K Railway, as described above.

[0052] In the following, we will use as an example an IC card ticket with a commuter pass that includes the section from K Railway Station M to J Railway Station C via A Station. In this case, it is assumed that an off-peak commuter pass is attached to the section from J Railway Station A to C Station, which is included in the commuter pass from M Station to C Station.

[0053] Based on Figures 2 and 3 above, an example of the record that will be held by an IC card ticket when a user of J Railway and K Railway uses the above IC card ticket to travel from Station M to Station C is shown below.

[0054] 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an entry / exit record written on an IC card ticket by the ticket gate systems 20 and 30 according to the embodiment. Fig. 4(a) and Fig. 4(b) show examples of entry and exit using an IC card ticket in different time periods.

[0055] As shown in Figures 4(a) and 4(b), in an IC card ticket with an attached service such as an off-peak commuter pass, the service contents attached to the IC card ticket are recorded in advance in addition to the contents recorded at the time of entry and exit processing. For example, the commuter period and commuter section, and if the IC card ticket is an off-peak commuter pass, the fact that it is an off-peak commuter pass and the commuter section of the off-peak commuter pass are recorded as the service contents.

[0056] In the example shown in Fig. 4(a), it is assumed that a user enters station M at 6 o'clock using such an IC card ticket. In this case, when the user passes through a ticket gate 31 included in the ticket gate system 30M at station M using the IC card ticket, the card reader 313 of the ticket gate 31 reads records such as the commuter pass period, commuter pass section, and off-peak commuter pass from the IC card ticket. In addition, the card writer 314 of the ticket gate 31 at station M writes on the IC card ticket that the entry station is station M, that this is a commuter pass, and that the entry time is 6 o'clock.

[0057] When a user arrives at K Railway Station A and passes through ticket gate 31 included in ticket gate system 30A at Station A and exits at 6:30, card reader 313 of ticket gate 31 at Station A reads service information such as off-peak commuter passes, and entry records at Station M from the IC card ticket. Card writer 314 of ticket gate 31 at Station A writes on the IC card ticket information such as that the exit station is Station A and that the exit time is 6:30. According to the entry record at Station M, the user has traveled within the commuter pass section, so the regular fare, etc. is not deducted from the charge balance (SF) of the IC card ticket.

[0058] When a user who exits from K Railway Station A enters J Railway Station A at 6:40 through ticket gate 21 included in ticket gate system 20A, card reader 213 of ticket gate 21 at A Station reads service information such as off-peak commuter passes and the exit record at K Railway Station A from the IC card ticket. Also, card writer 214 of ticket gate 21 at A Station writes information such as that the entry station is A Station and that the entry time is 6:40 on the IC card ticket.

[0059] 2, the peak hours at Station A are between 7:00 and 8:00. Therefore, entry at 6:40 is during the off-peak hours, and the card writer 214 of the ticket gate 21 at Station A also writes on the IC card ticket that the entry at Station A is a scheduled entry.

[0060] When a user arrives at J Railway Station C and passes through ticket gate 21 included in ticket gate system 20C at Station C and exits at 7:10, card reader 213 of ticket gate 21 at Station C reads service information such as off-peak commuter passes, and entry records at Station A from the IC card ticket. Card writer 214 of ticket gate 21 at Station C writes onto the IC card ticket information such as that the exit station is Station C and that the exit time is 7:10. According to the entry record at Station A, the user travels within the commuter pass section and during the off-peak hours, so the regular fare is not deducted from the remaining charge (SF) on the IC card ticket.

[0061] Although IC cards also have a space for writing delay information, in the example shown in Figure 4(a), no delay information is written and the delay time in the delay information is 0 minutes for entering and exiting all stations.

[0062] In the example shown in Fig. 4(b), when a user enters at 7 o'clock through a ticket gate 31 included in the ticket gate system 30M of Station M, the card reader 313 of the ticket gate 31 reads the record of service information such as an off-peak commuter pass from the IC card ticket. In addition, the card writer 314 of the ticket gate 31 of Station M writes on the IC card ticket that the entry station is Station M, that this is a commuter pass, and that the entry time is 7 o'clock.

[0063] In addition, when a user arrives at K Railway Station A and passes through the ticket gate 31 included in the ticket gate system 30A at Station A to exit at 7:30, the card reader 313 of the ticket gate 31 at Station A reads service information such as off-peak commuter passes, and the entry record at Station M, from the IC card ticket. The card writer 314 of the ticket gate 31 at Station A writes onto the IC card ticket information such as that the exit station is Station A and that the exit time is 7:30. In this case, too, because this is a commuter pass, the regular fare, etc. is not deducted from the charge balance (SF) on the IC card ticket.

[0064] When a user who exits from K Railway Station A enters J Railway Station A at 7:40 through ticket gate 21 included in ticket gate system 20A, card reader 213 of ticket gate 21 at A Station reads service information such as off-peak commuter passes and exit records at K Railway Station A from the IC card ticket. Card writer 214 of ticket gate 21 at A Station writes information such as that the entry station is A Station and that the entry time is 7:40 on the IC card ticket.

[0065] In this case, since the entry at 7:40 is during the peak hours, a record of SF entry is also written on the IC card ticket, indicating that the entry at Station A is not applicable to the commuter pass, i.e., that the normal fare applies. If the entry at a specified station using an off-peak commuter pass is during the peak hours, as will be described in detail later, it is also checked whether or not the IC card ticket has any delay information recorded. In the example shown in Figure 4(b), since there is no delay information recorded, it is written that it is an SF entry.

[0066] When a user arrives at J Railway Station C and passes through ticket gate 21 included in ticket gate system 20C at Station C and exits at 8:10, card reader 213 of ticket gate 21 at Station C reads service information such as off-peak commuter passes, and entry records at Station A from the IC card ticket. Card writer 214 of ticket gate 21 at Station C writes on the IC card ticket information such as that the exit station is Station C and that the exit time is 8:10. According to the entry record at Station A, although the user traveled within the commuter pass section, the user traveled during peak hours, so the regular fare is deducted from the remaining charge (SF) on the IC card ticket.

[0067] As shown in Figure 3 above, when transferring from a line where off-peak commuter passes are not applicable to another line where off-peak commuter passes are applicable, a problem arises as to how to handle the situation when a delay occurs on one of the lines. Below, we will explain how to handle the situation when a user who departs from K Railway Station M so that their entry time at J Railway Station A falls into an off-peak period ends up entering J Railway Station A during a peak period due to a delay on K Railway.

[0068] 5 to 10 are schematic diagrams showing an example of the operation of the entrance / exit process in the station service system group 1 according to the embodiment.

[0069] As shown in Fig. 5, it is assumed that a user uses the above IC card ticket to enter K Railway's M Station at 6 o'clock through the ticket gate 31. The card reader 313 of the ticket gate 31 at M Station reads the record on the IC card ticket, and the card writer 314 writes the entry record at M Station onto the IC card ticket.

[0070] Meanwhile, suppose a delay occurs on the K Railways line. A delay on the K Railways line is a timing that may affect the use of the K Railways line from Station M to Station A. In other words, this applies when a delay has already occurred when a user enters Station M, or when a delay occurs between entering Station M and exiting Station A of the K Railways line.

[0071] As shown in FIG. 6, at station A of K Railway, a station staff member inputs delay information to station server 32 included in ticket gate system 30A of station A. The delay information includes at least information on the delay time that occurred on the K Railway line. Here, it is assumed that a delay of 60 minutes occurred. Station server 32 of station A notifies ticket gates 31a, 31b, etc. installed at station A of the delay information input by the station staff. It is assumed that ticket gates 31a, 31b, etc. obtain the delay information at least before a user exits station A of K Railway.

[0072] As shown in Fig. 7, assume that a user who arrives at K Railway Station A passes through the ticket gate 31 at Station A and exits at 7:30. At this time, the card reader 313 of the ticket gate 31 at Station A reads the entry record and the like from the IC card ticket, and the card writer 314 writes the exit record at Station A onto the IC card ticket together with delay information obtained from the station server 32. An example of the contents written onto the IC card ticket is shown in Fig. 8.

[0073] As shown in Figure 8, the departure record for K Railway Station A contains delay information including the fact that the departure station is K Railway Station A, the departure time is 7:30, and that a 60-minute delay has occurred.

[0074] As shown in Fig. 9, it is assumed that a user who exits from Station A of K Railway passes through ticket gate 21 installed at Station A of J Railway and enters at 7:40. According to Fig. 2 above, entry at 7:40 would normally be during peak hours.

[0075] However, the card reader 213 of the ticket gate 21 at Station A reads that delay time information has been written on this IC card ticket. When the card reader 213 reads the record of the delay information, the control unit 211 of the ticket gate 21 postpones the peak time period at Station A by the delay time included in the delay information. Furthermore, the control unit 211 determines whether the entry record to be written on the IC card ticket will be SF entry or scheduled entry, based on whether the entry time at Station A using the IC card ticket is within the postponed peak time period.

[0076] If the peak time period set for Station A from 7:00 to 8:00 is delayed by 60 minutes, the delay time indicated in the delay information, the delayed peak time period becomes 8:00 to 9:00. Therefore, the card writer 214 writes the entry into Station A at 7:40 as a regular entry in the entry record. An example of what is written to the IC card is shown in Figure 10.

[0077] As shown in FIG. 10, the entry record for J Railway Station A indicates that the entry station is J Railway Station A, the entry time is 7:40, and the entry at A Station is a regular entry.

[0078] After that, when a user arrives at station C and passes through the ticket gate 21 at station C to exit, the card reader 213 of the ticket gate 21 reads the entry record at station A written on the IC card ticket, and the exit process is performed without deducting the regular fare, etc. from the charge balance (SF) of the IC card ticket.

[0079] This completes the entry / exit processing operation in the station service system group 1 of the embodiment.

[0080] (Example of station service system processing) Next, an example of a ticket gate process in the ticket gate systems 20 and 30 of the embodiment will be described with reference to Figs.

[0081] 11 is a flow diagram showing an example of the procedure of the exit process by the ticket gate 31 of the ticket gate system 30 according to the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 11, the card reader 313 of the ticket gate 31 installed at the exit station in the transfer station reads the record of the IC card ticket (step S101).

[0082] The control unit 311 of the ticket gate 31 judges whether the entrance process at the entrance station was performed normally or not based on the record read by the card reader 313 (step S102). If the entrance process was not performed normally, such as when there was an improper writing in the entrance record at the entrance station (step S102: No), the control unit 311 causes the exit process at the ticket gate 31 to end with an error (step S107). In this case, for example, the above-mentioned gate drive mechanism 317 drives the gate to block the passage of the ticket gate 31, and the display 316 of the ticket gate 31 displays the fact that the exit process ended with an error, etc.

[0083] If the entry process was performed normally (step S102: Yes), the control unit 311 determines whether or not an off-peak commuter pass is attached to the IC card ticket based on the record read by the card reader 313 (step S103).

[0084] If the IC card ticket is an off-peak commuter pass (step S103: Yes), the control unit 311 checks whether the acquisition unit 312 has acquired delay information from the station server 32 (step S104). If the acquisition unit 312 has acquired delay information (step S104: Yes), the control unit 311 causes the card writer 314 to write the delay information onto the IC card ticket (step S105), and also writes an exit record such as the exit station and the exit time (step S106).

[0085] If the IC card ticket is not an off-peak commuter pass (step S103: No), or if the acquisition unit 312 has not acquired delay information (step S104: No), the control unit 311 skips the processing of step S105, and causes the card writer 314 to write exit records such as the exit station and exit time onto the IC card ticket (step S106).

[0086] This completes the exit process by the ticket gate 31 of this embodiment.

[0087] 12 is a flow diagram showing an example of a procedure of an entrance process by the ticket gate 21 of the ticket gate system 20 according to the embodiment. As shown in FIG 12, the card reader 213 of the ticket gate 21 installed at the entrance station in the transfer station reads the record of the IC card ticket (step S201).

[0088] The control unit 211 of the ticket gate 21 judges whether or not a commuter pass is attached to the IC card ticket based on the record read by the card reader 213 (step S202). If the IC card ticket is not a commuter pass (step S202: No), the control unit 211 causes the card writer 214 of the ticket gate 21 to write the SF admission record to the IC card ticket (step S206).

[0089] If the IC card ticket is a commuter pass (step S202: Yes), the control unit 211 further judges whether the IC card ticket is an off-peak commuter pass (step S203).If the IC card ticket is a regular commuter pass that does not limit the time of use (step S203: No), the control unit 311 causes the card writer 214 to write the commuter admission record to the IC card ticket (step S209).

[0090] If the IC card ticket is an off-peak commuter pass (step S203: Yes), the control unit 211 judges whether the entry with the IC card ticket was during a peak time period (step S204). If the entry was not during a peak time period (step S204: No), the control unit 211 causes the card writer 214 to write a commuter pass record onto the IC card ticket (step S209).

[0091] If the entry using the IC card ticket was during a peak time period (step S204: Yes), the control unit 211 judges whether or not delay information has been written on the IC card ticket (step S205).If no delay information has been written on the IC card ticket (step S205: No), the control unit 211 causes the card writer 214 to write an SF entry record on the IC card ticket (step S206).

[0092] On the other hand, if delay information has been written on the IC card ticket (step S205: Yes), the control unit 211 postpones the peak time period of the transfer station, which is the entrance station, by the delay time included in the delay information (step S207), and judges whether the entry using the IC card ticket is within the postponed peak time period (step S208).If the entry using the IC card ticket is still within the postponed peak time period (step S208: Yes), the control unit 211 causes the card writer 214 to write the SF entry record on the IC card ticket (step S206).

[0093] If the entry using the IC card falls outside the postponed peak time period (step S208: No), the control unit 211 causes the card writer 214 to write the regular entry record onto the IC card (step S209).

[0094] This completes the entrance process by the ticket gate 21 of the embodiment.

[0095] (Overview) Discount off-peak commuter passes are available for sale, which apply to commuter fares when used during off-peak hours on weekdays. Currently, off-peak commuter passes are only offered by certain railway companies, and there are cases where an IC card with an off-peak commuter pass is used to transfer from a line of a railway company that does not offer off-peak commuter passes to a line of a railway company that does. In this case, if a delay occurs on the line of a railway company that does not offer off-peak commuter passes, it is possible that the user will enter during peak hours against their will when transferring to a line of a railway company that does offer off-peak commuter passes. Currently, there are no measures in the station system to provide relief in such cases, allowing users to use the train during off-peak hours.

[0096] According to the station service system group 1 of the embodiment, when the acquisition unit 312 provided in the ticket gate 31 of K Railway installed at a transfer station acquires delay information, when processing the entry and exit of the IC card ticket, if the IC card ticket is an off-peak commuter pass, the card writer 314 of the ticket gate 31 writes the delay information together with the exit record onto the IC card ticket. This allows the ticket gate 21 of J Railway to read that a delay has occurred on the K Railway line.

[0097] According to the station service system group 1 of the embodiment, when the IC card ticket is an off-peak commuter pass, the ticket gate 21 of J Railway installed at the transfer station enters during the peak time period at the transfer station and delay information is written on the IC card ticket, the card writer 214 writes the entry record as the peak time period, which is the time period that is the delay time that occurred on the K Railway line and the peak time period at the transfer station. This allows the commuter fare to be correctly applied when entry occurs during the peak time period due to a delay on another line.

[0098] According to the station service system group 1 of the embodiment, the station server 32 under the management of K Railways has an input unit 322 that can input delay information including delay time information, and a processing unit 321 that performs processing to notify the ticket gate 31 of the delay information. This makes it possible to notify the ticket gate 31 of information related to a delay occurring on the line, and to write the delay information on the IC card ticket when the ticket gate 31 processes the exit.

[0099] In the above embodiment, the ticket gate 31 of K Railway and the ticket gate 21 of J Railway have the same functions. However, each of these ticket gates 21, 31 may have only the necessary functions. As an example, if the ticket gate 31 of K Railway, which does not offer off-peak commuter passes, has the function of acquiring delay information and writing it on an IC card ticket, the ticket gate 21 of J Railway, which offers off-peak commuter passes, does not need to have the function of acquiring delay information and writing it on an IC card ticket, and it is sufficient if it has the function of only reading delay information.

[0100] In the above embodiment, the K Railway station server 32 notifies each ticket gate 31 of the delay information. However, the delay information may be notified to each ticket gate 31 from, for example, the K Railway central server 33. In this case, the central server 23 may notify each ticket gate 31 of the delay information input by a K Railway employee, or the central server 33 may generate delay information based on information collected from the ticket gate system 30 of each station and notify each ticket gate 31 of the delay information.

[0101] Alternatively, K Railway's central server 33 and J Railway's central server 23 may be connected via a network or the like so that they can send and receive information to each other, and delay information for K Railway may be notified to each ticket gate 21 of J Railway via the central servers 33, 23.

[0102] In this case, the central server 33 may generate delay information indicating that a delay has occurred on the K Railway line as the first delay information, and may also generate delay information including the delay time on the K Railway line as the second delay information.

[0103] In addition, the central server 33 may notify the K Railway ticket gate 31 of delay information indicating that a delay has occurred on the K Railway line, and during exit processing, the ticket gate 31 may write delay information such as a delay flag indicating that a delay has occurred on the K Railway line onto the IC card ticket.

[0104] Furthermore, the central server 33 may notify the J Railway central server 23 of delay information including the delay time on the K Railway lines, and the central server 23 may notify the J Railway ticket gate 21 of the delay information including the delay time. When delay information such as a delay flag has been written in the exit record of the IC card ticket, the J Railway ticket gate 21 can write the entrance record in the IC card ticket by postponing the peak time period by the delay time of the delay information acquired via the central servers 33, 23.

[0105] In the above embodiment, the station service system group 1 processes IC card tickets. However, the station service system group 1 may be capable of performing ticket examination processing on two-dimensional code tickets that hold electronic records by two-dimensional codes instead of or in addition to IC card tickets, and may be capable of performing ticket examination processing on magnetic card tickets that hold electronic records by magnetism.

[0106] A two-dimensional code ticket has records such as an ID number (Identification Number) that can uniquely identify the two-dimensional code ticket. When processing two-dimensional code tickets, the station service system group 1 can include a server or the like that stores information linked to the ID number, such as that shown in Fig. 4. The ticket gates 21, 31 at each station can directly or indirectly access these servers based on the read ID and obtain information required for entry and exit processing.

[0107] Also, magnetic card tickets usually do not have a charge balance (SF). When the station service system group 1 processes magnetic card tickets and collects regular fares from users of the magnetic card tickets, the station service system group 1 can provide users with information about how to settle their fares using fare adjustment machines or the like installed at each station.

[0108] Although some embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents described in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0109] 1 Station service systems 2,3 Station service system 21,31 Ticket gate 22,32 Station Server, 23,33 Central Server 211,311 Control section 212,312 Acquisition Department 213,313 Card Reader 214,314 Card writer 221,321 Processing section 222,322 Input section 231,331 Processing section

Claims

1. A ticket gate installed at a transfer station where a transfer from a line of a first railway company to a line of a second railway company is possible and under the control of the first railway company, an acquisition unit that acquires delay information when a delay occurs on a line of the first railway company; a first reader for reading a record of a ticket capable of recording electronic information; a first ticket gate having a first writing unit that writes an electronic attendance record onto the ticket; A ticket gate installed at the transfer station and under the control of the second railway company, A second reader that reads the record of the ticket; a second writing unit that writes an electronic admission record onto the passenger ticket; and a second ticket gate having the second writing unit, When the acquisition unit acquires the delay information, during the entry and exit process of the ticket, The first reading unit reads whether the ticket is an off-peak commuter pass issued by the second railway company and to which a commuter fare is applied when used during off-peak hours on weekdays, the first writing unit, when the ticket is the off-peak commuter pass, writes the delay information together with the entry record onto the ticket; the second reading unit, when the ticket is the off-peak commuter pass and entry using the ticket is made during a peak time period at the transfer station, reads whether or not the delay information is written on the ticket; the second writing unit, when the ticket is the off-peak commuter pass, the entry is during the peak time period, and the delay information is written in the ticket, writes the entry record with a peak time period corresponding to a delay time occurring on the line of the first railway company and a time period obtained by delaying the peak time period at the transfer station, Station service system.

2. The second writing unit includes: Even if the ticket is an off-peak commuter pass and the entry is during a peak time period at the transfer station, if the delay information is written on the ticket and the entry time based on the ticket is outside the peak time period delayed by the delay time, the entry record is written as if the entry was during the off-peak time period. A station service system according to claim 1.

3. A station service server is installed at the transfer station and is under the control of the first railway company. The station service server includes: an input unit capable of inputting the delay information including information on the delay time; A processing unit that notifies the first ticket gate of the delay information. A station service system according to claim 1.

4. A central server that monitors the status of each station of the first railway company, including the transfer station, is further provided; The central server comprises: a processing unit that generates the delay information including information on the delay time based on the information collected from each station, and notifies the first ticket gate of the generated delay information; A station service system according to claim 1.

5. A central server that monitors the status of each station of the first railway company, including the transfer station, a first central server having a first processing unit that performs processing to generate the delay information based on information collected from each station of the first railway company; A central server that monitors the status of each station of the second railway company, including the transfer station, a second central server having a second processing unit that performs a process of notifying the second ticket gate of the delay information acquired from the first central server; The first processing unit includes: First delay information indicating that a delay has occurred on a line of the first railway company; and and second delay information including information on the delay time. notifying the first ticket gate of the first delay information; notifying the second central server of the second delay information; The first writing unit includes: If the ticket is an off-peak commuter pass, write the first delay information on the ticket together with the entry record; The second writing unit includes: When the ticket is an off-peak commuter pass, the entry occurs during a peak time period at the transfer station, and the first delay information is written on the ticket, the entry record is written with a peak time period being a time period obtained by delaying the peak time period at the transfer station by the amount of the delay time included in the second delay information notified to the second central server. A station service system according to claim 1.

6. A ticket gate installed at a transfer station where a transfer from a line of a first railway company to a line of a second railway company is possible and under the control of the first railway company, an acquisition unit that acquires delay information when a delay occurs on a line of the first railway company; a first reader for reading a record of a ticket capable of recording electronic information; a first ticket gate having a first writing unit that writes an electronic attendance record onto the ticket; A ticket gate installed at the transfer station and under the control of the second railway company, A second reader that reads the record of the ticket; A station service method using a station service system including a second ticket gate having a second writing unit that writes an electronic entry record onto the passenger ticket, When the acquisition unit acquires the delay information, during the entry and exit process of the ticket, The first reading unit reads whether the ticket is an off-peak commuter pass issued by the second railway company and to which a commuter fare is applied when used during off-peak hours on weekdays; When the ticket is an off-peak commuter pass, the first writing unit writes the delay information together with the entry record onto the ticket; When the ticket is an off-peak commuter pass and entry using the ticket is made during a peak time period at the transfer station, the second reading unit reads whether or not the delay information is written on the ticket; When the ticket is an off-peak commuter pass, the entry is during the peak time period, and the delay information is written on the ticket, the second writing unit writes the entry record by setting the peak time period to a time period that is a delay time that has occurred on the line of the first railway company and a time period that is a postponement of the peak time period at the transfer station. Station service method.

7. a first computer that is installed at a transfer station where transfer is possible from a line of a first railway company to a line of a second railway company and functions as a ticket gate under the control of the first railway company; acquiring delay information when a delay occurs on a line of the first railway company; Reading the record of a ticket capable of recording electronic information; Write an electronic record of attendance on said ticket; A second computer that is installed at the transfer station and functions as a ticket gate under the control of the second railway company, Reading the record of said ticket; A program for writing an electronic admission record to the ticket, When the first computer acquires the delay information, during the entry and exit process of the ticket, The first computer, read whether the ticket is an off-peak commuter pass issued by the second railway company and to which a commuter fare is applicable when used during off-peak hours on weekdays; If the ticket is an off-peak commuter pass, the delay information is written on the ticket together with the entry record; The second computer, When the ticket is an off-peak commuter pass and entry using the ticket is made during a peak time period at the transfer station, reading whether or not the delay information is written on the ticket; When the ticket is an off-peak commuter pass, the entry is during the peak time period, and the delay information is written in the ticket, the entry record is written with a peak time period corresponding to the delay time occurring on the line of the first railway company and a time period obtained by delaying the peak time period at the transfer station. program.

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