Automatic ticket gate system, automatic ticket gate machine, server device, automatic ticket gate method, and automatic ticket gate program

Abstract

To reliably generate aggregate data different by business operator that a passenger passed through during a communication failure that occurred between a server device and an automatic ticket gate machine.SOLUTION: A thin-client automatic ticket gate system is configured to: transmits, by an automatic ticket gate machine, to a server device, information stored in a storage medium in the ticket gate machine after recovery of communication with the server device; perform, by the server device, admittance determination based on the received information, and calculate (re-determine) the amount of fare which should have been subtracted during a communication failure; subtract the calculated amount of fare when a user who has passed through the gate during the communication failure enters any station through an automatic ticket gate machine on or after the next day; and generate aggregate data different by business operator, such as the number of users (passengers) who have passed through ticket gates during the communication failure, boarding / alighting station information, and the amount of fare, when a railway company of the station where the user passed through during the communication failure is different from a railway company of the station where the subtraction is performed on or after the next day.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The embodiments relate to an automatic ticket gate system, an automatic ticket gate, a server device, an automatic ticket gate method, and an automatic ticket gate program. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, the introduction of a thin-client type automated ticket gate system for railway businesses (businesses that operate trains) in which a higher-level device centrally manages multiple lower-level devices has been considered. In the thin-client type, for example, an automated ticket gate (lower-level device) installed at a station acquires information stored in an IC (Integrated Circuit) card that a railway user presents when passing through, and transmits the acquired information to a server device (higher level). The server device determines whether or not to allow the user to pass through (i.e., whether or not to permit the user to enter or exit the station) based on the information transmitted from the automated ticket gate, and transmits the determination result to the automated ticket gate. The automated ticket gate performs an operation such as allowing the user to pass through based on the determination result transmitted from the server device.

[0003] In such a thin-client type automated ticket gate system, there is no need to provide a mechanism for determining whether or not to allow a user to pass on the automated ticket gate side, which has the advantage of reducing the maintenance costs of the automated ticket gate. However, when a communication failure occurs between the server device and the automated ticket gate, the server device is unable to determine whether or not to allow a user to pass, and so there is a need to solve various problems that accompany the communication failure. One of the problems is that it becomes difficult to create aggregate data that differs for each operator, such as the number of users who passed through during the communication failure, boarding and alighting station information, and settlement amounts, so measures to address this problem are being considered. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-182262 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] As described above, in conventional automated ticket gates, the aggregated data is created on the ticket gate side, so if the railway operator that passed through during the communication failure is different from the railway operator on the following day, the ticket gate does not know which operator passed through during the failure, making it difficult to create the aggregated data. Furthermore, in conventional automated ticket gate systems, when a communication failure occurs between the server device and the automated ticket gate when a thin-client type is introduced, it becomes difficult to create aggregated data that differs for each operator, such as the number of users who passed through during the communication failure, boarding and alighting station information, and settlement amounts.

[0006] The objective of the embodiments is to provide an automatic ticket gate system, an automatic ticket gate, a server device, an automatic ticket gate method, and an automatic ticket gate program in a thin client type that can reliably create different aggregated data for each operator that passed through during a communication failure between a server device and an automatic ticket gate. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to one embodiment, the automated ticket gate system is applied to a thin-client type automated ticket gate system in which an automated ticket gate installed at a station acquires retained information from an information storage medium presented by a railway user when passing through and transmits the acquired information to a server device, the server device judges whether the railway user can pass through based on the information transmitted from the automated ticket gate and transmits the judgment result to the automated ticket gate, and the automated ticket gate permits or denies the passage of the railway user based on the judgment result transmitted from the server device. When a communication failure occurs between the automated ticket gate and the server device, the automated ticket gate judges by itself whether the railway user can pass through and allows the railway user who is judged to be permitted to pass through, stores communication failure information including user information that passed through during the communication failure and boarding and alighting station information, and transmits the communication failure information to the server device after the communication failure is restored. After the communication failure is restored, the server device collects communication failure information from the automated ticket gate, re-evaluates the settlement amount during the communication failure, creates provisional summary data for each railway operator based on the results of the re-evaluation of the settlement amount, and confirms the summary data after the settlement amount is processed, and outputs it to the railway operator's summary system.

[0008] Furthermore, when a railway user who passed through while the communication failure was occurring presents the information storage medium after the communication failure is restored, the automatic ticket gate writes the settlement amount during the communication failure, obtained by re-evaluation by the server device, into the information storage medium and sends a notification of completion of the writing to the server device.

[0009] The server device receives the writing completion notification from the automated ticket gate, and confirms the provisionally created aggregation data in the re-evaluation after the communication failure is recovered based on the writing results, and transmits the data to the aggregation system of each railway operator. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing a network configuration of an automatic ticket gate system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the server device illustrated in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the automatic ticket gate shown in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the server device and the automatic ticket gate of the system shown in FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram showing a state in which no communication failure occurs and normal communication is performed in the system shown in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram showing the processing operations performed when a communication failure occurs between the server device and the automated ticket gate in the system shown in FIG. 1, and the processing operations performed after communication is restored. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a list of main stored data (tanking data) when passing through an obstacle in the automatic ticket gate of the system shown in FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing a flow of creating provisionally compiled data during the re-determination process of the server device of the system shown in FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of write process data (re-determination result) at the time of later entry in the server device of the system shown in FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing post-processing in the server device shown in FIG. 1 when a fare settlement is completed after passing through any of the automated ticket gates when a communication failure occurs. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of provisionally compiled data generated by the re-determination of the server device shown in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the disclosure is merely an example, and the invention is not limited to the contents described in the following embodiments. Modifications that a person skilled in the art can easily conceive are naturally included in the scope of the disclosure. In order to make the explanation clearer, the size, shape, etc. of each part may be changed from the actual embodiment and shown diagrammatically. In multiple drawings, corresponding elements may be given the same reference numerals, and detailed explanations may be omitted.

[0012] The automatic ticket gate system of this embodiment is used, for example, by railway operators that operate trains (electric trains), and has the function of managing the purchase of tickets by users of the trains, as well as the entry or exit of such users to or from stations, and adopts a thin-client type.

[0013] In a thin-client type automated ticket gate system (hereinafter referred to as a thin-client type ticket gate system), if a communication failure occurs between the server device and the automated ticket gate, the server device will not be able to determine whether or not to let the user pass. In this case, it is possible to allow the user to pass through the automated ticket gate unconditionally, but it is anticipated that the railway operator will not be able to collect the fare that should have been collected. Therefore, the mechanism for determining whether or not to let the user pass is partially left on the automated ticket gate side, making it possible to reliably create aggregate data that differs for each operator, such as the number of users who passed during the communication failure, departure and arrival station information, and settlement amounts, which are issues that arise when a communication failure occurs.

[0014] That is, in the thin-client type ticket gate system of this embodiment, the automatic ticket gate is provided with a function for determining whether or not a user can pass through, and the automatic ticket gate performs a determination to the extent possible to allow the user to pass through. At that time, the automatic ticket gate records the fact that the user passed through during the failure (failure log) on ​​the IC card (the same applies to other IC media, information storage media such as smartphones that handle user information and passenger ticket information, hereinafter collectively referred to as IC card) held by the user, and stores information required for the pass / fail determination in a storage medium within the ticket gate. After communication with the upper server device is restored, the automatic ticket gate transmits the information stored in the storage medium within the ticket gate to the server device. The server device performs a pass / fail determination based on the received information, and calculates the settlement amount that was to be deducted during the communication failure (re-determination). When the user who passed through during the communication failure enters at an automatic ticket gate at any station on the next day or later, the calculated settlement amount is deducted. Furthermore, when the railway operator of the station where a user passed through during the communications outage is different from the railway operator of the station where the user left the next day or later, it becomes possible to create different aggregated data for each operator, such as the number of users (passengers) who passed through during the communications outage, boarding and alighting station information, and settlement amounts, which was previously difficult to do.

[0015] Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a network configuration of a thin-client type ticket gate system 1 according to this embodiment. The system 1 shown in Fig. 1 includes an information terminal device 10, a server device 20, and an automatic ticket gate 30. The information terminal device 10, the server device 20, and the automatic ticket gate 30 are communicatively connected via a network 40. A tallying system 50 for each railway operator is also communicatively connected to the network 40.

[0016] The information terminal device 10 is a terminal device used by a pre-registered user, and includes, for example, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a personal computer, etc. The user can purchase the above-mentioned ticket by operating the information terminal device 10.

[0017] For convenience, one information terminal device 10 is shown in FIG. 1, but in the case where there are multiple pre-registered users, the system 1 of this embodiment may include multiple information terminal devices 10 used by each of the multiple users.

[0018] The server device 20 manages various information such as information about the user (hereinafter referred to as user information) and information about the ticket purchased by the user (hereinafter referred to as ticket information). Note that the server device 20 may operate as a server device that executes various cloud computing services, for example.

[0019] The automated ticket gates 30 are station service equipment installed at each of a plurality of stations where trains stop. That is, although only one automated ticket gate 30 is shown in Fig. 1 for convenience, the system 1 includes a plurality of automated ticket gates 30.

[0020] The automated ticket gate 30 also includes a gate (mechanism) that opens and closes, and operates to allow only users who have purchased a ticket that can use the train to pass through by opening and closing this gate. To achieve this operation, the automated ticket gate 30 is configured to be able to obtain identification information (identification information assigned to the user) held in an IC card 60 held by a user who passes through the automated ticket gate 30.

[0021] In this embodiment, the automatic ticket gate 30 is described as obtaining identification information from the IC card 60, but the IC card 60 may be a smartphone (information terminal device 10) that holds the identification information, or may be another information recording medium such as a magnetic ticket.

[0022] In addition, in this embodiment, the identification information held in the IC card 60 includes, for example, a number capable of uniquely identifying the IC card 60 (hereinafter referred to as the IC card number), but may be other information (for example, a user ID, etc.) capable of identifying the IC card 60 (or the user who possesses it).

[0023] Here, the system 1 according to the present embodiment is realized as a thin-client type ticket gate system having a centralized system structure. In this case, the IC card number acquired at the automated ticket gate 30 as described above is transmitted from the automated ticket gate 30 to the server device 20, and the process of determining whether or not to allow the user to pass through the automated ticket gate 30 is executed by the server device 20.

[0024] Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the server device 20 shown in Fig. 1. The server device 20 shown in Fig. 2 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 21, a non-volatile memory (ROM: Read Only Memory) 22, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 23, and a communication device 24. In the server device 20, the CPU 21, the non-volatile memory 22, the RAM 23, and the communication device 24 are connected to a bus 25 that interconnects them.

[0025] The CPU 21 is a processor for controlling the operation of each component in the server device 20. The CPU 21 may be a single processor or may be configured with multiple processors. The CPU 21 executes various programs loaded from the non-volatile memory 22 to the RAM 23. In this embodiment, the programs executed by the CPU 21 include a management program 23a for managing the purchase of passenger tickets by users who use the above-mentioned trains, the entry or exit of the users into or from stations, and user passage information when a communication failure occurs.

[0026] The non-volatile memory 22 is a storage medium used as an auxiliary storage device. The RAM 23 is a storage medium used as a main storage device. Although only the non-volatile memory 22 and the RAM 23 are shown in Fig. 2, the server device 20 may include other storage devices such as a hard disk drive (HDD) and a solid state drive (SSD).

[0027] Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the automated ticket gate 30 shown in Fig. 1. The automated ticket gate 30 shown in Fig. 3 includes a CPU 31, a non-volatile memory (ROM) 32, a RAM 33, a communication device 34, and an IC card reader / writer 35. In the automated ticket gate 30, the CPU 31, the non-volatile memory 32, the RAM 33, the communication device 34, and the reader / writer 35 are connected to a bus 36 that interconnects these components.

[0028] The CPU 31 is a processor for controlling the operation of each component in the automated ticket gate 30. The CPU 31 may be a single processor or may be configured with multiple processors. The CPU 31 executes various programs loaded from the non-volatile memory 32 to the RAM 33. In this embodiment, the programs executed by the CPU 31 include a management program 33a for managing the entry or exit of users using the above-mentioned trains into or from a station, user passage information when a communication failure occurs, and the like.

[0029] The non-volatile memory 32 is a storage medium used as an auxiliary storage device. The RAM 33 is a storage medium used as a main storage device. Although only the non-volatile memory 32 and the RAM 33 are shown in Fig. 3, the automatic ticket gate 30 may be provided with other storage devices such as a hard disk drive (HDD) and a solid state drive (SSD).

[0030] The communication device 34 is a device configured to perform wireless communication with external devices (such as the information terminal device 10 and the server device 20).

[0031] The IC card reader / writer 35 is a device that, when an IC card 60 is held up, reads stored information from the IC card 60 and writes information to the IC card 60 as necessary.

[0032] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the server device 20 and the automated ticket gate 30. As shown in FIG.

[0033] The server device 20 shown in FIG. 4 includes a judgment control unit 201, a settlement control unit 202, a tally control unit 203, and a communication IF (interface) unit 204. In addition, in the server device 20, a part or all of the judgment control unit 201, the settlement control unit 202, the tally control unit 203, and the communication IF unit 204 are realized by, for example, the CPU 21 (that is, the computer of the server device 20) executing the management program 23a, that is, by software. This management program 23a may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium and distributed, or may be downloaded to the server device 20 via the network 40. Note that a part or all of the above-mentioned units 201 to 204 may be realized by hardware such as an IC, or may be realized by a combination of software and hardware. The communication IF unit 204 is connected to the automatic ticket barrier 30 via the network 40, and transmits and receives information to and from the automatic ticket barrier 30, and monitors whether or not a communication failure occurs.

[0034] The automated ticket gate 30 shown in FIG. 4 includes an IC medium reading unit 301, a judgment control unit 302, an account settlement control unit 303, a tally control unit 304, and a communication IF (interface) unit 305. In addition, in the automated ticket gate 30, some or all of the IC medium reading unit 301, the judgment control unit 302, the account settlement control unit 303, the tally control unit 304, and the communication IF unit 305 are realized by, for example, the CPU 31 (that is, the computer of the automated ticket gate 30) executing a management program 33a, that is, by software. This management program 33a may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium and distributed, or may be downloaded to the automated ticket gate 30 via the network 40. Note that some or all of the above-mentioned units 301 to 305 may be realized by hardware such as an IC, or may be realized by a combination of software and hardware. The communication IF unit 305 is connected to the server device 20 via the network 40, and transmits and receives information to and from the server device 20, and monitors whether or not a communication failure occurs.

[0035] In the server device 20, the determination control unit 201 has a function for managing the above-mentioned user information and passenger ticket information, and also for managing post-processing such as creating aggregate data for each operator that was interrupted due to the occurrence of a communication failure. Specifically, the determination control unit 201 receives information input to the information terminal device 10 by the user when the user registers with the system 1 from the information terminal device 10, and generates and registers user information based on the received information. The determination control unit 201 also receives information input to the information terminal device 10 by the user when the user purchases a passenger ticket from the information terminal device 10, and generates and registers passenger ticket information based on the received information. Note that if any change occurs in the user information and passenger ticket information, the determination control unit 203 may execute a process of changing (updating) the user information and the passenger ticket information.

[0036] Here, in order for a user to use a railway, the user must enter the station by passing through an automated ticket gate 30 installed at the station, and in this case, the automated ticket gate 30 acquires the IC card number held in an IC card 60 possessed by the user from the IC card 60. The IC card number thus acquired by the automated ticket gate 30 is transmitted from the automated ticket gate 30 to the server device 20.

[0037] The determination control unit 201 also receives the IC card number transmitted from the automated ticket gate 30, collates the received IC card number with registered ticket information, and determines whether or not to allow a user holding an IC card 60 identified by the IC card number to pass through. The result of this determination is transmitted to the automated ticket gate 30, which then controls the opening and closing of the gate based on the result of this determination.

[0038] Here, in the above-mentioned thin-client type ticket gate system 1, the server device 20 (decision control unit 201) is configured to check the IC card number against the ticket information, but if a communication failure occurs between the server device 20 and the automated ticket gate 30, the server device 20 cannot receive the IC card number acquired by the automated ticket gate 30. In this case, the above-mentioned check process cannot be executed in the decision control unit 201, and the automated ticket gate 30 (opening and closing of the gate) cannot be appropriately controlled.

[0039] As a countermeasure in this case, it is possible to allow users to pass unconditionally without executing the matching process while the communication failure occurs. However, since users can enter or exit the station outside the boarding section specified in the ticket purchased in advance, there is a possibility that the railway operator will not properly collect the fare. Therefore, in this embodiment, the mechanism for determining whether or not to allow users to pass is partially left on the automatic ticket gate side, and it is possible to reliably create aggregate data that differs for each operator, such as the number of users who passed during the communication failure, departure and arrival station information, and settlement amount, which are issues when a communication failure occurs. Below, the processing contents before and after the occurrence of a communication failure in this system will be described.

[0040] FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram showing a state in which no communication failure occurs and normal communication is being performed in the ticket gate system having the above configuration.

[0041] First, when a user holds up an IC card 60, the automated ticket gate 30 reads user information, ticket information, etc. from the IC card 60 (S11), and sends a determination request together with the read information to the determination control unit 201 of the server device 20 (S13). In response to the determination request from the automated ticket gate 30, the determination control unit 201 determines whether or not the user can pass through based on the read information (S14), and sends the determination result back to the automated ticket gate 30 (S15), and also outputs it to the compilation control unit 203 (S16). The compilation control unit 203 creates provisional compilation data for each railway operator based on the determination result (S17).

[0042] Meanwhile, the automated ticket gate 30 receives the determination result from the determination control unit 201 of the server device 20, writes the determination result to the IC card 60 (S18), and returns a write completion notice to the determination control unit 201 (S19). Upon receiving the write completion notice, the determination control unit 201 sends a response to the automated ticket gate 30 (S20). This completes the series of processes for the held-up IC card 60, and the automated ticket gate 30 moves on to handle the next held-up IC card.

[0043] The determination control unit 201, which has received the above-mentioned writing completion notification, sends the writing result to the tally control unit 203 (S21). The tally control unit 203 confirms and stores the provisionally created tally data (S22), and transmits the tally data of the previous day to the tally system 50 of each railway operator on the following day (S23), thereby completing a series of processes.

[0044] FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram showing the processing operations executed when a communication failure occurs between the server device 20 and the automated ticket gate 30 in the ticket gate system configured as described above, causing communication to be interrupted, and the processing operations executed after communication is restored.

[0045] First, when a communication failure occurs (S30), the server device 20 and the automated ticket gate 30 detect the communication abnormality and switch to an operation mode during the occurrence of the failure (hereinafter, the failure response mode). In the failure response mode, when an IC card 60 is held up (S31), the automated ticket gate 30 reads and saves IC card information from the IC card 60 (S32), determines whether or not the automated ticket gate 30 can pass through when the failure occurs (S33), and writes log information of the passage when the failure occurs to the IC card 60 (S34). Meanwhile, the server device 20 sets the automated ticket gate 30 experiencing the communication failure in a communication recovery standby state.

[0046] Next, when communication is restored, the server device 20 and the automated ticket gate 30 perform a re-determination after communication is restored. Specifically, the automated ticket gate 30 transmits a signal to monitor the communication line state to the determination control unit 201 of the server device 20 (S41), and when there is a response from the determination control unit 201 of the server device 20 (S42), it transmits the IC card information (tanking data) read and stored during the occurrence of the communication failure to the determination control unit 201 of the server device 20 (S43). At this point, the determination control unit 201 returns a response to the automated ticket gate 30 (S44), and passes the received IC card information to the settlement control unit 202 (S45). When the settlement control unit 202 receives the IC card information, it performs a re-determination of the settlement amount during the occurrence of the communication failure (S46), and sends the settlement amount re-determination result to the tally control unit 203 (S47). The tally control unit 203 creates provisional tally data for each railway operator from the settlement amount re-determination result (S48). The settlement amount re-determination result is also sent to the determination control unit 201 and temporarily stored therein (S49).

[0047] After that, the following process is carried out as a response from the day after the failure recovery. First, when the user holds up the IC card 60, the automated ticket gate 30 reads the user information, the ticket information, etc. from the IC card 60 (S51), and sends a determination request together with the read information to the determination control unit 201 of the server device 20 (S53). In response to the determination request from the automated ticket gate 30, the determination control unit 201 performs a determination of whether or not the user can pass through based on the read information (S54). Here, if the read information contains log information of passage during a failure, the determination control unit 201 transmits the settlement amount information corresponding to the stored IC card information together with the determination result of whether or not the user can pass through to the automated ticket gate 30 (S55), and outputs the determination result of whether or not the user can pass through to the compilation control unit 203 (S56).

[0048] Meanwhile, the automated ticket gate 30 writes the determination result and the error-time settlement amount information from the determination control unit 201 of the server device 20 to the IC card 60 (S57), and returns a write completion notice to the determination control unit 201 (S58). Upon receiving the write completion notice, the determination control unit 201 sends a response to the automated ticket gate 30 (S59). This completes the series of processes for the held-up IC card 60, and the automated ticket gate 30 moves on to handle the next held-up IC card.

[0049] The determination control unit 201, which has received the above-mentioned writing completion notification, sends the writing result to the tally control unit 203 (S60). Upon receiving the writing result, the tally control unit 203 finalizes and stores the provisionally created tally data in the re-determination performed after communication is restored (S61), and transmits the data to the tally system 50 of each railroad operator (S62), completing a series of processes.

[0050] In the thin-client type automatic ticket gate system with the above configuration, after communication with the upper server device 20 is restored, the automatic ticket gate 30 transmits the information stored in the automatic ticket gate 30 to the server device 20, and the server device 20 performs a pass / fail determination based on the received information, calculates the settlement amount that was to be deducted during the communication failure (re-determination), and deducts the calculated settlement amount when the user enters through an automatic ticket gate at any station on the following day or later. Here, in the thin-client type ticket gate system, the railway operator of the station where the user passed through during the communication failure may be different from the railway operator of the station where the user deducts the fare on the following day or later. Therefore, it is difficult to create different aggregate data for each operator, such as the number of users who passed through the automatic ticket gate during the communication failure, boarding and alighting station information, and settlement amount. Therefore, the process of creating different aggregate data for each operator in the system according to this embodiment will be described.

[0051] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a list of main data (tanking data) stored in the automatic ticket gate 30 when a fault occurs. That is, when the automatic ticket gate 30 detects a communication abnormality with the upper server device 20 and determines that a fault has occurred, it appropriately collects and stores the following data: device ID (information for identifying the ticket gate), reception time (time when the IC card or the like was received), passage direction (direction of the ticket gate passed through, collection / ticket gate), version (version of the thin client system (server or the like)), medium type (IC card, magnetic card, etc.), unique ID (unique identification information for identifying the medium), read data from the IC card or the like (balance, boarding / alighting station, etc.), and judgment setting parameters (items set for each ticket gate by station staff). After communication with the server device 20 is restored, the automatic ticket gate 30 transmits the information (tanking data) shown in FIG. 7 stored in the automatic ticket gate 30 to the server device 20.

[0052] 8 is a flow chart showing the flow of provisionally totaled data creation during the re-determination process of the server device 20. That is, when the server device 20 determines that the communication failure has been restored (step ST11), it collects tanking data from each automated ticket gate 30 (step ST12), performs a re-determination process for each data (calculate the settlement amount that was to be deducted during the communication failure) (step ST13), creates and stores the re-determination result (step ST14). Next, it calls up the format of the totaled data of the relevant business from the business information shown in the tanking data, creates provisionally totaled data from the tanking data and the re-determination result in that format (step ST15), and stores it as business information at the time of passing through the ticket gate during the failure (ST16).

[0053] 9 is a diagram showing an example of write process data (re-determination result) at the time of later entry by the server device 20. In this example, the pass / no pass determination result, settlement amount, remaining amount used, type of use such as commuter fee, and data to be written to the IC card (remaining amount, boarding / alighting stations, etc., in the same format as the data read from the IC card, etc. in FIG. 7) are created.

[0054] Fig. 10 is a flow chart showing the post-processing when the user passes through any automated ticket gate and the settlement at the time of the communication failure is completed. When the communication failure is restored to normal and the user receives a notification of completion of writing to the IC card at a later date at the automated ticket gate 30 (ST21), the server device 20 reads out the provisional tally data created by the method shown in Fig. 8 (ST22), and notifies the provisional tally data to the tallying system of the operator where the user's passage was confirmed (ST23), completing the series of processes.

[0055] 11 is a diagram showing an example of provisionally tallied data created by the re-determination of the server device 20. In this example, the following data are created: ticket type (medium used (IC medium, magnetic ticket, etc.)), departure station (boarding station), arrival station (disembarking station), total amount withdrawn (amount withdrawn), mode of use (remaining balance use, commuter pass use, etc.), issuing company (company that illuminated the medium), discount amount (amount discounted for transfers, etc.), discount company (information identifying the company that will claim the discount amount), fare payment amount (fare from departure station to arrival station), fare payment company (information identifying the company that will pay the fare), and passing company (company of the automated ticket gate that was passed through). Aggregated data is created according to the determination of whether or not a user can pass through. If a communication failure occurs between the server device 20 and the automated ticket gate 30, after recovery, when re-determining whether users who passed through during the communication failure can pass through, the server device 20 creates aggregated data and notifies the system of each railway operator at a later date. This allows each railway operator to obtain and use aggregated data that takes into account the results of settlement of fares for the amount of fares that passed through during the communication failure.

[0056] As described above, according to the thin-client type automatic ticket gate system of this embodiment, after the automatic ticket gate recovers communication with the higher-level server device, it transmits information stored in the storage medium within the ticket gate to the server device, and the server device determines whether or not the user can pass based on the received information, calculates (re-determines) the settlement amount that would have been deducted during the communication failure, and when a user who passed through during the communication failure enters at an automatic ticket gate at any station the next day or later, the calculated settlement amount is deducted.If the railway operator of the station through which the user passed during the communication failure is different from the railway operator of the station where the fare is deducted the next day or later, it is possible to create different aggregated data for each operator, such as the number of users (passengers) who passed through during the communication failure, boarding and alighting station information, and settlement amount.

[0057] Although several 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]

[0058] 1. Thin-client automated ticket gate system, 10...Information terminal device, 20... server device, 201... judgment control unit, 202... settlement control unit, 203... tally control unit, 204... communication IF (interface) unit, 21... CPU, 22... non-volatile memory, 23... RAM, 23a... management program, 24... communication device, 30...automatic ticket gate, 301...IC card reading and writing unit, 302...judgment control unit, 303...accounting control unit, 304...tallying control unit, 305...communication IF (interface) unit, 31...CPU, 32...non-volatile memory, 33...RAM, 33a...management program, 34...communication device, 35...IC card reader and writer, 40…Network, 50…Railway operator data collection system, 60...IC card (information recording medium).

Claims

1. An automated ticket gate installed at a station acquires stored information from an information storage medium that a railroad user presents when passing through the automated ticket gate and transmits the acquired information to a server device; The server device determines whether the railroad user is permitted to pass through based on the information transmitted from the automated ticket gate and transmits the determination result to the automated ticket gate; The automated ticket gate system of a thin client type allows or denies passage of the railway user based on a determination result transmitted from the server device, The automated ticket gate is When a communication failure occurs between the server device and the train, the train determines by itself whether or not the train user is permitted to pass through, and allows the train user who is permitted to pass through the train; Store communication failure information, including information on users who passed through during the communication failure and information on boarding and alighting stations, After the communication failure is resolved, the communication failure information is transmitted to the server device; The server device includes: After the communication failure is restored, communication failure information is collected from the automated ticket gate, the settlement amount during the communication failure is reassessed, and provisional summary data for each railway operator is created based on the result of the reassessment of the settlement amount, and the summary data is finalized after the settlement process of the settlement amount and output to the summary system of the railway operator. Automatic ticket gate system.

2. When a railroad user who passed through during the occurrence of the communication failure presents the information storage medium after the communication failure is restored, the automated ticket gate writes the settlement amount during the occurrence of the communication failure obtained by the re-determination of the server device into the information storage medium, and transmits a write completion notice to the server device; The server device receives the writing completion notification from the automated ticket gate, and confirms the provisionally created aggregated data in the re-determination after the communication failure is recovered based on the writing result, and transmits the data to the aggregation system of each railway operator.

2. The automated ticket gate system according to claim 1.

3. An automated ticket gate installed at a station acquires stored information from an information storage medium that a railroad user presents when passing through the automated ticket gate and transmits the acquired information to a server device; The server device determines whether the railroad user is permitted to pass through based on the information transmitted from the automated ticket gate and transmits the determination result to the automated ticket gate; The server device is used in a thin-client type automated ticket gate system in which the automated ticket gate permits or denies passage of the railway user based on a determination result transmitted from the server device, When a communication failure occurs between the automated ticket gate and the automated ticket gate, the automated ticket gate determines by itself whether or not the railway passenger is permitted to pass through, allows the railway passenger who is determined to be permitted to pass through, stores communication failure information including information on the passenger who passed through during the communication failure and boarding and alighting station information, and transmits the communication failure information after the communication failure is restored. a re-evaluation execution means for collecting communication failure information transmitted from the automated ticket gate after the communication failure is restored and performing a re-evaluation of the settlement amount during the communication failure; a compilation data creation and output means for provisionally creating compilation data for each railway company from the re-determination result of the settlement amount, and outputting the compilation data to a compilation system of the railway company after a settlement process of the settlement amount; A server device for an automatic ticket gate system comprising:

4. When a railway user who passed through during the occurrence of the communication failure presents the information storage medium after the communication failure is restored, the automated ticket gate writes the settlement amount during the occurrence of the communication failure obtained by the re-determination into the information storage medium and transmits a writing completion notice. The tally data creation and output means receives the writing completion notification from the automated ticket gate, and confirms the provisionally created tally data in the re-determination after the communication failure is recovered based on the writing result, and transmits the tally data to the tally system of each railway operator.

4. A server device for the automated ticket gate system according to claim 3.

5. An automated ticket gate installed at a station acquires stored information from an information storage medium that a railroad user presents when passing through the automated ticket gate and transmits the acquired information to a server device; The server device determines whether the railroad user is permitted to pass through based on the information transmitted from the automated ticket gate and transmits the determination result to the automated ticket gate; The automated ticket gate is used in a thin-client type automated ticket gate system that permits or denies passage of the railway user based on a determination result transmitted from the server device, a determination means for determining whether or not the railway passenger is permitted to pass when a communication failure occurs between the server device and the railway passenger, and allowing the railway passenger who is permitted to pass; A communication failure information storage means for storing communication failure information including information on users who passed through during the communication failure and information on boarding and alighting stations; a transmitting means for transmitting the communication failure information to the server device after the communication failure is recovered; Equipped with The server device, after recovery from the communication failure, collects the communication failure information, reassessssments the settlement amount during the occurrence of the communication failure, provisionally creates aggregate data for each railway operator from the results of the reassessment of the settlement amount, and contributes to a process of finalizing the settlement amount after the settlement process and outputting it to the aggregation system of the railway operator. An automatic ticket gate for an automated ticket gate system.

6. and a post-recovery processing means for, when a railroad user who passed through during the occurrence of the communication failure presents the information storage medium after the communication failure is restored, writing the settlement amount during the occurrence of the communication failure obtained by the re-determination of the server device into the information storage medium and transmitting a writing completion notice to the server device; The server device receives the writing completion notification, and confirms the provisionally created aggregated data in the re-evaluation after the communication failure is recovered based on the writing result, and contributes to a process of transmitting the provisionally created aggregated data to the aggregation system of each railway operator.

6. The automatic ticket gate of the automatic ticket gate system according to claim 5.

7. An automated ticket gate installed at a station acquires stored information from an information storage medium that a railroad user presents when passing through the automated ticket gate and transmits the acquired information to a server device; The server device determines whether the railroad user is permitted to pass through based on the information transmitted from the automated ticket gate and transmits the determination result to the automated ticket gate; A thin-client type automatic ticket gate method in which the automatic ticket gate permits or denies passage of the railway user based on a determination result transmitted from the server device, When a communication failure occurs between the automated ticket gate and the server device, the automated ticket gate determines by itself whether or not the railway user is permitted to pass through, allows the railway user who is determined to be permitted to pass through, stores communication failure information including information on users who passed through during the communication failure and boarding and alighting station information, and transmits the communication failure information to the server device after the communication failure is restored; The server device, after the communication failure is restored, collects communication failure information from the automated ticket gate, re-evaluates the settlement amount during the occurrence of the communication failure, provisionally creates aggregated data for each railway operator from the result of the re-evaluation of the settlement amount, and after the settlement process of the settlement amount, determines the data and outputs it to the aggregation system of the railway operator. When a railroad user who passed through the automated ticket gate during the occurrence of the communication failure presents the information storage medium after the communication failure is restored, the automated ticket gate writes the settlement amount during the occurrence of the communication failure obtained by the re-determination of the server device into the information storage medium, and transmits a write completion notice to the server device; The server device receives the writing completion notification from the automated ticket gate, and confirms the provisionally created aggregated data in the re-evaluation after the communication failure is recovered based on the writing result, and transmits the provisionally created aggregated data to the aggregation system of each railway operator. Automatic ticket gate method.

8. An automated ticket gate installed at a station acquires stored information from an information storage medium that a railroad user presents when passing through the automated ticket gate and transmits the acquired information to a server device; The server device determines whether the railroad user is permitted to pass through based on the information transmitted from the automated ticket gate and transmits the determination result to the automated ticket gate; A program for causing a computer to execute processing of a thin-client type automated ticket gate system in which the automated ticket gate permits or denies passage of the railway user based on a determination result transmitted from the server device, The computer includes: a step in which, when a communication failure occurs between the automated ticket gate and the server device, the automated ticket gate determines by itself whether or not the railway user is permitted to pass through, allows the railway user who is determined to be permitted to pass through, stores communication failure information including information on users who passed through during the communication failure and boarding and alighting station information, and transmits the communication failure information to the server device after the communication failure is restored; the server device, after recovery from the communication failure, collects communication failure information from the automated ticket gate, re-evaluates the settlement amount during the occurrence of the communication failure, provisionally creates aggregated data for each railway operator from the result of the re-evaluation of the settlement amount, finalizes the settlement amount after the settlement process, and outputs the data to the aggregation system of the railway operator; a step of, when a railroad user who passed through during the occurrence of the communication failure presents the information storage medium after the communication failure is restored, the automated ticket gate writing the settlement amount during the occurrence of the communication failure obtained by the re-determination of the server device into the information storage medium, and transmitting a writing completion notice to the server device; The server device receives the write completion notification from the automated ticket gate, and confirms the provisionally created aggregated data in the re-determination after the communication failure is recovered based on the write result, and transmits the provisionally created aggregated data to the aggregation system of each railroad operator; A program for executing.

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