System, method and computer program product for automatically opening public transport gates - Patents.com

Abstract

A system for automatically opening a gate of a public transportation facility may include a plurality of transmitters 1201, 1301, a passenger's mobile device 1100 arriving at the plurality of gates, and a plurality of gate control devices 1210, 1310 for controlling the plurality of gates 1200, 1300. Each transmitter may be installed at one of the plurality of gates 1200, 1300 and may transmit a transmitter signal including a gate identifier that identifies the respective gate. The passenger's mobile device 1100 may receive a plurality of transmitter signals from the plurality of transmitters 1201, 1301, select one of the plurality of received transmitter signals based on signal characteristics of the received transmitter signals, read out the gate identifier included in the selected transmitter signal, and transmit a verification signal including the gate identifier of the selected transmitter signal and a user identifier of the passenger's mobile device 1100 to the plurality of gate control devices 1210, 1310. Each gate control device 1200, 1300 may receive a verification signal from the passenger's mobile device 1100, compare the gate identifier included in the received verification signal with the gate identifier of the gate 1200, 1300 controlled by the gate control device 1210, 1310, and open the gate 1200, 1300 if the gate identifier included in the received verification signal corresponds to the gate identifier of the gate 1200, 1300 controlled by the gate control device 1210, 1310.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present subject matter particularly relates to a system for automatically opening gates of a public transportation facility by passengers using a mobile device. Corresponding methods and computer program products are also provided. [Background technology]

[0002] Mobile computer-based public transport management systems are becoming more and more common. They can, for example, determine when passengers board and disembark different transport modes, determine the travel routes used by the passengers, and some systems can even calculate fares based on passenger location information provided by the passengers' mobile devices. When using such systems, passengers simply carry their mobile devices. In the following, passengers equipped with mobile devices are referred to as users.

[0003] US Patent No. 5,399,633 describes a method for determining the location history of a mobile device: Different states corresponding to different reachable road segments associated with a road network are determined based on several initial estimated positions of the mobile device, and a mobility model is generated that defines transition probabilities between the determined states. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] European Patent Application No. 3045931 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The disclosed system for automatically opening gates of a public transport facility is, as mentioned above, part of a mobile computer-based public transport management system. The disclosure addresses the technical objective of improving passenger flow through a station without increasing the amount of calculations and measurements of the mobile computer-based public transport management system. This objective is achieved by the subject matter of the attached claims. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a gate system including a plurality of gates that can be automatically opened, as well as a system for automatically opening a gate of a public transport facility, the system comprising a plurality of transmitters, at least one mobile device of a passenger, and a gate system including a plurality of gates controlled by a plurality of gate control devices. Preferably, said system for opening a gate of a public transport facility includes the gate system as set forth in claim 1 attached hereto.

[0007] Preferably, the public transport facility may be a train station, a bus station etc. having a station, one or more platforms at the station and / or entrances / exits to one or more means of public transport such as a train or bus.

[0008] The gate of the public transport vehicle may preferably be an automatically opening electric passenger gate with a turnstile, a swing door, or any other movable barrier that allows a passenger to pass through the gate in the entry or exit direction. The gate may be located at the entry / exit of the public transport vehicle and / or at the platform entry / exit. The gate may also be located inside the public transport vehicle, separating different platforms from each other. Alternatively or additionally, the gate may be located at the entry / exit of the public transport vehicle, such as a station platform screen separating the platform and the rail. Multiple gates controlled by the system may also be located close to each other without compromising the function of the system.

[0009] The transmitters may be implemented using suitable hardware and / or software configured for wireless communication with passenger mobile devices. In particular, the transmitter may operate as a standalone device including a processor, a communication module, and / or a network interface component configured to communicate with the passenger mobile device, the gate control devices, and / or the service provider's server. Preferably, the transmitter periodically and / or continuously emits a signal in a predefined range around the transmitter. The transmitters may preferably include UWB (Ultra Wideband) tags, active RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tags, WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) tags, and / or BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) tags ("beacons"). Any other transmitter suitable for operating as a standalone device to periodically and / or continuously emit a signal in a predefined range around the transmitter may be used as well. Preferably, the predefined transmission range of the transmitter may be in the range of 0.1 m to 100 m. Most preferably, the predefined transmission range of the transmitter may be in the range of 0.1 m to 10 m.

[0010] Each transmitter may be installed at one of the multiple gates and transmit a transmitter signal including a gate identifier that identifies the respective gate. The expression "installed at" shall be understood to mean "connected to," "mounted on," and / or "included in." Identification of gates by gate identifiers shall include each gate having an exclusive gate identifier that precisely identifies the location of each gate.

[0011] A passenger's mobile device reaching multiple gates may receive multiple transmitter signals from multiple transmitters and may select one of the received multiple transmitter signals based on signal characteristics of the received transmitter signals. The term "reaching" may mean that the passenger is approaching the gate, or that the passenger is approaching the gate, or that the passenger has reached within a certain definable range / proximity of the gate. Preferably, the passenger's mobile device may (automatically) select the transmitter signal with the highest signal strength and / or highest signal frequency, as described below. The signal received from the transmitter closest to the user may be selected, since signal strength and signal frequency correspond to the distance from the user to the transmitter.

[0012] This means that the passenger's mobile device may interact with the transmitter, such as via a radio signal that can be wirelessly received by the mobile device when it is located within range of the transmitter signal. The mobile device may be a smartphone, tablet, laptop, smartwatch, etc. The mobile device may preferably further have a graphical user interface to display relevant information to the user of the mobile device.

[0013] A plurality of gate control devices may be connected to the gates to be controlled. In particular, each gate control device may be connected to a single gate. The gate control devices may preferably be included in the gate or attached to the gate. The gate control devices may also be located remotely from the gate. Each gate control device may be electrically connected to the gate to be controlled by cable or wirelessly. Furthermore, each gate control device may receive the gate identifier of the connected gate from a transmitter installed at the connected gate and / or from a data storage in which the gate identifier of the connected gate is stored. Any other possible gate control device may also be used to receive the gate identifier of the connected gate. Each gate control device may further be configured to communicate with a passenger's mobile device and / or a fixed server.

[0014] Furthermore, the passenger's mobile device may read the gate identifier included in the selected transmitter signal and transmit a verification signal including the gate identifier of the selected transmitter signal and the user identifier of the passenger's mobile device to multiple gate control devices that control multiple gates. The user identifier may be an identifier that clearly defines the passenger's mobile device in the context of a mobile computer-based public transportation management system. That is, the verification signal may be usable to identify the gate selected for entering / exiting the station / platform, as well as the user who intends to enter or exit the station / platform through the selected gate.

[0015] Each of the multiple gate control devices may receive a verification signal from the passenger's mobile device and may compare a gate identifier included in the received verification signal with a gate identifier of a gate controlled by the gate control device.

[0016] If the gate identifier included in the received verification signal corresponds to the gate identifier of the gate controlled by the gate control device, the gate control device may open the gate. That is, a comparison is made between the gate identifier included in the received verification signal and the gate identifier of the gate connected to the control device. If the gate identifier included in the verification signal matches the gate identifier of the gate to which the gate controller is connected, the gate controller may open the gate.

[0017] The disclosed subject matter can improve passenger flow through a station by automatically opening public transportation gates for a mobile device-equipped passenger (user) when the user arrives at the gate. It can also direct a user to the closest gate when the user reaches multiple gates installed at the entrance / exit of a station / platform. This optimizes the user's route within the station without increasing the amount of calculation and measurement of the mobile computer-based public transportation management system. Instead, existing system components can be used synergistically to automatically or hands-free open the gate located closest to the user.

[0018] According to a preferred embodiment, the signal characteristics of the received transmitter signal may be signal strength and / or signal frequency. The signal strength may preferably be represented by an RSSI value (Received Signal Strength Indication) which refers to the signal power level determined in a calibration process one meter away from the transmitter. For example, the RSSI value may be in the range of -120dbm to 0dbm. The higher the RSSI value (i.e. the closer the RSSI value is to 0dbm), the closer the user is to the transmitter and therefore to the gate to pass through. This means that the passenger's mobile device may select the transmitter signal with the highest RSSI value. To avoid a gate being selected when the user is still too far away to pass through the gate immediately, a predefined RSSI threshold may be defined for the received transmitter signals, which must be exceeded by each transmitter signal before the signal with the highest RSSI value can be selected.

[0019] Alternatively or additionally, the distance to a transmitter installed at a gate can be determined using the signal frequency. The signal frequency may be the frequency at which the passenger's mobile device receives the periodically transmitted transmitter signal. The higher the frequency, the closer the user is to the transmitter and therefore to the gate to pass through. This means that the passenger's mobile device may select the transmitter signal with the highest signal frequency.

[0020] The gate identifier of each transmitter signal received by a passenger's mobile device is preferably stored in a gate identifier list and may be provided with a timestamp. In addition, the signal strength may preferably be stored in the gate identifier list.

[0021] For example, the signal frequency may be determined based on the sum of the number of gate identifiers stored in the gate identifier list at a particular time or during a particular time interval. As a particular example, the signal frequency may be determined by dividing the sum of the number of gate identifiers stored in the gate identifier list by a particular time interval starting. The particular time interval may be determined based on a time interval from a first particular time at which the gate identifier is stored in the gate identifier list to a last particular time at which the gate identifier is stored in the gate identifier list.

[0022] When a verification signal including the selected gate identifier is sent to the gate control unit, the gate identifier list may be cleared. The above procedure allows the mobile device to automatically open the gate closest to the user without the need for complex distance measuring equipment. Determining the signal strength and / or signal frequency based on data already populated in the gate identifier list also helps reduce the amount of calculations for analyzing received transmitter signals.

[0023] According to a preferred aspect, the system may comprise a back office including a back office data storage unit for storing user status data of a plurality of passenger mobile devices in a user status management table. Preferably, the back office may be a fixed server or a plurality of fixed servers. The term "back office" generally describes remotely located computer facilities such as remote computers, servers, processors, storage devices, etc. More preferably, the server may be connected to the passenger mobile devices and the plurality of gate control units via a wireless data connection such as the Internet, a mobile network, or a wireless local area network.

[0024] The back office data storage unit may be a data storage unit capable of storing information storable in the gate identifier table and the user status management table. The back office data storage unit may preferably be an internal storage unit for storing in particular the user status data of the passengers' mobile devices in a database, preferably structured as a table, or another suitable data format, etc. The data storage may preferably be provided with a fixed server / multiple fixed servers. It is also possible that the data storage is provided with the passengers' mobile devices or another remote location. The data storage may also be distributed in different storage locations.

[0025] The gate identifier table may preferably be configured to store gate identifiers that correspond to the location of a gate identified by the gate identifier.

[0026] The user status management table may preferably be configured to store a user identifier for each passenger's mobile device, a user location / passenger's mobile device, a timestamp indicating the time at which the user location / passenger's mobile device was determined, and a user status.

[0027] The back office may further include a user status management unit that may receive a user status request including a user identifier of the passenger's mobile device from a gate control device that controls the gate to be opened. The user status management unit of the back office may retrieve a previous user status from a user status management table.

[0028] The term "user status" may be understood as the status of a passenger (user) equipped with a mobile device using a public transport facility such as a train station or a bus station and its corresponding transport facility such as a train or a bus. This may include activities such as waiting for transport at the respective station, boarding the transport, entering the station, being inside / outside the station, etc.

[0029] The user status may preferably include "inside" and "outside", where "inside" indicates that a passenger (user) equipped with his / her mobile device is located inside the station / platform and "outside" indicates that the passenger is located "outside" the station / platform.

[0030] Based on the user identifier included in the received status request, the user status management unit may determine a current user status based on a previous user status, i.e., the user status management unit may identify the status data of the passenger (user) equipped with the mobile device stored in the user status management table by the received user identifier, and may retrieve the user status of the identified user with the last timestamp from the user status management table as the previous user status.

[0031] Furthermore, the user status management unit in the back office may send a current user status to a gate control device that controls the gate to be opened. The current user status may be understood as a status that a user intending to pass through the gate may achieve by passing through the gate. The gate control device that controls the gate to be opened may receive the current user status and determine the opening direction of the gate according to the received current user status, thereby enabling the gate to be automatically opened to the user in the right direction without time lag.

[0032] According to a preferred embodiment of the system, the back-office user status management unit may determine that the current user status is "inside" if the previous user status is not stored in the user status management table. In this case, since the status information is not available, it is assumed that the user must be outside the station / platform, i.e., the previous user status is assumed to be "outside". Furthermore, the back-office user status management unit may determine that the current user status is "inside" if the previous user status stored in the user status management table is "outside". By determining the door opening direction based on the data table already stored in the back-office data storage unit, the user status does not need to be calculated, thereby not requiring any further amount of calculation.

[0033] Furthermore, the back-office user status management unit may determine that the current user status is "outside" if the previous user status stored in the user status management table is "inside".

[0034] According to a preferred embodiment of the system, the gate control device can control the gate to be opened in the entry direction when the current user status is "inside", and can control the gate to be opened in the exit direction when the current user status is "outside".

[0035] According to an aspect of the system, a back office user status management unit may determine a current location of the user based on a gate identifier included in the received status request. The current location of the user may be determined by determining the location of the gate that the user most recently passed through using a gate identifier table in which each gate identifier may be stored in association with the location of a corresponding gate.

[0036] Furthermore, according to the determined current user status and the determined current location of the user, the user status management unit may update the user status management table, i.e., the user status management unit may write the current user status provided with the current user location together with a timestamp into each row of the status management table.

[0037] According to a preferred embodiment of the system, the passenger's mobile device may include a transmitter signal receiving unit, which may receive a plurality of transmitter signals including a gate identifier from a plurality of transmitters each installed at a plurality of gates. The transmitter signal receiving unit may receive the transmitter signals via wireless communication such as a wireless local area network, Bluetooth Low Energy, ultra-wideband radio, etc. Furthermore, the transmitter signal receiving unit may be configured to continuously update the gate identifier list each time a gate identifier included in a transmitter signal is received and store the received gate identifier together with a timestamp in the gate identifier list.

[0038] Furthermore, the mobile device may include a mobile device data storage unit capable of storing the above-mentioned gate identifier list. The mobile device data storage unit may preferably be an internal storage unit for storing the gate identifier list, in particular in a database, preferably structured as a table, or another suitable data format, etc. The data storage may be provided with the user's mobile device or other remote location. The data storage may also be distributed to different storage locations.

[0039] The gate identifier list may preferably be stored in a table, which may include, for example, a first column listing the received gate identifiers, a second column listing timestamps corresponding to the gate identifiers, and a third column listing corresponding signal strengths of the received transmitter signals.

[0040] Further, the passenger's mobile device may include a verification signal generation unit that may select one of the received transmitter signals stored in the gate identifier list based on signal characteristics, such as signal strength and / or signal frequency, of the received transmitter signal.

[0041] Preferably, the verification signal generating unit may retrieve the gate identifier of the selected signal from the gate identifier list and generate a verification signal including the gate identifier of the selected transmitter signal and the user identifier of the passenger's mobile device.

[0042] In addition, the passenger's mobile device may include a verification signal transmitting unit configured to transmit the generated verification signal to the multiple gate control devices.

[0043] When a verification signal including the selected gate identifier is sent to the gate control unit, the gate identifier list may be cleared.

[0044] The verification signal transmitting unit may transmit the verification signal via wireless communication such as a wireless local area network, Bluetooth Low Energy, ultra wideband radio, and the like.

[0045] According to a preferred embodiment of the system, each of the multiple gate control devices may include a signal receiving unit that can receive a verification signal from the passenger's mobile device and a current user status from the back-office user status management unit. The signal receiving unit may receive the verification signal from the passenger's mobile device via wireless communication such as wireless local area network, Bluetooth Low Energy, ultra-wideband radio, etc., and may receive the current user status from the back-office user status management unit via wireless data connection such as the Internet, mobile network, wireless local area network, etc.

[0046] Further, each of the multiple gate control devices may include a signal analysis unit that may compare the gate identifier included in the received verification signal with the gate identifier of the gate controlled by the gate control device, and may determine the opening direction of the gate according to the received current user status.

[0047] In addition, each of the multiple gate control devices may include a gate opening control unit that may control the gate to be opened when the gate identifier included in the received verification signal corresponds to the gate identifier of the gate controlled by the gate control device. Further, the gate opening control unit may control the gate to be opened in the entrance direction when the current user status is "inside", and may control the gate to be opened in the exit direction when the current user status is "outside".

[0048] Furthermore, it should be noted that configurations and aspects relating to the gate and gate control devices may also be claimed separately from the mobile device and its configurations.

[0049] According to a further aspect, a method for automatically opening a gate of a public transportation facility is disclosed, which may include the steps of: transmitting, by a plurality of transmitters, each transmitter installed at one of a plurality of gates, transmitter signals each including a gate identifier identifying a respective gate; receiving, by a passenger's mobile device reaching the plurality of gates, the plurality of transmitter signals; selecting, by the passenger's mobile device, one of the plurality of received transmitter signals based on a signal characteristic of the received transmitter signal; reading, by the passenger's mobile device, the gate identifier included in the selected transmitter signal; transmitting, by the passenger's mobile device, a verification signal including the gate identifier of the selected transmitter signal and a user identifier of the passenger's mobile device to a plurality of gate control devices controlling the plurality of gates; receiving, by each of the plurality of gate control devices, the verification signal from the passenger's mobile device; comparing, by each of the plurality of gate control devices, the gate identifier included in the received verification signal with the gate identifier of a gate controlled by the gate control device; and opening, by the gate control device, the gate identifier included in the received verification signal corresponding to the gate identifier of a gate controlled by the gate control device.

[0050] According to a preferred aspect, the method may further include the steps of receiving, by a user status management unit in the back office, a user status request including a user identifier of the passenger's mobile device from a gate control device that controls the gate to be opened; reading, by the user status management unit, a previous user status from a user status management table based on the user identifier included in the received status request; determining, by the user status management unit, a current user status based on the previous user status; sending, by the user status management unit, the current user status to the gate control device that controls the gate to be opened; receiving, by the gate control device that controls the gate to be opened, the current user status; and determining, by the gate control device that controls the gate to be opened, a gate opening direction according to the received current user status.

[0051] According to a preferred aspect of the method, the user status management unit may determine that the current user status is “inside” if the previous user status is not stored in the user status management table or if the previous user status stored in the user status management table is “outside”, and may determine that the current user status is “outside” if the previous user status stored in the user status management table is “inside”.

[0052] According to a preferred aspect of the method, the gate to be opened can be controlled by the gate control device to open in the entry direction when the current user status is "inside" and to open in the exit direction when the current user status is "outside".

[0053] According to a preferred aspect of the method, the user status management unit may determine a current location of the user based on a gate identifier included in the received status request, and the user status management unit may update a user status management table according to the determined current user status and the determined current location of the passenger's mobile device.

[0054] That is, each component of the claimed system may also be encompassed by means of a method that may be claimed in itself and / or by means of a computer program product claim in another aspect of the disclosure. Effect of the Invention

[0055] In summary, the disclosed subject matter allows passenger flow through a station to be improved by automatically opening the gate at which a user arrives when entering / exiting a station / platform. This improvement can be achieved without increasing the computational and measurement volume of the mobile computer-based public transport management system by using available technology already in place. In addition, a user's route within the station can be optimized by opening the gate closest to a slightly forward moving user to guide the user to the gate. By determining the door opening direction based on data already stored in the existing system, the user status does not need to be calculated and therefore no additional computational volume is required.

[0056] In the following, the claimed subject matter will be further explained on the basis of at least one preferred example with reference to the attached drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0057] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of mobile device-equipped passengers (users) arriving at two exemplary gates of a public transport facility. [Diagram 2]FIG. 1 illustrates an example of the claimed system for opening a gate of a public transport facility. [Figure 3a] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a gate identifier table. [Figure 3b] FIG. 13 illustrates an example of a user status management table. [Figure 3c] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a gate identifier list showing received gate identifiers. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of signal flow between devices of the claimed system. [Diagram 5] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the selection of a gate identifier. [Figure 6] 10 is a flow chart showing an example of an analysis of a verification signal; [Figure 7] 1 is a flow chart showing an example of determining a user status. [Figure 8] 11 is a flow chart illustrating an example process for controlling gate opening according to a user status. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0058] 1 shows diagrammatically a passenger equipped with a mobile device (user) 100 reaching two exemplary gates 1200, 1300 of a public transport facility such as a train station or bus station from outside the station / platform. The illustrated gates 1200, 1300 each comprise a turnstile 1220, 1320, a gate control device 1210, 1310 and a transmitter 1201, 1301.

[0059] Each transmitter 1201, 1301 may periodically or continuously transmit a transmitter signal, such as a radio signal, that includes a gate identifier that uniquely identifies the gate 1200, 1300 in which the transmitter 1201, 1301 is installed.

[0060] The illustrated user 100 carries a mobile device 1100 that can receive transmitter signals including a gate identifier (indicated by the dotted arrows) from two transmitters 1201, 1301 installed at gates 1200, 1300. After receiving the transmitter signals, the passenger's mobile device 1100 can store the gate identifiers included in the two transmitter signals in a gate identifier list and select the gate identifier included in the signal with the highest signal strength and / or signal frequency to generate a verification signal.

[0061] The passenger's mobile device 1100 may then transmit the generated verification signal to the gate control devices 1210, 1310 of the two gates 1200, 1300 (indicated by solid arrows) and clear the gate identifier list. As a result, the gate control devices 1210, 1310 controlling the gates 1200, 1300 with the gate identifier included in the verification signal may open the turnstiles 1220, 1320 of the connected gates 1200, 1300. Each gate control device 1210, 1310 may, for example, receive the gate identifier of its connected gate 1200, 1300 from a transmitter 1201, 1301 installed at the gate 1200, 1300, or the respective gate identifier may be stored in a data storage of the gate control devices 1210, 1310 of each gate 1200, 1300.

[0062] In the illustrated example of FIG. 1, the gate 1200 is closer to the user 100, and therefore the passenger's mobile device 1100 may receive a signal with the highest signal strength / signal frequency from the transmitter 1201 installed at that gate 1200. Thereby, the mobile device 1100 may generate a verification signal including the gate identifier of the gate 1200. The gate control device 1210, 1310 may compare the gate identifier included in the verification signal with the gate identifiers of their connected gates 1200, 1300. Since the gate identifier of the gate 1200 may be included in the verification signal, the gate control device 1210 may control the gate 1200 to open the turnstile 1220 (as indicated by the curved arrow next to the turnstile 1220), thereby allowing the user 100 to enter the station / platform in the shortest possible way.

[0063] 2 illustrates a schematic diagram of an example of the claimed system for opening gates of a public transport facility. The illustrated system comprises a back office 1000, a passenger's mobile device 1100, at least two gates 1200, 1300 of the public transport facility, and a network N connecting the back office 1000 and the gate control devices 1210, 1310.

[0064] Two gates 1200, 1300 shown as an example of multiple gates each include a transmitter 1201, 1301 and a gate control device 1210, 1310. The transmitters 1201, 1301 may also be included in the gate control device 1210, 1310. Alternatively, the gate control device 1210, 1310 may be located remotely from the gate. Each of the two gate control devices 1210, 1310 includes a signal receiving unit 1202, 1302, a signal analyzing unit 1203, 1303, and a gate opening control unit 1204, 1304.

[0065] The passenger's mobile device 1100 comprises a transmitter signal receiving unit 1101 , a mobile device data storage unit 1110 in which a gate identifier list 1104 is stored, a verification signal generating unit 1102 and a verification signal sending unit 1103 .

[0066] The back office 1000 includes a back office data storage unit 1010 in which a gate identifier table 1001 and a user status management table 1002 are stored, as well as a user status management unit 1003, a journey history calculation unit 1004, and a fare calculation unit 1005. Alternatively or additionally, the user status management table 1002 may be stored in the passenger's mobile device 1100. The back office 1000 may be connected to the gate control devices 1210, 1310 via a wireless data connection, such as the Internet or a wireless local area network. Furthermore, the back office 1000 may be connected to the mobile device 1100 via a mobile network.

[0067] The transmitters 1201, 1301 installed in the gates 1200, 1300 may periodically and / or continuously emit transmitter signals via radio signals in a predefined range around the transmitters 1201, 1301. Each transmitter signal may include a gate identifier that clearly identifies the gate 1200, 1300 in which the transmitter 1201, 1301 is installed. The transmitter signal receiving unit 1101 of the mobile device 1100 may receive the transmitter signals including the gate identifiers from the two transmitters 1201, 1301, and may further write the gate identifiers included in the two transmitter signals together with a timestamp into a gate identifier list 1104 stored in the mobile device data storage unit 1110. An exemplary structure of the gate identifier list 1104 will be described below in connection with FIG. 3c.

[0068] The verification signal generating unit 1102 of the passenger mobile device 1100 may select one of the received transmitter signals stored in the gate identifier list 1104 based on signal characteristics such as the signal strength and / or signal frequency of the received transmitter signal. Then, the verification signal generating unit 1102 may read the gate identifier of the selected signal from the gate identifier list 1104 and generate a verification signal including the gate identifier of the selected transmitter signal and the user identifier of the passenger mobile device 1100. In the next step, the verification signal sending unit 1103 of the passenger mobile device 1100 may send the generated verification signal to the gate control devices 1210, 1310 via the signal receiving units 1202, 1302 of each gate control device 1210, 1310. When the verification signal including the selected gate identifier is sent to the gate control units 1210, 1310, the gate identifier list 1104 may be cleared. The verification signal sending unit 1103 may send the verification signal via wireless communication, such as a wireless local area network, Bluetooth Low Energy, ultra-wideband radio, and so on.

[0069] The signal analysis unit 1203, 1303 of each gate control device 1210, 1310 may then compare the gate identifier included in the received verification signal with the gate identifier of the gate 1200, 1300 controlled by the respective gate control device 1210, 1310. If the signal analysis unit 1203, 1303 of the gate control device 1210, 1310 determines that the received gate identifier matches the gate identifier of the gate 1200, 1300 controlled by the gate control device 1210, 1310, the respective gate control unit 1210, 1310 may send a user status request to the user status management unit 1003 of the back office 1000.

[0070] When the user status management unit 1003 receives a user status request from the gate control device 1210, 1310 that controls the gate to be opened, it can retrieve the previous user status from the user status management table 1002 based on the user identifier included in the received status request. An exemplary structure of the user status management table 1002 will be described later in connection with FIG. 3b.

[0071] The user status management unit 1003 may then determine a current user status based on the previous user status and send the current user status to the gate control device that received the user status request. In response, the signal receiving unit 1103 of each gate control device may receive the current user status, and based on the current user status, the signal analysis unit 1203 of the gate control device 1210, 1310 may determine the opening direction of the gate 1200, 1300. The gate opening control unit 1204, 1304 of the gate control device 1210, 1310 may then control the gate 1200, 1300 to open in the determined direction.

[0072] In addition, the user status management unit 1003 of the back office 1000 may determine the current location of the user 100 based on the gate identifier included in the received user status request. The current location of the user 100 can be determined by determining the location of the gate 1200, 1300 that the user 100 has just passed through using a gate identifier table 1001 stored in the back office data storage unit 1010, in which each gate identifier can be listed in association with the location of the corresponding gate. An exemplary structure of the gate identifier table 1001 is described below in connection with FIG. 3a.

[0073] Thereafter, the user status management unit 1003 may update the user status management table 1002 according to the determined current user status and the determined current location of the user 100 .

[0074] In addition, the illustrated back office includes a journey history calculation unit 1003 and a fare calculation unit 1005. The journey history calculation unit 1003 may calculate a passenger's journey from a journey start station and a journey end station. The journey start station may be a public transportation station, such as a bus station or a train station, where the passenger starts his / her journey, and correspondingly, the journey end station may be a station where the public transportation passenger finishes his / her journey. Based on the journey start station and the journey end station, a total distance traveled by the passenger during the passenger journey can be determined.

[0075] The fare calculation unit 1005 may calculate the corresponding fare to be paid by a passenger using public transportation to reach from the trip start station to the trip end station according to the distance between the trip start station and the trip end station calculated by the journey history calculation unit 1004.

[0076] 3a shows an example of a gate identifier table 1001. The gate identifier table may be preferably configured to store gate identifiers corresponding to the locations of gates 1200, 1300 identified by the gate identifiers. In a first column of the exemplary gate identifier table 1001, gate identifiers (gate IDs) of several gates 1200, 1300 are listed, and in a second column, the locations of the gates 1200, 1300 corresponding to the gate identifiers are listed. The gate identifier table 1001 shows that the gates with gate IDs 01000 and 01001 are located at station A, and the gates with gate IDs 02000-02002 are located at station B.

[0077] 3b shows an example of a user status management table 1002. The user status management table 1002 may be preferably configured to store a user identifier of each passenger's mobile device, a user location, a timestamp indicating the time when the user location was determined, and a user status. In the first column of the illustrated exemplary user status management table 1002, several users are listed, in the second column, different locations of the users are listed, in the third column, the timestamp when the user location was determined is listed, and in the fourth column, different user statuses are listed.

[0078] According to the information provided in the tables 1001 and 1002, the user status management unit 1003 may determine that user A, having a previous user status "In", is located outside station A when passing through one of the gates having gate IDs 01000 and 01001. Accordingly, the user status management unit 1003 may determine that user B is located outside station B when passing through one of the gates having gate IDs 02000-02003. With respect to user C, having a previous user status "Out", the user status management unit 1003 may determine that user C is located inside station A when passing through one of the gates having gate IDs 01000 and 01001, and that user C is located inside station B when passing through one of the gates having gate IDs 02000-02002.

[0079] FIG. 3c shows an example of a gate identifier list showing received gate identifiers, each of which is provided with a timestamp. The first column of the illustrated example gate identifier list 1104 shows the timestamp at which the gate ID listed in the second column was received. The third column shows the RSSI value of the received transmitter signal. According to the information provided in the gate identifier list 1104, the gate with gate ID 1001 is closer to the user reaching the gate of station A, since the corresponding RSSI value of the transmitter signal received by the user's mobile device is higher (closer to 0 dBm). Thereby, the user's mobile device can select the transmitter signal and send a verification signal including gate ID 1001 to the gate control device of the two gates of station A. After comparing the received gate ID with the gate ID of the gate, the gate control device connected to the gate with gate ID 1001 can control the gate to open.

[0080] FIG. 4 shows an example of a schematic signal flow between devices of the claimed system. Respective gate IDs (gate ID(A), gate ID(B)) are sent from gate A and gate B to the mobile device, and the mobile device receives both gate IDs and selects gate ID(B) to generate a verification signal because gate B is closer to the mobile device. The generated verification signal including the user ID and gate ID(B) is sent from the mobile device to both gates, each of which includes a gate control device. Both gate control devices compare the gate ID(B) included in the verification signal with the gate IDs of their gates. Since the received gate ID(B) matches the gate ID of gate B, the gate control device of gate B sends a user status request including the received user ID to the back office. The back office checks the previous user status, determines the current user status, and sends the current user status to the control device of gate B. The control device of gate B then controls gate B to open the gate.

[0081] FIG. 5 is a flow chart exemplarily illustrating the selection of a gate identifier by a passenger's mobile device according to the signal strength of a received transmitter signal. After the start of the selection process, it is first checked whether the mobile device has received at least one transmitter signal from multiple transmitters installed at multiple gates. If no signal has been transmitted to the mobile device by then, the mobile device may continue to receive the transmitter signal. If one or more signals are received by the mobile device, the mobile device may select the gate ID of the strongest signal received to generate a verification signal (S501). In the next step S502, the mobile device may transmit the verification signal to the gate control unit, and in step S503, the mobile device may clear the list of received signals (gate identifier list). After that, the mobile device may end the selection process.

[0082] 6 is a flow chart showing an example of the analysis of the verification signal by multiple gate control devices after receiving the verification signal. After starting the process, each gate control device analyzes the gate identifier GateID rec the gate identifier GateID of the gate to which the gate control device is connected gate If both gate identifiers are not matched, each gate control device can terminate the process. If both gate identifiers are matched, each gate control device can send a user status request to the back office before the process is terminated (S601).

[0083] FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating an example of determining a user status by a back office. After starting the process, the user status management unit of the back office first checks whether the user status assigned to the received user identifier is stored in the user status management table. If the user status is not available, the current user status may be determined to be "inside" (S701). If the last user status stored in the user status management table indicates "inside", the current user status may be determined to be "outside" (S703), otherwise the current user status may be determined to be "inside" (S702). In the following step S704, the user's current location may be determined, and then the user status management table may be updated by the user status management unit before the process is terminated (S705).

[0084] FIG. 8 is a flow chart exemplarily illustrating a process of controlling gate opening according to a user status by a gate control device. After starting the process, the gate control device checks whether the current user status of the user intending to pass through the gate is indicated as "inside" or "IN" (not "OUT"). If it is indicated as "inside" or "IN", the gate control device controls the gate to open in the entrance direction (S802); otherwise, before terminating the process, the gate control device controls the gate to open in the exit direction (S801). That is, the current user status can preferably be updated before the passenger passes through the gate. In further other words, the decision to open the gate can preferably be made always after updating the passenger's status. Accordingly, the current user status of a passenger approaching the gate to leave the station becomes "OUT", thereby opening the gate in the exit direction, and a passenger approaching the gate to enter the station becomes "IN", thereby opening the gate in the entrance direction. The above preferred examples of opening directions may also be reversed without departing from the technical concept of the principles described herein.

[0085] In summary, the present disclosure provides a system, method, and computer program product for automatically opening gates of a public transportation facility. The disclosed subject matter is part of a mobile computer-based public transportation management system and can, among other things, improve passenger flow through a station by optimizing routes within the station for passengers (users) equipped with mobile devices without increasing the computational burden of existing systems. The disclosed subject matter provides the advantage that available technology already used in current mobile computer-based public transportation management systems can further be used to improve passenger flow. Thereby, no additional measuring equipment is required. By determining the door opening direction based on data already stored in the existing system, no user status needs to be calculated and therefore no additional computational burden is required.

[0086] As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the present disclosure may be embodied as a method, an apparatus (a device, machine, system, computer program product, and / or any other apparatus), or a combination of the above, as described in the above description and accompanying drawings.

[0087] Accordingly, embodiments of the present disclosure may have the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment (including firmware, resident software, microcode, etc.), or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects which may generally be referred to herein as a “system.” Furthermore, embodiments of the present disclosure may have the form of a computer program product on a computer-readable medium having computer-executable program code embodied in the medium.

[0088] Note that arrows may be used in the drawings to represent communications, transfers, or other activities involving two or more entities. A bidirectional arrow generally indicates that activity can occur in both directions (e.g., a command / request in one direction and a corresponding response in the other direction, or peer-to-peer communication initiated by either entity), although in some circumstances activity may not necessarily occur in both directions.

[0089] It should be noted that while unidirectional arrows generally indicate activity in only or primarily one direction, in certain circumstances such directional activity may include activity in both directions (e.g., a message from a sender to a receiver, an acknowledgment from the receiver to the sender, or the establishment of a connection before a transfer and the tearing down of a connection after a transfer). Thus, the types of arrows used in particular figures to represent particular activities are exemplary and should not be considered limiting.

[0090] The aspects are described above with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of the methods and apparatus, and with reference to a number of sample illustrations of graphical user interfaces generated by the methods and / or apparatus. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and / or combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, as well as the graphical user interfaces, can be implemented by computer-executable program code.

[0091] The above computer-executable program code may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a particular machine, such that the program code, executed via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, creates means for performing the functions / acts / output specified in the flowcharts, block diagram blocks, illustrations, and / or written descriptions.

[0092] These computer executable program codes may also be stored in a computer readable memory, and the program codes stored in the computer readable memory may cause a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner to produce an article of manufacture including instruction means implementing the functions / acts / outputs specified in the flowcharts, block diagram blocks, illustrations, and / or written descriptions.

[0093] The above computer executable program code may be further loaded into a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be executed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to create a computer implemented process, such that the program code executing on the computer or other programmable apparatus provides steps for implementing the functions / operations / outputs specified in the flowcharts, block diagram blocks, figures, and / or written description. Alternatively, the computer program implemented steps or operations may be combined with operator or human implemented steps or operations to carry out the embodiments.

[0094] It should be noted that terms such as "server" and "processor" may be used herein to describe devices that may be used in particular embodiments and should not be construed as limiting to a particular type of device, unless the context requires. Thus, a device may include, without limitation, a bridge, router, bridge-router (browser), switch, node, server, computer, appliance, or other type of equipment. Such a device typically includes one or more network interfaces for communicating over a communications network and a processor (e.g., a microprocessor with memory and other peripherals and / or application-specific hardware) configured to perform the functions of the device accordingly.

[0095] Communications networks generally may include public and / or private networks and may include local area, wide area, metropolitan area, storage and / or other types of networks and may use communications technologies including, but by no means limited to, analog, digital, optical, wireless (e.g., Bluetooth), networking, and internetworking technologies.

[0096] It should also be noted that devices may use communication protocols and messages (e.g., messages that are created, sent, received, stored, and / or processed by the devices) and that such messages may be carried by a communication network or medium.

[0097] Unless the context requires, this disclosure should not be construed as limited to any particular communication message type, communication message format, or communication protocol. Thus, a communication message may generally include, without limitation, a frame, packet, datagram, user datagram, cell, or other type of communication message.

[0098] Unless otherwise required by context, it will be understood that references to particular communications protocols are exemplary and that alternative embodiments may, where appropriate, use variations of such communications protocols (e.g., modifications or extensions of the protocols that may be made from time to time) or other protocols that become known or created in the future.

[0099] Also, it should be noted that logic flows may be described herein to demonstrate logic in various aspects and should not be construed as limiting the present disclosure to a particular logic flow or implementation. The described logic may be divided into different logic blocks (e.g., programs, modules, functions, or subroutines) without changing the overall results of the present disclosure.

[0100] In many cases, logic elements may be added, modified, deleted, performed in a different order, or implemented using different logic structures (e.g., logic gates, looping primitives, conditional logic, and other logic structures) without changing the overall results of the disclosure.

[0101] The present disclosure may be embodied in many different forms, including, but in no way limited to, computer program logic used in conjunction with a processor (e.g., a microprocessor, microcontroller, digital signal processor, or general purpose computer), programmable logic used in conjunction with a programmable logic device (e.g., a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other PLD), discrete components, integrated circuitry (e.g., an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC)), or any other means including any combination thereof. Computer program logic implementing some or all of the functionality described above is typically implemented as a set of computer program instructions that are themselves stored on a computer readable medium and converted into a computer executable form that is executed by a microprocessor under the control of an operating system. Hardware-based logic implementing some or all of the functionality described above may be implemented using one or more appropriately configured FPGAs.

[0102] Computer program logic implementing all or a portion of the functionality described herein above may be embodied in a variety of forms, including, but by no means limited to, source code form, computer executable form, and various intermediate forms (e.g., forms generated by an assembler, compiler, linker, or locator).

[0103] Source code may include a series of computer program instructions implemented in any of a variety of programming languages ​​(e.g., object code, assembly language, or high level languages ​​such as Fortran, C, C++, JAVA, or HTML) for use with a variety of operating systems or operating environments. The source code may define and use various data structures and communication messages. The source code may have a computer executable form (e.g., by an interpreter) or the source code may be converted (e.g., by a translator, assembler, or compiler) into a computer executable form.

[0104] Computer executable program code for carrying out operations of the embodiments of the present disclosure may be written in an object-oriented, scripting or non-scripting programming language, such as Java, Perl, Smalltalk, C++, etc. However, computer program code for carrying out operations of the embodiments may equally be written in conventional procedural programming languages, such as the "C" programming language or a similar programming language.

[0105] Computer program logic implementing all or part of the functionality described herein above may execute at different times on a single processor (e.g., simultaneously), or may execute at the same or different times on multiple processors, and further may execute under a single operating system process / thread or under different operating system processes / threads.

[0106] Thus, the term "computer process" may generally refer to the execution of a set of computer program instructions, regardless of whether different computer processes run on the same or different processors, and regardless of whether the different computer processes run under the same operating system process / thread or different operating system processes / threads.

[0107] A computer program may be fixed in any form (e.g., source code form, computer executable form, or intermediate form) either permanently or temporarily on a tangible storage medium such as a semiconductor memory device (e.g., RAM, ROM, PROM, EEPROM, or flash programmable RAM), a magnetic memory device (e.g., a diskette or fixed disk), an optical memory device (e.g., a CD-ROM), a PC card (e.g., a PCMCIA card), or other memory device.

[0108] A computer program may be fixed in any form in a signal that is transmittable to a computer using any of a variety of communication technologies, including, but by no means limited to, analog, digital, optical, wireless (e.g., Bluetooth), networking, and internetworking technologies.

[0109] The computer program may be distributed in any form, as a removable storage medium accompanied by printed or electronic documentation (e.g., shrink-wrapped software), may be preloaded into the computer system (e.g., on a system ROM or on a fixed disk), or may be distributed from a server or bulletin board over a communications system (e.g., the Internet or World Wide Web).

[0110] Hardware logic (including programmable logic for use in conjunction with a programmable logic device) implementing all or a portion of the functionality previously described herein may be designed using conventional manual methods, or may be designed, captured, simulated, or documented electronically using a variety of tools, such as computer-aided design (CAD), hardware description languages ​​(e.g., VHDL or AHDL), or PLD programming languages ​​(e.g., PALASM, ABEL, or CUPL).

[0111] Any suitable computer readable medium may be utilized, including, but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, device, or medium.

[0112] More specific examples of computer-readable media include, but are not limited to, an electrical connection with one or more wires or other tangible storage media, such as a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), or other optical or magnetic storage devices.

[0113] The programmable logic may be fixed, either permanently or temporarily, in a tangible storage medium, such as a semiconductor memory device (e.g., RAM, ROM, PROM, EEPROM, or flash programmable RAM), a magnetic memory device (e.g., a diskette or fixed disk), an optical memory device (e.g., a CD-ROM), or other memory device.

[0114] The programmable logic may be fixed with signals that are transmittable to a computer using any of a variety of communication technologies, including, but by no means limited to, analog, digital, optical, wireless (e.g., Bluetooth), networking, and internetworking technologies.

[0115] The programmable logic can be distributed as a removable storage medium accompanied by printed or electronic documentation (e.g., shrink-wrapped software), can be preloaded into a computer system (e.g., on a system ROM or on a fixed disk), or can be distributed from a server or bulletin board over a communications system (e.g., the Internet or World Wide Web). Of course, some aspects can be implemented as a combination of both software (e.g., a computer program product) and hardware. Still other embodiments can be implemented entirely in hardware or entirely in software.

[0116] While certain exemplary aspects have been described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that such aspects are exemplary and that the embodiments are not limited to the specific constructions and configurations illustrated and described, as various other changes, combinations, omissions, modifications, and substitutions are possible, in addition to those described in the preceding paragraphs.

[0117] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various adaptations, modifications, and / or combinations of the above embodiments may be configured. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the present disclosure may be practiced other than as specifically described herein. For example, unless otherwise specified, the steps of the processes described herein may be performed in an order different from that described herein, and one or more steps may be combined, divided, or performed simultaneously.

[0118] Those skilled in the art will further appreciate in light of this disclosure that different embodiments or aspects described herein can be combined to form other embodiments. [Explanation of symbols]

[0119] 100 users 1000 Back Office 1100 passengers on mobile devices 1101 Transmitter signal receiving unit 1102 Verification signal generation unit 1103 Verification signal transmission unit 1104 Gate Identifier List 1200, 1300 Gates 1201, 1301 Transmitters 1202, 1302 Signal receiving unit 1203, 1303 Signal Analysis Unit 1204, 1304 Gate opening control unit 1210, 1310 Gate Control Device

Claims

1. 1. A gate system comprising a plurality of gates of a public transportation facility configured to automatically open the gates, the gate system comprising: a plurality of transmitters, each transmitter installed at one of the plurality of gates and configured to transmit a transmitter signal including a gate identifier that identifies a respective one of the gates; A plurality of gate control devices, each gate control device comprising: receiving a verification signal from a passenger's mobile device, the verification signal including a gate identifier of a transmitter signal selected by the mobile device based on signal frequencies of a plurality of transmitter signals, and comparing the gate identifier included in the received verification signal with a gate identifier of the gate controlled by the gate control device; opening the gate if the gate identifier included in the received verification signal corresponds to the gate identifier of the gate controlled by the gate control device; and multiple gate control devices configured as A system comprising:

2. 1. A system for automatically opening a gate of a public transport facility, comprising: a plurality of transmitters, each transmitter installed at one of the plurality of gates and configured to transmit a transmitter signal including a gate identifier that identifies a respective one of the gates; At least one mobile device of a passenger arriving at the plurality of gates, the mobile device of the passenger comprising: receiving a plurality of transmitter signals from the plurality of transmitters; selecting one of the plurality of received transmitter signals based on a signal frequency of the received transmitter signal; a passenger's mobile device configured to read the gate identifier included in the selected transmitter signal and transmit a verification signal including the gate identifier of the selected transmitter signal and a user identifier of the passenger's mobile device to a plurality of gate control devices that control the plurality of gates; The plurality of gate control devices, each gate control device comprising: receiving the verification signal from the passenger's mobile device; comparing the gate identifier contained in the received verification signal with the gate identifier of the gate controlled by the gate control device; opening the gate if the gate identifier included in the received verification signal corresponds to the gate identifier of the gate controlled by the gate control device; and multiple gate control devices configured as A system comprising:

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the mobile device selects one of the plurality of received transmitter signals based on a signal strength and a signal frequency of the received transmitter signal.

4. A back office, A back office data storage unit, comprising: a back-office data storage unit configured to store user status data of a plurality of users in a user status management table; A user status management unit, receiving a user status request from the gate control device that controls the gate to be opened, the request including the user identifier of the passenger's mobile device; reading a previous user status from the user status management table based on the user identifier included in the received status request; determining a current user status based on the previous user status; Sending the current user status to the gate control device which controls the gate to be opened; A user status management unit configured as follows: The gate control device controls the gate to be opened, receiving the current user status; and determining an opening direction of the gate according to the received current user status. The system of claim 3.

5. The user status management unit of the back office, If a previous user status is not stored in the user status management table, or if the previous user status stored in the user status management table is “outside”, determining that the current user status is “inside”; The system of claim 4, configured to determine the current user status to be "outside" if the previous user status stored in the user status management table is "inside".

6. The gate control device comprises: If the current user status is "inside", control the gate to be opened so as to open in the direction of entry; If the current user status is "outside", control the gate to be opened in the exit direction; The system according to claim 5 , configured to:

7. The user status management unit of the back office, determining a current location of a user based on the gate identifier included in the received status request; updating the user status management table according to the determined current user status and the determined current location of the user; The system according to claim 6, configured to:

8. the passenger's mobile device; A transmitter signal receiving unit, comprising: a transmitter signal receiving unit configured to receive a plurality of transmitter signals, each including a gate identifier, from a plurality of transmitters installed at a plurality of gates; a mobile device data storage unit configured to store a gate identifier list including the gate identifiers included in the plurality of transmitter signals received from the plurality of transmitters; A verification signal generating unit, selecting one of the plurality of received transmitter signals stored in the gate identifier list based on a signal frequency of the received transmitter signal; Reading the gate identifier included in the selected signal from the gate identifier list; a verification signal generating unit configured to generate a verification signal including the gate identifier of the selected transmitter signal and a user identifier of the passenger's mobile device; A verification signal sending unit, a verification signal sending unit configured to send the generated verification signal to a plurality of gate control devices; The system of claim 7.

9. Each of the plurality of gate control devices A signal receiving unit, comprising: a verification signal from the passenger's mobile device; a signal receiving unit configured to receive a current user status from a user status management unit of a back office; A signal analysis unit, comparing the gate identifier contained in the received verification signal with the gate identifier of the gate controlled by the gate control device; a signal analysis unit configured to determine an opening direction of the gate according to the received current user status; A gate opening control unit, controlling the gate to open if the gate identifier included in the received verification signal corresponds to the gate identifier of the gate controlled by the gate control device; If the current user status is "inside", control the gate to open in the direction of entry; If the current user status is "outside", control the gate to open in the exit direction; A gate opening control unit configured as above. Including, The system of claim 8.

10. 1. A method for automatically opening a gate of a public transportation facility, comprising: transmitting, by a plurality of transmitters, each transmitter located at one of a plurality of gates, a transmitter signal each including a gate identifier that identifies a respective one of said gates; receiving the plurality of transmitter signals by a mobile device of a passenger arriving at the plurality of gates; selecting, by the passenger's mobile device, one of the plurality of received transmitter signals based on a signal frequency of the received transmitter signal; reading, by the passenger's mobile device, the gate identifier included in the selected transmitter signal; transmitting, by the passenger's mobile device, a verification signal including the gate identifier of the selected transmitter signal and a user identifier of the passenger's mobile device to a plurality of gate control devices that control the plurality of gates; receiving, by each of the plurality of gate control devices, the verification signal from the passenger's mobile device; comparing, by each of the plurality of gate control devices, the gate identifier included in the received verification signal with the gate identifier of the gate controlled by the gate control device; opening, by the gate control device, the gate if the gate identifier included in the received verification signal corresponds to the gate identifier of the gate controlled by the gate control device; The method includes:

11. receiving, by a user status management unit in a back office, a user status request from the gate control device that controls the gate to be opened, the user status request including the user identifier of the mobile device of the passenger; reading, by the user status management unit, a previous user status from a user status management table stored in a back-office data storage unit of the back office based on the user identifier included in the received status request; determining, by the user status management unit, a current user status based on the previous user status; sending the current user status by the user status management unit to the gate control device, which controls the gate to be opened; receiving the current user status by the gate control device, which controls the gate to be opened; determining an opening direction of the gate according to the received current user status by the gate control device that controls the gate to be opened; The method of claim 10, comprising:

12. The user status management unit determines that the current user status is “inside” if the previous user status is not stored in the user status management table, or if the previous user status stored in the user status management table is “outside”; The method according to claim 11, wherein if the previous user status stored in the user status management table is "inside", the user status management unit determines that the current user status is "outside".

13. The gate control device controls the gate to be opened to open in the entrance direction if the current user status is "inside"; The method of claim 12, wherein the gate control device controls the gate to be opened to open in an exit direction if the current user status is "outside".

14. The user status management unit determines a current location of the user based on the gate identifier included in the received status request; The method according to claim 13 , wherein the user status management table is updated by the user status management unit according to the determined current user status and the determined current location of the user.

15. A computer program product storable in a memory comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause said computer to carry out a method according to at least one of claims 10 to 14.

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