Ticket gate system, server, and first ticket gate machine

Abstract

To provide: a ticket examination system for warning a passenger if the passenger who should perform a transfer outside a ticket gate erroneously uses another boarding medium for second boarding; a server; and a first ticket examination machine.SOLUTION: A ticket examination system S includes a first ticket examination machine 1, a second ticket examination machine 2 and a center server 3 for enabling a passenger to go out of a ticket gate and make a transfer between means of transportation. The center server 3 stores a combination of a boarding medium ID of a boarding medium held by the passenger and a passenger ID of the passenger and entrance / exit information on the combination, and acquires the entrance / exist information including the boarding medium ID read from the boarding medium from the first ticket examination machine 1 and the second ticket examination machine 2, Then, in the case of acquiring entrance information including the boarding medium ID from the first ticket examination machine 1, when there is a latest exist information on a combination of the same passenger ID in the second ticket examination machine 2 and a different boarding medium ID with reference to a storage part 31, the center server 3 causes the first ticket examination machine 1 to notify the passenger of warning information indicating the relinquishment of a transfer right.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to a ticket gate system, a server, and a first ticket gate machine.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in transportation facilities such as railways, when performing a through-ticketless transfer (getting off the train once outside the ticket gate and then boarding another train, so-called two-latch transfer) process at a ticket gate machine (automatic ticket gate), the boarding media (magnetic ticket, IC (Integrated Circuit) card, etc.) for the first and second rides need to be the same.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the prior art, since the entry and exit information is recorded on the boarding media, there is no means to warn the passenger from the ticket gate machine even if a passenger who should perform a through-ticketless transfer accidentally uses a different boarding media for the second ride, and there is room for improvement.

[0005] Therefore, an object of embodiments of the present invention is to provide a ticket gate system, a server, and a first ticket gate machine that can warn a passenger when the passenger who should perform a through-ticketless transfer accidentally uses a different boarding media for the second ride.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The ticket gate system of the embodiment includes a first ticket gate and a second ticket gate where passengers can get out of the ticket gate area and transfer between transportation means, and a server capable of communicating with the first ticket gate and the second ticket gate. The server includes a storage unit that stores a combination of a boarding medium ID of a boarding medium held by a passenger and a passenger ID of the passenger, and entry / exit information regarding the combination; an acquisition unit that acquires entry / exit information including the boarding medium ID read from the boarding medium from the first ticket gate and the second ticket gate; and a control unit that, when the acquisition unit acquires entry information including the boarding medium ID from the first ticket gate, refers to the storage unit and, when there is recent exit information regarding a combination of the same passenger ID and a different boarding medium ID at the second ticket gate, causes the first ticket gate to notify the passenger of warning information indicating that the right to transfer has been waived.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0008] Hereinafter, with reference to the attached drawings, embodiments of the ticket gate system, server, and first ticket gate machine of the present invention will be described. The ticket gate system of the embodiment is a system that manages the entry and exit of passengers at stations, etc. in transportation facilities such as railways. Hereinafter, an example in which the ticket gate system is applied to a railway station will be described.

[0009] The outline of this embodiment is as follows. In recent years, in the ABT (Account Based Ticketing) ticket gate system that is being developed, transfer information is stored in the center server. Therefore, when a passenger with the right to transfer accidentally uses another boarding medium for the second train, the center server can detect that the passenger has waived the right to transfer. Therefore, on the premise of the ABT ticket gate system, when the passenger enters the second train, the ticket gate machine can warn of the waiver of the transfer right. Details will be described below.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing an overview of the overall configuration of the ticket gate system S of the embodiment. The ticket gate system S includes a first ticket gate machine 1, a second ticket gate machine 2, and a center server 3. The first ticket gate machine 1 and the second ticket gate machine 2 enable passengers to get out of the ticket gate and transfer between transportation facilities. In the first ticket gate machine 1 and the second ticket gate machine 2, for example, boarding media such as magnetic tickets, IC cards, and two-dimensional code tickets can be used.

[0011] The center server 3 is a computer device and can communicate with the first ticket gate machine 1 and the second ticket gate machine 2 via a dedicated line, a public line, a LAN (local area network), etc. The center server 3 includes a storage unit 31, an input unit 32, an output unit 33, a communication unit 34, and a processing unit 35.

[0012] The storage unit 31 is composed of a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), etc., and stores various information. The storage unit 31 stores, for example, boarding medium information 311.

[0013] Here, FIG. 2 is a data configuration diagram of the boarding media information 311 held by the center server 3 of the embodiment. The boarding media information 311 stores a combination of a boarding media ID (Identifier) of a boarding media held by a passenger and the passenger ID of the passenger, and a state (such as entry / exit information) related to the combination.

[0014] For example, before using a transportation facility, a passenger registers a passenger ID when purchasing a boarding media at a ticket vending machine. Then, the information of the boarding media ID and the passenger ID of the boarding media is transmitted from the ticket vending machine to the center server 3, and the center server 3 acquires the information of the combination of the boarding media ID and the passenger ID and registers it in the boarding media information 311.

[0015] Returning to FIG. 1, the input unit 32 is a means for a user to input information, such as a mouse, a keyboard, a touch panel, etc.

[0016] The output unit 33 is a means for outputting information, such as a display device or an audio output device.

[0017] The communication unit 34 is a communication interface for communicating with external devices including the first ticket gate 1 and the second ticket gate 2.

[0018] The processing unit 35 is composed of, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and executes various information processes. The processing unit 35 includes, as functional units, an acquisition unit 351 and a control unit 352.

[0019] The acquisition unit 351 acquires various information from external devices including the first ticket gate 1 and the second ticket gate 2. The acquisition unit 351 acquires, for example, entry / exit information including the boarding media ID read from the boarding media from the first ticket gate 1 and the second ticket gate 2.

[0020] The control unit 352 executes various controls. For example, when the acquisition unit 351 acquires entry information including the boarding medium ID from the first ticket gate 1, the control unit 352 refers to the boarding medium information 311 in the storage unit 31. When there is recent (e.g., within 30 minutes) exit information regarding a combination of the same passenger ID and a different boarding medium ID at the second ticket gate 2, the control unit 352 transmits warning information indicating that the right to transfer has been waived to the first ticket gate 1, thereby causing the first ticket gate 1 to notify the passenger. When the first ticket gate 1 receives the warning information from the center server 3, it warns the passenger by at least one of voice output and screen display.

[0021] Also, when the acquisition unit 351 acquires entry information including the same boarding medium ID again from the first ticket gate 1, the control unit 352 may prevent the first ticket gate 1 from notifying the passenger of the warning information.

[0022] Next, with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6, four processing examples will be described. In FIGS. 3 to 6, the following matters are assumed. The second ticket gate 2 is installed at Station B, the first ticket gate 1 is installed at Station C, and it is possible to transfer outside the ticket gates between Station B and Station C. The only passenger who appears is the passenger with the passenger ID "1111". The passenger possesses two types of boarding media, a boarding medium with the boarding medium ID "1234" and a boarding medium with the boarding medium ID "5678". The passenger enters at Station A using the boarding medium with the boarding medium ID "1234" and exits at Station B. Note that FIGS. 3 and 4 are processing examples in a prior art that assumes an ABT ticket gate system but does not use the method of the present embodiment.

[0023] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a first processing example in the embodiment. After the passenger exits at Station B, the passenger enters at Station C using the boarding medium with the boarding medium ID "1234". In this case, since the same boarding medium is used at the time of exit at Station B and the time of entry at Station C, transfer processing can be performed and there is no problem.

[0024] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a second processing example in the embodiment. After a passenger exits at Station B, the passenger enters at Station C using a boarding medium with a boarding medium ID of "5678". In this case, since different boarding media are used when exiting at Station B and entering at Station C, transfer processing cannot be performed, but there is no means to warn the passenger from the ticket gate, and there is room for improvement. In this case, first ride processing is performed at Station C.

[0025] FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a third processing example in the embodiment. After a passenger exits at Station B, the passenger enters (for the first time) at Station C using a boarding medium with a boarding medium ID of "5678". In this case, since different boarding media are used when exiting at Station B and entering at Station C, a warning is given to the passenger at the first ticket gate 1 of Station C. Thereafter, the passenger enters (for the second time) at Station C using a boarding medium with a boarding medium ID of "1234" that was used when exiting at Station B. In this case, since the same boarding medium is used when exiting at Station B and entering at Station C, transfer processing can be performed.

[0026] FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a fourth processing example in the embodiment. After a passenger exits at Station B, the passenger enters (for the first time) at Station C using a boarding medium with a boarding medium ID of "5678". In this case, since different boarding media are used when exiting at Station B and entering at Station C, a warning is given to the passenger at the first ticket gate 1 of Station C. Thereafter, the passenger enters (for the second time) at Station C using the boarding medium with a boarding medium ID of "5678" again. In this case, although different boarding media are used when exiting at Station B and entering at Station C, no warning is given assuming that the passenger intentionally enters (for the second time) at Station C using the boarding medium with a boarding medium ID of "5678", and first ride processing is performed at Station C.

[0027] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the processing by the center server 3 in the embodiment. Hereinafter, FIGS. 1 to 6 are also referred to. First, in step S1, when the control unit 352 of the center server 3 acquires data regarding the entry and exit of a passenger from the ticket gates (the first ticket gate 1 and the second ticket gate 2), it determines whether it is entry processing. If Yes, it proceeds to step S2, and if No, it proceeds to step S6.

[0028] In step S2, the control unit 352 determines whether there is information on a transferable boarding medium (boarding medium ID "5678", user ID "1111") that has exited at the current station (Station C) and a station (Station B) where transfer outside the ticket gate is possible for the passenger (boarding medium ID "1234", user ID "1111"). If Yes, it proceeds to step S3; if No, it proceeds to step S6.

[0029] In step S3, the control unit 352 determines whether the boarding media used at both stations (Station B and Station C) are different. If Yes, it proceeds to step S4; if No, it proceeds to step S6.

[0030] In step S4, the control unit 352 determines whether the entry at the current station (Station C) is the first time. If Yes, it proceeds to step S5; if No, it proceeds to step S6.

[0031] In step S5, the control unit 352 transmits warning information indicating that the right to transfer has been waived to the first ticket gate 1 at the current station (Station C). In response to this, the first ticket gate 1 notifies the passenger of the warning by at least one of voice output and screen display.

[0032] In step S6, the control unit 352 performs normal determination processing.

[0033] As described above, according to the ticket gate system S of this embodiment, by managing the combination of the boarding medium ID and the passenger ID in the center server 3 and performing the above determination, it is possible to warn a passenger who should transfer outside the ticket gate when they mistakenly use another boarding medium on the second ride. Therefore, it is possible to avoid a situation where a passenger pays an extra fare for an unnecessary first ride.

[0034] Also, if the passenger enters again using the same boarding medium after the warning, the warning may not be given. This can avoid a situation where the warning is repeatedly notified when the passenger tries to enter using that boarding medium intentionally.

[0035] Note that the program executed by the center server 3 of the present embodiment can be recorded and provided on a recording medium readable by a computer device such as a CD (Compact Disc)-ROM (Read Only Memory), a flexible disk (FD), a CD-R (Recordable), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), etc. in an installable format or an executable format. Also, the program may be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.

[0036] Although the 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. This novel embodiment can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. This embodiment and its modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are also included in the invention described in the claims and its equivalent scope.

[0037] For example, in the above-described embodiment, after the warning, if the passenger enters for the second time or later using the same boarding medium, the warning is not given, but it is not limited to this. The warning may not be given for the Nth time or later (N: an integer of 3 or more).

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0038] 1... First ticket gate, 2... Second ticket gate, 3... Center server, 31... Storage unit, 32... Input unit, 33... Output unit, 34... Communication unit, 35... Processing unit, 311... Boarding medium information, 351... Acquisition unit, 352... Control unit, S... Ticket gate system

Claims

1. A ticket gate system comprising a first ticket gate and a second ticket gate through which passengers can go outside the ticket gate and transfer between transportation means, and a server capable of communicating with the first ticket gate and the second ticket gate, wherein the server includes a storage unit that stores a combination of a boarding medium ID of a boarding medium possessed by a passenger and a passenger ID of the passenger, and entry / exit information regarding the combination, an acquisition unit that acquires entry / exit information including the boarding medium ID read from the boarding medium from the first ticket gate and the second ticket gate, and a control unit that, when the acquisition unit acquires entry information including the boarding medium ID from the first ticket gate, refers to the storage unit and, when there is recent exit information regarding a combination of the same passenger ID and a different boarding medium ID at the second ticket gate, causes the first ticket gate to notify the passenger of warning information indicating that the right to transfer has been waived.

2. The ticket gate system according to claim 1, wherein when the acquisition unit acquires entry information including the same boarding medium ID from the first ticket gate again, the control unit does not cause the first ticket gate to notify the passenger of the warning information.

3. A server capable of communicating with a first ticket gate and a second ticket gate through which passengers can go outside the ticket gate and transfer between transportation means, including a storage unit that stores a combination of a boarding medium ID of a boarding medium possessed by a passenger and a passenger ID of the passenger, and entry / exit information regarding the combination, an acquisition unit that acquires entry / exit information including the boarding medium ID read from the boarding medium from the first ticket gate and the second ticket gate, and a control unit that, when the acquisition unit acquires entry information including the boarding medium ID from the first ticket gate, refers to the storage unit and, when there is recent exit information regarding a combination of the same passenger ID and a different boarding medium ID at the second ticket gate, causes the first ticket gate to notify the passenger of warning information indicating that the right to transfer has been waived.

4. The first ticket gate in a ticket gate system comprising a first ticket gate and a second ticket gate through which passengers can go outside the ticket gate and transfer between transportation means, and a server capable of communicating with the first ticket gate and the second ticket gate, wherein the server A storage unit that stores a combination of a boarding medium ID of a boarding medium possessed by a passenger and a passenger ID of the passenger, and entry / exit information regarding the combination; An acquisition unit that acquires entry / exit information including the boarding medium ID read from the boarding medium from the first ticket gate and the second ticket gate; A control unit that, when the acquisition unit acquires entry information including the boarding medium ID from the first ticket gate, refers to the storage unit and, when there is recent exit information regarding a combination of the same passenger ID and a different boarding medium ID at the second ticket gate, transmits warning information indicating that the right to transfer is being waived to the first ticket gate; and The first ticket gate is A first ticket gate that, when receiving the warning information from the server, warns the passenger by at least one of voice output and screen display.

Images