Automatic Public Transport Payment via GPS Position Comparison
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing public transport payment systems require users to manually purchase and validate tickets or use cash, which is inconvenient and necessitates the provision of ticketing infrastructure by operators.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a first communication device on the vehicle and a second portable device synchronized with a management server to automatically determine user boarding and disembarking based on GPS data, enabling payment calculation and execution without user intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual ticket purchase and validation is required, then payment control is ensured, but user convenience deteriorates and operational complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables automatic payment detection by comparing GPS positions of users and vehicles without requiring manual ticket purchase or validation actions from users. The payment is triggered automatically when the system detects that a user has boarded and subsequently alighted from a vehicle, eliminating the need for user interaction with ticketing machines or cash transactions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical ticketing system (physical tickets, validation machines, cash handling) with an electronic GPS-based detection system. The management server continuously monitors and compares GPS coordinates of users and vehicles to automatically determine boarding and alighting events, substituting physical ticket validation with digital position-based detection.
2Reliability
If ticketing infrastructure is provided, then payment collection is ensured, but operational costs and system complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the payment detection function from the traditional ticketing infrastructure and relocates it to a centralized management server that processes GPS data. Instead of requiring ticket machines or validation devices at each vehicle or station, the system uses the existing GPS tracking infrastructure to detect boarding and alighting events and trigger payments automatically.
Solution Approach 2:
The management server performs multiple functions: it tracks vehicle positions, monitors user positions, compares GPS data to detect boarding/alighting events, calculates fares, and processes payments. This multi-functional approach eliminates the need for separate ticketing machines, validation devices, and cash handling systems, reducing overall infrastructure complexity while maintaining reliable payment collection.
3Ease of operation
If automatic payment is implemented, then user convenience is improved, but measurement precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously collects and stores GPS position data from both users and vehicles before the actual boarding event occurs. By maintaining a historical record of positions and performing continuous comparison, the system is prepared to immediately detect boarding and alighting events when they happen, ensuring accurate measurement without requiring high-precision real-time processing alone.
Data Source
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AI summary
A system and a method for automatic payment of a public transport service are described, providing for a first communication device installed on the public transport vehicle and a second portable communication device which the user carries on their person. Both the communication devices periodically send data relating to their respective geographical positions to a management server. Based on the data received from the communication devices, the management server determines the speeds of the public transport vehicle and the user and, based on their relative value, determines whether the user is on board the public transport vehicle or not. If this is the case, the management server sends to a payment system to which the user is subscribed a request for payment of the public transport service.