Passenger Counter Zone Segmentation and Door State Logic
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional passenger counting systems inaccurately count passengers when platform doors are closed or when passengers stay around due to congestion, leading to erroneous counting and failure to recognize getting-on or getting-off events.
Innovation Solution
A passenger counter system that uses imaging and processing sections to define inner and outer areas, recognizing door states and tracking individuals to accurately differentiate between getting-on and getting-off passengers, preventing multiple counting and erroneous recordings by only counting when the door is open.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If photoelectronic sensors are used to detect passengers, then passenger detection capability is improved, but counting accuracy deteriorates when passengers move around or stay on platform
Solution Approach 1:
The platform area is segmented into multiple detection zones (first detection area and second detection area) with different detection priorities. The first detection area focuses on the entrance region while the second covers the broader platform. This segmentation allows the system to distinguish between passengers actively entering/exiting versus those merely moving around, thereby maintaining detection sensitivity while improving counting accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit acts as an intermediary that processes sensor signals from multiple photoelectronic sensors, analyzes movement patterns, and makes intelligent counting decisions. It mediates between raw sensor data and final counting results by implementing logic that considers door state, movement direction, and zone transitions, preventing erroneous counting of passengers who are not actually boarding or alighting.
2Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If multiple sensors are deployed to improve detection, then detection coverage is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple photoelectronic sensors are merged into a coordinated detection system where sensors are strategically positioned to cover different zones. The control unit combines signals from these sensors using integrated logic that considers the hierarchical relationship between detection zones and door state, achieving comprehensive coverage while managing complexity through unified control rather than independent sensor operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The detection system dynamically adjusts its counting behavior based on real-time conditions such as door open/closed state and detected movement patterns. The control unit implements dynamic decision-making that activates different counting logic depending on whether the door is open or closed, and whether passengers are moving through the entrance or lingering on the platform, thereby adapting detection sensitivity to operational context.
3Productivity
If counting is performed continuously, then passenger flow monitoring is improved, but erroneous counting increases when door is closed
Solution Approach 1:
The counting operation is performed periodically based on door state transitions rather than continuously. The control unit activates counting logic specifically when the door transitions to an open state, and suspends counting when the door is closed. This periodic counting approach ensures that passenger flow is monitored during active boarding/alighting periods while preventing erroneous counts during periods when the door is closed and passenger movement on the platform should not be counted.
Data Source
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AI summary
A passenger counter that counts the number of persons who get on/off a vehicle comprising an imaging unit 2 installed at an inside of a vehicle platform; a setting unit 31 configured to set an inner area I corresponding to a passage inside the vehicle, one outer areas B surrounding the inner area I and inside the vehicle and other outer area A surrounding the inner area I and outside the vehicle; and a count determination unit 35 configured to count the number of persons who move from one outer area A(B) to the other outer area B (A) through the inner area I while a door of the platform is opened, not to count the number of persons while the door is closed, and to perform processing of determining a person existing in the inner area I when the opened (closed) door is closed (opened) to be counted.