JP2011207303A - Vehicle congestion level judging system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To grasp a congestion level in a vehicle in real time.SOLUTION: This congestion level judging system comprises a radio terminal 12 including a pair of communication units 12a, 12b opposed to each other across a space in a vehicle, and a plurality of access points 22 provided in a platform communicating with the radio terminal 12 and connected with each other. The system checks a radio signal strength between a pair of the communication units 12a and 12b, and transmits the checked radio signal strength to the access points. At the access points, a congestion level is displayed according to the radio signal strength.

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle congestion determination system that measures the degree of crowding of a vehicle in a vehicle such as a train vehicle.

  Conventionally, various apparatuses for automatically counting the number of persons in a specific area are known. For example, a device that uses light emitting elements and light receiving elements to count people passing through the area (see Patent Literatures 1 and 2), a device that detects the number of people by processing video signals from a TV camera (see Patent Literature 3), etc. It has been known.

To know how many people are in a vehicle such as a train vehicle, it is only necessary to count the number of people, but in reality, it accurately counts the number of passengers who repeatedly get on and off the moving vehicle in real time. Is not easy.
In addition, the conventional device for automatically counting the number of people is difficult to bring into the vehicle and is expensive, so it is not practical for grasping the number of people in the vehicle.

On the other hand, the number of passengers getting on and off the vehicle may not necessarily be accurately grasped until it reaches a fraction, for example, for the purpose of grasping the degree of congestion.
Therefore, in order to grasp the boarding situation of vehicles etc. in real time, a base station is installed in the train, and when the train leaves the station, the number of mobile phones in the car is obtained by communicating with the mobile phone in the car And the train boarding information management apparatus which grasps | ascertains the approximate number of passengers in a vehicle by transmitting the number to a management server is proposed (refer patent document 4).
Separately from this, a device for estimating the number of people using a mobile phone is also known in order to grasp the number of people in a specific area (see Patent Document 5).

  For example, in an ultra-large theme park, this number estimation device sets a cell within a range where a mobile phone can reach a specific area, and communicates with each mobile phone within the communication range of the cell for each cell. The number of people in the specific area is estimated by counting the numbers over the entire specific area.

  In any of the above conventional devices, the number of people in the vehicle or in a specific area is grasped by counting the number of responses of the mobile phone. Of course, all the people in the specific area have a mobile phone. However, in the car, the mobile phone may be turned off near the priority seat. Further, there is a possibility that the mobile phone is in a bag or the like and cannot communicate with the congestion measuring server in the vehicle.

In addition, there are many uncertain factors in the estimation of the number of people using conventional devices, such as the age of people in the area and the percentage of people who have a mobile phone but are turned off. Even if the numbers are processed statistically, the estimates obtained must be fairly wide.
Furthermore, since the portable terminal held by the passenger is used, it is necessary to communicate with terminals of various communication methods, and there is a problem that the server side mounted on the vehicle and the equipment cost are burdened.

JP-A-11-250358 JP-A-7-85330 JP-A-5-174210 JP 2009-190585 A JP 2002-354517 A

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional problems, and its purpose is to make it easier for a vehicle to be congested while moving and the number of people increases and decreases, and to reflect the actual number of people and to be more realistic It is to be able to grasp with.

  The present invention comprises a mobile communication device composed of a pair of communication units arranged facing each other across an interior space of the vehicle, and a plurality of mutually connected access points installed at predetermined positions where communication with the mobile communication device is possible. In the vehicle congestion degree determination system, the mobile communication device includes: an inspection unit that inspects radio signal strength between communication units; and a congestion state determination unit that determines a congestion state in a vehicle based on an inspection result of the inspection unit. Transmitting means for transmitting a congestion status signal of the congestion status determination means to the access point, the access point receiving means for receiving the congestion status signal and a display corresponding to the received congestion status signal And a display means for performing vehicle congestion determination system.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the congestion degree (congestion condition) of the person who exists in a vehicle can be grasped | ascertained more correctly with a simple structure compared with the conventional number estimation apparatus.

1 is a block diagram schematically showing a vehicle congestion degree determination system according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a communication unit. FIG. 3A is a block diagram showing the structure of the access point, and FIG. 3B is a diagram showing the display contents of the electronic bulletin board connected to the access point. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement procedure of the radio | wireless terminal arrange | positioned in a vehicle. It is a flowchart explaining the operation | movement procedure of the access point of a station.

Next, an embodiment of a vehicle congestion degree determination system according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing a vehicle congestion degree determination system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
This vehicle congestion degree determination system includes a mobile communication device (hereinafter referred to as a wireless terminal) 12 mounted on a vehicle 10 and an access point 22 (in the figure, “fixed wireless communication device” that performs wireless communication with the wireless terminal 12 in the vehicle. "AP" is displayed).

  The wireless terminal 12 includes, for example, communication units 12a and 12b including a pair of edge-equipped microcomputers that are attached to face the inner side wall of the vehicle. The communication units 12a and 12b have a predetermined interval along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, for example, at an appropriate height (for example, a height at which communication is blocked by a person sitting on a seat and communication is blocked by a standing person). (For example, at equal intervals).

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the communication units 12a and 12b.
As illustrated, the communication units 12a and 12b include a control unit 121 that controls the entire communication unit, an input / output interface 122 that is a communication unit that performs ad hoc communication between the communication units 12a and 12b, an access point 22, and a wireless communication unit. A communication interface 125, which is a communication unit that performs communication, and a storage unit 123 are provided.

The control unit 121 includes a communication mode switching unit 121a that switches a communication mode from an input / output interface 122 that performs communication in an ad hoc mode to a communication interface 125 when receiving a beacon transmitted by an access point 22 described later, a communication unit 12a, Based on RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indication: radio signal strength) in ad hoc communication performed between 12b, for example, by comparing with a threshold stored in the storage unit 123, a plurality of levels corresponding to the congestion situation, In the embodiment, the congestion status determination unit 121b that determines which of the three levels is applied is provided as a function implementation unit using a computer program.
The storage unit 123 stores inspected radio signal strength information, which will be described later, in addition to the edge information between the communication units 12a and 12b.

The communication interface 125 transmits the congestion status information, which is the determination result of the congestion status determination means 121b, to the access point 22 of the nearest station.
The congestion status information is wireless signal strength information with information associated with a predetermined congestion status. Further, by configuring one of the communication units 12a and 12b as a master communication unit and the other as a slave communication unit, only the master communication unit side may communicate with the access point 22. In that case, the communication unit on the slave side only needs to have a structure that can perform only the ad hoc communication for inspection in response to a request from the master communication unit.
The communication units 12a and 12b perform ad hoc communication for periodically checking the radio signal strength at a time designated by a timer (not shown).

The access point 22 is a wireless communication device that is installed in each station and wirelessly communicates with the wireless terminal 12 installed in the vehicle, and is connected to the access point 22 of another station via a wired or wireless LAN (Local Area Network) 30. At the same time, it is also connected to display means such as an electric bulletin board 28 installed in the home.
FIG. 3A is a block diagram showing the structure of the access point, and FIG. 3B is a diagram showing the display contents of the electronic bulletin board connected to the access point.
The access point 22 is a control unit 24, a first communication interface 25 that is a communication unit that performs wireless communication with the wireless terminal 12, and a second communication unit that communicates with another access point 22 via the LAN 30. The communication interface 26 and a storage unit 29 for storing the congestion status information (wireless signal strength information with level information) received from the wireless terminal 12.

  The control unit 24 of the access point 22 analyzes the congestion status information wirelessly transmitted from the wireless terminals 12, creates arbitrary display information indicating the degree of congestion corresponding to the level information of each wireless terminal 12, The display means such as an electric bulletin board has a function of displaying each vehicle or door on which each communication unit 12a, 12b is installed. That is, the control unit 24 refers to a congestion degree display table (not shown) indicating the display type corresponding to the level information stored in the storage unit 29 based on the received level information, and For each door, display data is created by referring to the corresponding degree of congestion, and is displayed on the electronic bulletin board 28 and stored in the storage unit 29.

  If the received congestion status information is from the wireless terminal 12 of a vehicle that has stopped at the station or a vehicle that has already departed, the access point 22 transfers the access point 22 to the access point 22 of the next stop station of the vehicle through the LAN 30. It has a function and a function to periodically send a beacon signal to its own station platform.

  The access point 22 of the next stop station of the vehicle determines the strength level of the transferred wireless signal strength, for example, “communication is impossible”, “signal strength is strong or communication is stable”, “signal strength” Based on the wireless signal strength information in which level information is added to “Slightly reduced”, congestion degree display information indicating the degree of congestion is created for each vehicle in which each wireless terminal 12 is arranged or for each door, and displayed. Processing to display on the device.

  The control unit 24 of the access point 22 further stores the radio signal strength data for each vehicle in the congestion status information stored in the storage unit 29, and the weather information such as the date, day of the week, holiday, weather, temperature, etc. For example, and a statistical processing unit 241 that performs statistical processing such as obtaining an average value for each classification, and the statistical data created by the statistical processing unit 241 is displayed on the electronic bulletin board 28 as a display unit, or It is also possible to create congestion degree prediction data based on the statistical data and distribute it to each terminal connected to the network via the interface 27 via a network such as the Internet.

FIG. 3B is a diagram illustrating a display example of the congestion level displayed on the display device.
As shown in the figure, the display unit 28 displays the current degree of congestion for each vehicle along with information on the next train, for example, destination and arrival time.
In the example shown in the figure, symbols such as ○, △, and X are displayed. However, this may be displayed as “vacant”, “slightly crowded”, “crowded”, for example. . In short, any vehicle that can be used to determine which vehicle the passenger will arrive next, and in some cases, what number of doors should be boarded.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure of the wireless terminal 12 arranged in the vehicle.
The wireless terminals arranged in the vehicle periodically perform ad hoc communication between the communication units 12a and 12b that are associated (registered as communication partners with each other) (S101). In this case, when the strength of the wireless signal from the other party can be confirmed (S102), if the strength of the wireless signal is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value (S103, YES), the congestion status judging unit 121b In this case, it is determined that there is no congestion (S104).

In step S102, when the wireless signal strength cannot be confirmed (S102, NO), the congestion state determination unit 121b calculates an average value with a predetermined fixed wireless signal strength. "Abnormal" is determined (S105). In step S103, if the wireless signal strength does not reach the predetermined threshold value (S103, NO), the congestion state determination unit 121b calculates an average value based on the acquired wireless signal strength. It is assumed that the data is “slightly crowded” (S106).
Subsequently, the wireless terminal 12 stores the calculated wireless signal strength in the storage unit 123 (S107).

  When the wireless terminal 12 detects a beacon signal transmitted from the station access point 22 (S108), the control unit (communication mode switching means 121a) switches the operation mode and the ad hoc mode setting to change the access point. The infrastructure mode for communicating with the terminal 22 is set (S109), and the congestion status information stored in the storage unit 123 is notified to the access point 22 of the nearest station (stop station) (S110). When the notification to the access point 22 is completed (S111), the ad hoc mode is set again (S112) and the process returns to the beginning.

  In step S108, when the beacon of the station access point 22 is not detected (S108, NO), the ad hoc mode is still set (S113). That is, when the vehicle approaches a position where the vehicle can detect the beacon of the access point 22 at the station, the wireless terminal 12 recognizes the access point 22 and notifies the congestion status information.

Next, the operation of the station access point 22 will be described.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the operation procedure of the access point 22 at the station.
First, when there is notification of congestion status information from the access point 22 of the previous station from the wireless terminal 12 of the vehicle at the previous station (S201, Yes), the congestion level is displayed on the home electronic bulletin board or the like (S202). Statistical data is calculated from the data (S203), prediction data is calculated from the statistical data, the degree of congestion is distributed via a network such as the Internet (S204), and a beacon signal is periodically transmitted to the home of the station (S204). S205). Next, if there is data communication from the wireless terminal 12 (S206, Yes), congestion status information (congestion degree data) is acquired (S207), and the acquired congestion status information is notified to the access point of the next station (S208). ). Thereafter, the original standby state is restored.

As described above, the present invention has been described by taking a railway vehicle such as a train as an example. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and can be applied to a bus vehicle, a bus stop, and the like.
It is also possible to estimate the degree of congestion by collecting data such as day of the week / weather / time according to the daily congestion data.

According to the present embodiment, in-vehicle communication is performed in an ad hoc mode by taking advantage of the features of an ad hoc network such as a conventional mobile communication (such as a mobile phone) that does not require a base station or a fixed net frame network. By using the wireless terminal 12 that can perform wireless communication in the infrastructure mode with the access point 22 connected to each other via the LAN 30 that is installed at each station, the wireless terminal 12 can access the access installed at each station. It is possible to send the traffic situation in the car in real time while roaming with points.
The access point 22 analyzes the congestion status information received from the wireless terminal 12 and determines the degree of congestion of vehicles approaching by a home electric board or the like based on the wireless signal strength data leveled according to the strength of each vehicle, or It can be displayed for each door.

The user can suppress variation in the degree of congestion of each vehicle by moving on the platform while viewing the congestion information on the electric bulletin board, and can expect the congestion to be reduced as a result.
In the present embodiment, the degree of congestion of vehicles arriving at a specific time at the access point 22 is statistically processed to accumulate congestion information for each season and time. For example, from an information terminal such as a mobile phone For example, it is possible to access via a network such as the Internet, obtain congestion information of specific vehicles for each season, and determine a schedule for going out, or determine a vehicle to be boarded in advance.

  In addition, since the system according to the present embodiment is configured only by equipment installed in the vehicle without using passenger's belongings (portable terminals), there are uncertain elements such as a conventional number prediction device. In addition, since the confirmation of the radio signal intensity is general-purpose, costs such as equipment costs can be kept low.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Vehicle, 12 ... Wireless communication terminal, 12a, 12b ... Communication unit, 121 ... Control part, 122 ... Input / output interface, 123 ... Storage part, 125 ... Communication Interface, 22 ... Access point, 24 ... Control unit, 25 ... First interface, 26 ... Second interface, 28 ... Display unit (electronic bulletin board), 29 ... Memory Part, 30 ... LAN.

Claims (6)

Vehicle congestion determination comprising a mobile communication device composed of a pair of communication units arranged facing each other across an interior space of the vehicle, and a plurality of access points connected to each other installed at a predetermined position capable of communicating with the mobile communication device A system,
The mobile communication device includes: an inspection unit that inspects radio signal strength between communication units; a congestion state determination unit that determines a congestion state in a vehicle based on an inspection result of the inspection unit; and a congestion state of the congestion state determination unit Transmitting means for transmitting a signal to the access point;
The access point includes a vehicle congestion level determination system, comprising: means for receiving the congestion status signal; and display means for performing display according to the received congestion status signal. In the vehicle congestion degree determination system according to claim 1,
The mobile communication device has a communication function based on an ad hoc mode for checking radio signal strength and a communication function based on an infrastructure mode for communicating with the access point. In the vehicle congestion degree determination system according to claim 1 or 2,
The mobile communication device includes a storage unit that stores the wireless signal strength inspected in association with a preset congestion situation and stores the same. In the vehicle congestion degree determination system according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The mobile communication device includes a mode switching means for switching a communication mode from an ad hoc mode to an infrastructure mode when receiving an identification signal from an access point. In the vehicle congestion determination system according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The said access point has a transfer means which transfers the congestion condition signal received to the other access point, The vehicle congestion degree determination system characterized by the above-mentioned. In the vehicle congestion degree determination system according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The access point includes a means for storing a congestion status signal of a specific vehicle corresponding to the received congestion together with seasonal information, and a means for predicting the congestion status based on the congestion status signal totaled for each season. Congestion level judgment system.

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