JP2023503265A - A system for informing passengers of available space in transportation services - Google Patents

Abstract

A system for signaling space available to passengers of a transport system is described, the passenger transport system comprising passenger transport vehicles (T), each vehicle having a space for passengers with respect to a respective doorway (A1, A2). With a plurality of predefined sections of space (P1, P2), the system detects in real time the number of passengers in each section of space (P1, P2) for passengers installed in each transport vehicle (T). Sensors (S1) installed in a plurality of predefined waiting areas (P) at stops and/or transit areas (G) at stops to detect in real time the number of people in each of the waiting areas and/or transit areas. a second sensor (S2, S3) and a learning database (DB) adapted to store data history of passenger numbers and congestion data of the waiting area and/or transit area (P, G) at multiple times of operation; , a processing complex (ECU) configured to estimate the flow of disembarking and boarding of passengers and the space available to passengers; means (D) for displaying the availability of passenger space adapted to provide an indication of availability or unavailability of passenger space.

Description

PASSENGER TRANSPORT SERVICES AND SYSTEMS The present invention relates to passenger transport services and systems, for example public transport systems, in particular transport systems based on the circulation of motor vehicles and train carriages, such as railway vehicles as a purely non-limiting example.

More specifically, the subject of the invention is a system according to the preamble in claim 1 for signaling the spaces available to passengers of a transport system, for example a public transport system.

In general, transport between multiple stations on one or more urban or suburban transport lines of a transport network in a given area, whether by train of cars or coaches, with multiple means of transport Passenger transport systems enable transport of large numbers of passengers per car/train. In a car, or in a train of interconnecting or split carriages, there is a predetermined number of seats and a predetermined empty space for standing people to line up. As used herein, empty space is a space predetermined according to predefined criteria considered suitable to accommodate standing passengers, depending on the average size of the passengers and the optimum distance between passengers. intended to mean

On trains such as urban railroad trains, more crowded carriages (usually near the entrance of a stop) that have no empty seats and no empty space to accommodate standing passengers, and some empty seats It is not uncommon for carriages (usually at both ends of the train) to have more empty space to accommodate the passengers. Congestion in a multi-entrance motor vehicle can also be disproportionate if passengers are unevenly distributed in the sections of the vehicle associated with the gateways.

Passengers boarding a vehicle or train preferably have direct access to a section of the carriage of the vehicle or train where there is space to stand or where at least one seat is available for those who need to sit. Often, however, if the carriages on a train are not connected, it may not be possible to reach a carriage with an empty space or seat after boarding, or if passengers have to navigate through a crowded carriage, It can be very difficult. The same is true in the case of long vehicles, where passengers may be difficult to reach on-board devices to validate their travel tickets if they are in a busy section.

In the prior art, from European Patent Application EP 3476690 from the same Applicant, a system for managing the space available to passengers in a transport system is known, which manages in different carriages of a passenger transport train. , suitable for continuously monitoring the availability of vacant spaces to stand, optionally the availability of seats, and to allow passengers to pre-arrive to carriages with vacant spaces. Additionally, it is suitable for signaling the availability to passengers waiting to board a train carriage. This signal is presented by the display means receiving signals or data indicative of the space available for passengers in the carriages of the train and indicating the availability or utilization of empty space for passengers in a given section of the train. Suitable for providing a signal of impossibility. The display means may be, for example, light sources integrated in the floor or ceiling of the platform of the stop and placed at the same level as the expected entrance/exit position of the carriages of the train, or at the entrance/exit doors of the carriages. including light sources integrated into the exterior walls of the coaches. This light source is for example two different colors, preferably green to indicate the availability of empty spaces or seats, and green to indicate the unavailability of empty spaces or seats, according to a first or second different mode. It is adapted to illuminate according to red.

However, a system that manages the space available to passengers based solely on information about the number of passengers in the carriage or section of the carriage associated with the entrance/exit section of the transportation means that due to boarding/disembarking of passengers difficult to satisfy the need for accurate prediction of space

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a system for informing passengers of available space that is as accurate as possible and that integrates the function of monitoring and predicting the number of passengers on a vehicle.

According to the invention, this object is achieved by a system for informing passengers of available space in a transport system having the features of claim 1 .

Particular embodiments form the subject matter of dependent claims, the content of which is to be understood as an integral part of this description.

In summary, the present invention is based on the principle of providing a system for signaling the available space for passengers in a transportation system according to an estimation of passenger disembarkation and embarking flows, said estimation being based on the is based on detection of the number of passengers and detection of the number of people waiting for the means of transport in the defined waiting area of the or waiting at the relevant travel time, e.g. at the same time on another day where passenger habits and/or behavior can be classified as similar, or at the same travel event or condition, e.g. atmospheric conditions. Contains area congestion data.

The data history is constantly updated with vehicle arrival and departure times at each stop and is used to train a machine learning process designed to estimate passenger disembarkation and embarking flows.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a stop station of a transportation network where a vehicle temporarily stops. FIG. 2 is a simplified block diagram of a system for signaling available space, which system is the subject of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a block diagram representing an embodiment of the programming structure of the signaling system that is the subject of the present invention.

Further features and advantages of the invention are explained in more detail in the following detailed description of embodiments thereof, given by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 shows, purely schematically, a system for informing passengers of available space in a transport system, which system is the subject of the present invention.

A transportation system comprises a plurality of passenger vehicles, each of which comprises a plurality of predefined sections of passenger space associated with respective doorways. The figure shows a vehicle T, such as a train, formed by two coaches C, each having two sections of space for passengers, indicated by references P1, P2, which can be accessed via corresponding doorways A1, A2. In general, the section of space for passengers may comprise a seat and/or a predetermined empty space for standing side-by-side passengers. The following description is intended to be understood purely as an example, and the means of transport may also be a motor vehicle formed by a single passenger coach, such as an articulated vehicle.

Each vehicle is designed to cycle between a plurality of respective stops of the transport network in a defined area, FIG. A waiting platform P is shown and it is possible to enter and exit the platform via two transit areas G.

A first sensor means S1 is provided onboard each vehicle T, the first sensor means being adapted to detect in real time the number of passengers in each of the plurality of sections P1, P2 of the space for passengers. and the first sensor means are adapted to emit respective signals or data representative of the occupation of the space available to passengers in each of the plurality of sections of space for passengers according to the number of passengers detected. there is

Said sensor means S1 are for example surveillance cameras, such as a plurality of video cameras, preferably designed to monitor the occupation and use of space in the coach, preferably one for each section of available space. , means for photographing the interior of the passenger carriage, said means for photographing being adapted to photograph a scene in the relevant section of the available space, from which scene the integrated or external image recognition system The number of passengers in the scene can be determined.

The sensor means S1 are adapted in particular to detect the presence of passengers when the entrances A1, A2 to the transport means are closed, e.g. when the transport means T is moving between one stop and the next stop. adapted to detect numbers. Said detection is preferably performed as soon as the vehicle closes the doorway.

The second sensor means S2 are installed in a plurality of predetermined waiting areas at the stop station, for example on the platform P, the second sensor means detecting in real time the number of people in each said waiting area and waiting according to the detected number of people. adapted to emit congestion signals or data respectively in the area. Before the vehicle T arrives at the stop, the congestion signal or data indicates the number of people waiting to board the vehicle, and once the vehicle departs from the stop, the congestion signal or data is given. , can indicate the flow of disembarkation from the vehicle.

The sensor means S2 may also include surveillance cameras, e.g. surveillance cameras, preferably one for each predetermined area of the platform, such as a plurality of video cameras, designed to monitor the occupation and use of space on the platform. means for photographing, the means for photographing being adapted to photograph a scene in an area associated with the platform, from which an integrated or external image recognition system determines the number of people in the scene can do.

Sensor means S3 are also installed in the area G of transit to/from the stop, e.g. and emit respective transit signals or data according to the number of people detected. Similar to sensor means S1 and sensor means S2, sensor means S3 can also be advantageously designed as imaging means.

With reference to the block diagram of FIG. 2, the system further comprises a processing means ECU comprising a network of processors distributed, for example, at stops and in the means of transport, and at least one central control unit, which , interconnected by cables or wirelessly, and configured to estimate the space available to passengers on the vehicle at given stops by means of machine learning algorithms and advanced statistical models. The processing means ECU receives from the first sensor means S1 the occupancy signals of the available space in the section of space for the passengers of the vehicle T and from the second sensor means S2, S3 the signals on which the vehicle T is heading. is adapted to receive congestion signals of the waiting area and/or transit area of the stop station where the The figure shows various groups of sensor means and signaling devices, showing a set of sensors and display devices installed at a stop (when the vehicle is temporarily stopped). . Here and hereinafter, the expression "at a given stop" means that the space available to passengers when a vehicle is en route to a stop shall be prior to the time of arrival of the vehicle at the stop. Since it can be estimated, it is intended to be understood in a broad sense in order to provide efficient cues to those waiting to board the vehicle. In one embodiment, the processing means are distributed at all stops, from which they receive signals from the stopped transport means and from the stop stations themselves, the processing means being interconnected in a network to detect Transmits the signal or result of the processing along the transport line to the next stop. The processing means may also be distributed on board the vehicle and may communicate with the central unit from there and from stops. Alternatively, it is possible to implement the processing means in a single central unit so as to provide wireless transmission of signals or data detected by the on-board sensor means to repeater modules at stops, and , to provide transmission via cables of the signals or data received from the onboard sensor means and of the signals or data detected by the sensor means of the stops from the repeater module to the central unit.

Advantageously, in the means of transport, as far in advance as possible, cues are provided to the passengers in order to give them the maximum amount of time in which they can position themselves to the easiest place to board the means of transport. Space available to passengers is estimated as soon as the vehicle closes the doorway and prepares to depart for the next stop. However, if the departure and arrival stations are far enough apart, or if there are problems with the transmission and processing of images at the vehicle's departure station, the vehicle may be boarded in transit between two stops. can estimate the space available for

A learning database DB, linked to the processing means ECU, provides data on the number of passengers in the section of space for passengers in each transport means, and at least one predefined trip at the time of arrival and at the time of departure from a stop. It is adapted to store a data history comprising congestion data of the waiting area and/or transit area over time, respectively.

The learning database is advantageously designed to store passenger count data and congestion data for a plurality of hours of operation.

The learning database may also store information related to vehicle occupancy, waiting area congestion, and disembarkation and boarding flows, e.g., information regarding weather conditions affecting transportation system utilization. are adapted.

The processing means ECU estimates the passenger disembarkation flow and boarding flow for each section of space for passengers in the transport means at the stop according to the space occupancy signal, the congestion signal and the data history at the corresponding or relevant hours of operation. and to emit signals or data indicative of the estimated space available for passengers according to estimated disembarkation flow and estimated boarding flow. Corresponding hours of operation include, for example, corresponding hours of operation on different days of the week, or corresponding hours of operation on different days of the week, or for the same event (even on the same day).

The processing means ECU is configured to estimate the boarding flow of passengers at the stop station according to the congestion data of the waiting area, and to estimate the flow of passengers getting off at the stop station according to the congestion data of the transit area of the stop station. there is

The processing means may also be configured according to historical data referring to a predetermined number of previously existing vehicles at the stop, and/or according to historical data at corresponding or related travel times, and/or according to historical data for vehicles arriving at the stop. It is also arranged to estimate the passenger disembarkation flow at the stop according to the space occupancy signal or data in the section of space for passengers.

Advantageously, not only is it correlated with congestion of the transport means and with movement from one stop to another, i.e. operating hours and/or events, but also transport service exceptions, weather conditions and Data that may also be correlated with general data that may be correlated with vehicle occupancy levels may be stored in the learning database BB.

Signals or data indicative of estimated space available to passengers in sections of the vehicle are available to passengers to provide indications of availability or unavailability for passengers in each section of space in the vehicle. space, for example by means of light sources placed at the position or expected position of the entrances A1, A2 of the vehicle to the platform of the stop station.

Advantageously, in the presently preferred embodiment, the signal or data indicative of the estimated space available for passengers is available in three occupancy states, i.e. when the relevant section of space for passengers on the vehicle is empty or nearly congested. a first state in which the light source of the indicating means is not occupied (thus the light source of the indicating means is illuminated in green), a second state in which the relevant section of the space for the passengers of the vehicle is partially occupied (thus the light source of the indicating means is yellow). or orange), and a third state in which the relevant section of the vehicle's passenger space is fully or nearly fully occupied (thus the light source of the display means is lit red), respectively. is processed to represent

The processing means also advantageously provide means for updating the learning database DB, which update means include the number of passengers in the section of space of the vehicle at each of the arrival and departure times of the vehicle at the stops. and current data of passenger space occupancy, as well as congestion data of waiting areas and/or transit areas at stops, in a database.

In one embodiment, the number of passengers is detected at the doorway of the vehicle and the occupancy of space for passengers is determined by the number of passengers waiting in front of the doorway versus the number of passengers waiting away from the doorway. can also be estimated by attributing different weights to

FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of one embodiment of the programming structure of the signaling system that is the subject of the present invention, with a modular architecture.

Reference numeral 100 designates the main module of the signaling system executed by the processing means ECU and located in the central unit. A series of configuration files are provided as inputs to the main module 100 . These files contain all the information necessary to operate the sensor means S1, S2, S3 and in general to interact with the external environment. The configuration file contains a schematic diagram of the transport system to be monitored, e.g. a list of stops, the geographical location of each stop, the location of the sensor means S2, S3 within each stop, and the monitored waiting area and/or It also includes a list of transit areas.

Once the main module 100 is initialized, it creates a number of default dependent software modules required to operate the system that is the subject of this invention. That is, it launches a series of processes and services, including:
a communication service module 110, from the sensor means S1, S2, S3 indicated generally at 120 in the figure, and other possible sensors indicated generally at 130 in the figure (e.g. laser scanning sensors, weight sensors at entry/exit steps, etc.)
- Metadata generation module 140, which is adapted to access services and APIs 145 of the external infrastructure of stops and means of transport;
- a module 150 for controlling external elements, which module is adapted to be connected via a radio communication system to controlled external elements 160, such as display means D of a stop station;
- a database management module 170, which is adapted to connect to the learning database DB;
- a plurality of prediction modules, which are based on machine learning statistical analysis algorithms, module 180 for predicting passenger behavior at a given operating time or in the case of operating events or conditions, predicting the occupancy of the vehicle; and a module 200 for predicting congestion in stop waiting areas and/or transit areas;
- monitoring module 210;

When all of the previous software modules have been generated, the main module 100 switches to standby and receives certain events from an external system, such as commands for deactivating, resetting, or controlling the display device. Wait for the command to occur.

The monitoring module 210 generates a virtual element enhanced with data processing functions in a copy corresponding to the real element of the transport system, i.e. the module is used to monitor the specific real element of the transport system. Generates a series of processes that In the example of FIG. 3, the monitoring module 210 is coupled with a vehicle module 300 that generates virtual vehicle elements, a waiting area module 310 that generates virtual waiting area elements, and a transit area module 320 that generates virtual transit area elements. there is Over time, the monitoring module 210 tracks events of interest that occur and are associated with the generated virtual elements.

The vehicle module 300 includes respective operational modules, for example an operational module 400 for representing the sensor means S1, an operational module 510 for determining the degree of congestion, and an operational module 510 for determining the degree of congestion, and for estimating the occupancy of the vehicle from the determined degree of congestion. The operation module 420 of the .

The waiting area module 310 and the transit area module 320 are the respective operating modules to the transport means, e.g. an object detector operating module 500, sensor means S2, S3 adapted to detect the open state of entry and exit doors, respectively. An operational module 510 for behavior, an operational module 520 for detecting events and people behavior (e.g., the amount of people exiting a vehicle and the outflow from a stop through a transit area at different hours of operation), and a waiting area. and an operational module 530 for determining the degree of congestion of the area and transit area, respectively.

The several modules described can interact with each other to exchange commands and/or information with the external environment, e.g. A module 150 for controlling external elements may be used, for example for switching on and off the light sources of signaling means at stops.

In the event that the imaging means comprising the transport vehicle sensor S1 and the waiting area sensor S2 (or the transit area sensor S3) are unavailable, the system can operate autonomously using machine learning models. , based on historical data, prediction modules 180, 190, 200 can then be used to estimate the level of vehicle occupancy or congestion in the waiting area.

The communication services module 110 and the metadata generation module 140 provide all the data necessary for the system to work, e.g. the traveling position and direction of the vehicle and the video from the video cameras constituting the sensor means S1, S2. It is designed to communicate with sensor means S1, S2, S3, web services and infrastructure 145 APIs, and in general all external services in order to receive streams in real time.

The database management module 170 acts as an interface between the processing means ECU and the database BB for retrieving stored historical data and for storing new historical data.

Advantageously, the system of the present invention allows users of a transport system, for example a car or rail public transport system, who are waiting for a transport means in the waiting area of a stop station to be associated with a less congested section of the transport means. Level itself with the entrance/exit to the arriving vehicle, following visual cues of the level of occupancy of the section of space available inside the vehicle to position itself flush with the entrance/exit to the incoming vehicle. can be placed.

Claims (9)

A system for informing passengers of available space in a transport system comprising passenger vehicles (T), each vehicle having space for passengers associated with its respective gateway (A1, A2). comprising a plurality of predefined sections (P1, P2) and designed to cycle between a plurality of respective stops in a transport network within a predefined area, wherein the system comprises:
- a first sensor means (S1) installed on board each vehicle (T) for detecting in real time the number of passengers in a plurality of sections (P1, P2) of the space for passengers and the detected passengers; first sensor means (S1) adapted to emit respective space occupancy signals or data in each of a plurality of sections of space for passengers according to their number;
- second sensor means (S2) installed at a plurality of predefined waiting areas (P) at stops and/or at a plurality of predefined transit areas (G) to/from stops in the transport network; and a third sensor means (S3) for detecting the number of people in each of the waiting area and/or transit area in real time, and according to the detected number of people, respective congestion signals in the corresponding waiting area and/or transit area. or second and/or third sensor means (S2, S3) adapted to emit data;
- data on the number of passengers in defined sections (P1, P2) of the space for passengers of each transport means (T) and defined waiting times at arrival and departure times from stops at several defined operating times; a learning database (DB) adapted to store a data history comprising area and/or transit area (P, G) congestion data, respectively;
- a processing means (ECU) adapted to estimate the space available for passengers in a given means of transport (T) at given stops, the section of space for passengers of the means of transport (T); waiting and/or transit areas (P, G ) from the second and/or third sensor means (S2, S3), and further space occupancy signals or data, congestion signals or data and corresponding or related designed to estimate the passenger disembarkation flow and passenger boarding flow for each of the passenger space sections (P1, P2) according to the data history in service time, and the current space occupancy signal or data, the estimated a processing means (ECU) designed to emit signals or data indicative of the estimated space available for passengers according to the estimated disembarkation flow and estimated boarding flow;
- means (D) for indicating the availability of space for passengers in the means of transport (T), adapted to receive signals or data indicative of the estimated space available for passengers, and means ( D) and
- means for updating the learning database (DB), comprising data on the number of passengers in the passenger space sections (P1, P2) of the means of transport (T) and of the means of transport (T) at stops; congestion data of waiting areas and/or transit areas (P, G) at stops at departure and arrival times, respectively, in a database;
A system with 2. A vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the first, second and third sensor means (S1, S2, S3) comprise surveillance cameras adapted to detect the number of passengers at the doorways (A1, A2). system. 3. A system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first sensor means (S1) is adapted to detect the number of passengers in the closed state of the access points (A1, A2) to the transport means (T). . The processing means (ECU), according to the congestion signal or data of the waiting area (P), to estimate the boarding flow of passengers at the stop station, and according to the congestion signal or data of the transit area (G) of the stop station, 4. A system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, arranged to estimate the flow of passengers disembarking at stops. 5. A system according to claim 4, wherein the transit area (G) from the stop station comprises an exit passageway from the waiting area (P) of the stop station. The processing means (ECU) of claims 1 to 5, wherein the processing means (ECU) is configured to estimate the disembarkation flow of passengers at the stop station according to historical data referring to a predetermined number of transport means previously present at the stop station. A system according to any one of clauses. 7. The processing means (ECU) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the processing means (ECU) is arranged to estimate the disembarkation flow of passengers at stops according to historical data in the corresponding or associated travel times. system. The processing means (ECU) is adapted to estimate the disembarkation flow of passengers at stops according to the space occupancy signals or data in the sections (P1, P2) of the space for passengers of the vehicle (T), System according to any one of claims 1 to 7. The learning database (DB) is adapted to further store information relating to occupancy of the means of transport (T), congestion of the waiting area (P) and flow of disembarkation and embarking. 9. A system according to any one of clauses 1-8.

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