JP4534628B2 - Communication apparatus and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication device for a user to use a transportation facility in which an automatic ticket gate is installed in a facility for getting on and off a transportation means.

  Some transportation facilities that carry people by means of transportation such as trains have facilities (for example, stations) for getting on and off the transportation means. In transportation facilities having such facilities, in recent years, IC cards (communication devices) having communication functions and data processing functions have been adopted as commuter passes or prepaid cards. By adopting such an IC card, it is possible to reduce the trouble of passing through the ticket gate and improve convenience, and to perform automatic settlement when used outside the commuter pass section. As the communication device, it is considered that a mobile communication terminal device equipped with an IC card chip will be used in the future.

  The communication device can be used as a prepaid card by charging an available amount (balance). Thereby, automatic settlement is performed by updating the balance stored in the communication device. The balance newly stored by the update is obtained by subtracting the amount of the fee to be collected from the original balance.

  Generally, negative values are not allowed as balances that can be stored in the communication device. Thereby, when using a communication apparatus as a prepaid card, the range which can use a transportation system is restrict | limited by the balance. If you use transportation to move to a place where the usage fee is larger than the balance, you need to charge before leaving the destination facility at the latest.

  Many automatic ticket gates display a balance and notify the user when a communication device is used as a prepaid card. As a result, the user can check the balance, but it is not always possible to accurately grasp how far the balance can be moved. As a result, in reality, there are many cases where people are trying to get out of the facility through an automatic ticket gate, although the balance is actually insufficient.

  If your balance is insufficient, you cannot pass through the automatic ticket gate. For this reason, for the user, charging is performed after going to the automatic ticket gate, and then the user goes to the automatic ticket gate again. If you know in advance that the balance is insufficient, you can go to the automatic ticket gate after charging, which makes the work of leaving the facility very troublesome. Since the smooth flow is obstructed by not being able to pass through the automatic ticket gate, it also causes trouble for those who subsequently pass through the automatic ticket gate. It can be avoided that the automatic ticket gate prohibits traffic due to insufficient funds by checking the charge of the moving section with the route map of the facility, etc., but it can be used as a prepaid card by performing the confirmation work The above convenience will be lost. For this reason, it is considered important to provide information that can be used to confirm whether or not the balance is insufficient for a user who uses the communication device as a prepaid card.

  As a technique for providing information to a user of a communication device, there is one described in Patent Document 1. In the conventional technique described in Patent Document 1, a communication device that transmits information indicating the usable range of a transportation facility to an automatic ticket gate has a departure time and a destination of a vehicle that can be used for the communication device. The transportation use information such as arrival time and whether or not there is transfer is received from the automatic ticket gate and displayed.

Information indicating the usable range necessary for receiving such usage information represents a destination that the user intends to go to. Since a communication device that can be used as a prepaid card is premised on moving to an arbitrary place, such information is not transmitted to an automatic ticket gate. As is clear from this, the conventional technique described in Patent Document 1 is not intended for use as a prepaid card of a communication device.
JP-A-9-81804

  An object of the present invention is to be able to provide information on stations that can be used based on a money balance in an IC card function.

The present invention is a communication device that can use a transportation facility by an IC card function having a money function, and obtains a money balance of the IC card function when entering from a desired station in the transportation facility. Means, second acquisition means for acquiring the past use station situation in the transportation, and within the range of stations available in the money balance based on the obtained money balance and the past use station situation. It is characterized by comprising extraction means for extracting a frequently used station and guidance output means for guiding and outputting a frequently used station extracted by the extraction means as a station that can be used .

  According to the present invention, it is possible to immediately know a station that is likely to be used among stations that can be used with the current money balance.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a network system that can be used by a communication apparatus according to the present embodiment. The system is intended for users of portable terminal devices 1 that can communicate with the automatic ticket gate 2 and the mobile communication network 4 respectively. The automatic ticket gate 2, the mobile communication network 4, and its communication And a charge table server 3 that transmits information to be transmitted to the mobile terminal device 1 via the network 4 as necessary.

  In FIG. 1, the communication device according to the present embodiment is mounted on a mobile terminal device (hereinafter abbreviated as “mobile terminal”) 1. The mobile terminal 1 is a mobile body such as a PHS or a mobile phone, for example, and performs communication for telephone or data transmission / reception via the mobile communication network 4. When a portable user uses the facility, communication is performed with the automatic ticket gate 2. Hereinafter, a typical station is assumed as a facility, and a facility having a plurality of routes is assumed as a transportation facility.

  FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of the mobile terminal 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the mobile terminal 1 includes a CPU 11 that controls the entire terminal 1, a ROM 12 that stores programs executed by the CPU 11 and various data, a RAM 13 that the CPU 11 uses for work, and various operators. An input unit 14, a display unit 15 used for displaying various information, a communication unit 16 for performing communication via the mobile communication network 4, a non-contact IC chip 17 for performing non-contact communication, and notification A voice output unit 18 for outputting sound, telephone voice and the like, and a voice input unit 19 for inputting voice to be transmitted are provided.

  The non-contact IC chip (hereinafter abbreviated as “IC chip”) 17 is used for non-contact communication with an IC card existing at a short distance or a card capable of communicating therewith. Communication with the automatic ticket gate 2 is performed using the IC chip 17. The communication device according to the present embodiment is realized by, for example, the CPU 11, the ROM 12, the RAM 13, the display unit 15, the communication unit 16, and the IC chip 17.

  The automatic ticket gate 2 monitors and manages entry / exit of users who use facilities for getting on and off a transportation means such as a train. Although not specifically shown, one or more are installed for each facility. From the portable terminal 1 possessed by the user who intends to enter the station, in addition to the balance, which is an available amount of money, information that can uniquely identify the terminal 1 is received. Here, the information is referred to as “terminal ID”. Specifically, the terminal ID is, for example, a telephone number assigned to each mobile terminal 1 by a mobile communication company or a mail address that can be changed by the user.

  The balance is stored in the IC chip 17 or the RAM 13, for example. The terminal ID is stored in the ROM 12 or the RAM 13. The transmission to the automatic ticket gate 2 is realized by the CPU 11 sending at least the terminal ID to the IC chip 17 and instructing the transmission.

  The fee table server 3 accesses a fee table database (DB) 3a storing a plurality of fee tables, and transmits the fee table to the portable terminal 1 of the user who enters the station through the automatic ticket gate 2 To do. The transmission is performed via the mobile communication network 4 by using the terminal ID. The DB 3a is stored in an auxiliary storage device mounted on or connected to the server 3 or an auxiliary storage device accessible by an external device capable of communication. The reason why the charge table is transmitted to the mobile terminal 1 via the mobile communication network 4 is to reduce the load of the automatic ticket gate 2. If the automatic ticket gate 2 and further the communication network that communicates with the automatic ticket gate 2 have sufficient capability, the table may be transmitted via the automatic ticket gate 2.

  The fee table shows the fee for using the transportation facility for each station that can move from the reference station. The range of transportation that can be used with the balance varies depending on the station where the user enters. Therefore, a fee table is prepared for each station in the fee table DB 3a. The server 3 receives information (station ID) uniquely indicating the station from the automatic ticket checker 2 in order to specify a charge table to be transmitted to the portable terminal 1 held by the user who entered the station.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the fee table DB. In FIG. 4, for example, “TBL [1]” represents a charge table of a station to which 1 is assigned as a station ID. Thereby, the charge table is stored in the DB 3a for the total number of stations TBL_MAX, and the corresponding one can be specified from the station ID.

  Each fee table stores information about each station (station information) for each station that can move from the corresponding station. In FIG. 4, “DST” with parentheses indicates station information. The charge table labeled “TBL [1]” indicates that the total number of station information is DST_MAX.

  Each station information includes a station ID of the destination station (indicated as “DST_ID” in the figure), a charge for moving to the station (indicated as “FARE” in the figure), the name of the station (not shown), the station The number of routes that pass through (denoted as “LN_N” in the figure) and the respective route IDs assigned to each route (denoted as “LN_ID” in the figure). Hereinafter, the station information is described as “DST”, and the charge table is described as “TBL”.

  The portable terminal 1 receives the charge table TBL having such a configuration through the communication unit 16. The CPU 11 stores the table TBL received by the communication unit 16 in the RAM 13 and refers to it, thereby identifying the station with the highest charge that can be moved in balance for each route. When such a station is specified, a route / station name display screen as shown in FIG. 6 in which the name of the station is arranged for each route is generated and displayed on the display unit 15. The screen automatically displayed in such a manner is erased, for example, by operating the input unit 14 to instruct the user (user) to erase the screen or after a certain period of time. 61 in FIG. 6 is a display area (window) in which the amount collected at the time of admission and the balance is arranged, and 62 is a route map showing the name of the station with the highest fee that can be moved by balance for each route. It is a display area.

  By displaying the screen as shown in FIG. 6, the user can know the range in which the transportation facility can be used with the balance. Since the destination station is known, it can be accurately confirmed whether or not the balance is insufficient from the range. As a result, an appropriate response can be taken at the destination station, so that the user can leave the station quickly and without inconvenience to others.

  By the way, depending on the balance and the station that has entered, there are cases where the number of routes to be considered in arranging the station name increases. However, the screen of the display unit 15 is relatively small. As a result, there is a great limitation on the number of station names that can be displayed at one time. For this reason, in this embodiment, when the number of routes to be considered exceeds a certain number, the routes on which the station names are arranged are limited.

  It is unlikely that users who use transportation will be able to change their destination every time they go out. This means that there is a pattern for its use. For this reason, in the present embodiment, the history of the station where the user entered (usage station log) is stored, and the log is used for route selection. The reason why only the log of the station that was entered is stored is that it is considered that the entrance from the station that entered or near the station is often used when using transportation.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the use station log stores the transit time (indicated as “TIME” in the figure) and the station ID (indicated as “ST_ID” in the figure) at which the station entered the station. Like to do. If the information consisting of them is called use station information LOG, the number is limited by a constant represented as “LOG_MAX” in the figure. The information LOG is stored in the RAM 13.

  By storing such use station information LOG as a use station log, a user's use pattern (station (route) to be moved (participated)) can be specified with high accuracy. For this reason, even if it restricts the route which arranges a station name from the use pattern, a station name useful for a user can be arranged with high probability.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing executed by the mobile terminal 1 and other devices (the automatic ticket gate 2 and the fee table server 3) when a user enters. An example of the flow is shown by paying attention to the processing executed when passing through the automatic ticket gate 2 for entry. Hereinafter, operations of the mobile terminal 1 and other devices will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. The processing shown in the flowchart includes, for example, a program in which the mobile terminal 1 has the CPU 11 stored in the ROM 12, the automatic ticket gate 2 has the CPU stored in the flash memory, and the server 3 has the CPU stored in the hard disk device or the like. It is realized by executing each.

  The automatic ticket gate 2 performs communication with the portable terminal 1 by a reader / writer, for example. The reader / writer is always driven intermittently by being driven intermittently. The IC chip 17 mounted on the portable terminal 1 is activated by power generated by entering the communication area of the reader / writer, for example, and notifies the CPU 11. For this reason, when the user moves the portable terminal 1 to a designated place of the automatic ticket gate 2 for entry, communication is performed between them, and the portable terminal 1 uses the IC chip 17 to balance, terminal ID, etc. Is sent to the automatic ticket gate 2 (step SA1). Here, the balance is assigned to variable C.

  The automatic ticket gate 2 that has received them determines whether or not the balance is more than the admission fee, and when it is determined that the balance is more than that, transmits information such as the admission fee and time to be collected and the station ID to the mobile terminal 1, The terminal ID and the station ID are transmitted to the fee table server 3 (step SB1). When it is determined that the balance is smaller than the admission fee, although not specifically shown, a door (not shown) is closed and processing for rejecting the user's passage is executed.

  The mobile terminal 1 that has received the admission fee from the automatic ticket gate 2 substitutes a value obtained by subtracting the admission fee from the current balance into the variable C (step SA2). In the subsequent step SA3, it is determined whether or not the balance after subtracting the admission fee, which is assigned to the variable C, is 0 or more. If the user tries to enter the station with a balance more than the admission fee, the determination is YES, the value of variable C (balance) is saved, and the process proceeds to step SA5. Otherwise, the determination is no, and in step SA4, the display unit 15 notifies that the ticket gate cannot be passed due to a shortage of balance, and then the series of processes at the time of entry ends.

  In step SA5, the use station log is updated. In the update, the time and the station ID received from the automatic ticket gate 2 are newly saved as use station information LOG, and if the number of use station information LOG exceeds the constant LOG_MAX by the save, the oldest information LOG is deleted. To do.

  on the other hand. The fee table server 3 that has received the terminal ID and the station ID (ST_ID) from the automatic ticket checker 2 displays the fee table TBL corresponding to the station ID (shown as “fee table TBL [ST_ID]” in the figure) from the fee table DB 3a. Reading and transmitting to the portable terminal 1 specified by the terminal ID via the mobile communication network 4 (step SB2).

  The portable terminal 1 that has shifted from step SA5 to step SA6 waits to receive the charge table TBL transmitted from the charge table server 3 in this way. When the table TBL is received, the process proceeds to step SA7, and based on the variable C, the received table TBL, and the use station log, the available route and the station with the highest charge on the route are selected (specified). More specifically, for example, the station with the highest toll for each route is extracted and counted, and when the counted number exceeds a certain number, it is used from the extracted stations. It is performed by further extracting stations of a higher number of stations having a higher frequency, or stations of a higher number of routes where stations used in the route are concentrated. After making such a selection, the process proceeds to step SA8.

  In step SA8, a background color is selected based on the variable C. The background color to be selected is, for example, a part other than the display area 61, and the selection is performed by referring to a table stored in the ROM 12 indicating the relationship between the variable C and the background color to be selected, for example. Is called. For example, if the balance C is less than 500 yen, the background color is pink, if the balance C is 500 yen or more and less than 3000 yen, the background color is yellow, and the balance C is 3000 yen or more. If so, the background color is green. As described above, by changing the background color according to the variable C (balance), the user of the mobile terminal 1 can grasp the approximate balance from the background color.

  In step SA9, which is shifted to step SA8, a route map indicating the station name is arranged in the display area 62 for each route selected in step SA7, and the admission fee and the value of the variable C are arranged in the display area 61 and displayed. A part other than the area 61 generates a background / route name display screen of the background color selected in step SA8 and displays it on the display unit 15. By displaying the screen, a series of processes at the time of entry is completed.

  In the present embodiment, the mobile terminal 1 refers to the charge table TBL acquired from the outside, specifies the range in which the transportation facility can be used with the current balance, that is, generates the usable range information. The information may be generated externally, for example, by an automatic ticket gate 2 or a data processing device such as a fee table server 3 connected thereto. Since the available range information has a smaller amount of data compared to the charge table TBL, the information generated outside is not carried via a communication network such as the mobile communication network 4 but via the automatic ticket gate 2. You may make it transmit to the terminal 1. FIG. Since the mobile terminal 1 can also be used as a commuter pass, if there is a commuter pass section within the range where the transportation can be used with the current balance, the usable range information is generated in consideration of the commuter pass section. .

  When there are more than a certain number of routes within the range where transportation can be used, the route (station) to be selected is selected with reference to the station log, but the rules for making that selection are A plurality may be prepared, and the user may select a rule to be adopted among them. The application of the present invention to a communication device may be performed on a device other than a device that can perform communication via the mobile communication network 4 or may be realized as a dedicated device.

  A program for realizing the communication apparatus (the portable terminal 1) as described above may be distributed by being recorded on a recording medium such as a CD-ROM, a DVD, or a removable flash memory. Part or all of the program may be distributed via a communication network such as the mobile communication network 4 or the public network. In such a case, the present invention can be applied to an existing communication device by acquiring and loading a program. Therefore, the recording medium may be accessible by a device that distributes the program.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the network system which can use the communication apparatus by this Embodiment. It is a block diagram of the portable terminal device carrying the communication apparatus by this Embodiment. It is a figure explaining the information preserve | saved as a use station log. It is a figure explaining the structure of a charge table database. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the process which a portable terminal device and another apparatus perform when a user enters. It is a figure explaining a route / station name display screen.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Portable terminal device 2 Automatic ticket gate 3 Charge table server 3a Charge table database 4 Mobile communication network 11 CPU
12 ROM
13 RAM
14 Input unit 15 Display unit 16 Communication unit 17 Non-contact IC chip

Claims (3)

It is a communication device that can be used for transportation by IC card function with money function,
First acquisition means for acquiring a money balance of the IC card function at the time of admission from a desired station in the transportation facility;
A second acquisition means for acquiring a past use station situation in the transportation facility;
Based on the acquired monetary balance and the past use station situation, an extraction means for extracting a frequently used station within the range of stations available for the monetary balance;
Guidance output means for guiding and outputting a frequently used station extracted by this extraction means as a station that may be used;
A communication apparatus comprising: The guidance output means is a guidance output by display, and changes a display color used when displaying the guidance output based on the money balance acquired by the first acquisition means .
The communication apparatus according to claim 1 . A program to be executed by a communication device capable of using a transportation facility by an IC card function having a money function ,
A function for obtaining a money balance of the IC card function at the time of admission from a desired station in the transportation facility;
A function of acquiring past use station conditions in the transportation facility;
Based on the acquired monetary balance and past use station conditions, a function of extracting a frequently used station from a range of stations available for the monetary balance;
A function that guides and outputs the extracted frequently used stations as possible stations,
A program to realize

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