JP7170378B2 - Railway usage management system and management device - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD Embodiments of the present invention relate to a railway usage management system and a management device.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known a technique of using an IC card charged with electronic money as a ticket. In this technology, on the side of the automatic ticket gate, wireless communication is performed with an IC chip built in the IC card to determine whether passage is allowed or not, and the charge balance stored in the IC chip is used to collect the usage fee. Rewrite information.

In relation to this, there is a technology that displays an image such as a QR code (registered trademark) encoded with various information necessary for passing through an automatic ticket gate on the display screen of a terminal device and uses it as a ticket. Are known. In this technology, the automatic ticket gate side takes an image with a camera or the like, reads various information by image analysis, and determines whether or not the ticket gate can pass. With this technology, there are cases where the procedure of purchasing a train ticket with cash is omitted, so there was a concern that railroads could be used indefinitely.

JP 2012-63873 A Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2005-18201

The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a railway usage management system and a management device that users can use with greater peace of mind.

A railway usage management system of an embodiment has one or more automatic ticket gates and a management device. The automatic ticket gate has an optical reading section, a passage control section, and a ticket gate side communication section. The optical reader optically reads information from the image displayed by the terminal device. The passage blocking means control section controls the passage blocking means for blocking the passage of the user of the terminal device based on the information read by the optical reading section. The ticket gate side communication unit transmits information based on the information read by the optical reading unit to the management device. The management device has a management device side communication section, a management device side control section, a charge balance management section, and a settlement processing section. The management device side communication unit communicates with a terminal device or an automatic ticket gate. The management device side control unit is generated based on the operation of the terminal device by the user, and based on the image request information received from the terminal device by the management device side communication unit, the user of the terminal device enters the station premises. Information for displaying the first image on the terminal device is transmitted to the terminal device using the management device side communication unit, and based on the information received from the automatic ticket gate by the management device side communication unit, the terminal device information for causing the terminal device to display the second image for the user to exit the station outside the station is transmitted to the terminal device using the management device-side communication unit. The charge balance management unit manages the charge balance accumulated in advance for each user in association with the user of the terminal device. The settlement processing unit determines a charge amount to be charged to the user of the terminal device, and decides to collect the determined charge amount from the charge balance managed for each user of the terminal device by the charge balance management unit.

The figure which shows an example of a structure of the railway usage management system 1 in 1st Embodiment. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a terminal device 10; FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing how an input screen for purchasing a ticket is displayed on the touch panel section of the terminal device 10 when a ticket purchase application 31 is activated. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a state in which an input screen for purchasing a ticket is displayed on a touch panel portion 51 of a ticket vending machine 50. FIG. The figure which looked at the automatic ticket gate 100 in 1st Embodiment from upper direction. The figure which looked at the reading part 111 of the automatic ticket gate 100 in 1st Embodiment from upper direction. A figure showing an example of functional composition of automatic ticket gate 100 in a 1st embodiment. The figure which shows an example of a functional structure of the center server apparatus 300 in 1st Embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the information database 332 for payment. The figure which shows an example of the efficacy information database 334. FIG. A figure showing an example of entrance information database 336. FIG. The figure which shows an example of the participation information database 338. FIG. FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the flow of processing of the railway usage management system 1 according to the first embodiment; FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing by the terminal device 10 according to the first embodiment; 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing by the automatic ticket gate 100 according to the first embodiment; 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing by the center server device 300 according to the first embodiment; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing how an input screen for purchasing a ticket is displayed on the touch panel section of the terminal device 10 when a ticket purchase application 31 is activated. The figure which shows an example of functional structure of 300 A of center server apparatuses in 2nd Embodiment. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing by the center server device 300A in the second embodiment; The flowchart which shows an example of the flow of a process by the automatic ticket gate 100 in 2nd Embodiment. The figure which shows an example of information database 332A for payment in 3rd Embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing another example of how an input screen for purchasing a ticket is displayed on the touch panel section of the terminal device 10 when a ticket purchase application 31 is activated.

A railway usage management system and a management device according to embodiments will be described below with reference to the drawings. A railroad usage management system according to an embodiment is a system that manages entry and exit at a railroad station.

(First embodiment)
[overall structure]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a railway usage management system 1 according to the first embodiment. The railway usage management system 1 includes, for example, a terminal device 10, a plurality of automatic ticket gates 100, a plurality of station service server devices 200, and a center server device 300. At least one automatic ticket gate 100 and station service server device 200 are installed in each station.

The terminal device 10 is a portable terminal device used by a user. The terminal device 10 is, for example, a mobile phone such as a smart phone, a tablet terminal, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), or the like. The terminal device 10 is used as a medium held over the automatic ticket gate 100 . That is, in the railway usage management system 1, the terminal device 10 is used as a ticket. A read image CD is displayed on the screen of the terminal device 10 so that the terminal device 10 functions as a ticket. This read image CD is read by the automatic ticket gate 100 when the user passes through the automatic ticket gate 100 . The read image CD is, for example, a two-dimensional code such as a QR code or a one-dimensional code such as a bar code. These various codes are encoded with, for example, validity information as a ticket, or information including validity information and other information. The validity information is information including, for example, the validity period, the identification information of the entry station (departure station), the use section, the code identification information (code ID) for identifying each of the read image CD, and the like. Further, the other information is information including, for example, the language set in the terminal device 10 and the like. Note that the read image CD may be in any form as long as the content can be recognized by a machine (automatic ticket gate 100) and the content cannot be recognized by a person visually.

The automatic ticket gate 100 is provided, for example, at a ticket gate of a station. The automatic ticket gate 100 permits or prohibits the passage of the user by reading information from the read image CD displayed on the display screen of the terminal device 10 . In this embodiment, the automatic ticket gate 100 will be described as a device capable of processing only the read image CD, but it is not limited to this. For example, the automatic ticket gate 100 may be a device capable of concurrently processing transportation IC cards, magnetic tickets, paper tickets on which codes are printed, and the like.

The station service server device 200 communicates with the automatic ticket gate 100 via a network such as a LAN (Local Area Network), for example. In addition, the station service server device 200 transmits information acquired from the automatic ticket gate 100 to the center server device 300 via a network NW including LAN, WAN (Wide Area Network), and the like. Further, the station service server device 200 transmits the information received from the center server device 300 to the automatic ticket gate 100 and the like.

The center server device 300 performs various processes based on information received from the automatic ticket gate 100 via the station service server device 200 and the network NW. Also, the center server device 300 communicates with the terminal device 10 via the network NW. Center server device 300 is an example of a “management device”.

The terminal device 10, the automatic ticket gate 100, and the center server device 300 will be described below.

[Terminal device]
First, the terminal device 10 will be described. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the terminal device 10. As shown in FIG. The terminal device 10 includes an operation unit 11, a display unit 12, a terminal-side communication unit 13, a ticket purchase processing unit 14, and a terminal-side storage unit 30, for example. The operation unit 11 is a user interface such as buttons, keyboard, mouse, microphone, and touch panel. Note that when the display unit 12 is a touch panel, part of the operation unit 11 is formed integrally with the display unit 12 . The operation unit 11 receives an input operation by the user for displaying the read image CD on the display unit 12 .

The display unit 12 includes, for example, a display device such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or an organic EL (Electroluminescence) display. The display unit 12 displays various images based on information output by the ticket purchase processing unit 14 . In the following description, the integrally formed operation unit 11 and display unit 12 will be referred to as a touch panel unit. The configuration of the touch panel section and other operation section 11 is an example of the "reception section".

The terminal-side communication unit 13 communicates with the center server device 300 via a network NW such as a cellular network, a Wi-Fi network, a dedicated line, a provider, or the Internet that is mediated by a wireless base station (not shown).

The ticket purchase processing unit 14 is implemented by a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) executing a program (for example, a ticket purchase application 31 ) stored in the terminal-side storage unit 30 . For example, the program may be downloaded from an application server via the network NW, or stored in a portable storage medium such as an SD card and installed in the terminal device 10 . Some or all of the functions of the ticket purchase processing unit 14 may be realized by hardware such as LSI (Large Scale Integration), ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or the like. Alternatively, it may be implemented by cooperation of software and hardware.

The terminal-side storage unit 30 includes, for example, non-volatile storage media such as ROM (Read Only Memory), flash memory, HDD (Hard Disk Drive), and SD cards, and volatile storage media such as RAM (Random Access Memory) and registers. and a storage medium. The terminal-side storage unit 30 stores programs such as a ticket purchase application 31 executed by the processor.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of how an input screen for purchasing a ticket is displayed on the touch panel section of the terminal device 10 when the ticket purchase application 31 is activated. This input screen is displayed by performing a predetermined operation after performing user registration in advance, for example, by inputting a user ID and a password to log in. For example, when the ticket purchase application 31 is activated by a touch operation or the like, the ticket purchase processing unit 14 causes the terminal device 10 to display an input screen for ticket purchase. The input screen has an area A1 for setting the setting language of the terminal device 10 such as Japanese or English, an area A2 for specifying the section to be used, and an area A2 for specifying the boarding date when the validity of the ticket becomes effective. An area A3, a button B1 for confirming a ticket issue request, and the like may be provided. The set language of the terminal device 10 may be the set language within the ticket purchase application 31 or the set language of the OS (Operating System) of the terminal device 10 .

Further, the input screen may be provided with an area A4 for designating the amount of the electronic money charge balance (charge amount). The charge amount specified in the area A4 may be charged to the user by credit settlement or the like. Moreover, when the terminal device 10 is a mobile phone or a smart phone, the designated charge amount may be charged to the user by being added to the monthly usage fee of the communication carrier, for example. All of the areas A1 to A4 and B1 provided on the input screen may be displayed on the same screen as shown, or part of them may be displayed on another screen.

Also, the input screen for ticket purchase may be displayed on the touch panel section 51 of the ticket vending machine 50 installed in the station premises. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a state in which an input screen for purchasing a ticket is displayed on the touch panel section 51 of the ticket vending machine 50. As shown in FIG. For example, a user inputs a user ID and a password to the touch panel unit 51 to designate a charge amount, inserts cash corresponding to the charge amount into the coin slot 52 or bill slot 53, When a credit card, a charged IC card, or the like is inserted into the counter, the charge balance of the input user ID may be added by the charge amount.

In addition, station staff at station counters and operators of payment service providers enter the amount of electronic money deposited by the user as the charge balance in a dedicated terminal, and the charge balance of the user who applied is added. may be

The charged electronic money may be used to pay for the cost of purchasing a train ticket, or may be used to purchase products sold at a store such as a station premises. In the input screen of the terminal device 10, when various information is input in the above-described areas and the "YES" button in the figure is operated, the ticket issuance request is confirmed. In this case, the ticket purchase processing unit 14 uses the terminal-side communication unit 13 to transmit the input information to the center server device 300 as image request information (image request).

[Automatic ticket gate]
Next, the automatic ticket gate 100 will be described. FIG. 5 is a top view of the automatic ticket gate 100 according to the first embodiment. The automatic ticket gate 100 may include, for example, a main machine 110 and a slave machine 130 that are arranged opposite to each other across a passage. The main machine 110 includes, for example, a reading unit 111, a top display unit 112, a front display unit 113, door units 114 and 115, and a ticket gate control unit 150. Slave device 130 also includes reading section 131 , top display section 132 , front display section 133 , and door sections 134 and 135 .

The reading unit 111 of the main machine 110 captures the read image CD displayed by the terminal device 10 held by the user who is about to pass in the direction a shown in FIG. do.

When the terminal device 10 is held over the reading unit 111 , the upper display unit 112 displays an image based on the result of processing by the ticket gate control unit 150 or information received from the center server device 300 . The front display unit 113 displays marks, figures, characters, etc., indicating whether or not it is possible to pass in the direction a shown in FIG. The content of the display on the front display section 113 or the presence or absence of display is determined by the ticket gate side control section 150 .

On the other hand, the reading unit 131 of the slave device 130 captures the read image CD displayed on the terminal device 10 held up by the user who is about to pass in the b direction shown in FIG. Send to 150. When the terminal device 10 is held over the reading unit 131 , the upper display unit 132 displays an image based on the result of processing by the ticket gate control unit 150 or information received from the center server device 300 . The front display unit 133 displays marks, figures, characters, etc., indicating whether or not it is possible to pass in the b direction shown in FIG. The content of the display on the front display section 133 or the presence or absence of display is determined by the ticket gate side control section 150 .

When the automatic ticket gate 100 is set to the operation mode that permits the passage of the user in the direction a shown in FIG. By controlling the doors 114 and 134 to open or close, the passage of the user in the a direction is permitted or prohibited. Further, when the automatic ticket gate 100 is set to the operation mode that permits the passage of the user in the b direction shown in FIG. At the same time, by controlling the doors 115 and 135 to be open or closed, the passage of the user in the b direction is permitted or prohibited.

Further, the operation mode of the automatic ticket gate 100 may include an operation mode that permits passage in both the direction a and the direction b shown in FIG. In this case, the ticket gate-side control unit 150 controls, for example, to display a mark, figure, character, or the like indicating that the user is permitted to pass on both the front display unit 113 and the front display unit 133 if the user is not passing through. I do. For example, when the user enters from either the direction a or the direction b and the terminal device 10 is held over either the reading unit 111 or the reading unit 131, the ticket gate control unit 150 , the other reading unit is disabled, and a mark, figure, character, etc. indicating that passage is prohibited is displayed on the display unit (front display unit 113 or front display unit 133) on the side to which the user has not entered. control to allow

Note that the automatic ticket gate 100 is not limited to the one through which the user can pass in both directions as described above, but the automatic ticket gate 100 is composed of a main machine and an auxiliary machine (slave machine) and allows the user to pass through in only one direction. may be

FIG. 6 is a top view of the reader 111 of the automatic ticket gate 100 according to the first embodiment. The reading unit 111 includes, for example, a touch surface display unit PN and a camera CAM. The touch surface display unit PN is, for example, an LCD or an organic EL display, and is arranged around the camera CAM when viewed from above. The camera CAM captures an image of an object held in front of the machine by the user. For example, when the terminal device 10 with the read image CD displayed on the display screen is held up by the user, the camera CAM captures the display screen of the terminal device 10 . Camera CAM has image sensors, such as CCD(Charge-Coupled Device) and CMOS(Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor), for example. Note that the configuration of the reading unit 111 shown in FIG. 6 may also be applied to the reading unit 131 of the slave device 130 in the same manner. That is, the reading unit 131 of the slave device 130 may be configured to include the touch surface display unit PN and the camera CAM.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the automatic ticket gate 100 according to the first embodiment. The automatic ticket gate 100 includes, in addition to the configuration shown in FIG. and a ticket gate side storage unit 170 for storing the . The ticket gate control unit 150 includes a communication control unit 152 , an image processing unit 154 , a passability determination unit 156 , and a pass control unit 158 . A combination of the reading units 111 and 131 and the image processing unit 154 described above is an example of an “optical reading unit”. Also, the passage control unit 158 is an example of a “passage blocking means control unit”.

Some or all of the constituent elements of the ticket gate controller 150 may be implemented by a processor such as a CPU executing a program stored in the ticket gate controller 170 . Some or all of the components of the ticket gate control unit 150 may be realized by hardware such as LSI, ASIC, FPGA, etc., and may have a circuit configuration for realizing each function. Also, some or all of the constituent elements of the ticket gate-side control section 150 may be implemented by cooperation of software and hardware.

The ticket gate-side storage unit 170 may be realized by, for example, nonvolatile storage media such as ROM, flash memory, HDD, and SD card, and volatile storage media such as RAM and registers. The ticket gate side storage unit 170 stores programs executed by the processor, identification information of the station where the machine is installed, image data or text data to be displayed on various display units, audio data to be output to the speaker 140, Stores the fare table 172 and the like. Image data, text data, and voice data may be prepared in numbers corresponding to the number of language settings of the terminal device 10 that can be set in the ticket purchase application 31 . The fare table 172 is, for example, information in which fares are associated with utilization sections.

The communication control unit 152 uses the ticket gate side communication unit 145 to obtain the result of processing by the image processing unit 154, the time when the read image CD is held up to the reading unit 111 (131), and the identification information of the station where the machine is installed. etc. is transmitted to the center server device 300 via the station service server device 200 . Further, the communication control unit 152 may use the ticket gate side communication unit 145 to receive information transmitted from the center server device 300 via the station service server device 200 . The identification information (station ID) of the station where the machine is installed may be stored in advance in the ticket gate side storage section 170 .

The image processing unit 154, for example, analyzes the portion of the read image CD in the image captured by the camera CAM of the reading unit 111 (131), acquires the arrangement information, decodes the arrangement information, and expresses it as a bit string. into electronic information recognizable by a computer. The electronic information includes efficacy information as described above.

Based on the information acquired by the image processing unit 154, the passability determination unit 156 determines whether the user is permitted to pass.

The passage control unit 158 performs control to permit or prohibit passage of the user based on the determination result of the passage permission/inhibition determination unit 156 . Further, the passage control unit 158 controls the passage of the user when the read image CD is not extracted by the image processing unit 154, when the extracted read image CD is not decoded, or when the decoded result is invalid. I do. The passage control unit 158 controls the doors 114, 115, 134, 135, the speaker 140, the upper display units 112, 132, the front display units 113, 133, the touch surface display unit PN, Or control a combination of these. At least the door portions 114, 115, 134, and 135 are examples of "passage blocking means." If the information acquired by the image processing unit 154 includes information on the set language of the terminal device 10 (ticket purchase application 31), the passage control unit 158 displays various display units according to the set language. You may select the image data (or text data) to be displayed on the display or the audio data to be output to the speaker 140 . For example, when the set language is English, passage control unit 158 selects text data written in English from various data stored in ticket gate storage unit 170, and selects audio data in English.

[Center server device]
Next, the center server device 300 will be described. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the center server device 300 according to the first embodiment. The center server device 300 includes, for example, a server-side communication unit 305 , a server-side control unit 310 and a server-side storage unit 330 .

The server-side control unit 310 includes an application cooperation processing unit 312 , a charge balance management unit 314 , and a payment processing unit 316 . Some or all of these components of the server-side control unit 310 are realized by executing a program stored in the server-side storage unit 330 by a processor such as a CPU. For example, the program may be downloaded from an application server via the network NW, or stored in a portable storage medium such as an SD card and installed in the center server device 300 . Also, some or all of the constituent elements of the server-side control unit 310 may be realized by hardware such as LSI, ASIC, and FPGA, or may be realized by cooperation of software and hardware.

The server-side storage unit 330 is realized by, for example, nonvolatile storage media such as ROM, flash memory, HDD, and SD card, and volatile storage media such as RAM and registers. The server-side storage unit 330 stores programs executed by the processor, and also stores a payment information database 332, an effect information database 334, an admission information database 336, an entry information database 338, and a fare table 340, which will be described later. The fare table 340 is the same information as the fare table 172 stored in the ticket gate storage unit 170 . The fare table 340 is an example of "charge information".

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the payment information database 332. As shown in FIG. As illustrated, the settlement information database 332 is information in which information such as the charge balance of electronic money is associated with a user ID, which is identification information of the user of the ticket purchase application 31 . The user ID may be, for example, a login ID of the ticket purchase application 31 . Records (data corresponding to one user ID) may be added to the payment information database 332 at any time by referring to information transmitted from the terminal device 10 in which the ticket purchase application 31 is activated, for example.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the efficacy information database 334. As shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the validity information database 334 stores, for a user ID, validity information such as a valid period, identification information (entry station ID, departure station ID) for each of the entrance station and exit station specified as a section to be used, and a code ID. is associated information. For example, information transmitted from the terminal device 10 on which the ticket purchase application 31 is activated may be added as a record to the validity information database 334 at any time.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the entry information database 336. As shown in FIG. As illustrated, the entry information database 336 is information in which information such as entry time, entry station identification information (entry station ID), and entry/exit code are associated with a code ID. The entry information database 336 may be added as a record with the entry information transmitted by the automatic ticket gate 100 that has performed the entry process.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the participation information database 338. As shown in FIG. As illustrated, the departure information database 338 is information in which information such as the departure time, the identification information of the departure station (departure station ID), and the entry/exit code are associated with the code ID. The entry information database 338 may be added as a record with the entry information transmitted by the automatic ticket gate 100 that has performed the entry processing.

The server-side communication unit 305 communicates with the terminal device 10 and the automatic ticket gate 100 via the network NW described above.

The application cooperation processing unit 312 uses the server-side communication unit 305 to communicate with the terminal device 10 on which the ticket purchase application 31 is activated, and controls the image displayed on the screen of the terminal device 10 . For example, when the image request information is received by the server-side communication unit 305, the application cooperation processing unit 312 generates image generation information for displaying the read image CD on the screen of the terminal device 10, and uses this as the image request information. is transmitted to the terminal device 10 as a response to the The image generation information may be, for example, the image data of the read image CD itself, or compressed image data, or text data or text data obtained by converting the effect information, which is the basis of the read image CD, into characters, numerical values, or the like. It may be binary data. The image generation information may also be a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) of a website displaying the read image CD. When the terminal device 10 receives the image generation information from the center server device 300, the terminal device 10 displays the read image CD based on the image generation information. When the image generation information is text data or binary data, the terminal device 10 encodes the effect information based on the data into the read image CD, and draws (renders) the read image CD on the touch panel section.

The charge balance management unit 314 manages the pre-stored charge balance in association with the user of the terminal device 10 . For example, every time electronic money is charged (deposited) and the charge amount of electronic money and the user ID of the user who charged the charge are notified, the charge balance management unit 314 stores the corresponding usage information in the payment information database 332 . Rewrite the charge balance of the person ID. When the payment processing unit 316 decides to collect the fare, the charge balance management unit 314 changes the charge balance of the corresponding user ID in the payment information database 332 to a value obtained by subtracting the amount of the fare. rewrite.

The settlement processing unit 316 pays the user who is permitted to pass through both the automatic ticket gate 100 for entry and the automatic ticket gate 100 for exit to the fare for the section from the entry station to the exit station (the amount charged). example) is calculated. For example, the payment processing unit 316 refers to the fare table 340 to refer to the validity information included in the image request information, and calculates the fare for the section that the user is planning to use from now on. In addition, the payment processing unit 316 identifies the section actually used by the user based on the identification information of the entry station included in the entry information and the identification information of the exit station included in the exit information, and identifies the section actually used by the user. You may calculate the fare of

Then, the payment processing unit 316 refers to the efficacy information database 334 to identify the user (user ID) associated with the code ID included in any of the efficacy information, the entry information, or the participation information, and decides to collect fares from For example, the settlement processing unit 316 performs settlement by referring to the settlement information database 332 and debiting the fare amount from the charge balance associated with the specified user ID. Note that actual payment processing may be performed by requesting an external device such as a payment server of a credit company or a communication carrier company. Moreover, the payment processing by the payment processing unit 316 may be performed each time the user passes through the automatic ticket gate 100, or may be performed collectively after a predetermined period of time. Moreover, the payment processing by the payment processing unit 316 does not necessarily have to be performed at the timing when the user passes through the automatic ticket gate 100, and may be performed at any timing after the passage. The settlement processing unit 316 may settle the fare when the ticket is purchased by the ticket purchase application 31 , that is, when the image request information is received from the terminal device 10 .

[Details of processing]
A series of processes of the railway usage management system 1 will be described below. FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the processing flow of the railway usage management system 1 in the first embodiment. In this sequence, description of the station service server device 200 that mediates communication between the automatic ticket gate 100 and the center server device 300 is omitted.

First, the terminal device 10 displays an input screen when the ticket purchase application 31 is activated (step S100). Next, the terminal device 10 transmits image request information including the information input on the input screen to the center server device 300 (step S102).

Next, the center server device 300 extracts effect information from the image request information received from the terminal device 10, stores the effect information as a record in the effect information database 334, and collects the fare required for the use section indicated by the effect information. is calculated (step S104). If the calculated fare is equal to or less than the charge balance associated with the user of the terminal device 10 that has sent the image request information, the center server device 300 generates image generation information including efficacy information (step S106). ). Next, the center server device 300 transmits the generated image generation information to the terminal device 10 as a response to the image request information (step S108).

Next, the terminal device 10 displays the image of the read image CD on the screen based on the image generation information received from the center server device 300 (step S110). Thereby, the user can enter the station by holding the terminal device 10 displaying the read image CD over the automatic ticket gate 100 . Hereinafter, the read image CD used when entering the station will be referred to as the "read image for entrance". The read image for entry is an example of the "first image".

When the terminal device 10 displaying the read image for entry is held up, the automatic ticket gate 100 reads the read image for entry from the terminal device 10 and acquires the effect information from the read image for entry (step S112). Next, the automatic ticket gate 100, based on the acquired effect information, the current time information, the identification information of the station where the automatic ticket gate 100 is installed (that is, the identification information of the entrance station), and the fare table 172 It is determined whether or not the user can pass through (step S114). Below, it is assumed that passage is permitted.

Next, when the automatic ticket gate 100 permits passage, together with the acquired validity information, the automatic ticket gate 100 transmits the entrance information including the time when the read image for entrance was held (entrance time) and the identification information of the station where the automatic ticket gate 100 is installed. It is transmitted to the center server device 300 (step S116).

Next, the center server device 300 stores the effect information and the entry information received from the automatic ticket gate 100 in the effect information database 334 and the entry information database 336, respectively (step S118).

Next, the center server device 300 generates image generation information including efficacy information and admission information, and transmits the image generation information to the terminal device 10 (step S120).

When the terminal device 10 receives the image generation information including the efficacy information and the admission information from the center server device 300, the terminal device 10 generates an image of the read image CD based on the image generation information and displays it on the screen (step S122). Accordingly, the user can exit the station by holding the terminal device 10 on which the read image CD generated based on the validity information and the admission information is displayed against the automatic ticket gate 100. - 特許庁Hereinafter, the read image CD used when exiting the station will be referred to as "exit read image". The read image for entry is an example of the "second image".

When the terminal device 10 on which the read image for entry is displayed is held up, the automatic ticket gate 100 reads the read image for entry from the terminal device 10 and acquires the effect information and the entry information from the read image for entry (step S124). Next, the automatic ticket gate 100 includes, for example, the acquired validity information and entry information, current time information, identification information of the station where the automatic ticket gate 100 is installed (that is, identification information of the departure station), and a fare table 172. , it is determined whether or not the participating user can pass through (step S126). Below, it is assumed that passage is permitted.

Next, when the automatic ticket gate 100 permits passage, together with the acquired effect information and entrance information, the time when the read image for exit was held (departure time) and the identification information of the station where the automatic ticket gate 100 was installed (i.e., exit Station identification information) is transmitted to the center server device 300 (step S128).

Next, the center server device 300 stores the effect information, the entry information, and the entry information received from the automatic ticket gate 100 in the effect information database 334, the entry information database 336, and the entry information database 338, respectively (step S130). .

In addition, the settlement processing unit 316 of the center server device 300 calculates the fare for the used section based on the identification information of the entrance station included in the entrance information and the identification information of the departure station included in the departure information, and makes the payment. With reference to the information database 332, it is determined to collect the fare from the charge balance of the user (user ID) associated with the code ID included in the entry information or exit information (step S132). Note that the payment processing unit 316 may decide to collect the fare from the charge balance at the time when the image request information is received from the terminal device 10 and the image generation information is generated in the process of S106 described above.

Next, the center server device 300 transmits entry information and information on the calculated fare (hereinafter referred to as fare information) to the terminal device 10 (step S134). In response to this, the terminal device 10 displays on the screen an image, characters, etc. indicating that boarding has been completed, and displays the fare required for boarding (step S136). As a result, a series of processes in the railway usage management system 1 from the entry of one user to the exit thereof are completed.

Processing of individual devices in the railway usage management system 1 will be described below. FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing by the terminal device 10 according to the first embodiment. First, the ticket purchase processing unit 14 of the terminal device 10 is in a dormant state until the ticket purchase application 31 is activated (step S200), and is activated when the ticket purchase application 31 is activated. An input screen for purchase is displayed to accept a purchase operation (step S202).

Next, the ticket purchase processing unit 14 uses the terminal-side communication unit 13 to transmit image request information including the input information to the center server device 300 (step S204). Next, the ticket purchase processing unit 14 waits until the terminal-side communication unit 13 receives the first image generation information (step S206). is displayed (step S208).

Next, the ticket purchase processing unit 14 waits until the terminal-side communication unit 13 receives the image generation information for the second time (step S210), and when the image generation information is received, the image generation information is encoded into an image. Then, a read image for entry is generated, and the read image for entry is displayed on the touch panel (step S212). Note that when the image generation information is image data of a read image for entry, the ticket purchase processing unit 14 may omit the process of generating the read image CD.

Next, the ticket purchase processing unit 14 waits until the terminal-side communication unit 13 receives the participation information and the fare information (step S214). is displayed as an image or characters, and the fare required for boarding is displayed (step S216). This completes the processing of this flowchart.

FIG. 15 is a flow chart showing an example of the flow of processing by the automatic ticket gate 100 in the first embodiment. First, the image processing unit 154 waits until the read image CD is held over the reading unit 111 (131) (step S300). A read image CD is extracted from the extracted image, and the extracted read image CD is decoded to obtain information contained in the read image CD (step S302).

Next, the passability determination unit 156 determines whether or not the information acquired by the image processing unit 154 includes entry information (step S304). If the entry information is not included, the passability determination unit 156 determines that the held-down read image CD is the read image for entry. On the other hand, if the entry information is included, the pass permission determination unit 156 determines that the held-down read image CD is the entry read image.

Next, the passability determination unit 156 determines whether the vehicle can be passed (step S306). For example, when the read image CD held up is the read image for admission, the passability determination unit 156 determines whether the identification information of the entry station included in the effect information and the identification information of the station where the aircraft is installed match. Furthermore, if the entry time is within the valid period indicated by the validity information, the user is permitted to enter, and otherwise prohibited from entering.

Further, when the held-up read image CD is the departure read image, the passability determination unit 156 determines whether the identification information of the exit station included in the effect information and the identification information of the station where the aircraft is installed match. Furthermore, if the entry time is within the validity period indicated by the validity information, the user is permitted to participate, and in other cases, entry is prohibited.

In addition, when the entry information cannot be obtained from the read image CD held up at the time of exiting, the pass permission determination unit 156 does not hold the exit read image that should be held up by the reading unit inside the station, but the entry read image. If you do, you will be prohibited from participating. Note that the passability determining unit 156 may permit entry or exit even if the identification information of the entry station or departure station included in the validity information does not match the identification information of the own station. For example, the passability determination unit 156 refers to the fare table 172, and if the identification information of the transit station and the identification information of the own station in the use section from the entry station to the departure station match, that is, the user If the passenger intends to board the train at a transit station different from the entry station specified at the time of purchase, entry may be permitted, and if the passenger intends to get off at a transit station different from the departure station specified at the time of purchase, exit may be permitted. In this case, the settlement processing unit 316 in the center server device 300 calculates the fare based on the identification information of the entry station included in the entry information and the identification information of the exit station included in the departure information. Instead of collecting the original fare corresponding to the section, the fare for the actually used section can be collected, and the user's convenience can be improved.

Next, when passage is prohibited by the passability determination unit 156, the passage control unit 158 controls the door portions 114, 115, 134, and 135, the speaker 140, the upper display portions 112 and 132, the front display portions 113 and 133, the touch screen, and the touch panel. The screen display unit PN is controlled to prevent the user from passing (step S308). On the other hand, when the passability determination unit 156 permits passage, the passage control unit 158 controls the door units 114, 115, 134, and 135, the speaker 140, the upper display units 112 and 132, the front display units 113 and 133, and the touch surface. The display unit PN is controlled to allow the user to pass (step S310).

Next, the communication control unit 152 uses the ticket gate side communication unit 145 to transfer the information acquired by the image processing unit 154, the identification information of the station where the machine is installed, and the time when the read image CD was held up. The included information (entrance information or entry information) is transmitted to the center server device 300 (step S312). This completes the processing of this flowchart.

FIG. 16 is a flow chart showing an example of the flow of processing by the center server device 300 in the first embodiment.

First, the application cooperation processing unit 312 determines whether or not the server-side communication unit 305 has received image request information from the terminal device 10 (step S400). When the image request information is received from the terminal device 10, the payment processing unit 316 extracts the validity information from the information included in the image request information, refers to the utilization section and the fare table 340 of the extracted validity information, and Calculate the fare required for the section that the user plans to use (step S402). Next, the application cooperation processing unit 312 compares the fare calculated by the payment processing unit 316 with the charge balance managed by the charge balance management unit 314, and determines whether the fare is equal to or less than the charge balance. (step S404).

If the fare is equal to or less than the charge balance, the application cooperation processing unit 312 generates image generation information for generating a read image for admission, and transmits the image generation information to the terminal device 10 (step S406). On the other hand, when the fare exceeds the charge balance, the application cooperation processing unit 312 ends the processing of this flowchart without transmitting the image generation information. As a result, when the charge balance is insufficient, the read image for entry is not displayed on the terminal device 10, so that the user can be prohibited from entering. As a result, it is possible to prevent payment defaults by users and improve the profits of railway operators.

On the other hand, when the image request information is not received from the terminal device 10, the application cooperation processing unit 312 determines whether the server-side communication unit 305 has received information from the automatic ticket gate 100 (step S408). If no information is received from the automatic ticket gate 100, the processing of this flowchart ends.

On the other hand, when information is received from the automatic ticket gate 100, the application cooperation processing unit 312 determines whether or not entry information is included in the information (step S410). If the entry information is not included, the application cooperation processing unit 312 generates image generation information for generating a read image for entry using the efficacy information and the entry information, and transmits the image generation information to the terminal device 10. (step S412).

On the other hand, if entry information is included, the application cooperation processing unit 312 uses the server-side communication unit 305 to transmit the fare information regarding the fare calculated in S402 and the entry information received from the automatic ticket gate 100 to the terminal. It is transmitted to the device 10 (step S414).

Next, the payment processing unit 316 determines that the fare is to be collected from the charge balance (step S416), and the charge balance management unit 314 stores the information of the terminal device, which is the transmission source of the image request information, in the payment information database 332. The charge balance corresponding to the user is rewritten (step S418). This completes the processing of this flowchart.

In the above-described embodiment, it is assumed that the same read image CD is used repeatedly. For example, in the terminal device 10 on which one of the read images CD is displayed, the read image CD is copied by a function such as screen capture, or the screen on which the read image CD is displayed is captured by a camera or the like, A third party may illegally use the read image CD. For example, when the entry information is registered in the entry information database 338, the payment processing unit 316 determines that there is a code ID in which multiple records are registered in the entry information database 338 even though there is only one record in the entry information database 336. In this case, the fare may be calculated and collected for all combinations of one entry information item and each of a plurality of entry information items. As a result, it is possible to prevent damage caused by unauthorized use of the copy by the purchaser.

According to the first embodiment described above, the center server device 300 receives the image request information transmitted by the terminal device 10, and transmits the image generation information of the read image for admission to the terminal device 10 as a response to the image request information. Send to The terminal device 10 displays an entrance read image based on the image generation information. When the terminal device 10 on which the read image for admission is displayed is held up, the automatic ticket gate 100 reads the validity information from the read image for admission, determines whether passage is permitted based on the read validity information, and permits passage. If so, the entry information is transmitted to the center server device 300 together with the read effect information. The center server device 300 transmits image generation information including efficacy information and admission information to the terminal device 10 . The terminal device 10 displays the entry readout image based on the image generation information. When the terminal device 10 on which the read image for entry is displayed is held up, the automatic ticket gate 100 reads the validity information and the entry information from the read image for entry, and determines whether or not the ticket can be passed based on the read information. is permitted, entry information is transmitted to the center server device 300 together with the read efficacy information and admission information. Further, the center server device 300 calculates the fare (charging amount) required for the use section at a predetermined timing based on the effect information included in the image request information. For example, if the validity information is referred to when the image request information is received, the center server device 300 calculates the fare for the section that the user is planning to use from now on. Then, the center server device 300 refers to the payment information database 332 in which pre-stored charge balances are associated with each user, and calculates the charge balance of the user of the terminal device 10 that is the source of the image request information. decides to collect fares from This allows the user to use the system with more peace of mind.

Further, according to the above-described first embodiment, without communication between the terminal device 10 and the automatic ticket gate 100, the electronic money charge balance for the terminal device 10 used as a ticket can be easily managed. be able to. As a result, the terminal device 10 does not need to have a function (card emulation function) for communicating with the automatic ticket gate 100, and an increase in the burden on the device can be suppressed. That is, the system can be realized using the function of accessing a network such as the Internet and the display function, which most terminal devices 10 have.

Further, according to the above-described first embodiment, since the validity of the ticket is given to the terminal device 10 within the range of the charge balance of the electronic money accumulated in advance, the convenience for the user can be improved. At the same time, it is possible to prevent payment defaults by users and improve profits of railway operators.

Further, according to the above-described first embodiment, by displaying the read image CD on the terminal device 10 owned by the user, the terminal device 10 can be used as a medium for a ticket. It is possible to reduce the burden of issuance and resource consumption. In general, when an IC card or magnetic ticket is issued, returning the IC card or refunding the magnetic ticket increases the burden of station duties and the cost of discarding the IC card or magnetic ticket. there was a problem. There is also the problem of consuming resources such as trees that are raw materials for paper, electronic parts for IC chips, and petroleum that is raw materials for plastics. On the other hand, in this embodiment, since the terminal device 10 owned by the user is used as a medium, various operation costs can be reduced.

Further, according to the above-described first embodiment, since the entry/exit information for the terminal device 10 is transmitted via the center server device 300 , there is no need to distribute the entry/exit information to the automatic ticket gate 100 . For example, if the entry information is not included in the image generation information that is the source of the entry read image, the center server device 300 side needs to manage the entry of the user who owns the terminal device 10 . In this case, for example, by distributing the entrance information database 336 managed by the center server device 300 to the automatic ticket gate 100 of each station, the terminal devices 10 that have completed the entrance on the automatic ticket gate 100 side and the terminal devices 10 that have not It is conceivable to determine whether or not the vehicle can pass by sorting out the above. In this way, when the entrance information database 336 is distributed to a plurality of automatic ticket gates 100, the communication load on the automatic ticket gates 100 and the center server device 300 increases, and the automatic ticket gates 100 do not have a large capacity storage medium. It may be necessary to On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the terminal device 10 displays the read image for entry based on the image generation information including the validity information and the entry information. It is possible to determine whether or not to pass through only based on the validity information and admission information read from the image. As a result, the configuration of the automatic ticket gate 100 can be simplified, and the communication load between the automatic ticket gate 100 and the center server device 300 can be reduced.

Further, according to the above-described first embodiment, when a ticket is purchased using the ticket purchase application 31 installed in the terminal device 10, the terminal device 10 is treated as a ticket medium. In addition to improving the convenience of passengers, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of queuing in front of the ticket issuing machine and eliminate congestion at the station.

(Modification of the first embodiment)
Modifications of the first embodiment will be described below. In the above-described first embodiment, the automatic ticket gate 100 determines whether or not the user can pass through, but the center server device 300 may perform such determination. In other words, the pass permission/inhibition determination unit 156 may be configured in the center server device 300 . In this case, the automatic ticket gate 100 transmits to the center server device 300 various types of information read from the read image CD (part or all of those exemplified as entry information and exit information). The passability determination unit in the center server device 300 uses the server-side communication unit 305 to receive the information transmitted from the automatic ticket gate 100, and determines whether the user who holds the terminal device 10 over the automatic ticket gate 100 can pass. judge. The passability determination unit in the center server device 300 uses the server-side communication unit 305 to transmit the determination result to the automatic ticket gate 100 . Then, the passage control unit 158 in the automatic ticket gate 100 controls the passage of the user in accordance with the determination result of whether or not the passage is permitted, which is transmitted from the center server device 300 .

Further, in the above-described first embodiment, the explanation has been given assuming that the read image CD is displayed by the function of the ticket purchase application 31 activated in the terminal device 10, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the read image CD may be displayed on a web page displayed by the web browser of the terminal device 10. FIG. In this case, the center server device 300 may function as a web server. For example, the terminal device 10 transmits an HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) request to the center server device 300 in order to access a web page on which the read image CD is displayed as an image. Then, the terminal device 10 displays the web page on the touch panel section based on the HTTP response returned from the center server device 300 . The data transmitted as the HTTP response includes at least the image data of the read image CD. As a result, the terminal device 10 displays the read image CD based on the image data. Note that the web page including the read image CD is sent back to the terminal device 10 on condition that the user is authenticated by entering a password or the like.

Further, in the above-described first embodiment, the station service server device 200 has been described as simply relaying communication between the automatic ticket gate 100 and the center server device 300, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the station service server device 200 may include some or all of the components of the center server device 300 .

(Second embodiment)
A railway usage management system 1A in the second embodiment will be described below. The railway usage management system 1A in the second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that part of the validity information is not included in the read image CD on the assumption that electronic money or credit settlement is used. That is, the image generation information of the read image for entry in the present embodiment includes the code ID, but may omit the validity period, the identification information of the entry station (departure station), the boarding section, and the like. The following description focuses on the differences, and omits the description of the common parts.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing another example of how an input screen for ticket purchase is displayed on the touch panel section of the terminal device 10 when the ticket purchase application 31 is activated. This input screen is displayed by performing a predetermined operation after performing user registration in advance, for example, by inputting a user ID and a password to log in. The input screen in this embodiment omits areas for inputting boarding sections and boarding dates, and provides an area A1 for setting a language such as Japanese or English, and a button B1 for confirming a ticket issuance request. . For example, in the input screen, when an input (YES in the drawing) for confirming the issue of a ticket is operated, the terminal-side communication unit 13 of the terminal device 10 transmits image request information to the center server device 300, and the center server Image generation information including the code ID is received from the device 300 as a response corresponding to the image request information. The ticket purchase processing unit 14 encodes the code ID included in the image generation information into an image to generate a read image for admission, and displays it on the touch panel unit. Note that the code ID may be stored in advance in the terminal-side storage unit 30 at the timing of installation of the ticket purchase application 31 or the like. In this case, the ticket purchase processing unit 14 reads the code ID stored in advance in the terminal storage unit 30 and encodes the code ID into an image to display the read image for entry on the touch panel unit. Also, the image generation information including the code ID may be image data already encoded into an image. Through such processing, the screen of the terminal device 10 displays the read image for admission including the code ID, which is part of the validity information.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the center server device 300A in the second embodiment. The center server device 300A includes a server-side communication section 305, a server-side control section 310A, and a server-side storage section 330. The server-side control unit 310A includes an application cooperation processing unit 312, a charge balance management unit 314, a payment processing unit 316, and a passability determination unit 318.

A passability determination unit 318 compares the fare calculated by the payment processing unit 316 with the charge balance managed by the charge balance management unit 314, and permits the user to pass when the fare is less than the charge balance. If the fare exceeds the charge balance, it is determined that the user is prohibited from passing. The passability determination unit 318 uses the server-side communication unit 305 to notify the automatic ticket gate 100 of the passability determination result of the user. In response to this, the passage control section 158 in the automatic ticket gate 100 controls the passage of the user based on the determination result of the passage possibility determination section 318 in the center server device 300 .

FIG. 19 is a flow chart showing an example of the flow of processing by the center server device 300A in the second embodiment.

First, the application cooperation processing unit 312 determines whether or not the server-side communication unit 305 has received image request information from the terminal device 10 (step S500). When image request information is received from the terminal device 10, the application cooperation processing unit 312 generates image generation information for generating a read image for entrance, and uses the server-side communication unit 305 to transmit the image generation information to the terminal device. 10 (step S502). Note that the application cooperation processing unit 312 does not generate the image generation information when the charge balance of the user of the terminal device 10 that is the transmission source of the image request information is less than the minimum fare (for example, the fare for one station). You may do so.

On the other hand, when the image request information is not received from the terminal device 10, the application cooperation processing unit 312 determines whether the server-side communication unit 305 has received information from the automatic ticket gate 100 (step S504). If no information is received from the automatic ticket gate 100, the processing of this flowchart ends.

On the other hand, when information is received from the automatic ticket gate 100, the application cooperation processing unit 312 determines whether or not entry information is included in the information (step S506). If the entry information is not included, the application cooperation processing unit 312 generates image generation information for generating a read image for entry using the efficacy information and the entry information, and transmits the image generation information to the terminal device 10. (step S508).

On the other hand, if the departure information is included, the payment processing unit 316, based on the identification information of the entry station included in the entry information and the identification information of the departure station included in the departure information, A section to be used (a section to be used for which use has been completed) is specified, and the fare for the section to be used is calculated based on the fare table 340 (step S510).

Next, the passability determination unit 318 compares the fare calculated by the payment processing unit 316 with the charge balance managed by the charge balance management unit 314, and determines whether the fare is equal to or less than the charge balance. (step S512). If the fare exceeds the charge balance, the pass permission determination unit 318 determines that the user is prohibited from passing (step S514), and uses the server-side communication unit 305 to display the pass prohibition determination result indicating the prohibition of passage. The information is transmitted to the automatic ticket gate 100 (step S516). In response to this, the passage control unit 158 in the automatic ticket gate 100 performs control to prohibit the passage of the user. Next, the application cooperation processing unit 312 uses the server-side communication unit 305 to transmit information prompting charging of electronic money to the terminal device 10 (step S518).

On the other hand, if the fare is equal to or less than the charge balance, the passability determination unit 318 determines that the user is permitted to pass (step S520), and uses the server-side communication unit 305 to transmit the determination result of permission to pass. The indicated passage permission information is transmitted to the automatic ticket gate 100 (step S522).

Next, the application cooperation processing unit 312 uses the server-side communication unit 305 to transmit the fare information related to the fare calculated in S510 and the entry information received from the automatic ticket gate 100 to the terminal device 10 (step S524). ).

Next, the payment processing unit 316 determines that the fare is to be collected from the charge balance (step S526), and the charge balance management unit 314 stores the information of the terminal device, which is the transmission source of the image request information, in the payment information database 332. The charge balance corresponding to the user is rewritten (step S528). This completes the processing of this flowchart.

FIG. 20 is a flow chart showing an example of the flow of processing by the automatic ticket gate 100 in the second embodiment. The image processing unit 154 of the automatic ticket gate 100 waits until the read image CD is held up to the reading unit 111 (131) (step S600). A read image CD is extracted from the image captured by the CAM, and the extracted read image CD is decoded to acquire information contained in the read image CD (step S602).

Next, the passability determination unit 156 determines whether or not the information acquired by the image processing unit 154 includes the code ID and the entry information (step S604). If the entry information is not included, the passability determination unit 156 determines whether or not the process currently being performed is the process of managing the entrance of the user (entrance process) (step S606).

If the process currently being performed is the entry process, the passability determination unit 156 permits the user to pass. In response to this, the passage control unit 158 controls the door units 114, 115, 134, 135, the speaker 140, the upper surface display units 112, 132, the front display units 113, 133, and the touch surface display unit PN, thereby (step S608). Then, the communication control unit 152 uses the ticket gate side communication unit 145 to transmit the code ID acquired by the image processing unit 154, the identification information of the station where the machine is installed, and the time when the read image CD is held up. The entry information including the information is transmitted to the center server device 300 (step S610).

On the other hand, if the information acquired by the image processing unit 154 does not include entry information and the process currently being performed is not the entry process, the passability determination unit 156 prohibits the user from passing. In other words, the passability determination unit 156 determines that the read image for entry has been erroneously held up during the entry process. In response to this, the passage control unit 158 controls the door units 114, 115, 134, 135, the speaker 140, the upper surface display units 112, 132, the front display units 113, 133, and the touch surface display unit PN, thereby is prevented from passing through (step S612).

On the other hand, if the information acquired by the image processing unit 154 includes both the code ID and the entry information, the passability determination unit 156 determines that the processing currently being performed is the processing for managing the entry of the user (entry processing). ) (step S614).

If the process currently being performed is not the entry process, the passability determination unit 156 prohibits the user from passing. In response to this, the passage control unit 158 uses various controlled objects to perform control to prohibit the passage of the user (step S616).

On the other hand, if the process currently being performed is exit processing, the communication control unit 152 uses the ticket gate side communication unit 145 to transmit the code ID and the entry information acquired by the image processing unit 154 and the location of the machine itself. It transmits to the center server device 300 the identification information of the station where the read image CD was held and the entry information including the time when the read image CD was held up (step S618).

Next, the passage control unit 158 determines whether passage prohibition information has been received by the ticket gate side communication unit 145 (step S620), and if passage prohibition information has been received, the process of S616 is performed. On the other hand, when the passage prohibition information is not received, the passage control unit 158 determines whether or not the passage permission information is received by the ticket gate side communication unit 145 (step S622). When the passage permission information is received, various control objects are used to perform control to permit the passage of the user (step S624). This completes the processing of this flowchart.

According to the second embodiment described above, the input screen of the ticket purchase application 31 is provided with only an area for inputting the minimum required input items for displaying the read image CD. Since the fare for the boarding section actually used by the user is calculated from the information provided, the user can use the railway without knowing the fare for each boarding section in advance. As a result, user convenience can be further improved.

(Third embodiment)
A third embodiment will be described below. In the third embodiment, the charge balance management unit 314 in the center server device 300 uses the server-side communication unit 305 to associate the charge balance with the charge balance when the charge balance becomes less than the threshold due to the fare collection by the settlement processing unit 316. This differs from the first and second embodiments in that predetermined information is transmitted to the terminal device 10 of the user who received the information. The following description focuses on the differences, and omits the description of the common parts.

FIG. 21 is a diagram showing an example of the settlement information database 332A in the third embodiment. As shown in the figure, the payment information database 332A stores the user ID, which is the identification information of the user of the ticket purchase application 31, the balance of the electronic money charge, the threshold value referred to for determination at the time of notification, and the input at the time of charge. This is information in which information such as a fixed charge amount indicating the amount and an account from which the charge amount is debited are associated. The threshold, fixed charge amount, account, etc. may be arbitrarily set according to the user's operation on the terminal device 10, for example.

FIG. 22 is a diagram showing another example of how an input screen for purchasing a ticket is displayed on the touch panel section of the terminal device 10 when the ticket purchase application 31 is activated. For example, the charge balance management unit 314 notifies the terminal device 10 of information prompting charge when the charge balance becomes less than a threshold due to fare collection by the payment processing unit 316 . In response to this, the ticket purchase processing section 14 of the terminal device 10 displays an input screen as shown in the drawing on the touch panel section. For example, the input screen displays characters and images prompting the user to charge electronic money, and is provided with a button B2 for confirming whether or not to charge electronic money for a predetermined fixed charge amount. For example, when an input (YES in the drawing) to confirm charging of electronic money is operated, the ticket purchase processing unit 14 uses the terminal-side communication unit 13 to notify the center server device 300 that charging is permitted. Notice. When the notification is received by the server-side communication unit 305 of the center server device 300, the settlement processing unit 316 refers to the settlement information database 332A and withdraws the preset fixed charge amount from the account. Then, the charge balance management unit 314 rewrites the current charge balance in the settlement information database 332A to a value to which the fixed charge amount of electronic money is added. As a result, it is possible to periodically notify the user of the charge balance and keep the charge balance above a certain amount. As a result, user convenience can be further improved.

(Fourth embodiment)
A railway usage management system 1C according to the fourth embodiment will be described below. In the railway usage management system 1C according to the fourth embodiment, when the user holds up the terminal device 10 on which the read image for entry or the read image for exit is displayed to the automatic ticket gate 100 and is permitted to pass through, the center server The difference from the first to third embodiments is that the device 300 transmits a notification to hide the read image CD (hereinafter referred to as non-display notification information) to the terminal device 10 . The following description focuses on the differences, and omits the description of the common parts.

The application cooperation processing unit 312 of the center server device in the fourth embodiment uses the server-side communication unit 305 when the server-side communication unit 305 receives the entry information or the exit information from the automatic ticket gate 100, and the terminal Send non-display notification information to the device 10 . In response to this, the ticket purchase processing section 14 of the terminal device 10 hides the read image CD displayed on the touch panel section. It is possible to prevent unauthorized use by the user handing over the terminal device 10 itself on which the read image for entry or the read image for exit is displayed to a third party.

According to at least one embodiment described above, the center server device 300 receives the image request information transmitted by the terminal device 10, and sends the image generation information of the read image for admission to the terminal device 10 as a response to the image request information. Send to The terminal device 10 displays an entrance read image based on the image generation information. When the terminal device 10 on which the read image for admission is displayed is held up, the automatic ticket gate 100 reads the validity information from the read image for admission, determines whether passage is permitted based on the read validity information, and permits passage. If so, the entry information is transmitted to the center server device 300 together with the read effect information. The center server device 300 transmits image generation information including efficacy information and admission information to the terminal device 10 . The terminal device 10 displays the entry readout image based on the image generation information. When the terminal device 10 on which the read image for entry is displayed is held up, the automatic ticket gate 100 reads the validity information and the entry information from the read image for entry, and determines whether or not the ticket can be passed based on the read information. is permitted, entry information is transmitted to the center server device 300 together with the read validity information and entry information. In addition, the center server device 300 calculates the fare (charging amount) required for the use section that the user plans to use from now on based on the effect information included in the image request information at a predetermined timing. For example, if the validity information is referred to when the image request information is received, the center server device 300 calculates the fare for the section that the user plans to use from now on. Then, the center server device 300 refers to the payment information database 332 in which the pre-stored charge balance is associated with the user, and from the charge balance of the user of the terminal device 10 that is the transmission source of the image request information. , decide to collect the fare. This allows the user to use the system with more peace of mind.

While several embodiments of the invention have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as the scope of the invention described in the claims and equivalents thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Railway utilization management system 10... Terminal device 11... Operation part 12... Display part 13... Terminal side communication part 14... Ticket purchase processing part 30... Terminal side storage part 100... Automatic ticket gate, Reference numerals 111, 131: reading unit 145: ticket gate side communication unit 150: ticket gate side control unit 152: communication control unit 154: image processing unit 156: passability determination unit 158: passage control unit 170: Ticket gate-side storage unit 200 Station service server device 300 Center server device 305 Server-side communication unit 310 Server-side control unit 312 Application cooperation processing unit 314 Charge balance management unit 316 Settlement Processing unit 318 Passability determination unit 330 Server-side storage unit

Claims (4)

an optical reader that optically reads information from an image displayed by a terminal device running a ticket purchase application;
a passage blocking means control unit for controlling a passage blocking means for blocking the passage of the user of the terminal device based on the information read by the optical reading unit;
a ticket gate-side communication unit that transmits information including information read by the optical reading unit to a management device;
one or more automatic ticket gates having
a management device-side communication unit that communicates with the terminal device and the automatic ticket gate;
A first image including a code ID for identifying the image request information generated based on the user's operation on the terminal device and based on the image request information received from the terminal device by the management device side communication unit transmitting to the terminal device, using the management device-side communication unit, information for causing the terminal device to display a first image for the user of the terminal device to enter the station premises;
Based on the information received from the automatic ticket gate by the management device side communication unit, the same code ID as the code ID included in the first image and the entrance station to which the user is scheduled to enter are indicated. The information for displaying on the terminal device a second image generated based on the entrance information and the second image for the user of the terminal device to exit outside the station premises is transmitted by the management device side communication. a management device side control unit that transmits to the terminal device using a unit;
a charge balance management unit that manages a charge balance accumulated in advance for each user in association with a user ID that is a login ID of the ticket purchase application used by the user of the terminal device;
A charge amount to be charged to the user of the terminal device is determined based on the image request information received from the automatic ticket gate, and the determined charge amount is calculated from the charge balance managed for each user ID by the charge balance management unit. a payment processing unit that decides to collect the billing amount;
comprising the management device having
The image request information includes information on a section to be used from the entrance station to the exit station where the user is scheduled to exit,
The payment processing unit identifies the user ID by referring to a database in which the code ID for identifying the image request information and the user ID are associated with each other, and associates a usage fee with a usage section. determining, as the billing amount, the usage fee required for the usage section included in the image request information received from the terminal device by the management device-side communication unit by referring to the usage fee information;
The management device side control unit
When the charge amount determined by the payment processing unit is equal to or less than the charge balance managed by the charge balance management unit, the management device side communicates information for displaying the first image on the terminal device. Sending to the terminal device using a unit,
Railway usage management system. Either the automatic ticket gate or the management device further has a passability determination unit that determines whether the user is permitted to pass based on the information read by the optical reading unit,
The first image and the second image contain information on the usage interval,
The passability determination unit determines whether the terminal device is located on the basis of the information on the use section read by the optical reading unit and the station where the automatic ticket gate held by the optical reading unit is located. Judging whether the user can pass or not,
The railway usage management system according to claim 1 . The charge balance management unit uses the management device side communication unit to transmit predetermined information to a terminal device of a user whose charge balance managed by the charge balance management unit is less than a threshold.
The railway usage management system according to claim 1 or 2 . a management device-side communication unit that communicates with a terminal device or an automatic ticket gate on which a ticket purchase application operates;
A first image including a code ID for identifying the image request information based on the image request information received from the terminal device by the management device side communication unit, wherein the user of the terminal device enters the station premises. transmitting information for displaying a first image on the terminal device to the terminal device using the management device side communication unit;
The first image displayed on the terminal device is generated in response to being held up to the automatic ticket gate, and the first image is generated based on information received from the automatic ticket gate by the management device side communication unit. a second image generated based on the same code ID as the code ID included in the code ID and entrance information indicating the entrance station to which the user is scheduled to enter from now, wherein the user of the terminal device is at the station a management device-side control unit that uses the management device-side communication unit to transmit information for causing the terminal device to display a second image for exiting the premises to the terminal device;
a charge balance management unit that manages a charge balance accumulated in advance for each user in association with a user ID that is a login ID of the ticket purchase application used by the user of the terminal device;
A charge amount to be charged to the user of the terminal device is determined based on the image request information received from the automatic ticket gate, and the determined charge amount is calculated from the charge balance managed for each user ID by the charge balance management unit. a payment processing unit that decides to collect the billing amount;
with
The image request information includes information on a section to be used from the entrance station to the exit station where the user is scheduled to exit,
The payment processing unit identifies the user ID by referring to a database in which the code ID for identifying the image request information and the user ID are associated with each other, and associates a usage fee with a usage section. determining, as the billing amount, the usage fee required for the usage section included in the image request information received from the terminal device by the management device-side communication unit by referring to the usage fee information;
The management device-side control unit causes the terminal device to display the first image when the charge amount determined by the payment processing unit is equal to or less than the charge balance managed by the charge balance management unit. transmitting information to the terminal device using the management device side communication unit;
management device.

Images