JP7479971B2 - Station service systems, automatic ticket gates and operation terminals - Google Patents

Description

An embodiment of the present invention relates to a station service system, an automatic ticket gate , and an operation terminal .

Traditionally, a station service system has been disclosed that includes an automatic ticket gate and a monitoring panel that controls the automatic ticket gate. Typically, these monitoring panels are placed in staff rooms, and manage the operation of the station service equipment, as well as having a means of recovering from an abnormality in the station service equipment if one occurs.

For example, if an abnormality occurs in any of the multiple automated ticket gates installed at a ticket gate, the automated ticket gate number where the abnormality occurred can be specified by operating the monitoring panel and a reset (initialization) process can be performed. Also, if an automated ticket gate can be set to use either an entrance machine, an exit machine, or a dual-use machine in its operating mode, the automated ticket gate can be set to either an entrance machine, an exit machine, or a dual-use machine from the monitoring panel.

In this way, conventional monitoring panels are placed in the staff room of each station. In the conventional technology where the monitoring panel is installed in the staff room of each station, it is costly to install the monitoring panel at each station, and space is required for the staff room. In addition, since it is necessary to travel to each station for maintenance and inspection of the monitoring panel, the costs associated with maintaining and inspecting the monitoring panel tend to increase. Therefore, it is conceivable to turn the monitoring panel into a server and centrally manage the automated ticket gates of multiple stations, and operate the automated ticket gates using an operation terminal. However, if the monitoring panel is turned into a server, for example, if an abnormality occurs in the monitoring panel server or the communication path to the monitoring panel server, staff members may not be able to access the automated ticket gates, which could cause disruption to station operations.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-93623

The problem that this invention aims to solve is to provide a station service system, automatic ticket gates, operation terminals, and monitoring panel servers that can perform station services properly even when communication with the monitoring panel server is unavailable, while reducing the installation space and equipment costs for the monitoring panel.

The station service system of the embodiment has an automated ticket gate, a monitoring panel server, and an operation terminal. The monitoring panel server is capable of communicating with the automated ticket gate. The monitoring panel server generates status information indicating the status of the automated ticket gate based on first information transmitted from the automated ticket gate. The operation terminal has a display unit that displays information based on the status information received from the monitoring panel server and an operation unit that accepts operation input by an operator. The operation terminal transmits operation information corresponding to the operation input to the operation unit to the monitoring panel server. The monitoring panel server transmits operation instruction information to the automated ticket gate based on the operation information acquired from the operation terminal. The automated ticket gate operates based on the operation instruction information received from the monitoring panel server. When the station service system reaches a predetermined performance degradation state related to the monitoring panel server, the automated ticket gate transmits second information including at least a part of the first information to the operation terminal, and the operation terminal displays information based on the second information received from the automated ticket gate and transmits operation information corresponding to the operator's operation to the automated ticket gate.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a station service system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an automatic ticket gate, a monitoring panel server, and an operation terminal according to the embodiment. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a monitoring screen displayed on an operation display unit of an operation terminal in a first monitoring mode. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a data screen displayed on the operation display unit of the operation terminal in the first monitoring mode. FIG. A sequence diagram showing an example of the processing flow in the first monitoring mode of the station service system in this embodiment. A sequence diagram showing an example of the processing flow in the second monitoring mode of the station service system in this embodiment.

The station service system, automated ticket gates, operation terminals, and monitoring panel server of the embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[Basic configuration]
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a station service system 1 according to the present embodiment.
The station service system 1 according to the present embodiment includes, for example, a plurality of automated ticket gates 10, a monitoring panel server 20, and a plurality of operation terminals 30. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the station service system includes a plurality of automated ticket gates 10a, 10b, and 10c installed in one station, and a plurality of operation terminals 30a and 30b. The station service system 1 may have different numbers of automated ticket gates 10a, 10b, and 10c and operation terminals 30a and 30b installed depending on the size of the station. Hereinafter, unless otherwise specified, the plurality of automated ticket gates 10a, 10b, and 10c will be collectively referred to as the automated ticket gates 10. Also, the plurality of operation terminals 30a and 30b will be collectively referred to as the operation terminals 30.

In the station service system 1, the automated ticket gate 10 and the operation terminal 30 are connected to a first communication network NW1. The first communication network NW1 is a network such as a LAN (Local Area Network). A gateway device (GW device 50) is connected to the first communication network NW1. The GW device 50 relays between the first communication network NW1 and the second communication network NW2.

The second communication network NW2 is a wider communication network than the first communication network NW1. The second communication network NW2 is, for example, a network such as the Internet or a Wide Area Network (WAN). With this configuration, each of the automated ticket gates 10 and the operation terminals 30 can communicate with the monitoring panel server 20 via the first communication network NW1, the GW device 50, and the second communication network NW2. The monitoring panel server 20 is installed, for example, outside the station premises. The monitoring panel server 20 may be capable of communicating with the automated ticket gates 10 and operation terminals 30 of multiple stations within a specified area.

Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the automated ticket gate 10, monitoring panel server 20, and operation terminal 30 according to this embodiment. The automated ticket gate 10 includes, for example, a magnetic reader 11, an IC card reader 12, a guide display unit 13, a door unit 14, a ticket gate communication unit 15, and a ticket gate control unit 16. Note that this configuration is merely an example, and the automated ticket gate 10 may have any configuration as long as it has the function of collecting or checking tickets.

The magnetic reader 11 reads the ticket information of the magnetic ticket inserted into the automated ticket gate 10 and transmits it to the control unit. The IC card reader 12 reads the ticket information of the IC ticket held up to the automated ticket gate 10 and transmits it to the control unit. Note that instead of or in addition to the IC card reader 12, a QR code reader (not shown) may be provided for reading a QR code (registered trademark) used as a ticket.

The door unit 14 is an openable and closable door located at the entrance and exit of the passage of the automated ticket gate 10. When the result of the passability determination for the magnetic ticket or IC ticket is "passable," the door unit 14 opens the door to allow the user holding the ticket to pass through. When the result of the passability determination for the magnetic ticket or IC ticket is "not passable," the door unit 14 closes the door and blocks the passage, thereby prohibiting the user holding the ticket from passing through.

The information display unit 13 notifies a user using the automated ticket gate 10 of permission or prohibition of passage and related information based on the passability determination result of the magnetic ticket and IC ticket used at the automated ticket gate 10.

The ticket gate communication unit 15 communicates with the monitoring panel server 20. This communication can send information from the automated ticket gate 10 to the monitoring panel server 20, and can also receive information from the monitoring panel server 20 to the automated ticket gate 10. Each automated ticket gate 10 has, for example, a network card for communicating with the monitoring panel server 20. The automated ticket gate 10 transmits ticket information and the like obtained from, for example, an IC card held up to the automated ticket gate 10 to the monitoring panel server 20 as appropriate.

The ticket gate control unit 16 receives ticket information from the magnetic reader 11 or IC card reader 12, and judges whether the user is permitted to pass through. There are various known methods for judging whether or not the user is permitted to pass, so a detailed explanation is omitted. If the result of the judgment is "permitted," the user is permitted to pass through, and the door unit 14 is controlled to open. On the other hand, if the result of the judgment is "not permitted," the door unit 14 is controlled to close in order to prohibit the user from passing through. In addition, based on a data transmission request or an operation instruction request from the operation terminal 30, the gate control unit 16 performs a predetermined process related to the request.

The monitoring panel server 20 includes, for example, a server communication unit 21, a server control unit 23, a server storage unit 24, and a server display unit 25. The server communication unit 21 is connected to the second communication network NW2. The server communication unit 21 includes, for example, a communication interface such as a network card. The server communication unit 21 receives the first information transmitted from the automated ticket gate 10 and receives operation information transmitted from the operation terminal 30.

The server control unit 23 has an information generation function and a ticket gate reset function. The information generation function is a function that generates status information of the automated ticket gate 10 based on the first information received from the automated ticket gate 10. The first information includes, for example, identification information of the sending automated ticket gate 10 and information indicating an abnormal status. The first information and the status information may be partly the same. The information indicating an abnormal status of the automated ticket gate 10 may include, for example, not only information indicating that the automated ticket gate has broken down, but also information indicating that a ticket has become jammed, that intermediate boarding without a ticket has been detected, or that unauthorized boarding has been detected. The ticket gate reset function is a function that resets (initializes) the operating status of the automated ticket gate 10 based on operation information from the operation terminal 30.

In addition to these functions, the server control unit 23 also has a tallying function and a power supply control function for the automated ticket gate 10. The tallying function is, for example, a function for tallying ticket information received from the automated ticket gate 10, the time that an IC card is held up to the automated ticket gate 10, the identification information of the corresponding station, etc. The power supply control function is, for example, a function for switching the state of the automated ticket gate 10 between on and off. The results of execution of these functions are stored in the server memory unit 24 as the operation history of the automated ticket gate 10.

Some or all of these functions of the server control unit 23 are realized by a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) executing a program stored in the server storage unit 24. The program may be downloaded from an application server (not shown) via a network, for example, or may be stored on a portable storage medium such as an SD card and installed in the monitoring panel server 20. In addition, some or all of the components of the server control unit 23 may be realized by hardware such as an LSI, ASIC, or FPGA, or may be realized by a combination of software and hardware.

The server storage unit 24 is realized by, for example, non-volatile storage media such as ROM (Read Only Memory), flash memory, HDD (Hard Disk Drive), and SD card, and volatile storage media such as RAM (Random Access Memory) and registers. The server storage unit 24 stores programs executed by the processor. The server storage unit 24 stores status information, ticket gate setting information, log information, ticket gate software management information, etc. generated by the server control unit 23.

The ticket gate setting information is information including the passage direction of the automatic ticket gate 10 instructed to the automatic ticket gate 10 by the operation terminal 30, for example. The log information is information linking ticket information such as an IC card held up to the automatic ticket gate 10 with the corresponding log information of the automatic ticket gate 10. The ticket gate software management information is version information and upgrade history information of the automatic ticket gate 10 program.

The information stored in the server storage unit 24 described above is an example and is not limited to the above embodiment. The server storage unit 24 may store information that associates the user's usage information (balance information, commuter pass information, etc.) registered on the IC card held up to the automated ticket gate 10 with the ID of the IC card, for example.

The server display unit 25 displays ticket gate abnormalities and data. The server display unit 25 is, for example, a screen such as an LCD display. The server display unit 25 appropriately displays the collected data, etc.

The monitoring panel server 20 has a web server function 22 that provides web pages to, for example, a browser. In response to a request (e.g., an HTTP request) from the operation terminal 30, the monitoring panel server 20 uses the web server function 22 to transmit a web page for displaying status information of the automated ticket gate 10 to the operation terminal 30 using the server communication unit 21. The monitoring panel server 20 may also be capable of communicating with other monitoring panel servers (not shown) installed in other areas.

The operation terminal 30 is, for example, a portable tablet terminal or a smartphone. The operation terminal 30 has, for example, an operation display unit 31, a terminal communication unit 32, a terminal control unit 33, and a terminal memory unit 34. The operation terminal 30 displays information acquired from the monitoring panel server 20 or the automated ticket gate 10 on the operation display unit 31, and accepts input operations by station staff to operate the automated ticket gate 10.

As shown in FIG. 1, the operation terminal 30 may be configured to be detachable from a pedestal device 35 installed in a staff room at the station. By mounting the operation terminal 30 on the pedestal device 35, for example, the operation terminal 30 can be charged and can also be connected to the first communication network NW1 using the wired communication function of the pedestal device 35. In addition, multiple wireless access units 40 are provided at the station. The wireless access units 40 wirelessly communicate with the operation terminal 30 removed from the pedestal device 35 and connect it to the first communication network NW1. The wireless access units 40 communicate with the operation terminal 30 using, for example, a Wi-Fi network.

The operation display unit 31 is, for example, an integral unit consisting of a display unit that displays an image based on the status information received from the monitoring panel server 20 and an operation unit that the operator can operate using a touch panel arranged on the surface of the display unit. The operation display unit 31 displays information indicating the status of the automated ticket barrier 10 based on the status information received from the monitoring panel server 20. The operation display unit 31 also displays operation instructions for the automated ticket barrier 10. When an attendant performs input operations using the touch panel in accordance with the operation instructions displayed on the operation display unit 31, operation information is sent to the monitoring panel server 20 in accordance with the operation instructions. The automated ticket barrier 10 performs a predetermined operation based on this operation information. Note that the predetermined operation of the automated ticket barrier 10 based on the operation information includes not only operations that involve movements such as opening and closing the door, but also operations that do not involve movements such as control to keep the door open (or closed) and control of the display on the guidance display unit 13.

The terminal communication unit 32 communicates with the monitoring panel server 20 via the first communication network NW1 and the second communication network NW2. The terminal communication unit 32 may also communicate with the monitoring panel server 20 via a cellular network or the like, without via the first communication network NW. The terminal communication unit 32 can also communicate with the automated ticket gate 10 via the first communication network NW1.

The terminal control unit 33 functions by, for example, a processor such as a CPU executing a program including a browser. The terminal control unit 33 controls the terminal communication unit 32 and the operation display unit 31 to operate according to the program.

In addition to the above programs, the terminal storage unit 34 may receive and store status information data of the automated ticket gate 10 transmitted from the monitoring panel server 20. The terminal storage unit 34 may also store operation information data operated on the operation display unit 31.

The station service system 1 of this embodiment configured in this manner is capable of switching between a first monitoring mode when the monitoring panel server 20 is operating normally, and a second monitoring mode when the station service system 1 enters a predetermined degraded performance state related to the monitoring panel server 20. Below, we will first explain the operation of the station service system 1 in the first monitoring mode.

[First monitoring mode]
In the first monitoring mode, the automated ticket gate 10 transmits first information indicating the usage status of the automated ticket gate 10 to the monitoring panel server 20 at an appropriate timing. The ticket gate communication unit 15 transmits the first information to the monitoring panel server 20 periodically at a predetermined time interval.

The timing at which the ticket gate communication unit 15 transmits the first information to the monitoring panel server 20 is not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, the first information may be transmitted simultaneously with the ticket information. Also, the first information may be transmitted when the automated ticket gate 10 receives a data transmission request from the monitoring panel server 20.

The monitoring panel server 20 transmits the status information of the automated ticket gate 10 generated based on the first information to the operation terminal 30.

The operation terminal 30 receives status information of the automated ticket gate 10 from the monitoring panel server 20, and transmits operation information for the automated ticket gate 10 to the monitoring panel server 20. The operation information transmitted from the terminal communication unit 32 is transmitted as operation instruction information to the automated ticket gate 10 via the monitoring panel server 20. In other words, the terminal communication unit 32 of the operation terminal 30 communicates with the ticket gate communication unit 15 of the automated ticket gate 10 via the monitoring panel server 20. The operation instruction information transmitted from the monitoring panel server 20 is information for causing the automated ticket gate 10 to perform a specified operation, and may not only cause the automated ticket gate 10 to perform an operation involving a movement such as opening and closing the door, but may also cause the automated ticket gate 10 to perform an operation that does not involve a movement, such as keeping the door open (or closed).

Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of a monitoring screen displayed by the operation display unit 31 of the operation terminal 30 in the first monitoring mode. When monitoring the status of the automated ticket gate 10, the monitoring button 41a of the display switching unit 41 displayed on the operation display unit 31 is pressed to set the monitoring screen. On the monitoring screen, the operation display unit 31 displays an abnormality display unit 42, a monitoring display unit 43, and a reset button 44.

The abnormality display unit 42 displays the automated ticket gates 10 that the operation terminal 30 can operate and the operating status of the corresponding automated ticket gates 10. In this embodiment, the automated ticket gates 10a, 10b, and 10c are numbered sequentially from 1 to 3. In the example shown in Figure 3, the word "abnormal" is displayed to indicate that an abnormality has occurred in the second automated ticket gate 10 (corresponding to the automated ticket gate 10b in Figure 1).

The monitoring display unit 43 displays the boarding judgment status of the automated ticket gates 10 online using display numbers 1 to 3 corresponding to the automated ticket gates 10a, 10b, and 10c. When an abnormality has been detected in the abnormality display unit 42 described above and the automated ticket gate 10 in question is to be initialized in order to recover from the abnormal state, the reset button 44 of the relevant machine is pressed. When the reset button 44 is pressed, operation information to reset the automated ticket gate 10b is sent to the monitoring panel server 20. The monitoring panel server 20 sends operation instruction information based on the operation information to the automated ticket gate 10, and the automated ticket gate 10 initializes the automated ticket gate 10 in question based on the operation instruction information.

Figure 4 shows an example of a data screen displayed by the operation display unit of the operation terminal in the first monitoring mode. When the data button 41b of the display switching unit 41 is pressed to set the data screen, a screen for displaying various data of the automated ticket gate 10 is displayed. On the data screen, the operation display unit 31 has an abnormality display unit 42, a ticket information display unit 46, and a reset button 44.

The abnormality display section 42 and reset button 44 on the data screen are similar to the abnormality display section 42 and reset button 44 on the monitoring screen, so a description thereof will be omitted here. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the ticket information display section 46 displays the number of commuter passes, the number of coupon tickets, and the total number of these tickets used at all automated ticket gates 10 installed at one station during a specified period. Note that the ticket information display section 46 may also display information related to each individual automated ticket gate 10 (e.g., automated ticket gate 10a).

[Second monitoring mode]
Next, the operation of the station service system 1 in the second monitoring mode will be described. In the station service system 1, when a predetermined performance degradation state related to the monitoring panel server 20 occurs, the station service system 1 transitions from the above-mentioned first monitoring mode to the second monitoring mode. The predetermined performance degradation state refers to a state in which the function of the monitoring panel server 20 to mediate information transmission does not function properly, such as a state in which an abnormality occurs in the communication function of the monitoring panel server 20, a state in which an abnormality occurs in a function related to information generation of the monitoring panel server 20, a state in which the entire monitoring panel server 20 stops functioning, or a state in which an abnormality occurs in the communication line between the monitoring panel server 20 and the automatic ticket gate 10 or the operation terminal 30 and communication is cut off.

In the second monitoring mode, the automated ticket gate 10 and the operation terminal 30 communicate with each other via the first communication network NW1 (see NW1 in FIG. 1). For example, a script is embedded in the browser of the program running in the terminal control unit 33, which starts controlling the communication in the second monitoring mode when it detects that the monitoring panel server 20 is in a predetermined degraded state.

The transition from the first monitoring mode to the second monitoring mode is initiated, for example, by the operation terminal 30 taking the initiative in accessing the automated ticket gate 10 as described above. In this case, a script in the browser of the operation terminal 30 monitors the communication status with the monitoring panel server 20, and when it detects a situation such as no communication for a certain period of time, the script sends information to the automated ticket gate 10 to request a transition to the second monitoring mode. This causes the transition to the second monitoring mode to be initiated by the operation terminal 30.

The transition from the first monitoring mode to the second monitoring mode may be initiated by the automated ticket barrier 10 taking the initiative in accessing the operation terminal 30. In this case, a program installed in the automated ticket barrier 10 monitors the communication status with the monitoring panel server 20, and when it detects a situation such as no communication for a certain period of time, the program of the automated ticket barrier 10 sends information to the operation terminal 30 to request a transition to the second monitoring mode. In this way, the automated ticket barrier 10 may take the initiative in transitioning to the simple mode. Also, when the automated ticket barrier 10 takes the initiative in transitioning to the second monitoring mode, the simple mode may be controlled by a program waiting in the background on the operation terminal 30, rather than a browser.

Details about the operation of the second monitoring mode will be explained later with reference to Figure 6.

[Sequence Diagram]
FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the processing flow in the first monitoring mode of the station service system 1 according to the present embodiment.

Each automated ticket gate 10 installed in a station transmits first information indicating the usage status of its own automated ticket gate 10 to the monitoring panel server 20 (S11).

The monitoring panel server 20 installed at a location other than the station wirelessly receives the first information from the automated ticket gate 10 and generates status information for the corresponding automated ticket gate 10 based on the first information (S13).

The operation terminal 30 requests the monitoring panel server 20 to transmit status information to the operation terminal 30 (S14). This request is transmitted from the operation terminal 30 periodically at a predetermined interval. The timing of transmitting the request may be, for example, when the operation terminal 30 is turned on or when the operator (attendant) performs a predetermined operation.

When the monitoring panel server 20 receives a request from the operation terminal 30, it transmits status information of the automated ticket gate 10 to the operation terminal 30 in response to the request from the operation terminal 30 (S15).

The operation terminal 30 displays an image on the operation display unit 31 based on the status information received from the monitoring panel server 20 (S17). The image displayed on the operation display unit 31 at this time shows the multiple automated ticket gates 10 each corresponding to an abnormal status. The staff member performs operation input on the operation display unit 31 of the operation terminal 30 based on the image displayed in step S17 (S19). An example of operation input is resetting an automated ticket gate 10 that is displayed as abnormal on the above-mentioned operation display unit 31 out of the multiple automated ticket gates 10.

When the operation input is completed, the operation terminal 30 transmits operation information corresponding to the operation of the operation display unit 31 to the monitoring panel server 20 (S21). The operation information includes, for example, operation information for performing a reset operation to initialize the desired automated ticket gate 10.

The monitoring panel server 20 transmits operation instruction information to the automated ticket gates 10 based on the operation information acquired from the operation terminal 30 (S23). The operation instruction information is transmitted only to the automated ticket gates 10 for which a reset operation has been specified in the operation information received by the monitoring panel server 20 from the operation terminal 30.

The automated ticket gate 10 that has received the operation instruction information performs a predetermined operation based on the operation instruction information received from the monitoring panel server 20 (S25). The predetermined operation includes, for example, a reset operation of the automated ticket gate 10, an operation to switch between entry and exit of the automated ticket gate 10, an operation to turn the power of the automated ticket gate 10 on and off, etc.

Furthermore, the automated ticket gate 10 transmits completion report information when these predetermined operations are completed. The completion report information is transmitted from the automated ticket gate 10 to the monitoring panel server 20 (S27). The monitoring panel server 20 records this information as history information (S29) and transmits the completion report information to the operation terminal 30 (S31). As a result of the operation terminal 30 receiving the completion report information, the display showing the status of the automated ticket gate 10 displayed on the operation display unit 31 is updated.

Next, the operation of the station service equipment system in the second monitoring mode according to this embodiment will be described. In the station service system 1, when the monitoring panel server 20 enters a predetermined performance degradation state, the system transitions from the first monitoring mode to the second monitoring mode described above. In the second monitoring mode, the automated ticket gate 10 and the operation terminal 30 are connected so that they can communicate with each other without going through the monitoring panel server 20.

Figure 6 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the processing flow in the second monitoring mode of the station service system 1 according to this embodiment.

The process up to step S11 is the same as in the first monitoring mode. That is, each automated ticket gate 10 installed in a station transmits first information indicating the usage status of its own automated ticket gate 10 to the monitoring panel server 20 (S11).

When the operation terminal 30 detects that the monitoring panel server 20 is in a predetermined degraded performance state, it sends a request to the automated ticket gate 10 to start communication in the second monitoring mode (S50). By receiving the request from the operation terminal 30, the automated ticket gate 10 detects that it has transitioned to the second monitoring mode and sends second information to the operation terminal 30 (S51). This causes the station service system 1 to transition to the second monitoring mode.

The second information is information indicating the status of the automated ticket gate 10, including at least a part of the first information. In this embodiment, the second information includes at least information indicating an abnormal status of the automated ticket gate. After transitioning to the second monitoring mode, the terminal control unit 33 of the operation terminal 30 receives the second information from the automated ticket gate 10. In step S51, communication between the operation terminal 30 and the automated ticket gate 10, which is performed without going through the monitoring panel server 20, is performed via the first communication network NW1. The operation terminal 30 and the automated ticket gate 10 communicate with each other by a communication method using, for example, a JAVA (registered trademark) program.

Note that, for example, in the case where the automated ticket gate 10 takes the initiative in transitioning to the second monitoring mode, step S50 may be omitted. In this case, when the automated ticket gate 10 detects in step S11 that it cannot confirm a response from the monitoring panel server 20 (or that the first information has not been received), it transmits the second information and notification information to the operation terminal 30 (S51). The notification information is information for notifying the operation terminal 30 to start communication in the second monitoring mode. When the terminal control unit 33 of the operation terminal 30 receives the second information and notification information from the automated ticket gate 10 and detects that the mode has transitioned to the second monitoring mode, it starts controlling communication in the second monitoring mode. This allows the station service system 1 to transition to the second monitoring mode.

The operation terminal 30 displays an image on the operation display unit 31 based on the second information received from the automated ticket gate 10 (S53). The image displayed on the operation display unit 31 at this time is a display in which information indicating an abnormal state is associated with each of the multiple automated ticket gates 10 based on the second information. The staff member performs an operation input to the operation display unit 31 of the operation terminal 30 based on the image displayed in step S53 (S55).

When the operation input is completed, the operation terminal 30 transmits operation information corresponding to the operation of the operation display unit 31 to the automated ticket gate 10 without going through the monitoring panel server 20 (S57). The operation information in the second monitoring mode includes at least reset command information for resetting the operating state of the automated ticket gate 10 in which an abnormality has been detected. The operation information transmitted from the operation terminal 30 functions as operation instruction information for causing the automated ticket gate 10 to perform a specified operation.

The automated ticket barrier 10, which has received the operation information from the operation terminal 30, performs a predetermined operation based on the operation information (S59). In this embodiment, the predetermined operation is a reset operation of the automated ticket barrier 10. Note that the predetermined operation in the second monitoring mode needs to include at least a reset operation of the automated ticket barrier 10, and may further perform operations other than reset (initialization).

Furthermore, when these predetermined operations are completed, the automated ticket gate 10 transmits completion report information to the operation terminal 30 (S61). As a result of the operation terminal 30 receiving the completion report information, the display showing the status of the automated ticket gate 10 displayed on the operation display unit 31 is updated.

According to the configuration of this embodiment, the station service system 1 can operate by switching between two modes: a first monitoring mode during normal times, and a second monitoring mode when the monitoring panel server 20 is in a predetermined performance degradation state. In the first monitoring mode, the station service system 1 communicates between the automatic ticket gate 10 and the operation terminal 30 via the monitoring panel server 20 installed at each base including multiple stations. Therefore, there is no need to install a monitoring panel in the staff room, so more space can be secured in the staff room compared to the conventional technology in which a monitoring panel is installed in each station staff room. In addition, the automatic ticket gate 10 and the operation terminal 30 can communicate through the monitoring panel server 20, which has a larger capacity and higher functionality than the conventional monitoring panels installed at each station. Therefore, during normal times, staff can obtain a wider variety of information as needed through the monitoring panel server 20 than before. Therefore, versatility can be improved by making the monitoring panel a server.

On the other hand, the station service system 1 transitions from the first monitoring mode to the second monitoring mode when the monitoring panel server 20 is in a predetermined performance degradation state. In the second monitoring mode, the operation terminal 30 and the automatic ticket gate 10 can communicate with each other without going through the monitoring panel server 20. As a result, even if the monitoring panel server 20 goes down, station service can be performed. In addition, in the second monitoring mode, communication (operation) is possible only for predetermined functions that are minimum necessary for performing station service (for example, abnormality display on the operation terminal 30 and reset instruction to the automatic ticket gate 10 in the embodiment). As a result, it is possible to perform appropriate station service when the monitoring panel server 20 cannot communicate while suppressing excessive capacity increase in the operation terminal 30 and the automatic ticket gate 10. Here, since the operation terminal 30 displays using a browser, it is not possible to display the screens of both the monitoring panel server 20 and the automatic ticket gate 10 at the same time. For this reason, in terms of displaying multiple screens and improving the efficiency of monitoring during normal times, it is preferable to communicate the above-mentioned minimum necessary functions through the monitoring panel server 20. According to the configuration of this embodiment, by changing the way the minimum required functions are communicated between the automated ticket gate 10 and the operation terminal 30 in the first monitoring mode and the second monitoring mode, it is possible to improve the monitoring efficiency during normal times and perform station work appropriately when communication is unavailable. Therefore, it is possible to provide a station work system 1 that can perform station work appropriately even when communication is unavailable with the monitoring panel server 20, while reducing the installation space and equipment costs for the monitoring panel.

In the first monitoring mode, communication between the automated ticket gate 10 and the monitoring panel server 20, and communication between the operation terminal 30 and the monitoring panel server 20, is performed via the second communication network NW2, which is wider than the first communication network NW1. Therefore, during normal times, the monitoring panel server 20 installed at a base other than a station can communicate with the automated ticket gate 10 and operation terminal 30 in the station. Thus, while the monitoring panel is turned into a server, when the monitoring panel server 20 reaches a predetermined performance degradation state, communication between the operation terminal 30 and the automated ticket gate 10 can be achieved with a simple configuration.

A script is embedded in the browser of the operation terminal 30, which starts controlling communication in the second monitoring mode when the monitoring panel server 20 enters a predetermined degraded state. This allows the operation terminal 30 to quickly receive information from the automated ticket gate 10 when the monitoring panel server 20 enters a predetermined degraded state. Therefore, station operations can be carried out even if the monitoring panel server 20 enters a predetermined degraded state.

When the automated ticket gate 10 detects that the monitoring panel server 20 has entered a predetermined degraded state, it transmits notification information to the operation terminal 30 to start communication in the second monitoring mode. This allows the operation terminal 30 to detect that the monitoring panel server 20 has entered a predetermined degraded state, and to quickly receive information from the automated ticket gate 10.

The operation information in the second monitoring mode includes reset command information for resetting the operating state of the automated ticket gate 10 in which an abnormality has been detected. As a result, even if the monitoring panel server 20 enters a predetermined degraded performance state, the automated ticket gate 10 is reset to a normal state, allowing users to use the automated ticket gate 10. In particular, in this embodiment, the second monitoring mode is configured to at least display an abnormality on the operation terminal 30 and to reset the automated ticket gate 10. In this way, in the second monitoring mode, by limiting the operable content to the bare minimum, station operations can be carried out stably while preventing an excessive increase in communication capacity.

The monitoring panel server 20 that is responsible for multiple stations may be installed at one of the multiple stations that it is responsible for. In this case, from the perspective of at least one of the multiple automated ticket gates 10 managed by the monitoring panel server 20, the monitoring panel server 20 will be located at a base different from the station where this automated ticket gate 10 is installed. In other words, it is sufficient that the monitoring panel server 20 is located at a station (base) different from the station where at least one of the automated ticket gates 10 managed by the monitoring panel server 20 is installed, and the base of the monitoring panel server 20 may be a station.

According to at least one embodiment described above, in a station service system 1 having an automated ticket gate 10, an operation terminal 30, and a monitoring panel, the installation space for the monitoring panel and the equipment costs can be reduced by making the monitoring panel a server. If the monitoring panel is made into a server, it is conceivable that when the monitoring panel server 20 reaches a predetermined performance degradation state, it will be unable to send operational instructions to the automated ticket gate 10, causing delays in station service. However, according to the configuration of this embodiment, when the monitoring panel server 20 reaches a predetermined performance degradation state, it transitions to a second monitoring mode in which the automated ticket gate 10 and the operation terminal 30 communicate directly, allowing station service to be performed appropriately even when communication with the monitoring panel server 20 is disabled.

Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are within the scope of the invention and its equivalents as set forth in the claims, as well as the scope and gist of the invention.

1...Station service system, 10...Automatic ticket gate, 20...Monitoring panel server, 30...Operation terminal, 31...Operation display unit (operation unit, display unit), NW1...First communication network, NW2...Second communication network

Claims (8)

Automatic ticket gates and
A monitoring panel server capable of communicating with the automated ticket gate and generating status information indicating a status of the automated ticket gate based on first information transmitted from the automated ticket gate;
an operation terminal having a display unit that displays information based on the status information received from the monitoring panel server and an operation unit that receives operation input by an operator, the operation terminal transmitting operation information corresponding to the operation input to the monitoring panel server;
Equipped with
The monitoring panel server transmits operation instruction information to the automated ticket gate based on the operation information acquired from the operation terminal,
The automated ticket gate operates based on the operation instruction information received from the monitoring panel server,
When the station service system enters a predetermined performance degradation state related to the monitoring panel server,
The automated ticket gate transmits second information including at least a part of the first information to the operation terminal;
The operation terminal displays information based on the second information received from the automated ticket gate, and transmits the operation information corresponding to the operation of the operator to the automated ticket gate.
Station service system. communication between the operation terminal and the automated ticket gate that is not performed via the monitoring panel server is performed via a first communication network;
The communication between the automated ticket gate and the monitoring panel server, and the communication between the operation terminal and the monitoring panel server are performed via a second communication network having a wider area than the first communication network.
A station service system according to claim 1. The monitoring panel server has a Web server function and transmits the status information to the operation terminal in response to a request from the operation terminal;
a script is embedded in the browser running on the operation terminal, the script starting to control communication between the automated ticket gate and the operation terminal when the browser detects that the operation terminal is in the predetermined performance degradation state;
A station service system according to claim 1 or 2. When the automated ticket gate detects that the automated ticket gate is in the predetermined performance degradation state, the automated ticket gate transmits notification information to the operation terminal to start communication between the automated ticket gate and the operation terminal.
A station service system according to any one of claims 1 to 3. In the operation terminal, an image displayed on the display unit based on one of the first information and the second information displays a status abnormality corresponding to each of the multiple automated ticket gates,
The operation information input to the operation terminal based on the second information includes reset command information for resetting an operating state of the automated ticket gate in which an abnormality has been detected.
A station service system according to any one of claims 1 to 4. Automatic ticket gates and
An operation terminal,
The automated ticket gate transmits first information indicating a usage status of the automated ticket gate to a monitoring panel server;
the operation terminal displays an image based on status information generated based on the first information in the monitoring panel server, and transmits operation information corresponding to an operation performed by an operator to the monitoring panel server;
the automated ticket gate operates based on operation instruction information generated in the monitoring panel server based on the operation information acquired from the operation terminal;
When the station service system enters a predetermined performance degradation state related to the monitoring panel server,
The automated ticket gate transmits second information including at least a part of the first information to the operation terminal without going through the monitoring panel server;
The operation terminal displays an image based on the second information, and transmits the operation information corresponding to the operation performed by the operator to the automated ticket gate without passing through the monitoring panel server.
Station service system. An automated ticket gate,
Transmitting first information indicating a usage status of the device to a monitoring board server, and operating based on operation instruction information received from an operation terminal communicating with the monitoring board server via the monitoring board server;
When the station service system enters a predetermined performance degradation state related to the monitoring panel server,
transmitting second information including at least a part of the first information to the operation terminal, and operating based on the operation instruction information received from the operation terminal;
Automatic ticket gate. An operation terminal,
a display unit that displays information based on status information of the automated ticket gate received from the automated ticket gate via a monitoring panel server;
an operation unit that receives an operation input by an operator based on the content displayed on the display unit;
having
Transmitting operation information corresponding to an operation input to the operation unit, which is information for causing the automated ticket gate to perform a predetermined operation, to the monitoring panel server;
When the station service system enters a predetermined performance degradation state related to the monitoring panel server,
displaying information based on the status information received from the automated ticket gate, and transmitting the operation information to the automated ticket gate;
Operation terminal .

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