The present invention relates to a method for registering tickets and an electronic ticket for executing the method in accordance with the precharacterising clause of claims 1 and 8 respectively.
The present invention relates to the registration of objects in a delimited space, in order to establish a service which is to be purchased and/or a defined presence. This field is also known as “electronic ticketing” or “fare management”. The term “electronic ticket” or simply “ticket” is synonymously used instead of object in this document. In technical terms, such a ticket is usually a so-called “SmartCard”. In other nomenclatures, the term transponder is also commonly used instead of SmartCard.
The document WO 01/03057 A1 [1] discloses a method for detecting objects by means of a transponder, wherein a first information unit is transmitted in the frequency range 127 kHz to the transponder when a detection zone is entered, thereby waking up said transponder. On the basis of the information which is contained in the first information unit, a send module which is present on the transponder is activated immediately or following a delay, in order at least once to transmit a second information unit to a receive unit which is located in the detection zone.
The method and system for registering tickets as disclosed in the document EP 1,210,693 B1 [2] differ in that a receiving module which is present on the ticket is “woken up” from a sleep state by means of a first information unit and is periodically switched to active. Using further information units, a bidirectional communication is established on a higher frequency of e.g. 868 MHz by a send/receive unit which is assigned to the detection zone, and the relevant presence of a ticket is registered as a ticket record.
EP 0,766,215 B1 [3] proposes a method in which an electronic ticket can be woken up in various stages. A level detector is initially provided for this purpose, whereby only wake-up telegrams on a low frequency of e.g. 6.78 MHz of a defined minimum level result in a first activation. In a subsequent method step, provision is made for checking whether the received wake-up telegram has the predetermined modulation. If this modulation is recognised as correct, a further circuit part is activated and inter alia the correspondence of an access code with a security code which is stored on the ticket is checked on a higher layer.
The aforementioned systems, as described in accordance with [1] and [2], have the so-called “timing mode” in common: as a result of waking up and periodically activating either the send module and/or receive module which is located on the ticket, the power consumption is actually reduced very clearly in comparison with a permanent activation. In many cases, the ticket is woken up in this way without a subsequent registration taking place or being allowed to take place, as is the case when an accompanying person who is carrying such a ticket merely stays on the platform. The “timing mode” method featuring a single prior wake-up has the serious disadvantage that a significant share if not the largest share of the battery power which is available on the ticket must be used in order to ensure that, during the overall journey, the ticket periodically becomes briefly active (“wakes up”) in the agreed time slot pattern and must switch on its receiver, e.g. on the frequency 868 MHz, merely for the purpose of re-establishing its synchronisation. In this case, a communication for the purpose of actual detection takes place only very briefly and preferably only once per journey section.
The present invention therefore addresses the problem of specifying a method for the registration of tickets and an electronic ticket for carrying out the method, wherein the power consumption is further minimised and wherein the bidirectional communication using the “timing mode” method takes place in such a way that the associated receivers need only be switched into ready-to-receive state as briefly as possible.
One aspect in accordance with the present invention is a method of bidirectional communication using telegrams in a second frequency band which is initiated by means of a wake-up signal in a first frequency band. The wake-up signal is received beforehand by a second receive module which is contained in the ticket. The activation of the send/receive module and hence also of the processor module can be limited to those cases in which a telegram really must reach the ticket concerned. The power requirement of the ticket is consequently minimised, thereby significantly increasing the autonomy.
This invention has the particular advantage that, within the detection space, no adaptation of the send units and other infrastructure such as on-board computer is required with regard to hardware. Only the software for controlling the first send unit 31 and the second send/receive unit 32 needs to be adapted. To a significant extent, parts of the communication software on the second frequency band can be transferred almost unchanged in this way.
In one advantageous aspect of an electronic ticket according to the invention, a second receive module is provided in the first frequency band. The second receive module has a higher receive sensitivity and is able to receive at least one wakeup signal. The activation of the send/receive module on the ticket, and of the processor module, can be limited to those cases in which a telegram really must reach the ticket concerned.
In a particularly advantageous embodiment, provision can be made to connect a passive filter or a demodulator in front of the second receive module, so that this space wake-up does not occur due to any random carrier as a result of the high sensitivity of the second receive module, but only occurs if the wake-up signal has a defined modulation, e.g. frequency modulation or amplitude modulation (envelope).
Advantageous configurations of the invention are specified in further claims.
Exemplary embodiments of the invention are explained in greater detail below with reference to the drawing, in which:
A second send/receive unit 32 is arranged preferably centrally in the passenger space 3. It is also possible to arrange e.g. a plurality of such send/receive units 32 in larger vehicles. The second frequency band, which is provided for the bidirectional communication with the tickets 10, is clearly higher than the aforementioned first frequency band, and a frequency of 868 MHz is preferably used. The frequency band around 868 MHz has particularly good propagation properties within a vehicle.
The sequence of the method according to the invention is illustrated in
After detection is complete 8, B the tickets 10 switch directly to the sleep state 9. In a subsequent journey section, e.g. following a halt and any passenger boarding or disembarking, the aforementioned space wake-up 7, B1 and subsequent detection 8, B take place again.
In a further embodiment of the present invention, provision can be made for an additional method step A1:
Reference is now made to the
For the sake of completeness,
As a result of applying a maximal permitted send level and a significantly higher receive sensitivity of the second receive module 12 on the ticket 10, it is possible to achieve a considerably higher transmission range 22 than the customary transmission range 21 which is intentionally restricted to 3 m for the normal wake-up. Consequently, there is no requirement for additional space wake-up antennas in the vehicle 1.
Within the meaning of the present invention, it is also possible to implement different frequencies from the same first frequency band for the so-called entry stamping in the method step A and the space wake-up in the method step B1. In order to reduce the complexity of the components which are used, however, it is advantageous to provide the identical frequency for the entry stamping and the space wake-up.
The invention is in no way restricted to the application in a vehicle such as a railway carriage or bus, but can be applied anywhere where electronic tickets for detecting a defined presence require a particularly high level of autonomy.
Autonomy in this context means that, for as long as possible, there is no need to replace a battery or perform any other maintenance intervention in relation to power supply or interoperability. Examples of other applications are: access systems, position-fixing systems for people and goods.
The aforementioned variants of the different method steps can be freely combined and, in particular, a ticket 10 can return to the sleep state 9 after a detection has taken place in the timing mode, and then be activated again by means of space wake-up.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
04017585 | Jul 2004 | EP | regional |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
5245346 | Nishimura et al. | Sep 1993 | A |
5541583 | Mandelbaum | Jul 1996 | A |
5621200 | Irwin et al. | Apr 1997 | A |
5844244 | Graf et al. | Dec 1998 | A |
5914671 | Tuttle | Jun 1999 | A |
6127917 | Tuttle | Oct 2000 | A |
6593845 | Friedman et al. | Jul 2003 | B1 |
6736322 | Gobburu et al. | May 2004 | B2 |
7053775 | Moore | May 2006 | B2 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
1 065 625 | Jan 2001 | EP |
WO 9208148 | May 1992 | WO |
WO 0120557 | Mar 2001 | WO |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20060016889 A1 | Jan 2006 | US |