Method and system for supervised disembarking of passengers from a bus

• US 10,331,927 B2
• Filed: 07/02/2018
• Issued: 06/25/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zonar Systems, Inc. (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Zonar Systems, Inc. (Continental AG)
• Inventors: McQuade, Charles Michael, Brinton, Brett
• Primary Examiner(s): Bousono, Orlando
• Application Number:
  US16/025,836
• Publication Number:
  US 20180314865A1
• Time in Patent Office: 358 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2365 Ensuring data consistency and integrity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06028 using bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06187 with magnetically detectable marking
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10861 sensing of data fields affixed to objects or articles, e.g. coded labels postal sorting B07C3/14, conveying articles B65G47/48
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/18 Status alarms G08B21/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles

Abstract

System and method for collecting object identification data from a plurality of objects that interact with a vehicle during operation of the vehicle, where the vehicle interacts with specific objects at specific geographical positions. An identification sensor is coupled to a geographical position sensor, and whenever an object is identified a record is generated, the record including the identification of the object, the position of the vehicle when the interaction between the object and the vehicle occurs, and the time of the interaction. Exemplary objects include passengers, containers, and documents. Exemplary interactions include loading/unloading an object from the vehicle, boarding a passenger, unloading a passenger, transferring a bulk material from the vehicle into a specific container, and/or transferring a bulk material from a specific container to the vehicle. The record may also include additional data about a parameter of the object (such as the object'"'"'s weight, volume, or temperature).

Claims

1. A method of accounting for passengers on a bus having a location sensing receiver and at least one exit from which passengers can exit to disembark, the method comprising:

associating a passenger token with a passenger that uniquely identifies that passenger;

storing in a memory of a computer a travel route for the bus and a list of passenger exit locations along the route;

matching each passenger with at least one exit location along the travel route in the computer memory;

sensing a current location of the bus as the bus travels along the route with the location sensing receiver;

reading the passenger token with an electronic token reading machine when the passenger attempts to exit the bus;

comparing the current bus location as determined by the location sensing element with the list of exit locations when the passenger token is read as the passenger attempts to exit the bus; and

signaling an improper passenger exit to a driver of the bus by outputting an improper exit alert when the passenger has his token read in an attempt to exit at a stop for which he is not matched in the computer memory.

2. The method of claim 1 further including:

signaling a proper passenger exit when the passenger has his token read at an exit location for which he is matched in the computer memory.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the tokens each include a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, and the token reading machine is an RFID reader.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the tokens each include a bar code, and the token reading machine is a bar code reader.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the tokens each include a magnetic strip and wherein the token reading machine is a magnetic strip reader.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer stores a record of each passenger exit in the memory that is matched with bus location at which the passenger exited to create a record of passenger exit locations.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the record also includes the time of the exit.

8. The method of claim 6, further including:

periodically transmitting the record of passenger exits to a remote station.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the remote station includes a remote computing device that is coupled to a networked environment of computing devices.

10. The method of claim 8, further including:

logging into the remote station by users who are remote from the remote station, each user having an identifying indicia, to access the record of passenger exits.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the users are divided into different classes, a first class of users being able to access all of the record of passenger exits, whereas a second class of users can access a record of passenger exits for a subset of passengers.

12. The method of claim 1, further including:

sending an electronic communication to a user when the passenger exits the bus.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the electronic communication is a text message.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the electronic communication is an email.

15. The method of claim 1, further including providing a display located for viewing by a bus driver and

matching each passenger with at least one route exit location along the travel route in the computer memory;

outputting on the display a list of passengers and for each passenger the route exit location that is matched with that passenger.

16. A system of accounting for passengers on a bus equipped with a location sensing receiver and having a set of exits and that has a regular route, in which each passenger has a predesignated stop to disembark:

a set of machine readable tokens, a token in the possession of each passenger;

a token reading machine at each exit;

a computer having a computer memory, the memory having a list of stop locations and a list matching each passenger with a stop location;

a signaling device, responsive to the computer and capable of signaling a proper passenger exit and an improper passenger exit; and

wherein the computer compares location information from the location sensing receiver with the set of stops to determine when the bus is at each stop and causes the signaling device to signal a proper passenger exit when a passenger has his token read at a stop for which he is matched in the computer memory and signal an improper passenger exit when the passenger has his token read at a stop for which he is not matched in the computer memory.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the tokens each include a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, and the token reading machine is an RFID reader.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the tokens each include a bar code, and the token reading machine is a bar code reader.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the computer stores a record of each passenger exit in the memory, together with the stop location and the time of exit, thereby creating a record of passenger exits.

20. The system of claim 16, further including:

a transmitter that periodically transmits the record of passenger exits to a remote station.