The present invention relates to an access control device: in particular it should be noted that the device according to the invention is indicated for controlling accesses (meaning boarding, alighting from, and circulating on the vehicle) on means of public transport of any kind, such as, for example, buses, trains, trams and the like.

By access control, what is meant is any functionality that ensures a greater and better usability of the means of transport (or of the generic environments for which the entry/exit passages are controlled) for users, the monitoring of entry/exit passages, the dissuasion of conduct contrary to rules and/or laws in force, the acquisition and use of data on the flow of users through the controlled passages, support for the activities of control and surveillance staff, and the like.

Such devices are generally arranged at respective access and exit passages and they make it possible to govern the flow of users as a function of the schemes designed by the transport service operator, i.e. by facilitating, through a combination of acoustic and visual signals connected to the on-board systems, the correct use of the accesses and of the internal spaces by users.

The use is known of turnstiles and moving arms, arranged at each entry/exit passage.

However, the adoption of turnstiles and moving arms brings with it problems regarding the need to keep escape routes constantly unobstructed: complete control of the accesses would make it necessary to prevent the free exit of the passengers, but this is in total contrast with the safety regulations in force.

For these reasons, turnstiles and moving arms are used that can easily be forced, allowing what is known as "anti-panic" operation.

The problem with these devices is that they still need to be installed proximate to the entry/exit passages and therefore they result in a space occupation (such characteristic, on a means of transport, implies the reduction of the maximum number of passengers that can be carried) and they can obstruct the exit of passengers (since, although they are yielding, they still limit the width of the accesses to the escape routes).

The conventional devices, in the form of moving arms or turnstiles, also imply the performing of activities of an administrative nature on vehicles on which they are installed, in order to certify their presence and characteristics. With particular reference to Italian regulations, a vehicle that comprises turnstiles (or moving arms) has to undergo a new registration, with consequent economic cost and resource cost borne by the operator/owner of that vehicle.

The aim of the present invention is to solve the above mentioned drawbacks, by providing an access control device that does not obstruct the exit of users in the event of need, while facilitating a better comprehension, by users, of the rules of access and circulation on means of transport.

Within this aim, an object of the invention is to provide an access control device that does not reduce the number of passengers that can be carried by the vehicle on which it is installed.

Another object of the invention is to provide an access control device that is intuitive and easy to interpret by users, and which is capable of orienting a correct use during boarding, circulation on and alighting from means of transport.

Another object of the invention is to provide an access control device that does not make it necessary to activate complex administrative procedures on the vehicles on which it will be installed.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide an access control device which is low cost, easily and practically implemented, and safe in use.

This aim and these and other objects which will become better apparent hereinafter are achieved by an access control device, of the type installed proximate to an entry/exit passage, characterized in that it comprises at least one control and management unit and, at a respective passage, at least one motion sensor and at least one luminous indicator that is adapted to emit a specific beam of light that corresponds to a respective message for users, the signal in output from said at least one sensor, which corresponds to the flow of users, being sent to said control and management unit, which is assigned to the activation of said least one luminous indicator to emit the appropriate luminous message for users in transit.

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become better apparent from the detailed description that follows of a preferred, but not exclusive, embodiment of the access control device according to the invention, which is illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a side view of a coach fitted with the device according to the invention;

Figure 2 is a view from above of the coach in Figure 1 ;

Figure 3 is a side view of a person accessing the coach in Figure 1 through an entry passage, in the condition before validating the ticket;

Figure 4 is a side view of the person in Figure 3 in the condition after validating the ticket;

Figure 5 is a side view of a person accessing the coach in Figure 1 through an entry passage, not intending to validate the ticket;

Figure 6 is a side view of the person in Figure 6 after boarding the coach without validating the ticket.

With particular reference to the figures, the reference numeral 1 generally designates an access control device installed on a coach A.

The device 1 will need to be installed proximate to an entry/exit passage B, C and D to be controlled: with particular reference to the accompanying figures, the device 1 can be installed at at least one of the entry and exit passages of a coach A, a bus, a tram and the like. The device 1 comprises at least one control and management unit (not shown in the accompanying figures, and possibly capable of being fitted to the driving station, optionally comprising displays, keypads for the exclusive use of the driver) and, at a respective passage B, C, D, at least one motion sensor 2 and at least one luminous indicator 3 that is adapted to emit a specific beam of light that corresponds to a respective message for users P.

The motion sensor 2 will emit an output signal upon each detection of the passage of users P during the service.

The output signal of the sensor 2, which corresponds therefore to the flow of users, can be positively sent to the control and management unit, which will be assigned to the activation of the at least one luminous indicator 3 to emit the appropriate luminous message for users P in transit.

In essence, the user P will be passing through a virtual portal in which the light beam generated by the signaling device 3 defines a form of door that will govern access.

For example, an illumination of the door (of the passage B, C, D) with a steady light could mean that access is authorized, and an intermittent light could be intended to mean that access is prohibited.

More simply (also in order to facilitate interpretation by the user P) it can be arranged so that the luminous indicator 3 can emit red light or green light, so that it implements a traffic signal-based access control.

The light will therefore always be red if the user P attempts to board at an exit D (in the opposite direction to the only direction of transit allowed), while when the user P boards the coach A at an entrance B, C the light will initially be red, until the user P proceeds to validate the ticket T on an adapted validation station 4 arranged proximate to the signaling device 3 proper.

It should be noted that the device 1 according to the invention can conveniently also comprise an acoustic warning device for emitting alarm sounds, prerecorded messages, messages generated by a speech synthesizer, and the like.

In this manner, in addition to the visual signal (the user P will be bombarded by a beam of light of the color corresponding to the message that it is intended to convey to them), the user P will also receive an acoustic communication.

In particular there is a buzzer or an alarm siren for every instance of improper conduct by the user P (going in the wrong direction, boarding without validating the ticket T, etc.).

It is also possible to have recorded messages that specify exactly the kind of violation committed, which are announced at a volume that is such as to inform those present of the violation underway.

Use can also be made of a speech synthesizer conveniently controlled by the control and management unit, so that personalized messages can be sent: information can be conveyed to the user P about the validity or otherwise of the ticket T inserted into the validation station 4, or there can be an announcement that the coach A is already full and therefore it is not possible to let other persons board, etc.

With regard to a possible embodiment of undoubted practical and applicative interest, the luminous indicator 3 can positively comprise at least one LED for emitting a beam of light that is concentrated along a plane that substantially faces and is proximate to the respective entry/exit passage B, C, D.

Preferably LEDs of the RGB type will be used, which are adapted to emit lights of different colors. In particular this type of LED will enable the generation of a luminous threshold, red or green in color, making it clear what kind of light message is being reproduced (by simulating a traffic signal).

As shown by way of example in Figure 2, the signaling device 3 could also emit a two-color light beam, which is perceived as a virtual colored surface of a first color from inside the coach A and as a virtual colored surface of a second color from outside the coach A.

More specifically, at the exit door D, it would be possible to impose an emission of light so that it is perceived from inside as a green-colored surface (which the user P will understand as a message meaning that exiting from the coach A is authorized through that passage) and from outside as a red-colored surface (which the user P will understand as a message meaning that entering the coach A is prohibited through that passage).

In order to obtain a better result on the aesthetic level and on the functional level it is possible to have embodiments in which the luminous indicators 3 are two in number, face each other and are mutually opposite, and they delimit an entry/exit path for users P in transit.

For precise and reliable control of accesses, the at least one motion sensor 2 can be of the type chosen preferably from among photocells, photodiodes, infrared detectors, ultrasound detectors, time-of-flight (ToF) sensors, video cameras, still cameras, and the like.

Motion sensors 2 of the type of photocells allow an extremely simplified detection (presence-absence of a user P in the passage B, C, D): it is possible, however, to combine multiple photocells along the entry/exit path so as to deduce from the sequence of detections the direction of flow of users P and also their number.

Some sensors 2, such as in particular infrared sensors and ultrasound sensors, allow a more precise detection, with respect to that offered by the simpler photocells, in that they also detect, with good approximation, how far away the persons P in transit are located and the respective volume (with this information it is possible to extrapolate the number of persons P that pass through the passage B, C or D).

Time of flight (ToF) sensors are the sensors that currently offer the most exact and detailed detection.

The time of flight indicates the time needed by an object, a particle or a wave (acoustic, electromagnetic or other type) to travel a certain distance in a certain medium.

From measuring the time it is possible to find the distance traveled, the speed and other values like kinetic energy.

These sensors offer the decided advantage that they can also carry out a spatial (three-dimensional) scan of the monitored environment, thus offering information about the type and about the characteristics of what is detected.

Sensors of this type therefore make it possible to easily detect detailed information about the flow of users P through the passages B, C and D. For example these sensors can recognize the number of persons P that pass through the passages B, C, D, identify the presence of any luggage (discriminating luggage from users P), and also the presence of accompanying infants and/or pets.

The verification carried out with this type of sensor is currently the most exact and detailed.

Even by way of actual video surveillance (i.e. using a video camera) it is possible to monitor and control the stream of users P through the passages B, C and D: in this case the correct interpretation of the number of persons entering and exiting, and the identification of luggage, infants, pets and the like, is delegated to respective software designed to analyze the videos (the analysis will preferably be carried out in real time).

The possibility is not excluded of using new types of sensor that can ensure a better control of the passages B, C and D.

It should be noted that the device 1 according to the invention can positively also comprise at least one ambient light sensor for adjusting the intensity of the beam emitted by the at least one luminous indicator 3.

In fact a high intensity beam of light does not cause any nuisance to the users P or to the driver X in the daytime (especially on a sunny day). If however it is dark (for example at night or in a tunnel), then the beam emitted by the luminous indicator 3 must have a reduced light intensity in order to prevent bothersome glare that would be a nuisance to the driver and in order to prevent the users P from being dazzled.

For the purposes of implementation, it should be noted that the at least one luminous indicator 3 can conveniently comprise a plurality of LEDs that emit colored light, for generating a red beam of light that defines a prohibition against passing through the respective passage B, C, D, and for generating a green beam of light that authorizes the passing through of the respective passage B, C, D.

As previously mentioned, the motion sensors 2 can also be at least two in number and are mutually aligned according to a predefined configuration, in order to detect the number of persons in transit.

In fact, through a careful arrangement of simple motion sensors 2 (such as for example photocells) it will be possible to interpolate the data detected thereby, in order to reliably estimate the number of persons entering/exiting (a large number of photocells enables more accurate estimates, but the overall cost can approach that of more sophisticated sensors, therefore it is advisable to preliminarily evaluate the levels of performance required of the device 1 according to the invention to be adopted).

It should further be noted that the control and management unit can positively comprise a memory component for collecting all the information detected by the sensors 2 and the number of violations detected.

In this manner it is possible to record a trend over time of the flow of users P over the day and on a preset route.

So one can detect at which stops the highest number of users P board

(or alight), the area of the route where the vehicle A transports the most people, and the times of heaviest use by users P.

With this information it is possible to calibrate the public transport service as a function of the actual needs of the users, and also to quickly reconfigure it when variations of those needs are encountered. In order to make such data more convenient and manageable, the device 1 will conveniently comprise an interface module for transferring the information to a control center.

The interface module will preferably be chosen from among a telephone dialer on a mobile network, a radio frequency transceiver, an infrared transceiver, a Bluetooth® transceiver, a Wi-Fi transceiver, a connector for a signal cable, and the like.

In essence therefore the data can be sent directly to the control center in real time (or at predefined intervals) through the telephone dialer or by using transceivers. Similarly, such data can also be transferred to the control center only when the vehicle A stops (for example at depots or parking areas and the like, conveniently equipped).

As mentioned previously, the proposed solution proposes a series of advantages that are particularly significant with respect to traditional apparatuses for controlling accesses B, C, D.

Advantageously the present invention solves the above mentioned problems, by providing an access control device 1 that does not obstruct the exit of users P in the event of need. In fact the device 1 generates a "virtual door", made only of light, which can still be passed through without it posing any obstacle.

Conveniently the device 1 does not reduce the number of passengers that can be carried by the vehicle A on which it is installed. In fact, by generating "virtual doors" made of light, it is evident that these do not result in any space occupation inside the vehicle A proper.

Positively the device 1 according to the invention is intuitive and easy to interpret by the user P. The traffic- signal style of luminous indication is in fact easily comprehensible, independently of the language spoken by the user P and of the attention they pay to what is happening.

It is advantageous to note that the signaling device 3 can also indicate the correct direction of travel for each passage B, C and D, by placing side- by-side (for example) two light beams of different colors (a green beam visible to people on the side of the passage B, C and D that it is possible to pass through, and a red beam for the users P located on the other side of the passage B, C and D).

As seen previously, the motion sensor 2 can record information on the flows of users P, for statistical purposes and/or for the real-time adjustment of the public transport service.

It is very important to note that, when the vehicle A is in motion, the illumination generated by the indicators 3 will not be transmitted externally, so as to not generate beams of light on the road that could potentially pose a nuisance to vehicles in transit proximate to that coach A.

It should be noted that the interface module can also be used to update the firmware of the device 1 proper (either remotely or following a specific connection via cable).

It should be noted that the luminous indicator 3 can be constituted by

(apart from LEDs) other, different light sources, optionally associated with optical fibers for carrying them.

The possibility is not ruled out of adopting lenses and/or templates in order to concentrate the emission of light only along the plane of interest (making it better visible to users P, by reducing the light waves lost in the environment).

It should be noted that the indicators 3 could also be used as indicators that a stop has been requested on the coach A: in such case, such indication can be provided by way of a particular flashing, and/or through the emission of a light beam of a different color from those used to control entry and exit (for example yellow or blue).

Conveniently the device 1 according to the invention is easily and practically implemented, and is also substantially low cost: such characteristics make the invention described up to here an innovation that is certain to be safe in use. The invention, thus conceived, is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the appended claims. Moreover, all the details may be substituted by other, technically equivalent elements.

In the embodiments illustrated, individual characteristics shown in relation to specific examples may in reality be interchanged with other, different characteristics, existing in other embodiments.

In practice, the materials employed, as well as the dimensions, may be any according to requirements and to the state of the art.

The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No. 102016000105409

(UA2016A007502) from which this application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference.

Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly, such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.