System Introduction:
With the rapid economic development, metro as a comfortable, pro-environmental and convenient means of transportation is becoming increasingly popular among city dwellers. The Automatic Fare Collection (AFC) System is playing a significant role in metro system. AFC system is a closed automatic network system controlled by computers, incorporating Tickets Vending Machine (TVM), Booking Office Machine (BOM), Auto Gate Machine (AGM) and Tickets Checking Machine (TCM). The system not only helps metro companies calculate passenger flow, but saves resources by taking IC card or magcard as recyclable tickets. The system also makes it more convenient for passengers to buy tickets. For example, if a passenger wants to buy more than one tickets, AFC system will request some information (such as quantity, departure station and single or round-trip, etc.) before indicating the fare. The passenger only needs to put the indicated amount into the AFC system, then the tickets (IC card) will be ejected automatically.

AFC Features:
Adopts a distance and time based fare system;
Tickets must be validated at gates when passengers get in or out of the station;
Stored value tickets are sold with an initial deposit value;
Stored value tickets come in various types. Different types of tickets have different fare types; Single tickets are sold on an anonymous basis; report of loss not supported.
Mainly includes Tickets Vending Machine, Booking Office Machine, Auto Gate Machine and Tickets Checking Machine.
Used for self-service single ticket purchase and reloading of stored-valued account, Tickets Vending Machine accepts specified banknotes and coins and supports automatic change dispensing function. Based on the operations by passengers, the machine is authorized to carry out a series of operations before delivering the ticket to passengers via a drive gear.
Booking Office Machine can help conductors to deal with all kinds of ticket affairs and enquiry services, such as tickets vending, reloading, tickets analysis, returning, checking, excess fare, etc.
Auto Gate Machine can check the operation and validity for the reading and writing of all kinds of tickets. Auto Gate Machine writes the information on the tickets when passengers get into station, then collects the tickets or deducts fare amount and displays the remaining value when passengers get out of station.
Ticket Checking Machine is used for passengers’ self-service enquiry about purchased tickets, including fare amount, expiry date, card number and transaction history.

System Principle:
TCM system employs EVOC low-power Mini-ITX motherboard EC7-1813CLD2NA as host unit. EC7-1813CLD2NA motherboard adopts onboard AtomTM D510/D410 CPU, ten COM port, RFID card reader and one 5-line LED screen. When passengers put the IC card tickets or one-time tickets in the card-reading area of RFID, LED screen will indicate the validity, ticket type, remaining amount and times etc. TCM system can provide at least ten pieces of transaction records, including fare deducting time and amount deducted; the system supports voice prompts and Chinese/English passenger display function. Passengers are able to know the remaining amount of their tickets via TCM system, and reload the IC card tickets on TVM system accordingly. TVM also supports enquiries about transaction time, transaction amount and so on, providing convenience for passengers and reducing labor cost for metro companies.

System Outline:


+ATX 250W power supply + COM port RFID card reader + COM port LED display




Ticket Checking Machine

System Configuration:
EC7-1813CLD2NA motherboard dimensions: 170mm x 170mm
CPU: Onboard AtomTM D510/D410 CPU
Memory: One 200-pin DDR2 SO-DIMM memory slot, up to 2G
Chipset: Intel®ICH8M
Storage: 1 x IDE, 2 x SATA
Graphics Card: Onboard Intel® AtomTM D510/D410 integrated Graphics, VGA, LVDS, DVI dual display
Audio Card: ALC888 chipset, HD audio
Network Card: 1 x RTL8111D, 1 x Intel 82574L
I/O Port: 1 x PS/2, 8 x USB, 1 x PCI, 1 x LPT, 10 x Serial, 2 x RJ45, 1 x 8-bit GPIO

System Evaluation:
Tickets Checking Machine takes less than 300ms to read or write one ticket. Its power consumption is less than 30W. As an essential part in AFC system, TCM effectively saves labor, decreases costs for metro companies, and at the same time provides convenient and timely information services for passengers.