JPH11328576A - Toll collection system, gate device, and toll collection method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To discriminate a vehicle whose toll is paid from a vehicle whose toll is not paid regarding the vehicles passing a toll gate of an expressway, etc. SOLUTION: A charge collecting system is constituted by providing a first vehicle detector A to successively detect the vehicles approaching the gate, a number plate reader 31 to read numbers on a number plate of the vehicle when the vehicle is detected, an exit gate controller to make a transmission request of the numbers on the number plate of the vehicle to the side of the vehicle when the vehicle is detected and to simultaneously receive the numbers on the number plate when it is transmitted as a response signal to the transmission request from the side of the vehicle and a vehicle number control table. Thus, the vehicle with the numbers on the number plate received by a receiving means are judged to be the vehicle on which an on-vehicle equipment 3 capable of collecting the charge by radio communication is mounted among the vehicles whose numbers on the number plates are read by the number plate reader 31.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a technology for collecting a toll from a vehicle at a tollgate on an expressway or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, on a toll road such as an expressway, a magnetic card type toll collection system is mainly used in order to collect a toll from a vehicle traveling on the expressway. This magnetic card type toll collection system,
At the entrance gate through which vehicles enter the highway,
For the driver of the vehicle, the automatic ticket issuing machine identifies the type of the vehicle, such as a normal car, a large car, etc., determined by the vehicle type determination device, and the entrance gate, which is the starting point of traveling on a highway or the like. A magnetic card that records the entrance gate number and the passport is issued as a pass ticket. On the other hand, at the exit gate through which the vehicle traveling on the highway passes when exiting the general road, the toll ticket held by the driver of the vehicle is passed through a magnetic card reader, and the type of vehicle that is magnetically recorded on the toll ticket and The entrance gate number is read out, a toll according to the mileage and the vehicle type is calculated from the read information, and the amount is presented to the driver to collect the toll by cash or a prepaid card. .

By the way, in such a magnetic card type toll collection system, at the entrance gate, the procedure is only to receive a passport from a passport issuing machine.
Although the area near the entrance gate is not so crowded, the exit gate has a lot of human work such as passing toll tickets and receipts and collecting tolls. Had the problem of becoming crowded. Therefore, in recent years, introduction of a new technology for relieving the congestion has been started. As one of the new technologies, a vehicle-mounted device that has a wireless communication function and is provided with an IC card capable of storing various information in a detachable manner is mounted on the vehicle. It is conceivable to introduce a wireless communication-type toll collection system that performs wireless communication with the provided communication device and collects tolls in a form that is mixed with the magnetic card-type toll collection system described above. Have been.

[0004] When this wireless communication type toll collection system is introduced into a magnetic card type toll collection system, a vehicle equipped with an on-board unit (hereinafter referred to as an <ETC vehicle>) and a vehicle not equipped with an on-board unit (hereinafter referred to as an <ETC vehicle>). , <Non-ETC vehicle>) are mixed and pass through the entrance gate and the exit gate, so it is necessary to collect tolls according to each vehicle. That is, at the entrance gate, a toll ticket such as a magnetic card is issued for a non-ETC vehicle, and for an ETC vehicle, an IC card set in an in-vehicle device in the ETC vehicle by wireless communication using a communication device. Control is performed to store the entrance gate number and vehicle type. On the other hand, at the exit gate, a toll ticket is received from the driver of the non-ETC vehicle and processed by a toll ticket reader to settle the toll artificially. Thus, the entrance gate number and the vehicle type are read from the in-vehicle device or the IC card of the ETC vehicle by wireless communication, and the toll is automatically settled based on the read information. As a method of automatically adjusting the toll, there is a method of associating a user's deposit account or the like with the ID number of the IC card in advance, and
A method of using a card as a credit card or the like is adopted.

[0005]

However, there are the following problems in a toll collection system in which such a wireless communication type toll collection system and a magnetic card type toll collection system coexist.

A first problem is that, as described above, at each gate at the entrance and exit, the ETC vehicle and the non-ETC vehicle pass through the gate in a mixed form. , Then go to the exit gate in the order of ETC car
Before the car C arrives at the exit booth where the staff at the exit gate collects artificial charges, the following ETC car enters the communication area of the communication device at the exit gate, and the toll collection by wireless communication is performed first. In this case, the order in which tolls are collected differs from the order in which the vehicles pass through the exit booth. At this time, since only the information that there is a vehicle whose toll collection has been completed by wireless communication is displayed on the display in the exit booth, the person in the exit booth has reached the exit booth with the first non-ETC reaching the exit booth. Occasionally, the driver will be allowed to pass through the exit gate even though the toll has been paid for the subsequent ETC car and the incorrect toll has not been paid.
When the vehicle arrives, there is a problem in that the vehicle is prevented from passing through the exit gate despite the fact that the toll payment has not been completed and the wrong non-ETC vehicle has been paid. As a second problem, in order to settle the toll at the exit gate, as described above, in addition to the entrance gate number, which is the starting point of the vehicle on the highway, information on the vehicle type of the vehicle is required. In order to determine the vehicle type, a vehicle type discriminating device of a type in which a license plate number of a vehicle is imaged and image-processed, and the vehicle type of the vehicle is determined from the vehicle number of the image-processed license plate is used. In many cases, however, it is assumed that, for example, discrimination of the vehicle type frequently occurs at the exit gate due to the influence of weather conditions such as snowfall and heavy rain. At this time, for example, when the vehicle is an ETC vehicle, the vehicle type determined at the entrance gate and recorded in the vehicle-mounted device, the vehicle type registered in advance as vehicle information in the vehicle-mounted device, and the vehicle type determined at the exit gate all match. For the first time, toll collection is performed by wireless communication and the vehicle is permitted to pass through the exit gate, but the ETC vehicle is blocked from passing through the exit gate due to the difference in vehicle type discrimination at the exit gate. This happens. Therefore, if such a discrimination error of the car type discrimination device frequently occurs due to the weather or the like,
Since it is necessary to correct the vehicle type each time due to artificial processing by the attendant of the exit gate, there is a problem that the exit gate is crowded and extra labor of the attendant increases.

[0007] A third problem is that when the vehicle is an ETC vehicle, the ID number of the IC card of the vehicle-mounted device is associated with the account number of the deposit of the driver of the vehicle, and the wireless communication by credit card payment is performed. Since the toll collection form is the main one, even if the driver of the ETC car has a prepaid card, for example, the payment is automatically terminated by wireless communication. Cannot use this prepaid card, in particular E
In the case of a TC car, there is a problem that a method of paying a toll is limited.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems. The present invention relates to a vehicle which is going to pass through a toll gate on an expressway or the like. The purpose of this is to ensure that the toll is collected from the vehicle side.

Further, the present invention can quickly collect tolls from a vehicle without congesting the vicinity of the gate even when the type of the vehicle passing through the gate is frequently determined differently. It is intended to do.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle equipped with an in-vehicle device capable of paying a toll by wireless communication with a flexible form of payment of a fee from the vehicle.

[0011]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a toll collection system, comprising: a vehicle-mounted device mounted on a vehicle and a gate provided at the gate. A toll collection system for performing wireless communication for toll collection with a device, comprising: detection means for sequentially detecting a vehicle entering the gate; and a vehicle when the detection means detects the vehicle. Reading means for reading the number of the number plate of the vehicle, requesting means for requesting the vehicle side to transmit the number of the number plate of the vehicle from the gate device when the vehicle is detected by the detecting means, and the requesting means When the number plate number is transmitted from the vehicle side to the gate device by the transmission request, receiving means for receiving the number plate number, and the reading means A determination unit that determines that the vehicle having the license plate number received by the reception unit is a vehicle equipped with the in-vehicle device capable of receiving a toll by wireless communication, It is characterized by the following.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a gate device provided in a gate for performing wireless communication related to toll collection with an in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle. Detecting means for sequentially detecting vehicles entering the gate; reading means for reading a number of a vehicle number plate when the detecting means detects the vehicle; Request means for requesting the vehicle side to transmit the number of the number plate of the vehicle when the number is detected, and when the number of the number plate is transmitted from the vehicle side by the transmission request of the request means, Of the number plate read by the reading means, there is no vehicle having the number plate number received by the receiving means. Characterized by comprising a determination means that the vehicles equipped possible the vehicle apparatus toll collection by the communication.

Further, according to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a wireless communication for toll collection between an in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle and a gate device provided at a gate. A step of sequentially detecting vehicles entering the gate, a step of reading a number plate number of the vehicle when the vehicle is detected, and a step of detecting the vehicle when the vehicle is detected. Requesting a transmission of the number plate number of the vehicle from the gate device to the vehicle side, and transmitting the number plate number to the gate device from the vehicle side by the transmission request. Receiving, and among the vehicles whose number plate is read, the vehicle having the number of the number plate received by the gate device is charged by wireless communication. Characterized in that it has a as a mounting vehicle capable of the in-vehicle device and determining steps.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a toll collection system according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, wherein wireless communication for toll collection is carried out between a vehicle-mounted device mounted on a vehicle and a gate device provided at a gate. Detecting means for sequentially detecting vehicles entering the gate,
A vehicle type discriminating unit that discriminates a vehicle type of the vehicle when the vehicle is detected by the detecting unit; and a gate device for the on-vehicle device mounted on the vehicle when the vehicle is detected by the detecting unit. Requesting means for requesting transmission of the vehicle type of the vehicle, receiving means for receiving the vehicle type transmitted from the in-vehicle device mounted on the vehicle to the gate device in response to the transmission request of the requesting means, and the vehicle type determination When the vehicle type determined by the means matches the vehicle type received by the receiving means, the matching vehicle type is determined as the vehicle type, and even if the vehicle type does not match, any one of the vehicle types is determined. Switching means for determining whether the vehicle type is determined as the vehicle type of the vehicle, and toll collection means for collecting tolls from the vehicle based on the vehicle type determined by the switching means. To.

Further, in the toll collection system according to the present invention, as set forth in claim 5, in the toll collection system according to claim 4, the switching means receives by the receiving means when the vehicle types do not match. The determined vehicle type is determined as the vehicle type of the vehicle.

Further, the gate device of the present invention is characterized in that:
As described in the above, a gate device provided in a gate for performing wireless communication related to toll collection with an in-vehicle device mounted on the vehicle, and sequentially detects vehicles entering the gate Detection means, a vehicle type determination means for determining a vehicle type of the vehicle when the vehicle is detected by the detection means, and a vehicle type mounted on the vehicle when the detection means detects the vehicle. Requesting means for requesting transmission of the vehicle type of the vehicle, receiving means for receiving the vehicle type of the vehicle transmitted from the in-vehicle device mounted on the vehicle by the transmission request of the requesting means, and the vehicle type determining means When the determined vehicle type matches the vehicle type received by the receiving means, the matching vehicle type is determined as the vehicle type, and even when the vehicle types do not match, any one of the vehicle types is determined. And switching means for switching between be determined as vehicle type, characterized by comprising a collection means for performing toll collection from the vehicle based on the determined vehicle type by the switching means. Further, according to a toll collection method of the present invention, as set forth in claim 7, a charge for performing wireless communication for toll collection between an in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle and a gate device provided at a gate. A pick-up method, wherein a step of sequentially detecting a vehicle entering the gate, a step of determining a type of the vehicle when the vehicle is detected, and a step of mounting the vehicle on the vehicle when the vehicle is detected. Requesting the in-vehicle device to transmit the vehicle type of the vehicle from the gate device, and receiving the vehicle type of the vehicle transmitted from the in-vehicle device mounted on the vehicle to the gate device in response to the transmission request. And determining the vehicle model that matches when the determined vehicle model matches the received vehicle model as a vehicle model of the vehicle, and determining any vehicle model even when the vehicle models do not match. A step of switching between be determined as both models, characterized by, comprising the step of performing a toll collection from the vehicle on the basis of the finalized vehicle type.

Further, according to a toll collection system of the present invention, a wireless communication for toll collection between a vehicle-mounted device mounted on a vehicle and a gate device provided at a gate is provided. Transmission recording means for transmitting and recording billing information transmitted from the gate device to the in-vehicle device, and reading the billing information directly from the gate device and recording it on a recording medium. Recording means, and means for selecting processing for recording the charging information on the in-vehicle device by the transmission recording means, or recording processing for the charging information on the recording medium by the reading and recording means. And

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a toll collection system according to the ninth aspect, wherein the recording medium is an IC which can be inserted into and removed from the vehicle-mounted device. It is a card.

Further, the gate device according to the present invention has the following features.
0, a gate device provided at a gate for performing wireless communication related to toll collection with an in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle, wherein charging information on a toll is provided to the on-vehicle device. Transmission recording means for transmitting and recording the billing information, reading recording means for directly reading out the billing information and recording it on a recording medium, and recording processing of the billing information to the in-vehicle device by the transmission recording means, or the reading and recording means Means for selecting a process of recording the billing information on the recording medium according to (1).

According to the first to third aspects of the present invention, for a vehicle that is going to pass through a toll gate on an expressway or the like, the number of the number plate of the vehicle is read;
Since it is possible to request the vehicle to transmit a number plate number by wireless communication, it is possible to determine whether the vehicle is equipped with an in-vehicle device capable of receiving tolls by wireless communication. It is possible to distinguish between a vehicle for which the toll has been paid and a vehicle for which the toll has not been paid, and the toll can be reliably received from the vehicle.

According to the invention as set forth in claims 4 to 7, for example, when a toll collection mode is adopted in which it is confirmed that the legitimate type of the vehicle matches the vehicle type determined by the determination device and the toll collection is performed. In the case where the discrimination of the type of the vehicle passing through the gate frequently occurs due to disturbance, the confirmation of the matching of the type of the vehicle can be deleted by setting. Even if it is, the toll can be promptly collected from the vehicle without directly receiving the adverse effect and without crowding the vicinity of the gate with the vehicle.

According to the inventions set forth in claims 8 to 10, in a vehicle equipped with an in-vehicle device capable of paying a toll by wireless communication, it is possible to appropriately select a charge adjustment by wireless communication or an artificial charge. Therefore, the form of payment of the fee from the vehicle can be made flexible.

[0023]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a configuration of a toll collection system according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a roadside machine at an entrance gate of the toll collection system of FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of the roadside machine at the exit gate of the toll collection system of FIG. 1, FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the configuration of equipment in the exit booth of the roadside machine at the exit gate of FIG.
FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically showing a configuration of an on-vehicle device of the toll collection system of FIG. 1, and FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically showing a configuration of an IC card mounted on the on-vehicle device of FIG.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a roadside machine disposed at each gate of an entrance and exit of a highway, and is disposed at a roadside machine dedicated to an entrance disposed at an entrance gate and at an exit gate. It consists of a roadside machine dedicated to the exit. The roadside device 1 is provided with an antenna 2 for wireless communication. Reference numeral 3 denotes an in-vehicle device, which includes an antenna 4 for performing wireless communication through the roadside device 1 and the antenna 2. The in-vehicle device 3 has an IC card 5 mounted thereon, and is provided with a card storage unit (detailed in FIG. 5) for automatically storing or discharging the IC card 5. The user enters I at the entrance of this card storage
When the C card 5 is inserted, the IC card 5 is automatically accommodated in the accommodation section by an automatic loading and ejecting mechanism in the accommodation section. On the other hand, from the onboard unit 3 to the IC card 5
When taking out, the user performs auto-ejection by pressing an eject button provided on the vehicle-mounted device 3.

The roadside device 1 and the on-vehicle device 3 wirelessly communicate information stored in a buffer memory such as a dynamic RAM therein, so that their communication speeds are relatively high. Card 5 has E ² inside
Since a flash memory such as a PROM is mounted and information is exchanged with the vehicle-mounted device 3 through the flash memory, the information information transmission speed between the IC card 5 and the vehicle-mounted device 3 is controlled by the roadside device. The transmission speed is lower than the transmission speed of the wireless communication between the device 1 and the vehicle-mounted device 3.

Here, the roadside machine disposed at the entrance gate and the roadside machine disposed at the exit gate will be described.

The roadside machines at the entrance gate are provided for each lane of the entrance gate at an interchange on a highway which is a toll road. As shown in FIG. 2, the roadside machine at the entrance gate sequentially detects a vehicle Y entering a predetermined area in front of the entrance gate by a plurality of vehicle detectors 21 in a traveling direction, and the vehicle Y is a large car, a normal car, a small car, etc. When notified of the vehicle type determined by the vehicle type determination device 22 and the vehicle type determined by the vehicle type determination device 22, the first antenna 23 starts wireless communication and communicates with the vehicle Y equipped with the in-vehicle device 3 and capable of communication. On the other hand, the automatic ticket issuing machine 24 for transmitting information such as the entrance gate number and the time at which the vehicle enters the entrance gate, and the vehicle Y equipped with the vehicle-mounted device 3 are located at a position just before the vehicle Y becomes unable to communicate with the second antenna 25. A start detection device 26 that is provided and notifies the automatic vending machine 24 of the detected vehicle Y as a start vehicle.
And a guidance display 27 for controlling the straight traveling of the vehicle Y by turning on a red signal, a green signal, and the like.

The second antenna 25 is the first antenna 23
When the start detection device 26 detects the vehicle Y whose communication has been normally completed, data is exchanged with the vehicle-mounted device 3 based on the instruction of the automatic toll-issuing machine 24. At this time, the automatic ticket issuing machine 24 compares, for example, the vehicle type of the vehicle Y determined by the vehicle type determination device 22 with the vehicle type received in advance from the vehicle-mounted device 3 and registered in the vehicle-mounted device 3. Is transmitted to the vehicle-mounted device 3. In addition, the automatic toll ticket issuing machine 24 controls the above-described devices, and may be affected by, for example, interference due to non-ETC vehicles (vehicles without the in-vehicle device 3) and ETC vehicles (vehicles with the in-vehicle device 3). Issue a magnetic card pass to vehicles that cannot communicate normally. On the other hand, the roadside machine at the exit gate is installed for each lane of the exit gate at the interchange of the toll road. As shown in FIG. 3, the roadside machine at the exit gate has a first vehicle detection device A that detects a vehicle Y that has entered a predetermined area at the exit gate, and the vehicle Y is detected by the first vehicle detection device A. When the vehicle Y is detected by the first vehicle detection device A and the license plate reading device 31 that captures the license plate of the vehicle Y, performs image processing and reads the vehicle number recorded on the license plate when detected. Requesting the vehicle-mounted device 3 mounted on the vehicle Y to transmit the vehicle information via the exit antenna 32, and receiving the vehicle information before the vehicle Y traveling straight ahead is detected by the second vehicle detection device B Whether the vehicle Y is a communicable ETC vehicle or a non-communicable non-ETC vehicle is determined based on whether
A device 33 in an exit booth that collects a toll from the vehicle Y in a toll collection method corresponding to each of a car and a non-ETC vehicle,
It is constituted by a guidance display device 35 that regulates the straight traveling of the vehicle Y by lighting a red signal, a green signal, and the like.

As shown in FIG. 4, the exit booth device 33 includes a toll ticket reader 41 for processing a toll ticket (magnetic card) possessed by the driver of the non-ETC vehicle and a prepaid card for prepaid billing. Prepaid card processing machine 42 for processing
And an IC card reader / writer 43 that reads or writes information to or from the IC card 5 mounted on the in-vehicle device 3 of the ETC vehicle without using wireless communication, and paid a toll by a method other than wireless communication. A receipt issuing machine 44 for issuing a receipt to the vehicle, a vehicle number management table 45 for storing information such as vehicle numbers in the order detected by the first vehicle detection device A, An information display section 45a for displaying information, an information input section 45b for inputting information by a staff member based on the display contents and the like displayed on the information display section 45a, and a license plate reader 3
A vehicle type automatic determination invalidation switch 46 for setting whether or not to invalidate the automatic determination of the vehicle type based on the comparison result between the vehicle type of the vehicle number read in 1 and the vehicle type of the vehicle information read from the on-vehicle device 3; A data processing device 46a for collecting the results of the automatic determination of the vehicle type, recording toll collection data, and exchanging data related to toll collection with a host computer, and a first vehicle detection device. An exit gate control device 47 that controls each of the above devices in response to a vehicle detection notification from the vehicle detection device A or the second vehicle detection device B
It is composed of The pass ticket reader 41 is, for example, a magnetic card reader that reads magnetic information recorded on the pass ticket. In the exit gate control device 47, a negative list is registered in a recording device such as a hard disk. The negative list is, for example, a list of users who have provided an IC card from a toll road operator but have been authorized not to collect tolls with the IC card.

The on-board unit (OBU: On Board Unit) 3
As shown in FIG. 5, the IC card 5 is loaded into the card accommodating section 51 and the IC card 5 in the card accommodating section 51 is loaded.
An auto-loading / ejecting mechanism 52 for ejecting the card 5;
3, an IC card processing unit 54 for processing information read out through the interface unit 53 and storing the processing result in a memory 55, and transmitting and receiving information stored in the memory 55 from the antenna 4 A wireless control unit 56 that stores information in a memory 55;
An operation unit 57 provided with a numeric keypad, a designation key, an execution key, an eject button, and the like operated by a user, a display unit 58 provided with a character display for guiding operation contents, an LED lamp, and the like; And a control unit 59 that performs the control. In the memory 55, vehicle information such as length, number of axes, weight, application, and characteristic data for determining a vehicle on which the on-vehicle device 3 is mounted is registered in advance.

The IC card 5, as shown in FIG. 6, E ²
A flash memory 61 such as a PROM, an interface unit 62 for exchanging data with an interface unit 53 of the vehicle-mounted device 3, and a CPU 63 for controlling the interface unit 62 and the flash memory 61 are provided. The flash memory 61 of the IC card 5 stores billing information such as a user's ID number, a user's deposit account number, a contract expiration date, and special contract information (whether a disabled person discount can be applied). ing. In addition to the IC card numbers stored in advance in the flash memory 61 of the IC card 5, when the vehicle Y passes through the gate, the date and time of passage, the exit gate number for specifying the exit gate, and the vehicle Y The traffic history such as the vehicle type and the card balance is stored in association with the ID number. This IC card 5
When the is inserted into the vehicle-mounted device 3, the charging information is transmitted to the vehicle-mounted device 3 for the first time after confirming the validity of the vehicle-mounted device 3 by exchanging signals with the vehicle-mounted device 3.

The basic operation of the thus configured toll collection system when the vehicle Y actually passes through the entrance gate and the exit gate will be described.

First, the operation when the vehicle Y passes through the entrance gate will be described.

When the vehicle Y enters a predetermined area of the entrance gate, the vehicle Y is detected by the vehicle detector 21, and the detected vehicle type of the vehicle Y is determined by the vehicle type determination device 22. The automatic toll ticket issuing machine 24 having received the notification of the vehicle type of the determined vehicle Y controls the first antenna 23,
The inquiry about the communication with the vehicle Y is started. If the vehicle Y has the on-vehicle device 3 mounted thereon, the legitimate first antenna 2
When the in-vehicle device 3 recognizes that the request is an inquiry from the
The charging information notified from the C card 5 and the vehicle information (vehicle information / vehicle information) recorded in the in-vehicle device 3 are returned as response signals. Upon receipt of this response signal, the automatic toll ticket issuing machine 24 confirms that the response from the in-vehicle device 3 is valid and confirms that the expiration date and remaining amount of the billing information are not zero. As a result of the confirmation, if predetermined conditions are satisfied, first entrance information such as a road number, a tollgate number, a passing date and time, and a lane number of the entrance gate is transmitted to the vehicle-mounted device 3. The in-vehicle device 3 confirms that the first entrance information has been normally received, and transmits a reception completion notification to the roadside device 1, in this case, the automatic ticket issuing machine 24. When the automatic toll ticket issuing machine 24 receives the reception completion notification from the in-vehicle device 3 via the first antenna 23, the issuance of a toll ticket is not performed. In addition, the automatic ticket issuing machine 24
If there is no response signal from the in-vehicle device 3 with the first antenna 23 despite the fact that the vehicle is detected by the vehicle detector 21, it is determined that "communication failure".

When the ETC vehicle passes by the automatic toll ticket issuing machine 24 and enters the detection area of the start detection device 26, a vehicle detection signal is output from the start detection device 26 to the automatic toll ticket issuing device 24, Automatic ticket issuing machine 24 receiving the detection signal
Controls the second antenna 25 to execute a communication inquiry to the vehicle-mounted device 3. It should be noted that the automatic ticket issuing machine 24
When the transmission detection device 26 detects a vehicle, if the vehicle has “communication failure”, the second antenna 25 confirms “communication failure” (or does not perform communication with the second antenna). ).

In response to this communication inquiry, the onboard unit 3
Recognizes that this is a valid inquiry, the IC card 5
, And the ID number registered in advance in the vehicle-mounted device 3 as a response signal. Upon receipt of this response signal, the automatic toll ticket issuing machine 24 compares the ID number of the IC card 5 and the ID number of the vehicle-mounted device 3 as a response signal.

When the passport automatic issuing machine 24 confirms that the ID numbers match, the toll ticket issuing machine 24 compares the result of the comparison between the vehicle type determined by the vehicle type determining device 22 and the vehicle type previously recorded in the vehicle-mounted device 3 with the second entry information. To the vehicle-mounted device 3 via the second antenna 25. When the vehicle-mounted device 3 receives the second entrance information from the second antenna 25, it notifies the second antenna 25 of the completion of the reception, and completes the received first entrance information and the second entrance information together. It is recorded on the IC card 5 as important entrance information.

Next, a basic operation when the vehicle Y passes through the exit gate will be described.

When the first vehicle detection device A detects the entry of the vehicle Y at the exit gate, the first vehicle detection device A notifies the exit gate control device 47 of the device 33 in the exit booth of this fact. The exit gate control device 47 controls the exit antenna 32 to start an inquiry to the vehicle Y that has entered. When the in-vehicle device 3 receives the inquiry signal, the in-vehicle device 3 checks the validity of the inquiry signal. If the inquiry signal is valid, the in-vehicle device 3 transmits the entry information, billing information, vehicle information, and the like recorded therein to the antenna 32.
Reply to The exit gate control device 47 calculates the toll based on the entrance information among the information received by the exit antenna 32, performs the negative list collation of the ID number at the same time, and recognizes the validity of the ID number. As a result, the entrance information and the exit information (tollgate number, date and time of passage, lane number, toll) are transmitted to the vehicle-mounted device 3 as a use history. When the in-vehicle device 3 receives the use history, the in-vehicle device 3 confirms that the use history has been normally received, notifies the roadside device, that is, the exit gate control device 47, of the completion of reception, and transmits the IC card. The usage history for 5 is recorded. In the case of a non-ETC vehicle, after being detected by the first vehicle detection device A, further proceeding straight toward the device 33 in the exit booth, and being detected by the second vehicle detection device B, the guidance display 35 Illuminates a red signal to regulate the straight traveling of the vehicle Y. Thereafter, the attendant at the exit gate receives the pass ticket from the driver of the non-ETC vehicle, and the attendant causes the information magnetically recorded on the pass ticket to be read using the pass ticket reader 41. The toll is calculated based on the read information, and the driver pays by cash or a prepaid card.

Here, the vehicle number management table 45 and the ETC processing data as toll collection information by wireless communication will be described in detail, and the lane of the exit gate will be described.
A description will now be given of the collection of tolls when ETC vehicles and non-ETC vehicles are passed one after another in a mixed state.

As shown in FIG. 7, the vehicle number management table 45 includes an entry order 45c, a vehicle number 45d, and a process confirmation column 45e.
d indicates the input order, that is, the order in which the vehicle number is read from the license plate of the vehicle by the license plate reading device 31 when the vehicle that sequentially enters is detected by the first vehicle detection device A, The processing confirmation column 45e displays whether the vehicle of the input vehicle number has been confirmed as an ETC vehicle or a non-ETC vehicle. The data is deleted from the vehicle number management table 45 by the input by the attendant via the information input unit 45b when the processing confirmation column 45e becomes "confirmed".

The ETC processing data is, as shown in FIG.
A data type 47a indicating that the data is toll collection data by wireless communication, a processing date 47b, a processing type 47c for classifying the type of the vehicle to be collected, a tollgate number 47d at the entrance gate, and a lane number 47e at the entrance gate. For example, the information includes a vehicle number (number of a license plate) 47f recorded in the on-vehicle device 3 and a fee 47g which is information on a toll.

Next, the toll collection process when the ETC vehicle and the non-ETC vehicle pass one after another in the lane of the exit gate will be described with reference to a flowchart shown in FIG.

The exit gate control device 47 of the device 33 in the exit booth receives the vehicle detection signal a when detected by the first vehicle detection device A, and the license plate reading device 31
, A vehicle detection signal b from the second vehicle detection device B, an ETC processing data input from the exit antenna 32, or a wireless signal transmitted when the vehicle detection signal a is input. It waits for a response signal from the vehicle side to the communication request before the vehicle detection signal b is input (S1). The vehicle Y trying to pass through the exit gate is the first vehicle detection device A
, The vehicle detection signal a is input to the exit gate control device 47 (S2), and a wireless communication request is transmitted from the exit antenna 32 to the vehicle Y (S3). Vehicle Y
Is an ETC vehicle, and the vehicle number is transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device 3,
When the vehicle number is input to the exit gate control device 47 (S4), the vehicle number 45d is registered in the vehicle number management table 45 (S5). Vehicle number management table 4
5, there is data of "undetermined" in the processing confirmation column 45e (S
6), when the exit gate control device 47 receives the ETC processing data (S7), the vehicle corresponding to the "undetermined" data is regarded as an ETC vehicle, and the vehicle number corresponding to the vehicle number in the vehicle number management table 45 is displayed. "Confirmed" is set in the data processing confirmation column 45e (S8). When the ETC vehicle in which “determined” is set goes straight ahead, it is detected by the second vehicle detection device B, and the vehicle detection signal “b” is input to the exit gate control device 47.

On the other hand, the vehicle is detected by the second vehicle detection device B and the vehicle detection signal b is input to the exit gate control device 47 without inputting the ETC processing data to the exit gate control device 47 (S7). In this case (S10), the vehicle is regarded as a vehicle for which wireless communication has not been performed, that is, a non-ETC vehicle that is not equipped with the in-vehicle device 3, and the vehicle number management table 45 has “undetermined” “Confirmed” is set in the process confirmation column 45e of the vehicle data in the oldest entry order among the vehicle numbers 45d (S11). The determined processing data is displayed on the information display section 45a (S12), and the attendant at the exit booth confirms this display and the vehicle that actually passes, and if it is an ETC vehicle, performs the operation of “processing determined” as it is. If the vehicle is a non-ETC vehicle, a fee is collected in cash or the like (S13), and the data that has been determined to be “Deleted” is deleted from the vehicle number management table 45 (S14).

As described above, according to the toll collection system of the present embodiment, for a vehicle that is going to pass through a toll gate such as an expressway, the number of the vehicle's license plate is read, and It is possible to make a request for transmission of the number of the number plate by wireless communication, and the vehicle is a vehicle equipped with the vehicle-mounted device 3 capable of collecting tolls by wireless communication, that is, an ETC vehicle, or a vehicle not equipped with the vehicle-mounted device 3, that is, Since it can be determined whether it is a non-ETC vehicle,
It is possible to distinguish between a vehicle for which the toll has been paid and a vehicle for which the toll has not been paid, and the toll can be reliably received from the vehicle.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The configuration of the toll collection system of this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment. In particular, the vehicle type of the vehicle number read by the license plate reader 31 and the vehicle type of the vehicle information read by the on-vehicle device 3 A vehicle type automatic determination invalidation switch 46 for setting whether or not to invalidate the automatic determination of the vehicle type based on the comparison result with the automatic type determination switch 46, counting the results of the automatic determination of the vehicle type, recording the toll collection data, and A case will be described in which a data processing device 46a for exchanging data regarding toll collection with a host computer functions. In this embodiment, ET
The car C is a target, and a number plate number including the type of the vehicle is registered in the in-vehicle device 3 in advance in order to suppress improper replacement of the in-vehicle device 3 and the like. 31 compares the vehicle type determined from the license plate number with the vehicle type registered in the on-vehicle device 3, and if they do not match, temporarily stops the vehicle, and the attendant at the exit booth artificially collects tolls. I have to do that. Further, in the present embodiment, when the discrimination rate of the license plate number by the license plate reader 31 decreases due to the influence of weather such as snowfall or heavy rain, etc., the vehicle type transmitted to the vehicle-mounted device 3 and the license plate reader 31 are reduced. It is assumed that the type of the vehicle that is read frequently does not match, and that the vehicle is often stopped near the exit booth.

Here, fee collection processing corresponding to such a situation will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

First, it is determined whether or not the vehicle type automatic determination data D by the license plate reading device 31 is invalid.
The setting is automatically performed via the vehicle type automatic determination invalidation switch 46 based on the data of the data processing device 46a (S1, S2). The same setting is also changed by a staff member of the exit booth operating the automatic vehicle type determination switch 46 (S3, S4). When the vehicle Y enters the exit gate and is detected by the first vehicle detection device (S5),
Wireless communication between the antenna 32 and the vehicle-mounted device 3 is started,
The in-vehicle device information C including the vehicle type (S6) and the vehicle type automatic determination data D determined by the license plate reader 31 are notified from the in-vehicle device 3 (S7) to the data processing device 46a (S8). Here, the license plate reader 31
Is notified that an error has occurred in reading the number of the license plate, the toll collection is performed by wireless communication based on the vehicle type of the on-vehicle device information C (S1).
0). On the other hand, in the data processing device 46a, the in-vehicle device information C
Is compared with the vehicle type of the vehicle type automatic determination data D determined (S11), and if they are the same, the data of the vehicle type is determined, and the toll collection is performed by wireless communication. If the type of vehicle is different, a message such as "Stop the vehicle" is displayed on the information display section 45 of the equipment 33 in the exit booth (S13), and the attendant who sees this message artificially collects the toll (see FIG. 13). S14). However, the data processing device 46a
If the vehicle type automatic determination invalidation switch 46 has been set to ON in advance by the automatic setting or the attendant, the toll collection is performed based on the vehicle type of the vehicle-mounted device information C. It is assumed that the toll collection machine transmits the in-vehicle device information C and the vehicle type automatic identification data D to the data processing device 46a each time it is processed. Based on the information sent from each lane of the exit gate, the data processing device 46a determines that if a vehicle type mismatch occurs in a plurality of lanes, a common matter such as weather is the cause, If the vehicle type automatic discrimination data D is invalidated for all lanes, and if the vehicle type mismatch only occurs in a specific lane, it is determined as a specific cause, such as a failure of the license plate reader 31, and an abnormality is detected. It is possible to set the vehicle type automatic discrimination data D to be invalid only for the lane of occurrence.

As described above, according to the toll collection system of the present embodiment, when a difference in the type of a vehicle passing through the exit gate frequently occurs due to a disturbance, confirmation of matching of the type of the vehicle is performed by setting. Since it is possible to delete
Even in a situation where the discrimination error frequently occurs, the toll can be promptly collected from the vehicle side without directly receiving the adverse effect and without crowding the vicinity of the gate with the vehicle.

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. The configuration of the toll collection system of this embodiment is the first
The embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, except that the prepaid card processing machine 42 for processing the prepaid card prepaid at the time of toll collection and the IC card 5 mounted on the in-vehicle device 3 of the ETC vehicle can transmit and receive information without using wireless communication. A case will be described in which the IC card reader / writer 43 that performs reading or writing functions particularly at the time of payment of the exit gate.

Here, fee collection processing corresponding to such a situation will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the IC card 5 is detached from the vehicle-mounted device 3 and used, and the account number of the deposit of the driver of the vehicle is stored in the IC card 5 in association with the identification number of the IC card 5. Expressway tolls will be settled at a later date based on this account number.

First, the driver of the vehicle ejects the IC card 5 from the vehicle-mounted device 3 before entering the entrance gate. As a result, fee collection by wireless communication through the IC card 5 is not performed. When the IC card 4 is inserted into the IC card reader / writer 43 (S1), the in-vehicle device information common to the in-vehicle device 3 is read (S2). The exit gate control device 47 confirms the validity of the identification number of the IC card 5 to the host computer through the data processing device 46a from the read on-vehicle device information, for example, whether the identification number is registered in a negative list (S3). If the IC card 5 is invalid, an error is displayed on the information display section 45a (S4). When the IC card 5 is valid, the prepaid card possessed by the driver is replaced with the prepaid card 4
5, it is possible to insert a predetermined number of sheets (S5, S5).
6). When the insertion of the prepaid card is completed, the balance of the prepaid card is read out by the host computer (S7). If the remaining amount of the prepaid card is larger than the toll (S8), the toll is fully collected from the prepaid card (S8). S9). If the remaining amount of the prepaid card is smaller than the toll, the toll is collected for the remaining amount of the prepaid card (S10), and the remaining amount of the toll is collected from the IC card 5, that is, the account of the vehicle driver. Collected from the deposit (S11). When the collection of the fee is completed, the collected contents are transmitted to the host computer (S12), and the collected contents are also recorded on the IC card 5. Thereafter, a receipt for this toll payment is issued (S13), and the prepaid card and the IC card 5 are stored in the prepaid card processing machine 4.
2 and the IC card reader / writer 43 (S14, S15).

As described above, according to the toll collection system of the present embodiment, in a vehicle equipped with the in-vehicle device 3 which can pay the toll by wireless communication, the payment by the prepaid card can be used at the same time. Flexibility in the form of payment of the fee.

[0056]

As described above, according to the first to third aspects of the present invention, for a vehicle that is going to pass through a toll gate on an expressway or the like, the number of the number plate of the vehicle is read; Since it is possible to request the vehicle to transmit a number plate number by wireless communication, it is possible to determine whether the vehicle is equipped with an in-vehicle device capable of receiving tolls by wireless communication. It is possible to distinguish between a vehicle for which the toll has been paid and a vehicle for which the toll has not been paid, and the toll can be reliably received from the vehicle.

According to the invention as set forth in claims 4 to 7, for example, in the case where a toll collection mode is adopted in which a toll collection is performed by confirming that the legitimate type of the vehicle matches the model determined by the determination device. In the case where the discrimination of the type of the vehicle passing through the gate frequently occurs due to disturbance, the confirmation of the matching of the type of the vehicle can be deleted by setting. Even if it is, the toll can be promptly collected from the vehicle without directly receiving the adverse effect and without crowding the vicinity of the gate with the vehicle.

According to the inventions set forth in claims 8 to 10, in a vehicle equipped with an in-vehicle device capable of paying a toll by wireless communication, it is possible to appropriately select a charge adjustment by wireless communication or an artificial charge. Therefore, the form of payment of the fee from the vehicle can be made flexible.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a configuration of a toll collection system according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing a configuration of a roadside device at an entrance gate in the toll collection system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing a configuration of a roadside device at an exit gate in the toll collection system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration of equipment in an exit booth of a roadside machine at the exit gate in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing a configuration of a vehicle-mounted device of the toll collection system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically showing a configuration of an IC card mounted on the in-vehicle device in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically showing a configuration of a vehicle number management table of the toll collection system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a diagram schematically showing a configuration of ETC processing data of the toll collection system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing toll collection at an exit gate in the toll collection system according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing toll collection at an exit gate in the toll collection system according to the second embodiment;

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing toll collection at an exit gate in the toll collection system according to the third embodiment;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Roadside machine 2 ... Roadside machine antenna 3 ... In-vehicle machine 4 ... In-vehicle machine antenna 5 ... IC card 21 ... Vehicle detector 22 ... Vehicle type discriminating device 23 ... First antenna 24 ... … Automatic ticket issuing machine 25… Second antenna 26… Start detection device 27, 35… Guidance display device 31… Number plate reader 32… Exit antenna 33… Equipment in the exit booth 41… Traffic Ticket reader 42 Prepaid card processing machine 43 IC card reader / writer 44 Receipt issuing machine 45 Vehicle number management table 45a Information display part 45b Information input part 45c Entry route 45d … Vehicle number 45e… processing confirmation column 46… vehicle type automatic judgment invalidation switch 46a… data processing device 47… exit gate control device 47a… data type 47b… Date of processing 47c Processing type 47d Tollgate number 47e Lane number 47f Vehicle number 47g Charge 55 55 Memory of onboard unit 56 Wireless control unit of onboard unit 61 IC card Flash memory A: First vehicle detection device a: Vehicle detection signal of first vehicle detection device B: Second vehicle detection device b: Vehicle detection signal of second vehicle detection device C: In-vehicle device information D: Automatic vehicle type identification data Y: Vehicle

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A toll collection system for performing wireless communication for toll collection between an in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle and a gate device provided at a gate, wherein a vehicle entering the gate is sequentially transmitted to the gate. Detecting means for detecting; reading means for reading a number of a number plate of the vehicle when the detecting means detects the vehicle; and the gate device for the vehicle side when the detecting means detects the vehicle. Requesting means for requesting transmission of a number plate number of the vehicle; and receiving means for receiving, when the number of the number plate is transmitted from the vehicle to the gate device by the transmission request of the requesting means, Among the vehicles whose number plate number has been read by the reading unit, the vehicle having the number plate number received by the receiving unit is a wireless communication device. Toll collection system characterized by comprising a a determination unit which is equipped vehicles possible the vehicle apparatus toll collection. 2. A gate device provided at a gate for performing wireless communication related to toll collection with an on-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle, wherein the detecting means sequentially detects vehicles entering the gate. Reading means for reading the number plate of the vehicle when the vehicle is detected by the detection means; and reading the number of the number plate of the vehicle with respect to the vehicle when the detection means detects the vehicle. Requesting means for making a transmission request; receiving means for receiving when the number of the number plate is transmitted from the vehicle side in response to the transmission request of the requesting means; reading the number of the number plate by the reading means Out of the received vehicles, the vehicle having the number of the license plate received by the receiving means is a vehicle equipped with the on-vehicle device capable of receiving a toll by wireless communication. Gate apparatus characterized by comprising a constant determining means. 3. A toll collection method for performing wireless communication for toll collection between an in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle and a gate device provided at a gate, wherein a vehicle entering the gate is sequentially received. Detecting the vehicle; reading the number plate number of the vehicle when the vehicle is detected; and requesting the gate device to transmit the number plate number of the vehicle to the vehicle when the vehicle is detected. Performing the step of receiving, when the number of the number plate has been transmitted from the vehicle side to the gate device by the transmission request, receiving the number, of the vehicle that has read the number of the number plate,
Determining that the vehicle having the license plate number received by the gate device is a vehicle equipped with the in-vehicle device capable of receiving the toll by wireless communication. 4. A toll collection system for performing wireless communication for toll collection between an in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle and a gate device provided at a gate, wherein a vehicle entering the gate is sequentially transmitted to the gate. Detecting means for detecting, a vehicle type determining means for determining a vehicle type of the vehicle when the vehicle is detected by the detecting means, and a vehicle type mounted on the vehicle when the vehicle is detected by the detecting means. On the other hand, request means for requesting transmission of the type of the vehicle from the gate device, and reception for receiving the type of the vehicle transmitted from the in-vehicle device mounted on the vehicle to the gate device in response to the transmission request of the request device Means, when the vehicle type determined by the vehicle type determination means and the vehicle type received by the receiving means match, determining the matched vehicle type as the vehicle type; Switching means for switching between determining whether any one of the vehicle types is determined as the vehicle type of the vehicle even if they do not coincide with each other, and collecting means for collecting tolls from the vehicle based on the vehicle type determined by the switching means. A toll collection system characterized by the following. 5. The toll collection system according to claim 4, wherein the switching unit determines the vehicle type received by the reception unit as the vehicle type when the vehicle types do not match. . 6. A gate device provided at a gate for performing wireless communication related to toll collection with an in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle, wherein the detecting device sequentially detects a vehicle entering the gate. A vehicle type determining unit that determines a vehicle type of the vehicle when the vehicle is detected by the detecting unit; and a vehicle-mounted device mounted on the vehicle when the vehicle is detected by the detecting unit. Request means for requesting transmission of a vehicle type, receiving means for receiving a vehicle type of the vehicle transmitted from the in-vehicle device mounted on the vehicle in response to the transmission request of the request means, and the vehicle type determination means When the vehicle type of the vehicle matches the vehicle type received by the receiving means, the matching vehicle type is determined as the vehicle type, and even when the vehicle type does not match, any one of the vehicle types Gate apparatus characterized by comprising a switching means for switching between be determined as the seed, and a collection means for performing toll collection from the vehicle on the basis of the vehicle type determined by said switching means. 7. A toll collection method for performing wireless communication for toll collection between an in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle and a gate device provided at a gate, wherein a vehicle entering the gate is sequentially received. Detecting the vehicle; determining the type of the vehicle when the vehicle is detected; transmitting the vehicle type of the vehicle from the gate device to the vehicle-mounted device mounted on the vehicle when the vehicle is detected Requesting; receiving the vehicle type transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device mounted on the vehicle to the gate device in response to the transmission request; and receiving the determined vehicle type and the received vehicle type. A process for switching between fixing the matched vehicle type as the vehicle type when the vehicle type matches, and determining one of the vehicle types as the vehicle type even when the vehicle type does not match. If, toll collection method characterized by characterized by having a step of performing toll collection from the vehicle on the basis of the finalized vehicle type. 8. A toll collection system for performing wireless communication for toll collection between an in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle and a gate device provided at a gate, wherein charging information transmitted from the gate device is transmitted. Transmission recording means for transmitting and recording toward the in-vehicle device; read-out recording means for directly reading out the accounting information from the gate device and recording it on a recording medium; recording of the accounting information in the in-vehicle device by the transmission recording means Means for selecting a process or a process of recording the billing information on the recording medium by the reading and recording unit. 9. The toll collection system according to claim 8, wherein the recording medium is an IC that can be inserted into and removed from the vehicle-mounted device.
A fee collection system characterized by being a card. 10. A gate device provided at a gate for performing wireless communication related to toll collection with an in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle, wherein the toll device transmits billing information on a toll to the in-vehicle device. Transmission recording means for recording, read-out recording means for directly reading out the accounting information and recording it on a recording medium, recording processing of the accounting information to the in-vehicle device by the transmission recording means, or the recording medium by the read-out recording means Means for selecting a process of recording the billing information into the accounting device.