JP3145476B2 - Toll road toll collection system - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a non-stop cashless toll collection system on a toll road having a check barrier.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a toll collection system for a toll road, a method is known in which a toll collector directly collects cash from a driver at a toll booth, or automatically collects a toll by letting a driver put cash into an automatic machine. Has been adopted. For this reason,
Drivers need to stop at toll booths or prepare cash.

On the other hand, as a toll collection system in the near future, a system using a vehicle-side device, such as a non-contact IC card, having a memory in which ID information unique to the vehicle is recorded and capable of wireless communication with the outside has been developed. Is being done.

Referring to FIG. 12, a toll road toll collection system using a non-contact IC card (hereinafter, also simply referred to as an IC card) will be described. In FIG. 12, the vehicle 1
The IC card 2 is mounted on the inside of the windshield. The IC card 2 has an antenna 3 and a memory in which information such as an ID number unique to the vehicle is stored. On the other hand, in the tollgate 4, a road device 6 having an antenna 5 is arranged for each lane. The roadside machine 6 is connected to a data processing device (terminal computer) 7 in the tollgate, and the data processing device 7 is connected to a center computer (host computer) 8.

[0005] In the configuration of FIG. 12, when the vehicle 1 having the IC card 2 travels toward the road unit 6 and enters the communicable area of the antenna 5, the antennas 5 and 3 are interposed between the road unit 6 and the IC card 2. Information such as an ID number and a toll is wirelessly communicated via. After the information is recognized by the roadside machine 6, the information is transmitted to the data processing device 7 and stored in the memory therein.
And a billing process is performed, such as automatically tolling out the toll from the bank account registered by the passing vehicle 1.

As described above, by identifying the vehicle 1 in a non-contact manner by wireless communication between the IC card 2 and the road machine 6,
A non-stop and cashless toll collection system can be realized, which greatly contributes to the improvement of driver convenience.

[0007]

However, the road machines 6 and I
The reliability of wireless communication between the C cards 2 tends to decrease when the vehicle 1 runs at high speed. For example, as shown in FIG. 13, on a toll road where there are a plurality of routes D between an entrance tollgate A and an exit tollgate B, and tolls differ depending on the route,
It is necessary to install a roadside machine on the check barrier C and identify the route that the vehicle has traveled without contact. In such a case, the vehicle travels on the main line compared to the entrance or exit tollgate. As a result, the vehicle may travel at an unexpectedly high speed, and communication errors do not necessarily occur.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the related art, and has as its object to provide a non-stop cashless toll collection system for toll roads with high reliability of wireless communication.

[0009]

Means for Solving the Problems Claims for achieving the above object
The toll road toll collection system according to the first aspect of the present invention includes a vehicle-side device that is installed in a vehicle, has a memory in which ID information is recorded, and is capable of reading and writing recorded contents by external wireless communication, Installed at the entrance tollgate on the road and on the roadside at the entrance to write the entry information to the vehicle side device by wireless communication, and installed at the check barrier of the toll road and wirelessly communicate the check barrier information to the vehicle side device A check barrier side road unit to be written by the user, an exit side road unit installed at an exit tollgate on a toll road and reading recorded contents from the vehicle side device by wireless communication, and an ID read by the exit side road unit
A charge processing device for performing a charge process for the vehicle corresponding to the ID information from the information, the entrance information, and the check barrier information, and further, the check barrier side on-road unit is shifted from one another in the traveling direction with respect to one lane. A plurality of antennas for setting a communicable area are connected , and transmission information of the plurality of antennas is set.
The information is characterized by being the same as each other . one
The toll road of the invention according to claim 2, which achieves the above object.
The toll collection system is installed on the vehicle and records ID information
With a memory that is
Non-contact with the vehicle side device that can read and write
Toll road toll collection system
Installed at the tollgate on the road, entrance to the vehicle side device
Entrance-side airplanes that write information by wireless communication and toll roads
Installed in the check barrier of
Check barrier that writes barrier information by wireless communication
It is installed at the side road unit and at the toll road exit tollgate, and
Exit roadside machine that reads recorded contents from the device by wireless communication
And the ID information, entrance information, and
From the barrier information to the vehicle corresponding to the ID information
And a billing device for performing the processing.
Rear lane machines do not move in the direction of travel for one lane
Multiple antennas are connected to
The transmission information of these antennas is the same as each other.
It is characterized by that. Further, according to claim 3
The toll road toll collection system of the invention is characterized in that,
Is the check barrier side road in the invention according to claim 2
The communication device further includes a communication that is offset from the plurality of antennas.
Another antenna that sets the possible area between the lanes is connected,
The transmission information of the another antenna is transmitted by the plurality of antennas.
It is the same as the communication information.

[0010]

According to the above construction, the present invention is characterized in that:
, Multiple antennas are connected to the check barrier side road unit
The communicable area of these multiple antennas is one car
The transmission information is set to be shifted from each other in the traveling direction with respect to the line.
The reports are the same as each other . Further, in the invention of claim 3,
These antennas are checked in addition to another antenna.
Connected to the Kavarian roadside unit,
The possible area is shifted from the multiple antennas and between the lanes
And the transmission information is also transmitted by the plurality of antennas.
Same as information. Therefore, when the vehicle travels in the lane,
If, or when changing lanes, since the communication opportunities with the vehicle-side device road device and the non-contact IC card or the like of the check barrier are a plurality of times, the vehicle-side device check barrier information the first time
Even if there is a communication error that data cannot be received and cannot be written, the probability of a communication error occurring next time or one after another is extremely low. Therefore, wireless communication can be performed with a very high probability as a whole, improving reliability. I do. Toll collection is performed on the vehicle side where the toll road administrator records specific ID information in the memory on the condition that the toll road user is settled in advance by the prepaid system, deposit system, credit system, etc. Provide the equipment and equip the vehicle. Then, at the entrance tollgate, the entrance information such as the entrance tollgate number is written from the on-road unit to the vehicle-side device, the check barrier information such as the check barrier number is written from the roadside unit to the vehicle-side device at the check barrier, and on the road at the exit tollgate. By reading the entrance information and the check barrier information together with the ID information from the vehicle side device by the machine, it is possible to determine which vehicle has traveled from which entrance tollgate through which check barrier to which exit tollgate. As a result, non-stop and cashless accounting is automatically performed.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

[Inlet or Exit Roadside Machine] As shown in FIG. 1, a roadside machine 6 at an entrance tollgate or an exit tollgate has a controller 11 for controlling the entire roadside machine and a local oscillator such as a microwave. 12 and modulation for modulating a local oscillation signal with various information such as a write request, information to be written, and a transmission request from the controller 11 to a vehicle-side device such as a non-contact IC card (hereinafter, also simply referred to as an IC card). There is a circuit 13 and a power amplification circuit 14 for amplifying a modulated wave or an unmodulated wave, and the amplified signal is transmitted by the transmitting antenna 5a. Further, the roadside machine 6 performs a frequency conversion (reduction) using a preamplifier circuit 15 for amplifying a microwave signal from the IC card received by the receiving antenna 5b and an output of the local oscillator 16 for the amplified signal. There is a mixer 17, a detection circuit 18 for detecting the output of the mixer 17, and a demodulation circuit 19 for demodulating the detection output and obtaining information from the IC card.

[Check Barrier Roadside Unit] As shown in FIG. 2, the check barrier roadside unit 20 has a plurality of n pairs of antennas for transmission and reception, and each of the transmission antennas 5a-1 to 5a-5.
a-n and a modulation circuit 13 independently of each other.
-1 to 14-n, and each receiving antenna 5b-1 to
5b-n and the mixer 17 independently of the preamplifier circuit 15.
The point that -1 to 15-n are connected is different from the road device 6 shown in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the antenna of the on-road unit 20 is installed so as to set a communicable area 21 that is shifted from one lane in the traveling direction. FIG. 3 shows an example of one lane on one side, in which two struts 23 straddling the lane 22 are erected in the traveling direction and one pair of the struts 23 is provided with a pair of transmitting and receiving antennas 5a-1 and 5b-1. The other pair of antennas 5a-2 and 5b-2 are mounted on the other support 23. FIG.
Indicates an example of two lanes on one side, and the first and second lanes 2
A pair of antennas 5a-1 and 5b-1 for transmitting and receiving to the first lane 24 is attached to the first column 23, and the fourth column 2
3 shows another pair of antennas 5a- with respect to the first lane 24.
2, 5b-2 and the second lane 2
A pair of antennas 5a-3 and 5b-3 are attached to the fifth support 23, and the other pair of antennas 5a-4 and
5b-4 is attached. Further, the second and fourth struts 23 are used so that the vehicle can communicate without leaking even if the vehicle changes lanes.
Are provided with a pair of antennas (5a-5, 5b-5) and (5a-6, 5b-6) for transmission and reception between the lanes. The size of the communicable area 21 is, for example, set to a shape close to a circle with a diameter of 4 m when the lane width is generally 3.5 to 4 m and the vehicle length is 3.3 m or more assuming a mini vehicle or more. good.

[Non-Contact IC Card] FIGS. 5 and 6 show an example of an IC card 2 as a vehicle-side device. As shown in FIG. 5, the IC card 2 is provided with an input unit 26 and a display unit 27 in addition to the planar antenna 3. As shown in FIG. 6, the circuit configuration includes a CPU circuit 28 for controlling the entire IC card, a battery 29, a memory 30, and a transmission / reception circuit 31. The unit 26 and the display unit 27 are connected to the CPU circuit 28, respectively. The transmission / reception circuit 31 is a circuit that receives a radio wave from a road device, for example, a microwave signal, and transmits a signal to the road device, and includes a switching circuit 32, a detection circuit 33, a modulation circuit 34, a demodulation circuit 35, and a microwave detection circuit 36. have. The switching circuit 32 detects a received signal from the antenna 3 for receiving information from the roadside device,
, And the output of the modulation circuit 34 is provided to the antenna 3 in the case of transmitting information to the on-road unit. The detection circuit 33 detects the microwave from the on-road unit and supplies the detected microwave to the demodulation circuit 35.
Reference numeral 5 demodulates the detection output and provides information such as a transmission request, a write request, and write information to the CPU circuit 28. The microwave detection circuit 36 activates the CPU circuit 28 when detecting the microwave from the road device via the detection circuit 33. CP
The U circuit 28 responds to the information from the demodulation circuit 35 and, in the case of a write request, subsequent entry information (entrance tollgate number, date and time, etc.), check barrier information (check barrier number, date and time, etc.), traffic The write information such as the fee and the remaining amount is recorded in the memory 30. In the case of a transmission request, the memory 30
Required information such as entrance information and check barrier information in addition to the ID information recorded in the memory 30 is provided from the memory 30 to the modulation circuit 34 and transmitted to the roadside device. It should be noted that the balance and the history data (use date and time,
Tolls, places of use, etc.) from the memory 30 and read the CP
The display can be displayed on the display unit 27 via the U circuit 28.

[Entrance Tollgate] FIG. 7 shows an example of a schematic configuration of an entrance tollgate.
The on-road unit 6 shown in FIG.
In addition, the vehicle type discriminating device 37, the start detecting device 38, the start guide light 39, the start warning light 40, and the monitoring television camera 4
1 is installed. Each of these devices is connected to a control device 42 as shown in FIG. 8, the roadside device 6 is connected to the data processing device 7 of the tollgate via the control device 42, and the data processing device 7 is connected to the central host computer 8. Have been.

The vehicle type discriminating device 37 controls the vehicle 1
Automatically determines the vehicle type of the vehicle.
3, 44, the number of axles / wheel distance detector 45, and the vehicle height detector 46
, A vehicle length detector 47, an overhang detector 48, an imaging device 49, and an image processing device 50. The vehicle separators 43 and 44 separate and detect the passage of the vehicle 1 one by one, and also operate as a vehicle detector. Number of axes
The wheel span detector 45 detects the number of axles and the wheel span for each vehicle passing through the vehicle separators 43 and 44. Vehicle height detector 4
Numeral 6 is for measuring the vehicle height for discriminating the size of the bus and for discriminating whether or not the bus is a passenger car. The vehicle length detector 47 measures the vehicle length for discriminating the mini vehicle. The overhang detector 48 measures the overhang length when the first axis of the vehicle passes to determine the vehicle shape of the bus or the truck. The photographing machine 49 photographs the license plate of the vehicle, and the image processing device 50 processes the image signal from the photographing machine 49 to detect the size of the license plate and the vehicle number. The vehicle type discriminating device 37 calculates the number of axles, wheel span, vehicle height, vehicle length, overhang length, size of number plate, and vehicle number (particularly vehicle type classification number) for each vehicle detected by the vehicle separators 43 and 44. Using the processing of a computer or the like, five kinds of vehicle types such as a normal car, a large car, an oversized car, a medium car and a mini car are determined. The start detection device 38 includes a vehicle separator 51 that separates and detects the passage of a vehicle one by one, and a tread plate type axis number detector 52 that detects the number of axes of the passing vehicle. Completion (start completion) is detected, and the system is reset.

The operation at the entrance tollgate will be described. However, the prepaid system is taken as an example. When the entry of the vehicle 1 is detected by the vehicle detection function of the vehicle type determination device 37, the on-road unit 6 transmits a transmission request signal. On the other hand, the ID information and the remaining amount (or the number of remaining times) are returned from the IC card 2 of the vehicle 1, and the road machine 6 reads them and sends them to the data processing device 7. The data processing device 7 checks the ID information based on the data provided from the center computer 8 and checks the remaining amount. If normal, the roadside machine 6 transmits entrance information (entrance tollgate number, date and time, etc.) together with the write request,
The entry information is written in the IC card 2. At the same time, the control device 42 changes the start guide light 39 from red to blue, and when the start detection device 38 detects the passage of the vehicle 1, the start guide light 39
To red and prepare for the next vehicle. ID from IC card 2
If the information cannot be read, if the ID information is incorrect, or if the balance is insufficient, the control device 42 sets the start warning light 40
Is warned to that effect, and the front of the vehicle is recorded by the television camera 41.

[Check Barrier] FIG. 9 shows a schematic configuration example of the check barrier. The check barrier has six pairs of transmitting / receiving antennas 5a-1, 5b- in the arrangement shown in FIG.
1 to 5a-6, 5b-6.
See). The on-road unit 20 has the antennas 5a-1 to 5a-1.
From 5a-6, a write request and check barrier information (check barrier number, date and time, etc.) are repeatedly transmitted at all times. When receiving the write request, the IC card 2 of the vehicle 1 records the check barrier information in the memory 30. However, IC
After the card 2 records one piece of check barrier information, when the same check barrier information is subsequently received, the card 2 may record the information again, or may discard the latter one.

[Exit Tollgate] FIG. 10 shows a schematic configuration example of an exit tollgate, and has a configuration in which a toll display 53 is added to the entrance tollgate shown in FIG. That is, at the exit tollgate, in addition to the on-road unit 6 shown in FIG. 1 having antennas 5a and 5b for each lane,
7. Start detection device 38, start guide light 39, start warning light 4
0, a monitoring television camera 41 and a charge indicator 53 are provided. These devices are connected to a control device 42 as shown in FIG. 11, the roadside device 6 is connected to the data processing device 7 of the tollgate via the control device 42, and the data processing device 7 is connected to the central host computer 8. Have been.

The operation at the exit tollgate will be described. However, the prepaid system is taken as an example. When the entry of the vehicle 1 is detected by the vehicle detection function of the vehicle type determination device 37, the on-road unit 6 transmits a transmission request signal. On the other hand, the ID information, the entrance information, the check barrier information and the remaining amount are returned from the IC card 2 of the vehicle 1, and the roadside machine 6 reads them and sends them to the data processing device 7. The data processing device 7 checks the ID information based on the data provided from the center computer 8. If normal, the toll is calculated based on the entrance information and the check barrier information, and the presence or absence of the remaining amount is checked. If there is a remaining amount, the center computer 8 is notified of the toll and the toll is removed, and the ID information, entrance information, check barrier information and exit information are notified and history data (date and time of use, toll, location of use, etc.) ). The roadside device 6 transmits the new remaining amount and the history data together with the write request, and causes the IC card 2 to record the new remaining amount and the history data.
At the same time, the control device 42 displays the new remaining amount on the fee display 53 and changes the start guide light 39 from red to blue, and clears the fee display 53 when the start detection device 38 detects the passage of the vehicle 1. At the same time, the start guide light 39 is returned to red to prepare for the next vehicle. If the ID information cannot be read from the IC card 2, if the ID information is incorrect, or if the balance is insufficient, the control device 42 warns the start warning light 40 and notifies the TV camera 41 about the front of the vehicle. record.

In the above embodiment, the toll payment is made in the prepaid system, but may be made in the postpaid system or the credit system.

[0022]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the vehicle is installed in a vehicle.
And has a memory in which ID information is recorded.
Reading and writing of recorded contents by wireless communication
Installed at the vehicle side device and at the tollgate at the entrance of the toll road,
Entrance side to write entrance information to the side device by wireless communication
Vehicles installed on roadside machines and check barriers on toll roads
Check barrier information is written to the
Check barrier roadside machine and toll road exit tollgate
Is installed in the vehicle, and the recorded contents are
The exit roadside machine to be read and the ID information read by the exit roadside machine
Information, entrance information and check barrier information to ID information
And a billing processor for billing the corresponding vehicle.
In addition, the check barrier side road unit has one lane
Multiple communication areas that are shifted from each other in the traveling direction
Antennas are connected, and the transmission information of
Since the information is the same as each other, there are multiple opportunities for wireless communication between the on-road unit and the vehicle-side device traveling in the lane at the check barrier, so non-stop and cashless toll collection with extremely high wireless communication reliability The system is obtained. According to the invention according to claim 2, it is installed on the vehicle,
It has a memory where D information is recorded, and wireless communication from outside
-Side device that can read and write recorded contents
Toll road toll collection system that communicates without contact
Installed at the entrance of the toll road,
Entrance-side road machine that writes entry information to
And installed on the check barrier of the toll road,
Write the check barrier information to the
Installed at roadside machines on the check barrier side and at toll gate exits
And read the recorded contents from the vehicle side device by wireless communication
Exit roadside machine, ID information read by exit roadside machine,
Corresponds to ID information from mouth information and check barrier information
A billing device for billing the vehicle.
At the check barrier side on the road, proceed for one lane
Multiple antennas that set the communication area
Antennas are connected, and the transmission information of these multiple antennas is exchanged.
Because it is the same, check barriers and lanes on the road
Opportunities for wireless communication between vehicle-side devices traveling inside
Therefore, non- stop and highly reliable wireless communication
And a cashless toll collection system. Claim
According to the invention according to claim 3, in claim 1 or 2,
The check barrier side on-road unit further includes the plurality of antennas.
Set a communicable area that is shifted from each other between lanes
The antenna is connected and the transmission information of this other antenna is
Since the information is the same as the transmission information of multiple antennas,
In Kvaria, change lanes in addition to traveling on the road and in the lane
Since there are multiple opportunities for wireless communication between devices on the vehicle side,
Non-stop and cache with extremely high communication reliability
A toll collection system can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a circuit configuration of a roadside machine on an entrance side or an exit side.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration example of a check barrier side roadside device.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of an antenna arrangement of a check barrier side roadside device;

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an antenna arrangement of a check barrier side on-road unit.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the appearance of a non-contact IC card.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration example of a non-contact IC card.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a configuration example of an entrance tollgate.

FIG. 8 is a control block diagram in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a check barrier.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a configuration example of an exit tollgate.

FIG. 11 is a control block diagram of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a diagram conceptually showing a toll collection system using a contactless IC card.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of a toll road having a check barrier.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 vehicle 2 non-contact IC card (vehicle side device) 3 antenna 5a, 5a-1 to 5a-n transmitting antenna 5b, 5b-1 to 5b-n receiving antenna 6 entrance side or exit side roadside machine 7 data processing device 8 Center computer 20 Roadside machine on check barrier side 21 Communication area

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Naoshi Noguchi 1-1-1, Wadazakicho, Hyogo-ku, Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture Inside Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. Kobe Shipyard (56) References JP-A-2-39390 (JP) JP-A-49-38088 (JP, A) JP-A-61-216537 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G07B 15/00 G06F 17/60 H04B 7/26

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A vehicle-side device which is installed in a vehicle, has a memory in which ID information is recorded, and is capable of reading and writing recorded contents by external wireless communication, and is installed at an entrance tollgate on a toll road. , An entrance-side roadside unit that writes entry information to a vehicle-side device by wireless communication, and a check-barrier-side roadside device that is installed on a check barrier of a toll road and writes check barrier information to a vehicle-side device by wireless communication. It is installed at an exit tollgate on a toll road and reads the recorded contents from the vehicle-side device by wireless communication, and supports ID information from the ID information, entrance information and check barrier information read by the exit-side road machine. And a charge processing device for performing a charge process for a vehicle to be set, and further sets a communicable area that is shifted from each other in the traveling direction with respect to one lane on the road device on the check barrier side. Antennas are connected and these
A toll road toll collection system , wherein transmission information of a plurality of antennas is the same as each other . 2. It is installed in a vehicle, and ID information is recorded.
It has a memory to read recorded contents by external wireless communication.
Non-contact communication with vehicle-side devices that can
In the toll road toll collection system we trust, Installed at the tollgate at the entrance of the toll road.
Entrance-side road machine that writes entry information by wireless communication, and toll
Installed at a road check barrier,
Check barrier that writes check barrier information by wireless communication
It is installed at the rear roadside machine and at the toll road exit tollgate,
Exit side route for reading recorded contents from both devices by wireless communication
ID information, entrance information and
From the check barrier information to the vehicle corresponding to the ID information
And a billing processor for performing billing.
On the roadside aircraft on the Kvaria side, one lane
Connected multiple antennas that set the communication area shifted to
And the transmission information of these multiple antennas is the same as each other.
There is a toll road toll collection system. 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein
Further, the rear side road unit further includes
Another antenna that sets the shifted coverage area between lanes
And the transmission information of this another antenna is
The toll road, which is the same as the information sent by the antenna
Road toll collection system.