JP2001076196A - Toll collection system, unit for maintenance, on-vehicle unit, and method for maintaining toll collection system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a toll collection system, a unit for maintenance, an on- vehicle unit, and a method for maintaining the toll collection system which can reduce the staff for a maintenance test and improve the maintenance test efficiency. SOLUTION: The IC card part 40 of the unit 100 for ETC maintenance is loaded in the card slot part 1A of the on-vehicle unit 1 and an indication for starting a maintenance test of roadside equipment is sent from the unit 100 for ETC maintenance to a lane server 10 by using a function of radio communication with the roadside unit that the on-vehicle unit 1 has. Thus, the maintenance test of the roadside equipment can be started by operating the unit for maintenance connected to the on-vehicle unit, then a service engineer can indicate the start of the maintenance test where the behavior of object equipment to be tested can directly be monitored and then do operation for the maintenance test and monitor the behavior of the equipment alone.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a toll collection system, a maintenance unit, an on-board unit, and a maintenance method for a toll collection system installed in toll road facilities.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, processing in a toll road toll collection system using a magnetic card is mainly performed by a manned system, and there are many system components having a human interface function. In recent years, an ETC (Electronic Toll Collection) system using a wireless card has been developed as a method that enables unmanned processing, and is expected to become the mainstream in the future.

[0003] This ETC system is based on unmanned processing in the lane, and it is possible to eliminate the human interface function from various devices on the lane. However,
In this ETC system, it is necessary to supplement the fact that the user cannot receive the highly flexible service peculiar to the manned system by using a large number of guidance displays. Therefore, it can be said that the ETC system has one feature in the configuration in that many roadside devices constituting the system are arranged over a wide range.

[0004]

[0005] Here, such an E
Consider a maintenance test of each device constituting the TC system. The maintenance test of the roadside equipment is usually performed by giving an operation instruction for the maintenance test from a device (the lane server) that totally controls the equipment, and confirming the behavior of the equipment receiving the instruction. is there.

[0005] At this time, for example, in order to check the movement of a signal light or a toll gate display board installed on the roof of a tollgate or the like, a person who operates the lane server and a person who actually checks the behavior of the equipment are checked. A total of two people are required. this is,
Each roadside device constituting the ETC system is installed over a wide area, and it takes a long time to move between the position of the lane server and the position where the signal lights can be seen or the position where the toll gate display board can be seen. This also affects the reliability of the maintenance test.

[0006] The present invention is intended to solve such a problem. It is an object of the present invention to provide a toll collection system capable of reducing the number of personnel required for maintenance tests and improving the efficiency of maintenance tests. An object of the present invention is to provide a maintenance unit, a vehicle-mounted device, and a maintenance method for a toll collection system.

Another object of the present invention is to easily transfer data from a lane server to a host device in place of the data transmission line when a failure occurs in a data transmission line connecting the lane server and the host device. The purpose is to provide a toll collection system, a maintenance unit, and an on-vehicle device that can do this.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a toll collection system, a maintenance unit, and a vehicle-mounted device for realizing a low-cost and highly reliable remote operation type maintenance system.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, a toll collection system according to the first aspect of the present invention includes a plurality of devices constituting a roadside system for toll collection through wireless communication with an on-vehicle device and a plurality of these devices. A lane control device that controls a plurality of devices, a connection unit connectable to the on-vehicle device, a unit that generates an instruction for activating a maintenance test of the plurality of devices in the roadside system, and the generated instruction A maintenance unit having means for controlling transmission from the vehicle-mounted device connected through the connection unit to the lane control device by wireless communication.

According to the present invention, a maintenance unit is connected to a vehicle-mounted device, and the maintenance unit uses a wireless communication function with the roadside system of the vehicle-mounted device to perform maintenance of a roadside device to a lane controller of the roadside system. It is possible to send an instruction to activate the test. The lane controller starts the maintenance test of the test target device according to the instruction.

As described above, the maintenance test of the equipment can be started by operating the maintenance unit connected to the vehicle-mounted device, so that the maintenance staff can perform the maintenance test at a position where the behavior of the equipment to be tested can be directly monitored. Startup can be instructed, and operation for maintenance test and behavior monitoring of equipment can be performed by one maintenance person. As a result, the number of maintenance personnel can be reduced and the reliability of the maintenance test can be improved. In addition, the use of the wireless communication function with the roadside system of the vehicle-mounted device enables the realization of a low-cost, highly reliable remote-controlled maintenance system with high communication reliability.
Further, the maintenance staff can move the position where the roadside device can be monitored by the vehicle one after another, thereby improving the maintenance test efficiency.

In order to achieve the above object, a toll collection system according to a second aspect of the present invention includes a plurality of devices constituting a roadside system for toll collection through wireless communication with a vehicle-mounted device and a plurality of these devices. A lane control device to be controlled, a connection unit connectable to the on-vehicle device, a display unit for displaying a screen for selecting a device to start a maintenance test from among the plurality of devices, from among the plurality of devices. An operation unit that receives a selection of a device to start a maintenance test, a unit that generates an instruction to start a maintenance test of the device whose selection is received by the operation unit, and the generated instruction through the connection unit. A maintenance unit having means for controlling transmission from the connected vehicle-mounted device to a lane controller that controls the device of the roadside system by wireless communication. It is intended to and a Tsu door.

The present invention utilizes a wireless communication function with the roadside system of the vehicle-mounted device to activate a maintenance test of the roadside device from the maintenance unit connected to the vehicle-mounted device to the lane controller of the roadside system. In addition to being able to transmit instructions, a display unit for displaying a screen for allowing the maintenance unit to select a device for which a maintenance test should be started from among a plurality of devices, and a maintenance test from among the plurality of devices. By adding an operation unit for receiving a selection of a device to be activated, a remote control type maintenance system with excellent operability can be realized.

[0014] In order to achieve the above object, a toll collection system according to a third aspect of the present invention includes a plurality of devices constituting a roadside system for toll collection through wireless communication with an on-vehicle device, and the plurality of devices. A lane control device to be controlled, a connection unit connectable to the on-vehicle device, a unit for generating an instruction for activating a maintenance test of the plurality of devices, the on-vehicle vehicle connected to the generated instruction via the connection unit Means for transmitting the data from the vehicle to the lane control device for controlling the equipment of the roadside system by wireless communication, and means for storing and holding the stored data of the lane control device through the on-vehicle device connected through the connection unit. And a maintenance unit having:

The present invention utilizes a wireless communication function with the roadside system of the vehicle-mounted device to activate a maintenance test of the roadside device from the maintenance unit connected to the vehicle-mounted device to the lane controller of the roadside system. In addition to being able to transmit instructions, the data stored in the lane control device can be captured and held in the maintenance unit by using the wireless communication function with the roadside system of the vehicle-mounted device. It can be used as a means for transmitting data from the control device to the host device. Therefore, even if a failure occurs in a data transmission system such as a cable that directly connects the lane control device and the host device, data can be transmitted from the lane control device to the host device via the maintenance unit,
Data does not stagnate in the lane control device, and the system can be operated stably.

Further, in order to achieve the above-mentioned object,
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a toll collection system, comprising: a plurality of devices constituting a roadside system for toll collection through wireless communication with an on-vehicle device; a lane control device for controlling the plurality of devices; A first connection unit, a second connection unit connectable to the car navigation system, and a screen for selecting a device to start a maintenance test from among the plurality of devices are connected through the second connection unit. Means for displaying on the display unit of the car navigation system, receiving from the plurality of devices a selection of a device for which a maintenance test is to be started, to an operation unit of the car navigation system connected through the second connection unit. Means for generating an instruction for activating a maintenance test of a device selected by the operation unit of the car navigation system. A maintenance unit having means for controlling the transmission of the generated instruction from the vehicle-mounted device connected through the connection unit to a lane control device that controls the device of the roadside system by wireless communication. It is provided with.

The present invention utilizes a wireless communication function with the roadside system of the vehicle-mounted device to activate a maintenance test of the roadside device from the maintenance unit connected to the vehicle-mounted device to the lane controller of the roadside system. In addition to being able to transmit instructions, the display and operation of the car navigation system mounted on the vehicle are used as a user interface for maintenance. The system can be realized.

[0018]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a wireless card type toll collection system (hereinafter referred to as an "ETC system") will be described below.

The ETC system is divided into an entrance ticketing / exit collection system (hereinafter referred to as a "close system") comprising an entrance lane and an exit lane, and an open system comprising only uniform lanes. Here, a closed system ETC system will be described.

FIG. 1 shows the configuration of equipment arranged in the entrance lane of the ETC system. The devices disposed in the entrance lane include a first vehicle detection device 2, a second vehicle detection device 3, a third vehicle detection device 4, a roadside display 5, a start control device 6, and a fourth vehicle detection device. 7, a first antenna 8 (first roadside apparatus), a second antenna 9 (second roadside apparatus),
Lane server 10, signal light 11, toll gate display board 1
2. There is a vehicle type identification device (not shown). Reference numeral 1 denotes an on-vehicle device mounted on the vehicle A.

The lane server 10 is connected to each of the devices arranged in the entrance lane through a data transmission cable. The vehicle type determination device (not shown) is a device that comprehensively determines the vehicle type of the vehicle entering the entrance lane using various detection / measurement devices, imaging devices, and the like.

The signal light 11 is for indicating whether or not the vehicle A can enter the entrance lane. The toll gate display board 12 is for displaying the processing contents of the lane.
The signal light 11 and the tall gate display panel 12 are installed on a gate roof or the like so that they can be visually recognized from a distant vehicle entering.

The first vehicle detection device 2 is a device that detects the vehicle A that has entered the entrance lane and notifies the vehicle A of the lane server 10. The first antenna 8 is connected to the first vehicle detection device 2.
ET between the vehicle A and the in-vehicle device 1 in accordance with an instruction to start wireless communication from the lane server 10 which has been notified of vehicle entry.
The wireless communication for the C processing is performed.

Here, a vehicle for which wireless communication for ETC processing has been normally completed is referred to as an "ETC vehicle". Also, ET
A vehicle that has caused a communication error during wireless communication for the C processing,
Vehicles that fall into the blacklist and expired vehicles are treated the same as vehicles that do not originally have an onboard device. These are called "non-ETC vehicles".

The roadside display 5 is a device for displaying the completion of the ETC processing to the driver, and displaying to the driver whether the vehicle is stopped or allowed to pass.

The second vehicle detection device 3 is a device that is disposed downstream of the first vehicle detection device 2 in the traveling direction of the vehicle and generates a timing for terminating wireless communication with a non-ETC vehicle. That is, the second vehicle detection device 3
Detects that the vehicle A has passed, the lane server 1
0, and the lane server 10 determines that the vehicle A is a non-ETC vehicle if the wireless communication for the ETC processing with the vehicle A is not completed normally before receiving the notification. The wireless communication for A is terminated.

The third vehicle detection device 4 is a device that is disposed further downstream of the second vehicle detection device 2 in the traveling direction of the vehicle, and that generates the timing for turning off the display of the roadside display 5. That is, when detecting the vehicle A, the third vehicle detection device 4 notifies the lane server 10 of the detection.
The lane server 10 issues an instruction to turn off the display of the roadside display 5 upon receiving the vehicle detection notification.

The start controller 6 is a device that controls whether or not the vehicle A is allowed to pass by, for example, a circuit breaker in accordance with an instruction from the lane server 10. The fourth vehicle detection device 7 includes:
The lane server 1 detects the vehicle A passing through the start controller 6 and detects the vehicle A.
This is a device that notifies 0. The lane server 10 receives the notification of the vehicle passing from the fourth vehicle detection device 7 and controls the start controller 6 to execute the closing operation.

The second antenna 9 is a device for performing wireless communication with the on-vehicle device 1 of the ETC vehicle in which the passage of the start controller 6 has been detected by the vehicle detection device 4.

Next, the configuration of the devices arranged in the exit lane of the ETC system will be described.

FIG. 2 shows the configuration of devices arranged in the exit lane of the ETC system. The devices arranged in the exit lane include the first vehicle detection device 102 and the second vehicle detection device 1
03, a roadside display 105, a start controller 106, a fourth vehicle detection device 107, a first antenna 108 (roadside wireless device), a lane server 110, a signal light 111, and a toll gate display panel 112. Reference numeral 1 denotes an on-vehicle device mounted on the vehicle A.

The lane server 110 is connected to the above-mentioned devices arranged in the exit lane through a data transmission cable. The signal light 111 is for indicating whether or not the vehicle A can enter the exit lane. The toll gate display panel 112 is for displaying the processing contents of the lane.
The signal light 111 and the toll gate display panel 112 are installed on a gate roof or the like so that the approaching vehicle can be visually recognized from a distance.

The first vehicle detection device 102 is a device that detects the vehicle A entering the exit lane and notifies the lane server 110 of the detected vehicle A. The first antenna 108 wirelessly communicates with the vehicle-mounted device 1 of the vehicle A for ETC processing in accordance with a wireless communication start instruction from the lane server 110 that has been notified of the vehicle entry from the first vehicle detection device 102. I do.

The second vehicle detection device 103 is a vehicle detection device that is disposed downstream of the first vehicle detection device 102 in the traveling direction of the vehicle and generates a timing for terminating wireless communication with a non-ETC vehicle. is there. That is, the second
When the vehicle detection device 103 detects the vehicle A, the vehicle detection device 103 notifies the lane server 110 of the detection, and the lane server 110 normally completes the wireless communication for the ETC process with the vehicle A before receiving the notification. If not, the vehicle A is determined as a non-ETC vehicle, and the wireless communication with the vehicle A is terminated.

The start controller 106 is a device that controls whether or not the vehicle A can pass through, for example, a circuit breaker in accordance with an instruction from the lane server 110.

The roadside display 105 is a device for displaying the completion of the ETC processing to the driver, and displaying to the driver whether the vehicle A is stopped or allowed to pass. Fourth vehicle detection device 107
Detects the vehicle A passing through the start controller 106, turns off the display of the roadside display 105,
Is a device that notifies the lane server 110 of the closing operation timing of the lane.

In the case of the closed system, a check barrier lane exists in addition to the above-mentioned entrance and exit lanes. The hardware configuration of the devices arranged in the check barrier lane is the same as the hardware configuration of the devices arranged in the exit lane, and the software can be changed so that the check barrier lane and the exit lane can be mutually changed.

Next, a system for performing the above-described roadside equipment maintenance test by remote control will be described. The lane-side devices are collectively referred to as "roadside systems".
Call.

FIG. 3 shows a conceptual diagram of such a maintenance test remote operation system. The maintenance test remote operation system includes the vehicle-mounted device 1 and the ETC maintenance unit 100.
The ETC maintenance unit 100 includes an IC card unit 40 that is an interface unit with the vehicle-mounted device 1 and a console unit 50 that executes a maintenance program. The on-vehicle device 1 here has an OBU (On Board Unit) as a main part, and is used as a normal on-vehicle device in an ETC system. The in-vehicle device 1 is provided with an IC card slot 1A, and the in-vehicle device 1 and the ETC maintenance unit 100 are connected to the slot 1A by mounting the connection IC card unit 40 of the ETC maintenance unit 100. Are electrically connected.

FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of a maintenance test remote control system including the vehicle-mounted device 1.

First, the configuration of the vehicle-mounted device 1 will be described in detail. The on-vehicle device (OBU) 1 includes a radio device including an antenna 31 and a radio communication unit 32 for transmitting and receiving signals to and from the roadside radio device 70, a display unit 33 for displaying operation guidance and the like for the user, An operation unit 34 for receiving an operation input of an IC card, an IC card R / W unit 35 for reading / writing data to / from an attached IC card,
A CPU 36 for performing overall control of the vehicle-mounted device 1;
And various interface units 38, 39, 41, 42. The memory unit 37 stores, in addition to the control program of the CPU 36, vehicle information such as length, number of axes, weight, use, and characteristics, which are factors that determine the type of vehicle,
D information and the like are registered.

It should be noted that the normal I
In addition to the ID number of the IC card, the expiration date of the contract and the special contract information (whether or not the disability discount can be applied), the C card has the balance information (hereinafter referred to collectively as "charging information") in the case of prepayment. Is recorded.

Next, the configuration of the console unit 50 of the ETC maintenance unit 100 will be described in detail. The console unit 50 is connected to the IC card unit 40 through a cable 44. The console unit 50 includes an IC card unit I / F 51, a display unit 52 for displaying a maintenance program execution screen such as a user's operation guide, an operation unit 53 for inputting a command from the user to the maintenance program, CPU 54 and CPU 5 that perform overall control of console unit 50
4 stores a maintenance program or the like to be executed and a memory area (RA
M / ROM) 55, operation unit I / F 56, display unit I / F 5
7 is provided.

A touch panel sensor is arranged on the screen of the display unit 52, and when an item or the like displayed on the screen is designated by an operator or a finger, a command corresponding to the designated item is input. It is supposed to be. Also,
In the console unit 50, a storage medium processing unit (not shown) for recording the maintenance information and the operation check result accumulated in the console unit 50 in a removable storage medium such as a smart media or a compact flash card, or the like. A printing unit (not shown) for printing out maintenance information, operation confirmation results, and the like is also provided.

Next, the overall operation of the ETC system will be described.

When a general user's IC card is inserted into the IC card processing unit 35 of the vehicle-mounted device 1, the IC card confirms the validity of the vehicle-mounted device 1, and if it is valid, the charging information stored in itself is loaded on the vehicle. To the device 1. The vehicle-mounted device 1 stores the charging information received from the IC card through the IC card R / W unit 35 in the memory unit 37.

Next, the operation performed in the entrance lane of the ETC system will be described.

First, the first vehicle detection device 2 detects the entry of the vehicle A, thereby notifying the lane server 10 of the entry detection. Upon receiving this notification, the lane server 10 controls the first antenna 8 and starts a communication inquiry to the vehicle-mounted device 1 of the approaching vehicle A.

When the vehicle-mounted device 1 recognizes the occurrence of the inquiry from the valid antenna, the vehicle-mounted device 1 reads out the billing information and the vehicle information stored in the memory unit 37, and returns them to the roadside system (the lane server 10).

When the lane server 10 confirms that the response from the vehicle-mounted device 1 has been correctly received through the first antenna 8, it first confirms that the expiration date of the billing information and the remaining amount of the prepayment for the response are not zero. If it is valid, the road number, toll gate number, passage time (year, month, day, hour, minute) and lane number (hereinafter, these information will be referred to as “first entrance information”) specifying the entrance are transmitted to the vehicle-mounted device 1. .

When the first entrance information is correctly received, the vehicle-mounted device 1 notifies the roadside system (the lane server 10) of the completion of the reception. When the roadside system (the lane server 10) receives the reception completion notification from the vehicle-mounted device 1, the roadside system determines that the vehicle A is a normal vehicle-mounted vehicle (ETC vehicle), and the roadside display 5
Is displayed indicating that the ETC process has been completed. At this time, if there is no preceding vehicle, the start controller 6 is instructed to perform an opening operation. If there is a preceding car,
After the processing of the preceding vehicle is completed, an instruction for an opening operation is issued.

When the vehicle A has passed through the second vehicle detection device 3, the lane server 10 indicates to the roadside display 5 E
It instructs to turn off the display of the TC processing completion.

Thereafter, the vehicle A passes through the start controller 6,
Subsequently, the vehicle passes through the fourth vehicle detection device 5. When the passage of the vehicle A is detected by the fourth vehicle detection device 5, the lane server 10 instructs the start control device 6 to perform a closing operation, and at the same time, makes a communication inquiry with the vehicle-mounted device 1 by the second antenna 9. Start.

When the vehicle-mounted device 1 recognizes that the inquiry is from a valid antenna, the vehicle-mounted device 1 transmits the ID number notified from the IC card in advance and the ID number registered in the memory unit 37 to the roadside system.

If the roadside system (the lane server 10) can correctly receive the response from the vehicle-mounted device 1, the ID number of the IC card received by the second antenna 9 and the ID of the OBU
The numbers are respectively compared with those already received by the first antenna 8. As a result, if they match, the vehicle type determination result already obtained by the vehicle type determination device not shown
The vehicle information transmitted from the BU and the comparison information of the ID numbers (hereinafter, these information are referred to as “second entrance information”) are wirelessly transmitted to the vehicle-mounted device 1 using the second antenna 9.

The vehicle type determination by the vehicle type determination device is performed, for example, by using various detection / measurement devices, imaging devices, and the like during a period from when the entry of the vehicle A is detected to when the vehicle A passes through the start controller 6. It is performed comprehensively. Since the specific method is various, detailed description is omitted.

Upon confirming that the second entrance information has been normally received, the on-board unit (OBU) 1 notifies the roadside system (the lane server 10) of the completion of the reception. Onboard equipment 1
Uses the first entry information and the second entry information received normally
Record on C card.

Next, the operation of the ETC system performed in the check barrier lane will be described. Note that the configuration of the devices installed in the check barrier lane is the same as that of the device in the exit lane shown in FIG. 2, and therefore the operation will be described below using the devices arranged in the exit lane as devices in the check barrier lane.

In the check barrier lane, the first vehicle detection device 102 detects the entry of the vehicle A, thereby notifying the lane server 110 of the detection of the entry of the vehicle A. The lane server 110 controls the first antenna 108 and starts a communication inquiry for the vehicle A that has entered the vehicle-mounted device 1.

Upon recognizing the inquiry from the valid antenna, the vehicle-mounted device 1 reads out the charging information and the vehicle information in addition to the entrance information (the first entrance information and the second entrance information) from the memory unit 57, It transmits to the lane server 110.

When the lane server 110 confirms that the response from the vehicle-mounted device 1 has been correctly received by the first antenna 108, the lane server 110 checks the validity of the traffic route and the traffic time based on the received entrance information. If appropriate, the ID number included in each of the billing information and the vehicle information is compared with the negative list. If the validity of the ID number is confirmed by this negative list collation, the lane server 1
10 transmits to the vehicle-mounted device 1 the proof information of the barrier passage (the barrier number, the passing date and time, and the lane number).

The vehicle-mounted device 1 transmits a reception completion notification to the roadside system when the barrier proof information is correctly received. At the same time, the barrier proof information is recorded on the IC card.

Next, the operation performed in the exit lane of the ETC system will be described.

In the exit lane, the first vehicle detection device 102
Detects the entry of the vehicle A, the lane server 11
0 is notified of the entry of the vehicle A. The lane server 110 controls the first antenna 108 and starts a communication inquiry for the vehicle A that has entered the vehicle-mounted device 1.

The vehicle-mounted device 1 recognizes the inquiry from the legitimate antenna, and, from the memory unit 57, records the billing information and the entrance information (first entrance information and second entrance information) recorded at the entrance. The vehicle information is read and returned to the lane server 110.

When the lane server 110 confirms that the response from the vehicle-mounted device 1 has been correctly received by the first antenna 108, the lane server 110 calculates the toll based on the received entrance information, and adds the toll information to the billing information and the vehicle information. The ID number included is collated with the negative list. Lane server 1
10 indicates that if the validity of the ID number is confirmed by the negative list collation, the entrance information and the exit information (tollgate number /
The combination of the date of passage, the date and time, the lane number, and the toll) is transmitted to the vehicle-mounted device 1 as a use history.

When the in-vehicle device 1 has successfully received the usage history, it returns a reception completion notification to the roadside system,
The usage history is recorded on the IC card.

Next, a description will be given of a maintenance test of the ETC system roadside equipment using the maintenance test remote operation system shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

As described above, the ETC system is composed of various devices arranged in a wide range for each lane. For example, in the equipment in the entrance lane shown in FIG. 1, a signal light 11 for instructing whether or not to enter the lane, a toll gate display plate 12 for displaying the processing contents of the lane, and the like,
It is installed on the gate roof, etc., so that it can be seen from a distant vehicle entering. The first antenna 8 is installed at the front end on the vehicle approach side, and the roadside display 5 for displaying the result of the wireless processing is arranged at a substantially central position on the lane. Further, a start control device 6 for instructing whether or not the vehicle can pass is arranged on the start side of the lane. The lane server 10 that controls these devices is arranged on a lane island.

Conventionally, all the maintenance functions for confirming the operation of each device widely distributed in this way are added to the lane server 10, and the lane server 10 gives an instruction to each device and outputs the operation result. It was confirmed visually. However, from the position where the lane server 10 is installed, the behavior of the signal light 11, the toll gate display panel 12, the roadside display 5, and the like installed on the roof of the gate cannot be directly confirmed with the eyes. For maintenance testing,
At least two people, the operator of the lane server 10 and the operation checker, were essential.

In the maintenance test using the maintenance test remote operation system according to the present embodiment, the vehicle A is moved to a position where the operation of the equipment to be tested can be directly visually confirmed, and an instruction to start the maintenance test is sent to the console. Part 50
Input to the vehicle-mounted device 1 via the connection IC card section 40,
To the lane server 10 through the roadside wireless device. Therefore, the maintenance test of the roadside equipment can be performed by one maintenance person.

Next, the procedure of a maintenance test of roadside equipment by the maintenance test remote operation system will be described with reference to FIG.

In the card slot 1A of the vehicle-mounted device 1, ET
Attach the IC card part 40 of the C maintenance unit 100,
When the power of the vehicle-mounted device 1 and the console unit 50 is turned on, a maintenance program of the console unit 50 is started.

When the maintenance program is started, a maintenance test item selection screen is first displayed on the display section 52 of the console section 50 (step 501). FIG. 6 shows an example of a maintenance test item selection screen. On this screen, for example, the display switching test of the toll gate display plate 12, the roadside display 5
, A display switching test of the signal light 11, an opening / closing test of the start controller 6, a display switching test of the display in the booth, a transmission test between the lane server / tollgate server, and the like. Is displayed in the format

By pointing a finger to the device to be tested on this screen, or by inputting a number corresponding to the device to be tested from the keyboard of the operation unit 53, the maintenance program determines the specified device. (Step 5
02), the in-vehicle device 1 is notified through the connection IC card unit 40 that the lane server starts the maintenance test of this device (step 503).

The in-vehicle device 1 incorporates, as software, a function of communicating with the wireless communication device of the roadside system in cooperation with the maintenance program of the console unit 50. When receiving the instruction to start the test, the instruction is transmitted as it is to the lane server 10 via the roadside apparatus (step 504). When the lane server 10 receives the maintenance test instruction transferred from the vehicle-mounted device 1 through the roadside device,
A maintenance test is instructed to the test target device (step 505).

In the console unit 50, after a device to be tested is selected by the maintenance staff, a screen for prompting the maintenance staff to select how to operate and test the device is displayed on the display unit 52. May be displayed.

For example, when the display switching test of the toll gate display board 12 is selected, a selection screen of “dedicated” or “mixed” is displayed on the screen, and the selected contents are notified to the lane server 10. To do it. In accordance with this, it is confirmed whether or not the toll gate display board 12 is switched to the display as selected by the operation instruction given by the lane server 10 to the toll gate display board 12. Similarly, when the display switching test of the roadside display 5 is selected,
Subsequently, a selection screen of “GO” or “STOP” is displayed on the screen, and the selected content is notified to the lane server 10 to confirm whether the roadside display 5 is switched to the selected display. To do. Other signal lights 1
In the test of No. 1, the selection screen of “blue” or “red” is selected, in the test of the start controller 6, the open / close selection screen is set, and in the test of the display in the booth, “ETC” or “ "ETC" selection screen is displayed, and it is confirmed whether the operation according to the selected contents is performed.

This maintenance test remote operation system is not limited to the maintenance test of the roadside equipment by changing / adding the program in the console unit 50, but also the collection of the error log of the roadside equipment accumulated in the lane server 10, the lane server 10
It can also be used for uploading programs and data to. In this case, the display unit 52 of the console unit 50 can display a processing menu such as a maintenance test, an error log collection of the roadside device, and a program / data upload of the roadside device, and the operator can execute a process to be executed from this menu screen. Make a choice.

The ETC system transmits work data and billing data collected by a lane server to a tollgate server via a high-speed data transmission line (for example, an optical cable), and the tollgate server collects data from all lane servers. Is managing. If the data transmission line connecting the lane server and the tollgate server becomes unavailable due to, for example, a disconnection accident, the amount of data accumulated in the lane server will increase while the time until the recovery is restored. It is impossible to continue, or the billing data cannot be transmitted from the tollgate server to the center system.

Therefore, the ETC maintenance unit 10
0 is used as data transmission means for transferring the stored data of the lane server to the tollgate server.

Hereinafter, the operation will be described with reference to FIG.

When execution of failure recovery is selected on the processing menu screen of the console unit 50, first, an input screen for the target tollgate and lane number is displayed on the display unit 52 of the console unit 50.
Will be displayed. When necessary data input is completed on this input screen (step 701), an instruction to transfer the input data to the lane server and an instruction to download the stored data of the lane server are given from the console unit 50 to the in-vehicle device 1. According to the instruction, the device 1 transfers the input data to the lane server and requests the transfer of the stored data of the lane server (step 702).

When the lane server receives the stored data transfer request, the lane server authenticates the ETC maintenance unit 100 and the ID number of the vehicle-mounted device 1 included in the request and determines whether there is an actual failure in the data transmission path. Confirmation (step 703), and if this authentication succeeds and an actual failure of the data transmission path is confirmed, the failure recovery program of the lane server is started (step 705).

The failure recovery program for the lane server searches the file stored in the lane server for detailed billing data and work data corresponding to the toll gate and lane number specified by the data transfer request source, and finds the retrieved detailed description. Index information for billing data and work data is created and transmitted to the vehicle-mounted device via the roadside wireless device (step 706). FIG. 8 shows the format of the detailed claim data.
FIG. 9 shows the format of work data.

When the vehicle-mounted device 1 receives the stored data from the lane server, the data is transferred to the console unit 50 through the IC card unit 40. The console unit 50 displays the work data and the billing data index information obtained from the lane server on the display unit 52 (step 70).
7). On the display screen of the index information, the maintenance staff can select data necessary for the failure recovery (step 708). When the required data is selected, a transfer request for the selected data is transmitted from the console unit 50 to the lane server through the on-vehicle device 1 (step 70).
9). In response to the transfer request, the lane server transmits the selected data to the vehicle-mounted device through the roadside device (step 710).

When the vehicle-mounted device 1 receives the selection data from the lane server, it transfers this data to the console unit 50 through the IC card unit 40. The console unit 50 records the data collected from the lane server in a removable storage medium such as a smart media or a compact flash card by the storage medium processing unit (step 7).
11). When the transfer of all the requested data is completed, the fact is displayed on the display unit 52 of the console unit 50.

Thereafter, the maintenance worker moves to the tollgate, sets the storage medium storing the data stored in the lane server in the storage medium processing device of the tollgate server, and operates the tollgate server to operate the storage medium. Is transferred to the data storage unit of the tollgate server (step 712).

As described above, even if a failure occurs in the data transmission cable between the lane server and the tollgate server, data transmission from the lane server to the tollgate server can be maintained.

The embodiment in which the maintenance test remote operation system is realized by using the dedicated console unit 50 has been described. However, as another embodiment, the maintenance test remote operation system using the display and the operation unit of the car navigation system is used. There is a method for configuring an operation system.

In the case of this method, a maintenance program and a processor for executing the maintenance program are provided in the IC card section 40. In addition, the IC card section 40 needs a connection section with a car navigation system. The maintenance program is
A maintenance test item selection screen is displayed on the display unit of the car navigation system. By pointing a finger to the device to be tested on this screen or by inputting the number corresponding to the device to be tested from the operation unit of the car navigation system, the maintenance program determines the specified device, and The vehicle-mounted device is notified that the lane server starts the maintenance test of the device.

[0092]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Since the maintenance test of the device can be started by operating the mobile terminal, the maintenance staff can instruct the start of the maintenance test at a position where the behavior of the device to be tested can be directly monitored. Operation and equipment behavior monitoring can be performed by a single maintenance person. As a result, the number of maintenance personnel can be reduced and the reliability of the maintenance test can be improved.

Further, according to the present invention, the data stored in the lane control device can be captured and held in the mobile terminal by using the wireless communication equipment of the roadside system. It can be used as a means for receiving data to the host device. Therefore, even if a failure occurs in a data transmission system such as a cable that directly connects the lane control device and the higher-level device, data can be received from the lane control device to the higher-level device via the mobile terminal. Data does not stagnate, and the system can be operated stably.

Further, according to the present invention, information can be registered in the vehicle-mounted device by operating the portable terminal, so that vehicle information can be registered in the vehicle-mounted device at the toll booth. In addition, by transmitting input information from the portable terminal to the on-board unit via the lane control device, it is possible to register vehicle information on the on-board unit at the toll booth, and at the same time as registering information on the on-board unit. The wireless communication function of the vehicle-mounted device can be inspected.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of devices arranged in an entrance lane of an ETC system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of devices arranged in an exit lane of the ETC system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram of a maintenance test remote operation system of an on-vehicle unit connection type used in the ETC system of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a maintenance test remote operation system in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a procedure of a maintenance test of the roadside device by the maintenance test remote operation system shown in FIGS. 3 and 4;

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a maintenance test item selection screen displayed on a display unit of a console unit.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a procedure of a stored data restoring process of the lane server using the maintenance test remote operation system shown in FIGS. 3 and 4;

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a format of a specification information file.

FIG. 9 is a view showing a format of a specification information file.

[Explanation of symbols]

 A: Vehicle 1: On-board unit 1A: Card slot unit 2, 102: First vehicle detecting device 3, 103: Second vehicle detecting device 4, 104: Third vehicle detecting device 5, 105: Roadside display 6 , 106: transmission controller 7: fourth vehicle detection device 8, 108: first antenna 9, 109: second antenna 10, 110: lane server 11, 111: signal light 12, 112: toll gate display board 31 ... Antenna 32 ... Wireless communication unit 33 ... Display unit 34 ... Operation unit 35 ... IC card R / W unit 36 ... CPU 37 ... Memory unit 44 ... Cable 50 ... Console unit 51 ... IC card unit I / F 52 ... Display unit 53 ... operation unit 54 ... CPU 55 ... memory unit 100 ... ETC maintenance unit

Claims (14)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of devices constituting a roadside system for collecting tolls through wireless communication with an onboard device, a lane control device for controlling the plurality of devices, a connection unit connectable to the onboard device, the roadside system Means for generating an instruction for activating a maintenance test of a plurality of devices in, and controlling the generated instruction to be transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device connected through the connection unit to the lane control device by wireless communication. And a maintenance unit having means. 2. A plurality of devices constituting a roadside system for toll collection through wireless communication with an on-vehicle device, a lane control device for controlling the plurality of devices, a connection unit connectable to the on-vehicle device, A display unit that displays a screen for selecting a device to start a maintenance test from among the devices, an operation unit that receives selection of a device to start a maintenance test from among the plurality of devices,
Means for generating an instruction for activating a maintenance test of the device selected by the operation unit, and transmitting the generated instruction to the roadside system by wireless communication from the vehicle-mounted device connected through the connection unit. A maintenance unit having means for controlling transmission to a lane control device for controlling the equipment. 3. A plurality of devices constituting a roadside system for toll collection through wireless communication with an on-vehicle device, a lane control device for controlling the plurality of devices, a connection unit connectable to the on-vehicle device, Means for generating an instruction for activating a maintenance test of the equipment, and transmitting the generated instruction from the vehicle-mounted device connected through the connection unit to a lane control device that controls the equipment of the roadside system by wireless communication. And a maintenance unit having means for taking and storing the stored data of the lane control device through the vehicle-mounted device connected through the connection unit. 4. A plurality of devices constituting a roadside system for toll collection through wireless communication with an on-vehicle device, a lane control device for controlling the plurality of devices, a connection unit connectable to the on-vehicle device, Means for generating an instruction for activating a maintenance test of the equipment, and transmitting the generated instruction from the vehicle-mounted device connected through the connection unit to a lane control device that controls the equipment of the roadside system by wireless communication. And a means for controlling the transmission of the program and / or data to be uploaded to the lane control device from the vehicle-mounted device connected through the connection unit to the lane control device by wireless communication. A toll collection system comprising a unit. 5. A plurality of devices constituting a roadside system for toll collection through wireless communication with an on-vehicle device, a lane control device for controlling the plurality of devices, a first connection unit connectable to the on-vehicle device, A second connection unit connectable to the car navigation system, a screen for selecting a device to start a maintenance test from among the plurality of devices, a display of the car navigation system connected through the second connection unit; Means for displaying on a unit, means for accepting selection of a device for which a maintenance test is to be started from among the plurality of devices to an operation unit of the car navigation system connected through the second connection unit, and the car navigation system Means for generating an instruction for activating a maintenance test of a device whose selection has been accepted by the operation unit, and A maintenance unit having means for controlling transmission of the generated instruction from the vehicle-mounted device connected through the connection unit to a lane controller that controls the device of the roadside system by wireless communication. Characterized toll collection system. 6. A connection unit connectable to an on-vehicle device, means for generating an instruction for activating a maintenance test of a plurality of devices constituting a roadside system for toll collection through wireless communication with the on-vehicle device, Means for controlling transmission of the generated instruction from the vehicle-mounted device connected through the connection unit to a lane control device that controls the device of the roadside system by wireless communication. Unit. 7. A connection unit connectable to an on-vehicle device, and a device for starting a maintenance test is selected from a plurality of devices constituting a roadside system for toll collection through wireless communication with the on-vehicle device. A display unit for displaying a screen, an operation unit for receiving a selection of a device to start a maintenance test from among the plurality of devices, and an instruction for starting a maintenance test for the device for which the selection has been received by the operation unit And a means for transmitting the generated instruction from the vehicle-mounted device connected through the connection unit to a lane control device that controls the device of the roadside system by wireless communication. A maintenance unit characterized in that: 8. A connection unit connectable to an on-vehicle device, means for generating an instruction for activating a maintenance test of a plurality of devices constituting a roadside system for toll collection through wireless communication with the on-vehicle device, Means for controlling the generated instruction to be transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device connected through the connection unit to a lane control device that controls the device of the roadside system by wireless communication, and storing data of the lane control device. Means for taking in and holding through the on-vehicle device connected through the connection portion. 9. A connection unit connectable to an on-vehicle device, means for generating an instruction for activating a maintenance test of a plurality of devices constituting a roadside system for toll collection through wireless communication with the on-vehicle device, Means for controlling the generated instruction to be transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device connected through the connection unit to a lane control device that controls the device of the roadside system by wireless communication, and a program to be uploaded to the lane control device And / or means for controlling data to be transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device connected through the connection unit to the lane control device by wireless communication. 10. A first connection unit connectable to an on-vehicle device, a second connection unit connectable to a car navigation system, and a plurality of road-side systems for toll collection through wireless communication with the on-vehicle device. Means for displaying, on the display unit of the car navigation system connected through the second connection unit, a screen for selecting a device for which a maintenance test is to be started from among the devices, and maintenance from among the plurality of devices. Means for accepting the selection of a device to start a test to the operation unit of the car navigation system connected through the second connection unit; and maintenance of the device selected by the operation unit of the car navigation system. Means for generating an instruction for activating a test; and the vehicle-mounted device connected to the generated instruction through the connection unit Maintenance unit, characterized in that a means for controlling to transmit the traffic lane controller for controlling the apparatus of the roadside system by Luo wireless communication. 11. A wireless communication means for communicating with a roadside wireless device, a card slot to which an IC card can be connected, and a roadside device provided from an external device through an IC card connected to the card slot. Means for receiving an instruction for activating the maintenance test of the vehicle, and means for transmitting the received instruction to a lane control device that controls the roadside device using the wireless communication means. In-vehicle device of the collection system. 12. A wireless communication means for communicating with a roadside wireless device, a card slot to which an IC card can be connected, and a roadside device provided from an external device through an IC card connected to the card slot. Means for receiving an instruction for activating the maintenance test of the apparatus, means for transmitting the received instruction to a lane control device that controls the roadside device using the wireless communication means, and stored data of the lane control device. Means for receiving the data using the wireless communication means and transferring the received data to the external device through an IC card connected to the card slot unit. 13. A wireless communication means for communicating with a roadside wireless device, a card slot to which an IC card can be connected, and a roadside device provided from an external device through an IC card connected to the card slot. A means for receiving an instruction for activating a maintenance test, a means for transmitting the received instruction to a lane control device that controls the roadside device using the wireless communication means, and a means connected to the card slot unit. Means for receiving a program and / or data uploaded to the lane control device from an external device through an IC card; and transmitting the received program and / or data to the lane control device using the wireless communication means. A vehicle-mounted device of a toll collection system comprising: 14. A maintenance method for a toll collection system including a plurality of devices constituting a roadside system for collecting tolls through wireless communication with an on-vehicle device and a lane control device for controlling the plurality of devices. Connect the maintenance unit, generate an instruction to start a maintenance test of the equipment in the maintenance unit, transmit the generated instruction to the lane control device by wireless communication through the vehicle-mounted device, A maintenance method for a toll collection system, wherein a maintenance test of the device is started by a lane control device.