JP2001338313A - On-vehicle device for automatic toll collection - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To forcedly finish automatic toll collection processing when moving out of a toll road by paying toll without using an ETC system at an exit toll gate. SOLUTION: When detecting that a vehicle is in the middle of traveling on a general road except for the toll road based on distance information between the present place and the toll road from a navigation system and road information from a beacon receiver when the automatic toll collection processing is not finished, the automatic toll collection processing is made to finish forcedly. Thus, even when moving out of the toll road by paying the toll without using the ETC system at the exit tollgate, automatic toll collection system is prevented from stopping normal operation such as generating IC card non- loading warning.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a non-stop automatic toll collection system (Electoronic) for automatically collecting tolls without stopping vehicles at entrances and exits of toll roads.
Toll Collection System (hereinafter referred to as ETC).

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Wireless communication is performed with devices (hereinafter referred to as roadside devices) installed at an entrance tollgate, a check barrier, an exit tollgate of a toll road, and the toll is automatically set without stopping the vehicle. There is known an ETC system for receiving (for example, see JP-A-08-305908).

In this vehicle-mounted device for an ETC system, entrance tollgate information such as a tollgate number, a lane gate number, and a tollgate passage date and time received from a roadside device when an entrance tollgate is added is stored in a memory. The toll payment IC card is locked so that it cannot be removed from the device, and the automatic toll collection process is started. Turn off the ignition key switch in the service area or parking area of the toll road,
When the ignition key switch is turned on again, if the entrance tollgate information is stored in the memory and the toll payment IC card is not mounted on the vehicle-mounted device, a warning is issued to prompt the user to mount the IC card. Also, when the vehicle receives the exit tollgate information from the roadside equipment when passing through the exit tollgate, performs toll collection processing, cancels the IC card removal lock and IC card removal warning, and performs automatic toll collection processing. finish.

[0004]

By the way, at an exit tollgate, a toll is paid directly from an IC card such as a prepaid card or paid in cash without collecting a toll by an ETC system. .
In such a case, in the conventional automatic toll collection in-vehicle device, the entrance tollgate information remains stored in the memory,
Since the series of toll collection processing is not completed, the in-vehicle device continues to recognize that the vehicle is traveling on the toll road even though the vehicle has left the toll road. Therefore, if the ignition key switch is turned on without attaching the IC card to the in-vehicle device, an IC card non-attachment warning is issued,
There is a problem that the ETC system does not operate normally.

An object of the present invention is to forcibly terminate the automatic toll collection process when a toll is paid at an exit tollgate without using an ETC system and the vehicle leaves a toll road.

[0006]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, an automatic toll collection process is started when a vehicle passes through an entrance tollgate on a toll road, and is automatically processed when a vehicle passes through an exit tollgate. Is applied to the in-vehicle device for automatic toll collection. Detecting means 1a, 3 and 4 for detecting that the vehicle is passing on a general road other than the toll road; and automatic toll collection when the automatic road tolling is detected when the automatic toll collection process is not completed. Control means 1a for forcibly terminating the processing, thereby achieving the above object. (2) The on-vehicle device for automatic toll collection according to claim 2, wherein the detecting means includes the navigation device 3, detects the current location by the navigation device 3, calculates the distance between the current location and the toll road, and determines the distance between the current location and the toll road. If the distance is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, it is determined that the vehicle is traveling on a general road. (3) The on-vehicle device for automatic toll collection according to claim 3, wherein the detecting means includes the beacon receiver 4, receives the road information by the beacon receiver 4, and uses the road information indicating that the vehicle is traveling on a general road to determine whether the vehicle is traveling on a general road. This is to detect.

In the section of the means for solving the above-described problem, a diagram of one embodiment is used for easy understanding of the description, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. .

[0008]

According to the present invention, when the automatic toll collection processing is not completed, the toll road is determined based on the distance information between the present location and the toll road from the navigation device and the road information from the beacon receiver. If it is detected that the vehicle is traveling on a general road other than the above, the automatic toll collection process will be forcibly terminated, so pay the toll at the exit tollgate without using the ETC system. Even when the vehicle leaves the road, it is possible to prevent the automatic toll collection system from malfunctioning, for example, issuing an IC card non-attachment warning while traveling on a general road.

[0009]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment. An on-board device for automatic toll collection according to one embodiment includes:
It comprises an ETC unit 1, an IC card 2, a navigation device 3, and a beacon receiver 4.

The ETC unit 1 is composed mainly of a CPU 1a. The CPU 1a includes a transmission / reception circuit 1b, a card interface 1c, an EEPROM 1d, a RAM 1e, a card lock actuator 1f, a card mounting detection sensor 1
g, a display 1h, a speaker 1i, an ignition key switch 5, and the like. Transmission / reception circuit 1
a is the toll booth, check barrier,
It performs wireless communication with a roadside device (not shown) such as an exit tollgate, receives entrance tollgate information and exit tollgate information from the roadside device, and transmits IC card information and vehicle information to the roadside device.

The card interface 1c is an IC card 2
It communicates with the IC card 2, receives ID and balance information from the IC card 2, and transmits entrance tollgate information and toll information to the IC card 2. The EEPROM 1d is a nonvolatile memory that stores vehicle information and the like, and the RAM 1e stores entrance tollgate information, exit tollgate information, and the like. The card lock actuator 1f drives a card lock mechanism (not shown) to lock the IC card 2 inserted in the card insertion slot (not shown) so that the IC card 2 cannot be removed.

The card loading detection sensor 1g detects that the IC card 2 has been inserted into the card insertion slot (not shown). The display 1h displays toll information, balance information of the IC card 2, and the like, and the speaker 1i broadcasts tolls, balances, and the like, and warns of impossibility of traffic due to insufficient balance. In addition, information related to the ETC system may be notified by the display and the speaker of the navigation device 3.

The IC card 2 is a prepaid card, a postpaid card, a coupon card or a voucher card.
PU 2a, EEPROM 2b for storing ID, and RAM 2c for storing entrance tollgate information, toll information, etc.
It has.

The navigation device 3 includes a GPS receiver,
Equipped with a heading detection sensor, a mileage detection sensor, a road map database, etc., detects the current location and heading of the vehicle by known satellite navigation and self-contained navigation, calculates the distance between the current location and the toll road that is passing, and ETC. Provide to unit 1. The beacon receiver 4 communicates with a roadside beacon transmitter installed on the roadside, and receives the current location, road information, traffic congestion information, and the like.

FIGS. 2 to 4 are flowcharts showing the automatic toll collection process. The operation of the embodiment will be described with reference to these flowcharts. When the ignition key switch 5 of the vehicle is turned on, the CPU 1 of the ETC unit 1
a starts this automatic toll collection process. In step 1, it is confirmed whether an ETC in-use flag indicating that the automatic toll collection is being performed using the ETC system is set.

If the ETC in-use flag is set, the process proceeds to step 2, where it is checked whether the IC card 2 is mounted on the ETC unit 1 by the card mounting detection sensor 1g. When the automatic toll collection is performed using the ETC system, the IC card 2
If the IC card 2 is not mounted, the process proceeds to step 3, and the display 1h and the speaker 1i warn that the IC card 2 is not mounted.

When the automatic toll collection is being performed using the ETC system, the user stops at the service area or the parking area, removes the IC card 2 from the ETC unit 1, and uses the IC card 2 for accounting other than toll payment. Sometimes. In such a case, when returning to the vehicle and turning on the ignition key switch 5, if the IC card 2 is forgotten to be mounted on the ETC unit 1 even when the ETC is in use, a warning that the card is not mounted is issued.

If it is determined in step 1 that the ETC busy flag is not set, the process proceeds to step 4 to check whether the vehicle has passed an entrance tollgate or a check barrier on a toll road. On toll roads equipped with an ETC system, roadside devices are installed near gates such as entrance toll gates, check barriers, and exit toll gates, and system information is constantly transmitted to the on-board device for automatic toll collection. This system information includes information on whether or not there is a charge.
The C unit 1 recognizes the passage of the toll road gate by receiving the system information, and judges that the entrance tollgate or the check barrier is in the case of “no charge” and the exit tollgate or the check barrier in the case of “charged”. Judge as simple receipt.

If the vehicle has passed through the entrance tollgate or the check barrier, the process proceeds to step 5, where the ID and balance information are read from the IC card 2 and transmitted to the roadside device. In the following step 6, the entrance tollgate information is received from the roadside device,
e. This entrance tollgate information includes toll road information,
The information includes tollgate number information, toll information, information on whether or not to pass. The tolerability information is information obtained as a result of the roadside device determining whether there is any problem in toll payment based on the ID and balance information received from the in-vehicle device for automatic toll collection.

In step 7, it is confirmed whether or not "passable" has been received from the roadside device. If it is received, the process proceeds to step 8, and if it is received, the process proceeds to step 10. If the vehicle is allowed to pass, in step 8, the display 1h and the speaker 1i inform the driver that the vehicle is allowed to pass and the toll gate information. In step 9, the card lock actuator 1f locks the IC card 2 so that it cannot be removed, and uses ETC. The middle flag is set and the routine proceeds to step 21.

On the other hand, when the vehicle is not allowed to pass, at step 10, the display 1h and the speaker 1i inform the driver that the vehicle is not allowed to pass, and at step 11, the entrance tollgate information stored in the RAM 1e is erased and the process returns to step 1.

In step 21, when the system information of "charged" is received from the roadside device, it is determined that the exit is a tollgate or simple collection, and the process proceeds to step 22. In step 22, the ID and balance information are read from the IC card 2 and transmitted to the roadside device. Roadside device is IC card 2
It is determined whether or not the toll can be paid, and if the toll can be paid, toll collection processing is performed, and the exit tollgate information is transmitted to the automatic toll collection vehicle-mounted device. The exit tollgate information includes toll information, balance information, tollgate number information, pass / fail information, and the like. The tolerability information is information obtained as a result of the roadside device determining whether there is any problem in toll payment based on the ID and balance information received from the in-vehicle device for automatic toll collection.

In step 24, it is confirmed whether or not "permitted" has been received from the roadside device. If it has been received, the process proceeds to step 25, and if it has been received, it proceeds to step 27. If the vehicle is permitted to pass, in step 25, the display 1h and the speaker 1i inform the driver that the vehicle is permitted to pass and exit tollgate information. In step 26, the IC card 2 is unlocked by the card lock actuator 1f and the ETC in-use flag is set. Reset and R
The entrance tollgate information and the exit tollgate information stored in AM1e are deleted, and the process returns to step 1.

On the other hand, if it is not possible to pass, in step 27, the display 1h and the speaker 1i are notified of the impassability, then the process proceeds to step 26 to unlock the IC card 2 and reset the ETC in-use flag as described above.
After performing the memory clear, the process returns to step 1.

If it is determined in step 21 that the vehicle is not passing through the exit tollgate or receiving simply, the process proceeds to step 31.
Check whether the ETC busy flag is set. If the ETC in-use flag is set, the process proceeds to step 32; otherwise, the process returns to step 1. In step 32, the beacon information received by the beacon receiver 4 is received by the CPU 1a, and in step 33, it is confirmed whether or not the vehicle is traveling on a general road other than the toll road based on the road information included in the beacon information.

When the vehicle is traveling on a general road, the toll is not collected by the ETC system at the exit tollgate, the charging process is terminated, and it is determined that the vehicle has exited the toll road and travels on the general road. Proceed to 37. In step 37, the IC card 2 is unlocked by the card lock actuator 1f, the ETC in-use flag is reset, and the entrance tollgate information and the exit tollgate information stored in the RAM 1e are erased.

If it is determined that the vehicle is not traveling on a general road, the process proceeds to step 34, where the information on the toll road that is traveling and stored in the RAM 1e is sent to the navigation device 3.

The navigation apparatus 3 receives the toll road information in step 41, and calculates the shortest distance between the toll road recognized as being passed and the current location in step 42. In step 43, the distance information of the calculation result is sent to the ETC unit 1.

The ETC unit 1 receives the distance information between the toll road and the current location from the navigation device 3 in step 35, and determines in step 36 that the distance between the toll road recognized as being passing and the current location is determined. Check if it is more than 200m away. If the vehicle is 200 m or more away, the toll is not collected by the ETC system at the exit tollgate, the charging process ends, and it is determined that the vehicle has exited the toll road and travels on a general road.

If the distance is more than 200 m, step 3
7 and the card lock actuator 1f
The lock of the C card 2 is released, the ETC in-use flag is reset, and the entrance tollgate information and the exit tollgate information stored in the RAM 1e are deleted. Meanwhile, 2
If the vehicle is not separated by more than 00 m, it is determined that the vehicle is still on a toll road, and the process returns to step 21.

As described above, according to this embodiment,
When the automatic toll collection process at the exit tollgate has not been completed, the vehicle is traveling on a general road other than the toll road based on the distance information between the current location and the toll road from the navigation device or the road information from the beacon receiver. When the toll is detected, the automatic toll collection process is forcibly terminated, so even if the user pays a toll at the exit tollgate without using the ETC system and exits the toll road, For example, it is possible to prevent the automatic toll collection system from malfunctioning, for example, issuing an IC card non-attachment warning while traveling on a general road.

In the above-described embodiment, the vehicle may be traveling on a general road other than the toll road based on the distance information between the current position and the toll road from the navigation device or the road information from the beacon receiver. Although the detection example has been described, the method of detecting that the vehicle is traveling on a general road other than the toll road is not limited to the method of the above-described embodiment.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an automatic toll collection process.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an automatic toll collection process following FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an automatic toll collection process following FIG. 3;

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 ETC unit 1a CPU 1b transmission / reception circuit 1c IC card interface 1d EEPROM 1e RAM 1f Card lock actuator 1g Card loading detection sensor 1h Display 1i Speaker 1j Antenna 2 IC card 2a CPU 2b EEPROM 2c RAM 3 Navigation device 4 Beacon receiver 5 ignition switch

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) G08G 1/017 G08G 1/017 F term (Reference) 2F029 AA02 AB01 AB07 AC14 AC18 3E027 EA01 EB02 5B049 AA01 BB00 CC36 CC39 DD00 5B058 CA02 KA02 KA04 KA06 KA08 KA12 YA02 5H180 BB12 EE10 FF04 FF05 FF27

Claims (3)

[Claims] Claims: 1. An on-vehicle device for automatic toll collection which starts automatic toll collection processing when passing through an entrance tollgate of a toll road, and terminates automatic toll collection processing when passing through an exit tollgate. Detecting means for detecting that the vehicle is traveling on ordinary roads, and control means for forcibly terminating the automatic toll collection processing when the detection of traffic on ordinary roads has not been completed yet. An in-vehicle device for automatic toll collection, comprising: 2. The on-vehicle device for automatic toll collection according to claim 1, wherein said detecting means includes a navigation device, detects a current position by the navigation device, calculates a distance between the current position and a toll road, and calculates a current position and a toll road. When the distance to the road is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, it is determined that the vehicle is traveling on a general road. 3. The on-vehicle device for automatic toll collection according to claim 1, wherein said detection means includes a beacon receiver, receives road information by a beacon receiver, and uses road information indicating that general road traffic is in progress. An on-vehicle device for automatic toll collection, characterized in that it detects whether the vehicle is traveling on a general road.