JP2002074418A - On-vehicle equipment for automatic toll collection system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide on-vehicle equipment for automatic toll collection system, with which a screw is not required for assembling and fitting and miniaturization and reducing weight can be sufficiently attained, at a low cost. SOLUTION: A metal fitting 2 provided with slide parts 2a and 2b, an elastic engaging part 2c and an opening 2d for engaging is used for fitting on-vehicle equipment 1, this fitting metal is slid and inserted into a slide receiving part 1a provided on the on-vehicle equipment 1 and the opening 2d is engaged with an projecting engaging part 1b, so that the on-vehicle equipment 1 can be fixed on the metal fitting 2.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle-mounted device for an automatic toll collection system, and more particularly to a vehicle-mounted device suitable for being installed near a dashboard in a driver's seat of an automobile, and an IC card reading / writing device. The present invention relates to a vehicle-mounted device provided with a device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Automated toll collection is one of the techniques for eliminating traffic congestion on an expressway. For this reason, automatic toll collection is performed by wireless communication so that toll collection can be performed while a vehicle is running. The practical application of the system has been actively pursued in recent years.

[0003] Various proposals have heretofore been made in connection with this system. Among them, in recent years, in particular, proposals relating to the structure of the vehicle-mounted device have been increasing, and for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-43968. Discloses an information processing apparatus in which the number of fixed parts of the components is reduced in order to prevent unnecessary radiation without special additional components and to provide a device with good serviceability.

[0004] For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2000-15
No. 1142 discloses a fitting structure of an in-vehicle device housing in which the cover can be easily removed from the case when disassembled, and the fitting becomes difficult to be released even when an impact is applied after fastening. .

[0005]

In the above prior art, no consideration is given to the fact that screws are used for assembling the vehicle-mounted device itself and attaching it to the vehicle, so that the size and weight are reduced and the cost is reduced. Furthermore, there was a problem in securing security.

First, in the apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-43968, although the number of points used for assembling is reduced, it is not that screws are not used.
There is room for miniaturization and weight reduction.

If a screw is used to attach the member, a screw hole is required, and a considerable space is required for tightening the screw. Therefore, if the screws are left as they are, they can be easily removed, making it difficult to ensure security.

In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-151142, it is necessary to temporarily move the cover to release the fitting. For example, an IC card reader / writer (IC card reader / writer) used in an automatic toll collection system In the case of a structure that attaches a product that applies force when inserting and removing the card as in ()), the screw that stops the movement of the case is a screw, and a structure that supports the IC card reader / writer in a balanced manner is Not suitable.

Further, for example, in the case of an in-vehicle terminal device in an automatic toll collection system, information relating to money, such as reading / writing of fee information to / from an IC card and transmission / reception of vehicle information to / from roadside equipment, is not easily removable from a vehicle. Although a structure is desirable, a structure that can be easily attached when attaching is desired.

[0010] In addition, from the viewpoint of effective use of the limited interior space of the vehicle, it is necessary to have a structure that can be easily mounted in various places. As described above, in the case of the vehicle-mounted device, it is necessary to incorporate as many required functions as possible, but in this case, the size of the device may be large, which may obstruct the driver's view.

Incorporating parts for the mounting function into a small vehicle-mounted device requires a limited space in a limited space inside the vehicle-mounted device housing, which limits the function and complicates the structure. It is considered that the manufacturing cost increases because a large number of man-hours are required at the time of assembly.

An object of the present invention is to provide an in-vehicle device for an automatic toll collection system at a low cost, which does not require screws for assembly and mounting, and can be sufficiently reduced in size and weight.

[0013]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle-mounted device for an automatic toll collection system in which a toll on a road is collected and settled by wireless communication, wherein the vehicle-mounted device is slidably inserted into the vehicle-mounted device. This is achieved by being mounted on the vehicle via a mounting member that elastically engages with the engaging portion of the vehicle-mounted device.

At this time, the engaging portion of the vehicle-mounted device may have a recess for inserting a disengaging tool.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an on-vehicle device for an automatic toll collection system, which comprises an IC card reader / writer having a substantially rectangular outer shape, and which collects and setstles road usage charges by wireless communication. An assembling mechanism of the IC card reader / writer with respect to the vehicle-mounted device includes an insertion fitting portion between one side of the IC card reader / writer and the vehicle-mounted device, and the other side with the vehicle-mounted device. This is also achieved by being constituted by an elastic engaging portion located between them.

According to the present invention, since it is easy to attach to a vehicle but cannot be easily removed, the slide structure is adopted, so that it is possible to enhance the security and small size, light weight, and useless space. And the complexity is reduced by reducing the number of parts during assembly.

This not only reduces the size of the vehicle-mounted device, but also makes it easier to assemble it, and makes it possible to easily know the result of the assembling.

Further, according to the present invention, the structure is such that the IC card reader / writer can be assembled without using an assembly part such as a screw in the vehicle-mounted device main body, and the size and weight are reduced, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost. I was able to.

As a result, the in-vehicle device which is indispensable for the penetration of the automatic toll collection system into the society is spread, and various applications accompanying the automatic toll collection system such as electronic money, so-called mobile banking, etc. can be used. It is possible to provide a toll collection device that can greatly assist.

[0020]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a vehicle-mounted device for an automatic toll collection system according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the illustrated embodiments. FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes an on-board unit for an automatic toll collection system, which is mounted on a dashboard D of an automobile.

As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle-mounted device 1 is provided with a slide receiving portion 1a on a bottom surface thereof, and a metal fitting 2 serving as a mounting member is engaged with the slide receiving portion 1a. As shown in FIG. 1, it is mounted on a dashboard D of an automobile via a bracket 3 attached to the metal fitting 2.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 2, the bracket 3 is provided with a mounting surface seat 3a. By mounting the mounting surface seat 3a on the dashboard D, the vehicle-mounted device 1 can be mounted. It can be attached to the dashboard D.

Next, the structure of the mounting portion between the vehicle-mounted device 1 and the metal fitting 2 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. In each of these figures, the vehicle-mounted device 1 is turned over and the bracket 2 is shown together with the bracket 2 removed.

First, the metal fitting 2 is made of an elastic material such as a steel plate, for example, so that its planar shape is substantially in the shape of a zigzag as shown in the figure. Slide portions 2a and 2b are formed on both sides, respectively, and an elastic engagement portion 2c is formed on a central portion.

Therefore, if the bottom surface of the vehicle-mounted device 1 is now lightly touched on the metal fitting 2 (the lower side in the figure) and is moved in the direction of arrow A, the sliding portions 2a and 2b are located on both sides of the bottom surface of the vehicle-mounted device 1. In the groove of the slide receiving portion 1a, and is inserted into the groove.

At this time, on the bottom surface of the vehicle-mounted device 1, between the slide receiving portions 1a, as shown in the figure, there is provided an engagement projection 1b having a slope formed at one end side. ,
As the slide portions 2a and 2b of the fitting 2 are inserted between the slide receiving portions 1a of the on-vehicle device 1, the elastic engaging portions 2c of the fitting 2 are elastically deformed and engaged while bending as shown in FIG. Riding on the slope of the projection 1b.

Here, first, as shown in the drawing, the elastic engaging portion 2c is provided with an opening 2d for engaging, and the other end of the engaging projecting portion 1b having the slope is formed. The opposite end is formed as a steep surface so that it is locked when the opening 2d is fitted.

Then, the vehicle-mounted device 1 is pushed and the opening 2
When d reaches the end of the engagement protrusion 1b, as shown in FIG. 5, the elastic engagement portion 2c returns by elasticity, so that the opening 2d engages with the engagement protrusion 1b. 1 is metal fittings 2
Will be fixed to.

Therefore, according to this embodiment, the vehicle-mounted device 1
Is only required to insert the vehicle-mounted device 1 into the fitting 2, so that the work required for the mounting can be greatly simplified. Also,
According to this embodiment, the vehicle-mounted device 1 can be attached to the bracket 3 without using a screw, so that a space for screwing is not required, and the vehicle-mounted device 1 can be downsized.

Therefore, according to this embodiment, even if the vehicle-mounted device 1 is placed on the dashboard D, there is little possibility that the driver's view will be obstructed, and safety can be sufficiently ensured. . Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the screwing becomes unnecessary, so that the vehicle-mounted device 1 is reduced in weight and cost.

By the way, the vehicle-mounted device 1 according to this embodiment
Can be easily attached to the bracket 3 by simply inserting it into the bracket 2, but it is difficult to remove. Therefore, as described below, as an onboard device for an automatic toll collection system, It can be said that extremely favorable attributes are given.

That is, such an in-vehicle device cannot be widely used unless it is easily attached to a user, which hinders the purchase motivation. On the other hand, the in-vehicle device generally uses an IC card reading / writing device. The reason for this is that if the device is equipped with an embedded device and has information about money, if it can be easily removed, it may cause unauthorized use and may be disadvantageous, which may cause a problem in maintaining security.

Nevertheless, since the occurrence of an abnormal situation such as a failure cannot be avoided in practice, it is inconvenient if it cannot be removed at all. Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG.
Is provided with a depression 1c at its upper part.

In response to this, as shown in FIG. 5, a special tool T for disengagement in which the tip of the square bar is folded back into a U-shape is prepared, in this case, The in-vehicle device 1 can be easily removed from the bracket 3.

For this reason, first, as shown in FIG. 5, the special tool T is picked up, and then, as shown in FIG. The projection 1b is to be inserted into the depression 1c. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 7, the folded portion of the special tool T is moved from the tip side (left side in the figure) of the opening 2d so as to enter between the elastic engagement portion 2c and the bottom of the vehicle-mounted device 1. .

Then, as a result of the bent portion of the special tool T entering, the elastic engaging portion 2c rises from the bottom of the vehicle-mounted device 1 against its own elasticity, and as shown in the drawing, the engaging projecting portion 1b The lock is released. Therefore, if the vehicle-mounted device 1 is pulled in the direction of arrow B while maintaining this state, the vehicle-mounted device 1 can be removed from the bracket 3.

In this case, a special tool T is required to remove the vehicle-mounted device 1, and as a result, this special tool T plays a role as a kind of key. Therefore, according to this embodiment, Under the condition, it is possible to sufficiently cope with the occurrence of an abnormal situation such as a failure.

Here, when the mounting position of the vehicle-mounted device 1 by the bracket 3 is close to the surface of the dashboard D as shown in FIG. 1, screws are used for fixing these to each other and for fixing the bracket to the vehicle. In this case, screw fastening can be applied to only one of the fixings.

For example, if the vehicle-mounted device and the bracket are screwed, no screw is used to secure the bracket to the vehicle. Conversely, if the screw is used to secure the bracket to the vehicle, the vehicle-mounted device and the bracket are Screw fixing cannot be applied to the fixation of.

Therefore, in this case, it is only possible to apply a fixing method other than screwing, for example, using an adhesive, in this case. In this case, it is difficult to secure a sufficient fixing force, and there is a risk of theft. Is inevitable.

However, according to the above embodiment, after the bracket 3 is mounted on the dashboard D, the vehicle-mounted device 1 is mounted on the bracket 3 without being screwed. Stops will be applicable.

Therefore, according to this embodiment, firm mounting can be easily obtained, and after the vehicle-mounted device 1 is inserted into the bracket 3 and mounted, the screws used for mounting the bracket 3 cannot be removed. Therefore, high security can be easily provided.

In the above embodiment, the vehicle-mounted device 1 is mounted on the dashboard D as shown in FIG. However, as an embodiment of the present invention, FIG.
The vehicle-mounted device 1 may be mounted below the dashboard D as shown in FIG.

In the case of this embodiment, as shown in FIG.
A bracket is constituted by a member 30 in which the mounting surface seat 3a is positioned at a predetermined distance in parallel with the metal fitting 2. Then, the mounting surface seat 3a is mounted on the lower surface of the dashboard D, and the vehicle-mounted device 1 is mounted thereon.

Therefore, according to the embodiment of FIG. 8, the same operation and effect as those of the embodiment described with reference to FIG. 1 can be obtained.
Since the vehicle-mounted device can be kept out of the field of view of the driver, safety can be further improved.

By the way, in the automatic toll collection system to which the present invention is applied, an on-board unit is usually used by attaching an IC card reader / writer (IC card reader / writer). Therefore, an embodiment of the vehicle-mounted device for an automatic toll collection system according to the present invention including an IC card reader / writer will be described below with reference to FIG.

FIG. 10 shows an embodiment of the present invention. Here, the IC card reader / writer 10 is formed as a thin cube having a square planar shape.
It is designed to be mounted on the bottom of the on-vehicle device main body (the original on-vehicle device excluding a part of a casing such as a bottom plate) 1A.

Accordingly, a rectangular space (space) 1s for accommodating the IC card reader / writer 10 is provided at the bottom of the vehicle-mounted device main body 1A as shown in FIG.
On one side of A, an IC card insertion / extraction port 11 is provided. Note that, here, the in-vehicle device main body 1A is illustrated as viewed from the bottom side.

The IC card reader / writer 10
Is inserted into the space 1s from the bottom side of the vehicle-mounted device body 1A, and is attached by an insertion fitting portion (described later) and an elastic engagement portion (also described later).

For this reason, first, the IC card reader / writer 10
On one side (the right side in the figure), two fitting projections 1
2 (FIGS. 11 to 13) are provided separately on both sides.
On the other side (the left side in the figure) facing this side, two engagement positioning projections 13 are provided separately on both sides.

On the other hand, one inner wall surface (the right wall surface in the figure) of the vehicle-mounted device body 1A forming the space 1s is provided with the fitting projection 1.
2, the protrusion insertion portion 14 having a fitting hole
The other inner wall surface (the left wall surface in the figure) facing this inner wall surface has an engagement positioning projection 13.
In response to the above, two engagement positioning base portions 15 each having a positioning concave portion are provided.

Further, two elastic engaging claws 16 are provided in the vicinity of the engaging positioning base 15 so as to rise from the bottom of the space 1s. Here, in FIG. 10, the elastic engaging claw 16 is formed so as to be able to bend with a predetermined elasticity when a force in a diagonally upper left direction is applied in FIG.

Next, the attachment of the IC card reader / writer 10 to the vehicle-mounted device main body 1A in this embodiment will be described. First, with the side of the IC card reader / writer 10 on which the fitting projection 12 is provided, as shown in FIG. 11, the IC card reader / writer 10 is obliquely inserted into the space 1s of the vehicle-mounted device body 1A. Put in.

Next, when the IC card reader / writer 10 is pushed in the direction indicated by the arrow X in FIG. 12 and is moved so that the fitting projection 12 enters the hole of the projection insertion portion 14, FIG. As shown in (1), the fitting projection 12 is fitted into the projection insertion portion 14, and the movement is stopped.

Therefore, this time, the IC card reader / writer 1
13 is pushed in the direction of the arrow Y in FIG. 13, and moved to a position where the engagement positioning projection 13 enters the recess of the engagement positioning base 15. Then, the side of the IC card reader / writer 10 comes into contact with the oblique portion of the tip of the elastic engaging claw 16 on the way.

Therefore, the IC card reader / writer 10
, The elastic engaging claw 16 elastically bends to the left in the figure,
The side of the IC card reader / writer 10 enters the hooked portion, and the side of the IC card reader / writer 10 is engaged with the elastic engaging claws 16 as shown in FIG. ,
IC card reader / writer 1 in space 1s of vehicle-mounted device body 1A
0 is fixed.

At this time, the positioning of the IC card reader / writer 10 with respect to the vehicle-mounted device main body 1A is given as follows. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is necessary to mount the IC card reader / writer 10. A high positional accuracy can be easily obtained.

That is, first, the fitting projection 12 and the projection insertion part 14 constitute the above-described insertion fitting part, whereby the IC card reader / writer 10 is restrained in the front-rear and left-right directions of the vehicle-mounted device body 1A. Thus, positioning in these directions is obtained.

Next, the side of the IC card reader / writer 10, the elastic engaging claw 16, the engaging positioning projection 13, and the engaging positioning base 15 constitute the above-mentioned elastic engaging portion. Since the IC card reader / writer 10 is restrained in the vertical direction of the vehicle-mounted device body 1A, positioning in these directions can be obtained.

Here, since the IC card reader / writer requires a large force when inserting / removing the card, it requires a considerable strength to attach the card. Therefore, screwing is generally required. Is difficult to miniaturize, and requires rather complicated work.

According to this embodiment, however, the IC card reader / writer 1 can be used without using a fastening member such as a screw.
0 can be firmly fixed, so that the size can be sufficiently reduced.
Since only the fitting and insertion of the C card reader / writer 10 is sufficient, the mounting operation is greatly simplified, and the cost can be further reduced.

In this embodiment, the elastic engaging claw 1
6 away from the side of IC card reader / writer 10
If the IC card reader / writer 10 is pulled away while being pushed (in the upper left direction in FIG. 10), the IC card reader / writer 10 can be easily removed from the vehicle-mounted device main body 1A.

Therefore, according to this embodiment, the replacement of the IC card reader / writer 10 is easy, and at this time, as in the case of using a tapping screw, the fastening force may be weakened by repeated fixing and removing. Not even.

In the above embodiment, the fitting projection 12 and the engagement positioning projection 13 to be provided on the IC card reader / writer 10 are left as they are from the main frame of the IC card reader / writer 10. It is desirable from the viewpoint of both dimensional accuracy and strength to be straightened without bending.

[0065]

According to the present invention, the mounting of the vehicle-mounted device and the assembly of the vehicle-mounted device itself can be performed without using fastening parts such as screws, so that the vehicle-mounted device for the automatic toll collection system can be reduced in size. The weight can be easily reduced, and the cost can be reduced.

Further, according to the present invention, the downsizing of the on-vehicle device makes it possible to effectively use the limited installation space in the vehicle compartment and to easily further enhance the functions.

Further, according to the present invention, since a predetermined special tool is required for removing the vehicle-mounted device, sufficient security can be ensured despite easy installation.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an embodiment in which an onboard device for an automatic toll collection system according to the present invention is installed on a dashboard of an automobile.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing a mounting portion in one embodiment of the vehicle-mounted device for an automatic toll collection system according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view of a mounting bracket in one embodiment of the vehicle-mounted device for an automatic toll collection system according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view of a mounting bracket in one embodiment of the vehicle-mounted device for an automatic toll collection system according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of an operation of removing the vehicle-mounted device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a detaching operation of the vehicle-mounted device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of an operation of removing the vehicle-mounted device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory view showing an embodiment in which the vehicle-mounted device for an automatic toll collection system according to the present invention is installed under a dashboard of a vehicle.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory view showing a mounting portion in one embodiment of the vehicle-mounted device for an automatic toll collection system according to the present invention.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory view showing an attached state of an IC card reader / writer in an embodiment of the vehicle-mounted device for an automatic toll collection system according to the present invention.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of an attaching operation of an IC card reader / writer in an embodiment of the vehicle-mounted device for an automatic toll collection system according to the present invention.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of an attaching operation of an IC card reader / writer in one embodiment of the vehicle-mounted device for an automatic toll collection system according to the present invention.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of an attaching operation of an IC card reader / writer in one embodiment of the vehicle-mounted device for an automatic toll collection system according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Onboard equipment 1A Onboard equipment main body 1a Slide receiving part 1b Engagement projection part 2 Metal fittings (member for attachment) 2a, 2b Slide part 2c Elastic engagement part 2d Opening for engagement 3 Bracket 3a Mounting surface seat 10 IC card read / write Inserting device (IC card reader / writer) 11 IC card insertion / extraction opening 12 Fitting projection 13 Engagement positioning projection 14 Projection insertion section 15 Engagement positioning base 16 Elastic engagement claw D Dashboard T Special tool

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An on-vehicle device for an automatic toll collection system in which a toll on a road is collected and settled by wireless communication. A vehicle-mounted device for an automatic toll collection system, wherein the vehicle-mounted device is configured to be mounted on a vehicle via a mounting member that is engaged with the vehicle. 2. The vehicle-mounted device for an automatic toll collection system according to claim 1, wherein the engagement portion of the vehicle-mounted device has a recess for inserting a disengagement tool. 3. An in-vehicle device for an automatic toll collection system, comprising an IC card reader / writer having an approximately rectangular outer shape, wherein a toll on a road is collected and settled by wireless communication. The mounting mechanism of the device to the vehicle-mounted device includes an insertion fitting portion between one side of the IC card reader / writer and the vehicle-mounted device, and an elasticity between the other side and the vehicle-mounted device. An in-vehicle device for an automatic toll collection system, comprising an engagement portion.