JP2002170138A - System and method for providing information to vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an incentive to installation of an on-vehicle device for widespread use of the on-vehicle device by providing information advantageous for users of specific vehicles carrying the on-vehicle devices. SOLUTION: This system includes an on-vehicle device information receiving part 20 for receiving information about the on-vehicle device from an entrance communication means installed at the entrance of a specific area; a specific vehicle identifying part 21 for identifying the specific vehicles if receiving the on-vehicle device information; and an information providing part 26 for providing traffic jam information to the users of the specific vehicles. The traffic jam information is estimated by a congested condition estimating part 25 according to both the number of vehicles remaining in the specific area, which is calculated from the number of entering vehicles and the number of exiting vehicles, and the number of vehicles that can pass at or above a predetermined speed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a so-called toll road automatic toll collection system (hereinafter referred to as "ETC system" (ET)
C: abbreviation for Electronic Toll Collection), an information providing system used for road pricing, and an information providing method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, the introduction of an ETC system has been promoted as a toll road toll system. The ETC system is a system that receives information necessary for paying a toll from a vehicle by using two-way wireless communication when the vehicle passes through a toll collection gate on a toll road. According to the ETC system, unlike the current toll collection system, there is no need to temporarily stop the vehicle for the purpose of toll collection. For this reason, it is possible to solve the problem of traffic congestion on toll roads, and there are various advantages such as no need to construct complicated toll road entrance / exit roads.

[0003] In this ETC system, for example, when a vehicle equipped with an in-vehicle device passes through a toll gate, two-way wireless communication is performed between a roadside device installed in front of a passing gate and the in-vehicle device, and It is configured to settle the usage fee based on the stored vehicle information and the user information stored in the IC card.

On the other hand, introduction of a so-called road pricing system is being studied as a measure for eliminating traffic congestion in a specific area such as an urban area or a sightseeing spot. This is a system that reduces traffic congestion by reducing the number of vehicles entering the area by collecting special tolls, also called toll taxes, from vehicles entering the roads (general roads) in a specific area. Has begun to be introduced.

[0005] In the introduction of this road pricing, as in the case of the present toll roads, it is necessary to reduce labor costs and the like required for toll collection, eliminate congestion in tollgates, and perform fair charging. Challenges must be solved. That is, in the case where a person in charge is arranged at all entrances and exits to enter a specific toll area to collect tolls, a large number of personnel are required and enormous labor costs are required.

In addition, since a large number of toll booths will be set up in a relatively narrow area, if toll collection is performed in the same manner as a current expressway, there is a possibility that congestion will locally occur around the entrance. However, it is not enough as a congestion elimination measure.

Further, in the case where only vehicles satisfying / not satisfying certain conditions are charged / free, or different fees are set according to the type of vehicle, the type of vehicle is determined instantaneously at the entrance. You must ensure that accurate fees are collected and you are charged fairly.

Therefore, when the road pricing is put into practical use, the above-mentioned unmanned toll booth is installed on a road that enters a specific toll area, and two-way communication is performed between the passing gate and the vehicle-mounted device. In addition, it is preferable that the vehicle type and the like be instantaneously determined, and the toll collection be performed nonstop. As described above, it is necessary to mount an on-vehicle device in a vehicle in order to realize road pricing.

[0009]

However, the in-vehicle device is expensive at about tens of thousands of yen, and the user has to bear the cost required for installation on the vehicle and for predetermined setup. For this reason, it is currently difficult to require all vehicles to be mounted.

The present invention provides an incentive for a driver of a vehicle without a vehicle-mounted device to purchase a new vehicle-mounted device by providing advantageous information to a driver of a specific vehicle having the vehicle-mounted device. It is an object of the present invention to provide an information providing system and a method for providing the information.

[0011]

According to a first main aspect of the present invention, a vehicle installed at a boundary of a specific area and monitoring vehicles passing through the boundary is provided. An information providing system, comprising: a monitoring unit, a counting unit that counts information on vehicles in the specific area based on the monitoring, and a counting result providing unit that provides the counting result to the vehicle. Provided. According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, the tallying result providing means provides the tallying result in a form that can be received only by a predetermined receiver. In particular, it is preferable that the receiver is for charging the vehicle by wireless communication when passing through the boundary.

[0012] According to such a configuration, the traffic congestion information and the like can be provided only to the driver of a vehicle equipped with a predetermined receiver such as an in-vehicle device, thereby providing an incentive for purchasing the in-vehicle device and the like. In the following, the in-vehicle device refers to all in-vehicle communication devices used for receiving and transmitting ETC and load pricing charging information.

Further, in the case where the vehicle-mounted device is mounted on all the vehicles in the future, by providing traffic congestion information and the like to all the vehicles, the vehicles are guided to another road or the like so as to avoid the traffic congestion. Or encourage the use of other transportation means, and consequently reduce traffic congestion in a specific area.

According to another embodiment, the tallying result providing means may provide the tallying result in a form that can be received only by a receiver mounted on a predetermined type of vehicle. preferable.

According to such a configuration, the traffic congestion information and the like can be provided only to a vehicle equipped with a receiver such as the on-vehicle device, which provides an incentive to purchase the on-vehicle device.

According to another embodiment, it is preferable that the predetermined type of vehicle is determined according to the attributes of the vehicle and the attributes of the driver.

According to such a configuration, it is possible to determine whether or not the vehicle is of a predetermined type in consideration of the attributes of the vehicle such as the type of the vehicle and the fuel used, and the attributes such as the address of the driver. Etc., and contribute to environmental conservation.

According to another preferred embodiment,
The tallying result providing means provides the tallying result to vehicles located in and around the specific area.

The counting means has a congestion status estimating section for estimating the congestion status in the specific area based on the monitoring by the monitoring means, and the counting result providing means estimates the congestion status by the congestion status estimating section. Preferably, the congestion state is provided to the predetermined type of vehicle.

According to such a configuration, the driver of the vehicle equipped with the on-vehicle device can be informed of the congestion state in the specific area. Since the congestion state in this case is based on monitoring by the monitoring means, it can be provided as objective information to some extent, and can be updated in real time.

The congestion status estimating unit estimates the number of vehicles in the specific area based on the number of vehicles entering the specific area and the number of vehicles exiting the specific area. Is preferably estimated.

According to such a configuration, the number of vehicles staying in the specific area is estimated based on the number of vehicles actually entering the specific area and the number of vehicles leaving the specific area.
It is possible to more accurately estimate the congestion state and provide the estimated condition to the driver of a predetermined type of vehicle.

According to a second main aspect of the present invention, a monitoring step for monitoring vehicles passing through a boundary of a specific area by monitoring means provided at a boundary of a specific area; There is provided an information providing method, comprising: a totaling step of totalizing information on vehicles in a specific area; and a totaling result providing step of providing the totaling result to the vehicle. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the tallying result providing step provides the tallying result in a form that can be received only by a predetermined receiver.

According to such a method, the traffic congestion information and the like can be provided only to the driver of a vehicle equipped with a predetermined receiver such as an in-vehicle device, thereby providing an incentive for purchasing the in-vehicle device and the like.

The other features and remarkable effects of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following embodiments of the present invention and the accompanying drawings.

[0026]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An information providing system according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Below,
An example in which the present invention is applied to road pricing will be described.

First, in order to facilitate understanding of this embodiment,
Based on FIG. 1, a schematic configuration of an entrance and an exit, which are boundaries of a specific area, will be described.

In this embodiment, entrances 32 and exits 33 are provided adjacent to all or major roads leading to a specific area designated as tolling. At the entrance 32 and exit 33, an entrance roadside machine 34 and an exit roadside machine 35 are installed as monitoring means for monitoring vehicles passing therethrough. When the vehicle enters the specific area from the entrance 32 or exits from the exit 33, the antennas of the roadside units 34 and 35 and the onboard unit 31
The two-way wireless communication is performed between the communication device and the like to transmit and receive vehicle information and the like. Then, the in-vehicle device information and the like received by the roadside devices 34 and 35 are transmitted to the management center 30.

In the management center 30, the on-board unit (receiver) 3
It is determined whether the vehicle is a specific vehicle 36 equipped with the vehicle 1 or a non-specific vehicle 37 not equipped with the vehicle 1. In the case of the specific vehicle 36, a toll payment process is performed online. In addition, for the non-specific vehicle 37, the conventional manual billing process is performed.

Based on the received on-vehicle device information and the like, the management center 30 performs processing necessary for totalizing information on vehicles in a specific area and providing the totaling result to the driver of the specific vehicle 36. It has become.

Here, the in-vehicle device 31 refers to a transceiver used for charging the vehicle by wireless communication when the vehicle passes through the entrance 32. The in-vehicle device 31 is usually installed on a dashboard or the like of a vehicle after the driver purchases the vehicle separately from the vehicle and performs a predetermined setup. In some cases, the vehicle-mounted device 31 is integrated into the vehicle when the vehicle is manufactured (so-called built-in type).

The on-vehicle device 31 includes the roadside devices 34 and 35.
And an integrated or separate antenna (not shown) for transmitting and receiving vehicle information and the like, and a display unit 40 for displaying information and the like provided from an information providing unit 26 described later.
When the vehicle passes through the entrance 32 (exit 33), the display section 40 also displays the toll of the vehicle, information on gates that can be passed, and the like. In the present embodiment,
The antenna is connected to the license plate 38 so that the vehicle information and the like are transmitted and received by the license plate 38 as described later.

The IC card indicated by reference numeral 39 in FIG.
This is used when setting up the vehicle-mounted device 31. In this setup, the user or the like registers the information on the user and the vehicle (user information) necessary for determining the charging category of the vehicle and for settlement of the toll, with an administrator who integrally manages the vehicle-mounted device 31. Done. The user information is stored in an IC card 39 issued by the administrator in order to prevent tampering, unauthorized use, and the like. Is stored.

Next, the configuration of the system of the present invention will be described. This system 1 is installed in a management center 30 that manages toll collection and various information provided to a driver. As shown in FIG. 2, a communication device 4 such as a CPU 2, a RAM 3, a modem, and the like, as shown in FIG. A data storage unit 7 and a program storage unit 8 are connected to a bus 6 to which the output device 5 is connected. In this embodiment, the data storage unit 7 and the program storage unit 8 are configured by a fixed storage medium such as a hard disk.

The data storage unit 7 includes an on-vehicle device information storage unit 10 for storing on-vehicle device information (information on the on-vehicle device, user information, etc.) received from the entrance roadside device 34, A vehicle entry time storage unit 11 that stores the time at which the in-vehicle device information was received or not received, and a vehicle exit time that stores the time at which the exit roadside device 35 received or did not receive the in-vehicle device information. A storage unit 12, a staying vehicle number storage unit 13 for storing the number of staying vehicles in a specific area, which is calculated based on the entry time and the exit time of all the vehicles (32, 36), and a predetermined speed in the specific area. As described above, the number of passable vehicles is stored in the storage unit 14 for storing the number of passable vehicles.

As described with reference to FIG. 1, when the specific vehicle 36 having the on-vehicle device 31 passes through the entrance 32 in the specific area, the on-vehicle device 34 stores the specific vehicle 36 The in-vehicle device information is received by an in-vehicle device information receiving unit 20, which will be described later, and the received information is received and stored.

Here, as shown in FIG. 3, the in-vehicle device information includes the attribute information 10a of the in-vehicle device 31 itself and the attribute information 10b of the user. Attribute information 1 of in-vehicle device 31
0a includes the manufacturing ID of the in-vehicle device 31, the encryption information given by the system administrator or the like when setting up the in-vehicle device 31, and the like. The user attribute information 10b includes, for example, information such as a user's address and name, or a user ID issued to the user by the administrator when setting up the vehicle-mounted device 31.

These pieces of information are information on which accounting is based, and it is necessary to prevent tampering and unauthorized use by third parties. Therefore, the system administrator authenticates with the attribute information of the user registered in advance based on the information, and performs various operations such as charging and providing advantageous information while maintaining security. Preferably, a treatment is performed.

On the other hand, since the above-mentioned on-vehicle device attribute information 10a and the like cannot be obtained from the non-specific vehicle 37 on which the on-vehicle device 31 is not mounted, the information 1 related to the license plate 38 is not available.
0c is received and stored. Specifically, it is a registration number of the license plate 38, a manufacturing ID assigned by a manufacturer of the license plate 38, and the like. The license plate related information 10c is also basic data for providing traffic jam information described later.

The vehicle entry time storage unit 11 and the vehicle exit time storage unit 12 store an entry roadside machine 34 or an exit roadside machine 35 to count the number of staying vehicles in a specific area.
Stores the time when the in-vehicle device information is received (in the case of the specific vehicle 36) or not received (in the case of the non-specific vehicle 37). If the in-vehicle device information cannot be received in consideration of the communication accuracy, the disadvantage of the user due to erroneous determination, etc., the gate is closed and the vehicle is temporarily stopped, and the person in charge confirms by visual inspection or the like. , A plurality of roadside machines 34, 35
It is preferable to confirm the in-vehicle device information by repeating the communication with the vehicle a plurality of times by using the information.

The staying vehicle number storage unit 13 stores data on the total number of staying vehicles in a specific area, which is the basis of traffic congestion information. Specifically, based on data on the number of vehicles entering / leaving the specific area within a predetermined time, the number of vehicles staying in the specific area is counted by a staying vehicle number counting unit 24 as counting means described later. (See FIG. 5).

The number-of-passable-vehicles storage unit 14 stores the number of vehicles that can pass through a specific area at a predetermined speed (for example, 30 km / h) or more, which is one of basic data of traffic congestion information. is there. In the example shown in FIG.
It is set as a stand. Based on this data and the number of vehicles in the specific area totaled by the staying vehicle number totaling unit 24, a congestion status estimating unit 25 described later estimates the congestion status,
The information is provided to the driver of the specific vehicle 36 as traffic jam information. The number of vehicles that can pass depends on the conditions within the area (new
Expansion, opening of large facilities, etc.)
It is preferable to update periodically or as needed.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, the program storage unit 8 includes an on-board unit information receiving unit 20 for receiving on-board unit information from the entrance roadside unit 34 and the like, and an on-board unit 31 based on the received on-board unit information. A specific vehicle discriminating unit 21 for discriminating whether or not the specific vehicle 36 is equipped with a vehicle, and an entering vehicle number counting unit 22 for counting the number of all vehicles 36 and 37 entering from the entrance 32 based on the entry time. Similarly, the exit vehicle number counting unit 23 that counts the number of all vehicles 36 and 37 exiting from the exit, and the number of vehicles staying in a specific area based on the number of entering vehicles and the number of exit vehicles. And a congestion status estimating unit 25 for estimating the congestion status in the specific area based on the number of traversable vehicles and the number of staying vehicles, and specifying the congestion status based on the congestion status. The driver of the two 36, an information providing unit 26 for providing congestion information of a specific area (total result) consists.

The in-vehicle device information receiving section 20 receives the in-vehicle device information (see FIG. 3) received by the entrance roadside device 34 or the exit roadside device 35 through wireless communication with the license plate 38 of the passing vehicle. Is what you receive. The received on-vehicle device information is stored in the on-vehicle device information storage unit 10. The time at which the in-vehicle device information receiving unit 20 receives the in-vehicle device information is stored in the vehicle entry time storage unit 11 and the vehicle exit time storage unit 12, respectively.

The management center 30 registers and manages the attribute information 10a (such as the manufacturing ID of the vehicle-mounted device) of the vehicle-mounted device 31 in association with the registration number of the license plate 38, so that the license plate 38 can be read. ,
It can be determined whether or not the vehicle has the in-vehicle device 31, that is, whether the vehicle is the specific vehicle 36.

Here, the in-vehicle device 31 receives the on-vehicle device attribute information 10a from the license plate 38.
This is because the communication is easier than the direct communication with the vehicle, and the inexpensive roadside device 34 can cope with the communication. Considering that the presence / absence of onboard equipment is determined at all or many major entrances in a specific area, a large cost reduction can be expected. In addition, since the structure is simple, there is an advantage that the degree of freedom in designing the entrance 32 and the exit 33 is increased.

The communication between the roadside units 34 and 35 and the license plate 38 of the vehicle can employ various communication systems using radio signals, optical communication signals, ultrasonic signals, or the like. Narrow area communication system (DSRC: Dedicated Sh)
It is preferable to adopt a mobile communication system capable of performing two-way communication at a high data transmission speed in a relatively small area, such as an ort range communication).

When the in-vehicle device information receiving unit 20 receives the in-vehicle device attribute information 10a or the like from a vehicle passing through the entrance 32, the specific vehicle discriminating unit 21 determines the vehicle as the specific vehicle 36, If the in-vehicle device attribute information 10a or the like cannot be received, the vehicle is determined to be the non-specific vehicle 37.

The conditions for the specific vehicle 36 are as follows:
In addition to the above, the following conditions regarding the attributes of the vehicle and the attributes of the driver can also be added. In addition, even if the conditions are added, the mounting of the on-vehicle device 31 is an essential condition.

First, as the attributes of the vehicle, for example, the fuel used for the vehicle (gasoline, diesel, electricity, LPG)
Etc.), vehicle type (large and small, 3rd and 5th number, etc.), vehicle use (business and private use, etc.) and other information are registered in association with vehicle information such as onboard equipment information and license plate 38. In advance, the information is received at the entrance 32 to determine the attributes of the vehicle. When fuel consumption is added to the conditions, gasoline, electric and LPG vehicles have low or free tolls and diesel vehicles have high tolls, which can reduce the amount of exhaust gas in specific areas and contribute to environmental improvement. it can. Therefore, a diesel vehicle not equipped with the on-vehicle device 31 will be charged the highest toll. As noted above, such vehicle billing is performed manually as is conventional.

Similarly, vehicles of a specific type (small car, etc.) or a specific use (business use, etc.) are given preferentially low or free tolls, and the other vehicles are designated in a specific area. Can be suppressed, and it can contribute to the elimination of traffic congestion.

Further, a condition from which entrance 32 the vehicle has entered may be added to the condition. For example, the entrance 32 near the area where traffic is constantly congested is set toll / high, and the other entrances 32 are free / low, so as to encourage detour to another entrance 32, Traffic congestion can be alleviated by equalizing the number of passing vehicles. In this case, the traffic congestion state is calculated in real time based on the number of vehicles passing through the area, the average speed, the average transit time, etc., in addition to the conditions of the traffic congestion near the area. It is preferable that the price is high at times and low when traffic is not congested. Such a billing setting is particularly effective when an intersection of a main road where the congestion status changes depending on a time zone is set as a boundary of a specific area.

Further, the driver's address, residence (use location of the vehicle) and the like are registered as the attribute information of the driver, and a predetermined range (for example, a radius of 2 km) from the address and the like is registered.
(Ex.), The entrance 32 is exceptionally free, and the other entrances 32 are charged.
This makes it possible to clarify the range of exceptionally treating residents in a specific area, and eliminate unfairness between residents and non-residents, and between residents.

Specifically, a resident near the center of a specific area cannot reach his / her destination home by another route, and is treated exceptionally (free or low-priced) at all entrances 32. It is. On the other hand, a certain entrance 3
Residents near 2 are treated exceptionally at the entrance 32 near the home, but are charged at the other entrances 32 in the same manner as ordinary vehicles. The user's address and the like can be easily identified based on the in-vehicle device information and the like.

The conditions of the specific vehicle 36 can be changed depending on the time zone, the day of the week, the period, and the like.

For example, when the center of the city is set as a specific area, the traffic congestion is reduced by setting the toll from 7 am to 7 pm on a weekday when traffic is heavy, and setting the other hours low or free. Can be relaxed. In addition, in a tourist spot along the coast, it is possible to flexibly set a charge such as a charge in June to September when traffic is heavy and a free charge in other months. Furthermore, by adding the address of the owner or user of the vehicle to the conditions of the specific vehicle in addition to these conditions and determining whether charging is necessary, it is possible to distinguish between residents and tourists, and fair charging is possible. become.

That is, in the above-mentioned example of the urban area, even in the toll-paid time zone, the vehicle of the residents living in the urban area is not charged, and only the vehicle that passes through the urban area or the vehicle such as commuting is charged. . The same applies to the example of the sightseeing spot.

Further, by adding the number of occupants to the conditions of the specific vehicle, traffic congestion can be more effectively eliminated. For example, vehicles with two or less passengers are paid / high-priced, and three or more passengers are free / low-priced to promote sharing and reduce the number of vehicles passing through a specific area to reduce traffic congestion. it can. The number of occupants is determined by performing predetermined image processing using a roadside machine at the entrance or an image sensor installed in the vicinity thereof to recognize the number of occupants, or installing a weight sensor of the vehicle to obtain an overall weight. Therefore, the number of passengers can be determined by reducing the weight of the vehicle body. Since the number of people in this case means the number of people who can drive the vehicle, the number of passengers may be determined based on the weight of the adult.

On the other hand, in the ETC system, when a large traffic jam is expected (Obon, New Year's holiday, etc.), the private car is regarded as “homecoming purpose” and the toll on the highway is increased, and other vehicles are not used. Is determined as a specific vehicle and the toll is reduced, so that traffic congestion can be reduced. Even in this case, the installation of onboard equipment is an essential condition for specific vehicles,
It is possible to provide incentives for onboard equipment. In the above example, the charging category is four stages, the toll on private cars without onboard equipment is the highest, and then private cars with onboard equipment or private cars without onboard equipment The tolls are lower in the order of vehicles other than the vehicle, and then vehicles other than the private vehicle equipped with the in-vehicle device (specific vehicles).

According to such a configuration, an organization (a country, a local government, a road authority, etc.) that sets and manages a specific area,
It is possible to set conditions according to the specificity of the specific area managed by each, and it is possible to take more effective traffic jam elimination measures.

When deciding the additional conditions of the specific vehicle 36, in order to make a fair charge, the existence of alternative means, that is, using other transportation means (trains, etc.) or using other roads It is preferable to make a reference as to whether or not the user can reach the destination by passing through. To this end, as described above, it is preferable to determine whether the vehicle is the specific vehicle 36 by giving priority to the address of the driver of the vehicle and other conditions (use of the vehicle, etc.).

The entry vehicle number counting section 22 and the exit vehicle number counting section 23 are both provided in the vehicle entry time storage section 1.
1 and the vehicle entry / reception stored in the vehicle exit time storage unit 12.
Based on the exit time, the number of vehicles entering / leaving a specific area within a predetermined time is counted. Here, in order to more accurately grasp the congestion state in the specific area, the number of all vehicles including the non-specific vehicle 37 as well as the specific vehicle 36 is totaled. Instead of the roadside units 34 and 35, sensors for detecting the passage of vehicles may be installed at the entrance 32 and exit 33 to count the number of vehicles passing.

The number-of-staying-vehicles counting section 24 calculates the number of vehicles based on the data of the number of vehicles counted by the entering-vehicle number counting section 22 and the exiting vehicle number counting section 23 within a predetermined time.
The number of vehicles staying in the specific area is counted (see FIG. 5).

Here, the "predetermined time" means an interval for updating the data of the number of staying vehicles, which is the basis of the traffic congestion information. For example, as shown in FIG.
If the time is set to 0 minutes, the traffic congestion information is updated every 30 minutes, based on the result of counting the number of vehicles entering / leaving the specific area within the past 30 minutes. Of course, the predetermined time is set to 0
To update the data in real time.

The "predetermined time" is the time required to pass through a specific area at a constant speed (for example, 30 km / h or more), the size of the specific area, the normal congestion status in the specific area, the number of parking lots, 32 and the number of exits 33 are determined. This predetermined time can be changed at any time depending on the time zone, the day of the week, and the like.

The congestion status estimating unit 25 compares the number of vehicles counted by the staying vehicle number counting unit 24 with the number of vehicles stored in the number-of-passable-vehicles storage unit 14 and compares the number of vehicles in the specific area. Determine the congestion situation. In the example of FIG.
Judgment is made in three stages of “congestion”, “slightly congestion”, and “good”. Regarding the number of vehicles that can be passed, how much should it be judged as `` congested '' etc., whether or not there is a large store with a large parking lot, and communication with other major roads It is preferable to appropriately determine according to the characteristics of each area such as the presence or absence, the number of side roads, and the like.

In addition, in addition to the above-described configuration, all or an arbitrary number of vehicles are tracked, and a time from entering a specific area to exiting the vehicle, an average speed, and the like are calculated. It is also possible to estimate the congestion state of the road in the specific area, or to provide the following vehicles with the actual transit time between certain points (from the entrance to the exit). As a result, the driver of the following vehicle can determine which road (for example, an expressway and a general road, an arterial road and a side road) is the earliest, and can grasp the actual required time in real time.

The information providing unit 26 displays the congestion status estimated by the congestion status estimation unit 25 on the display unit 40 of the vehicle-mounted device 31.
Is provided to the driver as traffic congestion information in a display mode that can be displayed by the user. In the example of FIG. 5, "congestion" is displayed in red, "slightly congestion" is displayed in yellow, and "good" is not displayed. When the display unit 40 of the in-vehicle device 31 can display only one color, it may be displayed in three stages: lighting (congestion), blinking (slightly congestion), and no lighting (smooth). When the vehicle-mounted device 31 has a voice generation function, it may be displayed by voice.

It is preferable that the traffic congestion information is provided in a form that cannot be displayed by a car navigation device of the non-specific vehicle 37 or the like. Specifically, a method of transmitting the encrypted information from the information providing unit 26 and displaying the encrypted information in the in-vehicle device 31 is simple and effective. Thereby, an incentive to purchase the on-vehicle device 31 can be given.

As described above, it is preferable to match the display mode of the provided congestion information with the display function of the display unit 40 of the on-vehicle device 31 from the viewpoint of convenience for the driver.
The information may be provided through other in-vehicle devices such as a car stereo and a car navigation device. Furthermore, the information may be displayed on a traffic light, a road sign, various information boards, or the like in a specific area, or may be displayed on a dedicated display board. By displaying traffic jam information etc. on a display panel etc. installed in a specific area,
The latest information can be provided to the driver of the specific vehicle 36.

When the advantageous information is displayed on a display panel or the like installed on the road side, the non-specific vehicle 37 running immediately behind the specific vehicle 36 or the like can also obtain advantageous information. However, even in this case, the specific vehicle 36 can receive the information at any time, whereas the non-specific vehicle 37 can only be seen by chance while driving immediately behind the specific vehicle 36, etc. You can't always see it. Therefore, there is no change in preferential treatment of the specific vehicle 36.

Here, the information provided to the driver of the specific vehicle 36 includes, in addition to the above-mentioned traffic jam information, empty vehicle information of a parking lot in a specific area, information of navigation to a destination, expected arrival time, and required time information. , Etc. For example, the number of staying vehicles in a specific area, empty information obtained from individual parking lots, and the like can be totaled and provided to the driver of the specific vehicle 36.

Further, in addition to the above information, information of a store (convenience store, restaurant, etc.) designated by the driver, weather forecast, news, etc. may be additionally provided. Such information is provided as it is from an existing information provider, or is provided after being processed into a form that can be displayed by the vehicle-mounted device 31. Since the information that can be displayed on the vehicle-mounted device 31 is limited, when providing a large amount of information, complicated information, or the like, it is preferable to display the information on the display panel installed in the specific area as described above. Furthermore, a parking area (including a parking meter) dedicated to the specific vehicle 36, a gas station, a driving lane (when a priority traveling time zone of the specific vehicle 36 is set, the time is set), an exit gate, and the like in the specific area. When a facility is set up, the information on the facility is specified in the specific vehicle 3
6 drivers.

Next, the data processing steps of the system 1 configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG. Note that S1 to S8 shown in the figure correspond to steps S1 to S8 of the data processing process described below.

First, when the vehicle enters from the entrance 32 in the specific area, the entrance roadside device 34 performs wireless communication with the on-vehicle device 31 (see FIG. 1). Passing vehicle is onboard device 3
In the case of the specific vehicle 36 equipped with No. 1, the above-mentioned on-vehicle device attribute information 10a and the like (see FIG. 3) are acquired from the license plate 38 (step 1-1). Conversely, the non-specific vehicle 37 in which the passing vehicle does not have the in-vehicle device 31 is mounted.
If it is, the license plate related information 10c is obtained from the license plate 38 (step 1).
-2).

The information of the vehicle-mounted device 31 is a license plate 3
Along with the registration number of No. 8, it is stored in an IC chip incorporated in the license plate 38. By reading the registration number and the in-vehicle device information at the same time, the driver information and the vehicle information and the like registered in association with the in-vehicle device information and the like can be instantaneously called. As a result, even when a plurality of charging sections are set as described above, the charging section can be accurately determined when passing through the vehicle, and fair charging can be performed.

Next, the in-vehicle device information receiving section 20 receives the in-vehicle device information and the like received by the entrance roadside device 34 and the reception time (step S2).

Next, based on the received on-vehicle device information and the like, the type of the vehicle (whether the vehicle is the specific vehicle 36) is determined by the specific vehicle determining unit 21 (step S3). When the vehicle is the specific vehicle 36, the information providing unit 26 provides the driver with traffic jam information.

On the other hand, when the vehicle exits from the exit 33 in the specific area, the exit exit roadside machine 35
Performs wireless communication with the license plate 38 and receives on-vehicle device information and the like received by the roadside device 35 (step 4-
1, 4-2).

The number of vehicles staying in the specific area is counted at predetermined time intervals by the staying vehicle number counting unit 24 based on the in-vehicle device information and the like received at the entrance 32 and the exit 33 and the reception time. (Step S5).

The congestion status in the specific area is determined by the congestion status estimation unit 25 based on the total number of staying vehicles and the number stored in the number of passable vehicles storage unit 14, as shown in FIG.
As shown in (1), the judgment is made in three stages (step 6).

Next, the result of the determination is provided as congestion information by the information providing unit 26 (step 7). The provided congestion information is displayed on the vehicle-mounted device 31 of the user in a predetermined display mode (step 8).

With the above configuration, the following effects can be obtained.

First, the specific vehicle 36 equipped with the on-vehicle device 31
By providing congestion information to the on-board equipment 31
An incentive for mounting can be given. Thereby, introduction of an ETC system and road pricing can be promoted.

In addition, since information that is advantageous to the driver can be provided by using the display function and the like provided in the vehicle-mounted device 31 employed in the ETC system and road pricing, the driver's financial burden is not large. Further, since information that is more useful to the driver can be provided as compared with the conventional information, it is very effective as an incentive for purchasing the on-vehicle device 31.

Next, FIG. 6 shows a schematic configuration in the case where the driver desires to provide navigation information in a specific area.
A description will be given based on the flowchart of FIG. Note that S10 to S18 shown in the figure correspond to Step S10 in the following description.
~ Means a process of processing corresponding to step S18.

First, when the driver of the specific vehicle 36 selects “reception of navigation information in a specific area”,
On a selection screen (not shown), the entrance 32 of the specific area where the own vehicle enters and the exit 33 as the destination are selected (steps S10 to S12). Here, at the entrance 32, since the transmission and reception of the vehicle-mounted device information and the like are performed between the license plate 38 of the vehicle and the roadside device 34 as described above, the driver only needs to confirm the entrance 32. Is enough.
To set before entering a specific area,
2. It is necessary to register both exits 33.

While the specific vehicle 36 is traveling in the specific area (step S13), it is always checked whether the vehicle is approaching the exit 33 (step 14).

When approaching the exit 33 at a predetermined distance,
It is determined whether or not the driver has registered the exit 33 (step S15). If the exit 33 has been registered, the driver emits a predetermined tone (buzzer) to notify the driver that the driver is approaching the destination. Notify (step S16). In this case, it is preferable to shorten the interval of the tones as the vehicle approaches, or to set several types of tones.

On the other hand, when the specific vehicle 36 is approaching the exit 33 different from the one registered by the driver, a predetermined alarm is sounded to alert the driver (step S17). This alarm sound continues until the specific vehicle 36 moves a predetermined distance away from the wrong exit 33 (step S18).

Here, whether or not the specific vehicle 36 is approaching (leaving) the exit 33 can be determined as follows. That is, the roadside machine 3 installed at the exit 33 or the entrance 32 (side lane) adjacent thereto.
By communicating between the license plates 4 and 35 and the license plate 38 of the specific vehicle 36, it can be easily determined. In this case, since the license plate 38 and the roadside devices 34 and 35 communicate with each other at a relatively large distance, the roadside device 35 does not necessarily need to be installed at the exit 33 (side lane). That is, since the exit 32 is always adjacent to the entrance 32 to the specific area except for one-way traffic, it is sufficient to provide the entrance roadside machine 34 to provide navigation information.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, but can be variously modified without changing the gist of the invention.

For example, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the vehicle-mounted device information is received by performing wireless communication between the license plate 38 of the vehicle and the roadside devices 33 and 34. In-vehicle device information can also be received by using a built-in communication function of a vehicle collision prevention sensor or a car navigation device mounted on the vehicle. Various sensors are attached to the roadside units 34 and 35 to detect the vehicle height, vehicle length, vehicle width, vehicle weight, etc. of the passing vehicle to determine the charging category, and to image the entire vehicle and the license plate 38. It is also possible to acquire the vehicle information by performing the image processing and determine the vehicle type. Even in this case, it is needless to say that the mounting of the vehicle-mounted device 31 is confirmed from the received vehicle information and the like.

Further, in the above embodiment, vehicles leaving the specific area are counted by the exit roadside machine 35, but the exit roadside machine 35 does not always need to be installed.
For example, it is also possible to estimate the congestion situation in a specific area by totaling only the number of all vehicles (36, 37) entering, and to provide this to the driver as traffic jam information.
This can be useful information for the driver.

Further, the driver can also estimate the congestion status of the parking lot and various stores (department stores, recreational facilities, etc.) in the specific area from the congestion status of the road thus provided. If the roadside machine 35 is not installed at the exit 33, the cost will be reduced.

On the other hand, when the roadside device 35 is also installed at the exit 33, the following effects can be expected.

First, by accumulating the number of vehicles leaving the exit 33, the accuracy of the traffic jam information can be further improved. Thus, the driver can more accurately estimate the congestion state of the parking lot or the like in the specific area.

Another effect is that the in-vehicle device information can be received even at the exit 33, so that, for example, information on vehicles that do not pass through the entrance 32 (vehicles of a driver who lives in a specific area) is received. , Can be stored. Based on this information, the next time this vehicle enters a specific area, it becomes possible to instantaneously determine whether or not charging is required.

As another effect, the present invention is effective when a specific time, a day of the week, a month, and the like are set as conditions of the specific vehicle 36 in addition to the mounting of the vehicle-mounted device 31. Specifically, it is conceivable that, even when entering the specific area, it is free of charge, but when exiting, it is a paid time zone or the like, so that it is possible to charge at the exit 33.

As another effect, it is conceivable that the in-vehicle device information is falsified in a specific area, so that the in-vehicle device 31 and the management center perform predetermined authentication based on encryption or the like at the exit 33 to prevent unauthorized access. When it is recognized, security management can be performed, such as closing the gate and checking by a person in charge, taking an image of the license plate 38 and the like. Of course, it is also possible to check a vehicle in which fraudulent acts have been performed since the beginning of the setup of the vehicle-mounted device 31.

The present system can be suitably applied to, for example, a large-scale parking lot in which a parking space is provided over a plurality of floors, and a large-scale store having such a parking lot.

That is, at the entrance gate of the parking lot,
Bidirectional communication is performed between the on-vehicle device 31 and the gate communication device,
The specific vehicle 36 on which the on-vehicle device 31 is mounted and the non-specific vehicle 37 not mounted are determined. For the non-specific vehicle 37, only the information on the number of empty vehicles on each floor in the parking lot is notified on the display panel near the entrance gate. Since the user of the non-specific vehicle 37 headed to the floor according to the empty information displayed near the entrance, another vehicle was parked during that time and could not be parked, or conversely, it was displayed as full. Even if there is actually an empty space on the floor where the vehicle has passed before the vehicle passes, the information cannot be obtained and the vehicle cannot be parked. Therefore, the non-specific vehicle 37 requires a great deal of effort to find a parking space.

On the other hand, the specific vehicle 36 provides not only the information on the number of empty vehicles but also the number of parked vehicles on each floor of the parking lot, thereby providing more useful empty vehicle information for the driver. can do. More specifically, the vacant space information on the floor on which the specific vehicle 36 is traveling is notified in real time by voice (beep sound and message, etc.), blinking and lighting of an indicator, and provides navigation information to the vacant space. can do.
As a result, incentives for mounting on-vehicle devices can be increased.

When the present invention is applied to the ETC system, the driver of the specific vehicle 36 is provided with information on traffic congestion and navigation to the destination by counting the number of vehicles staying on the toll road which is a specific area. Not only can information be provided, but also information such as vacant information, distances, and facility contents of service areas and parking areas can be provided. As a result, incentives for mounting on-vehicle devices can be increased.

[0105]

As described above, according to the present invention,
For example, traffic congestion information can be provided to vehicles passing through the boundary based on the result of counting the number of vehicles entering and leaving the specific area. Since such information can be provided only to the driver of a vehicle equipped with a predetermined receiver such as an in-vehicle device, it is an incentive to purchase the in-vehicle device and the like.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of entrances and exits to a specific area according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a system configuration of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing processing steps of the system of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a specific example of on-vehicle device information.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an estimation result of a congestion state.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a flow of providing navigation information.

[Explanation of symbols]

 7 Data storage unit 8 Program storage unit 10 Onboard unit information storage unit 10a Onboard unit attribute information 10b User attribute information 10c License plate related information 11 Vehicle entry time storage unit 12 Vehicle exit time storage unit 13 ··································································································································································································································· 25 Congestion status estimating unit 26 ... Information providing unit 30 ... Management center 31 ... In-vehicle device 32 ... Entry entrance 33 ... Exit exit 34 ... Entry entrance roadside machine 35 ... Exit exit roadside machine 36 ... Specific vehicle 37 ... Non-specific vehicle 38 ... License plate 39: IC card 40: Display

Claims (16)

[Claims] A monitoring unit that is installed at a boundary of a specific area and monitors vehicles passing through the boundary; a counting unit that totals information on vehicles in the specific area based on the monitoring; An information providing system, comprising: a tally result providing means for providing a tally result to a vehicle. 2. The information providing system according to claim 1, wherein said tallying result providing means provides said tallying result in a form that can be received only by a predetermined receiver. 3. The information providing system according to claim 2, wherein the receiver charges the vehicle by wireless communication when passing through the boundary. 4. The system according to claim 2, wherein the tallying result providing means provides the tallying result in a form that can be received only by a receiver mounted on a predetermined type of vehicle. Information providing system. 5. The information providing system according to claim 4, wherein the predetermined type of vehicle is determined according to an attribute of the vehicle and an attribute of a driver. 6. The information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the tallying result providing means provides the tallying result to vehicles located in and around the specific area. 7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the totaling unit is configured to perform monitoring based on monitoring by the monitoring unit.
A congestion status estimating unit for estimating the congestion status in the specific area, wherein the tallying result providing unit provides the congestion status estimated by the congestion status estimating unit to the predetermined type of vehicle. An information providing system characterized by the following. 8. The system according to claim 7, wherein the congestion state estimation unit estimates the number of vehicles in the specific area based on the number of vehicles entering the specific area and the number of vehicles leaving the specific area, A system for estimating congestion conditions in a specific area based on this. 9. A monitoring step of monitoring vehicles passing through a boundary of a specific area by monitoring means installed at a boundary of a specific area, and a tabulation for totalizing information on vehicles in the specific area based on the monitoring. An information providing method, comprising: a process; and a tallying result providing step for providing the tallying result to the vehicle. 10. The information providing method according to claim 9, wherein the tallying result providing step provides the tallying result in a form that can be received only by a predetermined receiver. 11. The information providing method according to claim 10, wherein the receiver is for charging the vehicle by wireless communication when passing through the boundary. 12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the tallying result providing step provides the tallying result in a form that can be received only by a receiver mounted on a predetermined type of vehicle. Information provision method. 13. The information providing method according to claim 12, wherein the predetermined type of vehicle is determined according to an attribute of the vehicle and an attribute of a driver. 14. The information providing method according to claim 9, wherein the tallying result providing step is to provide the tallying result to vehicles located in and around the specific area. 15. The method according to claim 9, wherein the counting step includes a congestion state estimating step of estimating a congestion state in the specific area based on the monitoring in the monitoring step, and the tallying result providing step. Is a method for providing the congestion status estimated in the congestion status estimation step to the predetermined type of vehicle. 16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the congestion state estimating step estimates the number of vehicles in the specific area based on the number of vehicles entering the specific area and the number of vehicles leaving the specific area, A method for estimating a congestion situation in a specific area based on the method.