JP2005038385A - Automatic receipt system of parking fee - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automatic receipt system of parking fee to preliminarily let a user know how many hours the user is able to park from the prepaid balance of a current IC card when a vehicle passes the entrance gate of a parking lot. <P>SOLUTION: An onboard device 10 reads the balance of an inserted IC card 20, and transmits the data to a roadside device 1. The roadside device 1 calculates a parking enabling time corresponding to the prepaid balance, and transmits it to the onboard device 10. The onboard device 10 outputs the parking enabling time from a display part 15 and a loudspeaker 17. The onboard device 10 monitors an elapsed time by time data from a time measuring part 18, and when it exceeds the parking enabling time in user's leaving, the on-vehicle device 10 notifies its exceeding and insufficient charge to the user. After the lapse of the parking enabling time, the roadside device may let the user know the lapse of the time by a portable telephone. In the system to pay a parking fee at a parking lot by using an IC card stored with a prepaid balance, it is possible to solve the problem that the prepaid balance is unknown until the user inserts the IC card into a fare adjustment, and that it is necessary for the user to perform fare adjustment again when the prepaid balance is insufficient. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a parking fee automatic toll collection system that settles a parking fee by wireless communication between an in-vehicle device using an IC card storing a prepaid balance and a roadside device installed in a parking lot.

Conventionally, as an automatic fee collection system using a prepaid card in a parking lot, when a user leaves, a prepaid card is put into a checkout machine at a gate and payment is performed. On the other hand, an automatic toll collection system is known that uses a prepaid card to pay a toll with a roadside device installed at a toll gate on a toll road (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2002-123846 A

  However, in the conventional automatic toll collection system in a parking lot, the prepaid balance is unknown until the card is put into the checkout machine, and if the balance is insufficient, it is necessary to redo the payment. Also, in the conventional automatic toll collection system on toll roads, if the prepaid balance is insufficient, it is impossible to pass through the gate as it is, which causes traffic congestion.

  The present invention solves such a conventional problem, and uses information on how many hours parking is possible from the prepaid balance of the current IC card when the vehicle passes the parking entrance gate. An object is to provide an automatic parking fee collection system that can be informed to a person in advance.

  The automatic parking fee collection / acquisition system of the present invention is a transmission / reception device that calculates and transmits data to and from the in-vehicle device by calculating the available parking time from the prepaid balance sent from the in-vehicle device. Means, IC card interface means for reading and writing the IC card storing the prepaid balance, control means for transmitting the prepaid balance read from the IC card to the roadside device via the transmission / reception means, and receiving from the roadside device It has the structure provided with the vehicle-mounted apparatus which has a notification means to notify a user the parking available time.

  With this configuration, when the vehicle passes through the entrance gate of the parking lot, it is possible to notify the user in advance of the available parking time from the current prepaid balance, so when should the user leave the parking lot? If the time is likely to be exceeded, it can be scheduled to be settled in cash.

  In the automatic parking fee collection system according to the present invention, the notification means notifies at least one of display and sound. With this configuration, the user can grasp the parking available time visually or audibly.

  In the parking fee automatic toll collection system of the present invention, the in-vehicle device includes a time measuring unit that outputs time data, and the control unit can capture the time data from the time measuring unit and park from the roadside device. When the time is received, the elapsed time from that time to the exit time is calculated, the parking time is compared with the elapsed time, and if the elapsed time is greater than the parking time, A warning is given by the notification means. With this configuration, since the parking fee is insufficient with the current prepaid balance, the user can be notified in advance that it must be settled with cash.

  In the automatic parking fee collection system according to the present invention, the control means stores time data from the time measuring means when the parking time is received from the roadside device, and the time data and after parking are stored. The elapsed time is calculated from time data when the power is turned on at the time of departure. With this configuration, the elapsed time can be calculated even when the vehicle is turned off for parking.

  The automatic parking fee collection system according to the present invention is characterized in that the control means calculates an insufficient balance when the elapsed time is larger than the parking available time. With this configuration, the user can be notified in advance of the shortage amount.

  The automatic parking fee collection system of the present invention is characterized in that the time measuring means is provided in an external device, and the time data is acquired from the external device. With this configuration, the elapsed time can be acquired without incorporating the time calculation means in the in-vehicle device.

  In the automatic parking fee collection system of the present invention, the external device is a navigation device. With this configuration, even if the time measurement means is not built in the in-vehicle device, the elapsed time can be acquired from the navigation device when the navigation device is mounted on the vehicle.

  In the automatic parking fee collection system according to the present invention, the control means transmits the e-mail address or telephone number of the mobile phone together with the prepaid balance to the roadside device, and the roadside device calculates the calculated parking available time. Before or after the elapse of time, the e-mail address or the telephone number is notified that the parking available time has elapsed or has elapsed. With this configuration, even when the user is outside the vehicle, the user can know the passage of the available parking time according to the current prepaid balance through the mobile phone. It is possible to prevent a situation where an extra parking fee is paid.

  The automatic parking fee collection system according to the present invention is characterized in that the roadside device notifies the e-mail address or the telephone number of the fact before the predetermined parking time elapses. With this configuration, even when the user is outside the vehicle, if the vehicle is kept in the parking lot as it is, the user can know in advance that the current prepaid balance will not be enough for the parking fee. The excess of charges can be prevented.

  As described above, the automatic parking fee collection system of the present invention calculates the available parking time from the prepaid balance sent from the in-vehicle device and transmits it to the in-vehicle device. The prepaid balance of the card can inform you in advance of the available parking time, the user can determine when to leave the parking lot, and if it is over, it will be settled in cash Can be scheduled.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an automatic parking fee collection system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, a roadside device 1 is installed at an entrance gate and an exit gate of a parking lot, and has an antenna 2 for performing DSRC (narrow band radio communication) using a frequency band of 5.8 GHz, and a transmission / reception signal. A transmission / reception unit 3 that performs modulation / demodulation and a control unit 4 that manages data exchanged with the in-vehicle device 10 are provided. When the entrance gate and the exit gate are installed adjacent to each other, the roadside device 1 has a function of determining which gate has entered. The in-vehicle device 10 is mounted on a vehicle and exchanges between the antenna 11 that transmits and receives radio waves to and from the antenna 2 of the roadside device 1, the transmission / reception unit 12 that modulates and demodulates transmission / reception signals, and the roadside device 1. A control unit 13 for managing data, a slot for inserting an IC card 20 in which a prepaid balance is stored, a card interface 14 for reading from and writing to the IC card 20, and displaying characters and figures by a liquid crystal display or a light emitting diode A display unit 15, a speech synthesis unit 16 that stores phonemes for messages to be output, and a speaker 17 that outputs messages as speech.

  Next, the operation of the first embodiment will be described. First, when a vehicle equipped with the vehicle-mounted device 10 approaches the entrance gate of the parking lot, the roadside device 1 and the vehicle-mounted device 10 start communication, and the control unit 11 of the vehicle-mounted device 10 uses an IC card via the card interface 14. The 20 prepaid balances are read out, the transmission / reception unit 12 is controlled, and the data of the prepaid balance is transmitted to the roadside apparatus 1 through the antenna 11. When the roadside device 1 receives the prepaid balance data by the antenna 2 and the transmission / reception unit 3, the control unit 4 calculates the parking available time according to the prepaid balance from the usage fee for each time of the parking lot, Respond to device 10. The control means 13 of the in-vehicle device 10 can display the received parking available time by either the character display by the display means 15 or the voice display by the speech synthesizer 16 and the speaker 17 or both, for example, “What is the parking available time? Output the message "How many minutes?"

  As described above, according to the first embodiment, the roadside device 1 calculates the available parking time from the prepaid balance sent from the in-vehicle device 10 and transmits it to the in-vehicle device 10. It is possible to know in advance the available parking time, and it is possible for the user to determine in advance when to leave the parking lot and whether or not to exceed that time.

(Embodiment 2)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the second embodiment, a time measurement unit 18 that outputs time data is added to the in-vehicle device 10 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, and other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment. Similar components are denoted by the same reference numerals and redundant description is omitted, and only the operation thereof will be described below.

  In the second embodiment, the control unit 13 of the in-vehicle device 10 obtains the current timer value (for example, time or 1 second) from the time measuring unit 18 that can measure the time such as a timer when the parking available time is acquired from the roadside device 1. The counter value for each) is read out and compared with the parking available time. If the comparison result is “parking available time> timer value”, the control unit 13 periodically reads the timer value from the time measuring unit 18 and compares it with the parking available time. If it is determined that the timer value has been reached, either one of the character display by the display means 15 and / or the sound display by the speech synthesizer 16 and the speaker 17 or both, for example, “Now, how many minutes are over.” Warning message is output.

  In the parking lot, the vehicle is turned off when parking. Therefore, the control unit 13 reads the current timer value (for example, the time or the counter value per second) from the time measurement unit 18 at the time when the available parking time is acquired from the roadside device 1 and stores it in the internal memory of the control unit 13. Record it. Thereafter, the in-vehicle device 10 transitions to a dormant state at the timing when the user turns off the vehicle for parking, and only the time measuring unit 18 continues to operate due to dark current. Then, at the timing when the user turns on the vehicle for departure, the in-vehicle device 10 starts up, and the control unit 13 acquires the latest timer value from the time measurement unit 18. The control unit 13 calculates the elapsed time from the timer value recorded in the internal memory when the parking available time is acquired from the roadside device 1 and the latest timer value.

  If the result of the comparison shows that “usable time <elapsed time”, the control unit 13 uses the display unit 15, the voice synthesis unit 16, and the speaker 17, for example, “Your card balance is insufficient”. The warning message for each parking lot is received in advance from the roadside device 1 (the reception timing is received at the same time as receiving the parking available time at the parking lot entrance gate). The control unit 13 calculates the overuse time as “overuse time = elapsed time−the available time”, and calculates the shortage amount from the overuse time and the parking fee for each hour. For example, a shortage amount = overuse time / parking fee per hour. Further, the control unit 13 notifies the user of the shortage amount by either one or both of the character display on the display unit 15 and / or the voice display on the voice synthesis unit 16 and the speaker 17.

  As described above, according to the second embodiment, the control unit 13 stores the timer value when the parking available time is received from the roadside device 1, and turns on the power when the vehicle departs after parking. The elapsed time is calculated from the timer value when it is raised, and if the elapsed time is greater than the available parking time, the parking fee is charged for the current IC card prepaid balance by notifying the overtime and insufficient balance. It is possible to inform the user in advance that there is a shortage of money and that it must be settled with cash.

  In the second embodiment, the elapsed time is calculated from the timer value recorded in the internal memory when the available parking time is acquired from the roadside device 1 and the latest timer value. The timer value when the power is turned off is stored in the internal memory of the control unit 13, and the elapsed time is calculated from this timer value and the latest timer value when the power is turned on for departure. Also good.

(Embodiment 3)
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the third embodiment, the time measuring unit 18 shown in FIG. 2 is provided outside, and the other components are the same as those in the second embodiment, and therefore similar components are denoted by the same reference numerals. Thus, duplicate explanations are omitted. The external time measuring unit 19 is built in, for example, a navigation device mounted on a vehicle, and uses a clock function such as a real-time clock possessed by the navigation device, time information received from GPS, or the like.

  Thus, according to the third embodiment, since the time data can be acquired from the outside even if the time measuring unit is not provided in the on-vehicle device 10, the configuration of the on-vehicle device 10 can be simplified.

(Embodiment 4)
Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the fourth embodiment, as the roadside device 5, the antenna 6 capable of transmitting and receiving radio waves to and from the mobile phone 21 held by the user of the in-vehicle device 10, and the e-mail address or telephone number of the mobile phone 21 are used. A communicable transmission / reception unit 7, a control unit 8 that determines whether or not a parking available time calculated from a prepaid balance received from the in-vehicle device 10, and a time measurement unit 9 that outputs time data are provided. The transmission / reception unit 12 of the in-vehicle device 10 sends the e-mail address or telephone number of the mobile phone 21 together with the prepaid balance to the roadside device 5. Since other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted, and only the operation thereof will be described below.

  The control unit 13 of the vehicle-mounted device 10 reads the prepaid balance of the IC card 20 via the card interface 14 and reads the e-mail address or telephone number of the mobile phone 21 registered in advance in the IC card 20 by the user. Then, the transmitter / receiver 12 is controlled to transmit the prepaid balance data and the email address or telephone number data to the roadside device 5 through the antenna 11. When the roadside device 5 receives the prepaid balance data and the e-mail address or telephone number data through the antenna 6, the control unit 8 determines the parking available time according to the prepaid balance from the usage fee for each parking lot time. And the current timer value (for example, the time and the counter value per second) is read from the time measuring unit 9 that can measure the time, such as a timer, and compared with the parking available time. If the comparison result is “parking available time> timer value”, the control unit 8 continuously reads the timer value from the time measuring unit 9 periodically and compares it with the parking available time.

  When “parking available time = timer value + 5 minutes”, that is, 5 minutes before the parking available time (this time can be arbitrarily set), e.g. A document message or a voice message stored in advance in the internal memory of the control unit 8 such as “Now, 5 minutes before the parking time” is output. Further, when “parking available time = timer value” is reached, the mobile phone 21 sends an e-mail or a call, for example, “the parking time has been exceeded.” The document message or voice message stored in the memory is output.

  As described above, according to the fourth embodiment, even when the user is outside the vehicle, it is possible to know the lapse of the available parking time according to the current prepaid balance through the mobile phone 21, and not knowing that the available parking time is exceeded. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a situation where an extra parking fee is paid.

  In the fourth embodiment, the in-vehicle device 10 has been described as an example that does not have a time measuring unit that measures the available parking time as in the first embodiment. However, the time measuring unit 18 similar to the second embodiment is described. Alternatively, the same time measurement unit 19 as in the third embodiment may be provided, and the second embodiment or the third embodiment may be combined with the fourth embodiment. Thereby, it is possible to know the lapse of the available parking time regardless of whether the user is in the vehicle or outside the vehicle, and it is also possible to calculate the shortage amount according to the excess time after the available parking time.

  As described above, in the automatic parking fee collection system according to the present invention, the roadside device calculates the available parking time from the prepaid balance sent from the in-vehicle device and transmits it to the in-vehicle device. By the wireless communication between the in-vehicle device using the IC card storing the prepaid balance and the roadside device installed in the parking lot, it has the effect of being able to know in advance the available parking time from the prepaid balance of the card, This is useful for a parking fee automatic toll collection system that settles the parking fee.

The block diagram which shows the structure of the parking fee automatic receipt system in Embodiment 1 of this invention. The block diagram which shows the structure of the parking fee automatic receipt system in Embodiment 2 of this invention. The block diagram which shows the structure of the parking fee automatic receipt system in Embodiment 3 of this invention. The block diagram which shows the structure of the parking fee automatic receipt system in Embodiment 4 of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 5 Roadside device 2, 6 Antenna 3, 7 Transmission / reception part 4, 8 Control part 9 Time measurement part 10 In-vehicle apparatus 11 Antenna 12 Transmission / reception part 13 Control part 14 Card interface part 15 Display part 16 Voice synthesis part 17 Speaker 18 Time measurement Part 19 External time measurement part

Claims (9)

  A roadside device that calculates a parking available time from a prepaid balance sent from the in-vehicle device and transmits it to the in-vehicle device, a transmission / reception means for transmitting / receiving data to / from the roadside device, and an IC card storing the prepaid balance IC card interface means for reading and writing to the apparatus, control means for transmitting the prepaid balance read from the IC card to the roadside device via the transmission / reception means, and the parking available time received from the roadside device to the user An automatic parking fee collection system comprising an in-vehicle device having a notification means.   2. The automatic parking fee collection system according to claim 1, wherein the notification means notifies at least one of display and sound.   The in-vehicle device includes time measuring means for outputting time data, and the control means takes in the time data from the time measuring means, and receives the parking available time from the roadside device, from that point to the time of leaving. The elapsed time is calculated, the parking time is compared with the elapsed time, and if the elapsed time is larger than the parking time, a warning is given by the notification means. The automatic parking fee collection system according to claim 1 or 2.   The control means stores time data from the time measurement means when a parking available time is received from the roadside device, and the time data and time data when a power source is turned on at the departure after parking. 4. The automatic parking fee collection system according to claim 3, wherein the elapsed time is calculated from the time.   5. The automatic parking fee collection / acquisition system according to claim 3, wherein the control unit calculates a shortage balance when the elapsed time becomes larger than the parking available time.   The parking fee automatic toll collection system according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the time measuring means is provided in an external device, and the time data is acquired from the external device.   7. The automatic parking fee collection system according to claim 6, wherein the external device is a navigation device.   The control means transmits the e-mail address or telephone number of a mobile phone together with the prepaid balance to the roadside device, and the roadside device sends the e-mail address before or after the calculated parking available time elapses. The parking fee automatic toll collection system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the parking number is notified to the telephone number that the parking available time has elapsed or has elapsed.   9. The automatic parking fee collection / acquisition system according to claim 8, wherein the roadside device notifies the e-mail address or telephone number of the fact before a predetermined time when the calculated parking available time elapses.

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