JP2005060889A - Helmet for motorcycle meeting with electronic toll collection system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a helmet for a motorcycle having an ETC (electronic toll collection) device and meeting with ETC systems. <P>SOLUTION: The helmet 1 for a motorcycle meeting with ETC is provided with an antenna 2 to perform wireless communication with a roadside machine of a toll booth for the automatic toll collection, an on-board automatic toll collection device 4, a speaker 6, a power supply unit 5 and a coaxial cable 3 connecting the devices. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an ETC on-board system in an automatic toll collection (ETC) system that automatically collects tolls by wireless communication with a roadside device provided at a toll road such as an expressway. The present invention relates to a motorcycle helmet equipped with the device, and an ETC in-vehicle device that can be attached to and detached from the motorcycle helmet.

  In recent years, automatic toll collection (ECT) systems have been introduced that complete toll collection by wireless communication on toll roads such as expressways. The mechanism of this ECT system is that charge information is exchanged by wireless communication between a roadside antenna installed at a toll booth and an in-vehicle device (hereinafter referred to as an ETC on-vehicle device) mounted on a vehicle. Settlement with.

By mounting such an ETC on-board device in a vehicle, it is possible to pass through the toll gate non-stop, and therefore, congestion reduction at the toll gate is expected.
In recent years, the mounting of ETC on-board devices in four-wheeled vehicles has become widespread, but there are attempts to apply it to motorcycles. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses that an ETC vehicle-mounted device is attached to a motorcycle body, and a helmet sun visor is used as a display for outputting fee settlement information and the like.
JP 2003-141589 A

However, when such an ETC vehicle-mounted device is mounted and applied to a motorcycle capable of traveling on a toll road, there are the following problems.
The ETC vehicle-mounted device is composed of at least constituent devices such as a control unit, a communication unit, and an IC card mounting unit, and has a certain size. The interior of a four-wheeled vehicle has sufficient space for installing these devices, and there is no problem in installation. However, in the case of a motorcycle, it must be installed in a limited space on the meter panel or on the fuel tank, so that the installation location is limited and the design is hindered.

In addition, unlike the four-wheeled vehicle, the device is exposed in these places, and there is a high risk of theft or intentional damage.
In the case of a motorcycle not equipped with an ETC on-board device, when paying at the toll booth, the rider removes the glove from both hands, takes out the wallet, and pays the prescribed fee. It took a relatively long time compared to the checkout process for a four-wheeled vehicle that was not installed, which was a factor in traffic congestion.

  In view of the above problems, the present invention provides an ETC-compatible helmet for motorcycles equipped with an ETC device. In addition, an ETC vehicle-mounted device that can be attached to and detached from a motorcycle helmet is provided.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a transmission / reception means for transmitting / receiving toll collection related information, which is information related to toll collection, to / from a roadside device installed at a toll gate; This can be achieved by providing a motorcycle helmet characterized by comprising storage control means for controlling storage.

By configuring in this way, it is not necessary to install the ETC on-vehicle device in the motorcycle body, it is not necessary to consider the installation location, and the ETC on-vehicle device can be prevented from being stolen or destroyed.
According to the invention described in claim 2, the motorcycle helmet further includes voice notification means for notifying predetermined information of the toll collection related information by voice. This can be achieved by providing the motorcycle helmet according to Item 1.

With this configuration, fee information and the like can be easily recognized.
According to the invention described in claim 3, the motorcycle helmet further comprises power supply means for supplying power to the transmission / reception means and the storage control means. This can be achieved by providing the motorcycle helmet according to 1 or 2.

By comprising in this way, it can be made completely independent from a motorcycle main body, and an ETC vehicle-mounted device can be operated only with a motorcycle helmet.
According to the invention described in claim 4, the above-described problem is a transmission / reception unit that transmits / receives toll collection-related information that is information about toll collection with a roadside device installed at a toll gate, and the toll collection-related information. And a storage control means for controlling storage of the vehicle, wherein the automatic toll collection in-vehicle device is detachable from the motorcycle helmet. This can be achieved by providing a corresponding automatic toll collection in-vehicle device.

  With this configuration, it is not necessary to install the ETC vehicle-mounted device in the motorcycle body, there is no need to consider the installation location, and the ETC vehicle-mounted device can be prevented from being stolen or destroyed. In addition, motorcycle helmets that are not compatible with ETC can be easily adapted to ETC.

  According to the invention described in claim 5, the motorcycle helmet-compatible automatic toll collection in-vehicle device further includes voice notification means for notifying predetermined information of the toll collection related information by voice. This can be achieved by providing an automatic toll collection device for motorcycle helmets according to claim 4.

With this configuration, fee information and the like can be easily recognized.
According to the invention described in claim 6, the motorcycle helmet-compatible automatic toll collection in-vehicle device further includes power supply means for supplying power to the transmission / reception means and storage control means. It can achieve by providing the automatic toll-collection vehicle-mounted apparatus for motorcycle helmets according to claim 4 or 5.

  By comprising in this way, it can be made completely independent from a motorcycle main body, and an ETC vehicle-mounted device can be operated only with a motorcycle helmet.

The automatic toll collection in-vehicle device of the present invention is a helmet that a passenger wears an antenna, an automatic toll collection in-vehicle device, a speaker, and a power supply device that perform wireless communication for automatic toll collection with a roadside device installed at a toll gate. Equipped with the following effects.
Since it is not necessary to install the ETC on-board unit in the motorcycle, there is no modification of the vehicle body, and there are no restrictions on the installation location or design problems. Since the helmet worn by the passenger can be carried, the risk of theft or deliberate breakage is reduced even if an automatic toll collecting in-vehicle device is attached.

<First Embodiment>
In the present embodiment, an antenna, an automatic toll collection onboard unit, a speaker and a power supply device for wireless communication for automatic toll collection with a roadside device installed at a toll booth, a coaxial cable or a Mekclick connecting these devices A motorcycle helmet equipped with a cable will be described.

FIG. 1 shows an ETC-compatible helmet (side surface) for a motorcycle according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 shows an ETC-compatible helmet (front) for a motorcycle in the present embodiment. FIG. 3 shows an ETC-compatible helmet (top surface) for a motorcycle in the present embodiment.
1, 2, and 3, an ETC-compatible helmet 1 for a motorcycle has an antenna 2 in the upper part of the helmet 7 body, an ETC vehicle-mounted device 4 and a power supply unit 5 in the rear part, and inside the left and right side surfaces. A speaker 6 is provided. The antenna 2 and the ETC vehicle-mounted device 4 are connected by a coaxial cable 3. The speaker 6 is also connected to the ETC vehicle-mounted device 4 with a cable or the like (not shown).

  FIG. 4 shows an apparatus configuration of an ETC-compatible helmet for motorcycles in the present embodiment. In the figure, the main components are an antenna 2, an ETC vehicle-mounted device 4, a power supply unit 5, and a speaker 6. The ETC vehicle-mounted device 4 includes a control unit 11, a radio unit 10 and an IC card insertion unit 12 connected thereto. The radio unit 10 and the antenna 2 are connected by a coaxial cable 3, and the control unit 11 and the power supply unit 5 are connected by a metal cable 13.

The control unit 11 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a memory, and the like. As will be described later, audio data for transmitting information to the user from the speaker 6 is stored in this memory.
The power supply unit 5 supplies power to operate the ETC on-vehicle device 4 and may be a rechargeable battery, a rechargeable battery, a disposable battery, or the like. The IC card insertion unit 12 is stored in a stopper 8 for inserting an IC card and preventing the IC card from being removed, a stopper release unit for releasing the stopper 8, and a storage unit of the inserted IC card. It consists of a reader / writer that reads information and writes information to its storage.

The insertion slot of the IC card insertion portion is waterproofed with a packing material. Similarly, the power supply unit 5 is waterproofed with a packing material. In addition, life waterproofing is applied to prevent rain or snow from entering the ETC vehicle-mounted device 4.
Next, the operation of the ETC-compatible helmet for motorcycles in this embodiment will be described. First, the user inserts an IC card into the IC card insertion unit 12 before starting the motorcycle. Then, the user wears the ETC-compatible helmet 1 for motorcycles, gets on the motorcycle, and starts.

When the motorcycle starts traveling and approaches the toll gate entrance on the toll road, the control unit 11 controls the radio unit 10 to receive the request data from the roadside machine through the antenna 2, and receives the ID number and the automatic from the IC card. The motorcycle information is read and transmitted to the roadside machine.
Since the entrance side information such as the entrance toll gate number and the passage time is sent from the roadside machine, the information is received by the radio unit 10 via the antenna 2 and stored in the IC card by the control unit 11.

Next, a description will be given of when the exit toll gate passes. When the motorcycle approaches the exit toll gate, in response to the request data from the roadside machine at the exit toll gate, the entrance passage information and the motorcycle information stored in the IC card are sent by the control unit 11 by the reader of the IC card insertion unit. Read out.
The read motorcycle information is transmitted from the radio unit 10 to the roadside machine. The roadside machine calculates the toll from the received data, and transmits the toll information to the IC card credit company. Also send.

  The ETC in-vehicle device 4 writes the fee information received via the antenna 2 in the storage unit of the IC card, and the fee is later charged from a credit company, and is settled based on that. The ETC vehicle-mounted device 4 notifies the communication contents such as fee information with the roadside device from the speaker 6 by voice.

  The voice notification will be described in detail. When the charge information is received, the control unit 11 searches for sound data registered in advance in the memory in the control unit 11 according to the charge information, and the sound data is output from the speaker. The The method for converting the charge information into speech is not limited to this. For example, speech synthesis for generating speech from a text string may be used.

Next, a case where the user leaves the motorcycle will be described. For example, when the user leaves the vehicle body and goes to the store in the service area, the user may enter the store with the motorcycle ETC helmet 1.
In addition, some motorcycles have a space for storing a helmet under the seat or a back for storing a helmet. In these cases, the motorcycle is used for motorcycles. The ETC-compatible helmet 1 may be stored.

  Thereby, even when the user leaves the vehicle body, the ETC vehicle-mounted device 4 is not exposed to the outer surface of the vehicle body, so that it is not stolen or destroyed. Note that the battery replacement time may be notified by voice through the speaker 6. In addition, in this embodiment, the antenna 2 is installed on the helmet upper part, on the ETC vehicle-mounted device 4 and the power supply part 5 on the helmet rear part. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

  From the above, ETC onboard equipment, antenna, power supply, etc. are all installed in the helmet, so there is no need to install them on the vehicle body, and therefore there is no need to consider the installation space of the vehicle body. An in-vehicle device can be introduced. Further, since the ETC on-vehicle device is not exposed on the outer surface of the vehicle body, it is not stolen or destroyed.

<Second Embodiment>
In the first embodiment, the helmet and the ETC in-vehicle device are integrated, but in this example, an ETC in-vehicle device that can be attached to and detached from the motorcycle helmet will be described.
FIG. 5 shows an ETC in-vehicle device for a helmet of a motorcycle in the present embodiment. FIG. 5A is a top view and FIG. 5B is a side view. In the figure, a helmet ETC vehicle-mounted device 20 according to the present embodiment is attached to a normal motorcycle helmet 7. The helmet ETC vehicle-mounted device 20 includes an antenna 2, an ETC vehicle-mounted device 4, a power supply unit 5, a coaxial cable 3 that connects the antenna 2 and the ETC vehicle-mounted device 4, and a speaker 6. These components are fixed to the helmet surface with an adhesive tape or an adhesive. The internal configuration of the ETC vehicle-mounted device 4 is the same as that shown in FIG.

  The speaker 6 may be attached to both sides of the helmet 7 as shown in FIG. In this case, the ETC vehicle-mounted device 4 and the speaker 6 are connected by a metal cable (not shown) or the like, and the speaker 6 is fixed to the wall surface in the helmet with an adhesive tape or an adhesive.

The speaker 6 may be integrated with the ETC vehicle-mounted device 4. In this case, a hole is formed at a place where the helmet 7 and the ETC vehicle-mounted device 4 are in contact with each other, and the speaker 6 is passed through the hole to introduce sound into the helmet.
From the above, even if the helmet is not compatible with the ETC system, it can be easily changed to a helmet compatible with ETC by using the ETC in-vehicle device 20 for helmet, and if it is not necessary to support ETC, It can be easily removed.

It is a figure which shows the ETC corresponding | compatible helmet (side surface) for motorcycles in 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the ETC corresponding | compatible helmet for motorcycles (front) in 1st Embodiment. 1 is a diagram showing an ETC-compatible helmet (upper surface) for a motorcycle according to a first embodiment. FIG. It is a figure which shows the apparatus structure of the ETC corresponding | compatible helmet for motorcycles in 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the ETC vehicle-mounted device for helmets of the motorcycle in 2nd Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ETC-compatible helmet for motorcycles 2 Antenna 3 Coaxial cable 4 ETC on-board unit 5 Power supply unit 6 Speaker 7 Helmet 8 Stopper 10 Radio unit 11 Control unit 12 IC card 13 Metal cable 20 ETC on-board unit for helmet of motorcycle

Claims (6)

Transmission / reception means for transmitting / receiving toll collection-related information, which is information related to toll collection, to / from a roadside machine installed at a toll gate,
Storage control means for controlling storage of the toll collection related information;
A motorcycle helmet characterized by comprising: The motorcycle helmet according to claim 1, wherein the motorcycle helmet further comprises voice notification means for notifying predetermined information of the toll collection related information by voice. The motorcycle helmet according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the motorcycle helmet further includes power supply means for supplying power to the transmission / reception means and the storage control means. Transmission / reception means for transmitting / receiving toll collection-related information, which is information related to toll collection, to / from a roadside machine installed at a toll gate,
Storage control means for controlling storage of the toll collection related information;
An automatic toll collection in-vehicle apparatus comprising: a motorcycle helmet-compatible automatic toll collection in-vehicle apparatus, wherein the automatic toll collection in-vehicle apparatus is detachable from a motorcycle helmet. 5. The motorcycle helmet according to claim 4, wherein the motorcycle helmet-compatible automatic toll collection in-vehicle device further includes voice notification means for notifying predetermined information of the toll collection related information by voice. Compatible automatic toll collection in-vehicle device. The motorcycle helmet-compatible automatic toll collection in-vehicle device further includes a power supply means for supplying power to the transmission / reception means and the storage control means. Automatic toll collection on-board device for helmets.

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