JP2005135247A - On-vehicle device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To normally access an ETC card prior to communicating with a roadside machine after the ETC card has been inserted. <P>SOLUTION: A CPU 10 detects the insertion of the ETC card 30 according to a signal from a card detection switch 13b, and at least prior to communicating with the roadside machine after the ETC card 30 has been inserted (S100), the CPU checks access to the card repeatedly at predetermined intervals (S102, S104, S106); when the access to the ETC card 30 is determined to be abnormal, the user is warned that the access to the ETC card 30 is abnormal (S110). <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an in-vehicle device that receives information from a roadside device and records the received information on a card.

  A non-stop automatic toll collection system (hereinafter referred to as ETC) that automatically collects tolls by wireless communication using an ETC card has been put into practical use, and has been rapidly spreading in recent years. This ETC performs wireless communication between a roadside device provided at a dedicated gate such as a toll gate on a toll road and an ETC on-board device installed in the vehicle, and payment is made with an ETC card installed in the ETC on-board device. To do.

  As the ETC card mounted on the ETC on-board device, a contact type in which a contact surface provided on the card surface and a card connector provided on the ETC on-board device are generally used is used. The power supply from the ETC on-board unit to the ETC card and the exchange of data between the ETC card and the ETC on-board unit are performed via this card connector.

  In general, the ETC on-board unit automatically performs a self-diagnosis of the device when an ETC card is inserted, and notifies whether the ETC is usable or unusable by voice or screen display. ing. This self-diagnosis includes determination of an access state to the ETC card.

  However, after the ETC card is installed, for example, when the contact surface of the ETC card and the card connector provided on the ETC on-board device are not in contact with each other due to vibration during traveling, or when external noise, voltage drop, etc. When the ETC card is reset due to electrical factors and returned to the initial state, access to the ETC card cannot be performed normally.

Even when access to the ETC card fails, the ETC card is recorded as it passes through the ETC gate, and the recording to the ETC card is performed at this time, in order to make the access to the ETC card as successful as possible. If recording to the ETC card fails, a message indicating that the recording is abnormal is displayed to prompt the user to reinsert the ETC card. There is one in which it is identified whether or not the reinserted ETC card is the same as the ETC card that has failed in the storage process, and the recording process is retried when the ETC card is recognized as the same ETC card (for example, Patent Documents). 1).
JP-A-11-195152

  However, the invention described in Patent Document 1 determines whether or not recording to the ETC card has failed after passing through the ETC gate, and before passing through the ETC gate, that is, with the roadside device. Prior to communication, the access state to the ETC card cannot be detected and the access to the ETC card cannot be made normal.

  For this reason, even if the ETC card is re-inserted, if the data writing to the ETC card is not performed normally, the recording process may be terminated without the data writing to the ETC card being performed normally. .

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to enable normal access to an ETC card after the ETC card is installed and before communication with a roadside device.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is an in-vehicle device that receives information from a roadside device and writes the received information to a card, and after the card is mounted, at least the roadside device and Before performing the communication, the access state determination means for repeatedly determining the access state to the card at a predetermined interval, and when the access state determination means determines that the access state to the card is abnormal, And a means for performing an operation for normalizing the access state to the card.

  As described above, after the card is mounted, at least before communication with the roadside device, the access state determination unit that repeatedly determines the access state to the card at a predetermined interval, and the access state determination unit Means for operating to normalize the access status to the card when it is determined that the access status to the card is abnormal, so that after the ETC card is installed, Prior to communication, it is possible to allow normal access to the ETC card. The predetermined interval may be a fixed time interval or irregular.

  The invention according to claim 2 is an in-vehicle device that receives information from a roadside device and writes the received information to a card, indicating that the vehicle is located within a predetermined distance of the roadside device. An access state for determining an access state to the card when a signal indicating that the vehicle is positioned within a predetermined distance of the roadside device is received by the receiving unit. And a means for performing an operation to normalize the access state to the card when the access state determination means determines that the access state to the card is abnormal. It is said.

  Thus, when the signal indicating that the vehicle is located within a predetermined distance of the roadside machine is received by the receiving means, the access state determining means for determining the access state to the card, 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, comprising: an operation for making the access state to the card normal when the access state determination unit determines that the access state to the card is abnormal. Similar to the invention, it is possible to allow normal access to the ETC card before communication with the roadside device.

  Further, the means for performing the operation for normalizing the access state to the card can be a means for reviving the access state with the card as in the invention of claim 3, As in the invention described in claim 4, it can be a means for warning the user that the access state to the card is abnormal.

  Further, the means for performing an operation for normalizing the access state to the card is performed by the access state determination means after reviving the access state with the card as in the invention according to claim 5. If it is determined that the access state to the card is abnormal, it can be realized by warning the user again that the access state to the card is abnormal.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an activation processing means for performing an activation process for enabling access to the card, and the access state to the card is abnormal by the access state determination means. If it is determined, the means for performing the operation for normalizing the access state to the card performs an activation process for enabling access to the card by the activation processing means.

  As described above, when the access state determination means determines that the access state to the card is abnormal, the means for performing an operation for normalizing the access state to the card is performed by the activation processing means. In some cases, the card can be accessed by performing an activation process for enabling access to the card.

(First embodiment)
The configuration of the vehicle-mounted device according to the first embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the vehicle-mounted device 1 includes a CPU 10, a memory 11, a wireless unit 12, a card interface (hereinafter referred to as I / F) 13, an in-vehicle LAN I / F 14, a display unit 15, a switch 16, a buzzer 17, A speaker 18 and a power supply unit 19 are provided.

  The memory 11 includes a ROM that stores programs for performing various arithmetic processes, and a RAM that temporarily stores arithmetic data when the CPU 10 performs arithmetic processes.

  The CPU 10 performs arithmetic processing based on a program stored in the ROM of the memory 11 and writes / reads arithmetic data to / from the RAM of the memory 11 as necessary. In addition, the CPU 10 is configured to switch between two modes of a low power consumption intermittent reception mode and a normal operation continuous reception mode.

  The wireless unit 12 wirelessly transmits and receives information for collecting tolls for toll roads to and from a roadside machine (not shown) provided at an ETC gate or the like. As a wireless communication method between the wireless unit 12 and the roadside device, DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communications) is used.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the card I / F 13 includes a card insertion slot 13a for inserting the ETC card 30, a card detection switch 13b for detecting that the ETC card 30 is attached to the card I / F 13, and an ETC. A card connector (not shown) for transmitting / receiving data to / from the IC chip 30a provided on the card 30 is provided. The ETC card 30 is a contact type, and when the ETC card 30 is inserted into the card insertion slot 13a, the card connector comes into contact with the contact surface provided on the surface side of the IC chip 30a of the ETC card 30, It is designed to be electrically connected. When the ETC card 30 is inserted into the card insertion slot 13a, the card detection switch 13b is turned on, and a signal indicating that the ETC card 30 has been inserted into the card insertion slot 13a is output from the card detection switch 13b. The

  The in-vehicle LAN I / F 14 is for inputting and outputting signals based on a predetermined in-vehicle LAN standard. Various ECUs and the like are connected to the in-vehicle LAN, and the CPU 10 can input and output data to and from the various ECUs through the in-vehicle LAN I / F 14.

  The display unit 15 has a display screen such as an LCD, and displays a charge display at the time of payment, a usage history, and the like on the LCD display screen in accordance with a signal from the CPU 10.

  The switch 16 includes a plurality of push button switches (mechanical switches) provided around the display unit 15, and outputs a signal based on depression of the push button switch by the user to the CPU 10.

  The buzzer 17 is provided on the side surface of the vehicle-mounted device and outputs a buzzer sound based on a signal from the CPU 10.

  The speaker 18 is provided on the side surface of the vehicle-mounted device and outputs sound based on the sound signal input from the CPU 10.

  The power supply unit 19 is connected to the in-vehicle battery via the ignition switch, and supplies a constant voltage of power to each circuit of the in-vehicle device 1.

  In the configuration described above, the vehicle-mounted device 1 receives information from the roadside device and performs a process of writing the received information to the ETC card 30. The information written to the ETC card 30 includes, for example, entrance information at the entrance toll gate and fee information at the exit toll gate.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 3, a process for periodically monitoring the access state of the ETC card 30 by the CPU 10 will be described. When the power is turned on by a user operation, the CPU 10 periodically performs the process shown in FIG.

  First, based on whether or not a signal indicating that the ETC card 30 has been inserted into the card insertion slot 13a is output from the card detection switch 13b, whether or not the ETC card 30 has been inserted into the card insertion slot 13a, that is, Then, it is determined whether or not the card detection switch 13b is turned on (S100).

  If it is determined that the card detection switch 13b is not turned on (determined as OFF in S100), the determination in S100 is repeated.

  In S100, when it is determined that the card detection switch 13b is turned on (determined to be ON in S100), a predetermined command or level signal is transmitted to the ETC card 30 to perform activation processing and authentication processing, In the sleep mode, a standby mode for checking the downlink DSRC radio wave transmitted from the roadside device is set (S102).

  Note that, by performing the activation process and the authentication process, an activation state (activation state) in which data can be read from the ETC card 30 and data can be written to the ETC card 30 is obtained.

  Next, the time from the standby mode is counted, and it is determined whether or not a fixed time (t seconds) has elapsed from the standby mode based on the measured time (S104). The fixed time (t seconds) may be a predetermined time such as 10 seconds.

  Here, when it is determined that a certain time (t seconds) has elapsed (YES in S104), information recorded in advance on the ETC card 30 is read, and whether or not this information has been read normally is determined. The access status to the ETC card 30 is confirmed. That is, it is determined whether or not the access state to the ETC card 30 is abnormal (S106). The information recorded in advance on the ETC card 30 includes history information.

  If it is determined that the access state to the ETC card 30 is abnormal (determined as abnormal in S106), the user is immediately warned by the display unit 15, the speaker 18 and the buzzer 17. Specifically, after outputting a pulse signal to the buzzer 17 and outputting a warning sound such as “beep”, an audio signal is output to the speaker 18, and the “18 ETC is not available. Please confirm "or" ETC cannot be used. Please insert the card again. " Further, a signal is output to the display unit 15 to display the error content on the display screen of the display unit 15. The error number may be displayed on the display screen of the display unit 15 (S109).

  In S106, when it is determined that the access state to the ETC card 30 is normal (determined normal in S106), based on whether the wireless unit 12 has received a downlink DSRC radio wave transmitted from the roadside device. Then, it is determined whether or not it is within the DSRC range (S108).

  Here, when it is determined that it is within the DSRC range (determined as within range in S108), the communication mode for performing bidirectional communication using the DSRC radio wave is performed between the wireless unit 12 and the roadside device, and communication with the roadside device is performed ( S110). Then, data necessary for billing is received from the roadside device, the received data is written to the ETC card 30, and this processing is terminated.

  If it is determined in S104 that the predetermined time (t seconds) has not elapsed (NO in S104), the process proceeds to S108.

  In S108, when it is determined that it is not within the DSRC range (determined as out of range in S108), the processing of S102 to S108 is repeated.

  As described above, the CPU 10 detects that the ETC card 30 is attached to the card I / F 13 based on the signal from the card detection switch 13b, and after the ETC card 30 is attached to the card insertion slot 13a, Before performing communication with at least the roadside device, the access state to the card is repeatedly determined at a predetermined interval, and if it is determined that the access state to the ETC card 30 is abnormal, the access state to the ETC card 30 Therefore, it is possible to normalize access to the ETC card after communication with the roadside device after the ETC card is installed.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment will be described. The configuration of the vehicle-mounted device according to the present embodiment is different from the configuration shown in FIG. 1 in that a navigation device (not shown) is further connected via the in-vehicle LAN I / F 14.

  The navigation device calculates the position of the vehicle based on a signal input from a position detector such as GPS, and displays the map on the display screen by superimposing the calculated position of the vehicle and the map data read from the storage medium. It has a function and a route guidance function for setting a guidance route to the destination and performing guidance according to the selected guidance route.

  In addition, when the navigation device in the present embodiment receives a signal from the in-vehicle device 1 that inquires whether or not the vehicle is positioned within a predetermined distance of the roadside machine, based on the vehicle position and the map data, It is determined whether or not the vehicle is located within a predetermined distance of the roadside machine, and if it is determined that the vehicle is located within the predetermined distance of the roadside machine, it indicates that the vehicle is located within the predetermined distance of the roadside machine. A signal is transmitted to the vehicle-mounted device 1. Further, the navigation device displays on the display screen in accordance with a signal from the vehicle-mounted device 1.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 4, a process for monitoring the access state of the ETC card 30 by the CPU 10 on an irregular basis will be described. When the power is turned on according to the operation of the ignition key by the user, the CPU 10 periodically performs the process shown in FIG. Note that the steps denoted by the same reference numerals in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 perform the same processing, and detailed description thereof is omitted here.

  In S100 of FIG. 4, it is determined whether or not the card detection switch 13b is turned on, and if it is determined that the card detection switch 13b is turned on (YES in S100), the navigation device indicates that “the vehicle is a predetermined roadside machine. A signal for inquiring whether or not the vehicle is located within the distance is transmitted. Further, the activation process and the authentication process are performed, and the standby mode for checking the downlink DSRC radio wave transmitted from the roadside device in the sleep mode is set (S103).

  When the “signal indicating that the vehicle is positioned within a predetermined distance of the roadside device” is received from the navigation device, the sleep mode is changed to the normal operation mode (S105).

  Then, information recorded in advance on the ETC card 30 is read out, and the access state to the ETC card 30 is confirmed based on whether or not this information has been read out normally. That is, it is determined whether or not the access state to the ETC card 30 is abnormal (S106).

  Here, when it is determined that the access state to the ETC card 30 is abnormal (determined as abnormal in S106), a warning is given to the user by the display unit 15, the speaker 18, the buzzer 17, and the navigation device. Specifically, a warning message such as “ETC cannot be used. Please check the card.” Or “ETC cannot be used. Please reinsert the card.” Is displayed on the navigation device display screen. Then, an audio signal is output to the speaker 18 to output a warning message as an audio (S111).

  When it is determined in S106 that the access state to the ETC card 30 is normal (determined as normal in S106), it is determined in S108 whether or not it is within the DSRC range, and when it is determined that it is not within the DSRC range ( It is determined whether or not a “signal indicating that the vehicle is located within a predetermined distance of the roadside device” is received from the navigation device (S105).

  Here, when the “signal indicating that the vehicle is positioned within a predetermined distance of the roadside machine” is not received (NO in S112), that is, “the vehicle is not positioned within the predetermined distance of the roadside machine” If a “signal indicating that” is received, the process returns to S108. In S122, when a “signal indicating that the vehicle is located within a predetermined distance of the roadside machine” is received (YES in S112), the process returns to S103.

  In the process shown in FIG. 3, the CPU 10 always needs to perform the process in the normal operation mode in order to determine whether or not the access state to the ETC card 30 is abnormal every certain time (t seconds). In the process shown in FIG. 4, when a signal indicating that the vehicle is positioned within a predetermined distance of the roadside device is received from the navigation device in S105, the sleep mode is changed to the normal operation mode. Therefore, power consumption can be reduced.

  As described above, when the in-vehicle LAN I / F 14 receives a “signal indicating that the vehicle is positioned within a predetermined distance of the roadside device” from the navigation device, the CPU 10 accesses the ETC card 30. If the access status to the ETC card 30 is determined to be abnormal, the user is warned that the access status to the ETC card 30 is abnormal. Access to the ETC card can be made normal.

  Also, the downlink DSRC transmitted from the roadside device in the sleep mode until the “signal indicating that the vehicle is located within a predetermined distance of the roadside device” is received from the navigation device by the in-vehicle LAN I / F 14. Since a standby mode for checking radio waves is set, power consumption can be reduced compared to a case where the access state to the ETC card 30 is periodically determined.

(Third embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment will be described. When the contact state between the contact surface provided on the surface of the ETC card 30 and the card connector provided in the vehicle-mounted device 1 becomes abnormal during running due to vibration or the like, the contact state is improved by vibrating the card connector. Is likely to be. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, the configuration of the vehicle-mounted device according to the present embodiment includes a vibrator 20 that vibrates the card connector in order to recover the contact state with the ETC card 30 with respect to the configuration illustrated in FIG. 1. Is provided.

  The vibrator 20 is operated in response to a signal from the CPU 10, and the card connector is vibrated by the operation of the vibrator 20.

  Next, the restoration process by the vibrator 20 of the CPU 10 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. When the power is turned on according to the operation of the ignition key by the user, the CPU 10 periodically performs the process shown in FIG. Note that the steps denoted by the same reference numerals in FIG. 3 and FIG. 6 perform the same processing, and detailed description thereof is omitted here.

  In S106, information recorded in advance on the ETC card 30 is read out, and the access status to the ETC card 30 is confirmed based on whether or not this information has been read out normally. That is, it is determined whether or not the access state to the ETC card 30 is abnormal, and when it is determined that the access state to the ETC card 30 is abnormal (determined as abnormal in S106), the access state to the ETC card 30 Is counted, and it is determined whether or not the number of times the access state to the ETC card 30 is abnormal is equal to or greater than a predetermined number N (S120).

  Here, when it is determined that the number of times of abnormal access to the ETC card 30 is less than the predetermined number N (determined as NO in S120), the vibrator 20 is operated for a certain time (S122), and the surface of the ETC card 30 is The contact state between the provided contact surface and the card connector provided in the ETC vehicle-mounted device is restored.

  Note that the ETC card 30 cannot read or write data once the access state to the ETC card 30 becomes abnormal. In order to read / write data from / to the ETC card 30 again, It is necessary to activate the ETC card 30 by performing an activation process.

  For this reason, after performing the activation process and the authentication process for the ETC card 30 (S124), the access state to the ETC card 30 is confirmed again in S106.

  Then, the processing of S120 to S124 is repeated, and when the number of times of abnormal access to the ETC card 30 is counted up to the predetermined number N (determined as YES in S120), the user is immediately warned (S109). .

  If it is determined in S106 that the access state to the ETC card 30 is abnormal, and it is determined in S120 that the number of times of abnormal access to the ETC card 30 is less than the predetermined number N (determined NO in S120). , S120 to S124 are repeated.

  As described above, when the vibrator 20 for recovering the contact state with the ETC card 30 is provided, the access state to the ETC card 30 is confirmed, and it is determined that the access state to the ETC card 30 is abnormal Since the vibrator 20 tries to recover the contact state with the ETC card 30, the access state to the ETC card 30 may be automatically recovered without reinserting the ETC card 30.

(Fourth embodiment)
Next, a fourth embodiment will be described. When the ETC card 30 is reset due to electrical factors such as external noise and power supply interruption, the activation process and authentication process for the ETC card 30 can be performed without reinserting the ETC card 30 or operating the vibrator 20. In some cases, abnormal access to the ETC card 30 may be recovered.

  The CPU 10 of the vehicle-mounted device 1 according to the present embodiment performs a process of trying to recover the access state to the ETC card 30 without reinserting the ETC card 30 or operating the vibrator 20. Note that the vehicle-mounted device 1 according to the present embodiment has the same configuration as that shown in FIG.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 7, the restoration process that is not performed by the vibrator 20 by the CPU 10 will be described. When the power is turned on according to the operation of the ignition key by the user, the CPU 10 periodically performs the process shown in FIG. Note that the steps denoted by the same reference numerals in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 perform the same processing, and detailed description thereof is omitted here.

  In S106, information recorded in advance on the ETC card 30 is read out, and the access status to the ETC card 30 is confirmed based on whether or not this information has been read out normally. That is, it is determined whether or not the access state to the ETC card 30 is abnormal, and when it is determined that the access state to the ETC card 30 is abnormal (determined as abnormal in S106), the access state to the ETC card 30 Is counted, and it is determined whether or not the number of times the access state to the ETC card 30 is abnormal is equal to or greater than a predetermined number N (S120).

  Here, when it is determined that the number of times of abnormal access to the ETC card 30 is less than the predetermined number N (determined as NO in S120), after performing the activation process and the authentication process for the ETC card 30 (S124) In S106, the access state to the ETC card 30 is confirmed again.

  Then, the processing of S120 to S124 is repeated, and when the number of times of abnormal access to the ETC card 30 in S120 reaches the predetermined number N (determined as YES in S120), a warning is immediately given to the user (S109).

  If it is determined at 120 that the number of times of abnormal access to the ETC card 30 is equal to or greater than the predetermined number N (YES at S120), a warning is given to the user (S109).

  As described above, when it is determined that the access state to the ETC card 30 is abnormal, after the activation process to the ETC card 30 is performed, whether or not the access state to the ETC card 30 is abnormal again Therefore, when the ETC card 30 is reset due to an electrical factor such as external noise or instantaneous power interruption, the ETC card 30 is not attempted without reinsertion of the ETC card 30 or recovery of the contact state by the vibrator 20. Access status may be restored.

(Fifth embodiment)
In the first, second, and fourth embodiments, an example of determining an access state to the ETC card 30 before the vehicle equipment 1 performs communication processing (S110) with a roadside device provided at an ETC gate or the like. Although shown, the case where the access state to the ETC card 30 remains abnormal and the vehicle equipment 1 performs communication processing with the roadside device through the ETC gate can be considered. In this case, even if the car equipment 1 and the roadside device can communicate, the car equipment 1 may fail to write data to the ETC card 30.

  In the present embodiment, with reference to FIG. 8, the processing of the CPU 10 when the vehicle device 1 performs communication processing with the roadside device while the access state to the ETC card 30 is abnormal will be described. Note that the vehicle-mounted device 1 according to the present embodiment has the same configuration as that shown in FIG.

  The CPU 10 performs communication processing with the roadside device in S110 of FIG. 3, FIG. 4, or FIG. 7, and further performs the following processing.

  First, in S110, communication processing with the roadside device is performed, and writing processing to the ETC card 30 is performed (S130). Specifically, when data necessary for charging is received from the roadside device, the received data is stored in the memory 11 and written to the ETC card 30.

  Next, the data written to the ETC card 30 is read, and based on whether or not the read data matches the data written to the ETC card 30 in S130, it is determined whether or not the writing is successful (S131).

  If it is determined that the writing has succeeded (YES in S131), the process returns to S102 in FIG. 3 and enters the standby mode.

  If it is determined in S132 that the writing has failed (NO in S131), the user is warned again (S136) in the same manner as in S109 of FIG. 3, FIG. 4 or FIG. To do.

(Sixth embodiment)
In the third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the vibrator 20 for vibrating the card connector is provided, and by the operation of the vibrator 20, the contact surface provided on the surface of the ETC card 30 and the ETC vehicle-mounted device are provided. Although an example of reviving the contact state with a given card connector has been shown, when the access state to the ETC card 30 is abnormal and the vehicle device 1 performs communication processing with the roadside device through the ETC gate Can be considered. In this case, even if the car equipment 1 and the roadside device can communicate, the car equipment 1 may fail to write data to the ETC card 30.

  In the present embodiment, with reference to FIG. 9, processing of the CPU 10 when the vehicle device 1 performs communication processing with the roadside device while the access state to the ETC card 30 is abnormal will be described. In addition, the onboard equipment 1 which concerns on this embodiment has the same structure as what was shown in FIG. Further, steps denoted by the same reference numerals in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 perform the same processing, and detailed description thereof is omitted here.

  The CPU 10 performs communication processing with the roadside device in S110 of FIG. 6, and further performs the following processing.

  First, in S110, communication processing with the roadside device is performed, and after writing processing to the ETC card 30 (S130), it is determined whether writing is successful (S131).

  If it is determined that the writing has succeeded (YES in S131), the process returns to S102 of FIG. 3 and enters the standby mode (S132).

  If it is determined in S131 that writing has failed (NO in S131), the same processing as S120, S122, S124, and S109 in FIG. 6 is performed (S133, S134, S135, and S136).

  That is, the number of times that the access state to the ETC card 30 becomes abnormal is counted, and it is determined whether or not the number of times that the access state to the ETC card 30 becomes abnormal is equal to or greater than a predetermined number N. (S133) When it is determined that the number of times of abnormal access to the ETC card 30 is less than the predetermined number N (determined as NO in S133), the vibrator 20 is operated for a certain time (S134), and the surface of the ETC card 30 The contact state between the contact surface provided on the card and the card connector provided on the ETC vehicle-mounted device is restored. Then, after performing the activation process and the authentication process for the ETC card 30 (S135), the process returns to the process of S130, and the writing process to the ETC card 30 is performed again. When the number of times of abnormal access to the ETC card 30 is counted up to the predetermined number N in S120 (determined as YES in S133), the user is warned again as in S109 of FIG. 6 (S136). .

(Other embodiments)
The CPU 10 of the vehicle-mounted device 1 in the sixth embodiment includes the vibrator 20, and in S <b> 134 of FIG. 9, the vibrator 20 is operated for a certain time, and the contact surface provided on the surface of the ETC card 30 and the ETC vehicle-mounted device are provided. However, when the ETC card 30 is reset due to an external factor such as external noise or power supply interruption, the ETC card 30 is reinserted or the vibrator 20 is turned off. Since the abnormal access to the ETC card 30 may be recovered only by performing the activation process and the authentication process for the ETC card 30 without operating, even if the step of S133 is omitted as shown in FIG. Good.

  Moreover, CPU10 of the onboard equipment 1 in 5th Embodiment determines whether writing was successful in S131 of FIG. 8, and when it determines with writing having failed (it determines as NO in S131), it warns a user. The process is terminated (S136) and the process is terminated. However, as shown in FIG. 11, when it is determined that data writing to the ETC card 30 has failed (NO in S131), the process proceeds to the ETC card 30. The number of failed data writing operations is counted, and the retry process is repeated up to a predetermined number of times N. When the retry process is repeated up to a predetermined number of times N, a warning is given to the user. It is good (S136).

  In the above embodiment, the means for determining whether or not the card has been inserted corresponds to the card detection switch 13b. Further, the access state determination means corresponds to the step of S106 in FIGS. The means for restoring the access state with the card corresponds to the vibrator 20 as a hardware configuration, and corresponds to S122 in FIG. 6 and S134 in FIG. Means for warning the user that the access status to the card is abnormal corresponds to the display unit 15, buzzer 17, speaker 18, display screen of the navigation device, etc. in terms of hardware configuration. This corresponds to S109 in FIGS. 6 and 7 and S111 in FIG. The activation processing means corresponds to S124 in FIGS. 6 and 7, and S135 in FIGS.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, Based on the meaning of this invention, it can implement with a various form.

  For example, in the above embodiment, an ETC card is shown as an example of a card to be mounted on the vehicle-mounted device, but the present invention is not limited to an ETC card and can be applied to other cards.

  Moreover, although the roadside machine in the said embodiment demonstrated as what is provided in an ETC gate etc. and transmits / receives the information for the collection of tolls of a toll road, for example, it is set in a parking lot and collection of a parking fee It can also be applied to a device that transmits and receives information for the purpose.

  1 and 5, the display unit 15, the buzzer 17, and the speaker 18 are provided. However, these are merely examples, and it is not necessary to include the display unit 15, the buzzer 17, and the speaker 18. The display unit 15, the buzzer 17, and the speaker 18 may be omitted. When the display unit 15, the buzzer 17, and the speaker 18 are not provided, for example, a red LED lamp may be provided, and this LED may blink to notify the user of an abnormal access to the ETC card 30. Furthermore, the number of blinks may be determined in advance according to the error content, and the error content may be notified by the number of blinks. In short, any configuration that can warn the user of an abnormal access to the ETC card 30 is acceptable.

  In the second embodiment, an example in which the navigation device is connected to the in-vehicle LAN I / F 14 of the vehicle-mounted device 1 has been described, but the vehicle-mounted device 1 may be built in the navigation device.

  Moreover, in 2nd Embodiment, although the onboard equipment 1 showed about the example connected with a navigation apparatus by in-vehicle LAN I / F14, it is not restricted to in-vehicle LAN I / F, For example, it connects with a navigation apparatus by a dedicated external interface. You may comprise.

  In the third and sixth embodiments, an example in which the vibrator 20 that vibrates the card connector is provided in order to recover the contact state with the ETC card 30, but the present invention is not limited to the card connector. The ETC card 30 may be configured to vibrate.

  Further, in the first embodiment, an example in which a pulse signal is output to the buzzer 17 and a warning sound such as “beep” is output, and then an audio signal is output to the speaker 18 to output the warning as an audio signal. However, for example, until the ETC card 30 is reinserted by the user, a pulse signal may be output to the buzzer 17 to continuously output a warning sound such as “beep”.

  Further, when the vehicle-mounted device 1 does not include the in-vehicle LAN I / F 14 and the speaker 18, a pulse signal is output to the buzzer 17 to output a warning sound such as “beep”, and an error content is displayed on the display unit 15. A display may be performed. Further, an error number may be displayed on the display unit of the display unit 15.

  In the third and fourth embodiments, as shown in the first embodiment, an example in which the access state is restored when the access state to the card is periodically determined has been described. As described above, when the access state to the card is determined when the “signal indicating that the vehicle is located within a predetermined distance of the roadside device” is received from the navigation device, the access state is restored. It may be.

  In addition, in S104 of FIGS. 3, 6, and 7, an example in which it is determined whether or not a certain time (t seconds) has elapsed has been described. However, the time does not necessarily have to be a certain time and may be irregular. .

  In FIG. 1 and FIG. 5, when the ETC vehicle-mounted device is used alone without being connected to an external device such as a navigation device, it is not necessary to provide an in-vehicle LAN I / F 2.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the onboard equipment 1 which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing about card | curd I / F13. It is a flowchart which shows the process which monitors the access state of the ETC card | curd 30 by CPU10 in 1st Embodiment regularly. It is a flowchart which shows the process which monitors the access state of the ETC card | curd 30 by the CPU10 in 2nd Embodiment irregularly. It is a figure which shows the structure of the onboard equipment 1 which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the restoration process by the vibrator 20 of CPU10 in 3rd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the restoration process which does not depend on the vibrator 20 of CPU10 in 4th Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the process of CPU10 in 5th Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the process of CPU10 in 6th Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the process of CPU10 in other embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the process of CPU10 in other embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Onboard equipment, 10 ... CPU, 11 ... Memory, 12 ... Radio | wireless part,
13 ... Card interface, 13a ... Card insertion slot, 13b ... Card detection switch,
14 ... In-car LAN I / F, 15 ... Display, 16 ... Switch, 17 ... Buzzer,
18 ... Speaker, 19 ... Power supply, 20 ... Vibrator, 30 ... ETC card,
30a: IC chip.

Claims (7)

An in-vehicle device that receives information from a roadside machine and writes the received information to a card,
After the card is mounted, at least before performing communication with the roadside device, an access state determination unit that repeatedly determines an access state to the card at a predetermined interval;
An in-vehicle device comprising: an operation for making the access state to the card normal when the access state determination unit determines that the access state to the card is abnormal . An in-vehicle device that receives information from a roadside machine and writes the received information to a card,
Receiving means for receiving a signal indicating that the vehicle is located within a predetermined distance of the roadside device;
An access state determination unit that determines an access state to the card when a signal indicating that the vehicle is located within a predetermined distance of the roadside machine is received by the reception unit;
An on-vehicle device comprising: an operation for making the access state to the card normal when the access state determination unit determines that the access state to the card is abnormal . The vehicle-mounted device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the means for performing an operation for normalizing the access state to the card is a means for reviving the access state with the card. The means for performing an operation for normalizing the access state to the card is a means for warning a user that the access state to the card is abnormal. Onboard equipment. The means for performing the operation for normalizing the access state to the card is determined that the access state to the card is abnormal by the access state judging means after reviving the access state with the card. 3. The vehicle-mounted device according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle-mounted device is a unit that warns the user again that the access state to the card is abnormal. An activation processing means for performing an activation process for enabling access to the card,
The means for performing the operation for normalizing the access state to the card performs the activation process by the activation processing means when the access state determination means determines that the access state to the card is abnormal. The vehicle-mounted device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein An activation processing means for performing an activation process for enabling access to the card,
The means for performing an operation for normalizing the access state to the card is intended to restore the access state with the card when the access state determination means determines that the access state to the card is abnormal. 3. The vehicle-mounted device according to claim 1, wherein activation processing for enabling access to the card is performed by the activation processing means.

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