JP2005216322A - Vehicle guide system and on-vehicle unit - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicle guide system and an on-vehicle unit capable of mitigate congestion at an exit of a toll road. <P>SOLUTION: An ETC system is equipped with a prenotice antenna controller 85 for monitoring processing situation of at least a special lane controller 93 of an ETC-vehicle special booth 81 of a plurality of booths (the ETC-vehicle special booth 81, an exit booth 82) installed at an exit tollgate of the toll road and a prenotice antenna controller 84, installed on a prenotice lane, for giving guidance information to the on-vehicle unit (OBU) 3 of the ETC-vehicle according to the processing situation monitored by the prenotice antenna controller 85. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle guidance system and an in-vehicle device applied to toll roads such as highways and toll bridges, for example.

  Generally, toll collection systems for toll roads include a so-called open system with only one checkpoint and a so-called closed system with at least two checkpoints.

  The closed system is applied to, for example, a long-distance expressway, and an exit gate is installed at the exit where a vehicle passing through the expressway exits, while issuing a pass ticket at the entrance gate installed at the entrance where the vehicle enters the expressway. This is an entrance ticketing / exit receiving system that collects tolls according to the distance traveled by the vehicle and the type of vehicle.

  The open system is applied to, for example, toll roads near the Tokyo metropolitan area (Tokyo Metropolitan Expressway, etc.) and toll bridges. A fixed fee is collected at the entrance gate where vehicles enter the toll road, and there is no gate at the exit of the toll road. You can pass as it is. There is also the opposite case.

  As a conventional fee collection system in the form of the closed system, there is a magnetic card type fee collection system. This magnetic card type toll collection system comprises, for example, an entrance lane side device installed at an entrance gate of an interchange on an expressway and an exit lane side device installed at an exit gate. The main device of the entrance lane side device is an automatic ticket issuing device that issues a magnetic card ticket. The exit lane side equipment includes a receipt issuing machine, a pass ticket reader, a control device, and the like.

  In this magnetic card type toll collection system, an automatic pass ticket issuing device is usually used at an entrance gate where a vehicle has entered, and a magnetic card transit ticket in which information on interchange of the entrance gate (hereinafter referred to as entrance information) is recorded. At the exit gate, pass the pass ticket that the driver of the vehicle had passed through the pass ticket reader, read the entrance information recorded on the magnetic card that is the pass ticket, calculate the toll, and the amount To the driver to collect tolls using cash, highway cards, etc.

  By the way, in the case of this magnetic card type toll collection system, at the entrance gate, there is not so much stagnation because of the procedure for receiving the pass ticket from the automatic pass ticket issuing device. As a result, it takes a lot of time to collect tolls, and it takes a lot of time. When the number of vehicles using the highway increases, the area around the exit gate becomes congested.

Therefore, in recent years, the introduction of new technology for mitigating this congestion has started.
As one of these new technologies, an in-vehicle device equipped with a wireless communication function and an IC card that can store various information is detachably mounted in the vehicle, and each gate at the entrance and exit of this interchange device. It is possible to introduce a wireless card type toll collection system that wirelessly communicates with the roadside equipment installed in each of the roadside units and adjusts tolls together with the magnetic card type toll collection system described above. It has been.

  When introducing a toll collection system using both a magnetic card and a wireless card in this way, a vehicle equipped with an in-vehicle device (hereinafter referred to as an ETC vehicle) and a vehicle not equipped with an in-vehicle device (hereinafter referred to as a non-ETC vehicle). ) Passes through the entrance gate and the exit gate, and it is necessary to collect tolls according to each vehicle.

  For this reason, at the entrance gate, a magnetic card pass ticket is issued for non-ETC vehicles, and for ETC vehicles, entrance information is stored in an IC card set in an in-vehicle device in the ETC vehicle by wireless communication using a roadside device. On the other hand, at the exit gate, a non-ETC vehicle driver receives a toll as before and processes it with a toll reader and artificially settles the toll, Needs to read the entrance information from the in-vehicle device of the ETC car and the IC card by wireless communication with the roadside device installed at the exit gate, and to automatically pay the toll based on the read entrance information. As a mechanism for automatically paying tolls, there are a method of recording an amount prepaid in advance on an IC card and a method similar to a general credit card.

  In particular, the exit gate is expected to be crowded because it is necessary to perform fee settlement in different forms as described above.

  Therefore, in order to reduce congestion, an ETC car booth that can collect tolls by wireless communication and other vehicles such as non-ETC are installed at the exit gate so that the ETC car that can be automatically settled and other vehicles are settled separately. It is conceivable to separately install an exit booth of a vehicle or an ETC vehicle that needs to exchange an IC card or the like with a receipt person.

However, such a fee collection system has the following problems.
That is, as described above, even if the booth dedicated to ETC vehicles and the exit booth of other vehicles are separately installed at the exit gate, if the vehicle side entering the exit gate does not know it, it will be crowded as in the conventional system. There was a problem of causing.

  The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle guidance system and an in-vehicle device that can alleviate congestion at the exit of a toll road.

  In order to achieve the above-described object, a vehicle guidance system according to the present invention is provided in a moving body, a determination unit that determines a state where the moving body approaches a toll gate, and the determination unit determines the state to the toll gate. Guidance information creating means for creating guidance information in the toll booth based on information inputted from an information source having information necessary for moving in the toll booth when the approach of the moving body is determined; And an information output means for outputting the guidance information created by the guidance information creation means so as to guide a user.

  The vehicle guidance system of the present invention is mounted on a vehicle and detects a state of approaching a toll gate that performs toll collection processing on a toll road from information output to the vehicle in front of the toll gate, Provided in the vehicle, guidance information creating means for creating guidance information in the toll booth based on information necessary to move in the toll booth when an approach to the toll booth is detected by the in-vehicle device And guidance information output means for outputting the guidance information created by the guidance information creation means to guide the vehicle user.

  The in-vehicle device of the present invention is a receiving means for receiving guidance information necessary for traveling in the toll gate, which is output to a vehicle mounted on the vehicle and approaching a toll gate that performs toll collection processing on a toll road And output means for guiding the guidance information received by the receiving means to the user of the vehicle.

  The in-vehicle device of the present invention includes a receiving means for receiving information necessary for traveling in the toll gate, which is output to a vehicle mounted on the vehicle and approaching a toll gate that performs toll collection processing on a toll road. Based on the guidance received by the receiving means, the guidance information creating means for creating the guidance information necessary for moving within the toll gate, and the guidance information created by the guidance information creating means for the user of the vehicle And an output means for guiding.

  An in-vehicle device according to the present invention is mounted on a vehicle with an IC card attached thereto, and is provided in the vicinity of a lane toward a passing gate on a toll road in an in-vehicle device that performs toll collection processing on a toll road by wireless communication. A receiving means for receiving a radio wave from a warning antenna that outputs a radio wave to a vehicle traveling toward the passing gate, and an IC card is mounted on the in-vehicle device when the radio wave is received from the warning antenna. It is characterized by comprising notifying means for notifying when there is not.

  An in-vehicle device according to the present invention is mounted on a vehicle with an IC card attached thereto, and is provided in the vicinity of a lane toward a passing gate on a toll road in an in-vehicle device that performs toll collection processing on a toll road by wireless communication. A receiving means for receiving radio waves from a notification antenna that outputs radio waves to a vehicle traveling toward the passing gate, and an IC card mounted on the in-vehicle device when receiving radio waves from the notification antenna It is characterized by comprising notifying means for notifying when it is not within the expiration date or when the prepayment balance is insufficient.

  In the present invention, when the in-vehicle device receives the guidance information necessary for moving within the toll booth, which is output for a vehicle approaching the toll booth for toll collection on the toll road, the received guidance information is Since it will guide the vehicle user, before exiting the toll booth, the vehicle equipped with the in-vehicle device should go to which exit, which booth can be automatically adjusted, IC card is installed, IC Details such as whether the card is within its expiration date and whether there is a shortage of advance payments are available to the user. Thereby, the user of the vehicle approaching the toll gate can enter the vehicle into the toll gate according to the guidance.

  As described above, according to the present invention, congestion at the exit of a toll road can be alleviated.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a configuration of a wireless card type toll collection system (hereinafter referred to as an ETC system) according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an entrance lane side as one of roadside devices in a closed system. The figure which shows the structure of an apparatus schematically, FIG. 3 is a figure which shows the structure of the exit lane side apparatus as one of the roadside machines in a closed system schematically, FIG. 4 is in the exit booth of the exit lane side apparatus of FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of an in-vehicle device of this ETC system, FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an IC card of this ETC system, and FIG. 7 is a diagram of a roadside device in an open system. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an entrance booth device or an exit booth device as one, FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the vicinity of an exit gate in a closed system or an open system, and FIG. 9 is an ETC vehicle of FIG. It is a diagram showing a configuration of the installed roadside device to use the booth.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a roadside machine on a toll road, which includes an entrance lane side device installed at the entrance gate of the toll road and an exit lane side device installed at the exit gate. The roadside machine 1 is provided with an antenna 2. The antenna 2 is a first antenna 23, a second antenna 25, or the like of each specific example described later. Reference numeral 3 denotes an in-vehicle device having an antenna 4 for wireless communication with the roadside device 1 and the antenna 2.
An IC card 5 is detachably attached to the in-vehicle device 3. Even if it can be inserted and removed, the in-vehicle device 3 is provided with a card storage portion (detailed in FIG. 5) for automatically storing / discharging the IC card 5, and a user is provided at the entrance of the card storage portion. When the IC card 5 is inserted, the IC card 5 is automatically stored by the auto-loading and ejecting mechanism in the card storage unit. On the other hand, when removing the IC card 5 from the in-vehicle device 3, a user is provided in the in-vehicle device 3. Auto-eject by pressing the eject button.

  Since the roadside device 1 and the vehicle-mounted device 3 temporarily store information in a buffer memory such as an internal dynamic RAM and communicate wirelessly, the communication speed is relatively high, whereas the IC card 5 A flash memory such as an EEPROM is mounted on the flash memory, and information is written / read out from the in-vehicle device 3 to / from the flash memory, so that the information writing speed is particularly higher than the communication speed between the roadside device 1 and the in-vehicle device 3. Extremely slow (slow).

Here, specific configuration examples of the ETC system will be described.
First, the configuration of a closed system applied to, for example, a long-distance highway will be described.

  An entrance lane side device as one of the roadside machines 1 of the closed system is installed in each entrance booth unit of an entrance gate of an interchange on a highway, for example. As shown in FIG. 2, the entrance lane side device sequentially detects a vehicle Y that has entered a predetermined area in front of each lane of each entrance booth in a traveling direction by a plurality of vehicle detectors 21, and is used for large vehicles and ordinary vehicles. When the vehicle type discriminating device 22 for judging the vehicle type such as a small car and the vehicle type discriminated by the vehicle type discriminating device 22 are notified, the first antenna 23 starts wireless communication and enters the communicable vehicle Y. It is provided in front of the wireless communication between the toll gate number, the time of entry and the lane number, and the like. It is comprised from the start detection apparatus 26 which notifies the detected vehicle Y to the automatic pass ticket issuing apparatus 25 as a start vehicle.

The second antenna 25 communicates with the on-board unit (OBU) 3 based on an instruction from the automatic ticket issuing machine 24 when the vehicle Y, which has been normally communicated with the first antenna 23, has entered the detection area of the start detection device 26. Send and receive data. As data transmitted and received by this communication, the vehicle type information determined by the vehicle type determination device 22 is sent to the in-vehicle device 3, and the comparison result with the vehicle type information registered in advance in the in-vehicle device 3 is sent to the automatic pass ticket issuing machine 24. Returned.
The automatic ticket issuing machine 24 controls each of the above-mentioned devices, and for a vehicle Y in which the IC card 5 cannot be used even if the vehicle is not equipped with the vehicle-mounted device 3 (hereinafter referred to as a non-ETC vehicle) or an ETC vehicle. Issue a magnetic card pass as before.

  On the other hand, an exit lane side device as one of the closed system roadside machines 1 is installed in each exit booth unit of the exit gate of the interchange of the expressway. As shown in FIG. 3, the exit lane side device includes a vehicle detection device 31 that detects a vehicle Y that has entered a predetermined area in front of each lane of each exit booth, and the vehicle Y is detected by the vehicle detection device 31. Then, the first antenna 32 performs wireless communication with the vehicle Y, and the usage fee differs for vehicles that can communicate (hereinafter referred to as ETC vehicles) and vehicles that cannot communicate (vehicles that cannot communicate with non-ETC vehicles or ETC vehicles). It is comprised from the apparatus 30 in the exit booth which performs the receipt process of this.

As shown in FIG. 4, the exit booth device 30 includes a pass ticket confirmation machine 41 that processes a pass ticket (magnetic card) brought by a non-ETC car, and a prepaid card processing machine that processes a prepaid card (prepaid card). 42, an IC card reader 43 that processes an IC card of an ETC car without wireless communication, a receipt issuing machine 44 that issues a receipt for a cash payment vehicle, and a vehicle entry detection notification from the vehicle detection device 31. It is comprised from the exit lane control apparatus 45 which receives and controls each said apparatus.
The pass ticket confirmation machine 41 is a magnetic card reader that reads a pass ticket (magnetic card). In the exit lane controller 45, a negative list is registered in a recording device (not shown) such as a hard disk. The negative list is, for example, a list of users who have provided an IC card by a toll road operator but are certified not to collect charges with the IC card.

The in-vehicle device 3 is also called an On Board Unit, that is, OBU. As shown in FIG. 5, the on-board unit (OBU) 3 includes an autoloading / ejecting mechanism 52 that loads the IC card 5 into the card storage unit 51 and ejects the IC card 5 in the card storage unit 51, and an IC. An interface unit 53 with the card 5, an IC card processing unit 54 that processes information read through the interface unit 53 and stores a processing result in the memory 55, and transmits information stored in the memory 55 from the antenna 4. In addition, a wireless control unit 56 that stores information received by the antenna 4 in the memory 55, an operation unit 57 having a plurality of buttons (such as a numeric keypad, a designation key, an execution key, and an eject button) operated by the user, A display unit 58 having a character display for guiding the contents and an LED lamp, and a system for controlling each unit in an integrated manner. And a part 59..
In the memory 55, vehicle information such as the length, the number of axes, the weight, the application, and the feature data of factors for determining the vehicle on which the onboard unit (OBU) 3 is mounted is registered in advance. In addition, the vehicle-mounted device 3 is also provided with notification means such as a buzzer or a speaker.

The IC card 5 includes a prepaid system (charge prepaid system) that is provided by a road operator who collects charges at a predetermined charge and an account withdrawal system. As shown in FIG. 6, for example, the account withdrawal type IC card 5 includes an interface unit 62 that exchanges data between a flash memory 61 such as an EPROM and an interface unit 53 of the in-vehicle device 3, and the interface unit 62. And a CPU 63 as control means for controlling the flash memory 61.
The flash memory 61 of the IC card 5 stores billing information such as the user ID number, the expiration date of the contract, and special contract information (whether or not the disabled person discount can be applied). In the case of the pre-payment method, the remaining amount information is further stored, and the toll for each use is subtracted from the predetermined available amount set when not in use.
Further, in the flash memory 61 of the IC card 5, when the vehicle Y passes the gate, in addition to the IC card number stored in advance, the passage date and time, the entrance number for specifying the entrance gate, the vehicle Y The traffic history such as the vehicle type and the remaining card amount is stored in association with the ID number. When the IC card 5 is inserted into the on-board unit (OBU) 3, the on-board unit (OBU) 3 is not confirmed until the legitimacy of the on-board unit (OBU) 3 is confirmed by exchanging signals with the on-board unit (OBU) 3. Billing information is sent to

On the other hand, the entrance booth device or the exit booth device as one of the roadside machines 1 applied to the toll road of the open system indicates that the vehicle Y has entered a predetermined range in front of each booth as shown in FIG. When the vehicle detection device 71 to detect and the vehicle Y is detected by the vehicle detection device 71, the first antenna 72 starts wireless communication with the vehicle Y. If communication is possible, the vehicle Y is an ETC vehicle. Therefore, a toll collection process is executed, and a toll processor 73 that inputs a toll collection type and a vehicle type of an approaching vehicle and the like is input by the toll collector and controls each device, and a vehicle that is not capable of toll collection processing by wireless communication (non-ECT) A prepaid card processing machine 74 for processing prepaid prepaid cards delivered from a car or the like, and a receipt issuing machine 75 for issuing a receipt for payment by a prepaid card or cash. , And a IC card reader 76. that performs payment processing on the IC card 5 toll collection processing by the line communication even ECT vehicle is delivered from the driver of the vehicle impossible.
The charge processing machine 73 is provided with a display device, and displays an error display (notification) of the abnormality of the IC card 5 as well as the charge calculation result. Note that a negative list similar to the above is registered in the fee processing machine 73.

  In the closed system or the open system, as shown in FIG. 8, a plurality of booths, that is, toll gates are provided at the exit gate. Among these toll booths, the ETC vehicle booth 81 performs automatic toll collection processing only by wireless communication, and is provided with an exit booth device as a first roadside machine. The exit booth 82 collects tolls for other vehicles, and is provided with the exit booth equipment shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 7 as the second roadside machine. A lane heading for the ETC vehicle dedicated booth 81 is referred to as a dedicated lane 83.

  In front of the toll gate, a plurality of traveling lanes (hereinafter referred to as notice lanes) heading to the toll gates are provided. The plurality of notice lanes are branched into a straight lane that directly enters the exit booth 82 just before the toll booth and a dedicated lane 83 that is separated from the straight lane and goes to the ETC vehicle dedicated booth 81. A notice antenna 84 is arranged above each notice lane. Each notice antenna 84 is connected to a notice antenna control device 85 installed outside the lane. The notice antenna 84 is a wireless communication antenna for performing notice communication with the on-board unit (OBU) 3 of the ETC car, and is a weak cover that covers a range in which communication with all ETC cars traveling in each notice lane is possible. Send radio waves. The notice antenna control device 85 controls notice communication of each notice antenna 84 by exchanging information with the exit booth device. The warning antenna control device 85 and the warning antenna 84 constitute a warning guidance device.

There are two types of notice guidance devices, a broadcast type and an individual communication type.
In the case of a broadcast-type notice guidance device, the notice antenna control device 85 starts broadcasting data in response to an instruction from the host system or an instruction from the roadside device. There are variable information and fixed information as data to be broadcast. The variable information is current time information measured by a timer inside the control device. The fixed information is the toll gate number, the toll gate type (open system, closed system, whether the closed system is a check barrier, etc.), and the lane number where the dedicated lane 83 is installed. However, this lane number is variable, changes depending on the movable state of the dedicated lane, and is transmitted from the roadside machine 1 of the ETC vehicle dedicated booth 81 installed in the dedicated lane 83 to the notification antenna control device 85.

  In the on-board unit (OBU) 3 of the ETC vehicle that has received these broadcast data, it is determined whether or not guidance to each lane is possible based on the information held by itself and the broadcast data, and the driver goes to the dedicated lane 83. Guidance on whether or not to enter. In the case of this broadcast type, radio waves in which guide information is superimposed on a carrier wave at a predetermined frequency are broadcast at regular intervals without specifying a communication vehicle.

  On the other hand, in the case of the individual communication type notice guide device installed in the check barrier and exit toll gate of the closed system, the notice antenna control device 85 is provided with a toll table. In this toll table, in addition to the toll for each vehicle, time information that is a criterion for determining an appropriate touring time is recorded. In addition, in the case where the toll is applied to an open system with a uniform toll, only information for determining the toll for each vehicle type is registered.

  In the case of this individual communication type, communication is made with a specific vehicle such that the inquiry antenna 84 is always inquired, the legitimacy is determined for the data for which a response is returned, and the determination result is notified to the vehicle. Provide guidance information.

As shown in FIG. 9, the exit booth equipment installed in the ETC vehicle dedicated booth 81 includes a plurality of vehicle detection devices 91, a first antenna 92, a dedicated lane control device 93, a roadside indicator 94, and a vehicle detection device 95. , A start control device 96, a second antenna 97, an anti-fraud monitoring camera 98, a blocking device 99, and the like.
The vehicle detection device 91 detects a vehicle Y that has entered a predetermined area in front of each lane of each exit booth, and also detects a vehicle type and the like with a plurality of detection signals. When the vehicle detection device 91 detects the vehicle Y, the dedicated lane control device 93 performs wireless communication with the vehicle Y by the first antenna 92 and performs automatic collection of usage fees.
The roadside indicator 94 notifies the driver of whether or not the vehicle can pass according to the result of the toll collection process. The vehicle detection device 95 detects the vehicle Y passing through the side of the booth 81 after the toll collection process.
When the vehicle is detected by the vehicle detection device 95, the start control device 96 performs wireless communication with the vehicle Y by the second antenna 97, and determines whether or not the toll collection process (communication) is normally completed. Depending on the result, the display of the roadside indicator 94 and the opening / closing operation of the blocker 99 are controlled, and if the toll collection process is not completed, the dedicated lane controller 93 is notified and the surveillance camera 98 is activated.

  There are three connection modes as shown in FIGS. 10 to 12 as connection modes between the dedicated lane control device 93 and the warning antenna control device 85.

For example, the first connection form shown in FIG. 10 is a form in which a plurality of dedicated lane control devices 93 are directly connected to the notice antenna control device 85, and the notice antenna control device 85 monitors the processing status of each dedicated lane control device 93. Thus, guidance according to the monitoring result is performed.
The second connection form shown in FIG. 11 is a form in which a dedicated lane control device 93 is connected to the warning antenna control device 85 via a dedicated lane motion monitoring device 111, and the independent dedicated lane motion monitoring device 111 is connected to each dedicated lane. The processing status of the control device 93 is monitored, a guidance instruction according to the monitoring result is issued to the notification antenna control device 85, and the notification antenna control device 85 that has received this instruction provides guidance according to the instruction.

  In this case, since the monitoring function is independent, the load on the notice antenna control device 85 is reduced, and the notice antenna control device 85 disposed outside the lane can be made small. The third connection form shown in FIG. 12 is a form in which the dedicated lane control device 93 and the exit lane control device 45 are connected to the notice antenna control device 85 via the toll gate data processing device 112. The toll gate data processing device 112 is installed in an office or the like adjacent to the exit gate and processes data of the entire toll gate. Accordingly, the toll gate data processing device 112 monitors the processing status of the dedicated lane control device 93 and the exit lane control device 45 based on the data obtained from each of them, and gives a guidance instruction according to the monitoring result to the notice antenna control device. The notification antenna control device 85 that has received the instruction provides guidance according to the instruction.

  When the roadside device 1 installed in the dedicated lane 83 becomes abnormal, for example, when a device breaks down or a non-ETC vehicle enters the dedicated lane 83 by mistake and closes the lane, the notice antenna 84 will guide you. The dedicated lane number is also changed.

  In this case, the vehicle entering the toll gate can be guided to the booths 81 and 82 from the processing status of the entire toll gate, and congestion can be reduced by comprehensive determination.

  Here, an outline operation of the ETC system will be described. Hereinafter, an operation example in the case of the closed system will be described. First, the entrance lane side will be described. In each lane (entrance lane) heading to the entrance gate of the interchange where the expressway is located, for example, when the vehicle detector 21 installed in front of each exit booth detects the entry of the vehicle Y, it passes through the vehicle type discrimination device 22. Detection information is transmitted to the automatic ticket issuing machine 24.

  Then, the automatic pass ticket issuing machine 24 controls the first antenna 23 to start communication (communication) of an inquiry to the onboard unit (OBU) 3 of the vehicle Y. On the vehicle Y side, the in-vehicle device 3 receives the inquiry signal (access request) transmitted from the first antenna 23 and recognizes the inquiry from the legitimate antenna, so that the billing information notified from the IC card 5 in advance. And vehicle information recorded in the on-board unit (OBU) 3 itself.

  The automatic pass ticket issuing machine 24 confirms that the expiration date of the billing information and the balance of the advance payment are not 0 by recognizing that the response from the onboard unit (OBU) 3 is valid.

  If the response is valid, the first entrance information such as the road number, the toll gate number, the passage date / time, the lane number, etc. for identifying the entrance gate is transmitted to the on-board unit (OBU) 3. The on-board unit (OBU) 3 confirms that the first entrance information has been normally received, and transmits a reception completion notice to the roadside unit 1 side, that is, the automatic ticket issuing machine 24. In the automatic ticket issuing machine 24, when the first antenna 23 receives a reception completion notification from the onboard unit (OBU) 3, the ticketing is stopped and a vehicle (hereinafter referred to as an ETC vehicle) equipped with a normal onboard unit (OBU) 3 is stopped. Certified).

  When this ETC vehicle passes the side of the automatic ticket issuing machine 24 and enters the detection range of the start detection device 26, a vehicle detection signal is sent from the start detection device 26 to the automatic ticket issuing machine 24, and this The automatic ticket issuing machine 24 that has received the detection signal controls the second antenna 25 to execute a communication inquiry to the on-vehicle device (OBU) 3.

  In response to this communication inquiry, when the in-vehicle unit (OBU) 3 recognizes the inquiry from a valid antenna, the ID number notified in advance from the IC card 5 and the ID number previously registered in the in-vehicle unit (OBU) 3 Is returned as a response.

  When the automatic ticket issuing machine 24 receives this response, the automatic ticket issuing machine 24 checks the validity of the response from the onboard unit (OBU) 3 and if the response is recognized as valid, the ID number of the IC card 5 The ID number of the on-board unit (OBU) 3 is compared with the ID number previously received by the first antenna 23 and buffered.

  If all of these ID numbers match, the vehicle type determination result received from the vehicle type determination device 22, the vehicle information recorded on the onboard unit (OBU) 3, and the comparison information of the roadside determination result are used as the second entrance information. To the on-board unit (OBU) 3 using the second antenna 25.

  In the on-board unit (OBU) 3, when the data of the second entrance information from the second antenna 25 is normally received, the reception completion is notified to the second antenna 25, and at the same time, the first entrance is received normally. The information and the second entrance information are combined and recorded on the IC card 5 as final entrance information.

  Next, the exit lane side will be described. At the exit lane side and the exit gate (toll booth) of the expressway interchange, processing is different between the ETC lane booth 81 and the exit booth 82, so each will be described.

  First, the operation in the exit booth 82 capable of processing ETC vehicles and non-ETC vehicles will be described.

  When the vehicle detection device 31 in front of the exit booth 81 detects the entry of the vehicle Y, the vehicle detection device 31 notifies the exit lane control device 45 of the exit booth device 30 of the entry of the vehicle Y.

  The exit lane controller 45 controls the first antenna 32 to start an inquiry communication with the vehicle Y that has entered.

  If there is no response to this inquiry, the exit lane control device 45 determines that the approaching vehicle is a non-ETC vehicle, and performs a toll collection process by passing a ticket with a toll at the exit booth 82 or handing the IC card 5. The result of the fee collection process is output to the toll gate data processing device 112 in the office.

  On the other hand, if the vehicle Y is an ETC vehicle, the on-board unit (OBU) 3 checks the validity of the inquiry signal for the inquiry, and if the inquiry is valid, the on-board unit (OBU) 3 is recorded in itself. As a response, there are wirelessly transmitted entrance information, billing information, vehicle information, and the like.

  When the response is received by the first antenna 32, the exit lane control device 45 calculates the toll based on the entrance information included in the received response, and at the same time performs a negative list check of the ID number to verify the validity of the ID number. The usage fee is collected by recognizing the characteristics.

  When the IC card 5 is a toll deduction method, the processing result is obtained from the exit lane control device 45 as the host of the higher level as the entry information and exit information of the usage history (tollgate number, passage date / time, lane number, toll) Passed to.

  Further, the exit lane control device 45 transmits this usage history to the on-vehicle device (OBU) 3. When the in-vehicle device (OBU) 3 receives this usage history, the in-vehicle device (OBU) 3 confirms that the usage history has been normally received and completes reception to the roadside device side, that is, the exit lane control device 45. In addition, the usage history is recorded on the IC card 5.

  Next, the operation in the ETC vehicle booth 81 will be described with reference to FIG. When the vehicle detection device 91 in front of the ETC vehicle booth 81 detects the entry of the vehicle Y (S201), the vehicle detection device 91 notifies the entry of the vehicle Y to the dedicated lane control device 93, and the dedicated lane control device 93 One antenna 92 is controlled to start inquiry wireless communication with the vehicle Y that has entered (S202).

When a response is returned from the onboard unit (OBU) 3 to this inquiry, the dedicated lane control device 93 performs a determination process based on the response content (S203).
When the determination process is completed, the dedicated lane control device 93 transmits the result of the determination process to the onboard unit (OBU) 3 as a use history (S204).

  Here, if the information indicating that the use history has been received from the on-board unit (OBU) 3 is not returned (N in S205), the roadside display 94 indicates that the vehicle cannot start and the dedicated lane installed in the office The operation monitoring device 111 is notified (S206), and a voice guidance such as “Please wait for a while” is given to the driver (S207).

  Thereafter, a staff member goes to the ETC vehicle booth 81 from the office and guides the vehicle Y to the outside of the dedicated lane 83, or remotely controls the dedicated lane movement monitoring device 111 of the office to connect the blocker 99 to the dedicated lane 83. An opening operation is performed so as to guide it to the outside direction (office direction) (S208).

  By this guidance instruction, the vehicle Y moves to the office, the driver of the vehicle Y pulls out the IC card 5 from the on-board unit (OBU) 3 mounted on the vehicle Y, and places the IC card 5 on the IC card reader. Then, the confirmation process of the IC card 5 is performed (S209).

  On the other hand, when information indicating that the use history has been received is returned from the onboard unit (OBU) 3, the dedicated lane control device 93 determines that the communication is completed (Y in S205), and moves the blocker 99 to the exit direction. And the roadside display 94 is lit with “blue” to notify the driver that the vehicle is ready to start (S210).

  When the vehicle Y starts (S211) and is detected by the vehicle detection device 95 (Y in S212), the blocking device 99 is closed and “red” is lit on the roadside display 94 to turn on the next vehicle. Wait (S213).

  Further, when the vehicle detection device 95 does not detect the passage of the vehicle Y and a certain time has elapsed (Y in S214), it notifies the dedicated lane motion monitoring device 111 of this and notifies the dedicated lane motion monitoring device 111 that has received this notification. Timeout is displayed (S215), and an attendant will be dispatched after seeing this display.

Next, the detailed operation of the determination process in S203 will be described with reference to FIG.
When a response is returned from the on-board unit (OBU) 3, the dedicated lane control device 93 receives on-board unit information (contract information (contract ID, expiration date, special vehicle form code (handicapped person, towed vehicle, etc.) included in the response) )), Vehicle information (model code, number information), prepayment balance information, route information (entrance toll gate number, entry time, entrance judgment vehicle type, barrier gate information) time information at the entrance toll gate and barrier gate It is determined whether or not the travel time is appropriate after taking out (S301).

  If the passage time is appropriate, it is subsequently determined whether or not the entrance interchange number (hereinafter referred to as entrance IC number) and the exit interchange number (hereinafter referred to as exit IC number) do not match (S302). .

  If they do not match, it is subsequently determined whether or not the entrance information is properly recorded (S303). In this process, for example, it is determined whether or not the entrance information is missing, whether or not the vehicle type information is described, whether or not the in-vehicle device information matches the entrance determination result.

  If the entrance information is appropriate, then, if the IC card 5 is a prepayment method, it is determined whether or not the prepayment balance of the on-board unit (OBU) 3 is equal to or higher than the toll (S304).

  If the advance payment is equal to or greater than the toll, it is then determined whether the information on the IC card 5 is appropriate (S305). In this process, for example, it is confirmed that the information does not fall under the negative list and that there is no missing part of the information.

  If the information on the IC card 5 is appropriate, it is subsequently determined whether or not the usage fee collection form is a special receipt form (a collection form that requires artificial reduction or increase of the usage fee). (S306). In this process, for example, it is confirmed that the user of the IC card 5 is not a physically handicapped person (hereinafter referred to as a handicapped person), the ETC car is not towing another vehicle (non-towed car), and the like.

  If the usage fee collection form is not special, the dedicated lane control device 93 determines OK (S307) and proceeds to the next process (the process of S204 in FIG. 13).

  On the other hand, if at least one of the determination processes is “No”, the dedicated lane control device 93 sets the determination as NG (S308).

  As described above, in the comparison processing of some information, the dedicated lane control device 93 determines whether or not the ETC vehicle traveling in the warning lane can be guided to the dedicated lane 83.

  Next, the operation of an open system (a toll road with a uniform usage fee: a uniform lane) will be described.

  In this case as well, the user drives the vehicle Y with the on-board unit (OBU) 3 mounted on the vehicle Y and the IC card 5 inserted into the on-board unit (OBU) 3 as in the closed system.

  When the IC card 5 is set in the in-vehicle unit (OBU) 3, signals are transmitted and received through the interface units 53 and 62 to confirm the validity of the in-vehicle unit (OBU) 3, and the in-vehicle unit (OBU) 3. If it is valid, the billing information recorded in itself is transmitted to the on-board unit (OBU) 3.

In the case of uniform lanes, usage fees are collected at either the entrance or exit to the toll road.
For example, when the roadside machine 1, that is, the device having the configuration shown in FIG. 7 is installed at the entrance of a toll road, when the vehicle detection device 71 detects the entry of the vehicle Y, the vehicle detection device 71 causes the toll processor 73 to enter the vehicle. Notice. Then, the fee processor 73 starts an inquiry wireless communication (communication) operation to the on-vehicle device (OBU) 3.

  The charge processor 73 first controls the first antenna 72 to wirelessly transmit an inquiry signal, and in response to this inquiry signal, the on-board unit (OBU) 3 is the on-board unit (OBU) as in the closed system described above. 3) Check the validity of the received inquiry signal (communication partner).

  If the communication partner is valid as a result of the check, the on-board unit (OBU) 3 transmits from the antenna 4 the billing information of the IC card 5 notified in advance and the vehicle information recorded in itself.

  In the fee processor 73, when the billing information and the vehicle information are received by the first antenna 72, first, an ID number is extracted from the billing information, and this ID number is checked against a negative list. When the validity of the ID number is recognized, a vehicle type determination process based on the vehicle information is executed, and a toll is calculated according to the determined vehicle type.

  Subsequently, the toll processor 73 generates tollgate information including a tollgate number, passage year / month / date / time, lane number, toll based on the calculated toll, and this tollgate information usage history is in-vehicle. To the machine (OBU) 3.

  When the usage history is received by the antenna 4, the on-board unit (OBU) 3 confirms that the usage history has been normally received and returns a reception completion notification to the roadside device 1 side, that is, the charge processor 73. At the same time, a usage history is recorded on the IC card 5.

  Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 15 and FIG. 16, the operation of the notice guidance in the notice lane toward the exit gate of the interchange on the highway will be described. First, the operation in the broadcast type will be described. In the case of the broadcast type, the notification antenna control device 85 receives an instruction from a higher-level device (dedicated lane operation monitoring device 111, toll gate data processing device 112, etc.) or an instruction from a roadside device (dedicated lane control device 93). 84 is started to start broadcasting data (guidance information) (S401). Broadcast contents include toll gate number, toll gate classification (barrier, exit, uniform), current time, dedicated lane number, and the like. The current time is updated in minutes.

  Then, when the vehicle Y that has arrived at the interchange from the highway enters the communication area of the warning antenna 84 installed on one of the warning lanes provided in front of several tens to several hundred meters of the exit gate. If the vehicle Y is an ETC vehicle, the on-board unit (OBU) 3 receives the radio wave broadcast from the notice antenna 84 (S402).

  Then, the onboard unit (OBU) 3 checks whether the dedicated lane number is “0” (S403).

  If the dedicated lane number is not “0”, the on-board unit (OBU) 3 checks whether or not the IC card 5 is attached (S404).

  If the IC card 5 is mounted, the on-board unit (OBU) 3 reads the contract expiration date information of the IC card 5 and uses the IC card 5 within the expiration date compared with its own time information. It is checked whether or not (S405).

  If it is used within the expiration date, the on-board unit (OBU) 3 issues a sound from a buzzer or a speaker to notify that it is possible to enter the dedicated lane 83 (S406), and the number or direction of the dedicated lane 83 is displayed on the display unit 58. Is displayed. As an example, “No. 1 lane entry allowed” is displayed on the display unit 58, and the lane number is guided by voice such as “No. 1 lane is a dedicated lane”.

  On the other hand, if at least one of the above checks results in “No”, the onboard unit (OBU) 3 issues a sound from the buzzer or the speaker to notify the inaccessibility to the dedicated lane 83 (S407) and the display unit 58 The number of the dedicated lane 83 is displayed on the screen. As an example, “No lane 1 entry” is displayed on the display unit 58, and voices such as “Prohibit entry to lane 1” and “Please process with cash” are provided.

  Next, the operation in the case of the individual communication type will be described. In the case of the individual communication type, the warning antenna control device 85 is connected to the host device (the dedicated lane operation monitoring device 111, the toll gate data processing device 112, etc.) or the roadside device 1 (the dedicated lane control device 93, the exit lane control device 45, etc.). It always communicates and obtains information on the roadside machine 1 side. As described above, there are three connection modes from FIG. 10 to FIG. 12 for obtaining information from the roadside device 1 side. Therefore, the processing status of the roadside device 1 is monitored by the host device or the warning antenna control device 85. In this example, it is assumed that the notice antenna control device 85 is monitoring the processing status of each roadside device 1.

  When the processing of the dedicated lane control device 93 of the roadside machine 1 is normally performed without stagnation, the warning antenna control device 85 controls the warning antenna 84 to transmit an inquiry signal (S501). . The contents of the inquiry signal include a toll gate number, a toll gate classification (barrier, exit, uniform), the current time, a dedicated lane number, and the like. The current time is updated in minutes.

  Then, when the vehicle Y that has come down to the interchange from the expressway enters the communication area of the notice antenna 84 on the notice lane, if the vehicle Y is an ETC car, the on-board unit (OBU) 3 transmits from the notice antenna 84. The received radio wave (inquiry signal) is received (S502).

  Then, the onboard unit (OBU) 3 transmits onboard unit information as a response to the inquiry signal (S503). The in-vehicle device information (transmission contents) transmitted here includes contract information (contract ID, expiration date, special vehicle type code (handicapped person, towed vehicle, etc.)), vehicle information (vehicle type code, number information), advance payment information , Route information (entrance toll gate number, entry time, entrance determination vehicle type, barrier gate information).

  When the notification antenna 84 receives the vehicle information transmitted from the vehicle unit (OBU) 3 (S504), the notification antenna is based on the received vehicle information and information on the toll table provided in itself. The control device 85 executes the following determination process. First, it is checked whether or not the dedicated lane number transmitted from the notice antenna 84 is “0” (S505).

  If the dedicated lane number is not “0”, then the time information at the entrance toll gate and barrier gate in the received in-vehicle device information is extracted to determine whether the traffic time is appropriate (S506). .

  If the passage time is appropriate, it is subsequently determined whether or not the entrance interchange number (hereinafter referred to as entrance IC number) and the exit interchange number (hereinafter referred to as exit IC number) do not match (S507). .

  If they do not coincide, it is subsequently determined whether or not the entrance information is properly recorded (S508). In this process, for example, it is determined whether or not the entrance information is missing, whether or not the vehicle type information is described, whether or not the in-vehicle device information matches the entrance determination result.

  If the entrance information is appropriate, then, if the IC card 5 is a prepayment method, it is determined whether or not the prepayment balance of the onboard unit (OBU) 3 is equal to or higher than the toll (S509).

  If the advance payment is equal to or greater than the toll, it is then determined whether the information on the IC card 5 is appropriate (S510). In this process, for example, it is confirmed that the information does not fall under the negative list and that there is no missing part of the information.

  If the information on the IC card 5 is appropriate, it is subsequently determined whether or not the usage fee collection form is a special receipt form (a collection form that requires artificial reduction or increase of the usage fee). (S511). In this process, for example, it is confirmed that the user of the IC card 5 is not a physically handicapped person (hereinafter referred to as a handicapped person), the ETC car is not towing another vehicle (non-towed car), and the like.

  If the usage fee collection form is not special, the notice antenna control device 85 transmits information of the determination OK from the notice antenna 84, and when the information of the determination OK is received by the onboard unit (OBU) 3, the onboard unit (OBU). ) A sound is emitted from the buzzer or the speaker 3 to notify that the vehicle can enter the exclusive lane 83 (S512), and the number or direction of the exclusive lane 83 is displayed on the display unit 58. As an example, “No. 1 lane entry allowed” is displayed on the display unit 58, and the lane number is guided by voice such as “No. 1 lane is a dedicated lane”.

  On the other hand, if at least one of the above checks results in “No”, the notice antenna control device 85 transmits information on the determination NG from the notice antenna 84, and the on-board unit (OBU) 3 receives the information on the determination NG. Then, the on-board unit (OBU) 3 emits a sound from a buzzer or a speaker to notify that it is impossible to enter the dedicated lane 83 (S407), and displays the number of the dedicated lane 83 on the display unit 58. As an example, “No lane 1 entry” is displayed on the display unit 58, and voices such as “Prohibit entry to lane 1” and “Please process with cash” are provided.

  As described above, in some information comparison processing, the notice antenna control device 85 determines whether or not the ETC vehicle traveling in the notice lane can be guided to the dedicated lane 83, and the determination result is determined as the on-board unit (OBU) 3. The on-vehicle unit (OBU) 3 performs guidance display and notification according to the determination result.

  As described above, according to the ETC system of this embodiment, a notice lane provided with the notice antenna 84 is set in front of the toll booth, and the ETC vehicle traveling on the notice lane is moved from the notice antenna 84 to the toll gate. Therefore, it is possible to disperse the vehicles Y entering the toll booth and alleviate the congestion near the exit toll booth such as an expressway.

  In the above-described embodiment, the notification antenna control device 85 has mainly been described as executing the process for determining whether or not the vehicle can be guided. However, this determination process includes the roadside device 1, the host device, the on-vehicle device (OBU) 3, and the like. Any of these devices may be used.

It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the ETC system of one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows schematically the structure of the entrance lane side apparatus as one of the roadside machines in a closed system. It is a figure which shows roughly the structure of the exit lane side apparatus as one of the roadside machines in a closed system. It is a figure which shows the structure of the apparatus in the exit booth of the exit lane side apparatus of FIG. It is a figure which shows roughly the structure of the vehicle equipment of this ETC system. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the IC card of this ETC system. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the entrance booth apparatus or exit booth apparatus as one of the roadside machines in an open system. It is a figure which shows the exit gate vicinity to which this ETC system is applied. It is a figure which shows the apparatus structure of the booth only for ETC vehicles for exclusive lanes as one of the roadside machines in this ETC system. It is a figure which shows the 1st connection form of a notice antenna control apparatus and an exclusive lane control apparatus. It is a figure which shows the 2nd connection form of a notice antenna control apparatus and a dedicated lane control apparatus. It is a figure which shows the 3rd connection form of a notice antenna control apparatus and an exclusive lane control apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the exclusive lane control apparatus in this ETC system. In the flowchart of FIG. 13, it is a flowchart which shows the determination process of each lane in detail. It is a flowchart which shows the process of the broadcast communication in this ETC system. It is a flowchart which shows the process of the separate communication in this ETC system.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Roadside machine, 2, 4 ... Antenna, 3 ... On-board machine (OBU), 5 ... IC card, 21 ... Vehicle detector, 22 ... Vehicle type discrimination device, 23 ... 1st antenna, 24 ... Automatic ticket issuing device, 25 ... Second antenna, 26 ... Start detector, 30 ... Exit booth equipment, 31 ... Vehicle detector, 32 ... First antenna, 41 ... Passage check machine, 42 ... Prepaid card processing machine, 43 ... IC card reader 44 ... Receipt issuing machine, 45 ... Exit lane control device, 51 ... Card accommodation unit, 52 ... Auto loading / eject mechanism, 53 ... Interface unit, 54 ... IC card processing unit, 55 ... Memory, 56 ... Wireless control unit , 57 ... operation section, 58 ... display section, 59 ... control section, 61 ... flash memory, 62 ... interface section, 63 ... CPU, 71 ... vehicle detection device, 72 ... first antenna, 73 ... charge Processing unit, 74 ... Prepaid card processing unit, 75 ... Receipt issuing machine, 76 ... IC card reader, 81 ... ETC car booth, 82 ... Exit booth, 83 ... Special lane, 84 ... Notice antenna, 85 ... Notice antenna control Device, 91, 95 ... Vehicle detection device, 92 ... First antenna, 93 ... Dedicated lane control device, 94 ... Roadside indicator, 96 ... Transmission control device, 97 ... Second antenna, 98 ... Surveillance camera, 99 ... Stopper 111 ... Dedicated lane motion monitoring device.

Claims (9)

A determination means provided on the mobile body for determining a state in which the mobile body approaches the toll gate;
When the determination means determines that the moving body is approaching the toll gate, the guide information in the toll gate is obtained based on information input from an information source having information necessary to move within the toll gate. A guide information creation means to create;
A vehicle guidance system comprising information output means provided on the mobile body and outputting the guidance information created by the guidance information creation means to guide a user. The vehicle guidance system according to claim 1, wherein
The vehicle guidance system according to claim 1, wherein the guidance information is based on a processing status of a booth that performs toll collection processing at the toll gate. An in-vehicle device that is mounted on a vehicle and detects a state approaching a toll gate that performs toll collection processing on a toll road from information output to the vehicle in front of the toll gate; and
When an approach to the toll gate is detected by this in-vehicle device, guidance information creating means for creating guidance information in the toll gate based on information necessary to move within the toll gate;
A vehicle guidance system comprising guidance information output means provided in the vehicle and outputting the guidance information created by the guidance information creation means so as to guide a user of the vehicle. The vehicle guidance system according to claim 3,
The vehicle guidance system according to claim 1, wherein the guidance information creating means creates guidance information in the toll gate based on information on a processing status of a roadside machine that is provided at the toll gate and performs toll collection processing. The vehicle guidance system according to claim 1, wherein
The guidance information creating means includes
A vehicle guidance system that guides and outputs guidance information including at least one of lane position information, travel instruction information, and toll collection information of the toll gate. Receiving means for receiving guidance information necessary for moving within the toll gate, which is output to a vehicle that is mounted on the vehicle and approaches the toll gate that performs toll collection processing on the toll road; and
An in-vehicle apparatus comprising: output means for guiding the guidance information received by the receiving means to a user of the vehicle. Receiving means for receiving information necessary for traveling in the toll gate, which is output to a vehicle mounted on the vehicle and approaching the toll gate for toll collection processing on the toll road;
Guide information creating means for creating guide information necessary for moving within the toll gate based on the guide received by the receiving means;
An in-vehicle device comprising: output means for guiding the guidance information created by the guidance information creation means to a user of the vehicle. In an in-vehicle device that is mounted on a vehicle with an IC card and performs toll collection on a toll road by wireless communication,
A receiving means that is provided in the vicinity of a lane toward a passing gate of a toll road, and that receives a radio wave from a warning antenna that outputs a radio wave to a vehicle traveling along the lane toward the passing gate;
An in-vehicle device comprising: an informing means for informing when an IC card is not attached to the in-vehicle device when a radio wave is received from the notice antenna. In an in-vehicle device that is mounted on a vehicle with an IC card and performs toll collection on a toll road by wireless communication,
A receiving means that is provided in the vicinity of a lane toward a passing gate of a toll road, and that receives a radio wave from a warning antenna that outputs a radio wave to a vehicle traveling along the lane toward the passing gate;
An in-vehicle device comprising: an informing means for notifying when an IC card attached to the in-vehicle device is not within the expiration date or when the advance balance is insufficient when receiving a radio wave from the notice antenna.

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