JP2005309963A - Lottery device and lottery system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To effectively promote use of an ETC system. <P>SOLUTION: In this ETC system, regarding a vehicle which is about to pass through an exit tollbooth, whether a card ID as identification information related to an on-vehicle device mounted on the vehicle matches a winning number set on a road side machine side is determined (S230). If there is matching (S230:YES), a money prize is awarded and thus the toll is reduced to half (S240). Consequently, with this ETC system, sense of expectancy that use of the tollway may result in a money prize to be awarded can be imparted to the owner of the on-vehicle device. Hereby, the use of the ETC system is effectively promoted. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a toll road automatic toll collection system.

  Conventionally, toll road automatic toll collection (ETC: Electronic) that automatically collects tolls by wireless communication between roadside equipment installed at toll gates on toll roads and onboard equipment mounted on vehicles (Toll Collection) system is known (for example, refer to Patent Document 1).

By using such an ETC system, the toll gate transit time is shortened by non-stop traffic at the toll booth, the convenience of the user is improved by realizing cashless, and the toll gate traffic congestion is reduced by improving the processing capacity of the toll booth. Various effects are expected, such as air pollution around the toll booth and environmental improvements such as noise due to the reduction of stop & go at the toll booth.
JP 2003-187280 A

However, the ETC system is not yet fully utilized, and the current situation is that the above-described effects are not sufficiently obtained.
The present invention has been made in view of these problems, and aims to effectively promote the use of the ETC system.

  The lottery device according to claim 1, which is made to achieve the above object, is for collecting tolls on toll roads between an on-board unit mounted on a vehicle side and a roadside machine installed on the road side. It is used in a toll road automatic toll collection (ETC) system that performs wireless communication. In the present lottery apparatus, the identification information acquisition means acquires identification information related to the vehicle-mounted device from the vehicle-mounted device mounted on the vehicle using the toll road, and the setting means sets the winning condition. When the determination means determines whether or not the identification information acquired by the identification information acquisition means satisfies the winning condition set by the setting means, and if the determination means determines that the winning condition is satisfied The award giving means performs a process for giving a prize to the owner of the vehicle-mounted device.

  Note that the identification information related to the vehicle-mounted device is, for example, unique information of the vehicle-mounted device, unique information of the vehicle on which the vehicle-mounted device is mounted, unique information of an ETC card used for the vehicle-mounted device. The setting of the winning condition corresponds to setting the winning number if the winning condition is, for example, that all or part of the identification information matches the winning number.

In other words, the present lottery device performs a lottery on an in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle using a toll road, and when a lottery is won, a prize is given to the owner of the on-vehicle device.
According to the lottery device having such a configuration, the use of the ETC system can be effectively promoted. In other words, it is possible to give the owner of the vehicle-mounted device an expectation that a prize may be given by using the toll road.

  By the way, as a prize to be given by the prize giving means, for example, prize money, prizes and the like can be mentioned. And, it is conceivable that such prizes and prizes are given by mail or the like, but it is preferable to make it as in claim 2 especially when a prize is given.

  That is, in the lottery apparatus according to the second aspect, the prize giving means performs a process of subtracting the amount as the prize money from the toll on the toll road as a process for giving the prize. In this way, it is not necessary to mail the prize money and it can be easily given.

  In particular, as described in claim 3, if the prize giving means sets the amount of prize money according to the amount of the toll, the ownership of the in-vehicle device compared to the case where the prize money is fixed. The expectation given to the person can be further increased. For example, if a certain percentage of the toll is used as the prize money, the higher the toll, the higher the prize money, which is effective in promoting the use of long distances on toll roads. is there.

  Next, the lottery system according to claim 4 collects the toll on the toll road between the vehicle-mounted device mounted on the vehicle side and the roadside machine installed on the road side, as in the first to third aspects. It is used for a toll road automatic toll collection (ETC) system that performs wireless communication for the purpose. In the present lottery system, the identification information acquisition means acquires identification information related to the vehicle-mounted device from the vehicle-mounted device mounted on the vehicle using the toll road, and the setting means sets the winning condition. When the determination means determines whether or not the identification information acquired by the identification information acquisition means satisfies the winning condition set by the setting means, and if the determination means determines that the winning condition is satisfied The award giving means performs a process for giving a prize to the owner of the vehicle-mounted device. Furthermore, in this lottery system, when it is determined by the determination means that the winning information is satisfied, the notification means performs a notification operation (that is, notification that the lottery has been won) to the owner of the vehicle-mounted device. Note that, as described in the description of claim 1, the information on the vehicle-mounted device is, for example, the unique information of the vehicle-mounted device, the unique information of the vehicle on which the vehicle-mounted device is mounted, or the unique information of the ETC card used in the vehicle-mounted device. The setting of the winning condition corresponds to setting the winning number if the winning condition is that all or part of the identification information matches the winning number, for example.

  In other words, the lottery system performs lottery for in-vehicle devices mounted on vehicles that use toll roads. When a lottery is won, the award is given to the owner of the in-vehicle device and lottery This is a notification of winning.

  According to the lottery system having such a configuration, the use of the ETC system can be effectively promoted. In other words, it is possible to give the owner of the vehicle-mounted device an expectation that a prize may be given by using the toll road. In particular, the present lottery system can immediately notify the owner of the vehicle-mounted device that the lottery has been won, thereby giving a strong sense of winning.

  In addition, the alerting | reporting means may be provided in the vehicle equipment side and may be provided in the roadside machine side. That is, in the former case, for example, a notification operation can be performed using a display or a speaker provided in the vehicle-mounted device. In the latter case, for example, a notification operation can be performed using a display provided on the road side (exit toll booth or the like) that displays a charge or the like.

  By the way, as a prize to be given by the prize giving means, for example, prize money, prizes and the like can be mentioned. Such prizes and prizes can be given by mail or the like, but it is preferable to make the prize as claimed in claim 5 especially when prizes are given.

  That is, in the lottery apparatus according to the fifth aspect, the prize giving means performs a process of subtracting the amount of the prize money from the toll on the toll road as a process for giving the prize. In this way, it is not necessary to mail the prize money and it can be easily given.

  In particular, as described in claim 6, if the prize giving means sets the amount of prize money according to the amount of the toll, the possession of the vehicle-mounted device compared to the case where the prize money is fixed. The expectation given to the person can be further increased. For example, if a certain percentage of the toll is used as the prize money, the higher the toll, the higher the prize money, which is effective in promoting the use of long distances on toll roads. is there.

Embodiments to which the present invention is applied will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an ETC system according to an embodiment.
As shown in the figure, this ETC system includes an on-vehicle device (so-called ETC on-vehicle device) 10 mounted on a vehicle side, and a roadside device 20 installed on a road side (specifically, an exit toll gate on a toll road). And.

The vehicle-mounted device 10 includes a wireless communication unit 11, a card interface (card I / F) 12, a storage unit 13, a display unit 31, a speaker 32, a control unit 14, and the like.
The wireless communication unit 11 performs wireless communication with the roadside device 20 through a non-illustrated antenna using a DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communication) wireless method.

  The card interface 12 reads data recorded on the IC chip of the ETC card (IC card) 15 and writes data to the IC chip. Here, the ETC card 15 stores a card ID which is unique information for each card.

The storage unit (for example, EEPROM) 13 stores vehicle-mounted device-specific information such as vehicle verification information (for example, license plate information) of the vehicle on which the vehicle-mounted device 10 is mounted.
The display unit 31 displays information on a liquid crystal display capable of displaying characters, numbers, and the like. In addition, the structure which displays information on the large sized liquid crystal display used for a navigation apparatus etc. may be sufficient.

The speaker 32 outputs voice information such as a toll, warning sound, and the like.
The control unit 14 includes a well-known microcomputer mainly composed of the CPU 16, the ROM 17, and the RAM 18, and controls the above-described units to execute various applications.

On the other hand, the roadside device 20 includes a wireless communication unit 21, a control unit 22, and the like.
The radio communication unit 21 performs radio communication with the vehicle-mounted device 10 (specifically, the radio communication unit 11 of the vehicle-mounted device 10) by a DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communication) radio system via an antenna (not shown).

The control unit 22 includes a well-known microcomputer mainly composed of a CPU 23, a ROM 24, and a RAM 25, and performs processing such as determining whether a vehicle is allowed to pass and calculating a toll.
Here, a process (known process) performed to collect tolls on toll roads in the ETC system will be briefly described.

  When the ETC card 15 is inserted into the card interface 12 of the in-vehicle device 10, data such as a card ID stored in the ETC card 15 is read and stored in the storage unit 13.

  When a vehicle on which the vehicle-mounted device 10 is mounted passes through the entrance toll gate of the toll road, first, data such as a card ID and vehicle-mounted device specific information is transferred from the vehicle-mounted device 10 to the roadside device 20. , 21 is transmitted wirelessly. Next, data such as entrance information is wirelessly transmitted from the roadside device 20 to the vehicle-mounted device 10 via the wireless communication units 21 and 11, and the data received from the roadside device 20 is written to the ETC card 15 in the vehicle-mounted device 10. .

  On the other hand, when this vehicle passes the exit toll gate on the toll road, first, data such as card ID, on-vehicle device specific information, and entrance information stored at the entrance toll gate are transferred from the vehicle-mounted device 10 to the roadside device 20. Wireless transmission is performed via the wireless communication units 11 and 21. Next, the roadside device 20 calculates a toll based on the data received from the vehicle-mounted device 10. Then, data such as traffic history information and usage details information is wirelessly transmitted from the roadside device 20 to the vehicle-mounted device 10 via the wireless communication units 21 and 11. In the vehicle-mounted device 10, the data received from the roadside device 20 is ETC. It is written on the card 15.

By the way, in the ETC system according to the present embodiment, a lottery for giving a prize to a user of the ETC system is performed.
Specifically, the control unit 22 of the roadside machine 20 may be a lottery winning number (not limited to a number but a character string, etc.) at regular intervals (for example, every day at 0:00 every day). .) Is set. Then, a lottery is performed under the winning condition that the card ID received from the vehicle-mounted device 10 mounted on the vehicle passing through the exit toll gate matches the winning number. If they match, the prize money is calculated from the toll. Subtract. Note that the winning number may be one or plural.

Here, first, the winning number setting process performed by the control unit 22 of the roadside machine 20 in order to set the winning number will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
When the winning number setting process is started, first, in S110, it is determined whether or not the time is midnight. If it is determined that the time is midnight, the process proceeds to S120.

In S120, the winning number is randomly set (updated), and then the process returns to S110. In the present embodiment, a winning number in a format corresponding to the card ID is set.
Next, fee calculation processing performed by the control unit 22 of the roadside machine 20 to calculate the collection fee will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. This toll calculation process is started when a vehicle that is about to pass through the exit toll booth is detected.

  When this fee calculation process is started, first, in S210, as described above, whether or not data such as the card ID, the OBE specific information, and the entrance information from the OBE 10 is received via the wireless communication unit 21. If it is determined that it has been received, the process proceeds to S220.

In S220, a toll is calculated based on the data received in S210.
Subsequently, in S230, it is determined whether or not the card ID received from the vehicle-mounted device 10 matches the currently set winning number. That is, it is determined whether or not the owner of the vehicle-mounted device 10 has won the lottery.

  If it is determined in S230 that the card ID and the winning number match, the process proceeds to S240, and a process of subtracting the prize money from the toll is performed to give a prize money to the owner of the vehicle-mounted device 10. To S250. Here, in this embodiment, half of the toll is used as a prize. That is, in this S240, the process which makes a toll half price is performed.

On the other hand, if it is determined in S230 that the card ID does not match the winning number, the process proceeds to S250 as it is.
In S250, as described above, after transmitting data such as traffic history information and usage details information to the vehicle-mounted device 10, the charge calculation process is terminated. Here, the usage details information includes information on the collection fee. If you do not win the lottery (NO in S230), the normal toll will be the collection fee. If this is the case (YES in S230), half of the normal toll is the collection fee.

  In the ETC system of the above embodiment, a part of the configuration of the roadside machine 20 corresponds to the lottery device of the present invention. Specifically, the wireless communication unit 11 corresponds to the identification information acquisition unit, the winning number setting process (FIG. 2) corresponds to the setting unit, and the process of S230 in the fee calculation process (FIG. 3) is the determination unit. The process of S240 corresponds to a prize giving means.

  As described above, in the ETC system of the present embodiment, the vehicle ID that is identification information related to the vehicle-mounted device 10 mounted on the vehicle and the roadside device 20 side is set for the vehicle that is about to pass through the exit toll gate. It is determined whether or not the winning number matches (S230). If they match (S230: YES), the toll is reduced to half by giving a prize (S240). . For this reason, according to the ETC system of the present embodiment, the owner of the vehicle-mounted device 10 can be given an expectation that a prize may be awarded by using the toll road. As a result, the use of the ETC system can be effectively promoted.

  Moreover, in the ETC system of this embodiment, since the amount of prize money is subtracted from the toll, it can be easily given compared to the case where prize money, prizes, etc. are mailed. In particular, since the amount of money as a prize is a fixed percentage (half price) of the amount of toll, the effect of promoting long-distance use of toll roads is also achieved.

As mentioned above, although one Embodiment of this invention was described, it cannot be overemphasized that this invention can take a various form.
For example, when a lottery is won, the fact may be displayed on a display provided at the exit toll booth. In this way, it is possible to immediately notify the owner of the on-vehicle device 10 (mainly the driver of the vehicle) that the lottery has been won, and it is possible to strongly give a sense of winning. When the ETC system is configured in this way, a part of the ETC system corresponds to the lottery system of the present invention, and in particular, the indicator provided at the exit toll booth corresponds to the notification means.

  In addition, when a lottery is won, the display unit 31 or the speaker 32 of the vehicle-mounted device 10 may be notified immediately. For example, it is possible to display on the display unit 31 and output the sound from the speaker 32 as “the lottery has been won. Therefore, the toll is half price”. Even in this way, it is possible to immediately notify the owner of the vehicle-mounted device 10 that the lottery has been won, and it is possible to strongly give a sense of winning. In particular, if the vehicle-mounted device 10 is configured to display information on a large-sized liquid crystal display used in a navigation device or the like, it can notify that the lottery has been won with a stronger impact, thus giving a stronger sense of winning. be able to. When the ETC system is configured in this way, a part of the ETC system corresponds to the lottery system of the present invention, and in particular, the display unit 31 and the speaker 32 of the vehicle-mounted device 10 correspond to notification means.

  In addition, the fact that the lottery has been won may be described in an ETC toll bill (for example, a bill issued once a month). In this way, the owner of the vehicle-mounted device 10 can be surely grasped that the toll has been subtracted by winning the lottery.

  On the other hand, in the ETC system of the above embodiment, the winning condition is that the card ID and the winning number are completely matched. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the card ID and the winning number are partially matched. May be a winning condition. For example, when the card ID is composed of a character string of 5 characters or more, the winning number can be set as a character string of 4 characters, for example, and the winning condition can be that the lower 4 characters of the card ID match the winning number. . This is effective in promoting the use of the ETC system in terms of increasing the probability of winning and having higher expectations regarding winning.

  Further, the winning number may be changed when a winning person comes out. In this way, it is possible to prevent a person who has been won once from using the toll road many times on the same day for the purpose of winning a prize.

  On the other hand, in the ETC system of the above embodiment, the amount of the prize money is half of the toll, but this is not restrictive. For example, a fixed amount may be used regardless of the toll. The award given to the winner is not limited to the prize money. For example, prizes may be handed over or mailed, or points may be added each time a prize is won, and prizes (for example, prizes or prizes) according to the number of points may be awarded. And when the point system is used, if there is a certain number of points, the psychology to increase it works, so it is highly effective in promoting the use of toll roads. In particular, it is more effective if the expiration date of points is set.

  In the ETC system of the above embodiment, it is determined whether or not the card ID (specific information of the ETC card) matches the winning number (S230), but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the unique information of the vehicle-mounted device 10 may be used instead of the card ID. Moreover, it may replace with card ID and you may use the specific information (for example, number plate information) of the vehicle by which the onboard equipment 10 is mounted.

  Furthermore, in the ETC system of the above-described embodiment, a part of the roadside machine 20 of the exit side toll gate functions as the lottery device of the present invention. A configuration in which a part of the roadside machine functions as the lottery device of the present invention may be used. That is, it is determined whether or not a lottery is won at the roadside machine at the entrance toll gate. Even if it does in this way, it is possible to acquire the effect similar to the ETC system of the said embodiment.

  On the other hand, in the ETC system of the above-described embodiment, a part of the roadside machine 20 of the exit side toll gate functions as the lottery device of the present invention, but is not limited to this, and is separate from the roadside machine. Even if the body lottery device is provided, the same effect as the ETC system of the above embodiment can be obtained.

It is a block diagram showing schematic structure of the ETC system of an embodiment. It is a flowchart of a winning number setting process. It is a flowchart of a charge calculation process.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Onboard equipment, 11 ... Wireless communication part, 12 ... Card interface, 13 ... Memory | storage part, 14 ... Control part, 15 ... ETC card, 20 ... Roadside machine, 21 ... Wireless communication part, 22 ... Control part, 31 ... Display Part, 32 ... Speaker

Claims (6)

A lottery device used in a toll road automatic toll collection system that performs wireless communication to collect tolls for toll roads between an onboard device mounted on the vehicle side and a roadside machine installed on the road side,
Identification information acquisition means for acquiring identification information related to the vehicle-mounted device from the vehicle-mounted device mounted on the vehicle using the toll road;
A setting means for setting winning conditions;
A determination unit that determines whether the identification information acquired by the identification information acquisition unit satisfies the winning condition set by the setting unit;
When it is determined by the determination means that the winning condition is satisfied, a prize giving means for performing a process for giving a prize to the owner of the vehicle-mounted device;
A lottery apparatus comprising: The lottery apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
The award granting unit performs a process of subtracting an amount as a prize from a toll on the toll road as a process for granting the prize;
A lottery device. The lottery apparatus according to claim 2,
The prize giving means sets the amount of the prize money according to the amount of tolls;
A lottery device. A lottery system used in a toll road automatic toll collection system that performs wireless communication to collect tolls for toll roads between an onboard device mounted on the vehicle side and a roadside machine installed on the road side,
Identification information acquisition means for acquiring identification information related to the vehicle-mounted device from the vehicle-mounted device mounted on the vehicle using the toll road;
A setting means for setting winning conditions;
Determination means for determining whether or not the identification information acquired by the identification information acquisition means satisfies the winning condition set by the setting means;
When it is determined by the determination means that the winning condition is satisfied, a prize giving means for performing a process for giving a prize to the owner of the vehicle-mounted device;
When it is determined by the determination means that the winning information is satisfied, a notification means for performing a notification operation for the owner of the vehicle-mounted device;
A lottery system characterized by comprising: The lottery system according to claim 4,
The award granting unit performs a process of subtracting an amount as a prize from a toll on the toll road as a process for granting the prize;
A lottery system. The lottery system according to claim 5,
The prize giving means sets the amount of the prize money according to the amount of tolls;
A lottery system.

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