JP2005339063A - Etc system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To more safely apply an ETC system to two-wheeled vehicles, in the ETC system for automatically collecting tolls for vehicles without stopping the vehicles. <P>SOLUTION: The ETC system is provided with; a vehicle detection device which detects passing vehicles; a vehicle kind determination part which determines the kinds of vehicles entering a lane; an antenna which communicates with an on-vehicle devices mounted on vehicles according to the vehicle detection by the vehicle detection device; a start control device which permits and prohibits the passage of vehicles; and a processing part which executes processing based on the result of the detection by the vehicle detection device, the result of the determination by the vehicle kind determination part and/or information obtained by communication by means of the antenna, and outputs the result of the processing for the communication by the antenna for the operation of the start control device. A processing part outputs the result of the processing to turn on the start control device based on the result of the determination by the vehicle kind determination part that the vehicle is determined to be a two-wheeled vehicle, either when the communication by means of the antenna is normally finished or not finished. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an ETC system that automatically collects tolls for vehicles in a non-stop manner, and more particularly to an ETC system suitable for toll collection for motorcycles.

  The ETC (electronic toll collection) system is a system that automatically collects and collects tolls in a non-stop manner for the purpose of alleviating traffic jams in the vicinity of toll booths such as motorways. On the toll gate side, an ETC lane control device (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as a lane control device) that has an antenna capable of emitting communication radio waves to the ETC lane and performs control for toll collection is provided. On the side, a vehicle-mounted device with an ETC card for paying a charge is installed. Communication between the antenna and the vehicle-mounted device is performed, and the toll is automatically collected and collected. The technical content of such an ETC system is described in Patent Document 1 below, for example.

  As described in the same document, a vehicle start control device provided with a blocking bar for blocking the passage of the vehicle in the case where the ETC processing is not normally performed or the vehicle does not correspond to the ETC, on the entry side of the ETC lane ( Hereinafter, simply referred to as a start control device). The start control device is operated by the lane control device.

  There are three reasons for the opening and closing bar opening and closing of the start control device: vehicle detection information in the ETC lane, normal / abnormality of ETC processing in the lane control device through communication with the vehicle-mounted device, and an open button operation by a staff member (toll collector). Become. Therefore, for example, when the driver forgets to attach the ETC card to the vehicle-mounted device, the ETC process in the lane control device becomes abnormal, and the lane control device remains closed. In such a case, the driver is convinced that ETC is supported, and there have been reports of cases of contact and collision with the blocking bar.

Currently, the ETC system is not operated for motorcycles. However, it is technically possible to operate a motorcycle if conditions such as an improvement in the accuracy of vehicle type discrimination are made. If you forget to attach the ETC card to the vehicle-mounted device as described above, the contact / collision with the blocking bar will cause the motorcycle to remain stable due to the driver's exposure and normal progress. In view of the nature, it is believed that the results will be more significant than in the case of vehicles with four or more wheels.
Japanese Patent No. 3256642

  The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-described circumstances, and provides an ETC system that can safely operate a motorcycle in an ETC system that automatically collects tolls for a vehicle in a non-stop manner. The purpose is to do.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, an ETC system according to the present invention includes a vehicle detection device capable of detecting a passing vehicle by detecting blockage of a beam crossing a lane, and a vehicle type determination for determining a vehicle type of a vehicle entering the lane. And an antenna that is provided above the lane and that communicates with the vehicle-mounted device mounted on the vehicle by vehicle detection by the vehicle detection device, and that can be opened and closed on the back side of the vehicle detection device, A start control device for permitting and stopping the traffic, and the vehicle detection device, the vehicle type determination unit, the antenna, and the start control device are connected to the vehicle detection device, the detection result of the vehicle detection device, Processing based on the determination result and / or information obtained by the communication by the antenna and processing result for the communication by the antenna and the start A processing unit that outputs for operation of the control device, and the processing unit terminates normally when the communication by the antenna is normally terminated based on the determination result of the vehicle type determination unit being a two-wheeled vehicle. Regardless of whether it is not performed, a processing result is output to operate the start control device in an open state.

  That is, a vehicle type discriminating unit that discriminates the vehicle type of the vehicle entering the lane is provided, and when the discrimination result by the vehicle type discriminating unit is a two-wheeled vehicle, when the communication by the antenna is normally completed, the vehicle type is not normally terminated. Regardless of the case, the processing unit outputs a processing result to operate the start control device in the open state. According to this, even if the driver of a motorcycle equipped with an on-board device for ETC but forgot to install an ETC card mistakenly recognizes that ETC processing is possible and enters the ETC lane, the motorcycle starts. It is possible to avoid contact and collision with the control device. Therefore, the ETC system can be operated more safely on a motorcycle.

  According to the present invention, in an ETC system that automatically collects tolls for a vehicle in a non-stop manner, the operation to a motorcycle can be performed more safely.

  As an embodiment of the present invention, the processing unit performs processing to operate the start control device in an open state based on a determination result of the vehicle type determination unit that is not a two-wheeled vehicle and the communication by the antenna is normally completed. The result may be further output. This is a case where an ETC processing lane for a motorcycle and an ETC processing lane for a vehicle other than a motorcycle are used together.

  Here, the processing unit follows when the determination result of the vehicle type determination unit is not a two-wheeled vehicle and the communication by the antenna is not normally ended and the start control device is operated to be in a closed state. A processing result may be further output to operate the start control device in an open state based on the determination result of the vehicle type determination unit for the vehicle being a two-wheeled vehicle. When a vehicle other than a two-wheeled vehicle stops in the ETC lane and is handled by a manpower (personnel), it is assumed that the two-wheeled vehicle travels forward by overtaking this vehicle. This is because a motorcycle does not necessarily have such an overtaking.

  Further, as an embodiment, the processing unit has a processing result for operating the start control device in an open state based on a determination result of the vehicle type determination unit being a two-wheeled vehicle although the vehicle detection device has not detected the vehicle. May be further output. When the vehicle (two-wheeled vehicle) is running in parallel, the vehicle detection device may not detect all passing vehicles and may cause detection leakage. Even in such a case, when the determination result of the vehicle type determination unit is obtained as a two-wheeled vehicle, the processing unit outputs the processing result to operate the start control device in the open state. This allows for safer operation.

  Further, as an embodiment, the vehicle type determination unit may include a step board portion embedded in a direction crossing the lane, and determine whether the vehicle is a two-wheeled vehicle or other than a two-wheeled vehicle based on the number of simultaneous pressing portions with respect to the step plate portion. This is a powerful configuration for discriminating between two-wheeled vehicles and other than two-wheeled vehicles. The number of simultaneous pressings on the tread plate portion is one in a two-wheeled vehicle and two or more in other than the two-wheeled vehicle.

  Also, as an embodiment, the vehicle is provided in connection with the processing unit, receives a processing result from the processing unit to operate display contents, and stops the vehicle when the communication by the antenna does not end normally. You may make it further comprise the roadside display apparatus which performs the display to instruct | indicate toward a lane. This is because the driver is requested to stop by guidance display.

  Based on the above, embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a configuration of an ETC system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the ETC system includes a lane control device 10, a first vehicle detection device 11, a second vehicle detection device 12, a third vehicle detection device 13, an antenna 14, a roadside display device 15, a start. It has a control device 16, a photographing device 17, a tread board (vehicle type discriminating unit) 18, a booth display 21, and a toll collector 22. A system having these configurations provided in the ETC lane performs communication processing with the vehicle-mounted device 31 mounted on the passing vehicle 30. The booth indicator 21 and the toll collector 22 are installed in a booth 20 provided adjacent to the ETC lane.

  Note that the ETC system of this embodiment corresponds to a uniform system (a system of uniform charges regardless of the usage distance) when used at the exit of a distance system (a system corresponding to a system with different charges depending on the usage distance). It is assumed that it is used at the entrance (and exit) of the system.

  A first vehicle detection device (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a first sensor) 11 is provided on the near side of the ETC lane, detects the blockage of the beam crossing the lane, for example, with an optical sensor, and passes the vehicle (= this In this case, an entry into the ETC lane) is detected. The detected result is sent to the lane control device 10.

  The second vehicle detection device (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a second sensor) 12 is provided on the back side of the first vehicle detection device 11, and similarly detects the interruption of the beam crossing the lane with, for example, an optical sensor. To detect the passing of the vehicle. The detected result is sent to the lane control device 10. The installation interval between the first vehicle detection device 11 and the second vehicle detection device 12 is set to a time-consuming interval such that wireless communication by the antenna 14 with a vehicle passing through the first vehicle detection device 11 can be substantially ended.

  The tread board 18 is embedded in a direction crossing the lane on the near side of the ETC lane, and determines the vehicle type of the passing vehicle according to the pressing mode. The vehicle type information obtained by the discrimination is sent to the lane control device 10. One of the modes of pressing is the number of times of pressing over time based on the number of axes of the vehicle. For example, if the number of times of pressing is 3 or more, it can be determined that the vehicle type is larger than a large vehicle. Moreover, there exists the number of the places pressed simultaneously as an aspect of a press. If this part is 1, it can be determined that the vehicle is a two-wheeled vehicle, and if it is 2, the vehicle is a four-wheeled or more. In order to detect the number of simultaneously pressed locations, the tread plate 18 can be configured, for example, by arranging small pieces of pressure-sensitive bodies in a direction across the lane.

  In addition, the positional relationship between the footboard 18 and the first sensor 11 is such that the footboard 18 is installed at the front as shown in FIG. be able to. The vehicle type information obtained from the vehicle-mounted device at the time of wireless communication with the antenna 14 may be collated with the determination result of the tread board 18, so that the determination result is obtained in time for wireless communication. It only has to be.

  The antenna 14 is provided above the ETC lane and performs radio communication by radio waves with an on-board unit mounted on a passing vehicle under the control of the lane control device 10, and includes vehicle information, ETC card information, billing information, and the like. Exchange information. Radio wave irradiation by the antenna 14 starts when the vehicle detection by the first vehicle detection device 11 is reported to the lane control device 10.

  The imaging device 17 is provided toward the ETC lane, and images, for example, a license plate of the vehicle detected by the first vehicle detection device 11 under the control of the lane control device 10. The photographed information is used in the lane control device 10 as information for specifying the vehicle or the vehicle type. The timing for photographing is instructed from the lane control device 10.

  The roadside display device 15 is provided toward the ETC lane, and displays information such as guidance on the vehicle detected by the first vehicle detection device 11 under the control of the lane control device 10. The display content is given as a processing result in the lane control device 10.

  The start control device 16 is provided on the back side of the second vehicle detection device 12 and near the end of the ETC lane. Under the control of the lane control device 10, the start control device 16 is used for vehicles other than two-wheeled vehicles that have not been subjected to normal ETC processing. This is to control the start. In order to control starting, for example, it has a function of opening and closing a blocking bar. Opening and closing is operated as a processing result in the lane control device 10.

  A third vehicle detection device (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a third sensor) 13 is provided on the back side of the start control device 18 (= the end of the ETC lane), and intercepts the beam that crosses the lane using, for example, an optical sensor. It detects and detects the passage of the vehicle (= in this case, exit from the ETC lane). The detected result is sent to the lane control device 10.

  The lane control device 10 includes a connection portion with each of the above-described components, thereby being connected to each component, and having a processing unit, the detection result of the first vehicle detection device 11, the second vehicle detection Processing is performed based on the detection result of the device 12, vehicle type information sent from the tread board 18, information obtained by communication by the antenna 14, detection result of the third vehicle detection device 13, and the processing result is communicated by the antenna 14. And output for display on the roadside display device 15, operation of the start control device 16, and the like.

  The in-booth indicator 21 is connected to the lane control device 10 and is provided in the booth 20, and displays that the vehicle has entered the ETC lane. The booth display 21 is also provided with an operation unit that opens the start control device 16 by a button operation. The toll collection device 21 is connected to the lane control device 18 and is provided in the booth 20, and performs toll collection (cash processing and card processing) by the operation of a staff member.

  Next, the operation of this ETC system will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an operation flow of the ETC system shown in FIG.

  First, the vehicle 30 entering the ETC lane depresses the tread board (vehicle type determination unit) 18 to determine the vehicle type (step 41). The determination result is sent to the lane control device 10. Although a two-wheeled vehicle is shown as an example of the vehicle 30 in FIG. 1, it may naturally be a vehicle having four or more wheels. Moreover, although it is assumed that the vehicle-mounted device 31 is usually mounted on the stepping pressure vehicle 30, a non-mounted vehicle that erroneously enters the ETC lane is also conceivable. Furthermore, although the onboard equipment 31 is mounted, the case where the ETC card is not attached to the onboard equipment 31 is also considered. At least a vehicle on which the vehicle-mounted device 31 is not mounted and a vehicle on which the ETC card is not mounted cannot normally end the ETC wireless processing described later.

  Although not shown in FIG. 2, at the same time, the photographing device 17 is caused to function in accordance with an instruction from the lane control device 10 to photograph the front of the vehicle 30 and the lane control device 10 performs character identification of the license plate. An auxiliary vehicle type discrimination operation may be performed.

  Next, the vehicle 30 is detected by the first sensor 11. (Step 42). If there is a detection, a radio wave is emitted from the antenna 14 to start a communication (ETC wireless communication process) process with the vehicle-mounted device mounted on the vehicle 30 (step 43). Communication includes reception of information held on the vehicle-mounted device 31 side, transmission of processed billing information to the vehicle-mounted device 31 side, and transmission / reception of request signals and confirmation signals for these communications. Communication normally ends normally. If it does not end normally, information to that effect is retained. The “information held on the vehicle-mounted device 31 side” may include vehicle type information. In this case, it is collated with the result of vehicle type discrimination by the tread board 18 or the like.

  Next, regardless of whether or not substantial communication with the vehicle-mounted device 31 is ended / continuing, if the vehicle is detected by the second sensor 12 (step 44), the ETC wireless communication process using the antenna 14 is ended (step 44). Step 45). If the process is terminated while the substantial wireless processing is continued, the information is not retained because the process is not completed normally. Next, the subsequent processing branches depending on whether or not the ETC wireless communication processing has ended normally (step 46). When the operation is normally completed, the start control device 16 is opened by an operation signal from the lane control device 10 (step 51). At this time, necessary information (for example, information indicating that traffic is permitted and a toll fee) may be displayed on the roadside display device 15 at the same time.

  When the start control device 16 is opened, the vehicle 30 exits the ETC lane in a non-stop manner. The exit can be confirmed by vehicle passage detection by the third sensor 13 (step 52). When the exit is confirmed, the start control device 16 is closed (step 53).

  If the ETC wireless communication process does not end normally (N in Step 46), the process branches depending on whether the vehicle type determination result is a two-wheeled vehicle or any other type (Step 47). At this time, necessary information (for example, vehicle stoppage, discriminated vehicle type information, etc.) may be displayed on the roadside display device 15 at the same time. If the vehicle is not a two-wheeled vehicle, a response (for example, toll collection by cash) is performed by stopping the vehicle by hand (person in charge) (step 50). When this is finished, the start control device 16 is opened by an operation by an attendant to the operation unit provided in the booth display 21 (step 51). Thereafter, the vehicle starts, and the operation after Step 52 already described is performed.

  If the vehicle type discrimination result is two-wheeled vehicle in step 47, the start control device 16 is opened by an operation signal from the lane control device 10 (step 48). That is, the start control device 16 is opened even if normal ETC wireless processing is not completed and no operation is performed by a staff member on the operation unit provided in the booth display 21. . This is because, in view of the nature of the two-wheeled vehicle, the start control by the start control device 16 is not made safe and the possibility of contact with the blocking bar or a situation of a collision is considered.

  Of course, since the ETC wireless processing is not normally performed, the two-wheeled vehicle may stop and a staff member may respond (for example, toll collection with cash) (step 49). The vehicle in which this ends is started, and the operation after Step 52 already described is performed. Here, it is also conceivable to photograph the number plate behind the photographing device 17 in preparation for the case where the motorcycle passes without stopping. For example, the information obtained by the photographing can be used to make a separate billing at a later date or to make a settlement at the next ETC system use opportunity.

  As described above, according to this embodiment, when the vehicle type determination result is a two-wheeled vehicle, the start control device 16 is in an open state regardless of whether or not the communication by the antenna 14 is normally completed. It has the effect of preventing the two-wheeled vehicle from contacting or colliding with the blocking bar.

  Note that the above series of explanations is based on the assumption that one vehicle exists between the first sensor 11 and the third sensor 13. In practice, there may be a case where a plurality of vehicles exist between the first sensor 11 and the third sensor due to a decrease in the flow of the vehicle and a decrease in the vehicle speed. In preparation for such a case, in step 53 described above, the fact that steps 51 and 48 have priority is added.

  That is, since the previous vehicle may still be in the ETC lane, in this case, the state of the start control device 16 is not always closed at the time of detection by the first sensor 11. When the ETC wireless communication process is normally completed (Y in Step 46), the start control device 16 is opened by an operation signal from the lane control device 10 (Step 51). The case where it is maintained is also included. Similarly, when the ETC wireless communication process is not normally completed and the vehicle type discrimination result is a two-wheeled vehicle (Y in step 47), the start control device 16 is opened by an operation signal from the lane control device 10. State (step 48), which also includes the case where the open state is simply maintained.

  When the start control device 16 is opened, the vehicle 30 exits the ETC lane in a non-stop manner. The exit can be confirmed by vehicle passage detection by the third sensor 13 (step 52). When the exit is confirmed, the start control device 16 is closed (step 53). If the processing of step 51 has already been reached for the next vehicle, the "start control device" of step 51 is better. have priority. The same applies to “open start control device” in step 48.

  Further, in consideration of the peculiarity of the two-wheeled vehicle, the fact that “it is possible to reach step 47 preferentially from Y in step 47” is added to step 50 described above. Step 50 is a step corresponding to the staff as described above, and therefore, it has been described that the operation does not proceed to the next step 51 if there is no operation by the staff in the operation unit provided in the booth display 21. However, with this additional function, if there is a two-wheeled vehicle in which the ETC radio processing does not end normally during the response, the operation of “open start control device” in step 48 is preferentially performed. .

  This is in consideration of the case where the following two-wheeled vehicle passes ahead of the corresponding vehicle and proceeds forward during the response by the staff. This is because it cannot be said that there is no such overtaking in the case of a motorcycle.

  Furthermore, in the vehicle detection device 11 as shown in FIG. 1, there may be a case where the two-wheeled vehicle cannot be detected due to the parallel progress of the two-wheeled vehicles or other vehicles. Even in such a case, it is conceivable that the determination result of the two-wheeled vehicle is sent to the lane control device 10 as the vehicle type determination result of the tread board 18. In such a case, the determination result is used for determination in step 47 without being discarded because the vehicle is not detected. According to this, even if a vehicle detection leak occurs, the processing result is output to operate the start control device 16 in the open state, so that safer operation is possible.

The figure which shows typically the structure of the ETC system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. The flowchart which shows the operation | movement flow of the ETC system shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Lane control apparatus (processing part), 11 ... Vehicle detection apparatus, 12 ... Vehicle detection apparatus, 13 ... Vehicle detection apparatus, 14 ... Antenna, 15 ... Roadside display apparatus, 16 ... Start control apparatus, 17 ... Shooting apparatus, 18 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS ... Tread board (vehicle discriminating part), 20 ... Booth, 21 ... Display in booth, 22 ... Toll collector, 21 ... Booth, 30 ... Vehicle (two-wheeled vehicle), 31 ... Onboard equipment.

Claims (6)

A vehicle detection device capable of detecting a passing vehicle by detecting blockage of a beam crossing the lane;
A vehicle type discriminating unit for discriminating a vehicle type of a vehicle entering the lane;
An antenna that is provided above the lane and communicates with the vehicle-mounted device mounted on the vehicle by the vehicle detection by the vehicle detection device;
A start control device provided on the back side of the vehicle detection device so as to be openable and closable and permitting and stopping the passage of the vehicle;
The vehicle detection device, the vehicle type determination unit, the antenna, and the start control device are provided in connection with the detection result of the vehicle detection device, the determination result of the vehicle type determination unit, and / or the communication by the antenna. A processing unit that performs processing according to the obtained information and outputs a processing result for the communication by the antenna and for operation of the start control device,
Based on the determination result of the vehicle type determination unit being a two-wheeled vehicle, the processing unit sets the start control device to an open state regardless of whether the communication by the antenna is normally completed or not. An ETC system characterized by outputting processing results for operation.   The processing unit further outputs a processing result to operate the start control device in an open state based on a determination result of the vehicle type determination unit that is not a two-wheeled vehicle and the communication by the antenna is normally completed. The ETC system according to claim 1, wherein   When the determination result of the vehicle type determination unit is not a two-wheeled vehicle and the communication by the antenna is not normally terminated and the start control device is operated to be in the closed state, the processing unit is configured to 3. The ETC system according to claim 2, wherein a processing result is further output to operate the start control device in an open state based on the determination result of the vehicle type determination unit being a two-wheeled vehicle.   The processing unit further outputs a processing result for operating the start control device in an open state based on the determination result of the vehicle type determination unit being a two-wheeled vehicle although the vehicle detection device did not detect the vehicle. The ETC system according to claim 1, wherein   The said vehicle type discrimination | determination part has a tread board part embedded in the direction crossing the said lane, and discriminate | determines whether it is a two-wheeled vehicle or other than a two-wheeled vehicle by the number of the simultaneous press locations with respect to this tread board part. ETC system.   Connected to the processing unit, receives a processing result from the processing unit to operate display contents, and displays a lane indicating a vehicle stop instruction when the communication by the antenna does not end normally. The ETC system according to claim 1, further comprising a roadside display device directed toward the vehicle.

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