JP2006163457A - Toll collection system for toll road - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a toll collection system for a toll road enabling the passing of a vehicle through a tollgate of the toll road without purchasing exclusive equipment and the receipt of a toll of the toll road. <P>SOLUTION: The payment of the toll of the toll road such as an express highway is performed using an infrared communication function of a cellular phone 2. Since the payment is performed not on the spot but simultaneously with the payment of communication charge of the cellular phone 2, a cost for using a system enabling an automobile to pass through a tollgate without stopping can be reduced. A reason for performing infrared communication between an infrared communication device 4 within the tollgate and the cellular phone 2 in the automobile 1 passing through the tollgate is that a charge payer is specified by use of conditions of the infrared communication that the communication distance is not so extensive, and simultaneous connection to the same equipment is limited. A server 6 adds the toll of the toll road to the call charge of the cellular phone 2 and charges the total sum to the user. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a toll road toll collection system, and more particularly, to a toll road toll collection system that automatically collects toll road tolls from a user of an automobile traveling on a toll road on behalf of a toll gate clerk.

  Currently, traffic jams are becoming commonplace at toll gates on toll roads. An ETC (Electronic Toll Collection) system is becoming popular in order to alleviate traffic congestion at the toll gate on this toll road. This ETC system transmits and receives an in-vehicle device unique number, in-vehicle information, etc. by wireless communication between an in-vehicle device mounted on a car and a roadside device installed at a toll gate on a toll road, etc. Notify the upper data center of road tolls, etc., and pass it on to the account withdrawal process of the financial institution of the owner of the car. Is a separate automatic fee collection system. A fee collection system similar to this ETC system has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  In the conventional toll collection system described in Patent Document 1, a vehicle-side device that is installed in a vehicle and has a memory in which ID information is recorded, is capable of reading and writing recorded data from the outside without contact, and pay It is installed at the entrance toll gate of the road, reads ID information to the vehicle side device in a contactless manner, writes the contact information in a contactless manner, and is installed in a check barrier of the toll road. ID information is read in a non-contact manner, and the check barrier information is written in a non-contact manner. It is installed at a check barrier side roadside machine and an exit toll gate on a toll road. In a non-contact manner, and a charging processing device that calculates a fee from information read by the outlet side road device and performs a charging process.

  Therefore, in the above-described ETC system and the fee collection system described in Patent Document 1, dedicated equipment such as an in-vehicle device and a vehicle-side device is separately required, and the individual car owner must purchase it. However, for car owners who rarely use toll roads such as expressways and motorways, the amount of the above-mentioned special equipment is somewhat expensive, and payment is also deducted, so opening an account at a financial institution or credit card Registration is required. As a result, the number of car owners who use this ETC system has not increased as expected, and the current state of introduction of the ETC system is not good.

  In order to reduce the financial burden on car owners using the ETC system, the toll road toll gate where the car is installed on the toll road simply by mounting the IC number plate with the IC chip embedded in the car. Conventionally, a toll collection system for a toll road that can smoothly pass without stopping is proposed (for example, see Patent Document 2).

  That is, in the conventional toll road toll collection system described in Patent Document 2, a wireless communication system in which an IC chip in which various information such as personal information about a user who owns an automobile (vehicle) and vehicle information about the vehicle is embedded is embedded. A non-contact type IC number plate having a communication function is mounted on the vehicle, and the roadside antenna installed on the toll road receives various information transmitted from the IC number plate of the vehicle traveling on the toll road and receives the information. The information is sent to the toll road toll charge / collection agency server through the base station of the toll road and the roadside antenna installed at the toll road toll, and the toll for the toll road is calculated based on the vehicle traffic record. , The toll road toll / collection agency collects the calculated toll from the user who owns the vehicle on behalf of the toll road management company It is a configuration.

  In addition, the toll road toll booth must have separate lanes for vehicles using the ETC system and lanes for ordinary vehicles that pay tolls with cash or prepaid cards, resulting in high equipment costs. For this reason, a toll road passing method for a toll road that reduces equipment costs has also been known (see, for example, Patent Document 3).

  That is, the conventional toll road passing method described in Patent Document 3 uses the Global Positioning System (GPS) to obtain the position information of the entrance of the interchange by using a mobile phone mounted on the vehicle. Capture and send location information and mobile phone phone number to the base station, the base station performs location authentication and personal authentication with the received location information and phone number, and permits information to pass through the toll gate on the highway Is returned to the mobile phone. According to the invention described in Patent Document 3, since the toll for toll roads can be charged to the mobile phone company with which the user has a contract, it can be located without providing a dedicated device such as a vehicle-mounted device. Vehicles approved for authentication and personal authentication can pass without stopping at the toll booth.

JP-A-5-233907 JP 2004-133563 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-217078

  However, the conventional toll road toll collection system described in Patent Document 2 does not require an in-vehicle device or a vehicle-side device, but requires an IC number plate, and the point that an individual car owner purchases an IC number plate is The cost of purchasing an IC number plate is the same as when purchasing an in-vehicle device to use the ETC system.

  On the other hand, in the toll road passing method described in Patent Document 3, a dedicated device for using the ETC system is not separately purchased, but a mobile phone currently owned by a large number of people is used. Similarly, it can be used non-stop through toll gates on toll roads, so it seems that many people use it and it will lead to alleviation of traffic jams. Therefore, there is a case where correct location information cannot be recognized and an erroneous charge is made. For example, when there is a general road under a toll gate, a car on the general road may be charged a toll just by passing under the toll gate.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and it is possible to pass through a toll gate on a toll road non-stop without purchasing a dedicated device, and toll collection on a toll road that can collect tolls on the toll road. The purpose is to provide a system.

  It is another object of the present invention to provide a toll road toll collection system capable of accurately identifying a toll road toll payer and billing the toll accurately.

  To achieve the above object, the toll road toll collection system of the first invention is installed in a toll gate of the toll road, and the first toll data including at least an ID unique to the toll gate installed A communication device for short-range communication that transmits a signal, a portable communication terminal that is mounted in a vehicle passing through a toll gate and has a short-range communication function for performing short-range communication with the communication device, and portable communication By performing near field communication between the terminal and the communication device, the receipt confirmation data transmitted from the mobile communication terminal is supplied via the communication device, and the entrance installed at the entrance of the toll gate based on the receipt confirmation data A gate control device that controls opening and closing of a gate and a passing gate installed at an exit of a toll gate, and a server that is managed by a telecommunications carrier that charges a communication usage fee of a mobile communication terminal, When a vehicle equipped with a mobile communication terminal enters from the entrance gate and passes through the toll gate, by receiving the first fee data transmitted from the communication device, the fee in the first fee data A response transmitting means for responding and transmitting reception confirmation data, which is obtained by adding identification information unique to the mobile communication terminal to the ID unique to the location, and adding identification information unique to the mobile communication terminal to the received first fee data The second fee data transmitting means for generating the second fee data and transmitting it to the server, and the gate control device has an ID unique to the toll gate in the receipt confirmation data as that toll gate. When the determination is made, the opening / closing control is performed so that the passing gate and the entrance gate are opened, and the server receives the second toll data, and the toll for the toll road from the received second toll data. And calculating calculating means, characterized in that an adding means for adding the toll obtained by calculating the communication charge of the portable communication terminal.

  In the present invention, since the mobile communication terminal uses the short-range communication function originally provided for another purpose, a dedicated device such as the conventional ETC system or the IC number plate described in Patent Document 2 is required. However, there is no expense for purchasing a dedicated device, and the toll collection system can be used at a low cost.

  Further, according to the present invention, the automobile can enter the toll gate through a completely dedicated short-range communication dedicated lane, and can be completely separate from a vehicle that makes a normal payment. Further, in the present invention, since a near field communication such as an infrared communication is used, the payer is misrecognized as compared with the system described in Patent Document 3 that acquires the position information of the vehicle using the GPS function of the mobile phone. Without being able to specify accurately. Furthermore, in the present invention, when the mobile communication terminal is purchased, the mobile communication terminal has already been registered with the carrier, and it is necessary to perform payment registration like the ETC system in order to use the toll collection system of the present invention. No.

  In order to achieve the above object, in the toll road toll collection system of the second invention, the communication device has an ID unique to the toll gate where the communication device is installed, and the toll gate is the exit toll gate of the toll road The first toll that generates and transmits as the first toll data, the exit information sometimes, and the entrance information when the toll gate is the toll road entrance toll gate and the toll data at the toll gate Data transmission means is provided.

  In order to achieve the above object, the toll road toll collection system according to the third invention is characterized in that a plurality of communication devices are arranged at regular intervals along the automobile driving path in the toll gate. To do. In the present invention, since the portable communication terminal mounted on the automobile in the toll gate can communicate with any of the plurality of communication devices, the automobile can pass through the toll gate without reducing the speed.

  In order to achieve the above object, in the toll road toll collection system of the fourth invention, the communication device is set so that the transmission / reception unit for near field communication has a radial transmission / reception range. It is characterized by. In this invention, the portable communication terminal mounted on the automobile in the toll booth can reliably perform near field communication such as infrared communication by the communication device.

  In addition, in order to achieve the above object, the toll road toll collection system according to the fifth aspect of the invention is based on the fact that the server calculates the toll obtained by the calculation means on behalf of the user of the mobile communication terminal. It is characterized by having a remittance remittance means for paying reimbursement to a toll road operator to pay. In this invention, since the toll road toll paid by the telecommunication carrier of the portable communication terminal to the toll road carrier can be charged in addition to the original communication usage fee of the portable telecommunication terminal, Realization can be realized.

  To achieve the above object, a toll collection system for a toll road according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is an infrared communication device in which a communication device performs infrared communication, and an infrared communication in which a portable communication terminal incorporates an infrared transmission / reception unit. A mobile communication terminal having a function, wherein infrared communication is performed between the communication device and the mobile communication terminal, and the first fee data and the reception confirmation data are transmitted and received. In the present invention, the mobile communication terminal can be used for toll collection on the toll road by using the infrared communication function provided for communication, so it passes non-stop through the toll gate on the toll road Can be used without purchasing a dedicated device.

  Infrared communication is used to identify the payer. Infrared communication is not very wide, and the simultaneous connection to the same device is limited. Use this condition to identify the payer. I do. Since the infrared communication range is not so wide, even if there is an adjacent general road, it is a measure to prevent the traveling vehicle from being accidentally paid. In addition, due to the limitation of the number of simultaneous connections, you will not be able to pass unless you pay securely.

  According to the present invention, the short-distance communication function such as the infrared communication function of the portable communication terminal is used, and the toll of the toll road such as the expressway is not paid on the spot, but the communication of the portable communication terminal is performed at a later date. Since it is made to be performed at the same time as the payment of the fee, it is possible to use the toll collection system of non-stop toll booth with an inexpensive configuration without the need to purchase dedicated equipment separately like the ETC system, It greatly contributes to the spread of toll collection systems.

  In addition, according to the present invention, the payer is used as compared with the system described in Patent Document 3 that uses the GPS function of the mobile phone by using short-range communication such as infrared communication to acquire the position information of the automobile. Since it is possible to specify accurately without erroneous recognition, it is possible to eliminate wrong billing and improve the reliability of the toll collection system.

  In addition, the ETC lane that enters the current ETC system toll booth contains a mixture of vehicles that make regular payments other than cars that use the ETC system, so the non-stop speed passing through the toll booth is not very high. Although not fast, according to the present invention, a car can enter a toll gate through a fully dedicated short-range dedicated lane, and is completely separate from a car that makes regular payments. Therefore, it is possible to realize non-stop operation at a speed higher than that of the ETC system.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a system configuration diagram of an embodiment of a toll collection system for a toll road according to the present invention. As shown in the figure, the present embodiment is an automobile traveling on a toll road, and includes an automobile 1 driven by a user to which this system is applied and an infrared communication function mounted on the automobile 1. Operated and managed by the mobile phone 2, one or more infrared communication devices 4 installed at the toll gate on the toll road, the gate control device 5 installed at the toll gate, and the mobile phone company that is the telecommunications carrier And the server 6 that performs the processing.

  The automobile 1 is an automobile (vehicle) that is used by a general user including a passenger car to a commercial truck. The mobile phone 2 is a mobile phone that originally has an infrared communication function, and is not limited by a mobile phone company or a manufacturer. As an example of a configuration in which a conventional mobile phone has an infrared communication function, a configuration in which an infrared communication unit is connected to an external connector of a mobile phone is known (for example, JP-A-2002-247186). The mobile phone 2 of this form is not one in which an infrared communication unit is connected to the external connector, but the mobile phone itself has an infrared transmission / reception unit.

  The reason why the mobile phone 2 is used is that a fee is paid and is generally widely used and is always carried around. In addition, tolls for toll roads will be paid together with mobile phone charges at a later date, thereby unifying the payment method. The cellular phone 2 is installed near the front window of the automobile 1 so that the infrared communication device faces outward. In addition, the mobile phone 2 performs infrared communication with the infrared communication device 4 installed at the toll gate, and as toll data a is a toll road-specific ID and toll data, or a toll road such as a highway. The entrance information and exit information are received.

  When the mobile phone 2 receives the charge data a, the mobile phone 2 receives the ID specific to the toll booth and the ID specific to the mobile phone 2 from the received charge data a and transmits them to the infrared communication device 4 as confirmation data b. In addition, the mobile phone 2 transmits to the mobile phone company server 6 charge data c obtained by adding identification information (ID) unique to the mobile phone 2 to the received charge data a.

  FIG. 2 shows a schematic configuration diagram of an embodiment of a toll gate. In the figure, the same components as in FIG. In FIG. 2, an entrance gate 3 that can be opened and closed is provided at the entrance of the toll gate, and a pass gate 7 that can be opened and closed is provided at the exit of the toll gate. Further, between the entrance gate 3 and the passage gate 7, for example, five infrared communication devices 4a to 4e (corresponding to the infrared communication device 4 in FIG. 1) are provided at a predetermined equidistant distance along the vehicle traveling path in the toll gate. The gate control device 5 is installed between the infrared communication device 4e and the passage gate 7.

  The entrance gate 3 is for specifying an automobile that performs infrared communication, and is a gate for allowing only one automobile to exist in the infrared communication zone. Thereby, the user's mobile phone 2 that performs infrared communication is specified. The entrance gate 3 is provided with a sensor. In the initial state, the entrance gate 3 is in an open state. When the automobile passes through the entrance gate 3, the above sensor senses and closes the entrance gate 3. When the infrared communication between the mobile phone 2 and the infrared communication device 4 (4a to 4e) is normally performed, the passing gate 7 is opened, and at the same time, the entrance gate 3 is also opened until the next car passes. The pass gates 3, 7 remain open.

  The infrared communication device 4 (4a to 4e) has a function of passing the toll gate unique ID and toll data, or entrance information and exit information on the toll road to the user mobile phone 2 as toll data a. Further, it has a function of transferring the receipt confirmation data b to the gate control device 5 when receipt confirmation data b is received from the mobile phone 2.

  The infrared communication devices 4 (4a to 4e) are all connected to the gate control device 5, and the operation is managed by the gate control device 5. Moreover, as shown by 4a-4e in FIG. 2, the infrared communication apparatus 4 expands a communication range by arranging, for example, 5 units along the automobile traveling path in the toll gate. As a result, the communication time can be increased and communication can be performed while suppressing a decrease in the speed of the passing vehicle.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the infrared communication device 4 (4a to 4e) has a certain degree of directivity so that the infrared transmission / reception unit 8 has a wide radial infrared transmission / reception range like a fluorescent lamp. The infrared transmission / reception range is set obliquely downward and forward (that is, in the direction of the driver's seat of a car passing forward).

  The gate control device 5 performs opening / closing control of the entrance gate 3 and the passage gate 7. Further, when the receipt confirmation data b from the mobile phone 2 is sent via the infrared communication device 4, the gate control device 5 determines that the toll gate-specific ID of the received receipt confirmation data b is the ID of each toll gate. It is confirmed whether they match, and if it can be confirmed, the passage gate 7 is opened so that the automobile 1 can pass. At this time, the entrance gate 3 is also opened.

  The mobile phone company server 6 reads the charge data c sent from the mobile phone 2 and, if it is the entrance information and the exit information, calculates the charge from the entrance to the exit of the toll road, If the toll amount is not calculated, the toll road fee amount is added to the user's mobile phone bill. The required toll road fee is paid to the management company as shown by 10 in FIG. 1 in the form of a change by the mobile phone company, and the owner of the mobile phone 2 determines the replacement amount as shown by 11 in FIG. Pay along with the mobile phone charges.

  Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In the present embodiment, a car 1 equipped with a mobile phone 2 with an infrared communication function passes non-stop through a toll gate on a toll road such as the Metropolitan Expressway, and the toll on the toll road is paid to the mobile phone 2. In order to receive a service that can be paid together, the user first transmits the mobile verification mobile photo or the like when registering the service of the mobile phone company and registers the type of the vehicle. This is to accommodate different toll road tolls depending on the type of car, such as whether the car is large or small, whether it is a passenger car or a truck.

  In addition, before using a toll road such as an expressway, the mobile phone 2 faces outward near the windshield in front of the driver's seat in the vehicle. Specifically, the infrared communication section of the mobile phone 2 Install so that it is on the communication device 4 side. When the mobile phone 2 receives the charge data a from the infrared communication device 4, the mobile phone to which the user of the mobile phone 2 subscribes to charge data c obtained by adding an ID unique to the mobile phone 2 to the charge data a. It is set in advance so that it is automatically transmitted to the company server 6.

  In this state, the car 1 is driven, and when the toll gate of the toll road approaches (step S1), the vehicle enters the infrared communication lane, reduces the traveling speed to, for example, 30 km / h to 40 km / h, and the entrance gate 3 opens. If the entrance gate 3 is closed, it performs infrared communication with the infrared communication device 4, but if the entrance gate 3 is closed, deceleration is performed until the entrance gate 3 is opened. Proceed into 3.

  After passing through the entrance gate 3, the entrance gate 3 is closed so that the next vehicle cannot enter the toll gate. In the toll booth following the infrared communication dedicated lane, an infrared communication device 4 (4a to 4e) is installed, and the automobile 1 passes in front of the infrared communication device 4 (4a to 4e). At this time, the automobile 1 passes with a passing speed of 30 km / h to 40 km / h. As shown in FIG. 2, the infrared communication devices 4 a to 4 e are installed in a range of about 20 m, for example, so that infrared communication can be reliably performed with the mobile phone 2.

  The effective range of infrared communication is not so wide, and connection to the same place is limited to three mobile phones at the same time, so connection to the wrong partner can be prevented. Conventionally, data communication is performed by directly bringing a mobile phone into contact with an infrared device, but infrared communication devices 4a to 4e are configured as shown in FIG. Can be done in contact.

  Here, when the toll gate with the entrance gate 3 passed through is the toll gate at the entrance of the toll road, the toll station's infrared communication devices 4a to 4e are transferred to the mobile phone 2 and only the toll gate ID and toll gate are provided. Since toll data a composed of toll data and toll road entrance information is transmitted by infrared rays, the infrared communication unit of the mobile phone 2 receives the toll data a and receives the reception confirmation data b to the infrared communication devices 4a to 4e. A response is transmitted (steps S2, S3, S4).

  When any of the infrared communication devices 4 a to 4 e receives the reception confirmation data b, the reception reception confirmation data b is transferred to the gate control device 5. The gate control device 5 confirms whether the ID unique to the toll booth of the received receipt confirmation data b matches the ID of the toll booth. If the ID is confirmed, the gate control device 5 opens the pass gate 7 and checks the inside of the toll booth. The vehicle 1 traveling at a low speed can pass through the pass gate 7 as it is (step S5). At this time, the gate control device 5 also opens the entrance gate 3 so that the following car can enter the toll gate.

  Here, the charge data a and the reception confirmation data b transmitted / received by the infrared communication between the mobile phone 2 and the infrared communication devices 4a to 4e are both small in amount of data, so it does not take time at the time of transfer. Further, by increasing the installation distance between the infrared communication devices 4a to 4e, it is possible to pass the vehicle without reducing the speed of the vehicle. Accordingly, when communication confirmation is obtained in the gate control device 5, the passing gate 7 is opened, so that the automobile 1 can pass through the toll gate without stopping.

  With current mobile phone payment methods, it is necessary to stop at the toll booth and place the mobile phone close to the reader to send and receive data when paying the fee. However, in the present embodiment, the infrared communication devices 4a to 4e are installed as shown in FIG. 3 to realize non-stop at a higher speed than that.

  Thereafter, the mobile phone 2 automatically transmits the charge data c to the mobile phone company server 6 (step S6). Here, the fee data c is data obtained by adding an ID unique to the mobile phone 2 to fee data a composed of an ID unique to the toll gate and toll road entrance information. Thereby, the toll road entrance information is stored in the usage fee detail database of the user of the cellular phone company of the cellular phone 2.

  On the other hand, if the toll gate where the car 1 entered is not the toll gate at the entrance of the toll road and is not the toll gate at the exit of the toll road (No in step S2, No in step S7), the infrared of the toll gate Since the toll data a consisting of the ID unique to the toll booth and toll data for only the toll booth is transmitted from the communication devices 4a to 4e to the mobile phone 2 by infrared rays, the infrared communication unit of the mobile phone 2 transmits this charge data. a is received, and reception confirmation data b is transmitted as a response to the infrared communication devices 4a to 4e (steps S8 and S9).

  When any of the infrared communication devices 4 a to 4 e receives the reception confirmation data b, the reception reception confirmation data b is transferred to the gate control device 5. The gate control device 5 confirms whether the ID unique to the toll booth of the received receipt confirmation data b matches the ID of the toll booth. If the ID is confirmed, the gate control device 5 opens the pass gate 7 and checks the inside of the toll booth. The vehicle 1 traveling at a low speed can pass through the passage gate 7 as it is (step S10). At this time, the gate control device 5 also opens the entrance gate 3 so that the following car can enter the toll gate.

  Thereafter, the cellular phone 2 automatically transmits the charge data c to the cellular phone company server 6 (step S11). Here, the fee data c is data obtained by adding an ID unique to the mobile phone 2 to fee data a composed of an ID unique to the toll gate and toll data. Thereby, the charge data c is stored in the usage charge detail database of the user of the mobile phone company of the mobile phone 2.

  When a car that has passed through the toll gate non-stop does not get off the toll road after passing through the toll gate (No in step S12), each time it passes through the toll gate in the toll road, the above steps S1, S2, S7 Step S12 is repeated, and charge data c is stored in the usage charge detail database of the user of the mobile phone company of the mobile phone 2.

  If the toll gate where the car 1 entered is not the toll gate at the entrance of the toll road but the toll gate at the exit of the toll road (No in step S2, Yes in step S7), the infrared communication device of the toll gate Toll data a consisting of a toll gate unique ID, toll data and toll road exit information is transmitted by infrared rays from 4a to 4e to the cellular phone 2, so that the infrared communication unit of the cellular phone 2 transmits the toll data a The reception confirmation data b is transmitted as a response to the infrared communication devices 4a to 4e (steps S13 and S14).

  When any of the infrared communication devices 4 a to 4 e receives the reception confirmation data b, the reception reception confirmation data b is transferred to the gate control device 5. The gate control device 5 confirms whether the ID unique to the toll booth of the received receipt confirmation data b matches the ID of the toll booth. If the ID is confirmed, the gate control device 5 opens the pass gate 7 and checks the inside of the toll booth. The vehicle 1 traveling at a low speed is allowed to pass through the passage gate 7 as it is (step S15). At this time, the gate control device 5 also opens the entrance gate 3 so that the following car can enter the toll gate.

  Thereafter, the cellular phone 2 automatically transmits the charge data c to the cellular phone company server 6 (step S11). Here, the fee data c is data obtained by adding an ID unique to the mobile phone 2 to fee data a composed of an ID unique to the toll gate, toll data, and toll road exit information. As a result, the server 6 uses the charge data c stored in the usage charge detail database of the user of the mobile phone company of the mobile phone 2 or from the toll road entrance data and exit data, or each charge. The used toll road toll is calculated from the sum of the respective toll data of data c (step S17).

  Then, the mobile phone company that operates the server 6 makes an advance payment to the company that should pay the calculated toll road fee (if the toll road is the Metropolitan Expressway) (step S18). In addition, even when the user exits the toll road after passing through the toll gate, the server 6 keeps the respective charges of the charge data c stored in the usage charge statement database of the user of the mobile phone company of the mobile phone 2 until then. Based on the total data, the used toll road fee is calculated, and the mobile phone company operating the server 6 pays the calculated toll road fee to the company that should pay the original fee (step S18).

  At a later date, the mobile phone company that operates the server 6 adds the toll road fee redeemed in step S18 to the mobile phone bill of the user of the mobile phone 2 (step S19). Since the toll road toll is added to the contents of payment of the cellular phone fee, the user pays the toll road fee together with the cellular phone fee (step S20).

  Thus, in the present embodiment, toll road toll data is obtained by performing short-range communication using infrared rays between the mobile phone 2 having the infrared communication function and the infrared communication devices 4 (4a to 4e). The mobile phone 2 sends the toll data to the server 6 operated by the mobile phone company, where the toll data is calculated, and the mobile phone 2 originally has another purpose. Since the infrared communication function provided is used, there is no need for a dedicated device such as the conventional ETC system or the IC number plate described in Patent Document 2, and there is no expense due to the purchase of the dedicated device. Can be used.

  In addition, the ETC lanes that enter the current ETC system toll booth are mixed with cars that make regular payments other than cars that use the ETC system. Although it is not fast, the automobile 1 that receives the application of the present embodiment can enter the toll gate through a completely dedicated infrared communication lane, and is completely different from a lane that is completely different from an automobile that pays normally. Therefore, it is possible to realize non-stop speed faster than that of the ETC system, which contributes to alleviation of traffic congestion due to non-stop of the toll booth when using toll roads.

  Further, in the present embodiment, since infrared communication is used, the payer is not misrecognized as compared with the system described in Patent Document 3 that acquires the position information of the vehicle using the GPS function of the mobile phone. It is possible to specify accurately and eliminate the payment request to the wrong partner.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, registration with the mobile phone carrier has already been completed at the time of purchase of the mobile phone 2, and it is necessary to perform payment registration like the ETC system in order to use the toll collection system of the present embodiment. It is easy to use, and the mobile phone company charges the toll for toll roads in addition to the mobile phone call charges, making it possible to unify the payment points.

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, instead of infrared communication, a short-distance wireless communication is performed using a mobile phone having a short-range wireless communication function such as Bluetooth. It is also possible to use. Moreover, not only a mobile phone but also other mobile communication terminals such as a simple mobile phone (PHS) and a PDA (Personal Data Assistance) which is a portable information device can be used.

It is a system configuration figure of one embodiment of the system of the present invention. It is a schematic block diagram of one embodiment of a toll gate. It is a schematic external view of an example of the infrared communication apparatus in FIG.1 and FIG.2. It is a flowchart explaining the outline | summary of the system of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Car 2 Mobile phone with infrared communication function 3 Entrance gate 4 Infrared communication device 5 Gate control device 6 Mobile phone company server 7 Passing gate 8 Infrared transmitter / receiver

Claims (6)

A communication device for short-range communication that is installed in a toll gate of a toll road and transmits first fee data including at least an ID unique to the toll gate installed;
A mobile communication terminal that is mounted in a vehicle passing through the toll gate and has a short-range communication function for performing short-range communication with the communication device;
By performing the short-range communication between the mobile communication terminal and the communication device, reception confirmation data transmitted from the mobile communication terminal is supplied via the communication device, and based on the reception confirmation data, the A gate control device that controls opening and closing of an entrance gate installed at the entrance of the toll gate and a passing gate installed at the exit of the toll gate;
And a server managed by a telecommunications carrier that charges a communication usage fee for the mobile communication terminal, and the mobile communication terminal is connected to the toll gate when a vehicle on which the mobile communication terminal is mounted enters from the entrance gate. When the first fee data transmitted from the communication device is received when passing through, the identification information unique to the portable communication terminal is assigned to the ID unique to the toll gate in the first fee data. Response transmission means for transmitting the reception confirmation data with the response added to the communication device, and generating second fee data in which identification information unique to the mobile communication terminal is added to the received first fee data Second charge data transmission means for transmitting to the server,
The gate control device performs opening / closing control so as to open the passage gate and the entrance gate when it is determined that the ID unique to the toll gate in the receipt confirmation data is that of the toll gate, and the server includes: Receiving means for receiving the second toll data; calculating means for calculating a toll for the toll road from the received second toll data; and calculating the toll obtained by the calculation of the toll of the mobile communication terminal. A toll collection system for a toll road, characterized by comprising an adding means for adding to a communication fee.   The communication device has an ID unique to the toll gate installed, exit information when the toll gate is an exit toll gate of a toll road, and entrance information when the toll gate is an entrance toll gate of a toll road. 2. A toll road according to claim 1, further comprising first toll data transmission means for generating and transmitting data added with toll data at the toll gate as the first toll data. Toll collection system.   2. The toll road fee transmission / reception system according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the communication devices are arranged at regular intervals along an automobile travel route in the toll gate.   4. The toll road fee transmission / reception system according to claim 3, wherein the communication device is configured such that a transmission / reception unit for short-range communication has a radial transmission / reception range.   The server has a replacement remittance means for paying the toll obtained by calculation by the calculation means on behalf of a user of the mobile communication terminal to a toll road operator that should be paid. The toll collection system for a toll road according to claim 1. The communication device is an infrared communication device that performs infrared communication, and the portable communication terminal is a portable communication terminal that has an infrared communication function with a built-in infrared transmission / reception unit, and between the communication device and the portable communication terminal. The toll road fee transmission / reception system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein infrared communication is performed to transmit and receive the first fee data and the receipt confirmation data.

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