JP2012094118A - Information processing apparatus, toll collection system and toll collection method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To charge a vehicle which enters a charging area, without downloading charging area information to on-vehicle units which a number of vehicles mount.SOLUTION: A center device 14 receives location information indicating a location of a vehicle from the vehicle through a wide area communicator 50, and a charging area information storage section 56 stores charging area information indicating areas to perform charging on the vehicle. On the basis of the location information received by the wide area communicator 50 and the charging area information stored in the charging area information storage section 56, a charging amount determination section 58 performs charging on the vehicle. In the case where any charging area is changed in accordance with a road maintenance situation or a vehicle congestion situation, new charging area information is generated. Therefore, when new charging area information is inputted to the center device 14, the charging area information stored in the charging area information storage section 56 is updated with the inputted new charging area information by a CPU 52.

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, a fee collection system, and a fee collection method.

  Conventionally, a vehicle receives a radio wave from a satellite with a GPS (Global Positioning System) antenna, recognizes the position and traveling direction of the vehicle with a built-in GPS positioning device, and when the vehicle enters a charging area, a credit card charges A vehicle-mounted device that pays the price has been developed (see Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-10937

However, the vehicle-mounted device described in Patent Document 1 needs to store charging area information indicating a charging area for which the vehicle-mounted device is charged. When the billing area is changed, it is necessary to download new billing area information after the change.
This new billing area information must be downloaded all at once from a predetermined center machine to the vehicle-mounted device mounted on each vehicle. The reason for this is that, in a plurality of vehicles that have entered a new billing area at the same timing, vehicles for which new billing area information has not been downloaded are not charged, and vehicles for which new billing area information has been downloaded are billed. This is because such unfairness occurs.
The number of vehicles to be downloaded is, for example, tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands or more. For this reason, the charging area information cannot be simultaneously downloaded from the center machine to the large number of vehicles. Could have occurred.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and charges a vehicle that has entered a charging area without having to download the charging area information to an in-vehicle device mounted on a large number of vehicles. It is an object to provide an information processing apparatus, a fee collection system, and a fee collection method.

In order to solve the above problems, the information processing apparatus, fee collection system, and fee collection method of the present invention employ the following means.
That is, the information processing apparatus according to the present invention stores receiving means for receiving position information indicating the position of a vehicle from the vehicle, and charging area information indicating an area where charging is performed for the vehicle. 1 storage means, charging means for charging the vehicle based on the location information received by the receiving means and the charging area information stored in the first storage means, and the new charging And updating means for updating the charging area information stored in the first storage means to the new charging area information when area information is input to the apparatus.

According to the present invention, position information indicating the position of the vehicle is received from the vehicle by the receiving means, and charging area information indicating an area for which the vehicle is charged is stored in the first storage means. Remembered. Then, the vehicle is charged based on the position information received by the receiving unit by the charging unit and the charging area information stored in the first storage unit.
The vehicle position information is generated based on, for example, a GPS signal received from a GPS satellite. The billing area information is information indicating the billing area in latitude and longitude, for example.
Here, when the billing area is changed according to the road maintenance situation or the vehicle congestion situation, new billing area information is generated. Therefore, when new billing area information is input to this apparatus, the billing area information stored in the first storage unit is updated by the updating unit to the new billing area information that has been input.
Thus, according to the present invention, the charging area information is stored in the first storage means, the vehicle is charged based on the charging area information and the position information transmitted from the vehicle, and the first storage means The stored billing area information is changed to new billing area information as appropriate, so that the vehicles that enter the billing area are billed without having to download the billing area information to the in-vehicle device mounted on many vehicles. It can be performed.

  Further, in the information processing apparatus of the present invention, the receiving means further receives, from the vehicle, identification information of the antenna received by the vehicle from an antenna installed in advance to specify the position of the vehicle, When the position of the vehicle estimated based on the identification information of the antenna received by the receiving means does not match the position of the vehicle estimated based on the position information received by the receiving means A first correction unit that corrects the position information received by the reception unit based on the position of the vehicle estimated from the identification information of the antenna received by the reception unit may be provided.

According to the present invention, the receiving unit further receives from the vehicle the identification information of the antenna received by the vehicle from an antenna installed in advance for specifying the position of the vehicle. The antenna identification information is, for example, information indicating the latitude and longitude where the antenna is installed.
Then, the position of the vehicle estimated based on the identification information of the antenna received by the receiving means by the first correcting means and the position of the vehicle estimated based on the position information of the vehicle received by the receiving means are If they do not match, the position information received by the receiving means is corrected based on the position of the vehicle estimated from the antenna identification information received by the receiving means.
As described above, the present invention corrects the position of the vehicle based on the identification information of the antenna installed in advance, so that the position of the vehicle can be accurately corrected.

  In the information processing apparatus of the present invention, the second storage means for storing road information indicating the position of the road in the billing area and the position information received by the receiving means are stored in the second storage means. Second update means for correcting based on the road information, and the update means is stored in the second storage means when new road information is input to the apparatus. The road information may be further updated to the new road information.

According to the present invention, the second storage means stores road information indicating the position of the road in the billing area, and the correction means corrects the vehicle position information received by the reception means based on the road information. . When new road information is input to this apparatus, the road information stored in the second storage means is updated to the new road information by the updating means.
Thus, according to the present invention, the position of the vehicle is corrected based on the road information, and the stored road information is updated as appropriate, so that the position of the vehicle can be corrected with high accuracy.

  In the information processing apparatus of the present invention, the position information of the vehicle is generated based on a GPS signal received from a GPS (Global Positioning System) satellite, and indicates a position of a GPS base station that receives the GPS signal. A third storage means for storing base station information, a difference is obtained based on the signal transmitted from the GPS base station and the GPS base station information stored in the third storage means, and the receiving means is obtained based on the difference. And a third correction unit that corrects the position information received by the update unit, wherein the update unit is stored in the third storage unit when new road information is input to the apparatus. The GPS base station information may be further updated to the new road information.

According to the present invention, the position information of the vehicle is generated based on the GPS signal received from the GPS satellite, and the third storage means includes GPS base station information indicating the installation position of the GPS base station that receives the GPS signal. The position of the vehicle that is stored and obtained by the third correction means based on the signal transmitted from the GPS base station and the GPS base station information stored in the third storage means, and received by the receiving means based on the difference. Information is corrected.
Then, when new road information is input to this apparatus, the update means updates the GPS base station information stored in the third storage means to the new GPS base station information.
Thus, according to the present invention, the position of the vehicle is corrected based on the signal from the GPS base station, and the stored GPS base station information is appropriately updated. Therefore, the position of the vehicle can be accurately corrected. .

  The information processing apparatus according to the present invention may be configured such that the charging area information of the vehicle is indicated based on the location information received by the receiving unit and charging area information stored in the first storage unit. Distance calculating means for calculating the distance to the area; and transmission means for transmitting information based on the distance calculated by the distance calculating means to the vehicle-mounted device that is mounted on the vehicle and notifies the distance. May be.

According to the present invention, the distance to the area indicated by the vehicle charging area information is calculated based on the vehicle position information and the charging area information, and the information based on the calculated distance is mounted on the vehicle. At the same time, it is transmitted to the vehicle-mounted device that notifies the distance.
Therefore, by notifying based on the information received by the vehicle-mounted device, the vehicle occupant can know the distance between the vehicle and the area where the vehicle is charged.

  On the other hand, a fee collection system according to the present invention includes the information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

  According to the present invention, the position information indicating the position of the vehicle is generated and transmitted, and the vehicle-mounted device mounted on the vehicle and the information processing apparatus described above are provided. On the other hand, it is possible to charge a vehicle that has entered the charging area without downloading the charging area information.

  Furthermore, the fee collection method according to the present invention is a fee collection method for an information processing apparatus comprising storage means and reception means for receiving predetermined information from a vehicle, wherein position information indicating the position of the vehicle is received by the reception means. A first step of receiving from the vehicle via the vehicle, and charging area information indicating an area for which the vehicle is to be charged is stored in the storage means, and the new charging area information is stored in the information processing apparatus. 2, the second step of updating the charging area information stored in the storage means to the new charging area information, the position information received by the receiving means, and the storage means A third step of charging the vehicle based on the charging area information stored in the vehicle.

  According to the present invention, the charging area information is stored in the first storage means, and the vehicle is charged based on the charging area information and the position information transmitted from the vehicle, and is stored in the first storage means. The charged billing area information is appropriately changed to new billing area information. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to charge a vehicle that has entered the charging area without downloading the charging area information to the vehicle-mounted device mounted on a large number of vehicles.

  According to the present invention, there is an excellent effect that it is possible to charge a vehicle that has entered the charging area without having to download the charging area information to an in-vehicle device mounted on a large number of vehicles.

It is a figure showing the whole charge collection system composition concerning a 1st embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the onboard equipment which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the center machine which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a process of the update program which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the center machine which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the center machine which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the center machine which concerns on 4th Embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of an information processing apparatus, a fee collection system, and a fee collection method according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]
The first embodiment of the present invention will be described below.
FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a fee collection system 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 1, the toll collection system 10 includes a facility 16 having a center machine 14 that is an information processing apparatus, and includes a billing area A that is a target area for billing (road pricing (road pricing)). The center machine 14 charges the traveling vehicle 12. The facility 16 including the center machine 14 may be provided outside the billing area A.
In the charging area A, an antenna 18 for specifying the position of the vehicle 12 is installed in advance. The antenna 18 transmits the identification information of the antenna 18 to the vehicle 12 traveling in the vicinity. Note that the identification information of the antenna 18 is information indicating the position of the antenna 18, and indicates, for example, the latitude and longitude where the antenna 18 is installed.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the vehicle-mounted device 20 mounted on the vehicle 12 according to the first embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle-mounted device 20 is transmitted from a vehicle power source 22 and a built-in battery 24, a power supply circuit 26 connected to the vehicle 14, a wide-area communication device 28 that transmits / receives various information to / from the center device 14, and a plurality of GPS satellites. GPS receiver 30 for receiving the received GPS signal, onboard device storage device 32 for storing various information, control unit 34, communication unit 36 for communicating with antenna 18, display unit 38, buzzer, LED (Light Emitting Diode) Such as a notification unit 40, an IC card insertion unit 42 into which an IC (Integrated Circuit) card is inserted, an IC card interface (indicated as “IC card I / F” in FIG. 2) 44 provided in the IC card insertion unit 42, And a communication port 46.

In FIG. 2, various components such as the GPS receiver 30 are not necessarily built in the vehicle-mounted device 20. For example, each component may be configured in a state where information can be exchanged. As an example, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which a mobile terminal device having a GPS function is connected via an external terminal, and the GPS function provided in the mobile terminal device is used as the GPS receiver 30.
Then, the control unit 34 generates position information indicating the current position of the vehicle 12 based on GPS signals received from a plurality of GPS satellites. The position information indicates the position of the vehicle 12 in latitude and longitude.

  The wide area communication device 28 performs wireless communication with an external device, and can communicate with the center device 14, for example.

  The power supply circuit 26 mainly controls the voltage supplied from the vehicle power supply 22 to a voltage suitable for the vehicle-mounted device 20 and supplies the voltage to each part constituting the vehicle-mounted device 20. The built-in battery 24 is provided so as to ensure enough power for communication even when the power supply from the vehicle power supply 22 is cut off.

  The vehicle-mounted device storage device 32 includes vehicle information including vehicle owner information, vehicle type information, vehicle ID, vehicle 12 position information, vehicle-mounted device identification information, balance information read from the IC card, and card information. In addition, various information such as identification information of the antenna 18 received via the communication unit 36 when the vehicle 12 travels in the vicinity of the antenna 18 is stored.

  The IC card inserted into the IC card insertion unit 42 is, for example, a contact type IC card and incorporates an IC chip on which a flash memory, an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), or the like is mounted. In addition to card information such as a card ID number, this IC card stores a balance, usage history, and the like. Information recorded on the IC card can be read and written by the control unit 34 via the IC card interface 44.

In such an in-vehicle device 20, when an IC card is inserted into the IC card insertion unit 42, the control unit 34 reads out the IC card information and balance recorded in the IC card via the IC card interface 44, and is mounted on the vehicle. The balance is written in the storage device 32 and the balance is displayed on the display unit 38 for a certain time (for example, about 10 seconds). Moreover, when the information can be normally read from the IC card, the control unit 34 operates the notification unit 40 to notify the user of the normal operation. Thereby, for example, when the notification unit 40 is a buzzer, a buzzer is generated, and when it is an LED or the like, it is informed that it is normal by being turned on.
On the other hand, if the information cannot be read from the IC card, the control unit 34 displays an error message on the display unit 38 and operates the notification unit 40 to notify the user of the error. Encourage re-insertion of IC cards. Note that the manner of notification by the notification unit 40 differs between normal and abnormal times.

  When the control unit 34 obtains a request signal from the center unit 14 via the wide area communication device 28, the control unit 34 obtains the identification information of the on-vehicle device 20 stored in the on-vehicle device storage device 32, the position information of the vehicle 12, the card information, and the like. While reading, these are output to the center machine 14 as a response signal to the request signal.

  The communication port 46 is an interface for communicating with an external device, and can be connected to, for example, a wireless or wired communication medium.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the center machine 14 according to the first embodiment.
The center machine 14 uses the identification information of the vehicle 12 using the wide area communication device 50 that performs wireless communication with the vehicle-mounted device 20 mounted on the vehicle 12, the CPU (Central Processing Unit) 52 that controls the entire center device 14, and the identification information of the antenna 18. An antenna correction unit 54 that corrects position information, a charging area information storage unit 56 that stores charging area information indicating the charging area A in latitude and longitude, and a section that determines a charging amount for the vehicle 12 traveling in the charging area A Amount determination unit 58, a billing table storage unit 60 that stores billing amounts for the vehicle 12 as table information, a communication unit 62 that transmits / receives information to / from other information processing devices, and input of new billing area information The information input part 64 which receives is provided.

  The CPU 52 causes the wide area communication device 50 to transmit a request signal to the vehicle 12, while receiving a response signal from the vehicle-mounted device 20 received by the wide area communication device 50, and outputs the response signal to the antenna correction unit 54. .

  The antenna correction unit 54 is estimated based on the position of the vehicle 12 estimated based on the identification information of the antenna 18 included in the input response signal and the position information of the vehicle 12 included in the input response signal. When the position of the vehicle 12 does not match, the position information of the vehicle 12 is corrected based on the position of the vehicle 12 estimated from the identification information of the antenna 18. The corrected position information of the vehicle 12 is output to the CPU 52.

  The CPU 52 enters and leaves the charging area A of the vehicle 12 based on the position information of the vehicle 12 included in the response signal received by the wide area communication device 50 and the charging area information stored in the charging area information storage unit 56. The presence or absence of is detected. Then, the CPU 52 outputs the information of the vehicle 12 that has detected entry / exit to the charging area A to the charging amount determination unit 58 as the entrance / exit information. The entry / exit information includes the response signal of the vehicle 12, the travel distance in the charging area A, the date / time of entry / exit, and the like.

The billing amount determination unit 58 determines the billing amount for the vehicle 12 based on the entered entry / exit information of the vehicle 12 and the table information stored in the billing table storage unit 60. The table information is information indicating a charging amount when the vehicle 12 enters the charging area A, a charging amount according to a travel distance in the charging area A of the vehicle 12, and the like. Then, the billing amount determination unit 58 outputs billing amount information indicating the billing amount determined together with the response signal to the wide area communication device 50 and the communication unit 62.
The wide area communication device 50 transmits the charge amount information to the vehicle-mounted device 20 specified by the identification information of the vehicle-mounted device 20 included in the response signal. When the on-vehicle device 20 receives the billing amount information, the vehicle-mounted device 20 notifies the billing amount indicated by the billing amount information.
On the other hand, the communication unit 62 is connected to another information processing apparatus (provided by the financial institution so that the charge amount indicated by the charge amount information is withdrawn from the account of the account number of the financial institution indicated by the card information included in the response signal. Information indicating the account number and the billing amount is transmitted to the information processing apparatus.

Here, when the billing area A is changed according to the road maintenance situation, the congestion situation of the vehicle 12, etc., new billing area information is generated. In such a case, new billing area information is input to the center machine 14 according to the first embodiment via the information input unit 64, and update processing for updating the billing area information is performed.
The information input unit 64 only needs to be able to accept input of information to the center device 14. For example, a USB connector for reading information stored in a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory, a CD- Portable storage media such as a CD-ROM drive for reading information stored in ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory) and a DVD drive for reading information stored in DVD-ROM (Digital Versatile Disk Read Only Memory) It may be a reading device that reads information stored in the communication device, or a communication device that reads information via a communication line such as a LAN (Local Area Network).

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing of the update program executed by the CPU 52 when update processing is performed. The update program is stored in advance in a predetermined area such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) not shown. Yes.

  First, in step 100, it is determined whether or not the information input via the information input unit 64 is billing area information. If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 102. If the determination is negative, step 104 is determined. Migrate to

In step 102, the billing area information stored in the billing area information storage unit 56 is updated to the new billing area information input via the information input unit 64, and the program ends.
Note that, for example, update timing information indicating the date and time when the charging area information is updated may be input to the center machine 14 together with the new charging area information that has been input. When the update timing information is input, the CPU 52 replaces the input new charging area information with the charging area information before update (charging area information currently used) until the date and time indicated by the update timing information is reached. Is temporarily stored in an area of the billing area information storage unit 56 different from.
Then, when the date indicated by the update timing information comes, the CPU 52 updates the billing area information stored in the billing area information storage unit 56 to new billing area information.

  In step 104, the input information is subjected to predetermined processing (for example, stored in another storage medium (not shown) or deleted without storing the input information), and the program ends. .

As described above, the center machine 14 according to the first embodiment receives position information indicating the position of the vehicle 12 from the vehicle 12 by the wide area communication device 50, and the charging area information storage unit 56 stores the information Charging area information indicating the charging area A for which charging is performed for the vehicle 12 is stored. Then, the charging amount determination unit 58 charges the vehicle 12 based on the location information received by the wide area communication device 50 and the charging area information stored in the charging area information storage unit 56. Further, when new billing area information is input to the center device 14, the CPU 52 updates the billing area information stored in the billing area information storage unit 56 with the new billing area information that has been input.
For this reason, the center machine 14 according to the first embodiment charges the vehicle 12 entering the charging area A without downloading the charging area information to the vehicle-mounted devices mounted on the numerous vehicles 12. be able to.

Further, the center machine 14 according to the first embodiment includes the position of the vehicle 12 estimated by the antenna correction unit 54 based on the identification information of the antenna 18 received by the wide area communication device 50, and the wide area communication device 50. Based on the position of the vehicle 12 estimated from the identification information of the antenna 18 received by the wide area communication device 50 when the position of the vehicle 12 estimated based on the received position information of the vehicle 12 does not match. The position information received by the wide area communication device 50 is corrected.
Thus, since the center machine 14 which concerns on this 1st Embodiment correct | amends the position of the vehicle 12 based on the identification information of the antenna 18 installed previously, it can correct | amend the position of the vehicle 12 accurately. it can.

[Second Embodiment]
Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.
In addition, since the structure of the onboard equipment 20 which concerns on this 2nd Embodiment is the same as that of the onboard equipment 20 which concerns on 1st Embodiment shown by FIG. 1, description is abbreviate | omitted.
FIG. 5 shows the configuration of the center machine 14 according to the second embodiment. 5 that are the same as those in FIG. 3 are assigned the same reference numerals as in FIG. 3 and descriptions thereof are omitted.

  The center machine 14 according to the second embodiment includes a map information storage unit 70 that stores road information indicating a road position in the billing area A, and a map matching processing unit that corrects the position information of the vehicle 12 based on the road information. 72. The road information includes not only the charging area A but also the positions of roads around the charging area A.

  The map matching processing unit 72 receives a response signal received by the wide area communication device 50 via the CPU 52. The map matching processing unit 72 corrects the position information of the vehicle 12 based on the road information stored in the map information storage unit 70 and the position information of the vehicle 12 included in the input response signal. Specifically, for example, when the position of the vehicle 12 estimated from the position information of the vehicle 12 does not coincide with the position of the road indicated by the road information, the position of the vehicle 12 becomes the closest position on the road. The position information of the vehicle 12 is corrected. Then, the corrected position information of the vehicle 12 is output to the antenna correction unit 54.

Further, when a road is constructed such as laying a new road in or around the billing area A, new road information reflecting this is generated.
Therefore, when new road information is input to the center machine 14 according to the second embodiment via the information input unit 64, the map information is obtained by performing the same process as the update process shown in FIG. The road information stored in the storage unit 70 is updated to new road information.

As described above, in the center device 14 according to the second embodiment, road information indicating the position of the road in the billing area A is stored in the map information storage unit 70, and the map matching processing unit 72 performs the wide area communication device. The position information of the vehicle 12 received at 50 is corrected based on the road information. Then, when new road information is input to the center machine 14, the CPU 52 updates the road information stored in the map information storage unit 70 to the new road information.
As described above, the center machine 14 according to the second embodiment corrects the position of the vehicle 12 based on the road information and appropriately updates the stored road information, so that the position of the vehicle 12 is accurately corrected. can do.

[Third Embodiment]
Hereinafter, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described.
In addition, since the structure of the onboard equipment 20 which concerns on this 3rd Embodiment is the same as that of the onboard equipment 20 which concerns on 1st Embodiment shown by FIG. 1, description is abbreviate | omitted.
FIG. 6 shows the configuration of the center machine 14 according to the third embodiment. In FIG. 6, the same components as those in FIG. 5 are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in FIG.

In the billing area A according to the third embodiment, a GPS base station is installed, and the GPS base station is a signal indicating the latitude and longitude based on the GPS signal received from the GPS satellite (hereinafter referred to as “reception information”). Is transmitted to the center machine 14.
And the center machine 14 which concerns on this 3rd Embodiment has the GPS correction | amendment part 82 which correct | amends the positional information on the vehicle 12 based on the GPS base station information storage part 80 which memorize | stored GPS base station information, and GPS base station information. Prepare. The GPS base station information is information indicating the installation position of the GPS base station, and is used for associating the reception information transmitted from the GPS base station with the installation position of the GPS base station and obtaining the difference therebetween.
On the other hand, the vehicle-mounted device 20 provided in the vehicle 12 transmits position information indicating the current position of the vehicle 12 to the center device 14 via the wide area communication device 28.

  The GPS correction unit 82 receives the position information of the vehicle 12 and the reception information of the GPS base station received by the wide area communication device 50 via the CPU 52. And the GPS correction | amendment part 82 is based on the received information transmitted from the GPS base station, and the GPS base station information memorize | stored in the GPS base station information memory | storage part 80, The positional information on the vehicle 12 received by the wide area communication apparatus 50 Correct. Specifically, the GPS correction unit 82 is indicated by the latitude and longitude of the installation position indicated by the GPS base station information stored in the GPS base station information storage unit 80 and the reception information transmitted from the GPS base station. Compare the latitude and longitude and find the difference. And the GPS correction | amendment part 82 correct | amends the positional information on the vehicle 12 based on the calculated | required difference.

Further, when a new GPS base station is installed, and when the installed GPS base station is removed and moved, new GPS base station information reflecting these is generated.
Therefore, when new GPS base station information is input to the center machine 14 according to the third embodiment via the information input unit 64, the same process as the update process shown in FIG. 4 is performed. The GPS base station information stored in the GPS base station information storage unit 80 is updated to new GPS base station information.

As described above, the center unit 14 according to the third embodiment stores GPS base station information for correcting the GPS signal in the GPS base station information storage unit 80, and the GPS base unit 14 The difference is obtained based on the signal transmitted from the station and the GPS base station information stored in the GPS base station information storage unit 80, and the position information of the vehicle 12 received by the wide area communication device 50 is corrected. Then, when new road information is input to the center device 14, the CPU 52 updates the GPS base station information stored in the GPS base station information storage unit 80 to the new GPS base station information.
As described above, the center machine 14 according to the third embodiment corrects the position of the vehicle 12 based on the signal from the GPS base station and appropriately updates the stored GPS base station information. Can be accurately corrected.

[Fourth Embodiment]
The fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described below.
In addition, since the structure of the onboard equipment 20 which concerns on this 4th Embodiment is the same as that of the onboard equipment 20 which concerns on 1st Embodiment shown by FIG. 1, description is abbreviate | omitted.
FIG. 7 shows the configuration of the center machine 14 according to the fourth embodiment. 7 that are the same as in FIG. 3 are assigned the same reference numerals as in FIG. 3, and descriptions thereof are omitted.

The center machine 14 according to the fourth embodiment is based on the location information of the vehicle 12 included in the response signal received by the wide area communication device 50 and the charging area information stored in the charging area information storage unit 56. A distance calculation unit 90 that calculates a distance to the charging area A indicated by the charging area information of the vehicle 12 (hereinafter referred to as “charging area arrival distance”) is provided.
The distance calculation unit 90 calculates the billing area arrival distance at predetermined time intervals (for example, 30 seconds) based on the latitude and longitude indicated by the position information and the latitude and longitude of the billing area A. The charging area reachable distance is more specifically, for example, the shortest straight distance between the vehicle 12 and the charging area A, or the distance along the shortest route (direction) between the vehicle 12 and the charging area A. is there.
The distance calculation unit 90 calculates the charging area arrival distance when the vehicle 12 is already located in the charging area A or when the vehicle 12 travels away from the charging area A. Absent.

The CPU 52 receives the charging area arrival distance calculated by the distance calculation unit 90 and, when the charging area arrival distance satisfies a predetermined condition, the charging area arrival distance together with the distance information indicating the charging area arrival distance. The identification information for specifying the vehicle-mounted device 20 mounted on the vehicle 12 corresponding to is output to the wide area communication device 50.
The predetermined condition is a predetermined distance, for example, 500 m, 400 m, 300 m, 200 m, 100 m, or the like. That is, distance information is output from the CPU 52 to the wide area communication device 50 every time the billing area arrival distance is equal to or less than the above distance.

  When the distance information from the CPU 52 is input, the wide area communication device 50 transmits the distance information to the vehicle-mounted device 20 specified by the identification information input together with the distance information. The vehicle-mounted device 20 that has received the distance information notifies the billing area arrival distance indicated by the distance information, for example, by voice or image.

  As described above, the center machine 14 according to the third embodiment calculates the charging area arrival distance based on the position information of the vehicle 12 and the charging area information, and the distance based on the calculated charging area arrival distance. Information is transmitted to the vehicle-mounted device 20. Therefore, the passenger of the vehicle 12 can know the distance between the vehicle 12 and the billing area A by notifying based on the distance information received by the vehicle-mounted device 20.

The CPU 52 may have the function of the distance calculation unit 90.
Further, the center machine 14 according to the fourth embodiment may be combined with the center machine 14 according to the second embodiment or the third embodiment.

  Further, the CPU 52 calculates a time (hereinafter referred to as “charging area arrival time”) until the vehicle 12 reaches the charging area A from the charging area arrival distance and the speed of the vehicle 12, along with the distance information or the distance. Information indicating the charging area arrival time may be input to the wide area communication device 50 instead of the information. When the vehicle-mounted device 20 receives information indicating the charging area arrival time via the wide area communication device 50, the on-vehicle device 20 notifies the charging area arrival time, for example, by voice or image.

  As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated using said each embodiment, the technical scope of this invention is not limited to the range as described in the said embodiment. Various changes or improvements can be added to the above-described embodiments without departing from the gist of the invention, and embodiments to which the changes or improvements are added are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

  For example, in each of the above-described embodiments, the form in which the vehicle-mounted device 20 receives the GPS signal from the GPS satellite and generates the position information of the vehicle 12 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, The device 20 receives a signal transmitted from the wireless LAN access point installed in and around the charging area A and generates position information of the vehicle 12 using the signal, or a GPS signal and a wireless LAN access point The position information of the vehicle 12 may be generated using the signal transmitted from the vehicle together.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the form in which one center machine 14 is installed for the billing area A has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this and the billing area A is not limited to this. A plurality of center machines 14 may be installed.
In the case of this form, for example, the billing area A is divided into a plurality of areas, and a center machine 14 corresponding to each divided area is installed. The center machine 14 is connected to the vehicles 12 in the divided areas. To charge.

In each of the above embodiments, the description has been given of the form in which the identification information of the antenna 18 is information indicating the latitude and longitude indicating the installation position of the antenna 18, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the antenna The 18 identification information may be a specific number for specifying the antenna 18.
In the case of this form, the center machine 14 stores map information in which the specific number of the antenna 18 and the installation position of the antenna 18 are associated, and the antenna correction unit 54 uses the map information to install the antenna 18. The current latitude and longitude are derived, and the position information of the vehicle 12 is corrected.
Further, when a new antenna 18 is installed, and when the installed antenna 18 is removed and moved, new map information reflecting these is generated.
Therefore, when new map information is input to the center machine 14 according to the present embodiment via the information input unit 64, the map information stored by performing the same process as the update process shown in FIG. Is updated to new map information.

10 Toll collection system 12 Vehicle 14 Center machine 20 On-board equipment 50 Wide area communication equipment 52 CPU
54 antenna correction unit 56 charging area information storage unit 58 charging amount determination unit 70 map information storage unit 72 map matching processing unit 80 GPS base station information storage unit 82 GPS correction unit 90 distance calculation unit

JP-A-11-213192

The information processing apparatus of the present invention, prior to a second storage means for storing road information indicating the position of a road in disappeared rear, the position information received by said receiving means, stored in said second storage means Second correction means for correcting based on the road information, and the update means is stored in the second storage means when new road information is input to the apparatus. The road information may be further updated to the new road information.

According to the present invention, the second storage means, the road information is stored that indicates the position of a road in d rear, by the correction means, the position information of the vehicle received by the receiving means are corrected based on the road information . When new road information is input to this apparatus, the road information stored in the second storage means is updated to the new road information by the updating means.
Thus, according to the present invention, the position of the vehicle is corrected based on the road information, and the stored road information is updated as appropriate, so that the position of the vehicle can be corrected with high accuracy.

In the information processing apparatus of the present invention, the position information of the vehicle is generated based on a GPS signal received from a GPS (Global Positioning System) satellite, and indicates a position of a GPS base station that receives the GPS signal. A third storage means for storing base station information, a difference is obtained based on the signal transmitted from the GPS base station and the GPS base station information stored in the third storage means, and the receiving means is obtained based on the difference. And a third correction unit that corrects the position information received by the update unit, wherein the update unit is stored in the third storage unit when new GPS base station information is input to the apparatus. The existing GPS base station information may be further updated to the new GPS base station information .

According to the present invention, the position information of the vehicle is generated based on the GPS signal received from the GPS satellite, and the third storage means includes GPS base station information indicating the installation position of the GPS base station that receives the GPS signal. The position of the vehicle that is stored and obtained by the third correction means based on the signal transmitted from the GPS base station and the GPS base station information stored in the third storage means, and received by the receiving means based on the difference. Information is corrected.
When new GPS base station information is input to this apparatus, the update means updates the GPS base station information stored in the third storage means to the new GPS base station information.
Thus, according to the present invention, the position of the vehicle is corrected based on the signal from the GPS base station, and the stored GPS base station information is appropriately updated. Therefore, the position of the vehicle can be accurately corrected. .

On the other hand, a toll collection system according to the present invention generates and transmits position information indicating the position of a vehicle, and includes an in-vehicle device mounted on the vehicle and the information processing apparatus described above .

According to the present invention, memorize the means storing toll area information, based on the position information transmitted from the billing area information and vehicle performs charge for the vehicle, it is stored in the memorize means The billing area information is appropriately changed to new billing area information. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to charge a vehicle that has entered the charging area without downloading the charging area information to the vehicle-mounted device mounted on a large number of vehicles.

As described above, the center unit 14 according to the third embodiment stores GPS base station information for correcting the GPS signal in the GPS base station information storage unit 80, and the GPS base unit 14 The difference is obtained based on the signal transmitted from the station and the GPS base station information stored in the GPS base station information storage unit 80, and the position information of the vehicle 12 received by the wide area communication device 50 is corrected. Then, when new GPS base station information is input to the center device 14, the CPU 52 updates the GPS base station information stored in the GPS base station information storage unit 80 to the new GPS base station information.
As described above, the center machine 14 according to the third embodiment corrects the position of the vehicle 12 based on the signal from the GPS base station and appropriately updates the stored GPS base station information. Can be accurately corrected.

Claims (7)

Receiving means for receiving position information indicating the position of the vehicle from the vehicle;
First storage means for storing charging area information indicating an area to be charged for the vehicle;
Charging means for charging the vehicle based on the location information received by the receiving means and the charging area information stored in the first storage means;
Updating means for updating the charging area information stored in the first storage means to the new charging area information when new charging area information is input to the apparatus;
An information processing apparatus comprising: The receiving means further receives from the vehicle identification information of the antenna received by the vehicle from an antenna installed in advance to identify the position of the vehicle;
When the position of the vehicle estimated based on the identification information of the antenna received by the receiving means does not match the position of the vehicle estimated based on the position information received by the receiving means The first correction means for correcting the position information received by the receiving means based on the position of the vehicle estimated from the identification information of the antenna received by the receiving means. Information processing device. Second storage means for storing road information indicating a position of the road in the billing area;
Second correction means for correcting the position information received by the receiving means based on the road information stored in the second storage means;
With
The update means further updates the road information stored in the second storage means to the new road information when the new road information is input to the apparatus. Item 3. The information processing device according to Item 2. The vehicle position information is generated based on a GPS signal received from a GPS (Global Positioning System) satellite,
Third storage means for storing GPS base station information indicating an installation position of the GPS base station that receives the GPS signal;
A difference is obtained based on the signal transmitted from the GPS base station and the GPS base station information stored in the third storage means, and the position information received by the receiving means is corrected by the difference. Correction means;
With
The update means further updates the GPS base station information stored in the third storage means to the new road information when the new road information is input to the apparatus. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3. Distance calculating means for calculating a distance to the area indicated by the charging area information of the vehicle based on the position information received by the receiving means and charging area information stored in the first storage means When,
Transmitting means for transmitting information based on the distance calculated by the distance calculating means to the vehicle-mounted device mounted on the vehicle and informing the distance;
The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising: An on-vehicle device that generates and transmits position information indicating the position of the vehicle and is mounted on the vehicle;
The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
Toll collection system with A toll collection method for an information processing apparatus comprising storage means and receiving means for receiving predetermined information from a vehicle,
A first step of receiving position information indicating the position of the vehicle from the vehicle via the receiving means;
Charging area information indicating an area to be charged for the vehicle is stored in the storage unit, and when new charging area information is input to the information processing apparatus, the storage unit stores the charging area information. A second step of updating the billing area information being updated to the new billing area information;
A third step of charging the vehicle based on the location information received by the receiving unit and the charging area information stored in the storage unit;
Including toll collection method.

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