JP2021163052A - Toll collection system and toll collection method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a toll collection system capable of notifying a user of a toll to be actually charged.SOLUTION: A toll collection system 1 includes an entry roadside communication device 10 that performs radio communication with an on-vehicle device of a vehicle that has arrived at an entry toll gate of a toll road to acquire identification information of the on-vehicle device, a vehicle model determination device 12 that determines a model of the vehicle that has arrived at the entry toll gate, an entry vehicle lane server 11, an exit roadside communication device 20 that performs radio communication with the on-vehicle device of the vehicle that has arrived at an exit toll gate of the toll road to acquire identification information of the on-vehicle device, an exit vehicle lane server 21 that calculates a toll of the vehicle that has arrived at the exit toll gate, a notification device 22 that notifies a user riding on the vehicle of the toll when the vehicle exits the exit toll gate, and a registration information server 30 that is communicably connected to each of the entry vehicle lane server 11 and the exit vehicle lane server 21.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present disclosure relates to a toll collection system and a toll collection method.

On toll roads, electronic toll collection systems (ETC: Electronic Toll Collection System (registered trademark), also called "automatic toll collection system") and magnetic toll collection systems are used to collect tolls according to the mileage of vehicles. A toll collection system using tickets has been introduced (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

In addition, on toll roads, different tolls may be charged depending on the type of vehicle. For example, in an electronic toll collection system, a vehicle type registered in advance in an on-board unit mounted on a vehicle is acquired through wireless communication, a toll is calculated according to the vehicle type, and a roadside indicator at an exit tollhouse is used. Is displayed to notify the passengers of the vehicle (hereinafter, also referred to as "users").

Depending on the presence or absence of a towed vehicle, a toll may be charged for a vehicle model (ranked up / down) that is different from the vehicle model registered in the on-board unit. For this reason, the entrance tollhouse of the toll road is provided with a vehicle type discrimination device that discriminates the vehicle type based on the external characteristics of the vehicle (vehicle length, vehicle height, vehicle width, number of axles, etc.). If the vehicle type determined by the vehicle type determination device is different from the vehicle type registered in the on-board unit, the central server or the like performs a process of correcting the toll.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2019-20437

However, in the conventional electronic toll collection system, there is no method at the exit tollhouse to know the vehicle type of the vehicle determined by the vehicle type determination device at the entrance tollhouse. For this reason, the toll toll notified to the user through the roadside display at the exit tollhouse may differ from the toll toll corrected by the central server and actually charged.

The present disclosure is made in view of such a problem, and provides a toll collection system capable of notifying a user of a toll to be actually charged, and a toll collection method.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the toll collection system wirelessly communicates with the in-vehicle device of the vehicle arriving at the entrance tollhouse of the toll road, and acquires the identification information of the in-vehicle device. A vehicle type discriminating device that discriminates the vehicle type of the vehicle that has arrived at the tollhouse, an entrance lane server that is communicably connected to the entrance roadside communication device and the vehicle type discriminating device, and a vehicle that has arrived at the exit tollhouse of the tollhouse. The exit roadside communication device that wirelessly communicates with the in-vehicle device and acquires the identification information of the in-vehicle device, the exit lane server that calculates the toll of the vehicle that has arrived at the exit tollhouse, and the vehicle is the exit charge. A notification device for notifying a user boarding the vehicle of the toll when leaving the place, and a registration information server communicatively connected to each of the entrance lane server and the exit lane server are provided. The entrance lane server transmits registration information associated with the vehicle type of the vehicle determined by the vehicle type determination device and the identification information acquired by the entrance roadside communication device to the registration information server to request registration. Has a part. The exit lane server includes an acquisition unit that acquires registration information associated with the identification information acquired by the exit roadside communication device among the registration information registered in the registration information server, and the acquired registration information. It has a processing unit that calculates the toll based on the above and notifies the notification device.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the toll collection method includes a step of wirelessly communicating with an in-vehicle device of a vehicle arriving at the entrance tollhouse of a toll road and acquiring identification information of the in-vehicle device, and the entrance tollhouse. A step of determining the vehicle type of the vehicle that has arrived, and a step of transmitting registration information associated with the determined vehicle type of the vehicle and the identification information acquired at the entrance tollhouse to the registration information server to request registration. , The step of wirelessly communicating with the in-vehicle device of the vehicle arriving at the exit tollhouse of the toll road to acquire the identification information of the in-vehicle device, and the exit toll of the registration information registered in the registration information server. A step of acquiring registration information associated with the identification information acquired at the place, a step of calculating a toll of the vehicle arriving at the exit tollhouse based on the acquired registration information, and a step of calculating the toll of the vehicle that the vehicle has reached the exit. It has a step of notifying the user boarding the vehicle of the toll when leaving the tollhouse.

According to the toll collection system and the toll collection method according to the present disclosure, it is possible to notify the user of the toll to be actually charged.

It is a figure which shows the outline of the charge collection system which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this disclosure. It is a figure which shows the functional structure of the charge collection system which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this disclosure. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the processing of the charge collection system which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this disclosure. It is a figure which shows the functional structure of the charge collection system which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this disclosure. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the processing of the charge collection system which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this disclosure. It is a figure which shows the functional structure of the charge collection system which concerns on 4th Embodiment of this disclosure. It is a figure which shows the hardware configuration of the entrance lane server, the vehicle type discriminating device, the exit lane server, and the registration information server which concerns on at least one Embodiment of this disclosure.

<First Embodiment>
Hereinafter, the toll collection system according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.

(Overall configuration of toll collection system)
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of a toll collection system according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.
The toll collection system 1 according to the present embodiment is a system for collecting tolls according to the vehicle type and mileage of the vehicle A. For example, the toll collection system 1 may be a part of a system for constructing an electronic toll collection system (ETC: Electronic Toll Collection System (registered trademark), also referred to as “automatic toll collection system”). When the vehicle A uses the toll road, it enters the toll road from the general road through the entrance tollhouse and exits from the toll road to the general road via the exit tollhouse.

As shown in FIG. 1, the toll collection system 1 includes an entrance roadside communication device 10 installed at an entrance tollhouse, an entrance lane server 11, a vehicle type determination device 12, and an exit roadside communication device 20 installed at an exit tollhouse. , The exit lane server 21, the roadside indicator 22 (notification device), and the registration information server 30.

Although not shown, the entrance roadside communication device 10, the entrance lane server 11, and the vehicle type determination device 12 are installed at each of the plurality of entrance tollhouses. Similarly, the exit roadside communication device 20, the exit lane server 21, and the roadside indicator 22 are installed at each of the plurality of exit tollhouses. When the entrance tollhouse has a plurality of lanes, one entrance roadside communication device 10, one entrance lane server 11, and one vehicle type determination device 12 are installed in each lane. When the exit tollhouse has a plurality of lanes, one exit roadside communication device 20, one exit lane server 21, and one roadside indicator 22 are installed in each lane.

The entrance roadside communication device 10 performs wireless communication with the vehicle-mounted device α mounted on the vehicle A that has arrived at the entrance tollhouse. At this time, the entrance roadside communication device 10 acquires the vehicle-mounted device information registered in advance in the vehicle-mounted device α and transmits the information to the entrance lane server 11. The vehicle-mounted device information includes identification information (vehicle-mounted device ID) that can identify the vehicle-mounted device α, a vehicle model of the vehicle A on which the vehicle-mounted device α is mounted, a license plate number, and the like. Further, the entrance roadside communication device 10 transmits the identification information (tollhouse ID) of the entrance tollhouse where the vehicle A has arrived and the entrance information including the arrival time to the vehicle-mounted device α.

The vehicle type determination device 12 determines the vehicle type of the vehicle A that has arrived at the entrance tollhouse. The vehicle type discriminating device 12 is, for example, a group of devices composed of sensors (not shown) such as a vehicle detector, a vehicle height detector, a vehicle width detector, and a tread plate. The vehicle type discriminating device 12 determines the vehicle type of the vehicle A based on the external characteristics of the vehicle A detected through the sensor (vehicle length, vehicle height, vehicle width, number of axles, etc., hereinafter also referred to as "vehicle characteristic information"). Determine. Further, the vehicle type determination device 12 transmits the determined vehicle type of the vehicle A to the entrance lane server 11.

The entrance lane server 11 transmits the registration information associated with the vehicle type of the vehicle A that has arrived at the entrance tollhouse and the vehicle-mounted device information acquired from the vehicle-mounted device α to the registration information server 30.

The exit roadside communication device 20 performs wireless communication with the on-board unit α mounted on the vehicle A that has arrived at the exit tollhouse. At this time, the exit roadside communication device 20 acquires the vehicle-mounted device information from the vehicle-mounted device α and transmits it to the exit lane server 21. Further, the exit roadside communication device 20 transmits the identification information (tollhouse ID) of the exit tollhouse where the vehicle A has arrived, the arrival time, and the exit information including the toll to the vehicle-mounted device α.

The exit lane server 21 calculates the toll of the vehicle A that has arrived at the exit tollhouse.

When the vehicle A leaves the exit tollhouse, the roadside indicator 22 displays the toll calculated by the exit lane server 21 and notifies the user boarding the vehicle A. The roadside indicator 22 is one aspect of the notification device in the present embodiment.

The exit lane server 21 may transmit the calculated toll to the vehicle-mounted device α through the exit roadside communication device 20. In this case, the on-board unit α functions as a notification device for notifying the user of the toll through a display or speaker (not shown).

The registration information server 30 is communicably connected to the entrance lane server 11 of the entrance tollgate and the exit lane server 21 of the exit tollgate via a communication network such as the Internet. The registration information server 30 stores registration information including the on-board unit ID and vehicle type of the vehicle A that has arrived at the entrance tollhouse. Further, when the registration information server 30 according to the present embodiment stores the registration information acquired from the vehicle type determination device 12 of the entrance tollhouse, the registration information server 30 transmits this registration information to the exit lane server 21 of each of the plurality of exit tollhouses ( To deliver.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a functional configuration of a toll collection system according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.
Next, with reference to FIG. 2, the functional configurations of the entrance lane server 11, the exit lane server 21, and the registration information server 30 of the toll collection system 1 will be described.

(Functional configuration of entrance lane server)
As shown in FIG. 2, the entrance lane server 11 includes a CPU 11A and a storage medium 11B.

The CPU 11A is a processor that controls the entire operation of the entrance lane server 11, and exerts a function as a transmission unit 112 by operating according to a predetermined program.

The transmission unit 112 transmits to the registration information server 30 the registration information associated with the vehicle-mounted device ID acquired from the vehicle-mounted device α of the vehicle A through the entrance roadside communication device 10 and the vehicle model of the vehicle A determined by the vehicle type determining device 12. Request registration.

The storage medium 11B is a so-called auxiliary storage device, such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) and an SSD (Solid State Drive). Various information acquired and generated by the entrance lane server 11 is stored in the storage medium 11B. For example, the storage medium 11B stores in-vehicle device information acquired through the entrance roadside communication device 10, vehicle characteristic information used by the vehicle type determination device 12 for processing to determine the vehicle type, vehicle type determination result (vehicle type), entrance information, and the like. NS.

(Functional configuration of exit lane server)
As shown in FIG. 2, the exit lane server 21 includes a CPU 21A and a storage medium 21B.

The CPU 21A is a processor that controls the entire operation of the exit lane server 21, and by operating according to a predetermined program, it exhibits functions as an acquisition unit 211, a deletion unit 212, and a processing unit 213.

The acquisition unit 211 acquires the registration information associated with the vehicle-mounted device ID acquired by the exit roadside communication device among the registration information registered in the registration information server 30. In the present embodiment, the acquisition unit 211 stores and stores the registration information transmitted from the registration information server 30 in the storage medium 21B. Then, when the vehicle A arrives at the exit tollhouse, the acquisition unit 211 acquires the vehicle-mounted device ID of the vehicle-mounted device α of the vehicle A through the exit roadside communication device 20, and stores the registration information associated with the vehicle-mounted device ID. It is selected and acquired from the registration information stored in the medium 21B.

The deletion unit 212 deletes the registration information acquired by the acquisition unit 211 of the exit lane server 21 (own machine or another machine) of any one of the plurality of exit lane servers 21 from the storage medium 21B. Further, the deletion unit 212 deletes the registration information whose expiration date has expired from the storage medium 21B.

The processing unit 213 calculates the toll based on the registration information acquired by the acquisition unit 211, and notifies the roadside display 22. The processing unit 213 may notify the on-board unit α of the calculated toll through the exit roadside communication device 20. In addition, the processing unit 213 further executes a toll collection process for collecting the calculated toll using a payment means preset in the vehicle-mounted device α. Since the content of the toll collection process is the same as that of the prior art, the description thereof will be omitted.

The storage medium 21B is a so-called auxiliary storage device, such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive). Various information acquired and generated by the exit lane server 21 is stored in the storage medium 21B. For example, the storage medium 21B stores registration information transmitted from the registration information server 30, vehicle-mounted device information acquired through the exit roadside communication device 20, tolls, exit information, and the like.

(Functional configuration of registration information server)
As shown in FIG. 2, the registration information server 30 includes a CPU 30A and a storage medium 30B.

The CPU 30A is a processor that controls the entire operation of the registration information server 30, and exerts a function as the registration unit 301 by operating according to a predetermined program.

The registration unit 301 registers the registration information received from the entrance lane server 11 in the storage medium 30B, and transmits (distributes) this registration information to each of the plurality of exit lane servers 21.

The storage medium 30B is a so-called auxiliary storage device, such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive). The storage medium 30B stores and stores the registration information received from the entrance lane server 11.

(Processing flow of toll collection system)
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of processing of the toll collection system according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.
Hereinafter, the processing flow of the toll collection system 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

First, when the vehicle A arrives at the entrance tollhouse, the entrance roadside communication device 10 acquires the vehicle-mounted device information from the vehicle-mounted device α of the vehicle A via wireless communication (step S101).

Further, the vehicle type discriminating device 12 is based on the vehicle characteristic information (vehicle length, vehicle height, vehicle width, number of axles, etc.) of the vehicle A detected through a sensor (not shown) included in the vehicle type discriminating device 12, and the vehicle type of the vehicle A. Is determined (step S102). Since the specific processing for determining the vehicle type is the same as that of the conventional technique, the description thereof will be omitted.

Next, the transmission unit 112 of the entrance lane server 11 transmits the registration information associated with the vehicle-mounted device ID of the vehicle-mounted device α of the vehicle A and the vehicle model of the vehicle A to the registration information server 30 to request registration (step). S103).

For example, it is assumed that the vehicle type registered in advance in the vehicle-mounted device α of the vehicle A is "vehicle type 1". However, as shown in FIG. 1, when the vehicle A is towing the towed vehicle, the vehicle type discriminating device 12 charges the vehicle type of the vehicle A to a higher toll than the "vehicle type 1". ". In this case, the transmission unit 112 transmits the registration information associated with the vehicle-mounted device ID of the vehicle A and the "vehicle type 2" to the registration information server 30.

The registration information includes on-board unit information other than the on-board unit ID (vehicle type of vehicle A registered in the on-board unit α, license plate information, etc.) and vehicle characteristic information used for determining the vehicle type (vehicle length of vehicle A). , Vehicle height, vehicle width, number of axles, etc.), entrance information (charge station ID of entrance toll station, transit time, etc.) may be further included.

When the registration unit 301 of the registration information server 30 receives the registration information from the entrance lane server 11, the registration unit 301 stores and registers the registration information in the storage medium 30B (step S111).

Next, when the registration unit 301 receives the registration information from the entrance lane server 11, the registration unit 301 transmits the registration information to each of the plurality of exit lane servers 21 (step S112). In another embodiment, the registration unit 301 may transmit a plurality of registration information registered in the storage medium 30B to the exit lane server 21 at predetermined timing intervals (for example, every 10 minutes). good.

When the acquisition unit 211 of the exit lane server 21 receives the registration information from the registration information server 30, the acquisition unit 211 stores and stores the registration information in the storage medium 21B (step S121).

When the vehicle A arrives at the exit tollhouse, the exit roadside communication device 20 acquires the vehicle-mounted device information from the vehicle-mounted device α of the vehicle A via wireless communication (step S122).

Further, the acquisition unit 211 of the exit lane server 21 selects the registration information associated with the vehicle-mounted device ID included in the vehicle-mounted device information acquired by the exit roadside communication device 20 from the registration information stored in the storage medium 21B. And acquire it (step S123).

Next, the processing unit 213 of the exit lane server 21 calculates the toll of the vehicle A based on the registration information acquired by the acquisition unit 211 (step S124). For example, the processing unit 213 refers to the toll table stored in advance in the storage medium 21B, and calculates the toll according to the vehicle type included in the registration information and the mileage of the vehicle A.

Next, the processing unit 213 notifies the user boarding the vehicle A of the calculated toll (step S125). Specifically, the processing unit 213 notifies the roadside display 22 of the calculated toll and displays it. Further, the processing unit 213 may notify the vehicle-mounted device α of the toll through the exit roadside communication device 20. Then, the on-board unit α notifies the user of the toll through a display and / or a speaker (not shown).

For example, as in the example of FIG. 1, the vehicle type registered in advance in the on-board unit α of the vehicle A is “vehicle type 1”, but since vehicle A is towing the towed vehicle, it is actually “vehicle type”. 2 ”is assumed to be charged. At this time, in the conventional toll collection system, the exit lane server notifies the user of the toll based on the vehicle type (“vehicle type 1”) registered in the on-board unit, while the central server is the vehicle type determination device at the entrance toll office. The toll was corrected and billed based on the vehicle type (“vehicle type 2”) determined by. Therefore, when the user leaves the exit tollhouse, he / she may be notified of a toll fee different from the amount actually charged.

However, in the toll collection system 1 according to the present embodiment, the exit lane server 21 calculates the toll based on the vehicle type (“vehicle type 2”) of the vehicle A determined at the entrance tollhouse with reference to the registration information. be able to. Therefore, the exit lane server 21 can notify the user of the same toll as the amount actually charged when the vehicle A leaves the exit tollhouse.

Further, when the toll collection process for the vehicle A is completed, the deletion unit 212 deletes the registration information acquired by the acquisition unit 211 from the storage medium 21B (step S126). At this time, the deletion unit 212 notifies the other exit lane server 21 of the deleted registration information (acquired by the acquisition unit 211 in step S123). Then, the deletion unit 212 of the other exit lane server 21 deletes the notified registration information from the storage medium 21B. Further, the deletion unit 212 may delete the registration information that has passed the preset expiration date (for example, 24 hours from the registration time) from the storage medium 21B. By deleting unnecessary registration information in this way, the deletion unit 212 can suppress an increase in the data capacity of the storage medium 21B.

(Action effect)
As described above, the toll collection system 1 according to the present embodiment has registration information in which the vehicle type of the vehicle A determined by the vehicle type determination device 12 at the entrance tollgate and the vehicle-mounted device ID of the vehicle-mounted device α of the vehicle A are associated with each other. Is transmitted to the registration information server 30, and the exit lane server 21 acquires registration information from the registration information server 30. The exit lane server 21 acquires the registration information associated with the vehicle-mounted device ID of the vehicle-mounted device α of the vehicle A acquired by the exit roadside communication device 20, and the toll fee according to the vehicle type of the vehicle A included in the registration information. Notify the user.
By doing so, the toll collection system 1 can correctly notify the user of the toll actually charged.

Further, when the registration information is registered, the registration information server 30 transmits the registration information to each of the plurality of exit lane servers 21. The exit lane server 21 stores the received registration information in the storage medium 21B, and when the vehicle A arrives at the exit tollhouse, the exit lane server 21 selects the registration information associated with the vehicle-mounted device ID of the vehicle A from the storage medium 21B. To get.
By doing so, when the vehicle A arrives at the exit tollhouse, the exit lane server 21 can quickly transfer the registration information from the storage medium 21B without transmitting and receiving the registration information to and from the registration information server 30. Can be obtained.

Further, the exit lane server 21 deletes the registration information acquired by the exit lane server 21 of any one of the plurality of exit lane servers 21 or the registration information whose expiration date has passed from the storage medium 21B.
By doing so, the exit lane server 21 can delete unnecessary registration information and suppress an increase in the data capacity of the storage medium 21B.

<Second embodiment>
Next, the toll collection system according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIG. The same components as those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a functional configuration of the toll collection system according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure.
As shown in FIG. 4, in the exit tollhouse according to the present embodiment, a plurality of lanes 1, 2, ..., Exit roadside communication devices 20_1, 20_2, ..., Exit lane servers 21_1, 21_2, ..., And roadside, respectively, Indicators 22_1, 22_2, ... Are provided one by one. Each of the plurality of exit lane servers 21 (21_1, 21_2, ...) Is connected to each other via a local area network or the like.

Similar to the first embodiment, the registration information server 30 transmits the registration information registered from the entrance lane server 11 to each of the plurality of exit lane servers 21. At this time, a failure in one of the plurality of exit lane servers 21 (for example, the first exit lane server 21_1) (failure of the storage medium 21B, disconnection of the communication cable with the registration information server 30, etc.) Is generated, and the registration information transmitted from the registration information server 30 cannot be accumulated. Then, the exit lane server 21_1 cannot acquire the registration information from the storage medium 21B and calculate the correct toll for the vehicle A.

Therefore, the acquisition unit 211 of the exit lane server 21 according to the present embodiment detects such a failure, or registers in its own storage medium 21B in association with the vehicle-mounted device ID acquired by the exit roadside communication device 20. When the registration information cannot be acquired from the own storage medium 21B due to reasons such as the information not being stored, the other exit lane server 21 (for example, the second exit lane server 21_2) is requested to transmit the registration information. do. Upon receiving the request from the first exit lane server 21_1, the acquisition unit 211 of the second exit lane server 21_2 selects the registration information associated with the designated vehicle-mounted device ID from the storage medium 21B, and the first It is transmitted to the exit lane server 21_1 of.

As described above, in the toll collection system 1 according to the present embodiment, even if a failure occurs in one of the plurality of exit lane servers 21 by transmitting and receiving registration information between the exit lane servers 21, the other The registration information stored in the exit lane server 21 can be used to notify the user of the correct toll.

<Third embodiment>
Next, the toll collection system according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIG. The components common to the first and second embodiments are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. The registration information server 30 according to the first embodiment transmits registration information to each of the plurality of exit lane servers 21, but the registration information server 30 according to the present embodiment only receives a request from the exit lane server 21. , The registration information is transmitted to the exit lane server 21.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of processing of the toll collection system according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure.
Hereinafter, the processing flow of the toll collection system according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In this embodiment, the processing flow of the entrance roadside communication device 10, the entrance lane server 11, and the vehicle type determination device 12 is the same as in steps S101 to S103 of the first embodiment (FIG. 3). The description of the processing of is omitted.

When the registration unit 301 of the registration information server 30 according to the present embodiment receives the registration information from the entrance lane server 11, the registration information is stored in the storage medium 30B and registered (step S211).

When the vehicle A arrives at the exit tollhouse, the exit roadside communication device 20 acquires the vehicle-mounted device information from the vehicle-mounted device α of the vehicle A via wireless communication (step S221).

When the exit roadside communication device 20 acquires the on-board unit information, the acquisition unit 211 of the exit lane server 21 requests the registration information server 30 to transmit the registration information associated with the on-board unit ID included in the on-board unit information. (Step S222).

When the registration unit 301 of the registration information server 30 receives the request of the exit lane server 21, it searches the storage medium 30B for the registration information associated with the designated vehicle-mounted device ID and transmits it to the exit lane server 21 (step S212). ). Further, the registration unit 301 deletes the registration information transmitted to the exit lane server 21 from the storage medium 30B (step S213).

When the acquisition unit 211 of the exit lane server 21 acquires the registration information from the registration information server 30 (step S223), the processing unit 213 calculates the toll for the vehicle A based on the acquired registration information (step S224).

Next, the processing unit 213 notifies the user boarding the vehicle A of the calculated toll (step S225). The specific processing of steps S224 to S225 is the same as that of steps S124 to S125 of the first embodiment (FIG. 3).

As described above, the exit lane server 21 according to the present embodiment acquires the registration information related to the vehicle A that has arrived at the exit tollhouse from the registration information server 30 each time. By doing so, the exit lane server 21 does not need to store a plurality of registration information in the storage medium 21B, so that the data capacity of the storage medium 21B can be significantly reduced. In the present embodiment, the exit lane server 21 may retain the registration information stored in the storage medium 21B for a certain period of time (for example, one month). As a result, the exit lane server 21 does not need to acquire the registration information of the vehicle A from the registration information server 30 when the same vehicle A passes by from the next time onward, so that the processing time can be shortened.

Further, the registration information server 30 deletes the registration information transmitted to the exit lane server 21 from the storage medium 30B. As a result, the registration information server 30 can delete unnecessary registration information and suppress an increase in the amount of data stored in the storage medium 30B.

<Fourth Embodiment>
Next, the toll collection system according to the fourth embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIG. The components common to the first to third embodiments are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a functional configuration of the toll collection system according to the fourth embodiment of the present disclosure.
As shown in FIG. 6, the toll collection system 1 according to the present embodiment includes a plurality of layered registration information servers 30. For example, the registration information server 30 is composed of a lower registration information server 30_1 provided one by one for each toll road route and a higher registration information server 30_1 communicatively connected to each of the plurality of lower registration information servers 30_1. Will be done.

The sub-registration information server 30_1 of the route A stores the registration information registered from the entrance lane server 11 of each of the plurality of entrance tollhouses belonging to the route A. Further, the lower registration information server 30_1 of the route B stores the registration information registered from the entrance lane server 11 of each of the plurality of entrance tollhouses belonging to the route B. Further, it is assumed that the lower registration information server 30_1 transmits the registration information to the exit lane server 21 only when requested by the exit lane server 21, as in the third embodiment.

When the registration information is registered from the entrance lane server 11, the registration unit 301 of the lower registration information server 30_1 according to the present embodiment further registers the registration information in the upper registration information server 30_2. Therefore, the registration information of each of the plurality of routes is aggregated and accumulated in the upper registration information server 30_2.

For example, suppose vehicle A arrives at the exit tollhouse on line B. At this time, the exit lane server 21 provided at the exit tollhouse of the route B requests the lower registration information server 30_1 of the route B to transmit the registration information associated with the vehicle-mounted device ID of the vehicle A. Then, the registration unit 301 of the lower registration information server 30_1 searches for the registration information associated with the designated vehicle-mounted device ID from the registration information stored in the storage medium 30B. When the registration information corresponding to the storage medium 30B is stored, the registration unit 301 transmits the registration information to the exit lane server 21.

On the other hand, when the registration information corresponding to the storage medium 30B is not stored, the registration unit 301 of the lower registration information server 30_1 is associated with the upper registration information server 30_2 with the vehicle-mounted device ID designated by the exit lane server 21. Request the transmission of registration information. When the registration unit 301 of the upper registration information server 30_2 receives the request from the lower registration information server 30_1, the registration unit 301 searches the storage medium 30B for the registration information associated with the designated on-board unit ID, and causes the lower registration information server 30_1 to search. Send. The registration unit 301 of the lower registration information server 30_1 transmits the registration information received from the upper registration information server 30_2 to the exit lane server 21 which is the request source.

By doing so, for example, when a plurality of routes are connected to each other, the vehicle A that has entered the toll road from the entrance tollhouse of a certain route A via the lower registration information server 30_1 and the upper registration information server 30_2. The registration information can be obtained from the exit lane server 21 of the exit tollhouse of the route B, which is different from the route A.

Further, since the sub-registration information server 30_1 for each of the plurality of routes only needs to store the registration information of the route to which the sub-registration information server 30_1 belongs, it is possible to suppress an increase in the data capacity of the storage medium 30B of the sub-registration information server 30_1. can.

In another embodiment, the upper registration information server 30_2 transfers the registration information registered from the lower registration information server 30_1 on one side (for example, route A) to the lower registration information server 30_1 on the other side (for example, route B). You may send it. As a result, the lower registration information server 30_1 can also transmit the registration information of other routes to the exit lane server 21 without inquiring to the upper registration information server 30_2, so that the time required for sending and receiving the registration information is shortened. be able to.

(Hardware configuration)
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration of an entrance lane server, a vehicle type determination device, an exit lane server, and a registration information server according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.
Hereinafter, the hardware configurations of the entrance lane server 11, the vehicle type determination device 12, the exit lane server 21, and the registration information server 30 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 7.

The computer 900 includes a processor 901, a main storage device 902, an auxiliary storage device 903, and an interface 904.

The above-mentioned entrance lane server 11, vehicle type determination device 12, exit lane server 21, and registration information server 30 are mounted on one or more computers 900, respectively. The operation of each of the above-mentioned functional units is stored in the auxiliary storage device 903 in the form of a program. The processor 901 reads a program from the auxiliary storage device 903, deploys it to the main storage device 902, and executes the above processing according to the program. Further, the processor 901 secures a storage area corresponding to each of the above-mentioned storage units in the main storage device 902 according to the program. Examples of the processor 901 include a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphic Processing Unit), a microprocessor, and the like.

The program may be intended to realize some of the functions exerted by the computer 900. For example, the program may exert its function in combination with another program already stored in the auxiliary storage device 903, or in combination with another program mounted on the other device. In another embodiment, the computer 900 may include a custom LSI (Large Scale Integrated Circuit) such as a PLD (Programmable Logic Device) in addition to or in place of the above configuration. Examples of PLDs include PAL (Programmable Array Logic), GAL (Generic Array Logic), CPLD (Complex Programmable Logic Device), and FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). In this case, some or all of the functions realized by the processor 901 may be realized by the integrated circuit. Such integrated circuits are also included as an example of a processor.

Examples of the auxiliary storage device 903 include HDD (Hard Disk Drive), SSD (Solid State Drive), magnetic disk, optical magnetic disk, CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), and DVD-ROM (Digital Versatile Disc Read Only). Memory), semiconductor memory and the like. The auxiliary storage device 903 may be an internal medium directly connected to the bus of the computer 900, or an external storage device 910 connected to the computer 900 via the interface 904 or a communication line. When this program is distributed to the computer 900 via a communication line, the distributed computer 900 may expand the program to the main storage device 902 and execute the above processing. In at least one embodiment, the auxiliary storage device 903 is a non-temporary tangible storage medium.

Further, the program may be for realizing a part of the above-mentioned functions.
Further, the program may be a so-called difference file (difference program) that realizes the above-mentioned function in combination with another program already stored in the auxiliary storage device 903.

Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail above, they are not limited to these as long as they do not deviate from the technical idea of the present invention, and some design changes and the like are possible.

For example, in another embodiment, the processing unit 213 of the exit lane server 21 determines, for each of the plurality of vehicles A, the vehicle type registered in the vehicle-mounted device α and the vehicle type included in the registration information (vehicle type discriminating device 12). You may record statistical information as to whether or not it matches the actual vehicle type.

In this case, the processing unit 213 refers to the statistical information about a certain vehicle A, and the number of times that the vehicle type registered in the vehicle-mounted device α of the vehicle A and the vehicle type included in the registration information are different is equal to or more than a predetermined number of times. If the vehicle type included in the registration information is the same vehicle type consecutively for a predetermined number of times or more, it may be determined that the on-board unit α is mounted on a vehicle of a vehicle type different from the registered vehicle type. .. At this time, the processing unit 213 indicates that the vehicle type registered in the on-board unit α may be incorrect by the on-board unit α, the roadside display 22, or the monitoring panel operated by the tollhouse collector ( (Not shown) may be notified. As a result, the exit lane server 21 can detect an illegal replacement of the on-board unit α and notify the user or the recipient.

Further, when the processing unit 213 has a predetermined number of times or more that the vehicle type registered in the on-board unit α of a certain vehicle A and the vehicle type included in the registration information are different, but the vehicle types included in the registration information are different. , It may be determined that the vehicle type of the vehicle A has changed due to towing. In this case, the processing unit 213 may notify the collector to carefully confirm the presence or absence of towing of the vehicle A.

Further, in each of the above-described embodiments, the mode in which the entrance lane server 11 and the vehicle type determination device 12 are provided as different devices has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. In another embodiment, the entrance lane server 11 and the vehicle type determination device 12 may be provided integrally. For example, the entrance lane server 11 may have a built-in vehicle type discriminating device 12 (further having a functional unit that performs vehicle type discriminating processing), or the vehicle type discriminating device 12 may have a built-in entrance lane server 11 (entrance lane server). It may be an embodiment (having each part of 11).

<Additional notes>
The toll collection system and the toll collection method described in the above-described embodiment are grasped as follows, for example.

According to the first aspect of the present disclosure, the toll collection system (1) wirelessly communicates with the vehicle-mounted device (α) of the vehicle arriving at the entrance tollhouse of the toll road, and the identification information of the vehicle-mounted device (α). The entrance roadside communication device (10) for acquiring the above, the vehicle type determination device (12) for determining the vehicle type of the vehicle arriving at the entrance tollhouse, and the entrance roadside communication device and the vehicle type determination device are communicably connected. The exit roadside communication device (20) that wirelessly communicates with the entrance lane server (11) and the vehicle-mounted device (α) of the vehicle that has arrived at the exit tollhouse of the tollhouse, and acquires the identification information of the vehicle-mounted device (α). ), The exit lane server (21) that calculates the toll of the vehicle that has arrived at the exit tollhouse, and the user who boards the vehicle with the toll when the vehicle leaves the exit tollhouse. The notification device (22, α) is provided, and the registration information server (30) is communicably connected to each of the entrance lane server (11) and the exit lane server (21). The entrance lane server (11) is the registration information server that associates the vehicle type of the vehicle determined by the vehicle type determination device (12) with the identification information acquired by the entrance roadside communication device (10). It has a transmission unit (112) that transmits to (30) and requests registration. The exit lane server (21) acquires the registration information associated with the identification information acquired by the exit roadside communication device (20) among the registration information registered in the registration information server (30). It has a unit (211) and a processing unit (213) that calculates the toll based on the acquired registration information and notifies the notification device (22, α).

By doing so, the toll collection system can correctly notify the user of the toll actually charged.

According to the second aspect of the present disclosure, in the toll collection system (1) according to the first aspect, the registration information server (30) receives from the transmission unit (112) of the entrance lane server (11). The registration unit (301) for registering the registration information and transmitting the registration information to each of the plurality of exit lane servers (21), and the acquisition unit (211) of the exit lane server (21) The exit roadside communication device (20) is acquired from the storage medium (21B) of the exit lane server (21) that stores the registration information transmitted from the registration unit (301) of the registration information server (30). Select and acquire the registration information associated with the identification information.

By doing so, when the vehicle A arrives at the exit tollhouse, the exit lane server can quickly acquire the registration information from the storage medium without sending and receiving the registration information to and from the registration information server. Can be done.

According to the third aspect of the present disclosure, in the toll collection system (1) according to the second aspect, the exit lane server (21) is the exit of any one of the plurality of exit lane servers (21). Further, a deletion unit (212) for deleting the registration information acquired by the acquisition unit (211) of the lane server (21) or the registration information whose expiration date has expired from the storage medium (21B) is further added. Have.

By doing so, the exit lane server can delete unnecessary registration information and suppress an increase in the data capacity of the storage medium.

According to the fourth aspect of the present disclosure, in the toll collection system (1) according to the second or third aspect, the plurality of exit lane servers (21) are connected to each other so as to be communicable with each other. Of the exit lane servers (21), the acquisition unit (211) of the first exit lane server is used when the exit roadside communication device (20) acquires the identification information and the first exit lane server. When the registration information associated with the identification information cannot be obtained from the storage medium (21B) of the above, the registration information associated with the identification information is requested from the second exit lane server, and the second exit lane server The acquisition unit (211) is associated with the identification information requested from the first exit lane server among the registration information stored in the storage medium (21B) of the second exit lane server. Select the registration information and send it to the first exit lane server.

By doing so, even if one of the multiple exit lane servers fails, the toll collection system uses the registration information stored in the other exit lane servers to obtain the correct toll. The user can be notified.

According to the fifth aspect of the present disclosure, in the toll collection system (1) according to the first aspect, the acquisition unit (211) of the exit lane server (21) is the exit roadside communication device (20). When the identification information is acquired, the registration information associated with the identification information is requested from the registration information server (30), and the registration information server (30) is the transmission unit of the entrance lane server (11). A registration unit (12) that registers the registration information received from (112), selects registration information associated with the identification information requested from the exit lane server (21), and transmits the registration information to the exit lane server (21). 301) further.

By doing so, the exit lane server does not need to store a plurality of registration information in the storage medium, so that the data capacity of the storage medium can be significantly reduced.

According to the sixth aspect of the present disclosure, in the toll collection system (1) according to the fifth aspect, the registration information server (30) is a sub-registration information server (30_1) that stores registration information for each route. The lower registration information server (30_1) has the registration information requested by the exit lane server (21). If not, the registration information is requested from the higher-level registration information server (30_2).

By doing so, for example, when a plurality of routes are connected to each other, the registration information of the vehicle entering the toll road from the entrance tollhouse of a certain route is obtained via the lower registration information server and the upper registration information server. , Can be obtained at the exit lane server of the exit tollhouse on different routes.

According to the seventh aspect of the present disclosure, in the toll collection system (1) according to any one of the second to sixth aspects, the registration unit (301) of the registration information server (30) is the registration. After transmitting the information to the exit lane server, the registration information is deleted.

By doing so, the registration information server can delete unnecessary registration information and suppress an increase in the amount of data stored in the storage medium.

According to the eighth aspect of the present disclosure, the toll collection method performs wireless communication with the in-vehicle device (α) of the vehicle arriving at the entrance tollhouse of the toll road, and acquires the identification information of the in-vehicle device (α). The registration information server (30) registers the registration information in which the step, the step of determining the vehicle type of the vehicle that has arrived at the entrance tollhouse, the vehicle type of the determined vehicle, and the identification information acquired at the entrance tollhouse are associated with each other. ) To request registration, and a step of wirelessly communicating with the in-vehicle device (α) of the vehicle arriving at the exit tollhouse of the toll road to acquire the identification information of the in-vehicle device (α). Of the registration information registered in the registration information server (30), the step of acquiring the registration information associated with the identification information acquired at the exit tollhouse and the exit charge based on the acquired registration information. It has a step of calculating the toll of the vehicle that has arrived at the place and a step of notifying the user boarding the vehicle of the toll when the vehicle leaves the exit tollhouse.

1 Toll collection system 10 Entrance roadside communication device 11 Entrance lane server 12 Vehicle type discrimination device 11A CPU
112 Transmitter 11B Storage medium 20 Exit roadside communication device 21 Exit lane server 21A CPU
211 Acquisition unit 212 Deletion unit 213 Processing unit 21B Storage medium 22 Roadside display (notification device)
30 Registration information server 30_1 Lower registration information server 30_1 Upper registration information server 30A CPU
301 Registration unit 30B Storage medium 900 Computer α On-board unit (notification device)

Claims (8)

An entrance roadside communication device that wirelessly communicates with the on-board unit of the vehicle that has arrived at the entrance tollhouse of the toll road and acquires the identification information of the on-board unit.
A vehicle type discriminating device that discriminates the vehicle type of the vehicle that has arrived at the entrance tollhouse,
An entrance lane server that is communicably connected to the entrance roadside communication device and the vehicle type determination device,
An exit roadside communication device that wirelessly communicates with the on-board unit of the vehicle that has arrived at the exit tollhouse of the toll road and acquires the identification information of the on-board unit.
An exit lane server that calculates the toll of the vehicle that has arrived at the exit tollhouse,
A notification device that notifies the user boarding the vehicle of the toll when the vehicle leaves the exit tollhouse.
A registration information server that is communicably connected to the entrance lane server and the exit lane server, respectively.
With
The entrance lane server
It has a transmission unit that transmits registration information associated with the vehicle type of the vehicle determined by the vehicle type determination device and the identification information acquired by the entrance roadside communication device to the registration information server to request registration.
The exit lane server
Of the registration information registered in the registration information server, an acquisition unit that acquires registration information associated with the identification information acquired by the exit roadside communication device, and an acquisition unit.
It has a processing unit that calculates the toll based on the acquired registration information and notifies the notification device.
Toll collection system. The registration information server has a registration unit that registers the registration information received from the transmission unit of the entrance lane server and transmits the registration information to each of the plurality of exit lane servers.
The acquisition unit of the exit lane server associates with the identification information acquired by the exit roadside communication device from the storage medium of the exit lane server that stores the registration information transmitted from the registration unit of the registration information server. Select and obtain the registered information,
The toll collection system according to claim 1. The exit lane server stores the registration information acquired by the acquisition unit of any one of the plurality of exit lane servers or the registration information whose expiration date has expired as a preset storage medium. It also has a delete section to delete from,
The toll collection system according to claim 2. The plurality of exit lane servers are connected so as to be able to communicate with each other.
Among the plurality of exit lane servers, the acquisition unit of the first exit lane server identifies the identification information from the storage medium of the first exit lane server when the exit roadside communication device acquires the identification information. If the registration information associated with the information cannot be obtained, the registration information associated with the identification information is requested from the second exit lane server.
The acquisition unit of the second exit lane server associates the registration information stored in the storage medium of the second exit lane server with the identification information requested by the first exit lane server. Select the registered information and send it to the first exit lane server.
The toll collection system according to claim 2 or 3. When the exit roadside communication device acquires the identification information, the acquisition unit of the exit lane server requests the registration information associated with the identification information from the registration information server.
The registration information server registers the registration information received from the transmission unit of the entrance lane server, and selects the registration information associated with the identification information requested from the exit lane server to the exit lane server. It also has a registration unit to send
The toll collection system according to claim 1. The registration information server is composed of a lower registration information server that stores registration information for each route and a higher registration information server that aggregates and stores registration information of a plurality of routes.
If the lower registration information server does not have the registration information requested by the exit lane server, the lower registration information server requests the registration information from the upper registration information server.
The toll collection system according to claim 5. The registration unit of the registration information server deletes the registration information registered in the registration information server after transmitting the registration information to the exit lane server.
The toll collection system according to any one of claims 2 to 6. The step of wirelessly communicating with the on-board unit of the vehicle that arrived at the entrance tollhouse of the toll road and acquiring the identification information of the on-board unit.
A step of determining the vehicle type of the vehicle that has arrived at the entrance tollhouse, and
A step of transmitting registration information associated with the determined vehicle type of the vehicle and the identification information acquired at the entrance tollhouse to the registration information server to request registration.
A step of wirelessly communicating with the on-board unit of the vehicle arriving at the exit tollhouse of the toll road and acquiring the identification information of the on-board unit.
Of the registration information registered in the registration information server, a step of acquiring registration information associated with the identification information acquired at the exit tollhouse, and
A step of calculating the toll of the vehicle arriving at the exit tollhouse based on the acquired registration information, and
A step of notifying the user boarding the vehicle of the toll when the vehicle leaves the exit tollhouse.
How to collect charges.

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