JP3073413B2 - Toll collection system - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a toll collection system for collecting tolls by wireless communication on a toll road.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, ID information is recorded as a future toll collection system that does not require the delivery of tolls at toll gates.
Systems using in-vehicle devices such as non-contact IC cards capable of wireless communication with the outside have been developed.

For example, FIG. 4 shows an example. In the figure, 41 is a vehicle detection device, 42 is a toll collection device, 43
Is a vehicle, 44 is a vehicle-mounted device made of a non-contact IC card, 45
Is a start detection device, 46 is a data processing device, and 51 is a road machine having an antenna 52.

[0004] The vehicle detection device 41 is composed of vehicle separators 48 and 49 for separating the vehicles 43 one by one, and an axis number detector 50 for detecting the number of axes of the vehicle 43. The vehicle detector 41 separates and detects the vehicles 43 passing by the vehicle separators 48 and 49 one by one, and simultaneously detects the number of axes of the vehicle 43 by the number-of-axes detector 50 and sends a detection signal to the toll collection device 42. I do.

The on-road unit 51 is provided with an antenna 52, and receives a radio wave from the on-board unit 44 of the vehicle 43 by the antenna 52. The roadside device 51 reads the ID information recorded in the vehicle-mounted device 44 and transmits the data of the vehicle-mounted device 44 to the toll collection device 42.

The toll collection device 42 is composed of a booth collection device 53 and a receipt issuing device 54, and a receipt is issued from the receipt issuing device 54 by pressing a push button of a vehicle type provided in the booth collection device 53. I do.

The start detecting device 45 includes vehicle separators 55 and 56 for detecting passage of the vehicle 43 and an axis number detector 57 for detecting the number of axes of the vehicle 43. Is detected, and the system is returned to the original state.

[0008] The data processing device 46 collects and records the processing data of the vehicle-mounted device 44, the processing data processed by the booth collection device 53, and the like.

A charge display 58 displays the amount of the vehicle charge processed by the booth collection / reception device 53, and displays the balance after use of the prepaid card used in the vehicle-mounted device 44 and the remaining number of times.

The start guide signal light 59 informs the vehicle 43 carrying the vehicle-mounted device 44 whether or not the vehicle can pass. The start warning light 60 issues a warning to the vehicle 43 carrying the vehicle-mounted device 44 when the card reading is poor. The surveillance television camera 61 is for photographing the vehicle 33 when the card reading is poor.

In the system having such a configuration, the information of the antenna number 1 and the lane number 2 is transmitted from the antenna 52 of the road unit 51 as antenna transmission data as shown in FIG. (B) is a diagram showing this state.
An interrogation signal 70 including the above-mentioned information is transmitted from the antenna 52. When the on-vehicle device 44 receives this signal, it transmits a response signal 71. The transmission data of this on-board unit is shown in FIG.
As shown in (a), the data received from the antenna is directly used as the antenna number 1 and further includes the on-vehicle device number 11. Conventionally, the in-vehicle device 44 responds to the interrogation signal 70 transmitted from the antenna 52 in this way, transmits a response signal 71, and identifies the vehicle of the in-vehicle device that the antenna 52 has received and passed this signal. This starts the accounting process.

[0012]

In such a conventional toll collection system, a plurality of lanes are adjacent to each other, and if wireless communication is simultaneously performed between adjacent lanes, interference occurs between the lanes and adjacent transmission lines are transmitted. There is a risk that erroneous accounting processing may be performed depending on the data. Conventionally, in order to avoid such interference, radio waves radiated from the antenna are controlled in a time-division (TDMA) system, and a pattern radiated from the antenna prevents radio waves from leaking into an adjacent lane. However, it is difficult to avoid interference completely.Especially when a large vehicle enters the vicinity of the antenna, the communication area changes due to the effects of radio wave reflection, etc., and it communicates with the antenna on the adjacent lane and receives the wrong billing amount There was something to do.

Referring to FIG. 5, this state will be described. Now, there are lanes A, B, and C, a large car 85 is running in lane A, and a normal car 86 is running in parallel in lane B. 75,76,77 are 80,8 in lanes A, B, C respectively
It has 1,82 communication areas. In such a state, for example, the radio wave 90 transmitted from the antenna 75 collides with the large-sized vehicle 85, is refracted at the corner 87 and becomes the radio wave 91, and communicates with the vehicle-mounted device of the adjacent ordinary car 86.

[0014]

According to the present invention, in order to solve such a problem, an on-vehicle device has means for receiving interrogation signals from a plurality of road antennas and counting the number of receptions. The information is returned as a response signal, and the control unit receives the response signal from the road antenna,
Based on this response signal, a configuration is provided that includes means for determining the traveling lane of the vehicle equipped with the on-vehicle device.

That is, the present invention comprises means mounted on a vehicle for receiving interrogation signals from the on-road antennas in a plurality of lanes at the entrance of the toll gate and counting the number of interrogation signal receptions for each on-road antenna. An in-vehicle device that transmits the number of receptions counted by the counting means together with a unique identification number to the road antenna as a response signal, and controls transmission of an interrogation signal of the road antenna and the response signal from the road antenna. And a control unit having means for determining the traveling lane of the vehicle equipped with the on-vehicle device from the information on the road antenna with the highest number of receptions in the number of receptions data in the response signal, the control unit comprising: A toll collection system is provided in which a billing process is performed for an in-vehicle device having the identification number in the determined lane.

[0016]

According to the present invention, interrogation signals are transmitted from on-road antennas in each lane by such means, and these signals are received by the on-vehicle equipment, the number of receptions is counted for each antenna, and a predetermined interrogation is performed. When the last of the signals is received, the information on the number of receptions together with the identification number of the vehicle-mounted device is transmitted as a response signal to the road antenna. The road antenna receives these response signals and sends them to the control unit. The control unit selects the corresponding road antenna with the highest number of receptions based on these response signals in the determination unit, and the vehicle-equipped vehicle is equipped with the road antenna. It is determined that the vehicle is traveling in the current lane. Based on the discrimination result, the control unit performs a charging process on the vehicle of the vehicle-mounted device having the same identification number in this lane.

Therefore, the vehicle traveling position can be recognized on the road based on the information from the on-vehicle device by such an operation, and the communication information and the vehicle are linked based on the recognized vehicle position, and the vehicle is temporarily stopped. Even if radio disturbance occurs, erroneous charging is suppressed.

[0018]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a toll collection system according to one embodiment of the present invention. In the figure,
110 is a vehicle-mounted device, 120 is a road antenna, and 130 is an antenna controller. The on-vehicle device 110 includes a transmission / reception antenna 20, a switch 21 for switching between transmission and reception, a detection circuit 22,
Demodulation circuit 23, counter (1) 24, counter (2) 2
5, a counter (3) 26, a CPU 27, a memory 8, and a modulation circuit 29. Note that the number of counters is set to be equal to the number of lanes, and functions as a counter corresponding to a road antenna.

In this embodiment, the on-road antenna 120 includes an antenna (1) 30, an antenna (2) 31, and an antenna (3) 3.
It consists of antennas with two and three lanes, but with three lanes
Needless to say, it may be composed of a plurality of lanes having lanes or more.

The antenna controller 130 comprises an antenna switch 33, a transmission / reception circuit 34, and a CPU 35.

In the system having such a configuration, the antenna controller 130 is controlled by the CPU 35 to be switched by the transmission / reception circuit 34 by the switch 33, and transmits interrogation signals from the antennas 30, 31, 32 in each lane. When the vehicle runs and the in-vehicle device 110 receives the interrogation signal in the communication area with the antenna, the transmission / reception antenna 20 receives the signal, the switch 21 is switched to reception, detected by the detection circuit 22, and detected by the detection circuit 22. The signal is demodulated at 23 and the signal is selected based on the antenna number information in the signal. In this way, all the interrogation signals received by the antenna 20 of the on-vehicle device 110 are received, and the corresponding counter is counted up based on the information of the antenna number in those signals. When the antenna 20 of the on-vehicle device 110 finally receives the interrogation signal, the counter corresponding to the interrogation signal is counted up as described above.
Sends the result to the modulation circuit 29 as a response signal to the antenna together with the number unique to the on-vehicle device recorded in the memory 28, as described later, and modulates the signal. Send from 20.

The road antenna 120 that has received the response signal from the vehicle-mounted device sends this signal to the antenna controller 130. In the controller 130, the switch 33 is set to the reception mode, the transmission / reception circuit 34 receives the data, and sends it to the CPU 35. CP
In U35, the number of receptions of these counters and the corresponding antenna number are compared, and the antenna number that has been received the most is determined to be the lane in which the vehicle is traveling closest to the vehicle-mounted device, and charging processing is performed by the antenna. Will start.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the above situation. (A)
, The antenna number 1 and the lane number 2 are transmitted as the transmission data of the antenna. As the data transmitted by the on-vehicle device, the last interrogation and transmission antenna number 1,
The own in-vehicle device number 11, the reception antenna number 12-1 and the number of receptions 13-1 from the contents of the counter, the next reception antenna number 12-2 and the number of receptions 13-2, and the like.

FIG. 2B shows the signal, and the antenna is shown as an example of two types. The interrogation signals 15 and 16 are emitted from the antenna (1), and the interrogation signal 17 is emitted from the antenna (2). The in-vehicle device receives twice for interrogation numbers 15 and 16 from the antenna (1) in the lane (1),
1 for signal 17 from antenna (2) in lane (2)
Has been received times. After the in-vehicle device receives the last signal of the predetermined number of transmissions from the antenna, it transmits a response signal 18 to an antenna nearby. The content of this response signal is as shown in (a) above. The response signal 18 is received by the antenna (1), processed by the CPU 35 of the antenna controller 130 as described above, and the lane is determined.

According to such an embodiment, the vehicle-mounted device 110
The information is received by the roadside antenna 120 based on the counter information from
The vehicle traveling position can be recognized at 30, and the communication information and the vehicle are associated with each other based on the recognized vehicle position, and the billing process is performed. Erroneous accounting processing is prevented, and the reliability of the system is improved.

[0026]

As described above, according to the present invention, the on-vehicle device has means for receiving interrogation signals from a plurality of road antennas and counting the number of receptions. As a response signal, and the control unit receives the response signal from the on-road antenna, and has a means for determining the traveling lane of the vehicle equipped with the on-vehicle device based on the response signal. Have (1) The traveling position of the vehicle can be recognized on the road based on the information from the on-vehicle device, and correct billing processing in the traveling lane can be performed. (2) The communication information and the vehicle are linked based on the recognized vehicle position, and erroneous charging is suppressed even if a temporary radio wave disturbance occurs between adjacent lanes.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a toll collection system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are explanatory diagrams of data of a toll collection system according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 2A shows transmission data between an antenna and a vehicle-mounted device, and FIG. .

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of data of a conventional toll collection system,
(A) shows transmission data between the antenna and the vehicle-mounted device, and (b) shows transmission and reception of a signal between the antenna and the vehicle-mounted device.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a conventional toll collection system.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a general radio wave disturbance state in a toll collection system.

[Explanation of symbols]

 15, 16, 17 Interrogation signal 18 Response signal 20 Transmission / reception antenna 21 Switch 22 Detection circuit 23 Demodulation circuit 24, 25, 26 Counter 27 CPU 28 Memory 30, 31, 32 Antenna 33 Switch 34 Transmission / reception circuit 35 CPU 110 On-board unit 120 Roadside antenna 130 Antenna controller

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-6-290323 (JP, A) JP-A-6-243385 (JP, A) JP-A-6-13933 (JP, A) (58) Field (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G07B 11/00-17/04 G06F 17/00 G06F 19/00 G06F 17/60 H04B 1/00 H04B 1/30 H04B 1/59 H04B 1/72 H04B 11 / 00-13/02

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] A means for receiving interrogation signals from respective on-road antennas in a plurality of lanes at a toll gate entrance and counting the number of interrogation signal receptions for each of the on-road antennas; An in-vehicle device for transmitting the number of receptions counted by the counting means together with a unique identification number to the on-road antenna as a response signal, controlling transmission of an interrogation signal of the on-road antenna, and receiving the response signal from the on-road antenna; A control unit having means for determining the traveling lane of the vehicle equipped with the on-vehicle device from information on the road antenna with the highest number of receptions in the number of receptions data in the response signal. A toll collection system for performing billing processing for an in-vehicle device having the identification number.