JP3396617B2 - Charge processing device and charge processing system for vehicles - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle charging processing apparatus and a vehicle charging processing system, and more particularly to a vehicle charging processing apparatus and a vehicle charging processing apparatus for transmitting a charging history for charging processing. The present invention relates to a charging processing system used.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Charges for a toll facility, such as a vehicle running on a toll road, are charged according to the vehicle type and the distance traveled on the toll road. In order to automatically collect charges at the entrance gate and exit gate of this toll road, a communication device having an antenna for transmitting and receiving radio waves to the road side as an interrogator for inquiring information about the vehicle (hereinafter, A communication device (hereinafter referred to as an on-vehicle device) having an antenna as a responder for replying to inquired information is provided on the vehicle, and the on-vehicle device and the on-road device are disposed. There is a road-to-vehicle communication system for wirelessly exchanging information with each other and performing charging processing. In this system, balance information is stored in advance in a prepaid card, an IC card, or the like, and the billing process is performed by subtracting the charge to be collected from the balance information.

For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-221617 proposes a technique for collecting a fee for a vehicle that has passed through a communication area of a roadside antenna installed on the roadside.

[0004]

However, in the above road-to-vehicle communication system, a roadside machine is installed at an entrance / exit of a chargeable area such as an entrance gate or an exit gate of a toll road to exchange information. If the area is defined by a large area and the entrance / exit cannot be specified, road equipment must be installed at all locations where the entrance / exit is expected.

In view of the above facts, an object of the present invention is to obtain a vehicle-to-vehicle billing processing apparatus and a billing processing system capable of billing a vehicle user with a simple configuration.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a billing processing device for a vehicle according to the invention described in claim 1 is a detecting means for detecting positional information indicating a vehicle's existing position, and the detecting means. Belongs to the location information based on the detection result of
The area to be charged is determined by the latitude and longitude and the shape.
And generates charging information for the vehicle in the charging target area , and transmits a charging history of the generated charging information to the ground side, and a charging history of the charging information generated by the generating means. And a transmission means.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle-to-vehicle billing processing device according to the first aspect, the creating means creates a billing information for each of a plurality of billing target areas, and creates the billing information. And a storage unit that sequentially stores each of the generated charging information as a charging history.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the billing device for vehicle according to the first or second aspect, the detecting means detects the position information by using a satellite signal from a satellite. Is characterized by.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle-to-vehicle billing processing apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, the creating means includes the predetermined map information and the position information. And a determining means for determining an entry state indicating whether or not the vehicle has entered at least a predetermined charging target area in the map information based on a response result of the handling means. The charging information is generated based on the determination result of the determining means.

A billing processing system according to a fifth aspect of the present invention comprises the billing processing device for vehicle according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the transmitting means responds to an input transmission request. Corresponding in-vehicle communication means for transmitting charging history,
And a roadside communication unit having a request unit for making the transmission request, and a processing unit for performing a charge settlement process in a predetermined processing area based on the transmitted charge history.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the billing processing system according to the fifth aspect, wherein the roadside communication means includes:
It is characterized by further comprising changing means for changing the charge settlement amount based on the time required to arrive at the processing area.

In the billing device for vehicle according to the first aspect, the detecting means detects the position information indicating the existing position of the vehicle.
As the detecting means, a vehicle-mounted navigation system capable of indicating a route to a destination and displaying a map for driving assistance can be used. The creating means determines, based on the detection result of the detecting means, an area to be charged , which belongs to the position information and is predetermined by the latitude and longitude and the shape ,
The billing information for the vehicle in the money target area is generated, and the billing history of the generated billing information is created. For example,
Just as the charge amount is determined by the number of times of entry into the charge target area, the staying time, etc., the charge to be collected for the existing vehicle is set in advance. Therefore, the number of times of entry into the charging target area, the staying time, etc. are generated as charging information. Since the generated billing information should be billed by the vehicle entering or staying in the billing area,
The billing history of the billing information generated by the generating means is transmitted to the ground side by the transmitting means. As a result, on the ground side, it is possible to collect the charge that should be charged for the vehicle that has entered or stayed. For this charging, that is, the collection of charges, the charges can be settled from a card such as a prepaid card or an IC card in which balance information is stored, a bank account related to the user of the vehicle, or a settlement account such as a credit card.

[0013] As described in claim 2, the creating means,
It can be composed of a generation unit that generates charging information for each of a plurality of charging target areas and a storage unit that sequentially stores each of the generated charging information as a charging history. By doing so, even when a plurality of charging target areas are present discretely or densely, the storage means stores the charging information of each charging target area as a charging history. Therefore, it is possible to easily grasp the entry or stay of a vehicle into a plurality of chargeable areas.

Here, when detecting a vehicle, a transmitting means such as a transmitting device for transmitting a signal containing an identifier for identifying the own vehicle is provided on the vehicle side, and on the ground side, the transmitting signal is received and the position is received. Information can be detected on the ground side or on the vehicle side by a navigation system. As is well known, the navigation system can easily detect the position of its own vehicle, for example, the position determined by the latitude and the longitude, using a GPS system using satellite signals from satellites. Therefore, as described in claim 3, the detecting means is configured to be able to detect the position information by using a satellite signal from a satellite. By doing so, the position of the vehicle can be specified in the own vehicle.

Vehicles travel on the ground, but most of their positions can be specified by a map. Therefore, as described in claim 4, the creating means associates the predetermined map information with the position information, and the predetermined information in the map information based on the correspondence result of the corresponding means. Determining means for determining an entry state indicating whether or not the vehicle has entered at least the charging target area. Since the location of the vehicle can be specified from the location information, in the corresponding means, this position, for example, a position determined by latitude and longitude, a predetermined map such as a map of the whole country of Japan or a map of a predetermined area in a prefecture. The vehicle can be associated with the information.

The deciding means decides an entry state indicating whether or not the vehicle has at least entered the predetermined chargeable area in the map information based on the correspondence result of the correspondence means. The position where the vehicle existed on the map information is corresponded by the correspondence means. A chargeable area is defined on this map information. Therefore, by determining whether or not the position where the corresponding vehicle exists on the map information is included in the charging target area, it is possible to determine whether the vehicle has at least entered the charging target area.

As a result, the determining means determines, as the entry state, indicating whether or not the vehicle has at least entered the charging target area. The generation means generates charging information for the vehicle based on the determination result of the determination means. For example, charges to be collected for existing vehicles are set in advance in the charging target area. Therefore, when a vehicle enters the chargeable area, a predetermined charge should be charged, and thus the charge to be charged for the entered vehicle is generated as the charge information.

The billing system according to claim 5 has a transmission means for transmitting a billing history in response to an input transmission request, and the billing process for a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The vehicle-mounted communication means provided with the apparatus is provided.
Thus, as described above, the charging history can be transmitted from the vehicle side if the ground side requests transmission. The request for transmission is made by the requesting means of the roadside communication means. Then, the processing means performs the charge settlement processing in the predetermined processing area and based on the transmitted charge history. As a result, a charging history is held on the vehicle side, the charging settlement processing can be performed in the processing area from the held charging history, and the area for charging processing is not limited to being set in the charging target area. .

Here, even if the charging history is elaborated or accumulated on the vehicle side, if the charging process is not performed, the actual charge collection cannot be performed. Therefore, as described in claim 6, the roadside communication means is further provided with a changing means for changing the charge settlement amount based on the time until the arrival at the processing area. For example, during a certain period of time, the charge amount corresponding to the above-mentioned charging history is collected, but as the time period exceeds the certain period of time, the charge amount increases such as overdue charges. be able to.
As a result, it is possible to eliminate the disadvantage of taking a long time to collect the toll.

[0020]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

In this embodiment, the present invention is applied to an automatic billing system for automatically billing a vehicle (traveling vehicle) entering a pay facility (charging target area). The automatic charging system used in the present embodiment charges a usage fee (travel fee) based on information exchange by communication between an on-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle and a roadside device installed on the ground side. This is a payment system.

FIG. 1 shows a conceptual configuration of an automatic charging system 10 of this embodiment. The automatic billing system 10 according to the present embodiment is mounted on a vehicle 32 and uses the GPS satellite 2.
GPS antenna for receiving signals from 0, 22, and 24 and ground wave antenna for ground wave communication (details will be described later)
And a general center 40 as a roadside device that is fixedly installed on the ground side and that includes a GPS antenna 42 for receiving GPS signals from GPS satellites 20, 22, and 24. Has been done. General center 40
Also has a terrestrial antenna 44 for terrestrial communication.

It should be noted that the present embodiment is configured to include one or a plurality of relay devices 50 that cooperate with the general center 40. Although the details will be described later, the relay device 50 is a device having substantially the same configuration as that of the general center 40, and is in charge of various processes including a charging-related process for the vehicle-mounted device 30.

The on-vehicle device 30 includes the GPS satellites 20, 22,
The position of the own vehicle 32 is specified by the GPS signal from 24 and transmitted to the general center 40 by ground wave communication. The comprehensive center 40 performs a charging process (calculation) for the charging target area based on the received position of the vehicle 32, and transmits the result to the vehicle-mounted device 30. The vehicle-mounted device 30 collects the charge based on the received charging processing result. Note that the fee collection may be performed on the general center 40 side and only the result thereof may be transmitted.

As shown in FIG. 2, the general center 40 installed on the ground side has a center control device 100.
The center control device 100 includes a CPU 102 and a RAM 10
4, a ROM 106 and an input / output port (I / O) 108, each of which is composed of a microcomputer, which are connected by a bus 110 so that commands and data can be exchanged. The ROM 106 stores processing routines described later.

A GPS communication device 120 having a GPS antenna 42 is connected to the input / output port 108, and a terrestrial communication device 12 having a terrestrial antenna 44.
2 is connected. The communication device 120 for GPS is GP
The position of the self center, that is, the general center 40 is specified by GPS signals from the S satellites 20, 22, and 24. The terrestrial communication device 122 is for communicating or providing information to the vehicle-mounted device 30 mounted on the vehicle by communication, and a wireless communication device is adopted. An example of this wireless communication device is an FM broadcast or an FM broadcast.
There are teletext, well-known radio wave communication, and telephone line communication such as mobile communication devices.

The memory 1 is connected to the input / output port 108.
24 is connected. This memory 124 stores a charge table 12 that stores charge information representing charges for the chargeable area.
4A, a map database 124B that stores map information for defining a chargeable area, and a user management database 124C that stores individual information of users who can connect to the general center and should be managed.

A floppy disk unit (FDU) 11 into / from which a floppy disk (hereinafter referred to as FD) as a recording medium can be inserted / removed in / from the center control device 100.
2 is connected. It should be noted that processing routines and the like to be described later can read from and write to the FD using the FDU 112. Therefore, the processing routine described later may be recorded in the FD in advance without being stored inside the center control device 100, and the processing program recorded in the FD may be executed via the FDU 112. In addition, the center control device 10
A mass storage device (not shown) such as a hard disk device may be connected to 0, and the processing program recorded in the FD may be stored (installed) in the mass storage device (not shown) and executed. As a recording medium, C
There are optical discs such as D-ROMs and magneto-optical discs such as MDs and MOs. When using these, instead of or in addition to the above FDU, a CD-ROM device, MD device, MO
A device or the like may be used.

Next, the relay device 50 will be described. The relay device 50 has a configuration similar to that of the general center 40, but has a function as a monitoring device for monitoring whether or not charging is properly performed.

As shown in FIG. 4, the relay device 50 has a relay control device 130. The relay control device 130
The microcomputer is composed of a CPU 132, a RAM 134, a ROM 136, and an input / output port (I / O) 138, which are connected by a bus 140 so that commands and data can be exchanged. In addition, ROM
A processing routine described later is stored in 136.

To the input / output port 138, the GPS communication device 150 having the GPS antenna 150A is connected, and the terrestrial communication device 152 having the terrestrial antenna 152A is connected. GPS communication device 150
Is for identifying itself, that is, the position of the general center 40, by GPS signals from the GPS satellites 20, 22, and 24. In addition, the terrestrial communication device 152,
The wireless communication device is used to communicate or provide information to the vehicle-mounted device 30 mounted on the vehicle by communication. Examples of this wireless communication device include FM broadcasting, FM text broadcasting, well-known radio communication, and telephone line communication such as mobile communication devices.

The input / output port 138 has a measuring device 15 equipped with an image pickup device 154A for vehicle measurement for discriminating the vehicle type and photographing such as vehicle number (number-pilate) photographing.
4 are connected. It should be noted that these imaging devices 154
A can use a TV camera or an image sensor.

A floppy disk unit (FDU) 142 into / from which a floppy disk (hereinafter referred to as FD) as a recording medium can be inserted / removed in / from the relay controller 130.
Are connected. In addition, the processing routine and the like described later,
It is possible to read and write to the FD using the FDU 142. Therefore, the processing routine described below is performed by the relay control device 1
It may be recorded in the FD in advance without being stored in the inside of 30, and the processing program recorded in the FD may be executed via the FDU 142. Further, a large-capacity storage device (not shown) such as a hard disk device is connected to the relay control device 130, and the processing program recorded in the FD is stored (installed) in the large-capacity storage device (not shown) and executed. May be. The recording medium is a CD-RO.
There are optical discs such as M and magneto-optical discs such as MD and MO. When these are used, a CD-ROM device, MD device, MO device or the like may be used instead of or in addition to the FDU.

Next, the on-vehicle device 30 will be described. The vehicle-mounted device 30 used in the present embodiment is configured by applying the present invention to a navigation system that provides route assistance information to a driver with video and audio. The in-vehicle device 30 including the navigation system is mounted on the instrument panel of the vehicle 32 for communicating with the road device.

As shown in FIG. 3, each vehicle-mounted device 30 including the navigation system of this embodiment is equipped with a bus 21.
0, a CPU 202, a RAM 204, a ROM 206, which are connected to exchange commands and data,
And a device main body 200 composed of a microcomputer including an input / output port (I / O) 208.
The RAM 204 is a backup ram and backs up (stores) the contents of the stored information even when the power is cut off. A floppy disk unit (FD device) 236 into / from which a floppy disk FD can be inserted / removed is connected to the input / output port 208. In addition, R
The OM 206 stores processing routines described below and various data.

The various data and processing routines described later can be read from and written to the floppy disk FD by using the FD device 236. Therefore, the processing routine described later may be recorded in the floppy disk FD in advance without being stored in the ROM 206, and the processing program recorded in the floppy disk FD may be executed via the FD device 236. In addition, a mass storage device (not shown) such as a hard disk device is connected to the device main body 200,
The processing program recorded on the floppy disk FD may be stored (installed) in a mass storage device (not shown) and executed. As the recording medium, there are optical disks such as CD-ROM and magneto-optical disks such as MD and MO.
CD-ROM device instead of or in addition to D-device 236,
An MD device, an MO device or the like may be used.

The vehicle-mounted device 30 including the navigation system of this embodiment can be connected to a vehicle local area network (not shown) via the input / output port 208.

The input / output port 208 is provided with a vehicle-mounted GP.
The on-vehicle GPS device 220 having the S antenna 220A is connected, and the terrestrial communication device 222 having the terrestrial antenna 222A is connected. In-vehicle GPS
The device 220 uses the G from the GPS satellites 20, 22, and 24.
This is for identifying the position of the own vehicle 32 by the PS signal. The terrestrial communication device 222 is for communicating or providing information to the ground side through communication, and a wireless communication device is adopted. Examples of this wireless communication device include FM broadcasting, FM text broadcasting, well-known radio communication, and telephone line communication such as mobile communication devices. Therefore,
As the terrestrial communication device 222, a mobile communication device such as a mobile phone or a vehicle-mounted telephone device can be used, and wireless communication (telephone line is established between the vehicle and the telephone device outside the vehicle via the vehicle-mounted device 30). (Conversation through) can be possible.

The input / output port 208 is connected to the memory 2
30 is connected. This memory 230 is a charge table 23 that stores charge information indicating charges for the chargeable area.
0A, which includes a map database 230B that stores map information for providing route assistance information to the driver in video form.

Further, the input / output port 208 is provided with a display device 224 for providing route assistance information to the driver in the form of video and a voice device 228 having a speaker 228A for providing voice information to the driver. The speaker device and the input device 226 such as a keyboard and a switch device are connected. The display device 224 can display map information. The audio device 228 is the device body 12
This is for converting an audio signal of either a digital signal or an analog signal output from the device into a drive signal for the speaker 228A and outputting the drive signal.

The data to be stored in the memory 230 may be stored in a storage medium such as a floppy disk FD or a hard disk device using the FD device 236.

An IC card 232 storing charge balance information and the like can be attached to and detached from the input / output port 208.
A card read / write device 234 is provided. The in-vehicle device 30 stores fixed data such as an ID code including a vehicle number and vehicle type information in advance in the RAM 204 or the ROM 206.
The charge balance information of the IC card 232 stored in the IC card read / write device 234 is referred to, and the charge balance information is written in the IC card 232. The IC card includes a prepaid card and a credit card. A monitoring lamp 227 is connected to the input / output port 208. The monitoring lamp 227 is for notifying the outside of the vehicle of the charging processing state.

As shown in FIG. 5A, the monitoring lamp 2
27 is provided on the front surface portion 229A of the box body 229 and can be installed on the dashboard of the vehicle so that the light from the monitoring lamp 227 is emitted to the outside of the vehicle. By doing so, the blinking of the monitoring lamp 227 can be easily confirmed from outside the vehicle.

By providing a display lamp that blinks in synchronization with the monitoring lamp 227 at a position different from the monitoring lamp 227, for example, at a position facing the monitoring lamp 227 (a rear surface portion 229B of the box 229), The occupant can check the blinking of the monitoring lamp 227 in the vehicle by blinking the display lamp. For example, as shown in FIG. 5B, the display panel 22 is provided on the rear surface portion 229B of the box body 229.
It is also possible to install 7S so that an occupant in the vehicle can easily check the current charging processing status. in this case,
The display panel 227S includes a display indicating that the charging target area is approaching, a charging amount serving as a reference of the charging target area, a charging processing amount, a charging processing start display, a charging processing completion display, and a charging processing. It is possible to display, as the current state, the display of things that cannot be executed (violation).

The mounting position (mounting position) of the vehicle unit 30
Is not limited to the instrument panel of the vehicle as described above, and may be a position where the antenna can communicate with the ground side, and may be, for example, in a vehicle such as a rear seat. The in-vehicle device 30 may have a separate structure including an in-vehicle device main body and an antenna. When the in-vehicle device main body and the antenna are separately configured as described above, only the antenna can be installed on the instrument panel or in the position in the rear seat direction as described above, and the mounting position information indicates that the antenna is It shall be registered for the installed position.

Further, the vehicle-mounted device is always supplied with power from the vehicle-mounted battery when the ignition is turned on. Also,
It is assumed that the vehicle-mounted device can acquire the date and time information of the date and the current time by a built-in clock (not shown) mounted on the vehicle 32.

In the above description, the charge tables are stored in the memories of both the in-vehicle device 30 and the general center 40. However, when the charge information is obtained by the device side that performs the charge calculation of the charge target or by communication. It may be stored in the other device side, and may be stored in only one of the memories.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. First, the operation of the ground-side device (here, the general center 40) will be described. In this embodiment, the general center 40 is the vehicle 3
The information for the charging process is transmitted to the vehicle-mounted device 30 attached to No. 2.

As shown in FIG. 6, in the general center 40,
In step 300, GPS satellites 20, 22, 24
In step 302, the GPS signal is received from the self, that is, the reference position of the comprehensive center 40 (reference latitude / longitude P).
o) is obtained and GPS correction information is generated. This GPS correction information is obtained from the GPS satellites 20, 22 and 24.
This is for correcting when the signal error is large, and since the general center 40 is fixedly installed, G
This is because even if there is a change in the GPS signal from the PS satellites 20, 22, 24, this can be specified.

In the next step 304, the predetermined charging target area information is read and the GPS correction information is transmitted together with this charging target area information in the next step 306. This transmission can be performed by FM broadcasting or a telephone line.

The chargeable area information is determined by the chargeable area Area composed of a plurality of predetermined areas. For example, there is a configuration in which the area becomes smaller between the central area and the suburbs as the area gets closer to the central area. As an example of such an area to be charged, as shown in FIG. 7, an area A which is a circular area in the central portion, a substantially concentric doughnut-shaped area B adjacent to the outer periphery of the area A, and areas A and B In the area C other than the above, the ground side is divided into three. Each of these areas can be specified by the latitude and longitude and its shape.

In the present embodiment, checkpoints CP for performing the charging process are set at predetermined positions in area C and area D.

The chargeable area information is defined by the chargeable area A composed of a plurality of areas, but the charge amount can be different for each area. For example, the billing amount may be increased as it gets closer to the center of the city, the billing amount may be changed according to the number of times of use, the billing amount may be changed according to the congestion degree, or the billing amount may be changed according to the usage time. be able to. In the following description, the conditions that determine these charge amounts are referred to as calculation conditions (charge calculation conditions) for charging.

The first billing calculation condition is the number of times of entry into the area shown in the table showing charges for each area. By setting in this way, the charging amount increases as the number of times of entry into the central portion of the charging target area increases.

The second charging calculation condition is the area stay time shown in the table showing the charges for each area. By setting in this way, the charge amount increases as the staying time in the center of the charge target area increases.

The third charging calculation condition is the area congestion degree shown in the table showing the charges for each area, and the fourth
The charging calculation condition of is the vehicle speed (may be the average vehicle speed) when traveling in the area shown in the table showing the charge for each area, and the fifth charging calculation condition is the table showing the charge for each area. There is a total distance traveled within the area indicated by.

By including the table based on the above-mentioned charging calculation conditions in the charging target area information, it is possible to specify the area and the charge for the charging target area.

The chargeable area information is defined by a chargeable area composed of a plurality of predetermined areas. For example, there is a configuration in which the area becomes smaller between the central area and the suburbs as the area gets closer to the central area. As an example of such an area to be charged, as shown in FIG. 7, a circular area A at the center, doughnut-shaped areas B and C of substantially concentric circles adjacent to the outer periphery of the area A, and these areas A , B, and C, the ground side is divided into four parts. Each of these areas can be specified by the latitude and longitude and its shape. In the present embodiment, each of areas A, B, and C is a chargeable area, and area D is a non-chargeable area.

Next, the operation of the vehicle-mounted device 30 will be described. First, the area determination processing performed by the vehicle-mounted device will be described.

As shown in FIG. 8, in the in-vehicle device 30 attached to the vehicle, when the area determination processing is executed, in step 400, the ground side, that is, the general center 40.
(Or the information from the relay device 50) is received. As described above, the information from the general center 40 is the chargeable area information and the GPS correction information, which is the latest information by judging whether the information received in the next step 402 is the latest information. If so, the affirmative determination is made in step 402, and in the next step 404, the chargeable area is derived and the GPS correction information is stored.

On the other hand, when the received information is not the latest information, it is denied in step 402, the next step 406 receives the GPS signal from the GPS satellites 20, 22, 24, and the next step 408 shows the current information. The date and time (year, month, day, and time) are read, and in the next step 410, the position of the self, that is, the position of the vehicle 32 (latitude longitude P (t)).
Ask for. When the latitude / longitude P (t) is obtained, the stored GPS correction information can be used.

At the next step 412, the obtained latitude and longitude P
The area to which the latitude / longitude P (t) belongs is determined in the next step 414 by associating (t) with a previously stored map database. Then, in step 416,
The latitude / longitude P (t), the date / time t, and the area are stored as a vehicle existence history. Therefore, the area in which the vehicle 32 was present is stored as a history together with the date and time every predetermined time.

Therefore, taking as an example the case where the fare changes depending on the number of times the vehicle has entered the charging area, as shown in FIG. 7, the area consisting of areas A to D is routed from the start point STP to the end point EDP on the route Rt. When traveling along, at each of the starting point STP to the ending point EDP, the starting point STP and the ending point E
Since each of the DPs is not a charging target area, it is not a charging target, but the passing points S1, S2, S3, S4, S5
Since each of these is a chargeable area, it is charged. That is, history information (billing history) is stored in the order of areas C, B, A, B, and C.

Next, the charging process in the vehicle unit 30 will be described. As will be described later in detail, the charging process is based on the charging history (history information) from the ground side (at the checkpoint CP).
Is a process of transmitting the history information after receiving the transmission request.

As shown in FIG. 9, in step 420, it is determined whether or not the conditions are matched by determining whether or not a transmission request is made from the general center 40 (or relay device 50) side. If the conditions do not match, the result in step 420 is negative, and this routine ends. On the other hand, if the conditions match, the affirmative determination is made in step 420, and the history information is acquired in step 422. This history information is a list of vehicle existence history stored in step 416 of FIG. In the next step 424, the acquired history information is transmitted to the relay device 50. In the next step 428, it is determined whether or not the notification is received from the relay device 50. If the notification is made, the determination is affirmative and the notification is made in step 430. If the notification is not made, the determination is denied and the routine is finished.

Next, the operation of the vehicle-mounted device and the ground-side equipment at the checkpoint CP will be further described.

In this embodiment, the checkpoint CP is defined by a predetermined area, and as shown in FIG. 12, the checkpoint CP is composed of areas CPM and CPS. The area CPM is an area that substantially executes the work related to the charging process, and the area CP that is the periphery of the area CPM.
S is defined as an area (buffer area) for eliminating the error for specifying the area CPM. This is because the error caused by the GPS system is taken into consideration when the position of the vehicle is specified by the GPS system. Area CPM,
Area D, which is an area other than CPS, may be an area that is not subject to billing (FIG. 12) or may be an area subject to billing (FIG. 7).

As shown in FIG. 10, the in-vehicle device proceeds to step 502 to determine whether or not the current position is in the vicinity of the relay device 50 (check point CP). When the result is negative, the process proceeds to step 508 and affirmative. Step 50
Go to 4. In the next step 504, it is determined whether or not it is the area of the previous check point CP (the area when this routine was last executed). When the previous area is not the checkpoint CP, it means that the checkpoint CP is first entered, so the result in step 504 is negative,
In the next step 506, the area entry process is executed and the process proceeds to step 520. On the other hand, last checkpoint C
If it is P, the affirmative answer is obtained in step 504, and the process proceeds directly to step 520.

This area entry processing is processing performed when the vehicle enters the checkpoint CP. For example, it is when the checkpoint CP is first entered at the waypoint PS2 (FIG. 12) on the route Ro. Eg ID
Report the entry to the checkpoint CP by sending the code and current position. By this report, checkpoint CP, that is, the ground side (relay device 5
In 0), the process associated with the charging process can be initialized. It should be noted that in this step 506, the condition setting for starting the charging process on the in-vehicle device side may be performed.
In the present embodiment, the vehicle-mounted device can execute the charging process in response to the transmission request from the relay device 50 as described above.

The ground side, that is, the relay device 50, is used as a monitoring lamp 227 when it is recognized as a regular vehicle according to the above report.
The regular pattern for blinking and the latest billing table can be sent. In addition, when it is determined that the vehicle is a violating vehicle, it is possible to send information for notifying the violation. The regular pattern makes it possible to confirm from the outside of the vehicle that its own vehicle is a legitimate vehicle that can be charged.
The monitoring lamp 227 is set at a predetermined timing (for example,
(Timing that represents turning on and off for a certain period of time)
This is a pattern for blinking with. If this pattern is used, periodic blinking can be confirmed from outside the vehicle, and it can be confirmed as a regular vehicle. Similarly, in order to make it possible to confirm from the outside of the vehicle that the vehicle is a violating vehicle, the monitoring lamp 227 blinks in a violation pattern different from the regular pattern (e.g., turning on and off repeatedly at time t, constantly blinking). )
Something such as letting it be used.

When the result in step 502 is negative, the process proceeds to step 508, in which it is determined whether or not the distance to the check point CP is within a predetermined distance determined in advance to determine whether or not the check point CP is approaching. To do.
When the distance to the check point CP is within the predetermined distance, the affirmative determination is made in step 508, and the information indicating that the user is approaching the check point CP is provided by image or voice in the next step 514, and the process returns to step 500. For example,
Display panel 227S for a certain period of time (see FIG. 5B)
It is possible to provide information by displaying "Checkpoint approaching" on the display, providing the sound from the audio device 228, or displaying it on the navigation display by the display device 224.

When the result in step 508 is negative, the routine proceeds to step 510, where it is determined whether or not the checkpoint CP was the last time. If the result is negative, the routine returns to step 500. On the other hand, when the result in step 510 is affirmative, it means that the user has left the checkpoint CP.
Is affirmative, the area leaving process is executed in the next step 512, and the process proceeds to step 520.

The above-mentioned area leaving processing is processing performed when the vehicle leaves the checkpoint CP. For example, at the midpoint PS5 (FIG. 12) on the route Ro, the vehicle departs from the checkpoint CP. This process
It reports that it has left the checkpoint CP by sending the ID code and the current position. The fact that the vehicle has left the checkpoint CP can be determined from the current position of the vehicle and the previous position.
Both the vehicle side and the ground side can be judged from this history information.

In the same manner as above, the monitoring lamp 227 may be turned on or off depending on the result of authorization for the separation.
You may turn it off.

Therefore, the intermediate point PS on the route Ro in FIG.
In step 1, the information of approaching checkpoint CP is provided in step 514, and in checkpoint C at the midpoint PS2.
A region entry process is performed when P is first entered. At the intermediate points PS3 and PS4, the previous area is checkpoint C
Since it is P, the process proceeds to the next step as it is, and at the midway point PS5, the area leaving process at the time of leaving the checkpoint CP is performed.

At step 520, the ID, etc. are sent from the ground side.
That is, it is determined whether or not an inquiry has been made regarding fixed data such as an ID code including a vehicle number and vehicle type information.
After the question processing such as D is executed, the process proceeds to step 524, and when denied, the process proceeds to step 524 as it is.

This ID inquiry process is a process performed when the vehicle is within the checkpoint. For example, the waypoints PS3 and PS4 (FIG. 12) on the route Ro are when the vehicle is within the checkpoint, and by transmitting the ID code, fixed data such as vehicle type information, and the current position, the ID code becomes Report relevant information. In addition, on the ground side, it is determined whether the report is normal or not, and the vehicle is certified as a regular vehicle or a violating vehicle.

The ID inquiry process is also a process for responding to the confirmation from the relay device whether the vehicle is an authorized vehicle.

In the next step 524, it is judged whether or not the power supply is cut off, and if the power is still on, the result is negative.
Returning to 02, when it is cut off, the determination is affirmative and the present routine is ended.

Next, the operation of the relay device will be described. Figure 11
As shown in, the relay device 50 receives the GPS signals from the GPS satellites 20, 22, and 24 in step 470 to receive the reference position (reference latitude / longitude P) of the comprehensive center 40.
o) is obtained, and after the GPS correction information is generated, an initial process of reading the charging target area information is performed.

At the next step 472, an inquiry is made to obtain a response from the vehicle-mounted device, and at the next step 474.
Then, it is determined whether the vehicle-mounted device 30 has responded. If there is no response, the process proceeds to step 492, and the inquiry is repeatedly executed until a predetermined time has passed.

When the vehicle-mounted device 30 responds (reports), the affirmative determination is made in step 474, and the transmission of history information including the ID code and the like is requested in step 476. The determination in step 478 is repeated until the vehicle-mounted device 30 transmits the history information including the ID code and the like, and when the history information is received, the process proceeds to step 480. In step 480, an arithmetic expression is determined based on the area included in the history information, and in the next step 484, the charge is calculated using the above-mentioned set arithmetic expression.

The above arithmetic expression is determined by the above arithmetic conditions. This calculation condition is a condition for determining the charge amount (charge calculation condition), and includes the number of times of area entry and area stay time. The charge calculation formula is determined by the calculation conditions. In the following formula (1), the charging calculation formula is shown as a general formula considering the area.

(Charging amount) = f (N _{A, B, C} , N _H , N _I , N _J , t) (1) However, N _A, N _B, N _C : Evaluation for the area (that is, , The number of times of entry into the area and the staying time determined by the charge calculation conditions) The area may be composed of multiple areas N _H : Congestion degree N _I : Vehicle speed (average vehicle speed) N _J : Total travel distance in area t: Date and time

At the next step 486, step 484 is performed.
It is determined whether or not there is a charge based on the result of the calculation, and if the charge does not occur, the process proceeds to step 492. On the other hand, when the charge is generated, in the next step 488, the generated charge, that is, the charge is transmitted as the charge information to the vehicle-mounted device to instruct the vehicle-mounted device to notify the charge information. Next, in step 490, the charge is approved from the account related to the vehicle user determined by the ID code or the approval account such as a credit card.

As described above, in this embodiment, the history information indicating that the vehicle is in the charging area is stored (stored) in the vehicle-mounted device, and the history information is transmitted in response to the transmission request from the ground side. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide an antenna or the like at the entrance or the like to exchange information for collecting (charging) charges. That is, it is only necessary to install a point capable of exchanging information between the ground side and the vehicle, and by exchanging information for fee collection (billing) at that point, fee collection (billing) can be performed easily.

In the above embodiment, the case where the history information is stored and the charging process is performed for one concentric charging target area has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it is also effective when the chargeable areas A, B, and C are dispersed. In the example of FIG. 13, the checkpoint CP exists in the area D outside the chargeable area. Areas A and B to be charged (halfway points PS6 and PS
When traveling on the route 7) on the route R1, the occupant may pass the checkpoint CP, which is set in advance as the waypoint PS8 for charging. In this case, the passage of the check point CP does not have to be included in the route R1. That is, it is possible to perform the charging process by passing through the checkpoint CP after a predetermined time has passed, for example, after several hours or several days. In this way, for the purpose of differentiating between passing the checkpoint CP after a predetermined time, for example, hours or days, and passing the checkpoint CP after a short time, that is, preferential treatment. Checkpoint CP as a measure or delay measure after a certain period of time
It is also possible to increase the premium amount when visiting, or to subtract a predetermined discount amount from the normal billing amount when the billing process is performed within a fixed time.

Further, although the case where the charging target area is fixedly set has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this, and the charging target area may be movable and settable. For example, as shown in FIG. 14, it is effective even when the chargeable areas A and B are moved to the chargeable areas A ′ and B ′ (including change in size). In this case, even if the route R1 shown in FIG. 13 has been passed through before, it may be outside the charging target area after moving to the charging target areas A ′ and B ′. In this case, it is preferable to sequentially provide information that the charging target area has been moved and changed from the ground side to the vehicle-mounted device. Furthermore, the area does not have to be circular.

In the above embodiment, when a card or account capable of automatically executing the billing process is set, the notification is given before the card or account is withdrawn. Good. In this case,
The user can easily determine whether or not the charge or the charge to be charged is payable with the card or account owned by the user.

In the above embodiment, the case of charging on the ground side has been described. However, the charge balance information and the like are stored in I.
It is also applicable when charging by subtracting the charge from the C card.

[0091]

According to the billing device for a vehicle of claim 1,
By the creation means from the position information of the vehicle detected by the detection means
A predetermined charging target area belonging to the position information is determined based on the latitude and longitude and the shape, charging information for the vehicle in the charging target area is generated, a charging history of the charging information is created, and the charging information is transmitted to the ground side by the transmitting means. Therefore, on the ground side, there is an effect that it is possible to easily collect the fee to be charged for the vehicle that has entered or stayed.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the generating means includes the generating means for generating the charging information for each of the charging target areas having a plurality of generating means, and the storing means for sequentially storing each of the charging information as the charging history. Since it can be configured, even when a plurality of charging target areas exist discretely or densely, a plurality of charging target areas are accumulated by the charging history based on the charging information of each charging target area accumulated in the accumulating means. There is an effect that it is possible to easily grasp the entry or stay of a vehicle into the charging target area.

According to the third aspect of the invention, since the detecting means can detect the position information by using the satellite signal from the satellite, the position of the vehicle can be specified in the own vehicle. , Is effective.

According to the fourth aspect of the invention, the correspondence means associates the map information with the position information, and the entry state of the charging target area in the map information is determined from the correspondence result. There is an effect that it is possible to easily deal with the above, and it is possible to easily determine the entry state into the charging target area.

According to the invention described in claim 5, the charging history is transmitted from the ground side in response to the transmission request from the vehicle-mounted communication means having the transmitting means for transmitting the charging history in response to the input transmission request. Therefore, there is an effect that the charging settlement processing can be performed in the processing area that is not limited to the charging target area based on the charging history held on the vehicle side.

According to the invention described in claim 6, since the charge settlement amount is changed based on the time until the roadside communication means arrives at the processing area, the length of time required to substantially collect the fee can be shortened. There is an effect that such a disadvantage can be eliminated.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a conceptual configuration of an automatic charging system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a general center installed on the ground side in the automatic charging system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an in-vehicle device in the automatic charging system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a relay device installed on the ground side in the automatic charging system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an example of an installation body of a monitoring lamp, (A) showing a front surface and (B) showing a rear surface.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a flow of information transmission processing executed on the ground side according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an image diagram showing a charging target area.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a flow of a chargeable area determination process executed in the vehicle-mounted device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a flow of a charging process executed in the vehicle-mounted device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing of operation of the vehicle-mounted device.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a processing flow of operation of the relay device.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a checkpoint area.

FIG. 13 is an image diagram showing distributed charging target areas.

FIG. 14 is an image diagram showing a chargeable area in which movement can be changed.

[Explanation of symbols]

20 GPS satellites 30 Onboard equipment 32 vehicles 40 General Center 42 GPS antenna 44 terrestrial antenna

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Haruhiko Terada 2-1-1 Asahi-cho, Kariya city, Aichi Prefecture Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (72) Yasuyuki Aoki 2-1-1 Asahi-cho, Kariya city, Aichi Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. Within the corporation (56) Reference JP-A-9-7011 (JP, A) JP-A-9-326058 (JP, A) JP-A-8-7138 (JP, A) JP-A-9-7016 (JP, A) A) Tokuyohei 8-508357 (JP, A) International Publication 97/4421 (WO, A1) (58) Fields investigated (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G07B 15/00

Claims (6)

(57) [Claims] And 1. A detecting means for detecting position information indicating the location of the vehicle based on the detection result of said detecting means, before
Creating means for deciding a predetermined chargeable area based on the latitude and longitude and the shape belonging to the position information, generating charge information for the vehicle in the chargeable area , and creating a charge history of the generated charge information; A billing processing device for vehicle, comprising: a transmitting unit that transmits the billing history of the billing information generated by the generating unit to the ground side. 2. The creating means comprises a generating means for generating charging information for each of a plurality of charging target areas, and a storage means for sequentially storing each of the generated charging information as a charging history. The charge processing device for vehicle according to claim 1. 3. The charging processing device for vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the detecting means detects the position information by using a satellite signal from a satellite. 4. The creating means associates the predetermined map information with the position information, and the vehicle is placed in a predetermined chargeable area in the map information based on a correspondence result of the corresponding means. And at least an deciding means for deciding an entry state indicating whether or not has entered, and the billing information is generated based on a decision result of the deciding means. The charging processing device for vehicle according to any one of 1. 5. The vehicle-mounted communication, comprising: the on-vehicle charging processing device according to claim 1; wherein the transmitting means transmits a charging history in response to an input transmission request. A charging processing system, comprising: a means for requesting the transmission, and a processing means for roadside communication having a processing means for performing charging settlement processing in a predetermined processing area based on the transmitted charging history. 6. The charging processing system according to claim 5, wherein the roadside communication means further includes a changing means for changing a charging settlement amount based on a time until the arrival at the processing area.