JP4747246B2 - Toll fee charging system, in-vehicle device, and host computer system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a toll fee charging system, and more particularly to a toll fee billing system that automatically charges a toll on a toll road as a vehicle passes.

  As a toll fee charging system that automatically charges the toll to the vehicle, the toll is based on the on-board device installed in the vehicle, a credit card is inserted into this on-vehicle device, and communication with the roadside system performed at the charging gate. A method is known in which a frequency corresponding to is deducted from a credit card.

  However, in such a method, the driver has to purchase an expensive on-vehicle device, so the spread has not progressed as expected.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a toll fee charging system capable of reducing the cost of the vehicle-mounted device.

  Hereinafter, means for solving the problem will be described using the numbers and symbols used in the embodiments of the present invention. These numbers and symbols are added to clarify the correspondence between the description of [Claims] and the description of the [Embodiments of the Invention]. However, the added numbers and symbols should not be used for the interpretation of the technical scope of the invention described in [Claims].

  The toll charging system according to the present invention is provided on the road side of the charging area, detects the vehicle (2) that has entered the charging area, and at least the toll information and the toll payment settlement side toward the detected vehicle (2). The roadside device (6) for transmitting the billing information (a) including the address of the vehicle and the billing information (a) provided in the vehicle (2) and transmitted from the roadside device (6) are received and received. To the address based on the in-vehicle device (3) for outputting the instruction information to transmit the charging information (a) to the address included in the charged information, and the instruction information output from the on-vehicle device (3). A mobile phone (4) for transmitting the charging information (a), and a charging device (7) for receiving the charging information transmitted from the mobile phone (4) and performing a charging process for the vehicle. And In the toll system, information can be transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device (3) from the mobile phone (4), and bidirectional communication is performed between the vehicle-mounted device (3) and the roadside device (6). There is no need. For this reason, the onboard equipment (3) which does not need to perform bidirectional communication can be manufactured at low cost.

  The charging device (7) transmits the charging processing result (b) to the mobile phone (4) as a transmission source, and the mobile phone (4) transmits the charging processing result transmitted from the charging device (7). It is preferable to receive (a) and display or output the sound.

  The toll fee charging system according to the present invention includes an in-vehicle device (3) and a mobile phone (4) provided in a vehicle (2). The vehicle-mounted device (3) receives the charging information (a) including at least the toll information and the toll payment side address transmitted from the roadside device (6) provided on the roadside of the charging area. (12) and instruction means for outputting instruction information to the mobile phone (4) so as to transmit the charging information (a) to the address included in the charging information (a) received by the receiving means (12) (15). The mobile phone (4) transmits the charging information (a) to the designated address based on the instruction information output from the instruction means, and charges based on the transmitted charging information (a). The billing processing result (b) sent from the billing processing side (7) and received from the billing processing side (7) is received.

  It is preferable that the mobile phone (4) displays or outputs the received billing processing result (b).

  The vehicle-mounted device (35) according to the present invention includes a receiver (35a) for receiving the first information (37) from the roadside device (32), an interface (35c) for connecting to the mobile phone (36), and a first A calculator (35d) that generates second information (39) including at least a part of the information (37) and outputs the second information (39) to the mobile phone (36) via the interface (35c). And.

  The first information (37) indicates a road ID for identifying the roadside device (32) and a time when the vehicle (34) on which the vehicle-mounted device (35) is mounted passes through the roadside device (32). It is preferable to include the passage time.

  The computing unit (35d) generates the second information (39) by adding the plate number described in the license plate of the vehicle on which the vehicle-mounted device (35) is mounted to the first information (37).

  The vehicle-mounted device further includes a memory (35b) for storing the first information (37), and the computing unit (35d) determines whether the mobile phone (36) is connected to the interface (35c). It is preferable to monitor and output the second information (39) to the mobile phone (36) when the mobile phone (36) is connected to the interface (35c).

  The vehicle-mounted device further includes a visual output device (35e), and the computing device (35d) sends the second information (39) to the payment service center device (33) that performs the payment processing for charging the vehicle (34). ) Using the mobile phone (36), and after the second information (39) is transmitted, the first information (37) stored in the memory is erased, and the memory (35b) ), When the first information (37) is stored, it is preferable to cause the visual output device (35e) to output a visual output.

  The computing unit (35d) transmits the second information (39) using the mobile phone (36) to a payment service center device (33) for performing payment processing for charging the vehicle (34), and After transmitting the second information (39), it is monitored whether the settlement process is completed within a predetermined time. When the settlement process is not completed within the predetermined first time, the mobile phone (36) is used. The second information (39) is preferably transmitted again to the settlement service center device (33).

  The second information (39) is sent to the mobile phone (36) every time the first information (37) is received N times (N is a predetermined natural number of 2 or more) from the roadside device (32). It is preferably output.

  The vehicle-mounted device further includes an input means (35g) operated by a user, the computing unit (35d) is instructed by the input means (35g), and the mobile phone ( When 36) is connected, it is preferable to output the second information (39) to the mobile phone (36).

  It is preferable that the vehicle-mounted device further includes a light projector that projects light onto the roadside device (32) when the first information (37) is received.

  The host computer system for a toll charging system according to the present invention receives the second information (39) from the mobile phone (36) via the wireless telephone line and the third information (38) from the roadside device (32). And a host computer (33a) for performing a settlement process for charging the vehicle (34) that has passed through the roadside device (32) based on the second information (39) and the third information (38). I have.

  In the host computer system for the toll charging system, the second information (39) is the first license plate number of the vehicle 834) stored in the vehicle-mounted device (35) connected to the mobile phone (36). The third information (38) includes a second license plate number obtained by the roadside device (32) automatically recognizing a photographed image (57) of the license plate of the vehicle (34), and a host The computer (33a) preferably identifies the vehicle (34) using the first license plate number and the second license plate number.

  When the host computer (33a) does not transmit the second information (39) having the same first license plate number as the second license plate number from the mobile phone (36), the host computer (33a) The vehicle is identified using only the second license plate number of the two license plate numbers.

  The toll fee charging system host computer system further includes a visual confirmation terminal (33d) including a display device (33f), and the host computer (33a) captures the image from the roadside device (32). When the automatic recognition for receiving the image (57) and recognizing the second license plate number from the photographed image (57) has failed, the captured image (57) is displayed on the visual confirmation terminal (33d). The visual confirmation terminal (33d) preferably displays the captured image (57) on the display device (33f).

  The second information (39) includes a first license plate number of the vehicle (34) stored in an in-vehicle device (35) connected to the mobile phone (36), and first attached information, The third information (38) includes a second license plate number and second auxiliary information obtained by the roadside device (32) automatically recognizing a captured image of the license plate of the vehicle, and the host computer ( 33a) when the automatic recognition for recognizing the second license plate number from the photographed image (57) fails and the first attached information and the second attached information match, the first license plate Preferably, the vehicle (34) is identified using only the first license plate of the number and the second license plate number.

  It is preferable that the first attached information and the second attached information include an imaging ID that is changed every time the license plate of the vehicle (34) is photographed.

  Based on the third information (38), the host computer (33a) determines whether or not the payment process is being performed. When the payment process is not being performed, the host computer (33a) It is preferable to transmit a connection request (40a) prompting to connect the mobile phone (36) to the vehicle-mounted device (35) that has received the first information (37).

  The mobile phone according to the present invention is connected to the vehicle-mounted device (35) used for charging the toll, and the information (39) transmitted from the on-vehicle device (35) is used as the toll payment processing. Then, the data is transmitted to the host computer (33a) that performs the above process through a wireless telephone line.

  According to the mobile phone operating method of the present invention, the information (39) is received from the vehicle-mounted device (35) used for charging the toll, and the information (39) is subjected to the toll payment processing. And transmitting to the host computer (33a) through a wireless telephone line.

  According to the present invention, a toll fee billing system capable of reducing the cost of the vehicle-mounted device is provided.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing a configuration example of a toll fee charging system according to the first embodiment. The toll fee charging system according to the first embodiment includes an in-vehicle device 3 and a mobile phone 4 mounted on a vehicle 2, and a roadside device 6 and a settlement service center device 7 provided on the roadside.

  The charging area such as a toll road is provided with at least one of a camera (not shown) for detecting the vehicle 2, a VPD, a laser VPD, a footboard, a loop coil, and the like. When the vehicle 2 enters such a billing area, any one of a camera, a VPD, a laser VPD, a footboard, a loop coil, etc. (not shown) provided in the billing area detects it. Based on the recognition information, the roadside device 6 installed on the roadside encrypts the billing information a such as the address (telephone number) and fee of the settlement service center device 7 by narrow area communication, and stores it in the vehicle-mounted device 3 of this vehicle. Send. Specific methods for such narrow-area communication include DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communication), optical beacon, radio wave beacon, Bluetooth, and the like.

  FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the vehicle-mounted device 3. The vehicle-mounted device 3 includes a narrow area receiver 12, a CPU 13, a memory 14, and an interface (I / F) 15.

  The narrow area receiver 12 receives the charging information a transmitted from the roadside device 6 and transfers the received charging information a to the CPU 13. The vehicle-mounted device 3 and the mobile phone 4 do not decrypt the billing information a transmitted from the roadside device 6.

  The CPU 13 stores the billing information a transferred from the narrow area receiver 12 in the memory 14. Further, based on the billing information a, the I / F 15 is caused to make a settlement request telephone call from the mobile phone 4 to the settlement service center apparatus 7.

  The I / F 15 automatically dials the mobile phone 4 to the address of the settlement service center device 7 based on an instruction from the CPU 13.

  When the plate number information described in the license plate of the vehicle 2 is encrypted and registered in the vehicle-mounted device 3 configured as described above, and the billing information a is transmitted from the roadside device 6, this billing information This encrypted plate number information may be added to a. In this case, since the plate number information is encrypted, it cannot be read or altered by a third party.

  The cellular phone 4 is automatically dialed by the I / F 15. When auto-dialing to the settlement service center device 7, the billing information a is transmitted to the settlement service center device 7 via a wireless telephone line. Also, the accounting processing result b transmitted from the settlement service center device 7 is received and output as character data or voice data.

  The settlement service center device 7 decrypts the billing information a transmitted from the mobile phone 4 of the vehicle 2 and first authenticates whether or not it matches the information recognized by the roadside device 6 based on this content. When the recognition information c recognized by the roadside device 6 and the transmitted billing information a are mutually authenticated, the billing process of the transmission source vehicle 2 is performed. Then, the accounting process result b is sent back to the mobile phone 4 of the transmission source vehicle 2 via the wireless telephone line.

  In addition, as a connection method between the vehicle-mounted device 3 and the mobile phone 4, as shown in FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B, a wired connection using a PDC cable, a USB cable, or the like is used, as shown in FIG. Also, as shown in FIG. 3 (d), wirelessly using Bluetooth, infrared rays, or the like, or as shown in FIG. 3 (e), the cellular phone 4 is integrated directly into the vehicle-mounted device 3 or the vehicle 2. The method is not limited.

  As a modified example of the configuration of the vehicle-mounted device 3 and the mobile phone 4, as shown in FIG. 4, a substrate 16 having the function of the mobile phone 4 may be built in the vehicle-mounted device 3.

  Next, the operation of the toll charging system according to the present embodiment configured as described above will be described with reference to the data flow diagram shown in FIG. 5 and the flowchart shown in FIG.

  When the vehicle 2 traveling on the road enters the charging area, it is detected by any one of a camera (not shown), VPD, laser VPD, tread board, loop coil, etc. provided in the charging area. Further, the license plate is recognized by a camera, an electronic license plate (vehicle radio tag) reader, or the like installed on the roadside. Based on the recognition information c, the encrypted billing information a is transmitted from the roadside device 6 to the vehicle-mounted device 3 of the vehicle 2 by narrow area communication. The recognition information c is transmitted to the settlement service center device 7 (S1).

  The transmitted billing information a is received by the narrow area receiver 12 of the vehicle-mounted device 3 and further transferred to the CPU 13. Then, the CPU 13 determines whether to reject or accept the charging information a based on the charging information a transferred from the narrow area receiver 12 (S2). The case of refusal (S2: No) is, for example, a case where the fee is different (a case where a fee for a large vehicle is charged even though it is a normal vehicle). If there is no contradiction in the billing information a (S2: Yes), the billing information a is accepted and stored in the memory 14, and the mobile phone 4 uses the payment specified by the billing information a by the I / F 15. Auto dialing is performed to the address (telephone number) of the service center device 7 (S3).

  When the mobile phone 4 auto-dials to the settlement service center apparatus 7, the billing information a is transmitted to the settlement service center apparatus 7 using the wireless telephone line (S4).

  In the payment service center device 7, the billing information a transmitted from the mobile phone 4 of the vehicle 2 is decrypted, and based on this content, authentication with the recognition information c recognized by the roadside device 6 is performed. And if authentication is made, the fee-charging process of the vehicle 2 of a transmission source will be performed (S5). The billing process result b is returned from the settlement service center device 7 to the mobile phone 4 of the transmission source vehicle 2 using a wireless telephone line (S6).

  The billing process result b transmitted from the settlement service center device 7 is received by the mobile phone 4 and is output as character data on the display screen of the mobile phone 4 or is output as audio data from the speaker of the mobile phone 4. (S7).

  The charging process result b as described in step S6 is not limited to the case of returning to the mobile phone 4, and the driver can voluntarily access the payment service center device 7 and check the charging process result b. . It is also possible to transfer the billing process result b received by the mobile phone 4 to the vehicle-mounted device 3 so that the vehicle-mounted device 3 displays or outputs the sound.

  As described above, the toll fee charging system according to the present embodiment includes the vehicle-mounted device 3 that communicates with the roadside device 6 due to the above-described operation. Can be measured, and the vehicle type can be identified, so the correct toll can be presented.

  Communication between the roadside device 6 provided on the roadside and the vehicle-mounted device 3 is only a downlink from the roadside device 6 to the vehicle-mounted device 3 side, and is limited to narrow area communication. The vehicle-mounted device 3 that does not communicate with the roadside device 6 can reduce the cost.

  Further, when the on-vehicle device 3 transmits the billing information a received from the roadside device 6 to the settlement service center device 7, it can be performed by automatically dialing the mobile phone 4. As a result, the driver does not need to call the mobile phone 4 during driving, and safety during driving can be improved.

(Second Embodiment)
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  In the second embodiment of the present invention, only the configuration in which the IC card 21 is applied to the mobile phone 4 in the configuration of the toll charging system according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. Different.

  Therefore, here, only different configurations will be described with reference to FIG. 7, description on the same part will be omitted, and redundant description will be avoided.

  FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram of the vehicle-mounted device 3 and the mobile phone 4 applied to the toll fee charging system according to the present embodiment. That is, the mobile phone 4 includes a transceiver 19, a CPU 20, and an IC card 21.

  The transmitter / receiver 19 transmits / receives data between the vehicle-mounted device 3 and the settlement service center device 7 in addition to performing a normal call. When data transmission / reception is performed, it is performed in cooperation with the CPU 20. When data is received from the vehicle-mounted device 3, the received data is output to the CPU 20, while the data is received from the CPU 20 and the received data is received. It is transmitted to the settlement service center device 7.

  The CPU 20 writes data to the IC card 21 and reads data written to the IC card 21 based on the data received by the transceiver 19. When the transmitter / receiver 19 transmits data, the necessary data is passed to the transmitter / receiver 19.

  The IC card 21 is a data-writable storage medium and is configured to be detachable from the mobile phone 4. In this IC card 21, a frequency corresponding to a toll road charge is written. And when paying tolls such as toll roads, the account is settled by reducing the frequency corresponding to the toll. Such an IC card 21 can be purchased at a predetermined facility such as a gas station or a service area by paying a fee, in which the frequency corresponding to the fee is written. In addition, it is possible to pay a fee at a predetermined facility and add the frequency corresponding to the fee.

  The data flow diagram shown in FIG. 8 and the operation when the auto dial request is made from the I / F 15 to the mobile phone 4 provided with the transceiver 19, the CPU 20, and the IC card 21 in this way, and FIG. It demonstrates using the flowchart shown in FIG. Steps S11 and S12 shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 are the same as steps S1 and S2 shown in FIGS.

  When there is no contradiction in the billing information a (S12: Yes), an automatic dial request is made from the I / F 15 to the mobile phone 4. This auto-dial request is received by the transceiver 19 (S13). When the auto-dial request is received by the transceiver 19, the CPU 20 confirms the remaining frequency of the IC card 21 and outputs the confirmation result to the transceiver 19. Then, the transmitter / receiver 19 dials the settlement service center device 7 using the wireless telephone line, and transmits the billing information a and the remaining frequency information d of the IC card 21 (S14).

  The settlement service center device 7 decrypts the billing information a transmitted from the mobile phone 4, and based on this content, first, it is authenticated whether or not it matches the recognition information c transmitted from the roadside device 6. If the charge can be collected from the remaining frequency of the IC card 21, the accounting process result b is returned to the transmitter / receiver 19 of the transmission source mobile phone 4 so as to deduct the frequency corresponding to the charge (S15). .

  If the remaining frequency of the IC card 21 is small and a fee cannot be collected, the charging process for the transmission source vehicle 2 is performed as described in the first embodiment. Then, the billing process result b is returned to the mobile phone 4 of the transmission source vehicle 2 using a wireless telephone line (see S6).

  The accounting process result b returned from the settlement service center device 7 in step S15 is received by the transceiver 19. Then, the CPU 20 subtracts the frequency corresponding to the charge from the remaining frequency of the IC card 21 based on the charging processing result b, and writes the new frequency to the IC card 21 (S16). Further, the frequency newly written in the IC card 21 is transmitted from the transceiver 19 to the settlement service center device 7 as withdrawal result information e (S17).

  When the settlement service center device 7 receives the withdrawal result information e transmitted from the transceiver 19, the settlement service center device 7 recognizes the completion of the settlement (S18).

  As described above, since the toll fee charging system according to the present embodiment is configured as described above, the operational effects obtained in the first embodiment can also be obtained by using the IC card 21. , Can be played in the same way.

(Third embodiment)
In the third embodiment, a toll billing system specialized for road pricing is provided. In the third embodiment, in particular, information sent from the roadside device to the vehicle-mounted device, information sent from the roadside device to the payment service center device, and information sent from the vehicle-mounted device to the payment service center device via the wireless telephone line are included. The content is specific to road pricing.

  As shown in FIG. 10, in the toll fee charging system according to the third embodiment, a roadside device 32 is provided at a boundary 31a of a charging area 31 that is a target area for road pricing. The roadside device 32 is provided on all roads for entering the billing area 31. Each of the roadside devices 32 is given a different ID number (hereinafter referred to as “road ID”) in order to identify the roadside device 32. The roadside device 32 is connected to a settlement service center device 33 for performing billing processing.

  The vehicle 34 entering the billing area 31 is obliged to mount the vehicle-mounted device 35 in order to receive information sent from the roadside device 32. However, the vehicle-mounted device 35 is not provided with a function for transmitting to the roadside device 32. Instead, the vehicle-mounted device 35 is provided with a function of connecting to the mobile phone 36, and the vehicle-mounted device 35 uses the mobile phone 36 to communicate with the settlement service center device 33. Similarly to the first embodiment, the on-vehicle device 35 does not have a communication function from the on-vehicle device 35 to the roadside device 32, so that the price of the on-vehicle device 35 is reduced.

  FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram of the toll fee charging system according to the third embodiment. The roadside device 32 includes a camera 41, an antenna 42, and a roadside control device 43. The camera 41 detects a vehicle 34 that passes through the roadside device 32 and enters the billing area 31. When the camera 41 detects the vehicle 34, the camera 41 photographs the license plate of the vehicle 34. The antenna 42 is used for wireless communication to the vehicle-mounted device 35 mounted on the vehicle 34 entering the billing area 31. The roadside control device 43 controls the camera 41 and the antenna 42.

  The roadside control device 43 includes a clock device 43a, a memory 43b, an interface 43c, and a CPU 43d. The clock device 43a generates a time signal indicating the current time. The memory 43b stores the road ID given to the roadside device 32. The interface 43c provides a communication function from the roadside device 32 to the settlement service center device 33. The CPU 43d performs arithmetic processing in the roadside device 32 and overall control of the roadside device 32.

  When the roadside control device 43 having such a configuration detects that the vehicle 34 has entered the charging area 31 by the camera 41, the road ID of the roadside device 32 through which the vehicle 34 has passed and the vehicle 34 has passed through the roadside device 32. Billing information 37 indicating the passage time and the charge imposed on the vehicle 34 is generated and transmitted to the vehicle-mounted device 35 of the vehicle 34 by wireless communication. The billing information 37 is generated as follows. When the camera 41 detects that the vehicle 34 has entered the billing area 31, the CPU 43 d refers to the time signal generated by the timepiece device 43 a and specifies the passage time when the vehicle 34 has passed the roadside device 32. Further, the CPU 43d identifies the vehicle type of the vehicle 34 from the captured image of the vehicle 34 and determines a fee charged to the vehicle 34. Information obtained from other sensors such as treads and photoelectric sensors can be used in combination for specifying the vehicle type of the vehicle 34. Further, the CPU 43d reads the road ID from the memory 43b, and generates billing information 37 indicating the read road ID, passage time, and fee.

  Further, the roadside control device 43 transmits recognition information 38 indicating the road ID of the roadside device 32 through which the vehicle 34 has passed, the passage time, and the plate number written on the license plate of the vehicle 34 to the settlement service center device 33. . The generation of the recognition information 38 is performed as follows. When the camera 41 detects that the vehicle 34 has entered the charging area 31, the camera 41 images the license plate of the vehicle 34. The CPU 43 d of the roadside control device 43 specifies the plate number described in the license plate of the vehicle 34 from the captured image of the license plate of the vehicle 34. Subsequently, the CPU 43d generates recognition information 38 indicating the identified plate number, the above-described road ID, and the passage time.

  The in-vehicle device 35 includes a narrow area receiver 35a, a memory 35b, an interface 35c, and a CPU 35d. The narrow area receiver 35 a receives the billing information 37 from the roadside device 34. The memory 35b stores the billing information 37 received by the narrow area receiver 35a. The above-mentioned route ID, passage time, and fee are stored in the memory 35b. Furthermore, the memory 35b stores the plate number of the license plate of the vehicle 34 on which the vehicle-mounted device 35 is mounted. The interface 35 c is used for transmitting information from the vehicle-mounted device 35 to the mobile phone 36. Further, the interface 35 c is used as a control port for controlling the mobile phone 36 by the CPU 35 d of the vehicle-mounted device 35. The CPU 35d controls the entire vehicle-mounted device 35, and further executes a calculation performed by the vehicle-mounted device 35. Further, the CPU 35d controls the mobile phone 36 via the interface 35c.

  The vehicle-mounted device 35 having such a configuration generates billing information 39 by adding the plate number stored in the memory 35b to the billing information 37 described above. The vehicle-mounted device 35 transmits the generated billing information 39 to the settlement service center device 33 via the wireless telephone line using the mobile phone 36.

  The settlement service center device 33 includes a host computer 33a. The host computer 33a receives the billing information 39 transmitted from the mobile phone 36, further receives the recognition information 38 sent from the roadside device 32, and stores it in the passing vehicle database 33b. Further, information indicating whether or not the charge for the entry of the vehicle 34 into the charge area 31 has been settled is registered in the passing vehicle database 33b.

  The host computer 33a authenticates whether the contents of the billing information 39 transmitted from the mobile phone 36 and the contents of the recognition information 38 transmitted from the roadside device 32 match. When the contents of the recognition information 38 and the billing information 39 match, the host computer 33a performs billing processing for the vehicle 34. The charging for the entry into the charging area 31 is settled by the charging process. Further, the host computer 33a sends back to the mobile phone charging process result information 40 indicating the result of the charging process via the wireless telephone line.

  The operation of the toll fee charging system of the third embodiment is substantially the same as that of the first embodiment. When the vehicle 34 enters the charging area 31, the camera 41 of the roadside device 32 detects that the vehicle 34 has entered the charging area 31. When the entry of the vehicle 34 into the billing area 31 is detected, the CPU 43d of the roadside control device 43 uses the timepiece device 43a to identify the passing time when the vehicle 34 passes the roadside device 32. Further, the CPU 43d determines the type of the vehicle 34 and determines a fee charged to the vehicle 34. The CPU 43d generates charging information 37 indicating its own road ID, passage time, and fee. The generated billing information 37 is transmitted by the antenna 42 to the vehicle-mounted device 35 mounted on the vehicle 34.

  Further, the CPU 43 d of the roadside control device 43 specifies the plate number described on the license plate of the vehicle 34 from the captured image of the license plate of the vehicle 34 photographed by the camera 41. CPU43d produces | generates the recognition information 38 which shows the above-mentioned road ID, passage time, and the specified plate number. The generated recognition information 38 is transmitted to the settlement service center device 33 through the interface 43c.

  The narrow area receiver 35 a of the vehicle-mounted device 35 receives the billing information 37 from the antenna 42 of the roadside device 32. When the billing information 37 is received, the CPU 35d of the vehicle-mounted device 35 determines whether to refuse or accept the billing information 37. The CPU 35d charges the billing information 37 when there is a contradiction in the billing information 37, as in the case where the fee shown in the billing information 37 is a large vehicle fee, even though the vehicle 33 is a normal vehicle. Reject 37. When there is no contradiction in the charging information 37, the CPU 35d accepts the received charging information 37 and stores it in the memory 35b.

  Further, the CPU 35d controls the mobile phone 36 via the interface 35c and causes the mobile phone 36 to call the settlement service center device 33.

  When the wireless telephone line from the mobile phone 36 to the settlement service center device 33 is established, the CPU 35d reads the plate number of the vehicle 33 stored in the memory 35b and adds the read plate number to the billing information 37. The billing information 39 is generated. The CPU 35d transmits the generated billing information 39 to the settlement service center device 33 via the established wireless telephone line.

  The settlement service center device 33 determines whether or not the contents of the billing information 39 transmitted from the mobile phone 36 and the recognition information 38 transmitted from the roadside device 32 match. If the contents of the charging information 39 and the recognition information 38 transmitted from the roadside device 32 match, charging processing for the vehicle 33 is performed. Billing process result information 40 indicating the result of the billing process is returned from the settlement service center device 33 to the mobile phone 36 of the vehicle 33 via the established radio telephone line.

  The accounting process result information 40 is output as character data on the display screen of the mobile phone 36 or is output as audio data from the speaker of the mobile phone 36. This completes the billing settlement process for the vehicle 33.

  In the third embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the communication between the roadside device 32 and the vehicle-mounted device 35 is only the downlink from the roadside device 32 to the vehicle-mounted device 35. The vehicle-mounted device 35 that does not communicate with the roadside device 32 can be manufactured at a low cost. Thus, in the third embodiment, cost reduction of the vehicle-mounted device 35 suitable for road pricing is achieved.

(Fourth embodiment)
In the fourth embodiment, in order to eliminate the necessity of always connecting the vehicle-mounted device 35 and the mobile phone 36, the operation of the vehicle-mounted device 35 and the mobile phone 36 of the toll fee charging system of the third embodiment is performed. It has been improved. It is not preferable to always connect the mobile phone 36 to the vehicle-mounted device 35 because the convenience of the mobile phone 36 is reduced. Further, the user may forget to connect the mobile phone 36 to the vehicle-mounted device 35. For this reason, the toll fee charging system according to the fourth embodiment performs an operation that eliminates the necessity of always connecting the vehicle-mounted device 35 and the mobile phone 36.

  FIG. 12 is a functional block diagram of the toll fee charging system according to the fourth embodiment. In the toll charge system of the fourth embodiment, a display LED 35e is added to the vehicle-mounted device 35. The display LED 35e is used to prompt the user to connect the mobile phone 36 to the vehicle-mounted device 35 when the mobile phone 36 is not connected to the vehicle-mounted device 35. The display LED 35e is turned on or off under the control of the CPU 35d.

  In the fourth embodiment, when the mobile phone 36 is not connected to the vehicle-mounted device 35, billing information 37 is stored in the memory 35b. When the billing information 37 is stored in the memory 35b, the CPU 35d lights the display LED 35e and prompts the user to connect the mobile phone 36 to the vehicle-mounted device 35. When the mobile phone 36 is connected to the vehicle-mounted device 35 with the charging information 37 stored in the memory 35b, the generation of the charging information 39 and the transmission of the charging information 39 to the settlement service center device 33 are performed. Is called.

  FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the operation of the vehicle-mounted device 35 when the vehicle 34 enters the billing area 31 in the fourth embodiment.

  When the roadside device 32 detects that the vehicle 34 has entered the charging area 31, the roadside device 32 generates charging information 37 and transmits it to the vehicle-mounted device 35 of the vehicle 34 by wireless communication. Similar to the third embodiment, the charging information 37 includes the road ID of the roadside device 32 through which the vehicle 34 has passed, the passage time at which the vehicle 34 has passed through the roadside device 32, and the charge imposed on the vehicle 34. It is shown.

  The vehicle-mounted device 35 receives the billing information 37 by the narrow area receiver 35a (S21). When the charging information 37 is received, the CPU 35d of the in-vehicle device 35 determines whether to reject or accept the charging information 37 (step S22).

  The CPU 35d charges the billing information 37 when there is a contradiction in the billing information 37, as in the case where the fee shown in the billing information 37 is a large vehicle fee, even though the vehicle 33 is a normal vehicle. Reject 37. When there is no contradiction in the charging information 37, the CPU 35d accepts the received charging information 37 and stores it in the memory 35b (step S23). When there is a contradiction in the billing information 37, the CPU 35d rejects the billing information 37 and discards it (end).

  The operation of the vehicle-mounted device 35 when the vehicle 34 enters the billing area 31 ends here. The reception of the billing information 37 and the transmission of the billing information 39 to the settlement service center 33 are not performed in a series of operations.

  On the other hand, the CPU 35d of the vehicle-mounted device 35 generates billing information 39 from the received billing information 37 and transmits the billing information 39 to the settlement service center 33 in order to perform billing settlement as follows. Do.

  As shown in FIG. 14, the CPU 35d of the vehicle-mounted device 35 monitors whether or not the billing information 37 is stored in the memory 35b (step S31). When the billing information 37 is stored in the memory 35b, the CPU 35d lights the display LED 35e and requests the user to connect the mobile phone 36 to the vehicle-mounted device 35 (step S32).

  Further, the CPU 35d monitors whether or not the mobile phone 36 is connected to the vehicle-mounted device 35 (step S33). When the mobile phone 36 is not connected to the vehicle-mounted device 35 (step S33: NO), the display LED 35e is kept on until the mobile phone 36 is connected to the vehicle-mounted device 35 (step S32).

  When the mobile phone 36 is connected to the vehicle-mounted device 35, a billing settlement process imposed on the vehicle 34 is performed (step S34).

  More specifically, the CPU 35d of the vehicle-mounted device 35 controls the mobile phone 36 via the interface 35c and causes the mobile phone 36 to call the settlement service center device 33. When the wireless telephone line from the mobile phone 36 to the settlement service center device 33 is established, the CPU 35d reads the plate number of the vehicle 33 stored in the memory 35b and adds the read plate number to the billing information 37. The billing information 39 is generated. The CPU 35d transmits the generated billing information 39 to the settlement service center device 33 via the established wireless telephone line.

  The settlement service center device 33 determines whether or not the contents of the billing information 39 transmitted from the mobile phone 36 and the recognition information 38 transmitted from the roadside device 32 match. If the contents of the charging information 39 and the recognition information 38 transmitted from the roadside device 32 match, charging processing for the vehicle 33 is performed. Billing process result information 40 indicating the result of the billing process is returned from the settlement service center device 33 to the mobile phone 36 of the vehicle 34 via the established radio telephone line.

  The accounting process result information 40 is output as character data on the display screen of the mobile phone 36 or is output as audio data from the speaker of the mobile phone 36. This completes the billing settlement process for the vehicle 33.

  When the billing settlement process for the vehicle 33 is completed, the CPU 35d turns off the display LED 35e and further erases the billing information 37 for which the settlement process has been performed from the memory 35b (step S35).

  In the toll fee charging system according to the fourth embodiment, charging information 37 is stored in the memory 35b until the mobile phone 36 is connected to the vehicle-mounted device 35. In the fourth embodiment, the vehicle-mounted device 35 and the mobile phone 36 do not need to be connected at all times, and convenience for the user is improved.

(Fifth embodiment)
In the toll fee charging system according to the fifth embodiment, an operation corresponding to the accidental disconnection of the wireless telephone line during communication from the mobile phone 36 to the settlement service center device 33 is performed. For this reason, among the operations of the vehicle-mounted device 35, the operation for transmitting the billing information 39 to the settlement service center 33 is changed as shown in FIG.

  The CPU 35d of the vehicle-mounted device 35 monitors whether or not the billing information 37 is accumulated in the memory 35b as in the fourth embodiment (step S41). When the billing information 37 is stored in the memory 35b, the CPU 35d lights the display LED 35e and requests the user to connect the mobile phone 36 to the vehicle-mounted device 35 (step S42).

  Further, the CPU 35d monitors whether or not the mobile phone 36 is connected to the vehicle-mounted device 35 (step S43). When the mobile phone 36 is not connected to the vehicle-mounted device 35 (step S43: NO), the display LED 35e is kept on until the mobile phone 36 is connected to the vehicle-mounted device 35 (step S42).

  When the mobile phone 36 is connected to the vehicle-mounted device 35, a billing settlement process imposed on the vehicle 34 is performed (step S44). The settlement process in step S44 is performed in the same process as step S34 in the fourth embodiment. When the wireless telephone line from the mobile phone 36 to the settlement service center 33 is interrupted, the settlement process is interrupted and is not completed.

CPU35d the settlement processing is started in step S44, the predetermined time _{T 1} is the elapsed time, confirms whether the settlement process has been completed (step S45). If the settlement processing is not completed, CPU35d, after waiting the predetermined time _{T 2} (step S46), again, to retry the settlement process in step S44. The retry is repeated until the settlement process is completed.

  When the billing settlement process for the vehicle 33 is completed, the CPU 35d turns off the display LED 35e, and further erases the billing information 37 for which the settlement process has been performed from the memory 35b (step S47).

  In the fifth embodiment, when the wireless telephone line is accidentally cut off during communication from the mobile phone 36 to the settlement service center device 33, a retry is automatically performed, and a reliable settlement process is executed. Has been.

(Sixth embodiment)
In the sixth embodiment, the mobile phone 36 makes a call to the payment service center device 33 only after the vehicle 34 has entered the billing area 31 N times, and the mobile phone 36 calls the payment service center device 33. The number of calls has been reduced. By reducing the number of calls from the mobile phone 36 to the settlement service center device 33, communication costs imposed on the user can be suppressed.

  In order to execute such an operation, as shown in FIG. 16, in the sixth embodiment, a charging counter 35f is added to the vehicle-mounted device 35. The charging counter 35f indicates the number of charging information 37 stored in the memory 35b. With reference to this billing counter 35f, the CPUd of the vehicle-mounted device 35 determines whether or not to make a call from the mobile phone 36 to the settlement service center device 33.

  FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing the operation of the vehicle-mounted device 35 when the vehicle 34 enters the billing area 31 in the sixth embodiment.

Similarly to the fourth embodiment, the vehicle-mounted device 35 receives the billing information 37 by the narrow area receiver 35a (S21). When the charging information 37 is received, the CPU 35d of the in-vehicle device 35 determines whether to reject or accept the charging information 37 (step S22).
When there is a contradiction in the billing information 37, the CPU 35d rejects the billing information 37 and discards it (end). When there is no contradiction in the charging information 37, the CPU 35d accepts the received charging information 37 and stores it in the memory 35b (step S23).

  Subsequent to storing the charging information 37 in the memory 35b, the CPU 35d increments the counter value stored in the charging counter 35f by 1 (step S24). The counter value stored in the billing counter 35f matches the number of billing information 37 stored in the memory 35b.

  Thus, the operation of the vehicle-mounted device 35 when the vehicle 34 enters the billing area 31 is completed.

  On the other hand, the CPU 35d of the vehicle-mounted device 35 transmits the billing information 39 to the settlement service center 33 while referring to the counter value stored in the billing counter 35f.

  As shown in FIG. 18, the CPU 35d of the vehicle-mounted device 35 monitors whether or not the counter value stored in the charging counter 35f is equal to or greater than N (step S51). When the counter value is smaller than N, the CPU 35d does nothing (end).

On the other hand, if the counter value is greater than or equal to N, the CPU 35d requests the user to turn on the display LED 35e and connect the mobile phone 36 to the vehicle-mounted device 35 as in the fifth embodiment (step S52). ). When the mobile phone 36 is connected to the vehicle-mounted device 35, a billing settlement process imposed on the vehicle 34 is performed (step S44). The settlement process in step S44 is performed in the same process as step S34 in the fourth embodiment. Blocked radio telephone from the cellular phone 36 to the settlement service center 33, when the settlement process is not complete, as in the fifth embodiment, CPU35d, after waiting the predetermined time T ₂ (step S46) Again, the settlement process in step S44 is retried. The retry is repeated until the settlement process is completed.

  When the billing settlement process for the vehicle 33 is completed, the CPU 35d turns off the display LED 35e, and further erases the billing information 37 for which the settlement process has been performed from the memory 35b (step S47). Further, the CPU 35d clears the charging counter 35f and returns the counter value stored in the charging counter 35f to zero.

  In the sixth embodiment, the mobile phone 36 makes a call from the mobile phone 36 to the payment service center device 33 only after the vehicle 34 has entered the billing area 31 N times. The number of calls to 33 is reduced. Reduction of the number of calls is preferable for the user in that the communication cost can be suppressed.

(Seventh embodiment)
As shown in FIG. 19, in the seventh embodiment, in order to prompt the user to connect the mobile phone 36 to the vehicle-mounted device 35, a connection request e-mail 40a is sent from the settlement service center device 33 to the mobile phone 36. Sent to. A vehicle registration database 33 c is prepared in the host computer 33 a of the settlement service center device 33 in order to transmit the connection request electronic mail 40 a. In the vehicle registration database 33c, the plate number described in the license plate of the vehicle 34 and the e-mail address of the mobile phone 36 are registered in a one-to-one correspondence. Using this vehicle registration database 33c, a connection request e-mail 40a is transmitted to the mobile phone 36.

  The process by which the connection request email 40a is transmitted to the mobile phone 36 will be described in more detail.

  When the vehicle 34 enters the charging area 31, the roadside device 32 detects the entry of the vehicle 34. Furthermore, the roadside device 32 images the license plate of the vehicle 34 using the camera 41 and specifies the plate number of the vehicle 34 from the captured image of the license plate. The roadside device 32 transmits recognition information 38 indicating its own road ID, the passing time when the vehicle 34 has passed the roadside device 32, and the identified plate number to the settlement service center device 33. The host computer 33a of the settlement service center device 33 receives the recognition information 38 and registers it in the passing vehicle database 33b. At this time, since the payment related to the entry of the vehicle 34 into the charging area 31 is not performed, the host computer 33a registers information indicating that the payment is not performed in the passing vehicle database 33b.

  After that, when the billing information 39 is sent from the mobile phone 36 connected to the vehicle-mounted device 35 of the vehicle 34, the settlement is performed, but when the billing information 39 is not sent, the settlement is not performed. .

  The host computer 33a periodically searches the passing vehicle database 33b and extracts the plate numbers of the vehicles 34 registered in the passing vehicle database 33 that have not been settled. Further, the host computer 33a searches the vehicle registration database 33c using the extracted plate number as a search key, and acquires the e-mail address of the mobile phone 36 to be connected to the vehicle-mounted device 35 of the vehicle 34 that has not been settled. . The host computer 33a transmits a connection request e-mail 40a using the acquired e-mail address.

  In the seventh embodiment, a connection request e-mail 40a that prompts the user to connect the mobile phone 36 to the vehicle-mounted device 35 is transmitted from the settlement service center device 33 to the mobile phone 36, thereby facilitating settlement. .

(Eighth embodiment)
The billing process should be performed after confirming the user's intention to pay the fee. Therefore, in the eighth embodiment, the in-vehicle device 35 is provided with a billing settlement process start button 35g for instructing transmission of billing information 39 from the mobile phone 36 to the settlement service center 33.

  FIG. 21 shows a process in which the vehicle-mounted device 35 transmits billing information 39 to the settlement service center 33. Similar to the fourth embodiment, the CPU 35d of the vehicle-mounted device 35 monitors whether or not the billing information 37 is stored in the memory 35b (step S31). When the billing information 37 is stored in the memory 35b, the CPU 35d lights the display LED 35e and requests the user to connect the mobile phone 36 to the vehicle-mounted device 35 (step S32).

  Further, the CPU 35d monitors whether or not the mobile phone 36 is connected to the vehicle-mounted device 35 (step S33). When the mobile phone 36 is not connected to the vehicle-mounted device 35 (step S33: NO), the display LED 35e is kept on until the mobile phone 36 is connected to the vehicle-mounted device 35 (step S32).

  Further, the CPU 35d monitors whether or not the charge settlement processing start button 35g has been pressed (step S36). Unless the charging settlement process start button 35g is pressed, the charging settlement process imposed on the vehicle 34 is not performed (step S36: NO).

  When the billing settlement process start button 35g is pressed, billing information 39 is transmitted to the settlement service center 33, and billing settlement processing imposed on the vehicle 34 is performed (step S34). When the billing settlement process for the vehicle 34 is completed, the CPU 35d turns off the display LED 35e, and deletes the billing information 37 for which the settlement process has been performed from the memory 35b (step S35).

  As described above, in the eighth embodiment, the accounting settlement processing start button 35g is provided on the vehicle-mounted device 35, and the accounting settlement processing imposed on the vehicle 34 is performed after confirming the user's intention to pay the fee.

(Ninth embodiment)
As described above, in the first to eighth embodiments, payment is performed using the vehicle-mounted device and the mobile phone. However, in reality, the mobile phone 36 is turned off or the user is in the mobile phone 36. It is possible that you do not own Furthermore, automatic recognition of the plate number based on the captured image of the license plate may fail if the license plate is dirty or damaged. In the ninth embodiment, countermeasures for these cases are taken, and charging processing is optimized.

  As shown in FIG. 22, in the ninth embodiment, the roadside device 32 picks up the license plate obtained by imaging the license plate in addition to the recognition information 38 indicating the road ID, the passage time, and the plate number. The image 57 is transmitted to the settlement service center device 33. The recognition information 38 and the license plate captured image 57 are associated with each other and stored in the vehicle passage database 33b of the center computer 33a.

  Furthermore, in the ninth embodiment, a terminal 33d for visual confirmation is added to the settlement service center 33. The visual confirmation terminal 33d includes an input device 33e, a display device 33f, and an arithmetic device 33g. The display device 33f displays a license plate captured image 57 of a vehicle for which automatic recognition has failed. The input device 33e is composed of, for example, a keyboard or a mouse, and is used for inputting a plate number confirmed by visual observation. The arithmetic device 33g controls the display of the license plate captured image 57 on the display device 33f, and processes the information received from the input device 33e.

  Hereinafter, the operation of the charging system according to the ninth embodiment will be described in more detail.

  As in the third embodiment, when the vehicle 34 enters the charging area 31, the camera 41 of the roadside device 32 detects that the vehicle 34 has entered the charging area 31. When the entry of the vehicle 34 into the billing area 31 is detected, the CPU 43d of the roadside control device 43 obtains billing information 37 indicating its own road ID, the passing time when the vehicle 34 passes the roadside device 32, and the charge. It is generated and transmitted to the vehicle-mounted device 35.

  Further, the CPU 43 d of the roadside control device 43 specifies the plate number described on the license plate of the vehicle 34 from the captured image of the license plate of the vehicle 34 captured by the camera 41 by automatic recognition. CPU43d produces | generates the recognition information 38 which shows the above-mentioned road ID, passage time, and the specified plate number, and transmits to the payment service center apparatus 33 using the interface 43c. Further, the CPU 43 d transmits the license plate captured image 57 to the settlement service center 33. The recognition information 38 and the license plate captured image 57 are associated with each other and stored in the vehicle passage database 33b. However, if the automatic recognition of the plate number fails, the CPU 43d does not insert the plate number into the recognition information 38.

  The narrow area receiver 35 a of the vehicle-mounted device 35 receives the billing information 37 from the antenna 42 of the roadside device 32. When the accounting information 37 is received, the CPU 35d of the vehicle-mounted device 35 reads the plate number stored in the memory 35b. The CPU 35 d adds the read plate number to the billing information 37 and generates billing information 39. The CPU 35d controls the mobile phone 36 to make a call to the settlement service center apparatus 33, and transmits the generated billing information 39 to the settlement service center apparatus 33 via a wireless telephone line.

  In the settlement service center device 33, billing processing is performed from the billing information 39 transmitted from the mobile phone 36 and the recognition information 38 transmitted from the roadside device 32. FIG. 23 shows the contents of the billing process performed in the ninth embodiment. The contents of the charging process are divided into the following three cases.

Case 1: When the charging information 39 is transmitted from the mobile phone 36 and the plate number is successfully recognized by automatic recognition. The host computer 33a receives the route ID and passage time indicated in the charging information 39 from the mobile phone 36. , And the plate number are compared with the road ID, passage time, and plate number indicated in the recognition information 38 transmitted from the roadside device 32. When the route ID, the passage time, and the plate number all match, the host computer 33a identifies the vehicle 34 from the matching plate number and performs a charging process.

  On the other hand, if any of the road ID, the passage time, and the plate number do not match, the host computer 33a sends the license plate captured image 57 received from the roadside device 32 to the visual confirmation terminal 33d. At the visual confirmation terminal 33d, the license plate captured image is displayed on the display device 33f, and the plate number is visually confirmed and a manual charging process is performed.

Case 2: Billing information 39 is not transmitted from the mobile phone 36, but the plate number obtained by automatic recognition is included in the recognition information 38 transmitted from the roadside device 32. In case 2, the power supply of the mobile phone 36 is It is assumed that the user is disconnected or the user does not have the mobile phone 36. In Case 2, the host computer 33a identifies the vehicle 34 from the plate number obtained by automatic recognition and performs billing processing.

Case 3: When the plate number by automatic recognition fails In this case, the host computer 33a sends the license plate captured image 57 received from the roadside device 32 to the visual confirmation terminal 33d. In the visual confirmation terminal 33d, the license plate captured image 57 is displayed on the display device 33f, and the plate number is visually confirmed and the billing process is performed manually.

  As described above, in the ninth embodiment, when the mobile phone 36 is turned off or the user does not have the mobile phone 36, the billing process is optimized when the automatic recognition of the plate number fails. It is illustrated.

(Tenth embodiment)
As described above, in the ninth embodiment, when the plate number by automatic recognition fails, the plate number is visually confirmed. In all cases where the plate number due to automatic recognition has failed, much effort is required to perform visual confirmation.

  In all cases where the plate number due to automatic recognition fails, visual confirmation is necessary because the time interval for updating the passage times described in the billing information 37 and the recognition information 38 is such that multiple vehicles 34 are on the roadside. This is because a situation occurs in which recognition information 38 having the same contents is associated with a plurality of license plate captured images 57 when the time interval passing through the device 32 is longer. Therefore, in the tenth embodiment, instead of the passage time, the charging information 37, 39 and the recognition information 38 include an imaging ID that is changed every time the license plate is captured, and the different license plate captured images 57 are displayed. On the other hand, it is guaranteed that the recognition information 38 including different imaging IDs is associated. Further, the visual work is reduced by utilizing the fact that the recognition information 38 including different imaging IDs is associated with different license plate captured images 57. Hereinafter, the charging information 37 and 39 and the recognition information 38 in which the imaging ID is included instead of the passage time are described as charging information 37 ′ and 39 ′ and recognition information 38 ′, respectively.

  FIG. 24 is a functional block diagram of a charging system according to the eleventh embodiment. In the eleventh embodiment, an imaging counter 43f that outputs an imaging ID is used instead of the clock device 43a. The imaging counter 43f changes the imaging ID to be output each time the camera 41 captures a license plate.

  When the roadside device 32 detects the entry of the vehicle 34 into the charging area 31, the roadside device 32 generates charging information 37 ′ indicating its own road ID, the imaging ID output by the imaging counter 43 f, and the charge imposed on the vehicle 34. To do. The roadside device 32 transmits the generated charging information 37 ′ to the vehicle-mounted device 35 of the vehicle 34. Furthermore, the roadside device 32 captures the license plate of the vehicle 34 and acquires a license plate captured image 57. Further, the roadside device 32 identifies the plate number from the license plate captured image 57, and generates recognition information 38 'indicating its own road ID, the imaging ID output by the imaging counter 43f, and the identified plate number. The roadside device 32 transmits the generated recognition information 38 ′ and the license plate captured image 57 to the settlement service center device 33. Further, after generating the recognition information 38 ', the imaging counter 43f changes the imaging ID to be output. The change of the imaging ID is completed before the next license plate of the vehicle 34 is imaged, whereby the recognition information 38 ′ having a different imaging ID is associated with a different license plate captured image.

  FIG. 25 shows the contents of the billing process performed in the tenth embodiment. In the tenth embodiment, the charging process when the plate number by automatic recognition fails is divided into two cases.

Case 3-1: Plate number by automatic recognition has failed, but charging information 39 is transmitted from the mobile phone 36 In this case, the plate number is indicated in the recognition information 38 transmitted from the roadside device 32. Absent. However, if there is recognition information 38 ′ that includes a road ID and an imaging ID that respectively match the road ID and imaging ID indicated in the billing information 39 ′ sent from the mobile phone 36, the vehicle 34 is on the roadside. The probability of passing through the device 32 is high.

  Therefore, when there is recognition information 38 ′ including a road ID and an imaging ID that match the road ID and the imaging ID indicated in the billing information 39 ′ sent from the mobile phone 36, the roadside device 32 is present. The host computer 33a of the settlement service center device 33 transmitted from the above identifies the vehicle 34 by the plate number indicated in the billing information 39 ′ and performs billing processing for the vehicle 34.

  On the other hand, if there is no recognition information 38 ′ that includes a road ID and an imaging ID that match the road ID and the imaging ID indicated in the billing information 39 ′ sent from the mobile phone 36, the host computer 33a. Sends the license plate captured image received from the roadside device 32 to the visual confirmation terminal 33d. At the visual confirmation terminal 33d, the license plate captured image is displayed on the display device 33f, and the plate number is visually confirmed and a manual charging process is performed.

Case 3-2: When the plate number by automatic recognition fails and the billing information 39 is not transmitted from the mobile phone 36 The host computer 33a visually confirms the license plate captured image received from the roadside device 32 33d Send to. At the visual confirmation terminal 33d, the license plate captured image is displayed on the display device 33f, and the plate number is visually confirmed and a manual charging process is performed.

  In the tenth embodiment, there is recognition information 38 ′ including a road ID and an imaging ID that match the road ID and the imaging ID indicated in the billing information 39 ′ sent from the mobile phone 36, respectively. In some cases, the visual work is not performed and the visual work is reduced.

(Eleventh embodiment)
In the eleventh embodiment, the in-vehicle device 35 is provided with a projector that projects light toward the camera 41 of the roadside device 32 in order to ensure the visual work.

  FIG. 26 is a functional block diagram of the toll fee charging system according to the eleventh embodiment. The in-vehicle device 35 is provided with an identification LED 35 e as a projector that projects light toward the camera 41. The identification LED 35e is turned on or off under the control of the CPU 35d. Other configurations of the toll fee charging system according to the eleventh embodiment are the same as those of the ninth embodiment.

  Next, the operation of the toll fee charging system according to the eleventh embodiment will be described.

  When the vehicle 34 enters the charging area 31, the camera 41 of the roadside device 32 detects that the vehicle 34 has entered the charging area 31. When the entry of the vehicle 34 into the billing area 31 is detected, the CPU 43d of the roadside control device 43 obtains billing information 37 indicating its own road ID, the passing time when the vehicle 34 passes the roadside device 32, and the charge. Generated and transmitted to the vehicle-mounted device 35 using the antenna 42.

  When the accounting information 37 is received by the narrow area receiver 35a, the CPU 35d of the vehicle-mounted device 35 lights the identification LED 35e. The identification LED 35e projects toward the camera 41 of the roadside device 32.

  Subsequently, the roadside device 32 images the license plate of the vehicle 34 using the camera 41. At this time, the light output to the camera 41 by the identification LED 35e is copied to the license plate captured image 57. The roadside device 32 generates recognition information 38 indicating the above-described road ID, passage time, and plate number specified by automatic recognition, and transmits it to the settlement service center device 33 together with the license plate captured image 57. The recognition information 38 and the license plate captured image 57 are associated with each other and stored in the vehicle passage database 33b. However, when the recognition of the plate number by automatic recognition fails, the recognition information 38 does not include the plate number.

  On the other hand, the narrow area receiver 35 a of the vehicle-mounted device 35 receives the billing information 37 from the antenna 42 of the roadside device 32. When the charging information 37 is received, the vehicle-mounted device 35 adds the plate number stored in the memory 3 b to the charging information 37 and generates the charging information 39. The vehicle-mounted device 35 controls the mobile phone 36 to make a call to the settlement service center apparatus 33 and transmits the generated billing information 39 to the settlement service center apparatus 33 via a wireless telephone line.

  In the settlement service center apparatus 33, the charging information 39 transmitted from the mobile phone 36 and the charging process are performed from the recognition information 38 transmitted from the roadside apparatus 32. If the recognition of the plate number by automatic recognition is successful, the path ID, passage time, and plate number included in each of the recognition information 38 and the billing information 39 are compared as in the ninth embodiment. If they match, billing is settled.

  On the other hand, when the plate number recognition by the automatic recognition fails, the license plate captured image 57 is displayed on the visual confirmation terminal 33d. If the light from the recognition LED 35e is captured in the displayed license plate captured image 57, it means that the billing information 39 corresponding to the license plate captured image 57 is sent from the mobile phone 36. The visual confirmation terminal 33d searches the billing information 39 for the one having the recognition information 38 having the same road ID and passage time in accordance with the operation by the operator. Further, the visual confirmation terminal 33d displays the road ID, the passage time, and the plate number indicated in the searched charging information 39 on the display device 33f. The plate number displayed on the display device 33f always includes the plate number of the license plate imaged on the license plate captured image 57. Even if a part of the plate number of the license plate imaged in the license plate captured image 57 cannot be visually confirmed, the operator selects the plate number displayed on the display device 33f based on the part that can be visually confirmed. As a result, it is possible to visually check the license plate.

  As described above, in the eleventh embodiment, in response to the reception of the billing information 37, the in-vehicle device 35 is provided with the identification LED 35e that projects light toward the camera 41 of the roadside device 32, thereby ensuring the visual work. It is illustrated.

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing a configuration example of a toll fee charging system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the vehicle-mounted device. FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing a connection method between the vehicle-mounted device and the mobile phone. FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration example in which a board having a mobile phone function is built in an in-vehicle device. FIG. 5 is a data flow diagram showing the operation of the toll fee charging system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the toll fee charging system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram of the vehicle-mounted device and the mobile phone applied to the toll fee charging system according to the second embodiment. FIG. 8 is a data flow diagram showing the operation of the toll fee charging system according to the second embodiment. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the operation of the toll fee charging system according to the second embodiment. FIG. 10 shows a toll fee charging system according to the second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram of the toll fee charging system according to the second embodiment. FIG. 12 is a functional block diagram of a toll fee charging system according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the operation of the vehicle-mounted device 35 when the vehicle 34 enters the billing area 31 in the fourth embodiment. FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the process of transmitting the billing information 39 to the settlement service center 33 and the settlement process in the fourth embodiment. FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing the process of transmitting the billing information 39 to the settlement service center 33 and the settlement process in the fifth embodiment. FIG. 16 is a functional block diagram of a toll fee charging system according to the sixth embodiment. FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing the operation of the vehicle-mounted device 35 when the vehicle 34 enters the billing area 31 in the sixth embodiment. FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing the process of transmitting the billing information 39 to the settlement service center 33 and the settlement process in the sixth embodiment. FIG. 19 is a functional block diagram of a toll fee charging system according to the seventh embodiment. FIG. 20 is a functional block diagram of a toll fee charging system according to the eighth embodiment. FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing the process of transmitting the billing information 39 to the settlement service center 33 and the settlement process in the eighth embodiment. FIG. 22 is a functional block diagram of a toll fee charging system according to the ninth embodiment. FIG. 23 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the host computer 33a according to the ninth embodiment. FIG. 24 is a functional block diagram of the toll fee charging system according to the tenth embodiment. FIG. 25 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the host computer 33a according to the tenth embodiment. FIG. 26 is a functional block diagram of the toll fee charging system according to the eleventh embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

a ... billing information b ... billing processing result c ... recognition information d ... remaining frequency information e ... withdrawal result information 2 ... vehicle 3 ... vehicle-mounted device 4 ... mobile phone 6 ... roadside device 7 ... settlement service center device 12 ... narrow area receiver 13, 20 ... CPU
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 14 ... Memory 15 ... Interface 16 ... Board | substrate 19 ... Transmitter / receiver 21 ... IC card 31 ... Billing area 32 ... Roadside device 33 ... Settlement service center device 34 ... Vehicle 35 ... Onboard equipment 36 ... Mobile phone 37 ... Billing information 38 ... Recognition information 39 ... Billing information 40 ... Billing process result 40a ... Connection request e-mail 41 ... Camera 42 ... Antenna 43 ... Roadside control device

Claims (16)

A roadside device;
A vehicle-mounted device equipped with an interface and equipped with an interface;
A mobile phone connected to the interface;
A host computer,
The vehicle-mounted device includes storage means for storing the plate number of the vehicle, receives first charging information from the roadside device, and stores at least a part of the first charging information and the storage means. Generating the second billing information including the plate number ,
The mobile phone receives the second billing information from the vehicle-mounted device and transmits it to the host computer via a wireless telephone line,
The roadside device is
Imaging means for capturing a photographed image of a license plate of a vehicle;
A specifying means for specifying the plate number described in the license plate by automatic recognition of the captured image;
Transmission means for transmitting identification information including the plate number specified by automatic recognition of the captured image
And
The host computer identifies the vehicle using the plate number included in the second billing information received from the mobile phone and the plate number included in the identification information received from the roadside device, toll charging system for performing settlement processing of the charging Previous Symbol vehicle based on said identification information and second charging information. The toll fee charging system according to claim 1 ,
The first billing information is generated so as to include a road ID for identifying the roadside device and a passage time indicating a time when the vehicle has passed the roadside device,
The second billing information includes the route ID and the passage time included in the first billing information,
The identification information is generated so as to include a road ID for identifying the roadside device and a passage time indicating a time when the vehicle has passed the roadside device,
The host computer is a toll fee charging system that performs a charging process for the vehicle when the content of the second charging information matches the content of the identification information. The toll fee billing system according to claim 1 or 2 ,
The on-vehicle device generates the second billing information by adding the plate number described in the storage means to the first billing information. A toll fee charging system according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
When the second billing information having the same plate number as the plate number included in the identification information is not transmitted from the mobile phone, the host computer uses only the plate number included in the identification information to Toll billing system that performs identification. In the toll fee charging system according to any one of claims 1 to 4 ,
The first billing information includes an imaging ID that is changed every time the license plate of the vehicle is photographed ,
The second billing information includes the imaging ID included in the first billing information,
The identification information includes the imaging ID ,
When the host computer fails to automatically recognize the second license plate number from the captured image and the imaging ID of the second billing information matches the imaging ID of the identification information, A toll fee billing system that identifies the vehicle using only the plate number included in the second billing information out of the plate number included in the billing information and the plate number included in the identification information. A receiver for receiving the first billing information from the roadside device;
An interface for connecting to a mobile phone;
Storage means configured to store a plate number of the vehicle and store the first billing information;
A calculator that generates second billing information including at least a part of the first billing information and a plate number stored in the storage unit, and outputs the second billing information to the mobile phone via the interface; ,
Visual output device
And
The computing unit monitors whether the mobile phone is connected to the interface, and outputs the second billing information to the mobile phone when the mobile phone is connected to the interface.
The computing unit transmits the second billing information to a host computer that performs a billing settlement process for the vehicle using the mobile phone, and stores the second billing information in the storage unit after the second billing information is transmitted. An on-vehicle device that deletes the first billing information that is stored and causes the visual output device to output a visual output when the first billing information is stored in the storage means. The in-vehicle device according to claim 6 ,
The computing unit is
Transmitting the second billing information to the settlement service center device for performing billing settlement processing for the vehicle using the mobile phone;
After transmitting the second billing information, monitor whether the payment process is completed within a predetermined time,
When the payment process is not completed within a predetermined first time, the second information is transmitted again to the payment service center device using the mobile phone. In the vehicle-mounted device according to claim 6 or 7 ,
The second billing information is output to the mobile phone every time the first billing information is received N times (N is a predetermined natural number of 2 or more) from the roadside device. A receiver for receiving the first billing information from the roadside device;
An interface for connecting to a mobile phone;
Storage means configured to store a plate number of the vehicle and store the first billing information;
A calculator that generates second billing information including at least a part of the first billing information and a plate number stored in the storage unit, and outputs the second billing information to the mobile phone via the interface; ,
And
The computing unit monitors whether the mobile phone is connected to the interface, and outputs the second billing information to the mobile phone when the mobile phone is connected to the interface.
The computing unit is
Transmitting the second billing information to the settlement service center device for performing billing settlement processing for the vehicle using the mobile phone;
After transmitting the second billing information, monitor whether the payment process is completed within a predetermined time,
When the payment processing is not completed within a predetermined first time, the second charging information is transmitted again to the payment service center device using the mobile phone. A receiver for receiving the first billing information from the roadside device;
An interface for connecting to a mobile phone;
Storage means configured to store a plate number of the vehicle and store the first billing information;
A calculator that generates second billing information including at least a part of the first billing information and a plate number stored in the storage unit, and outputs the second billing information to the mobile phone via the interface; ,
And
The computing unit monitors whether the mobile phone is connected to the interface, and outputs the second billing information to the mobile phone when the mobile phone is connected to the interface.
The second billing information is output to the mobile phone every time the first billing information is received N times (N is a predetermined natural number of 2 or more) from the roadside device. A receiver for receiving the first billing information from the roadside device;
An interface for connecting to a mobile phone;
Storage means configured to store a plate number of the vehicle and store the first billing information;
A calculator that generates second billing information including at least a part of the first billing information and a plate number stored in the storage unit, and outputs the second billing information to the mobile phone via the interface; ,
A vehicle-mounted device further comprising a projector that projects the roadside device when receiving the first billing information. To the vehicle that has received the second billing information from the mobile phone via the radio telephone line, received the identification information from the roadside device, and passed through the roadside device based on the second billing information and the identification information equipped with a host computer to perform the settlement processing of billing,
The second billing information includes the plate number of the vehicle stored in the vehicle-mounted device connected to the mobile phone,
The identification information includes a plate number obtained by the roadside device automatically recognizing a captured image of the license plate of the vehicle,
A host computer system for a toll fee charging system, wherein the host computer identifies the vehicle using the plate number included in the second charging information and the plate number included in the identification information . In the host computer system for a toll fee charging system according to claim 12 ,
When the second billing information having the same plate number as the plate number included in the identification information is not transmitted from the mobile phone, the host computer includes the plate number and the second billing information included in the identification information. A host computer system for a toll billing system that executes identification of the vehicle using only the plate number included in the identification information among the plate numbers included in the toll. The host computer system for a toll fee charging system according to claim 12 or 13 ,
Furthermore, a terminal for visual confirmation provided with a display device and an input device is provided,
The host computer receives the captured image from the roadside device, and when the automatic recognition for recognizing the plate number from the captured image has failed, transmits the captured image to the visual confirmation terminal,
The visual confirmation terminal displays the captured image on the display device. Host computer system for toll billing system. The host computer system for a toll fee charging system according to any one of claims 12 to 14 ,
The identification information received from the roadside device includes an imaging ID that is changed every time the license plate of the vehicle is photographed,
The second billing information includes the imaging ID sent from the roadside device to the vehicle-mounted device ,
The host computer fails in automatic recognition for recognizing the plate number from the captured image, and the imaging ID of the identification information received from the roadside device matches the imaging ID of the second billing information. The identification of the vehicle is performed using only the plate number included in the second charging information out of the plate number included in the identification information and the plate number included in the second charging information. Host computer system for toll billing system. The host computer system for a toll fee charging system according to any one of claims 12 to 15 ,
The host computer determines whether or not the settlement process is being performed based on the identification information. When the settlement process is not being performed, the host computer receives the first charging information from the roadside device. A host computer system for a toll billing system that transmits a connection request for prompting connection of the mobile phone.

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