JP5255787B2 - ETC OBE and notification method in ETC OBE - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an ETC (Electronic Toll Collection System) vehicle-mounted device and a notification method in an ETC vehicle-mounted device, and notifies an ETC vehicle-mounted device of another vehicle whether or not the vehicle can pass through a gate of an automatic toll collection system. The present invention relates to an ETC on-board unit that obtains from the ETC on-board unit of another vehicle that the other vehicle cannot pass through a gate of an automatic toll collection system and notifies the driver, and a notification method in the ETC on-board unit that performs such notification.

  In Japan's ETC system, where users were sluggish at the time of introduction, the proportion of users has gradually increased in recent years. Along with this, the percentage of ETC lanes is increasing at tollgates such as highways.

  In this ETC system, the vehicle can pass through the gate of the toll gate with a predetermined IC card inserted in the ETC on-board unit. However, some users forget to insert the IC card and enter the ETC lane. In such a case, a vehicle that cannot pass through the ETC lane stops, and there is a possibility that traffic congestion will occur in that lane or an accident such as a subsequent vehicle touching a vehicle ahead will occur. . In addition, it is assumed that the following vehicle may be forced to perform an operation such as sudden braking, and improvement is desired from the viewpoint of ensuring safety.

Therefore, the pre-check gate installed in front of the toll booth and the radio equipment for advance notice check the operating state of the ETC on-board device in advance and notify the driver of the check result so that the toll collection process can be performed smoothly. (See, for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).
JP 2006-172208 A JP 2005-327005 A

  By the way, in the technologies disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, it is necessary to install dedicated equipment on the road side, and it is difficult to introduce from a budget viewpoint. In addition, the driver can check whether the ETC on-board device is operating properly in advance and can change the course. However, if the vehicle ahead decelerates due to a change of course, the subsequent driver will only recognize after the deceleration. Then, some operation, for example, decelerate or change lanes. After all, the occurrence of traffic jams cannot be avoided sufficiently. Further, since the driver of the succeeding vehicle cannot predict the movement of the preceding vehicle, there are still problems to be solved from the viewpoint of safety.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a situation. When a preceding vehicle tries to enter the ETC lane even though it cannot pass through the gate of the automatic toll collection system, that is, the ETC lane, The purpose is to make it possible to detect in advance that the vehicle ahead cannot pass through the ETC lane.

An aspect of the present invention relates to an ETC on-vehicle device. This ETC on-board device is an ETC on-board device that communicates with a roadside device and authenticates the passage permission of the automatic toll collection system. As a result of the authorization of the passage permission, the vehicle on which the ETC on-board device is mounted is automatically when you can not pass through the gate of the toll collection system, the vehicle communication unit that outputs a report to inform the other vehicle, have a, the vehicle communication unit, a vehicle to which the ETC vehicle-mounted device is mounted It is confirmed whether there is another ETC vehicle-mounted device that is mounted on another vehicle and can communicate with the inter-vehicle communication unit within a predetermined distance, and is mounted on the other vehicle. When there is no other ETC OBE, the notification is not output to the other ETC OBE, and the confirmation of the existence of the other ETC OBE cannot pass through the gate of the automatic toll collection system. After judging If the received power of the received signal is less than a predetermined value as a result of transmitting a follower vehicle confirmation wave and receiving a reply to the follower vehicle confirmation wave from the subsequent vehicle, the subsequent vehicle is not present within the predetermined distance. Judge.
The inter-vehicle communication unit may include the ID number included in the received signal when the received power of the received signal is equal to or greater than a predetermined value as a result of receiving a reply to the subsequent vehicle confirmation wave. A notification notifying that it cannot pass through the gate of the toll collection system may be output to another vehicle.

  According to the present invention, before the vehicle equipped with the ETC on-board device passes through the gate of the automatic toll collection system, the subsequent vehicle is notified in advance that the vehicle ahead is not allowed to pass. Sense that you cannot pass through.

  Next, the best mode for carrying out the present invention (hereinafter simply referred to as “embodiment”) will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. In the embodiment described below, when a vehicle that passes through an ETC lane installed on an automobile-only road cannot pass through the ETC lane, it notifies a subsequent vehicle that it cannot pass through in advance. Further, the following vehicle senses in advance that the vehicle ahead cannot pass the ETC lane.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a state in which a plurality of vehicles enter a general gate 11 installed in a toll gate 17 of a car exclusive road 10 and first and second ETC gates 12 and 13 according to the present embodiment. It is. The toll gate 17 is provided with two general gates 11 from the left side, a first ETC gate 12 adjacent to the general gate 11, and a second ETC gate 13 at the right end.

  A first roadside machine 18 and a second roadside machine 19 are installed in the first ETC gate 12 and the second ETC gate 13, respectively, and the first roadside machine 18 and the second roadside machine 19 are respectively installed. 19 communicates with an on-board ETC device mounted on a passing vehicle to perform authentication processing necessary for fee calculation and fee settlement.

  Now, the first, second, and fourth vehicles 21a, 21b, and 21d are traveling in order from the toll gate 17 side in the second lane 15 before the toll gate 17. In addition, the third vehicle 21c travels along the first lane 14 substantially in line with the second vehicle 21b.

  The first to fourth vehicles 21a to 21d are equipped with first to fourth ETC vehicle-mounted devices 30a to 30d, respectively. For example, when the first vehicle 21a goes straight from the illustrated state and enters the second roadside device 19, the second roadside device 19 and the first vehicle-mounted device 30a are connected to the BST (Beacon Service). Table) data and VST (Vehicle Service Table) data are used for authentication. When the second roadside device 19 authenticates and the passage is permitted, the second ETC gate 13 is opened, and the first vehicle 21a can pass through the second ETC gate 13.

  By the way, for example, when a predetermined IC card is not inserted into the first vehicle-mounted device 30a mounted on the first vehicle 21a, or when an IC card that has expired is inserted. The second roadside machine 19 does not give a passage permission. When the distance between the first vehicle 21 a and the second ETC gate 13 is sufficient, the driver of the first vehicle 21 a changes the course to the general gate 11. If the distance is not sufficient, the course cannot be changed and the first vehicle 21a enters the second ETC gate 13 and is processed by manned personnel. Therefore, the second vehicle 21b, which is a succeeding vehicle, is forced to stop at a gate that can pass through in a non-stop manner, and traffic congestion occurs. If the first vehicle 21a suddenly stops, the first vehicle 21a and the second vehicle 21b may come into contact with each other, and the subsequent fourth vehicle 21d collides with the second vehicle 21b. Doing so can lead to a so-called ball hitting accident. Further, when the route of the first vehicle 21a is changed to the general gate 11, the third vehicle 21c traveling on the first lane 14 and the first vehicle 21a may cause a contact accident.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the first vehicle 21a is not permitted to pass through the second ETC gate 13, the second vehicle-mounted second vehicle 21b, which is a subsequent vehicle, from the first vehicle-mounted device 30a. The device 30b is notified that the passage is impossible. Then, when the second vehicle-mounted device 30b receives a notification that the first vehicle 21a, which is a forward vehicle, has become impassable, it warns the driver by voice. Hereinafter, the structure of the 1st-4th onboard equipment 30a-30d which implement | achieves such a process is demonstrated. In addition, since the 1st-4th onboard equipment 30a-30d is realizable with the same structure, the structure of the 1st onboard equipment 30a is demonstrated and it abbreviate | omits about the structure of the 2nd-4th onboard equipment 30b-30d. To do.

  FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the first vehicle-mounted device 30a according to the present embodiment. As illustrated, the first vehicle-mounted device 30a includes a main control unit 31, an ETC communication unit 32, an authentication data unit 33, a voice information storage unit 34, an interface unit 35, and an inter-vehicle communication unit 50. And a memory 36.

  The main control unit 31 comprehensively controls each component. In the memory 36, a predetermined program is stored in advance for control of the main control unit 31, and work data when the main control unit 31 executes processing is temporarily stored.

  The ETC communication unit 32 includes a first antenna 37, an ETC radio unit 38, and a radio control unit 39. The first antenna 37 transmits and receives predetermined radio waves to and from the antenna of the second roadside machine 19. The ETC radio unit 38 modulates or demodulates radio waves transmitted and received by the first antenna 37 and amplifies power. The wireless control unit 39 performs data transmission / reception control. Note that data transmission / reception control with the second roadside device 19 by the ETC communication unit 32 is processing generally performed in the ETC system, and will be briefly described below. Depending on the second roadside machine 19 or the detection means (not shown) connected to the second roadside machine 19, for example, when the entry of the first vehicle 21a is detected, wireless transmission is started, and the ETC radio unit 38 In response to this, a connection request signal is transmitted. And the 2nd roadside machine 19 which received the connection request signal transmits BST data, and the ETC radio | wireless part 38 returns VST data in response to this. In this way, a communication link is established between the second roadside device 19 and the first vehicle-mounted device 30a.

  The authentication data unit 33 includes an encryption LSI 43 that encrypts and decrypts data to ensure data security, and an IC that inserts an IC card 45 and reads data recorded on the IC card 45 and writes data to the IC card 45 Card slot 44.

  The voice information storage unit 34 stores voice data used when voice notification is given to the driver of the first vehicle 21a.

  The interface unit 35 includes an audio output unit 40, a display output unit 41, and an operation unit 42. The display output unit 41 is a speaker that outputs a voice notification to the driver. Moreover, the display output part 41 consists of LED etc., for example, notifies the operation state of the 1st vehicle equipment 30a, the communication state with the 2nd roadside machine 19, etc. with a predetermined color and light emission interval. The operation unit 42 is an operation unit such as a button, and accepts a user operation on the first vehicle-mounted device 30a.

  The inter-vehicle communication unit 50 includes a second antenna 51 having directivity in the front-rear direction, and communicates with a vehicle that travels a predetermined distance before and after the first vehicle 21a with respect to ETC gate pass authentication. Here, since there is no vehicle ahead of the first vehicle 21a, communication is performed with the second vehicle 21b, which is a subsequent vehicle. Further, when focusing on the second vehicle 21b, the inter-vehicle communication unit 50 of this vehicle communicates with the first vehicle 21a on the front side and the fourth vehicle 21d on the rear side and communicates with the third vehicle 21c on the side. do not do.

  A communication process related to ETC passage authentication between vehicles having the above configuration will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. Here, the process of the flowchart of FIG. 3 is a process related to the first vehicle 21a entering the second ETC gate 13, and the process of the flowchart of FIG. 4 is related to the process of the second vehicle 21b which is a subsequent vehicle. .

  First, the ETC communication unit 32 monitors whether or not a radio signal from the second roadside device 19, that is, roadside device information is transmitted (S10). This monitoring is always performed while the first vehicle-mounted device 30a is operating (N in S10).

  When detecting that the roadside machine information is transmitted from the second roadside machine 19, the ETC communication unit 32 communicates with the second roadside machine 19 for authentication as described above (S12).

  Then, when there is a notification that the passage is possible by the authentication process with the second roadside device 19 (Y in S14), the main control unit 31 uses the voice output unit 40 of the interface unit 35 to authenticate the passage. A sound is sent to inform the driver that the first vehicle 21a can pass through the second ETC gate 13 (S16).

  On the other hand, when there is a notification that the vehicle cannot pass due to the authentication process with the second roadside device 19 (N in S14), the inter-vehicle communication unit 50 receives a command from the main control unit 31 and sends a command to the following vehicle. The second antenna 51 transmits information notifying that the second roadside device 19 has been authenticated to pass (S18).

  Subsequently, the main control unit 31 outputs a sound warning that the passage prohibition has been made from the sound output unit 40 of the interface unit 35, and the first vehicle 21 a passes through the second ETC gate 13. The driver is notified that it cannot be performed (S20), and a series of processing ends. Note that the order of the notification process for the following vehicle in S18 and the notification process for the driver in S20 may be reversed.

  Next, the process of the second vehicle-mounted device 30b of the second vehicle 21b that is a subsequent vehicle will be described. The inter-vehicle communication unit 50 of the second on-vehicle device 30b cannot pass the second ETC gate 13 from the inter-vehicle communication unit 50 of the first vehicle 21a that is the front vehicle. Is monitored (S50). For example, the vehicle-to-vehicle communication unit 50 monitors reception of radio waves in a predetermined format, for example, radio waves in a specific frequency band or radio waves with a predetermined modulation, and the second vehicle-mounted device 30b operates. The period of time is always performed (N in S50).

  When the inter-vehicle communication unit 50 detects the impossibility information from the first vehicle 21a (Y in S50), the inter-vehicle communication unit 50 determines that the first vehicle 21a is the second ETC with respect to the fourth vehicle 21d. Information indicating that it cannot pass through the gate 13 is transmitted from the second antenna 51 (S52).

  Then, the main control unit 31 outputs an audio warning from the audio output unit 40 of the interface unit 35 that the first vehicle 21a, which is a forward vehicle, cannot pass through the second ETC gate 13, and the driver (S54), and a series of processing ends.

  According to the present embodiment described above, the driver of the second vehicle 21b, which is a succeeding vehicle of the first vehicle 21a, is relatively early that the first vehicle 21a cannot pass through the second ETC gate 13. Since it can be recognized in stages, the next action of the first vehicle 21a, that is, an action such as a course change or a sudden stop can be predicted in advance. As a result, it is possible to prevent traffic jams and rear-end collisions.

  In the process of S52, the fourth vehicle 21d, which is a subsequent vehicle, is further notified that the first vehicle 21a cannot pass through the second ETC gate 13, but this process may not be performed. This treatment is effective from the viewpoint of preventing a crushing accident.

  The present invention has been described based on the embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Such a modification will be described below.

  In this modification, when the first vehicle 21a is authenticated that the second ETC gate 13 is not allowed to pass, it is first confirmed whether the following vehicle is traveling within a predetermined distance. Only when it is determined that the vehicle is not, the information indicating that the vehicle is not allowed to pass is transmitted to the second vehicle 21b which is the succeeding vehicle. In addition, since the structure of the 1st onboard equipment 30a is realizable with the same structure as the above-mentioned, description is abbreviate | omitted.

  The process of the flowchart of FIG. 5 is a process of a modified example regarding the first vehicle 21a entering the second ETC gate 13, and the process of the flowchart of FIG. 6 is a modified example of the second vehicle 21b which is a subsequent vehicle. Related to processing. 5 and 6 partially overlap with the processes shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the same processes are denoted by the same reference numerals and different processes are mainly described.

  In the flowchart of FIG. 5, processing different from the flowchart of FIG. 3 described above is the processing after N in S <b> 14. In other words, if there is a notification that the vehicle cannot pass through the authentication process with the second roadside device 19 (N in S14), the inter-vehicle communication unit 50 receives a command from the main control unit 31, and the subsequent vehicle travels. A subsequent vehicle confirmation wave for confirming whether or not the vehicle is present is transmitted (S30).

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 6, the inter-vehicle communication unit 50 of the second vehicle 21b constantly monitors whether there is a subsequent vehicle confirmation wave (S60), and confirms the subsequent vehicle during the power-on period. The reception of the wave is continuously monitored (N in S60). Then, when the inter-vehicle communication unit 50 receives the subsequent vehicle confirmation wave, it calculates the received power (S62), and transmits the calculated received power value to the first vehicle 21a (S64).

  Returning to the flowchart of FIG. 5, the inter-vehicle communication unit 50 checks whether or not a response from the subsequent vehicle to the subsequent vehicle confirmation wave is within a predetermined period (S32).

  When the second vehicle 21b is traveling within a predetermined distance as the succeeding vehicle and receives a reply to the succeeding vehicle confirmation wave from the second vehicle 21b, that is, the value of the received power (Y in S32), the inter-vehicle communication unit 50 Determines whether or not the received power is greater than or equal to a predetermined value (S34).

  If the value of the received power is equal to or greater than the predetermined value (Y in S34), the inter-vehicle communication unit 50 of the first vehicle 21a determines that the following vehicle is traveling within the predetermined distance, as in the process of S18. The second antenna 51 transmits information notifying that the second roadside unit 19 has received the authentication indicating that the vehicle cannot pass to the inter-vehicle communication unit 50 of the second vehicle 21b (S36). Subsequently, as in the process of S20, the main control unit 31 outputs a voice warning that the inaccessibility authentication has been made from the voice output unit 40 of the interface unit 35, and the first vehicle 21a 2 is notified to the driver that it cannot pass through the ETC gate 13 (S38), and a series of processing ends.

  Further, when there is no response to the following vehicle confirmation wave in the process of S32 (N of S32), or the value of the received power returned in the process of S34 is less than a predetermined value (N of S34), the predetermined distance It is determined that the following vehicle is not running, and the above-mentioned incompatibility warning is notified only to the driver of the first vehicle 21a without sending information on the following vehicle (S38).

  Note that the processing in the second vehicle 21b that has received the information that the first vehicle 21a cannot pass through the second ETC gate 13 by the processing in S36 is the same as the processing in the flowchart of FIG. is there.

  In this way, after confirming the presence or absence of the following vehicle, in order to notify the following vehicle that it is impossible to pass through the ETC gate, for example, sending erroneous information to a vehicle traveling in another lane Can be prevented. Further, when the inter-vehicle communication unit 50 of the second vehicle 21b returns the value of the received power in order to identify the returned vehicle, authentication information for identifying the second vehicle 21b, for example, an ID number Etc. may be included. Then, when the inter-vehicle communication unit 50 of the first vehicle 21a transmits the impassability information to the second vehicle 21b, the ID number is included. When the second vehicle 21b acquires the non-passable information, the inter-vehicle communication unit 50 of the second vehicle 21b matches the stored ID number and the ID number included in the non-passable information. May be determined as non-passable information from the first vehicle 21a which is a forward vehicle.

It is the figure which showed the state which a some vehicle approachs to the toll gate of the exclusive road for cars according to this embodiment. It is a functional block diagram showing the composition of the 1st onboard equipment concerning an embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the process regarding the 1st vehicle which approachs the 2nd ETC gate based on embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the process of the 2nd vehicle which is a succeeding vehicle of a 1st vehicle based on embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the process of the modification regarding the 1st vehicle which approachs the 2nd ETC gate based on the modification of this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the process of the 2nd vehicle which is a succeeding vehicle of a 1st vehicle based on the modification of this embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

21a 1st vehicle 21b 2nd vehicle 21c 3rd vehicle 21d 4th vehicle 30a 1st onboard equipment 30b 2nd onboard equipment 30c 3rd onboard equipment 30d 4th onboard equipment 31 Main control part 32 ETC Communication unit 33 Authentication data unit 34 Audio information storage unit 35 Interface unit 36 Memory 37 First antenna 38 ETC radio unit 39 Radio control unit 40 Audio output unit 41 Display output unit 42 Operation unit 43 Cryptographic LSI
44 IC card slot 50 Inter-vehicle communication unit 51 Second antenna

Claims (2)

An on-board ETC device that communicates with a roadside device and authenticates the passage permission of the automatic toll collection system, and as a result of the authorization of the passage permission, the vehicle on which the on-board device is mounted passes through the gate of the automatic toll collection system. When the vehicle cannot pass, the inter-vehicle communication unit that outputs a notification to that effect to other vehicles,
Have,
The inter-vehicle communication unit is mounted on another vehicle within a predetermined distance behind the vehicle on which the ETC on-vehicle device is mounted, and another ETC on-vehicle device that is communicable with the inter-vehicle communication unit. When there is no other ETC on-board device installed in another vehicle, the notification is not output to the other ETC on-board device, and the other ETC on-board device is checked. After confirming that the automatic toll collection system cannot pass through the gate, the subsequent vehicle confirmation wave is transmitted, and a response to the subsequent vehicle confirmation wave is received from the subsequent vehicle. The ETC on-vehicle device , wherein when the received power is less than a predetermined value, it is determined that the subsequent vehicle does not exist within the predetermined distance . The inter-vehicle communication unit receives the automatic fee collection including the ID number included in the received signal when the received power of the received signal is greater than or equal to a predetermined value as a result of receiving a reply to the following vehicle confirmation wave. The ETC vehicle-mounted device according to claim 1, wherein a report notifying that the system cannot pass through the gate is output to another vehicle.

Images