JP6783632B2 - Vehicle width measurement system, vehicle width measurement method and toll collection equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle width measuring system, a vehicle width measuring method, and a toll collection facility.

Some toll collection facilities installed at tollhouses on vehicle-only roads are equipped with vehicle detectors for detecting the entry and exit (exit) of vehicles traveling in the lane. For example, a transmissive vehicle detector is configured to include a plurality of pairs of a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit installed so as to face each other across a lane. In this case, each of the plurality of light emitting units emits the inspection light, and the plurality of light receiving units associated with each light emitting unit receive the inspection light. According to such a vehicle detector, when a vehicle traveling in a lane exists between a pair of a light emitting portion and a light receiving portion, the inspection light emitted from the light emitting portion to the light receiving portion is shielded by the vehicle body to be specific. The light receiving unit does not receive the above inspection light. With such a mechanism, the vehicle detector can detect the passage (entry) and passage of the vehicle one by one based on the presence or absence of light reception in the light receiving unit (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

On vehicle-only roads, tolls are often set according to the type of vehicle passing by. For the purpose of detecting the vehicle type of the vehicle, a tread plate may be further provided in the vicinity of the vehicle detector. The tread plate can detect the position where the tires of the vehicle are stepped on, and can detect the distance between the left and right tires of the vehicle based on this detection signal. The distance between the tires on both the left and right sides (tread length) is used as vehicle width information for determining the toll of the road. The tread board is also used for the purpose of determining whether the vehicle entering the road is moving forward or backward in the vicinity of the automatic toll collector.

JP-A-2010-1985772

By the way, the above-mentioned treads are usually provided so as to cover the entire width direction of the lane at the tollhouse. However, when the lane width is wide, the length of the treads manufactured according to a predetermined standard may be insufficient for the length of the lane width. In this case, it may be installed close to one side of the prohibited travel zone (island) provided parallel to the lane, such as the side where the automatic toll collector is installed. In this case, since the tread plate is not provided so as to cover the entire width direction of the lane, the tire on one side of the passing vehicle may come off the tread plate, and the vehicle width may not be measured correctly.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle width measurement system, a vehicle width measurement method, and a toll collection facility that solve the above-mentioned problems.

According to the first aspect of the invention, the vehicle width measuring system (100) is arranged at a position close to the tread plate (60) provided on the lane and the tread plate in the lane direction, and one side in the width direction of the lane. The light emitting portion (E2) provided on the side and the light emitting portion (E2) are arranged at a position close to the tread plate in the lane direction and provided on one side in the width direction, and receive the reflected light of the inspection light emitted by the light emitting portion from the vehicle. The light receiving unit (R2), the distance measuring unit (151) that measures the distance from the light emitting unit to the vehicle based on the light reception of the inspection light in the light receiving unit, and the stepping detection signal transmitted by the tread plate are received. , The stepping position detected from the information included in the stepping detection signal, the distance calculated based on the distance measuring signal obtained by the distance measuring unit, and the length of the width of the lane of the vehicle. It is provided with a vehicle width calculation unit (152) for measuring the vehicle width .
With such a configuration, the distance from the light emitting unit to the vehicle can be measured even if the treads are not provided in the entire width direction of the lane.

In the vehicle width measurement system described above, a vehicle width measuring device (15) including at least the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit is provided on one side of the lane in the width direction at the same position as the position of the tread plate in the lane direction. a vehicle detector (10) that is, may be provided side by side in the lane direction.
With such a configuration, the vehicle width measuring device can measure the distance from the light emitting part to the vehicle at a position close to the position where the tread plate is stepped on, so that the traveling direction of the vehicle and the axial direction of the lane can be measured. Even if the vehicle is tilted and travels at an angle to the lane, it is possible to measure a distance substantially equal to the distance from the light emitting unit to the vehicle at the position where the tread plate is stepped on.

Further, in the vehicle width measuring system described above, the tread plate is installed in the vicinity of the first traveling prohibition zone (I1) parallel to the lane, which is shorter than the length in the width direction of the lane, and the vehicle width measuring device is the first. It may be provided in the second travel prohibition zone (I2) on the opposite side of the travel prohibition zone.
With such a configuration, when the tire on one side of the tires on both sides of the vehicle passes through the area where the tread plate is not laid, the light emitting portion from the light emitting portion to the side of the vehicle on the other side The distance can be measured.

Further, in the above-mentioned vehicle width measurement system, the stepping detection signal transmitted by the tread plate is received, and the stepping position is calculated based on the stepping position detected from the information included in the stepping detection signal and the distance measuring signal obtained by the distance measuring unit. A vehicle width calculation unit (152) for measuring the vehicle width of the vehicle may be provided by using the distance.
With such a configuration, when the tire on one side of the tires on both sides of the vehicle passes through the area where the tread plate is not laid, the light emitting portion from the light emitting portion to the side of the vehicle on the other side The distance can be measured, and the vehicle width indicating the distance between the tires on both sides is determined by using the distance from the light emitting part to the side of one side of the vehicle and the position where the tire on the other side steps on the tread plate. It can be measured more accurately.

According to the second aspect of the invention, the vehicle width measuring method acquires the stepping position of the tread when the tire of the vehicle steps on the tread provided on the lane, and the position close to the tread in the lane direction. A light emitting unit arranged on one side in the width direction of the lane emits inspection light toward the vehicle, and is arranged at a position close to the tread plate in the lane direction and provided on one side in the width direction. The light receiving unit that receives the reflected light of the inspection light emitted by the light emitting unit receives the inspection light, and the distance measuring unit receives the inspection light from the light emitting unit from the light emitting unit to the vehicle. The vehicle width calculation unit uses the stepping position detected from the information contained in the stepping detection signal and the distance calculated based on the distance measurement signal obtained by the distance measuring unit. The width of the vehicle is measured.

According to the third aspect of the invention, the toll collection facility includes the above-mentioned vehicle width measurement system and an automatic toll collection machine.

According to the present invention, the width of the vehicle can be calculated with high accuracy even when the tire on one side of the vehicle does not step on the tread plate.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the toll collection equipment provided with the vehicle width measuring system by one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the vehicle detector and the vehicle width measuring machine by one Embodiment of this invention. It is the first figure which shows the laying state of the tread according to one Embodiment of this invention. It is a second figure which shows the laying state of the tread according to one Embodiment of this invention. It is the first figure which shows the outline of the vehicle width measurement system by one Embodiment of this invention. It is a functional block diagram of the vehicle width measurement system by one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the processing flow of the vehicle width measuring system by one Embodiment of this invention. It is a second figure which shows the outline of the vehicle width measurement system by one Embodiment of this invention. It is a third figure which shows the outline of the vehicle width measurement system by one Embodiment of this invention. It is a fourth figure which shows the outline of the vehicle width measurement system by one Embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, a vehicle width measurement system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a toll collection facility provided with a vehicle width measurement system according to the present embodiment.
The toll collection facility 1 is provided at a tollhouse such as an expressway, which is a toll road, and is used to collect tolls from a user of the expressway, etc., according to the vehicle type classification of the vehicle A on which the user rides. Equipment. The toll collection facility 1 includes a vehicle width measurement system 100.
In the example shown in FIG. 1, a vehicle A on which an expressway user rides is traveling in a lane L leading from the expressway side to the general road side at the toll collection facility 1 provided at the exit tollhouse. Shown. Island I1 and I2 (first traveling prohibited zone, second traveling prohibited zone), which are prohibited zones, are laid on both sides of the lane L, and various devices constituting the toll collection facility 1 are installed.
Hereinafter, the direction in which the lane L extends (± X direction in FIG. 1) is described as the "lane direction", and the expressway side (+ X direction side in FIG. 1) in the lane direction of the lane L is referred to as the "upstream side". Alternatively, it is also described as "the front side in the traveling direction" of the vehicle A. Further, the general road side (-X direction side in FIG. 1) in the lane direction of the lane L is also described as the "downstream side" or the "back side in the traveling direction" of the vehicle A.

As shown in FIG. 1, the toll collection facility 1 includes a vehicle detector 10 (10A, 10B, 10D), a vehicle width measuring device 15, an automatic toll collection device 20, a start controller 40, and a vehicle detection on the starting side. It is provided with a vessel 50 and a tread plate 60.
The vehicle detector 10 (10A, 10B, 10D) detects the entry of the vehicle A traveling in the lane L into the exit tollhouse. The vehicle detector 10 is provided on the upstream side of the lane L, and has various sensors (light emitting tower 10A, light receiving tower 10B) provided on the islands I1 and I2.
The vehicle width measuring device 15 (15A) measures the vehicle width of the vehicle. The width of the vehicle is used to determine the vehicle type classification (for example, "light vehicle", "ordinary vehicle", "medium-sized vehicle", "large vehicle", "extra-large vehicle", etc.) for determining the toll. measure. The vehicle width measuring device 15 has a light emitting / receiving tower 15A. It is assumed that the vehicle width measuring device 15 (15A) is provided side by side in the lane direction on the vehicle detector 10 provided at a position related to the lane direction of the tread plate 60.
The tread plate 60 is buried on the road surface of the lane L.

The automatic toll collection machine 20 is a machine that presents the charge amount and the like to the driver and the like (user) of the vehicle A traveling in the lane L and performs the toll collection process. On the front surface of the automatic charge collection machine 20 (the surface facing the L side of the lane), a display for presenting the charge amount, a reception port for accepting bills, coins, credit cards, and the like are provided.
The automatic toll collection machine 20 is provided on the island I1 (first travel prohibited zone) on the downstream side of the vehicle detector 10 and the vehicle width measuring device 15 in the toll collecting facility 1, and is provided by the vehicle width measuring machine 15 and the tread plate 60. The amount of money according to the vehicle type classification of the vehicle A based on the determined vehicle width is charged.

The start controller 40 is a device provided on the downstream side of the automatic toll collector 20 and controls the start of the vehicle A traveling in the lane L. For example, the start controller 40 closes the lane L so that the driver or the like of the vehicle A who has entered the lane L does not start the vehicle A until the driver or the like of the vehicle A has completed the payment of the required amount through the automatic toll collector 20. Further, when the payment is completed, the lane L is opened in order to leave the vehicle A.
The starting-side vehicle detector 50 is provided on the most downstream side of the lane L and detects the exit of the vehicle A from the toll collection facility 1.

The light emitting tower 10A and the light receiving tower 10B are provided on the islands I1 and I2 laid across the lane L, respectively. The vehicle detector 10 determines the presence or absence of a vehicle A (vehicle body) traveling in the lane L through the light emitting tower 10A and the light receiving tower 10B facing each other with the lane L in the lane width direction (± Y direction), and determines the presence or absence of the vehicle. Detects the passage (entry) of one vehicle.

The tread plate 60 is arranged so as to extend in the lane width direction on the road surface of the lane L, and detects the treading by the tire of the vehicle A traveling through the energization sensor installed inside. Here, the positions of the vehicle detector 10 and the tread 60 in the lane direction (± X direction) are the same. As a result, the number of axles of the vehicle A can be detected with high accuracy by acquiring the number of times the treads constituting the tread 60 are stepped on while the vehicle A is being detected by the vehicle detector 10. .. Further, the tread plate 60 outputs information on the stepping position when the tire of the vehicle A steps on the tread plate. The information on the stepping position may be indicated by, for example, the electric resistance value when the tire steps on the tread plate.

A first control device 10D is provided inside the light receiving tower 10B. The first control device 10D controls for vehicle detection. Specifically, the first control device 10D detects the passage of the vehicle A based on various detection signals from the vehicle detector 10 and the tread 60. In the present embodiment, the first control device 10D is shown in a mode incorporated in the light receiving tower 10B of the vehicle detector 10, but the other embodiments are not limited to this mode. For example, in another embodiment, the first control device 10D is built in a device other than the island I1 (I2) or the vehicle detector 10 installed at a remote location, and is connected by a communication network or the like. There may be.

The vehicle width measuring device 15 is composed of a light emitting / receiving tower 15A, and a second control device 15B is provided inside the light emitting / receiving tower 15A. The light emitting / receiving tower 15A is provided with a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit, and the inspection light emitted from the light emitting unit is emitted toward the vehicle A. The light receiving portion of the light emitting and receiving tower 15A receives the reflected light of the inspection light. The second control device 15B of the vehicle width measuring device 15 determines the time from the emission of the inspection light to the reception of the reflected light, and measures the distance from the light emitting light receiving tower 15A to the vehicle A by this time. The vehicle width of the vehicle A is measured using the distance from the light emitting / receiving tower 15A to the vehicle A and the stepping position when the vehicle A steps on the tread plate 60 with the tires. The second control device 15B may measure the vehicle width. In the present embodiment, the second control device 15B is illustrated in a mode incorporated in the light emitting / receiving tower 15A of the vehicle width measuring device 15, but the second control device 15B is not limited to this mode in other embodiments. For example, in another embodiment, the second control device 15B is built in a device other than the island I1 (I2) or the vehicle width measuring device 15 installed at a remote location, and is connected by a communication network or the like. It may be.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle detector and a vehicle width measuring device according to the present embodiment.
As described with reference to FIG. 1, the vehicle detector 10 includes a light emitting tower 10A, a light receiving tower 10B, and a first control device 10D.

The light emitting tower 10A has a plurality of light emitting units E1 that emit light of the first inspection light P1 (for example, infrared light) having a predetermined wavelength toward the light receiving tower 10B. The light emitting unit E1 is, for example, a light emitting diode (LED) element having a predetermined directivity (degree of spread of light from a light source). A plurality of light emitting units E1 are arranged side by side at predetermined intervals in the height direction on the surface of the light emitting tower 10A facing the light receiving tower 10B.
As will be described later, each light emitting unit E1 emits light one by one while shifting the timing according to a predetermined light emitting control signal (described later) input to each of the first control device 10D.

The light receiving tower 10B has a plurality of light receiving units R1 capable of receiving the first inspection light P1 emitted from the light emitting unit E1. The light receiving unit R1 is a light receiving sensor that outputs a first light receiving detection signal based on the light received by the first inspection light P1. The first light receiving detection signal output by the light receiving unit R1 is input to the first control device 10D and used for determining whether or not the light receiving unit R1 has received light. A plurality of light receiving units R1 are arranged side by side at predetermined intervals in the height direction on the surface of the light receiving tower 10B facing the light emitting tower 10A. Here, each of the light receiving units R1 is provided at the same height as each of the plurality of light emitting units E1 arranged in the light emitting tower 10A.
Each light receiving unit R1 detects the presence or absence of light reception in accordance with a predetermined light receiving control signal input to each of the first control device 10D at the timing when each light emitting unit E emits light.

Each light emitting unit E1 and each light receiving unit R1 are arranged in the light emitting tower 10A and the light receiving tower 10B in the height direction at intervals of, for example, about 15 mm to 30 mm. The arrangement spacing of each light emitting unit E1 or each light receiving unit R1 does not necessarily have to be equal. As described above, in the present embodiment, each of the light emitting units E1 has a pair of light receiving units R1 arranged at the same height.

The light emitting / receiving tower 15A of the vehicle width measuring device 15 shown in FIG. 2 has a plurality of light emitting units E2 that emit a second inspection light P2 (for example, infrared light) having a predetermined wavelength toward a passing vehicle. .. The light emitting unit E2 is, for example, a light emitting diode (LED) element having a predetermined directivity (degree of spread of light from a light source).
Further, the light emitting / receiving tower 15A has a plurality of light receiving units R2 capable of receiving the reflected light reflected by the vehicle by the second inspection light P2 emitted from the light emitting unit E2. The light receiving unit R2 is a light receiving sensor that outputs a second light receiving detection signal based on the light received by the second inspection light P2. The second light receiving detection signal (distance measuring signal) output by the light receiving unit R2 is input to the second control device 15B and used for determining whether or not the light receiving unit R2 has received light and calculating the distance to the vehicle A. ..

In the light emitting / receiving tower 15A, the light emitting unit E2 and the light receiving unit R2 are alternately provided vertically side by side. The light emitting unit E2 and the light receiving unit R2 that are adjacent to each other form a set, and the light emitting unit that forms a set so that the second inspection light P2 emitted by the light emitting unit E2 is reflected by the vehicle and reaches the light receiving unit R2. The directions of E2 and the light receiving unit R2 are fixed. For example, the light emitting unit E2 and the light receiving unit R2 forming a pair are inclined toward the center of them rather than the parallel direction, so that they are attached so as to emit or receive light with the highest directivity and are reflected by the vehicle. The light may be received by the light receiving unit R2 with high sensitivity. The reflected light reflected by the vehicle is scattered light, and the light receiving unit R2 can receive the scattered light.

FIG. 3 is the first view showing the laid state of the tread plate.
In FIG. 3, the figure shown by (a) is a bird's-eye view of the toll collection facility from above, and the figure shown by (b) is a view of the toll collection facility from behind the vehicle when the vehicle A gets over the tread 60. The figure is shown. As shown in FIG. 3, the width w of the lane L sandwiched between the islands I1 and I2 laid parallel to both sides of the lane and the length d of the tread plate 60 manufactured according to a predetermined standard are approximately equal to each other. If they are equal, there is almost no area in the lane L where the tread 60 is not buried. In the case of the arrangement of the treads 60 shown in FIG. 3, the tires step on the treads forming the treads 60 regardless of the position of the vehicle A in the width direction of the lane L, whereby the treads 60 , Outputs a trampling detection signal including information indicating the trampling positions of the tires on both sides of the vehicle A. The device (second control device 15B or the like) that has received the stepping signal can detect the stepping position included in the signal and determine the vehicle width (interval between tires called tread) of the vehicle A. In the toll collection facility of FIG. 3, since the toll collection machine 20 is arranged on the island I1 on the right side of the lane L, the driver of the vehicle A is relatively relatively large for the purpose of inserting a toll ticket or the like into the toll collection machine 20. Vehicle A is often brought close to the island I1 laid on the right side of the lane L.

FIG. 4 is a second view showing the laid state of the tread plate.
In FIG. 4, as in FIG. 3, (a) is a bird's-eye view of the toll collection facility from above, and (b) is a case where the toll collection facility is viewed from behind the vehicle when the vehicle A gets over the tread 60. Is shown in the figure. As shown in FIG. 4, when the width w of the lane L is wider than the length d of the tread 60 manufactured according to a predetermined standard, the unburied area where the tread 60 is not buried in the lane L. x is generated. It is also possible to prevent the unburied area x of the tread plate 60 from being generated by preparing the tread plate 60 corresponding to the length w + d longer than the length d. However, when the length of the tread plate 60 is standardized and has already been manufactured, cost and time are required to newly manufacture the tread plate 60 having a long length. In addition, there may be a reason why the tread plate 60 cannot be buried because some structure is already buried in the unburied area x. When there is an unburied area x of the tread plate 60 and one wheel of the vehicle A passes through the area x, the tread plate 60 outputs a stepping detection signal including only information on the position where the tread plate 60 is stepped on by the other tire. In this case, the device (second control device 15B or the like) that has received the stepping detection signal cannot detect the width of the vehicle A. In order to solve such a problem, the vehicle width measurement system 100 according to the present embodiment has the following configuration.

FIG. 5 is a first diagram showing an outline of the vehicle width measurement system.
In FIG. 5, as in FIGS. 3 and 4, (a) is a bird's-eye view of the toll collection facility from above, and (b) shows the toll collection facility from behind the vehicle when the vehicle A gets over the tread 60. The figure when seen is shown.
FIG. 5 is different from FIG. 4 in that the vehicle width measuring device 15 is present in the toll collection facility 1. The laying position of the tread plate 60 and the width w of the lane L (lane width w in the toll collection facility) are the same as those in FIG. As described above, the tread plate 60 outputs a stepping position detection signal including information on the position where both wheels or one wheel of the vehicle A is stepped on. The vehicle detector 10 detects the passage of a vehicle. The vehicle width measuring device 15 is a distance measuring device that indicates the light reception based on the light emission of the second inspection light of the light emitting unit E2 provided in the light emitting / receiving tower 15A and the reception of the reflected light of the second inspection light in the light receiving unit R2. Output a signal.

FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram of the vehicle width measurement system.
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a processing flow of the vehicle width measurement system.
As shown in this figure, the vehicle width measuring system 100 includes a tread plate 60 and a vehicle width measuring device 15 (light emitting / receiving tower 15A, second control device 15B). The second control device 15B may be a computer, and has the functions of the distance measuring unit 151 and the vehicle width calculating unit 152 internally by executing the control program by the CPU. The second control device 15B receives the stepping detection signal from the tread plate 60 (step S101). The second control device 15B receives the ranging signal from the light emitting / receiving tower 15A (step S102). The second control device 15B calculates the vehicle width w2 of the vehicle A by using the trampling detection signal and the distance measuring signal.

Specifically, the vehicle width calculation unit 152 determines whether or not the stepping detection signal includes information indicating two stepping positions (step S103). If the stepping detection signal includes information indicating two stepping positions, the vehicle width calculation unit 152 calculates a difference in position from the information indicating each position, and uses the difference information as information on the vehicle width w2. Output (step S104). The distance shown by w1 in FIG. 5 is the distance from the end of the island I1 to which the tread plate 60 is close to the treading position where the tire passes on the tread plate forming the tread plate 60. When the stepping detection signal includes two stepping positions, if one is w1-1 and the other is w1-2, the vehicle width w2 can be calculated from the absolute value of the difference between w1-1 and w1-2. In the present embodiment, the distance between the tires on both sides is defined as the vehicle width w2. When the vehicle width calculation unit 152 includes only information indicating one stepping position in the stepping detection signal, the vehicle width calculation unit 152 calculates the distance shown by w1 in FIG. 5 based on the stepping position (step S105). Even in the case of only the information indicating one stepping position, the distance indicated by w1 is the distance from the end of the island I1 to which the tread plate 60 is close to the treading position where the tire passes on the tread plate forming the tread plate 60. On the other hand, the distance measuring unit 151 detects w3 based on the distance measuring signal. In the present embodiment, the distance of w3 is the distance from the light emitting portion E2 of the light emitting / receiving tower 15A to the side surface of the vehicle, and this distance w3 is the island I2 (second traveling prohibition zone) in which the light emitting / receiving tower 15A is installed. It may be defined as matching the distance from the boundary with the lane L to the side surface of the vehicle. For example, the distance measuring unit 151 measures the time from when the light emitting unit E2 emits light to when the light receiving unit R2 receives light, and uses this time and the speed of light to reach the side surface of the vehicle by a known distance calculation formula. Calculate the distance w3. The distance measuring unit 151 outputs the distance w3 to the vehicle width calculating unit 152. The vehicle width calculation unit 152 calculates and outputs the vehicle width w2 of the vehicle A by subtracting the values of w1 and w3 from the lane width w (step S106).

The second control device 15B may be provided in, for example, the automatic toll collection machine 20. The second control device 15B transmits the calculated vehicle width w2 information to the automatic toll collector 20. The automatic toll collection machine 20 determines the vehicle type classification (for example, classification of "light vehicle", "ordinary vehicle", "medium-sized vehicle", "large vehicle", "extra-large vehicle", etc.) using the information of the vehicle width w2. .. The automatic toll collection machine 20 calculates the toll based on the vehicle type classification and the toll section determined from the inserted toll ticket, and outputs the toll to the display monitor.

According to the above-mentioned processing of the vehicle width measuring system 100, the vehicle width of the vehicle A can be calculated even when the tire on one side of the vehicle A does not step on the tread plate 60. As a result, the accuracy of calculating the vehicle width can be improved.

In the processing of the vehicle width measurement system 100 described above, the second control device 15B acquires the stepping detection signal from the tread plate 60, acquires the distance measurement signal from the light emitting / receiving tower 15A, and based on the acquired signals, the vehicle. The width is calculated. However, when the stepping detection signal includes information on the two stepping positions, the second control device 15B may or may not receive the ranging signal from the light emitting / receiving tower 15A. It is not necessary to use the information of the ranging signal. The second control device 15B determines that the tire on one side of the vehicle A has not stepped on the tread plate 60 only when the stepping detection signal includes only one stepping position information, and transmits the distance measuring signal to the light emitting / receiving tower 15A. May be requested. That is, when the stepping detection signal includes only one stepping position information, the second control device 15B uses the information indicating the stepping position included in the stepping detection signal and the distance measuring signal to determine the vehicle width as described above. It may be calculated.

FIG. 8 is a second diagram showing an outline of the vehicle width measuring system.
In FIG. 8, as in FIGS. 3 to 5, (a) is a bird's-eye view of the toll collection facility from above, and (b) is a view of the toll collection facility from behind the vehicle when vehicle A gets over the tread 60. The figure in the case of
In FIG. 8, as compared with FIG. 5, the vehicle width measuring device 15 is installed on the islands I1 and I2 on the upstream side (front side in the traveling direction) of the light emitting tower 10A of the vehicle detector 10 and the lane position of the tread plate 60. It is different in that it is. In this case, when the vehicle enters the toll collection facility 1, the vehicle width measuring device 15 first measures the distance w3 to the vehicle A, and then the tread plate 60 outputs a stepping detection signal to the first control device 10D.

FIG. 9 is a third diagram showing an outline of the vehicle width measurement system.
In FIG. 9, as in FIGS. 3 to 5 and 8, (a) is a bird's-eye view of the toll collection facility from above, and (b) is toll collection from behind the vehicle when the vehicle A gets over the tread 60. The figure when looking at the equipment is shown.
FIG. 9 shows an example in which the tread plate 60 is laid so as to be closer to the island I2 side on the opposite side of the lane L from the island I1 on which the automatic toll collector 20 is installed, as compared with FIG. ing. That is, the case where the island I2 is the first traveling prohibited zone and the island I1 is the second traveling prohibited zone is shown. In this case, the unburied area x of the tread plate 60 is generated on the island I1 side where the automatic toll collector 20 is installed as shown in FIG. In the case of such a laying situation of the tread plate 60, the light emitting / receiving tower 15A of the vehicle width measuring device 15 is placed on the island I1 where the automatic toll collector 20 is installed, and the light receiving tower B is located downstream of the light receiving tower B. It is installed adjacent to. That is, the light emitting / receiving tower 15A of the vehicle width measuring device 15 is provided on the side portion of the lane L on the side where the unburied region x of the lane L is generated. In the case of the vehicle width measuring system 100 shown in FIG. 9, the vehicle width w2 can be calculated in the same manner as in the above processing.

It is assumed that the length of the unburied region x described above in the width direction (direction orthogonal to the axis of the lane L) is longer than the width of the tire itself of the vehicle A. Depending on the situation of the lane L, unburied areas x of the tread 60 longer than the width of the tire may be generated on both sides of the lane L. In such a case, the light emitting / receiving tower 15A of the vehicle width measuring device 15 may be provided on each of the islands I1 and I2 laid on both sides of the lane across the lane.

FIG. 10 is a fourth diagram showing an outline of the vehicle width measuring system.
In FIG. 10, as in FIGS. 3 to 5, 8, and 9, (a) is a bird's-eye view of the toll collection facility from above, and (b) is the back of the vehicle when the vehicle A gets over the tread 60. The figure when looking at the toll collection equipment from.
Compared with the vehicle width measuring system 100 shown in FIG. 5, the vehicle width measuring system 100 shown in FIG. 10 does not have the light emitting tower 10A and the light receiving tower 10B of the vehicle detector 10, and the light emitting light receiving tower 15A of the vehicle width measuring device 15 does not have. However, this is an example of performing both distance measurement for vehicle width measurement and vehicle detection. If the vehicle width measuring device 15 can receive the reflected light of the second inspection light at the light receiving unit R2, it can detect that the vehicle A has passed. Further, the light emitting / receiving tower 15A of the vehicle width measuring device 15 can also measure the distance w3 to the vehicle by the distance measuring signal. As a result, the light emitting tower 10A and the light receiving tower 10B constituting the vehicle detector 10 are not required, and it is possible to provide a function of detecting the vehicle in a narrow space such as islands I1 and I2 as well as detecting the vehicle width with high accuracy.

Each of the above devices has a computer system inside. The process of each process described above is stored in a computer-readable recording medium in the form of a program, and the process is performed by the computer reading and executing this program. Here, the computer-readable recording medium refers to a magnetic disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, a semiconductor memory, or the like. Further, this computer program may be distributed to a computer via a communication line, and the computer receiving the distribution may execute the program.

Further, the above program may be for realizing a part of the above-mentioned functions. Further, a so-called difference file (difference program) may be used, which can realize the above-mentioned functions in combination with a program already recorded in the computer system.

1 ... Toll collection equipment 10 ... Vehicle detector 10A ... Light emitting tower 10B ... Light receiving tower 10D ... First control device 15 ... Vehicle width measuring device 15A ... Light emitting light receiving tower 20・ ・ ・ Automatic toll collector 60 ・ ・ ・ Tread plate 100 ・ ・ ・ Vehicle width measurement system A ・ ・ ・ Vehicle L ・ ・ ・ Lanes I1, I2 ・ ・ ・ Island

Claims (5)

The treads provided on the lane and
A light emitting unit arranged at a position close to the tread plate in the lane direction and provided on one side in the width direction of the lane,
A light receiving portion that is arranged at a position close to the tread plate in the lane direction and is provided on one side in the width direction to receive the reflected light of the inspection light emitted by the light emitting portion from the vehicle.
A distance measuring unit that measures the distance from the light emitting unit to the vehicle based on the light received by the light receiving unit.
The stepping position detected from the information contained in the stepping detection signal received by the stepping detection signal transmitted by the tread plate, the distance calculated based on the distance measuring signal obtained by the distance measuring unit, and the width of the lane. A vehicle width calculation unit that measures the vehicle width of the vehicle using the length of
Vehicle width measurement system equipped with. A vehicle width measuring device including at least the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit is attached to a vehicle detector provided on one side of the lane at the same position as the position of the tread plate in the lane direction in the lane direction. The vehicle width measurement system according to claim 1, which is provided side by side. The tread plate is shorter than the width direction of the lane and is installed close to the first traveling prohibition zone parallel to the lane.
The vehicle width measuring system according to claim 2, wherein the vehicle width measuring device is provided in a second traveling prohibited zone on the opposite side of the first traveling prohibited zone. Obtain the stepping position of the tread when the tire of the vehicle steps on the tread provided on the lane.
A light emitting unit arranged at a position close to the tread plate in the lane direction and provided on one side in the width direction of the lane emits inspection light toward the vehicle.
A light receiving portion that is arranged at a position close to the tread plate in the lane direction and is provided on one side in the width direction and receives the reflected light of the inspection light emitted by the light emitting portion receives the inspection light.
The distance measuring unit measures the distance from the light emitting unit to the vehicle based on the light received by the light receiving unit.
The vehicle width is determined by using the stepping position detected by the vehicle width calculation unit from the information included in the stepping detection signal and the distance calculated based on the distance measurement signal obtained by the distance measuring unit. Vehicle width measurement method to measure. A toll collection facility including the vehicle width measurement system according to claims 1 to 3 and an automatic toll collection machine.

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