JP7273503B2 - Billing system - Google Patents

Description

Embodiments of the present invention relate to fee processing systems .

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, on toll roads such as expressways, an ETC system that collects tolls through wireless communication with an on-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle has become widespread. In addition, various services have been proposed for toll roads for the purpose of promoting usage or alleviating congestion. For example, a service has been proposed in which the toll is discounted according to the route the vehicle passes through, the date and time, and the like. On the other hand, road networks such as expressways are connected on a nationwide scale, and with the addition of new routes, the area is expanding and the routes are becoming more complicated. For this reason, it has become difficult to manage information such as the route traveled by each vehicle and realize toll processing corresponding to a variety of toll systems.

Conventionally, as a method for managing the route traveled by a vehicle on an expressway, there is a method of writing route information in a storage medium mounted on the vehicle (such as an ETC card set in an on-vehicle device). However, in the current ETC system, it is difficult to store nationwide route information in the memory area of the ETC card. Also, although it is technically conceivable to expand the storage area of the ETC card, it is not realistic because the transfer cost is high.

Another technique is to aggregate route information, including GPS information, collected by a plurality of information collecting devices called ITS spots set up at various locations on the road, and calculate the route traveled by one vehicle. technically possible. However, the process of collectively handling multiple route information for multiple vehicles traveling on the road, or specifying the route of each vehicle by processing such as map matching with GPS information that actually causes errors, is difficult for many people. Processing time is required, and it is actually difficult to specify the route of each vehicle in time for the toll payment at the exit toll gate.

JP 2016-151969 A

As described above, the conventional toll processing system manages the route actually traveled by each vehicle in a large-scale toll road network, calculates the toll according to the route for each vehicle, and collects the toll. There is a problem that it is difficult to execute the processing.
The present invention is intended to solve the above problems, and to provide a toll processing system that can easily implement toll processing such as toll collection based on various toll systems according to routes even in a large-scale toll road network. With the goal.

According to the embodiment, the toll processing system includes an area management device provided corresponding to an area on the toll road, an entrance toll gate device for processing entry to the toll road, and an exit device for processing exit from the toll road. It comprises a toll gate device, a route device for detecting a route passed by a vehicle on a toll road, and a checkpoint device for detecting a vehicle passing through a checkpoint that is a boundary between other areas. The checkpoint device consists of a vehicle communication unit that communicates with the vehicle-mounted device installed in the vehicle passing through the checkpoint, a central communication unit that communicates with the area management device, and a vehicle that passes through the checkpoint. and a checkpoint control unit that transmits area crossing information indicating that the vehicle has moved between areas to both or at least one of the management device and the area management device of the destination area. The area management device includes an inter-area communication unit that communicates with area management devices in other areas, an entrance tollgate device in its own area, an exit tollgate device in its own area, and an exit tollgate device in its own area that the area management device corresponds to. A route device, a device communication unit that communicates with a checkpoint device provided at a connection part between its own area and another area adjacent to its own area, and a vehicle that has moved from the checkpoint device or the area management device of the adjacent area and a central control unit that, when receiving area crossing information indicating a route passed by the vehicle or a variable amount corresponding to the route, transfers transfer information to an area management device in an adjacent area. The exit toll gate device includes a communication unit that communicates with the area management device installed in the own area where the exit toll gate is located among the area management devices installed in each area of the toll road, and a vehicle that enters the exit toll gate. The vehicle communication unit that communicates with the vehicle-mounted device installed in the vehicle when it comes to the vehicle, and the information about the vehicle communicated by the vehicle communication unit and the vehicle that has moved from another area to the own area. It has an exit control unit that performs exit processing for the vehicle based on takeover information from the area management device corresponding to the movement source area and the route traveled by the vehicle within its own area.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for schematically explaining the charge processing system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a control system for each device in the fee processing system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a basic table according to the embodiment; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a variable billing table according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing an operation example of the charge processing system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining an operation example of the area management device in the charge processing system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining an operation example of a checkpoint device in the fee processing system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 8 is a flow chart for explaining an example of the operation of the exit toll booth device in the toll processing system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram schematically showing an operation example of the fee processing system according to the first modified example of the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically showing an operation example of the charge processing system according to the second modified example of the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a flow chart for explaining an operation example of the area management device in the charge processing system according to the second modification of the first embodiment. FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a control system for each device in the fee processing system according to the second embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram schematically showing an operation example of the charge processing system according to the second embodiment. FIG. 14 is a flow chart for explaining an operation example of the area management device in the charge processing system according to the second embodiment. FIG. 15 is a flow chart for explaining an operation example of an exit toll gate device in the toll processing system according to the second embodiment. FIG. 16 is a diagram schematically showing an operation example of the fee processing system according to the first modified example of the second embodiment. FIG. 17 is a diagram schematically showing an operation example of the charge processing system according to the second modified example of the second embodiment. FIG. 18 is a flow chart for explaining an operation example of the area management device in the charge processing system according to the second modified example of the second embodiment. FIG. 19 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a control system for each device in the fee processing system according to the third embodiment. FIG. 20 is a diagram schematically showing an operation example of the charge processing system according to the third embodiment. FIG. 21 is a flow chart for explaining an operation example of the area management device in the charge processing system according to the third embodiment. FIG. 22 is a flow chart for explaining an example of the operation of the exit toll booth device in the toll processing system according to the third embodiment. FIG. 23 is a diagram schematically showing an operation example of the charge processing system according to the first modified example of the third embodiment. FIG. 24 is a diagram schematically showing an operation example of the charge processing system according to the second modified example of the third embodiment. FIG. 25 is a flow chart for explaining an operation example of the area management device in the charge processing system according to the second modification of the third embodiment. FIG. 26 is a diagram schematically showing an operation example of the charge processing system according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 27 is a flowchart for explaining an operation example of the area management device in the charge processing system according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 28 is a flowchart for explaining an operation example of a checkpoint device in the fee processing system according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 29 is a flow chart for explaining an operation example of an exit toll gate device in the toll processing system according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 30 is a diagram schematically showing an operation example of the charge processing system according to the first modified example of the fourth embodiment. FIG. 31 is a diagram schematically showing an operation example of the charge processing system according to the second modified example of the fourth embodiment. FIG. 32 is a flow chart for explaining an operation example of the area management device in the charge processing system according to the second modified example of the fourth embodiment. FIG. 33 is a flow chart for explaining an example of the operation of the exit toll booth device in the toll processing system according to the second modified example of the fourth embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings.
First, an outline of the fee processing system according to each embodiment will be described.
Toll roads to which the toll processing system is applied basically (in principle) charge the same toll for the same departure and arrival (same entrance and exit). Furthermore, through various measures such as traffic congestion countermeasures, it is possible to pre-set routes (sections) that change specific routes or tolls (tolls), and tolls (tolls) for vehicles that meet conditions such as the date and time of passage. We are implementing measures to reduce prices (or add fees). For example, as a measure for reducing traffic congestion, a variable amount (a discount amount or an additional amount, etc.) for each route is set according to the degree of congestion for each route on a toll road.

When implementing variable charging based on route, section, or transit time as described above, the fare table, which is the basis of fare calculation, becomes complicated and enormous, and there is a limit to its operation. For this reason, in the toll processing system according to each embodiment, when one toll road network for which toll processing is to be processed is divided into a plurality of areas, information such as routes is managed for each area, and when exiting from the toll road network Calculate the toll that fluctuates according to the route, etc. The multiple areas are not limited to areas divided for each road operator that manages toll roads, but may be a toll road network (one toll road) of one road operator divided into multiple areas.

In this embodiment, each area is provided with an area management device, which is a central device that performs processing related to charge calculation. The toll calculation defines the basic charge table for determining the basic toll determined by the corresponding relationship between the entrance toll gate and the exit toll gate, and the discount amount (or surcharge amount) determined by the date and time of passage and the route. Charges are determined by combining variable charge tables.
Hereinafter, modes for implementing a charge processing system including an area management device provided for each area will be described as first to fourth embodiments.

(First embodiment)
The first embodiment is an embodiment in which both the basic billing table and the variable billing table are held in the area management device.
First, an embodiment in which the variable billing table is different for each area will be described.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for schematically explaining the charge processing system according to the first embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 1, the toll processing system according to the embodiment divides one toll road network into a plurality of areas A and B for management. In the configuration example shown in FIG. 1, the toll processing system includes a plurality of area management devices 1 (1A, 1B), entrance tollgate devices 2, exit tollgate devices 3, route devices 4, checkpoint devices 5, and the like.

The area management device 1 is provided for each area. The area management device 1 is a central device (server device) that communicates with roadside devices such as the entrance toll gate device 2, the exit toll gate device 3, the route device 4, and the checkpoint device 5 installed at various locations on the toll road. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the fee processing system has an area management device 1A corresponding to area A as the first area and an area management device 1B corresponding to area B as the second area. The area management device 1A manages route information traveled by each vehicle in area A and the amount of money fluctuated according to the route. Manage money, etc.

Toll gates are provided in each of areas A and B, respectively. Each toll booth (IC) is provided with an entrance toll booth and an exit toll booth. However, the IC may be entrance-only, functioning only as an entrance toll booth, or exit-only, functioning only as an exit toll booth. An entrance toll gate and an exit toll gate are provided with lanes designed for vehicles to pass in predetermined directions (entry direction and exit direction), for example. A vehicle equipped with an on-vehicle device S in which an IC card (ETC card) C for payment is set passes through the lane.

An entrance tollgate device 2 is arranged at an entrance tollgate, and an exit tollgate device 3 is arranged at an exit tollgate. The entrance toll gate device 2 and the exit toll gate device 3 wirelessly communicate with the vehicle-mounted device S mounted on the vehicle passing through the lane. The entrance toll gate device 2 is a device that performs entrance processing (entrance processing) for vehicles entering a toll road. The exit tollgate device 3 is a device that performs exit processing (departure processing) for vehicles exiting from a toll road.

The route devices 4 are arranged at various locations within each area of the toll road in order to detect the route traveled by the vehicle. The route device 4 detects vehicles passing through a specific route by detecting vehicles passing through a predetermined position on the toll road. For example, the route device 4 detects a vehicle passing through a predetermined route (passage detection point) provided on a toll road by wirelessly communicating with the vehicle-mounted device S mounted on the vehicle passing through the route. In addition, the route device 4 acquires identification information indicating a vehicle that has passed through a predetermined route, passage date and time, and the like through wireless communication with the vehicle-mounted device S. FIG. Specific examples of the route device 4 include a road-vehicle communication device using DSRC, a route FF (free flow), and the like.

The checkpoint device 5 is provided at a connection point (hereinafter referred to as a checkpoint) between a plurality of areas, and detects vehicles passing through this checkpoint. In the configuration example shown in FIG. 1, the checkpoint device 5 is installed so as to detect a vehicle passing through a location (checkpoint) connecting area A and area B on a toll road. For example, the checkpoint device 5 communicates with an on-vehicle device S mounted on a vehicle passing through a checkpoint between area A and area B by wireless communication. The checkpoint device 5 detects vehicles moving between areas by wireless communication with the vehicle-mounted device S, passage date and time, and the like. Specific examples of the checkpoint device 5 include a road-to-vehicle communication device using DSRC, a checkpoint FF, and the like.

Each area management device 1A (1B) has a function of communicating with an area management device 1B (1A) in an adjacent area. In addition, each area management device 1A (1B) communicates with the entrance tollgate device 2, the exit tollgate device 3 and the route device 4 in the corresponding area A (B), and Get route information. The area management device 1A (1B) also has a function of communicating with a checkpoint device 5 that detects vehicles passing through the checkpoint.

Next, the configuration of the control system in each device that constitutes the fee processing system according to the first embodiment will be described.
FIG. 2 shows an example of the control system configuration of the area management device 1 (1A, 1B), the entrance toll gate device 2, the exit toll gate device 3, the route device 4, and the checkpoint device 5 in the toll processing system according to the first embodiment. It is a block diagram showing.
As shown in FIG. 2 , the area management device 1 has a control section 11 , a storage section 12 , a device communication section 13 and an inter-area communication section 14 . The area management device 1 is configured by, for example, a general-purpose server device. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the configuration of the area management device 1A is shown, but the area management device of another area (the area management device 1B of area B) also has the same configuration as the area management device 1A. and

The control unit 11 is a control unit that controls control and data processing in the area management device 1 . The control unit 11 has a CPU, a memory, an interface, and the like. A CPU is a processor that implements various processing functions by executing programs. The CPU is connected to each part constituting the area management device 1 via an interface or the like. The memory includes various types of memory such as a non-volatile memory that stores programs executed by the CPU, a volatile memory that temporarily holds data, and a rewritable non-volatile memory that holds setting data and the like. That is, the control unit 11 controls each unit and executes data processing by executing the program stored in the memory by the CPU.

The storage unit 12 includes a storage medium, such as in-memory, from which reading and writing can be performed at high speed. The storage unit 12 may be composed of a large-capacity storage device such as an HDD or SSD. The storage unit 12 stores various data related to the fee processing system. For example, the storage unit 12 stores information collected from the entrance tollgate device 2, the exit tollgate device 3, the route device 4, the checkpoint device 5, and other area management devices 1, and the like. In addition, the storage unit 12 stores the information acquired from each device in association with the vehicle identification information (card ID, vehicle-mounted device ID).

Further, in the first embodiment, the storage unit 12 has a basic table T1 and a variable billing table T2A. The basic table T1 is a storage area for storing information indicating tolls (basic tolls) corresponding to entrances and exits in the toll road network. The basic table T1 stores information indicating basic tolls that give the same toll for the same departure and arrival for each combination of entrances and exits on the entire toll road.

The variable billing table T2A is a storage area for storing information indicating the billing amount (variable amount, discount amount) to be varied according to conditions such as each route in area A or the route and transit time. In the first embodiment, each area management device 1A, 1B is provided with area-by-area variable charge tables T1A, T1B provided for each area. For example, the variable billing table T2A stores variable charges applied to each route according to the congestion status of each route in area A and the expected congestion status. The degree of congestion of each route or the setting information of the variable amount according to the degree of congestion may be determined from information collected from each route device, or may be obtained from an external server. However, it may be manually input from the terminal terminal to be connected.

The device communication unit 13 is a communication interface for communicating with external devices. In this embodiment, the device communication unit 13 is assumed to be an interface for communicating with the entrance tollgate device 2 , the exit tollgate device 3 , the route device 4 , and the checkpoint device 5 . Note that the device communication unit 13 may include a plurality of types of communication interfaces corresponding to various devices.
The inter-area communication unit 14 is a communication interface for communicating with area management devices in other areas. In this embodiment, the inter-area communication unit 14 is configured to communicate with an area management device provided in an adjacent area to which roads are connected via checkpoints.

As shown in FIG. 2, the entrance toll booth device 2 includes a control unit 21, a host communication unit 22, a vehicle communication unit 23, a start controller 24, a roadside display 25, and the like.
The control unit 21 is a control unit that controls the entire entrance toll booth device 2 and performs data processing. The control unit 21 has a CPU, a memory, an interface, and the like. A CPU is a processor that implements various processing functions by executing programs. The CPU is connected to each part constituting the entrance toll booth device 2 via an interface or the like. The memory includes various types of memory such as a nonvolatile memory that stores programs executed by the CPU, a volatile memory that temporarily holds data, and a rewritable nonvolatile memory that holds setting data and the like.

The host communication unit 22 is a communication interface for communicating with the area management device 1 as a host device. The upper communication unit 22 may communicate with the area management device 1 by wireless communication, or may communicate with the area management device 1 via a communication line.
The vehicle communication unit 23 is an interface that wirelessly communicates with the vehicle-mounted device S mounted on the vehicle. The vehicle communication unit 23 wirelessly communicates with the vehicle-mounted device S mounted on a vehicle (vehicle about to enter) approaching the entrance toll gate device 2 at the entrance toll gate. The vehicle communication unit 23 acquires information such as the card ID of the ETC card C, the vehicle-mounted device ID, and the vehicle type information indicating the vehicle type from the vehicle-mounted device S that communicates wirelessly.

The start controller 24 controls the entry of the vehicle to the toll road from the entrance toll booth. The start controller 24 controls the opening and closing of a start control bar provided on the lane of the entrance tollgate. For example, the start controller 24 closes the start control bar to block the passage of the vehicle when temporarily stopping the vehicle or prohibiting passage (entrance) of the vehicle. Further, when permitting passage (entrance) of the vehicle, the start controller 24 opens the start control bar to permit the passage of the vehicle. It should be noted that the start bar may not be provided in the start controller 24, giving priority to alleviation of congestion at the toll gate.

The roadside display device 25 displays guidance and the like for users who get on vehicles passing through the entrance tollgate. The roadside indicator 25 is installed facing the vehicle passing through the lane of the entrance toll booth.

As shown in FIG. 2, the exit tollgate device 3 includes a control unit 31, a host communication unit 32, a vehicle communication unit 33, a start controller 34, a roadside display 35, and the like.
The control unit 31 is a control unit that controls the entire exit toll booth device 3 and performs data processing. The control unit 31 has a CPU, a memory, an interface, and the like. A CPU is a processor that implements various processing functions by executing programs. The CPU is connected to each part constituting the exit toll booth device 3 via an interface or the like. The memory includes various types of memory such as a nonvolatile memory that stores programs executed by the CPU, a volatile memory that temporarily holds data, and a rewritable nonvolatile memory that holds setting data and the like.

The host communication unit 32 is a communication interface for communicating with the area management device 1 as a host device. The upper communication unit 32 may perform wireless communication, or may perform communication via a communication line.
The vehicle communication unit 33 is an interface that wirelessly communicates with a vehicle-mounted device mounted on the vehicle. The vehicle communication unit 33 wirelessly communicates with an on-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle (vehicle about to exit) approaching the exit toll gate device 3 at the exit toll gate. The vehicle communication unit 33 acquires information such as the card ID of the ETC card, the vehicle-mounted device ID, and the vehicle type information indicating the vehicle type from the vehicle-mounted device that communicates wirelessly.

A launch controller 34 controls the exit of vehicles at exit toll gates. The start controller 34 controls the opening and closing of a start control bar provided on the lane of the exit toll gate. For example, the start controller 34 closes the start control bar to prevent the vehicle from passing (exiting) when temporarily stopping the vehicle or prohibiting the vehicle from exiting. Further, when permitting the vehicle to pass (participate), the start controller 34 opens the start control bar to permit the vehicle to pass. It should be noted that priority may be given to alleviating congestion at the exit tollgate, and the start bar may not be provided.
The roadside display 35 displays guidance and the like for users who get on vehicles passing through the exit tollgate. The roadside indicator 35 is installed facing the vehicle passing through the exit toll gate lane.

The route device 4 has, as shown in FIG. 2, a control unit 41, a higher-level communication unit 42, a vehicle communication unit 43, and the like.
The control unit 41 is a control unit that controls the entire route device 4 and performs data processing. The control unit 41 has a CPU, a memory, an interface, and the like. A CPU is a processor that implements various processing functions by executing programs. The CPU is connected to each part constituting the route device 4 via an interface or the like. The memory includes various types of memory such as a nonvolatile memory that stores programs executed by the CPU, a volatile memory that temporarily holds data, and a rewritable nonvolatile memory that holds setting data and the like.

The host communication unit 42 is a communication interface for communicating with the area management device 1 as a host device. The upper communication unit 42 may communicate with the area management device 1 by wireless communication, or may communicate with the area management device 1 via a communication line.
The vehicle communication unit 43 is an interface that wirelessly communicates with the vehicle-mounted device S mounted on the vehicle. The vehicle communication unit 43 wirelessly communicates with the vehicle-mounted device S mounted on a vehicle passing through the location where the route device 4 is installed. The vehicle communication unit 43 wirelessly communicates with the vehicle-mounted device S mounted on the vehicle to receive information such as the card ID of the ETC card C set in the vehicle-mounted device S, the vehicle-mounted device ID, and vehicle model information indicating the vehicle model. get. However, the route device 4 only needs to be able to acquire information that can identify the vehicles that have passed through a predetermined route (section) and the date and time of the passage. It may be replaced with something that can detect the passing date and time.

As shown in FIG. 2, the checkpoint device 5 includes a control unit 51, a higher-level communication unit 52, a vehicle communication unit 53, and the like.
The control unit 51 is a control unit that controls the entire checkpoint device 5 and performs data processing. The control unit 51 has a CPU, a memory, an interface, and the like. A CPU is a processor that implements various processing functions by executing programs. The CPU is connected to each part constituting the checkpoint device 5 via an interface or the like. The memory includes various types of memory such as a nonvolatile memory that stores programs executed by the CPU, a volatile memory that temporarily holds data, and a rewritable nonvolatile memory that holds setting data and the like.

The upper communication unit 52 is a communication interface for communicating with the area management devices 1A and 1B in adjacent areas where the checkpoint device 5 is provided. The upper communication unit 52 may communicate with the adjacent area management devices 1A and 1B by wireless communication, or may communicate with the area management devices 1A and 1B via a communication line.
The vehicle communication unit 53 is an interface that wirelessly communicates with the vehicle-mounted device S mounted on the vehicle passing through the checkpoint. The vehicle communication unit 53 wirelessly communicates with the vehicle-mounted device S mounted on a vehicle passing through the location where the checkpoint device 5 is installed. The vehicle communication unit 53 wirelessly communicates with the vehicle-mounted device S mounted on the vehicle to transmit information such as the card ID of the ETC card C set in the vehicle-mounted device S, the vehicle-mounted device ID, and vehicle model information indicating the vehicle model. get.

Next, configuration examples of the basic table T1 and the variable billing table T2 (T2A, T2B) used for charge calculation according to the embodiment will be described.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the basic table T1.
The configuration example shown in FIG. 3 shows an example in which basic tables T1a, T1b, and T1c are provided for each type of vehicle such as a large vehicle, a medium vehicle, and an ordinary vehicle. In the basic table T1 shown in FIG. 3, one toll is shown for a combination of an entrance and an exit. In the first embodiment, the basic table T1 stores basic tolls for combinations of entrances to exits for the entire toll road, not just within the area. The exit toll gate device 3 (or the area management device 1) refers to the basic table T1 corresponding to the vehicle type to determine the toll (basic toll) corresponding to the combination of the entrance and exit.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the variable billing table T2 (T2A, T2B).
The variable billing table T2 shown in FIG. 4 shows the variable amount set for each condition associated with the variable ID. In the variable billing table T2, the condition associated with the variable ID may be a condition determined by time or vehicle type. It is assumed that the variable billing table T2 is appropriately updated according to the congestion status or congestion prediction of each route. Further, in the first embodiment, the variable charge table T2 is area-by-area variable charge tables T2A and T2B that store the variable charge for each route within the area. Therefore, in the first embodiment, the area management devices 1A and 1B refer to the area-by-area variable charge tables T2A and T2B that store the variable charges for each route in the areas A and B, and refer to the variable charge tables T2A and T2B for each route in the areas A and B. Determine the variable amount.

Note that the variable billing table T2 may be provided for each vehicle type. However, in the variable billing table T2, by setting the vehicle type (condition including the vehicle type) as a condition, there is no need to provide a variable billing table for each vehicle type, and a single variable billing table is used to determine the variable amount for each vehicle type. It is possible to reduce the amount of data in the entire variable billing table corresponding to all vehicle types.

In the configuration example shown in FIG. 4, the variable billing table T2 stores conditions and variable amounts in association with variable IDs.
The variable ID is identification information assigned to each condition for setting the variable amount for the charge. A variable ID may be any unique information, such as a number, a character string, or a combination of a character string and a number. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the variable IDs are assigned unique numbers in order from the initial value "0001".

A condition is information indicating a condition to which the variable amount is applied. The condition can be determined from the transit route information. However, the condition may be determined by a combination of passing route information, entry information, and exit information. For example, as a condition, passage of a route detectable by the route device 4 is set. Moreover, the condition may include the time for the vehicle to pass. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the condition with the variation ID "0001" is that the vehicle has passed the route a, and the condition with the variation ID "0002" is that the vehicle has traveled the route b from 17:00 to 19:00. It has passed by

The variable amount is information indicating the amount to be changed with respect to the charge. In the example shown in FIG. 4, if the variable ID meets the condition of "0001", the variable amount is -100 yen (decrease of 100 yen), and if the variable ID meets the condition of "0002", the variable amount is -. It is 200 yen (a reduction of 200 yen). Note that the variable amount is not limited to the amount for decreasing the charge, and may be the amount for increasing the charge. Also, as the variable amount, a discount rate or a premium rate may be set.

Next, information acquired from each device by the area management devices 1A and 1B of each area in the first embodiment will be described.
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining an operation example of the charge processing system according to the first embodiment.
The example shown in FIG. 5 schematically shows a specific example of information acquired from each roadside device by each area management device 1A, 1B of the toll processing system according to the first embodiment. Also, in the example shown in FIG. 5, a vehicle entering from the entrance tollgate "IC:A" of area A passes through the route a of area A, the checkpoint, and the route c of area B, and then exits toll gate of area B. It shows an example of the case of entering from "IC:C".

First, when a vehicle passes through an entrance toll gate, the entrance toll gate device 2 communicates with the vehicle-mounted device S mounted on the vehicle entering the entrance toll gate, and based on the information acquired from the vehicle-mounted device S, the vehicle create entry information indicating that has entered. The entrance toll booth device 2 transmits the created entry information to the area management device 1 . In the example shown in FIG. 5, the entrance toll gate device 2a of the entrance toll gate "IC:A" communicates with the vehicle-mounted device S mounted on the entering vehicle to acquire information about the entering vehicle. The entrance tollgate device 2a creates admission information Data1 based on the information acquired from the vehicle-mounted device S, and transmits the created admission information Data1 to the area management device 1A of the area A. FIG. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the entrance information Data1 includes a card ID, an on-vehicle device ID, an entrance IC, an entrance date and time, a vehicle type, and the like.

The card ID is identification information of the ETC card C set in the vehicle-mounted device S mounted on the vehicle. The ETC card C is a card used for payment of charges. When the valid ETC card C is normally set in the vehicle-mounted device S, the entrance toll gate device 2 acquires the card ID from the vehicle and permits the vehicle to enter. The vehicle-mounted device ID is identification information of the vehicle-mounted device S mounted on the vehicle. The entrance IC is information indicating the entrance (entrance tollgate) through which the vehicle entered. The entry date and time is information indicating the date and time when the person passed through the entrance. The vehicle type is information indicating the vehicle type of the entering vehicle. However, since the card ID and the vehicle-mounted device ID are identification information for specifying the vehicle to be charged, either the card ID or the vehicle-mounted device ID may be omitted if the vehicle to be charged can be specified.

On the other hand, each area management device 1 acquires entry information from the entrance toll booth devices 2 of each entrance toll booth in the area it is in charge of (its own area). In the example shown in FIG. 5, the area management device 1A acquires (receives) the entry information Data1 having the above configuration from the entrance toll gate device 2a of the entrance toll gate "IC:A". The area management device 1A stores information such as the entrance IC, the date and time of entry, and the vehicle type included in the acquired entrance information Data1 in the storage unit 12 in association with the identification information such as the card ID and the vehicle-mounted device ID of the acquired entrance information Data1. .

Next, when the routing device 4 detects a passing vehicle, the routing device 4 creates passing route information indicating that the vehicle has passed, and transmits the created passing route information to the area management device 1 in its own area. . In the example shown in FIG. 5, the route device 4a communicates with the vehicle-mounted device S mounted on the vehicle passing through the route a in the area A, and acquires information about the passing vehicle. The route device 4a creates the passing route information Data2 based on the information acquired from the vehicle-mounted device S, and transmits the created passing route information Data2 to the area management device 1A of the area A. FIG. As a result, the area management device 1A acquires the passage route information Data2 indicating that the vehicle has passed the route a from the route device 4. FIG. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the passage route information Data2 is information including card ID, vehicle-mounted device ID, route information, passage date and time, vehicle type, and the like.

The card ID and the vehicle-mounted device ID are identification information for specifying a vehicle that has passed through the route a, and are information corresponding to the card ID and the vehicle-mounted device ID, such as entry information. However, if the vehicle that has passed through the route a can be specified, either the card ID or the vehicle-mounted device ID may be omitted. The route of the passing route information Data2 is information indicating that the route (passing detection point) passed by the vehicle is the route a. The passage date and time of the passage route information Data2 is information indicating the date and time when the passage detection point for detecting the passage of the route a was passed. The vehicle type of the passing route information Data2 is information indicating the vehicle type of the vehicle that has passed the route a. However, the vehicle type may not be included in the passage detection information.

In the example shown in FIG. 5, the area management device 1A acquires (receives) the passing route information Data2 from the route device 4a when the vehicle passes through the route a. When the passing route information Data2 is obtained from the route device 4a, the area management device 1A allocates a variable amount (discount amount) corresponding to the route a from the area A variable charge table T2A. When the variable amount according to the route a is allocated, the area management device 1A stores the allocated variable amount in the storage unit 12 as a cumulative variable amount associated with the identification information (card ID or vehicle-mounted device ID) of the vehicle. (or update). The area management device may allocate the variable amount at the timing of receiving the cross-area information, or at the timing of receiving the entry information.

Next, when the vehicle passes through the checkpoint where the checkpoint device 5 is installed, the checkpoint device 5 creates area crossing information indicating that the vehicle has passed through the checkpoint, and transmits the created area crossing information to the area management device 1A. do. Area crossing information is information indicating that the user has passed through a checkpoint and moved to an adjacent area. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the checkpoint device 5 transmits area crossing information Data3 indicating that the vehicle has moved from area A to area B to area management device 1A.

That is, the checkpoint device 5 communicates with the vehicle-mounted device S mounted on the vehicle passing through the checkpoint, and acquires information about the vehicle passing through the checkpoint. The checkpoint device 5 creates area crossing information (checkpoint passing information) Data3 based on the information acquired from the vehicle-mounted device S, and transmits the created area crossing information Data3 to the area management device 1A of the area A. As a result, the area management device 1</b>A acquires from the checkpoint device 5 area crossing information Data<b>3 indicating the vehicle that has moved from the area A to the area B after passing through the checkpoint.

In the example shown in FIG. 5, the cross-area information Data3 is information including card ID, vehicle-mounted device ID, checkpoint information, passage date and time, vehicle type, and the like.
The card ID and the vehicle-mounted device ID are identification information for specifying the vehicle that has passed through the checkpoint, and are information corresponding to the card ID and the vehicle-mounted device ID included in the entrance information and the passing route information. However, if the vehicle that has passed through the checkpoint can be identified, either the card ID or the vehicle-mounted device ID may be omitted. The checkpoint information is information indicating a checkpoint through which the vehicle has passed. For example, the checkpoint information is information specifying the checkpoint device 5 provided at the checkpoint. Also, the checkpoint information may be information indicating an area to move through the checkpoint. The passage date and time of the area crossing information Data3 is information indicating the date and time when the checkpoint was passed. The vehicle type is information indicating the vehicle type of the vehicle that passed through the checkpoint. However, the vehicle type may not be included in the area crossing information.
Note that the checkpoint device 5 may transmit the area crossing information Data3 to the area management device 1B in the destination area B, or the area management device 1A in the source area A and the destination area B may transmit the area crossing information Data3. You may transmit to both the management apparatus 1B.

The area management device 1A acquires (receives) the area crossing information Data3 from the checkpoint device 5 installed at the checkpoint, and transfers the information regarding the amount of change for the vehicle that has passed through the checkpoint to the area management device 1B of the destination area B. Create takeover information Data4. After creating the takeover information Data4, the area management device 1A transmits the takeover information to the area management device 1B of the area B to which the vehicle is moving.

The handover information Data4 may be transmitted from the source area management device in response to a request from the destination area management device. For example, if the checkpoint device 5 transmits the area crossing information Data3 to the destination area management device 1B, the area management device 1B requests the takeover information from the area management device 1A of the area A of the movement source. , the area crossing information Data3 can be acquired from the area management device 1A.

The handover information Data4 is information transmitted from the area management device 1A that manages the area where the vehicle moves from to the area management device 1B that manages the area where the vehicle moves. The handover information Data4 is information about the amount of change for a vehicle that has moved between areas, and is information for handing over the information held by the area management device 1A to the area management device 1B. In the first embodiment, the handover information Data4 is information including information indicating the entrance and information indicating the cumulative amount of change obtained by totaling the amount of change according to all routes traveled from the entrance to the checkpoint. be.

For example, in the first embodiment, the handover information Data4 is information including card ID, vehicle-mounted device ID, admission information, cumulative change amount, vehicle type, and the like. The card ID and the vehicle-mounted device ID are identification information for specifying a vehicle that has moved from area A to area B beyond the checkpoint. Either the card ID or the vehicle-mounted device ID may be omitted if the vehicle that has crossed the checkpoint and moved between the areas can be identified. The entry information is information indicating the entrance at which the vehicle entered the toll road. The cumulative variable amount is the cumulative variable amount corresponding to all routes traveled from the entrance to the checkpoint. The vehicle type is information indicating the vehicle type of the vehicle that has moved from the area A to the area B over the checkpoint. However, the vehicle type may not be included in the area crossing information.

After entering the area B from the checkpoint, the passage of each route is detected by each route device 4 in the area B of the vehicle. When the route device 4 in the area B detects a passing vehicle at the passage detection point corresponding to each route, it creates passing route information indicating that the vehicle has passed, and sends the created passing route information to the area management device 1B. Send. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the area management device 1B acquires the passing route information Data5 from the route device 4c when the vehicle passes through the route c in the area B. FIG.

In the example shown in FIG. 5, the route device 4c communicates with the vehicle-mounted device S mounted on the vehicle passing through the route c, and acquires information about the passing vehicle. The route device 4c creates passing route information Data5 based on the information acquired from the vehicle-mounted device S, and transmits the created passing route information Data5 to the area management device 1B of the area B. FIG. The passage route information Data5 has the same format (structure) as the passage route information Data2 described above, and is information including the card ID, the vehicle-mounted device ID, the route information, the passage date and time, the vehicle type, and the like.

When the area management device 1B receives the passing route information Data5 of the vehicle that has moved from the area A to the area B, it stores the passing route information Data5 in association with the handover information Data4 acquired from the area management device 1A. As a result, the area management device 1B for the area B (destination area) calculates the accumulated amount of change before moving to the area B included in the handover information Data4 and the amount of change according to the route passed in the area B. It is possible to manage the cumulative fluctuation amount for vehicles passing through the area B based on.

Next, when the vehicle enters the exit tollgate, the exit tollgate device 3 communicates with the vehicle-mounted device S mounted on the vehicle to acquire information about the vehicle and create entry information. The exit toll booth device 3 transmits the created entry information to the area management device. In the first embodiment, the exit tollgate device 3 acquires information indicating the toll to be imposed on the exiting vehicle from the area management device according to the entry information. That is, when the entry information is received from the exit toll gate device 3, the area management device 1 calculates the toll to be charged to the vehicle and transmits billing amount information indicating the calculated toll to the exit toll gate device 3. .

In the example shown in FIG. 5, the exit tollgate device 3c of the exit tollgate "IC:C" creates entry information Data6 regarding exiting vehicles, and transmits the entry information Data6 to the area management device 1B of the area B. FIG. The area management device 1B acquires the entry information Data6 from the exit tollgate device 3c, creates billed amount information Data7 corresponding to the entry information Data6, and returns the billed amount information Data7 to the exit tollgate device 3c.

In the example shown in FIG. 5, the entry information Data6 is information including card ID, vehicle-mounted device ID, exit IC, entry date and time, vehicle type, and the like. The card ID and the vehicle-mounted device ID are identification information for identifying the vehicle that has entered the exit tollgate and is subject to charging. However, if the vehicle to be billed can be identified, either the card ID or the vehicle-mounted device ID may be omitted. The exit IC is information indicating the exit toll gate (exit) into which the vehicle has entered. The exit date and time is information indicating the date and time when the vehicle entered the exit toll booth. The vehicle type is information indicating the vehicle type. However, the entry information does not have to include the vehicle type.

In addition, billing amount information Data7 is information including card ID, vehicle-mounted device ID, toll, and the like. The card ID and the vehicle-mounted device ID are identification information for specifying the vehicle to be billed specified by the entry information Data6. However, if the vehicle can be identified, either the card ID or the vehicle-mounted device ID may be omitted. A toll is an amount charged to a user according to all the routes that the vehicle passes through on the toll road.

When the entry information is received, the area management device 1B specifies the entry information corresponding to the vehicle in the received entry information, and calculates the basic charge based on the basic table T1 from the combination of the entrance and the exit. Furthermore, the area management device 1B identifies the cumulative variation amount according to all routes in all areas in which the vehicle of the received participation information has passed on the toll road, and applies the cumulative variation amount to the basic toll to calculate the toll. do. The area management device 1B creates billing amount information Data7 indicating the calculated toll, and transmits the created billing amount information Data7 to the exit tollgate device 3 that is the source of the entry information. As a result, the exit toll booth device 3 of the exit toll booth executes exit processing for the vehicle based on the toll included in the billing amount information Data7 acquired from the area management device 1B.

Next, operation of each device in the charge processing system according to the first embodiment will be described.
First, the operation of the area management device 1 in the fee processing system according to the first embodiment will be described.
FIG. 6 is a flow chart for explaining an operation example of the area management device 1 in the charge processing system according to the first embodiment.
As described above, in the first embodiment, each area management device 1 receives entry information from the entrance toll gate device 2 in the area, passage route information from the route device 4, area crossing information from the checkpoint device 5, and , the exit information from the exit toll gate device 3 is received at any time. In addition, the area management device 1 receives handover information including information indicating the accumulated amount of change for vehicles that have passed through a checkpoint and moved into its own area from the area management device of the movement source area.

That is, when the device communication section 13 receives the entry information from the entrance toll gate device 2 (ST11, YES), the control section 11 of the area management device 1 stores the entry information in the storage section 12 (ST12). The entry information received from the entrance toll booth device 2 is stored in the storage unit 12 as information associated with the card ID or the vehicle-mounted device ID so that it can be retrieved by the card ID or the vehicle-mounted device ID.

When the passing route information from the route device 4 is received by the device communication unit 13 (ST13, YES), the control unit 11 of the area management device 1 identifies the route that the vehicle has passed from the received passing route information, The variable charge set for the selected route is assigned from the variable charge table T2A (T2B) of the area (ST14). However, the process of ST14 may not be executed each time the transit route information is received, but may be collectively executed after the process of ST16 or the process of ST21, which will be described later. If a variable amount is set for the route passed, the control section 11 calculates the cumulative variable amount for the vehicle, and stores (or updates) the calculated cumulative variable amount in the storage section 12 (ST15).

For example, the control unit 11 searches the storage unit 12 for the cumulative change amount of the vehicle so far based on the identification information (card ID or vehicle-mounted device ID) of the vehicle included in the passage route information. If the accumulated amount of change so far is stored in the storage unit 12, the control unit 11 adds the amount of change according to the route passed to the accumulated amount of change so far, and updates the accumulated amount of change. Also, if the accumulated amount of change so far is not stored in the storage unit 12, the control unit 11 stores the amount of change corresponding to the route passed as the accumulated amount of change in association with the identification information of the vehicle. It should be noted that the control unit 11 may omit the process of ST15 when the variable amount is not set for the passed route indicated by the received passing route information.

Further, when the device communication unit 13 receives the area crossing information from the checkpoint device 5 (ST16, YES), the control unit 11 of the area management device 1 detects the vehicle specified by the identification information included in the received area crossing information. handover information for handing over the information on the fluctuation amount of , to the next area (ST16). As described above, in the first embodiment, the handover information includes the entry information of the vehicle and the accumulated variable amount including the variable amount according to the passage route in the own area as the information regarding the variable amount. information that contains

That is, the control unit 11 searches the entry information of the vehicle and the cumulative change amount for the vehicle from the storage unit 12 based on the vehicle identification information (card ID or vehicle-mounted device ID) included in the area crossing information. If the cumulative change amount for the vehicle is stored in the storage unit 12, the control unit 11 creates takeover information including the identification information, the admission information, and the cumulative change amount of the vehicle. Further, the control unit 11 specifies the area management device in charge of the destination area based on the area crossing information, and transmits the created handover information to the area management device of the destination area (ST18).

Further, when handover information is received from an area management device of another area (ST19, YES), the control unit 11 of the area management device 1 identifies the vehicle by identifying the admission information and the cumulative change included in the received handover information. It is stored in the storage section 12 in association with the information (ST20). As a result, the control unit 11 stores the entrance information and the accumulated variable amount including the variable amount according to the route passed in the area of the movement source as information that can be searched by identification information such as the card ID or the vehicle-mounted device ID in the storage unit 12. Remember.

When the device communication unit 13 receives entry information from the exit toll gate device 3 (ST21, YES), the control unit 11 of the area management device 1 calculates the toll according to the received entry information. The storage unit 12 is searched for the entry information and the cumulative change amount of the vehicle specified by the identification information included in the entry information (ST22).

When the entry information of the vehicle of the identification information included in the entry information is specified, the control unit 11 calculates the basic charge according to the combination of the entrance indicated by the specified entry information and the exit indicated by the received entry information from the basic table T1. Allocate (ST23). The basic table T1 shows basic tolls for all combinations of entrances and exits on toll roads. As a result, the control unit 11 can easily specify the basic charge that does not depend on the route by allocating the basic charge for the combination of the entrance and the exit using the basic table T1.

When the cumulative variation amount for the vehicle of the identification information included in the entry information is specified, the control unit 11 calculates the total amount (toll) by applying the specified cumulative variation amount to the basic charge (ST24). The accumulated variable amount is an amount obtained by allocating the variable amount according to the route traveled in each area by the area management devices 1A and 1B from the variable billing tables T2A and T2B and adding up the variable amounts. That is, in the first embodiment, the cumulative change amount calculated by the area management device of each area is handed over to the area management device of the destination area. As a result, the area management device for the area of the exit toll gate can easily determine the total amount of fluctuation, which is the sum of all the amounts of fluctuation including the routes passed through in other areas. Based tolls can also be quickly determined.

When the toll based on the basic toll and the cumulative change amount is determined, the control unit 11 creates billing amount information indicating the toll to be charged to the vehicle identified by the identification information included in the received entry information, and creates billing amount information. is transmitted to the exit tollgate device 3, which is the source of the entry information (ST25). As a result, the area management device for the area of the exit tollgate can easily determine the total amount of change by accumulating all the amounts of change including the routes passed in other areas. In addition, the area management device can quickly determine the toll based on the basic toll allocated from the basic table and the cumulative fluctuation amount, and can provide the determined toll to the exit toll gate device.

Through the above processing, the area management device manages the area to which the vehicle moves according to the cross-area information from the checkpoint device while managing the entrance information and the cumulative change amount according to the route within the area in charge. Provide handover information indicating admission information and cumulative change amount to the device. Furthermore, the area management device identifies the entry information and the accumulated fluctuation amount of exiting vehicles according to the entry information from the exit toll gate device, and applies the accumulated fluctuation amount to the basic toll determined by the combination of the entrance and the exit. Provides toll to exit toll equipment.

Next, the operation of the checkpoint device 5 in the fee processing system according to the first embodiment will be described.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining an operation example of the checkpoint device 5 in the fee processing system according to the first embodiment.
The checkpoint device 5 is installed to detect a vehicle passing through a checkpoint provided on a route connecting a first area and a second area (for example, area A and area B). When the control unit 51 of the checkpoint device 5 detects a vehicle passing through the checkpoint (ST31, YES), the vehicle communication unit 53 communicates with the vehicle-mounted device S mounted on the vehicle passing through the checkpoint (ST32).

When the vehicle communication unit 53 establishes communication with the vehicle-mounted device S mounted on the vehicle passing through the checkpoint, the control unit 51 acquires information necessary for area crossing information from the vehicle-mounted device S. After acquiring the information from the vehicle-mounted device S, the control unit 51 creates area crossing information based on the information acquired from the vehicle-mounted device S (ST33). For example, the control unit 51 acquires the card ID, the vehicle-mounted device ID, and the like from the vehicle-mounted device S communicating with the vehicle communication unit 53, and creates area crossing information as shown in FIG.

After creating the area crossing information based on the information acquired from the vehicle-mounted device S of the vehicle passing through the checkpoint, the control unit 51 transmits the created area crossing information to the area management device 1 (ST34). Here, it is assumed that the control unit 51 transmits the created area crossing information to the area management device 1 of the area of the movement source. However, the checkpoint device 5 may transmit the area crossing information to the area management device 1 in the destination area, or to both the area management device in the source area and the area management device in the destination area. You can

Next, the operation of the exit toll booth device 3 in the toll processing system according to the first embodiment will be described.
FIG. 8 is a flow chart for explaining an operation example of the exit toll gate device 3 in the toll processing system according to the first embodiment.
When the control section 31 of the exit tollgate device 3 detects a vehicle entering the exit tollgate (ST51), the vehicle communication section 33 starts communication with the vehicle-mounted device S mounted on the vehicle. When the communication with the vehicle-mounted device S is established, the control unit 31 acquires various information about the vehicle through communication with the vehicle-mounted device S (ST52). For example, in 1st Embodiment, the control part 31 acquires information, such as information which shows identification information, such as card|curd ID and vehicle-mounted device ID, and vehicle type, from the vehicle-mounted device S. FIG.

When the identification information (card ID, onboard device ID) for identifying the vehicle is acquired from the onboard device S, the control unit 31 creates entry information including the acquired identification information, and determines the area of the area including the exit toll gate. The created participation information is transmitted to the management device 1 (ST53). After transmitting the entry information to the area management device 1 , the control unit 31 waits for reception of billing amount information indicating the toll for the vehicle from the area management device 1 .

When the billed amount information indicating the toll is received from the area management device 1, the control unit 31 displays the toll indicated by the acquired billed amount information on the roadside display 35 (ST55), and the start controller 34 controls the vehicle. Participation is permitted (ST56). Here, the control section 31 may write entry information in the ETC card C set in the vehicle-mounted device S mounted in the vehicle. When the toll is determined and the vehicle is permitted to exit, the control unit 31 performs processing to settle the determined toll with the ETC card C, and terminates the exit processing for the vehicle.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, each area management device 1 has a variable charge table for each area showing a variable charge according to a route based on the degree of congestion for each route in the area it is in charge of, and an entrance and exit charge table. each time passing route information is received from the route device, a variable amount according to the route is allocated from the variable charge table for each area, and the cumulative variable amount for each vehicle is calculated. to manage. When a vehicle moves to another area, the area management device of the source area transmits the entry information of the vehicle that has moved to the destination area management device and the takeover information indicating the accumulated amount of change for the vehicle. The destination area management device updates the cumulative variation amount by adding the variation amount according to the passage route in its own area to the cumulative variation amount inherited from the movement source area management device. Furthermore, each area management device 1 calculates a toll by applying the cumulative fluctuation amount to the basic toll allocated from the basic table according to the entry information from the exit toll gate device, and applies the calculated toll to the exit toll gate. Send to device.

Further, the process of allocating a variable amount according to the route from the variable billing table for each area is not limited to being executed each time the area management device receives passing route information from the route device. The area management device accumulates passing route information from the route equipment, and when the vehicle moves to another area or exits, it performs processing to collectively allocate variable amounts according to each route. can be

According to the toll processing system according to the first embodiment described above, the toll is calculated by applying the cumulative variable amount including the variable amount within its own area while taking over the cumulative variable amount between the area management devices of each area. This makes it possible to smoothly process tolls on large toll roads that span a vast area, applying variable amounts according to routes that are set based on the degree of congestion for each route. In addition, each area management device of the fee processing system according to the first embodiment can efficiently allocate variable charges by holding variable charge tables for each area that indicate the variable charges for routes within the area. Can speed up processing. Furthermore, in the toll processing system according to the first embodiment, since each area management device transmits and receives the cumulative fluctuation amount of vehicles that have moved between areas, there is no need to transfer a large amount of data between areas, and the amount of communication data can be reduced. can be reduced, and the communication load between areas can be reduced.

(First modification of the first embodiment)
In the first embodiment described above, the variable charge table provided in each area management device was the variable charge table for each area, but the area management device shows the variable charge for each route of the entire toll road (all areas). A common variable billing table may be used.

In the first modification of the first embodiment, in the charge processing system according to the first embodiment described above, the variable charge table provided in the area management device is replaced with a common variable charge table corresponding to all areas. do.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram for explaining an operation example of the charge processing system according to the first modification of the first embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 9, the charge processing system according to the first modification of the first embodiment is provided with each area management device in the charge processing system according to the first embodiment as shown in FIGS. It has a configuration in which the variable charge tables T2A and T2B that correspond to each area are replaced with a common variable charge table T2 that corresponds to all areas. Therefore, as the first modified example of the first embodiment, detailed description of the configuration other than the variable billing table will be omitted. Also, the processing executed by each area management device 1 (1A, 1B) can be realized by the same processing as in the above-described first embodiment, except that the variable charge table T2 is used as the table for allocating the variable amount. A detailed description shall be omitted.

In the configuration shown in FIG. 9, the common variable billing table T2 is a table showing variable charges set for each route in all areas. Since the common variable billing table T2 stores the variable charges for all routes in all areas, the amount of data is larger than that of the variable billing tables T2A and T2B for each area. It is possible to centrally manage the variable amount according to all routes on the entire toll road.

(Second modification of the first embodiment)
In the first modified example of the first embodiment described above, each area management device updates the cumulative variation amount, and the cumulative variation amount is handed over to the area management device of the destination area. The route information indicating the route passed by each area management device may be accumulated, and the route information may be handed over to the area management device of the destination area.

As a second modified example of the first embodiment, in the fee processing system according to the first embodiment described above, the area management device transmits route information instead of the cumulative fluctuation amount to the area management device of the destination area. do.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram for explaining an operation example of the charge processing system according to the second modification of the first embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 10, the charge processing system according to the second modification of the first embodiment converts the variable charge table T2 to a common variable charge table T2 corresponding to all areas in the configuration shown in FIGS. It has a replaced configuration. Since the common variable billing table T2 has been described in the first modified example of the first embodiment, detailed description of the configuration thereof will be omitted in the second modified example of the first embodiment.

In the example shown in FIG. 10, the area management device 1A stores information acquired from each device in the area in the storage unit 12. In the example shown in FIG. For example, when the area management device 1A receives the entrance information from the entrance toll gate device 2a of the entrance toll gate of "IC:A", the entrance information including the entrance, entrance date and time, vehicle type, etc. is associated with the identification information of the vehicle. is stored in the storage unit 12 . When receiving the passing route information from the route device 4a, the area management device 1A stores the route information such as the route, passing date and time, and vehicle type in the storage unit 12 in association with the identification information of the vehicle. When the area management device 1A receives the area crossing information from the checkpoint device 5, it extracts from the storage unit 12 the entry information corresponding to the vehicle identification information included in the received area crossing information and all the route information. The area management device 1A transmits takeover information Data4' including entry information and all route information corresponding to the identification information of the vehicle to the area management device 1B of the area B of the movement destination.

The area management device 1B stores the entry information and the total route information included in the handover information from the area management device 1A in the storage unit 12 in association with the identification information of the vehicle. When receiving the passing route information from the route device 4c, the area management device 1B stores the route information such as the route, passing date and time, and vehicle type in the storage unit 12 in association with the identification information of the vehicle. When the area management device 1B receives the exit information from the exit tollgate device 3c, the entry information corresponding to the vehicle identification information included in the received exit information and all route information (all routes to the previous area and all routes) are extracted from the storage unit 12 . The area management device 1B allocates the basic charge based on the entry information and the entry information from the basic table T1, and allocates the variable amount corresponding to all the route information from the common variable charge table T2. The area management device 1B calculates the toll based on the basic toll and all the variable amounts, and transmits the calculated toll to the exit tollgate device 3c.

Next, operation of the area management device 1 in the charge processing system according to the second modification of the first embodiment will be described.
FIG. 11 is a flow chart for explaining an operation example of the area management device 1 in the charge processing system according to the second modification of the first embodiment.
As described above, in the second modification of the first embodiment, each area management device 1 receives entry information from the entrance toll gate device 2, passing route information from the route device 4, and information from the checkpoint device 5 in the area. Area crossing information and entry information from the exit toll gate device 3 are received as needed. In addition, the area management device 1 stores transfer information including information indicating all routes that the vehicle has traveled so far as information about the amount of change related to the vehicle that has passed through the checkpoint and moved into the area. received from the other area management device.

That is, when the entry information from the entrance toll booth device 2 is received (ST171, YES), the control section 11 of the area management device 1 stores the entry information in the storage section 12 (ST172). The control unit 11 associates the entry information received from the entrance tollgate device 2 with the vehicle identification information such as the card ID and the onboard device ID so that the entry information can be searched by the vehicle identification information such as the card ID and the onboard device ID. Information such as the entrance, entry date and time, and vehicle type is stored in the storage unit 12 as entry information.

When passing route information is received from the route device 4 (ST173, YES), the control section 11 of the area management device 1 stores the received passing route information in the storage section 12 (ST174). The control unit 11 associates the route information received from the route device 4 with the vehicle identification information such as the card ID and the vehicle-mounted device ID so that the route information received from the route device 4 can be retrieved using the vehicle-identification information such as the card ID and the vehicle-mounted device ID. Information such as the route, passage date and time, and vehicle type is stored in the storage unit 12 as route information. Further, the control unit 11 may store the route information in the storage unit 12 in association with the entrance information that matches the identification information of the vehicle in the passage route information.

Further, when the area crossing information is received from the checkpoint device 5 (ST175, YES), the control unit 11 of the area management device 1 checks all of the vehicle identified by the identification information included in the received area crossing information. Handover information for handing over the route information to the next area is created (ST176). As described above, in the second modification of the first embodiment, the handover information is the entrance information for the vehicle and all route information indicating all routes passed so far to the area management device of the destination area. This is the information to be notified (taken over).

The control unit 11 searches the storage unit 12 for the entrance information of the vehicle and all route information of the vehicle so far based on the vehicle identification information (card ID or vehicle-mounted device ID) included in the area crossing information. do. After extracting the entry information for the vehicle and all the route information so far, the control unit 11 creates handover information including the identification information of the vehicle, the entry information, and all the route information. The control unit 11 identifies the area management device in charge of the destination area based on the area crossing information, and transmits the created handover information to the area management device of the destination area (ST177).

Further, when the takeover information is received from the area management device of another area (ST178, YES), the control unit 11 of the area management device 1 indicates the entrance information indicating the entrance and all the routes included in the received takeover information. All the route information is associated with the identification information of the vehicle and stored in the storage unit 12 (ST179).

When the device communication unit 13 receives the entry information from the exit toll gate device 3 (ST180, YES), the control unit 11 of the area management device 1 stores the vehicle identification information included in the entry information received in the storage unit 12. The entry information and all route information specified by are searched (ST181).

When the entry information of the vehicle of the identification information included in the entry information is specified, the control unit 11 allocates a basic charge according to the combination of the entrance indicated by the specified entry information and the exit indicated by the received entry information from the basic table T1. (ST182). Further, when all the route information of the vehicle of the identification information included in the participation information is specified, the control section 11 allocates a variable amount according to each specified route from the common variable billing table T2 (ST183). After assigning the basic toll and the variable amount according to all the routes passed, the control unit 11 calculates the total amount (toll) by applying all the specified variable amounts to the basic toll (ST184).

When the toll based on the basic toll and the variable amount corresponding to all routes is determined, the control unit 11 creates billing amount information indicating the toll to be charged to the vehicle of the identification information included in the entry information, and The amount information is transmitted to the exit tollgate device 3, which is the transmission source of the entry information (ST185).
According to the above processing, the area management device collects information from each device within the area it is in charge of, and holds route information such as routes traveled by vehicles within the area. When the area management device receives the area crossing information from the checkpoint device, the area management device provides the area management device of the destination area with handover information indicating the entrance information of the vehicle moving to another area and all the route information so far. . The area management device of the destination area holds all the route information included in the takeover information, and also holds route information indicating the route that the vehicle has passed within its own area. When the area management device receives the entry information from the exit tollgate device, it identifies the entry information of the exiting vehicle and all the route information, and changes the basic toll determined by the combination of the entrance and exit according to the route. Provides the toll with the amount applied to the exit toll booth equipment.

In the toll processing system according to the second modification of the first embodiment, the checkpoint device 5 may perform the same processing as the processing shown in FIG. may perform the same processing as the processing shown in FIG. 8 described in the first embodiment. Therefore, detailed description of the processing of the checkpoint device 5 and the exit tollgate device 3 in the toll processing system according to the second modification of the first embodiment will be omitted.

As described above, according to the second modification of the first embodiment, the area management device includes a common variable billing table showing variable charges for each route in all areas and a basic table showing basic charges, Entry information and all route information regarding vehicles moving from one's own area to another area are transmitted to the destination area management device as handover information. Furthermore, the area management device determines all routes up to the previous area and a variable amount according to all routes in its own area according to the exit information from the exit toll gate device, and determines the variable amount for all routes as the basic charge. is applied to the exit tollgate device.

As a result, in the toll processing system according to the second modification of the first embodiment, the area management device of each area manages the destination area management device by displaying the route information indicating all the routes that the vehicle has passed through the checkpoint. A route that can be handed over to the device, can reliably manage route information that vehicles have traveled even on a large-scale toll road that spans a vast area, and is set based on the degree of congestion for each route. It is possible to smoothly process the toll to which the variable amount according to is applied.

(Second embodiment)
In the first embodiment, an area management device that takes over information between areas manages a basic table and a variable charge table, and calculates a toll by applying a variable amount according to vehicle traffic conditions.

On the other hand, in the second embodiment, the exit toll gate manages the basic charge table, the area management device manages the variable charge table, and the exit toll gate device determines the toll based on the information from the area management device. It is an embodiment that performs calculations.

The charge processing system according to the second embodiment is realized by various devices as shown in FIG. 1, as in the first embodiment. However, the charge processing system according to the second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in information transmitted and received between devices. Further, in the toll processing system according to the second embodiment, since the contents of the processing performed by the area management device and the exit tollgate equipment are different from those in the first embodiment, the device that needs to have the basic table and the variable billing table are provided. The device that needs to do is different from the first embodiment.

The second embodiment will be described in detail below.
FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a control system of the area management device 1, the entrance toll gate device 2, the exit toll gate device 3, the route device 4, and the checkpoint device 5 in the toll processing system according to the second embodiment. .
12 is different from the configuration example shown in FIG. 2 described in the first embodiment, the exit tollgate device 3 has a storage unit 36 containing the basic table T1, and the area management device stores the basic table T1. The difference is that they do not have to be equipped. Since other configurations are the same as the configuration shown in FIG. 2 described in the first embodiment, detailed description thereof will be omitted. Also, the basic table T1 may have the configuration shown in FIG. 3 described in the first embodiment, and the variable billing table T2 (T2A, T2B) may have the configuration shown in FIG. 4 described in the first embodiment. , detailed description is omitted.

Next, information acquired from each device by the area management devices 1A and 1B of each area in the second embodiment will be described.
FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram for explaining an operation example of the charge processing system according to the second embodiment.
In FIG. 13, similar to the example shown in FIG. is a diagram schematically exemplifying a state of exiting from the exit tollgate "IC:C".

First, the entrance tollgate device 2a communicates with the vehicle-mounted device S mounted on the vehicle entering the entrance tollgate "IC:A", and confirms that the valid ETC card C is normally set in the vehicle-mounted device. do. When the entrance toll booth device 2a confirms that the valid ETC card C is normally set in the vehicle-mounted device S, it writes information indicating the entrance and entry date and time in the storage area E of the ETC card C, allow entry.

However, the entrance toll gate device 2 may transmit the entry information Data21 having the same content as the entry information Data1 shown in FIG. 5 to the area management device 1A. For example, when entry information is included in the conditions for setting the variable amount, the entrance toll gate device 2 transmits entry information Data 21 created based on information obtained from the onboard device S through communication with the onboard device S to the area management device 1A. Send. In this case, the area management device 1A stores the entry information Data21 acquired from the entrance toll gate device 2a in the storage unit 12. FIG.

Next, when a vehicle entering from the entrance tollgate "IC:A" passes through route a in area A, the route device 4a creates passing route information Data22 indicating that the vehicle has passed through route a. The passing route information Data22 thus obtained is transmitted to the area management device 1A. The passage route information Data22 may be configured with the same content as the passage route information Data2 shown in FIG. When the area management device 1A acquires (receives) the passing route information Data22 from the route device 4a installed on the route a, it allocates a variable amount (discount amount) corresponding to the route a from the area A variable charge table T2A. When the variable amount according to the route a is allocated, the area management device 1A stores the allocated variable amount in the storage unit 12 as a cumulative variable amount associated with the identification information (card ID or vehicle-mounted device ID) of the vehicle. (or update). Note that the area management device may allocate the variable amount at the timing of receiving the cross-area information instead of each time the passing route information is received, or at the timing of receiving the participation information. .

Next, when the vehicle that has passed the route a passes through a checkpoint, the checkpoint device 5 communicates with the vehicle-mounted device S mounted on the vehicle passing through the checkpoint, and acquires information about the vehicle passing through the checkpoint. The checkpoint device 5 creates the area crossing information Data23 based on the information acquired from the vehicle-mounted device S, and transmits the created area crossing information Data23 to the area management device 1A of the area A. Here, the area crossing information Data23 is information indicating that the user has passed through a checkpoint and moved to an adjacent area, and may have the same content as the area crossing information Data3 shown in FIG. The checkpoint device 5 may transmit the area crossing information Data23 to the area management device 1B of the destination area B, or the area management device 1A of the source area A and the destination area B may You may transmit to both the management apparatus 1B.

When the area management device 1A acquires (receives) the area crossing information Data23 from the checkpoint device 5, the area management device 1A transmits the handover information Data24 for handing over the information regarding the amount of change for the vehicle that passed the checkpoint to the area management device 1B of the destination area B. create. In the second embodiment, the handover information Data24 may be any information that includes vehicle identification information (card ID, vehicle-mounted device ID) and an accumulated amount of change. In the second embodiment, since the entry information indicating the entrance is written in the ETC card C set in the vehicle-mounted device S mounted in the vehicle, the transfer information Data24 does not need to include the entry information. After creating the takeover information Data24, the area management device 1A transmits the takeover information Data24 to the area management device 1B of the area B to which the vehicle is moving.

Next, when a vehicle that has entered area B from a checkpoint passes through route c, the route device 4c communicates with the vehicle-mounted device S of each vehicle passing through each route c, and passes through route information indicating that the vehicle has passed through route c. Create Data25. The route device 4c transmits the created passing route information Data25 to the area management device 1B. The passing route information Data25 may have the same format (configuration) as the above-described passing route information Data22.

When the area management device 1B receives the passing route information Data 25 of the vehicle that has moved from the area A to the area B, it updates the accumulated variable amount for the vehicle by allocating the variable amount according to the route c passed from the variable billing table T2B. do. As a result, the area management device 1B for the area B (destination area) calculates the accumulated amount of change before moving to the area B included in the handover information Data 24 and the amount of change according to the route passed within the area B. It is possible to manage the cumulative fluctuation amount for vehicles passing through the area B based on.

Next, when the vehicle enters the exit tollgate "IC:C", the exit tollgate device 3c communicates with the vehicle-mounted device S mounted on the vehicle to acquire information about the vehicle, and Create entry information Data 26 for requesting. In the second embodiment, the area management device 1 does not calculate basic tolls or tolls based on the basic table. Therefore, the entry information Data 26 may be any information that includes the identification information of the participating vehicle, and may omit information such as information indicating the exit and information indicating the date and time of entry. However, the entry information Data26 may have the same contents as the entry information Data6 shown in FIG. For example, when entry information is included in the conditions for setting the variable amount, the exit tollgate device 3 creates entry information Data 26 based on information acquired from the onboard device S through communication with the area management device 1A. You can send it to

When the area management device 1B acquires the entry information Data26 from the exit tollgate device 3c, it searches the cumulative variation amount for the vehicle stored in the storage unit 12, and generates the cumulative variation amount information Data27 indicating the cumulative variation amount for the vehicle. to create The cumulative change amount information Data27 is information indicating the cumulative change amount associated with the vehicle identification information (card ID, vehicle-mounted device ID). The area management device 1B returns the created accumulated change amount information Data27 to the exit toll gate device 3c that is the transmission source of the entry information Data26.

On the other hand, the exit toll gate device 3 acquires the entrance information indicating the entrance of the vehicle recorded in the storage area E of the ETC card C by communicating with the vehicle-mounted device S of the exiting vehicle. A basic charge is allocated from the basic table T1 based on the combination with the exit. Furthermore, the exit toll gate device 3 calculates the toll by applying the accumulated fluctuation amount indicated by the accumulated fluctuation amount information Data27 received from the area management device 1B to the basic toll allocated from the basic table T1. As a result, the exit toll gate device 3 of the exit toll gate executes exit processing for the vehicle based on the calculated toll. In this exit process, the exit toll gate device 3 writes information indicating the exit and the exit date and time in the storage area E of the ETC card C set in the vehicle-mounted device S, and permits the exit of the vehicle.

Next, operation of each device in the charge processing system according to the second embodiment will be described.
First, the operation of the area management device 1 in the fee processing system according to the second embodiment will be described.
FIG. 14 is a flow chart for explaining an operation example of the area management device 1 in the charge processing system according to the second embodiment.
In the second embodiment, each area management device 1 acquires passing route information from the route device 4 in the area, allocates a variable amount according to the route in its own area, and manages it as an accumulated variable amount for each vehicle. . In addition, the area management device 1 acquires handover information including the accumulated amount of change for a vehicle that has passed through a checkpoint and moved into its own area from the area management device of the movement source area.

That is, when the entry information from the entrance toll booth device 2 is received (ST211, YES), the control section 11 of the area management device 1 stores the entry information in the storage section 12 (ST212). However, if the operation does not require the area management device to manage the entry information, the processing of ST211 and ST212 may be omitted. For example, if the information included in the admission information is not used as the variable amount condition, the processing of ST211 and ST212 may be omitted.

When passing route information is received from the route device 4 (ST213, YES), the control unit 11 of the area management device 1 specifies the route passed by the vehicle from the received passing route information, and The variable amount to be set is allocated from the variable charge table T2 for the area (ST214). However, the processing of ST214 may not be executed each time passing route information is received, but may be collectively executed after the processing of ST216 or the processing of ST221, which will be described later. When the amount of change is set for the route passed, the control unit 11 calculates the cumulative amount of change for the vehicle, and stores (updates) the calculated cumulative amount of change in the storage unit 12 (ST215).

For example, the control unit 11 searches the storage unit 12 for the accumulated amount of change for the vehicle based on the vehicle identification information (card ID or vehicle-mounted device ID) included in the passage route information. If the cumulative variation amount for the vehicle is stored in the storage unit 12, the control unit 11 adds the variation amount corresponding to the route passed to the cumulative variation amount to update the cumulative variation amount. Further, if the accumulated amount of change is not stored in the storage unit 12, the control unit 11 stores the amount of change corresponding to the route passed as the accumulated amount of change in association with the identification information of the vehicle. Note that if the variable amount is not set for the passed route indicated by the received passing route information, the control section 11 omits the processing of ST215.

Further, when the area crossing information is received from the checkpoint device 5 (ST216, YES), the control unit 11 of the area management device 1 receives information regarding the amount of change for the vehicle specified by the identification information included in the received area crossing information. handover information for handing over to the next area (ST216). As described above, in the second embodiment, the handover information is information for notifying (handing over) the accumulated amount of change so far, including the amount of change according to the passage route within the own area, to the next area.

The control unit 11 searches the storage unit 12 for the entry information of the vehicle and the cumulative change amount of the vehicle so far based on the vehicle identification information (card ID or vehicle-mounted device ID) included in the area crossing information. . If the storage unit 12 stores the accumulated amount of change for the vehicle, the control unit 11 creates handover information including the identification information of the vehicle and the accumulated amount of change. Control unit 11 identifies the area management device in charge of the destination area based on the area crossing information, and transmits the created handover information to the area management device of the destination area (ST218).
Further, when the takeover information is received from the area management device of another area (ST219, YES), the control unit 11 of the area management device 1 associates the cumulative change amount included in the received takeover information with the identification information of the vehicle. is stored in the storage unit 12 (ST220).

When the entry information is received from the exit tollgate device 3 (ST221, YES), the control unit 11 of the area management device 1 stores the cumulative change amount of the vehicle specified by the identification information included in the entry information in the storage unit 12. (ST222).
When the cumulative variation amount for the vehicle of the identification information included in the entry information is specified, the control unit 11 creates cumulative variation amount information in which the specified cumulative variation amount is associated with the identification information of the vehicle included in the entry information ( ST224), and transmits the created cumulative fluctuation amount information to the exit toll booth device 3, which is the transmission source of the entry information (ST225). As a result, the area management device of the area of the exit tollgate can provide the exit tollgate device 3 with the total variation amount obtained by accumulating the total variation amount including all the routes passed up to the previous area.

The checkpoint device 5 in the fee processing system according to the second embodiment may perform the same operation as the checkpoint device described in the first embodiment as shown in FIG. Therefore, in the second embodiment, detailed description of the operation of the checkpoint device 5 will be omitted.

Next, the operation of the exit toll booth device 3 in the toll processing system according to the second embodiment will be described.
FIG. 15 is a flow chart for explaining an operation example of the exit toll gate device 3 in the toll processing system according to the second embodiment.
When the control section 31 of the exit tollgate device 3 detects a vehicle entering the exit tollgate (ST251), the vehicle communication section 33 starts communication with the vehicle-mounted device S mounted on the vehicle. When the communication with the vehicle-mounted device S is established, the control unit 31 acquires various information about the vehicle through communication with the vehicle-mounted device S (ST252). For example, in 2nd Embodiment, the control part 31 acquires information, such as identification information, such as card|curd ID and vehicle-mounted device ID, information which shows a vehicle model, and entrance information, from the vehicle-mounted device S. FIG.

When the identification information (card ID, vehicle-mounted device ID) for identifying the vehicle is acquired from the vehicle-mounted device S, the control unit 31 includes the identification information acquired from the vehicle-mounted device S as information requesting the cumulative change amount for the vehicle. Entry information is created, and the created entry information is transmitted to the area management device 1 of its own area (ST253).

Further, the control unit 31 identifies the entrance based on the entrance information acquired from the vehicle-mounted device S (ST254), and identifies the vehicle type based on the information indicating the vehicle type acquired from the vehicle-mounted device S (ST255). When the entrance and vehicle type are specified by the information from the vehicle-mounted device S, the control unit 31 allocates the basic charge according to the combination of the entrance and the exit from the basic table T1 corresponding to the vehicle type (ST256).

Further, after transmitting the entry information to the area management device 1, the control unit 31 receives the cumulative variation amount information indicating the cumulative variation amount from the area management device 1 (ST257), and the received cumulative variation amount information indicates The total amount obtained by applying the accumulated fluctuation amount to the basic toll is calculated as the toll to be imposed on the vehicle (ST258). After calculating the toll, the controller 31 displays the calculated toll on the roadside display 35 (ST259), and permits the vehicle to exit through the start controller 34 (ST260). Furthermore, the control section 31 writes entry information into the ETC card C set in the vehicle-mounted device S of the vehicle (ST261), and terminates the entry processing for the vehicle.

As described above, according to the second embodiment, each area management device 1 is provided with a variable charge table for each area that indicates a variable charge according to a route based on the degree of congestion for each route in its own area. A variable amount according to the passage route in the own area is allocated from another variable charge table, and the accumulated variable amount for the vehicle is managed. When the vehicle moves to another area, the area management device of the source area transmits handover information indicating the accumulated amount of change for the vehicle that has moved to the destination area management device. The destination area management device updates the cumulative variation amount by adding the variation amount according to the traffic route in its own area to the cumulative variation amount acquired from the movement source area management device. Further, each area management device 1 transmits the cumulative fluctuation amount to the exit toll gate device according to the entry information. As a result, the exit toll booth device has a basic table showing basic tolls according to the combination of entrances and exits, and by applying the cumulative fluctuation amount obtained from the area management device to the basic tolls allocated from this basic table, Calculate the toll.

As a result, in the toll processing system according to the second embodiment, the area management device of each area calculates the accumulated variable amount by adding the variable amount according to the traffic route in its own area while taking over the variable amount in other areas. In large-scale toll roads spanning a vast area, it is possible to efficiently manage the variable amount according to the route set based on the degree of congestion for each route. In addition, in the charge processing system according to the second embodiment, each area management device holds a variable charge table for each area that indicates the variable charges for routes within its own area, so that variable charges can be allocated efficiently. , can speed up the process. Furthermore, in the toll processing system according to the second embodiment, since each area management device transmits and receives the cumulative fluctuation amount of vehicles that have moved between areas, there is no need to transfer a large amount of data between areas, and the amount of communication data can be reduced. can be reduced, and the communication load between areas can be reduced.

(First modification of the second embodiment)
In the above-described second embodiment, the variable billing table provided in each area management device is the variable billing table for each area. However, the area management device variable charge table may be a common variable charge table that indicates the variable charge for each route of the entire toll road (all areas).

Here, as a first modified example of the second embodiment, the variable charge table provided in the area management device in the charge processing system according to the second embodiment is replaced with a common variable charge table corresponding to all areas. will be explained.

FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram for explaining an operation example of the charge processing system according to the first modification of the second embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 16, the charge processing system according to the first modification of the second embodiment is provided in each area management device in the charge processing system according to the second embodiment having the configuration shown in FIG. It has a configuration in which the variable billing table is replaced with a common variable billing table T2 corresponding to all areas. The variable billing table T2 common to all areas may be the one described in the first modification of the first embodiment, and the processing performed by each area management device 1 (1A, 1B) is The same process as in the above-described second embodiment can be performed except that the variable billing table T2 is used as the variable billing table.

In the configuration shown in FIG. 16, since the common variable billing table T2 stores the variable charges for all routes in all areas, the amount of data is larger than that of the area-specific variable billing tables T2A and T2B. There is no need to create or update each route, and it is possible to centrally manage the fluctuation amount according to all routes on the entire toll road.

(Second modification of the second embodiment)
In the first modification of the second embodiment described above, each area management device updates the amount of change according to the route passed in its own area as the accumulated amount of change, and the accumulated amount of change is transferred to the area management device of the destination area. I took over the amount. However, the route information indicating the route passed by each area management device may be accumulated, and the route information may be handed over to the area management device of the destination area.

As a second modified example of the second embodiment, in the fee processing system according to the above-described second embodiment, the area management device transmits route information instead of the cumulative fluctuation amount to the area management device of the destination area. do.

FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram for explaining an operation example of the charge processing system according to the second modification of the second embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 17, the charge processing system according to the second modification of the second embodiment has a configuration in which the variable charge table in the configuration shown in FIG. 13 is replaced with a common variable charge table T2 corresponding to all areas. It is realized by

In the example shown in FIG. 17, the area management device 1A stores the route information acquired from the route device 4a in the area A in the storage unit 12. In the example shown in FIG. The area management device 1A may also store the entry information from the entrance tollgate device 2a in the storage unit 12 as one of the route information indicating the conditions for specifying the variable amount. When the area management device 1A receives the area crossing information from the checkpoint device 5, the area management device 1A extracts from the storage unit 12 all the route information corresponding to the vehicle identification information included in the received area crossing information, and stores all the route information. Transfer information Data24' including the transfer information is transmitted to the area management device 1B of the area B of the movement destination.

The area management device 1B stores all route information (all route information up to the previous area) included in the handover information from the area management device 1A in the storage unit 12 in association with the identification information of the vehicle. When receiving the passage route information from the route device 4c in the area B, the area management device 1B stores the information in the storage unit 12 as route information in its own area. When receiving the entry information from the exit toll gate device 3c, the area management device 1B collects all route information (all routes to the previous area and all routes in the own area) corresponding to the identification information of the vehicle included in the received entry information. ) are extracted from the storage unit 12 . The area management device 1B allocates variable charges according to all the extracted route information from the variable charge table T2. The area management device 1B calculates the total amount of all fluctuations and transmits information indicating the calculated total amount of fluctuations to the exit tollgate device 3c.

Next, the operation of the area management device 1 in the fee processing system according to the second modified example of the second embodiment will be described.
FIG. 18 is a flowchart for explaining an operation example of the area management device 1 in the charge processing system according to the second modified example of the second embodiment.
In the second modification of the second embodiment, each area management device 1 receives entry information from the entrance toll gate device 2 in the area, passage route information from the route device 4, area crossing information from the checkpoint device 5, and , the exit information from the exit toll gate device 3 is received at any time. Also, the area management device 1 receives handover information including information indicating all routes traveled so far by the vehicle that has passed through the checkpoint and moved into the area from the area management device of the movement source area.

When the entry information from the entrance tollgate device 2 is received (ST271, YES), the control section 11 of the area management device 1 stores the entry information in the storage section 12 (ST272). However, the area management device 1 may omit the processing of ST271 and ST272 when the information included in the admission information is not used as the variable amount condition.

When passing route information is received from the route device 4 (ST273, YES), the control section 11 of the area management device 1 stores the received passing route information in the storage section 12 (ST274). The control unit 11 sets a route associated with vehicle identification information such as a card ID and an on-board device ID so that the passing route information received from the route device 4 can be searched by vehicle identification information such as the card ID and the on-board device ID. , passing date and time, vehicle type, etc. are stored in the storage unit 12 as route information.

Further, when the area crossing information is received from the checkpoint device 5 (ST275, YES), the control unit 11 of the area management device 1 collects all the route information related to the vehicle specified by the identification information included in the received area crossing information. handover information for handing over to the next area (ST276). The control unit 11 searches the storage unit 12 for all past route information of the vehicle based on the vehicle identification information (card ID or vehicle-mounted device ID) included in the area crossing information. After extracting all the route information, the control unit 11 creates handover information including the identification information of the vehicle and all the extracted route information. Furthermore, the control unit 11 identifies the area management device in charge of the destination area based on the area crossing information, and transmits the created handover information to the area management device of the destination area (ST277).
Further, when the takeover information is received from the area management device of another area (ST278, YES), the control section 11 of the area management device 1 transmits all the route information up to the previous area included in the received takeover information to the vehicle. It is stored in storage section 12 in association with the identification information (ST279).

When the entry information is received from the exit tollgate device 3 (ST280, YES), the control unit 11 of the area management device 1 stores all vehicles specified by the identification information included in the entry information received in the storage unit 12. is retrieved (ST281).
After extracting all the route information, the control unit 11 allocates the variable charges corresponding to all the extracted routes from the variable billing table T2 (ST282). After allocating variable amounts corresponding to all routes, the control unit 11 calculates the total of all specified variable amounts (ST283), and total variable amount information (cumulative variable amount) indicating the total of the calculated variable amounts. (ST284), and transmits the created total fluctuation amount information to the exit tollgate device 3, which is the source of the entry information (ST285). Thereby, the area management device can provide the exit tollgate device with information indicating the total amount of fluctuation according to all routes in all areas for the exiting vehicle, according to the entry information.

In the toll processing system according to the second modification of the second embodiment, the checkpoint device 5 may perform the same processing as the processing shown in FIG. may perform the same processing as the processing shown in FIG. 15 described above as the second embodiment. Therefore, as the second modified example of the second embodiment, detailed description of the processing of the checkpoint device 5 and the exit toll gate device 3 will be omitted.

As described above, according to the second modification of the second embodiment, the area management device accumulates the route information indicating the route passed through within its own area, and according to the area crossing information from the checkpoint device, to the area management device of the destination area. The area management device of the destination area holds all the route information included in the takeover information, and also holds route information indicating the route that the vehicle has passed within its own area. The area management device allocates variable charges according to all routes in all areas from a common variable billing table based on all route information of participating vehicles according to entry information, and calculates variable charges according to all routes. Provides information to the exit toll equipment indicating the total.

As a result, in the fee processing system according to the second modification of the second embodiment, all route information up to the own area can be handed over to the area management device of the destination, and a large-scale To surely manage information on all routes traveled by a vehicle even on a toll road, and to smoothly process the toll by applying a variable amount according to the route set based on the degree of congestion of each route. can be done.

(Third embodiment)
The third embodiment is an embodiment in which both the basic charge table and the variable charge table are managed by the exit toll gate, and the route information is managed by the area management device.

In the third embodiment, each area management device accumulates route information within its own area, and when the vehicle moves to another area, the cumulative change amount corresponding to all route information within its own area is calculated as the destination. When exiting in one's own area, all route information within one's own area and the cumulative fluctuation amount up to the previous area are provided to the exit toll booth device responsible for calculating tolls.

The charge processing system according to the third embodiment is realized by various devices as shown in FIG. 1, as in the first embodiment. However, the charge processing system according to the third embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the processing performed by each device. The device is different from the first embodiment.

The fee processing system according to the third embodiment will be described in detail below.
FIG. 19 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a control system of the area management device 1, the entrance tollgate device 2, the exit tollgate device 3, the route device 4, and the checkpoint device 5 in the toll processing system according to the third embodiment. .
The configuration of the toll processing system according to the third embodiment shown in FIG. 19 is different from the configuration example shown in FIG. 2 described in the first embodiment. The difference is that a storage unit 36 having T2A and T2B is further provided. Also, in the configuration shown in FIG. 19, each area management device 1A, 1B has variable charge tables T2A, T2B for each area, and does not need to have the basic table T1, unlike the configuration example shown in FIG. is different.

In addition, the fee processing system according to the third embodiment shown in FIG. 19 can be realized with the same configuration as the configuration shown in FIG. shall be Further, the contents of the basic table T1 may have the structure shown in FIG. 3 described in the first embodiment, and the contents of the variable billing tables T2A and T2B may have the structure shown in FIG. 4 described in the first embodiment. The explanation shall be omitted.

Next, information acquired from each device by the area management devices 1A and 1B of each area in the third embodiment will be described.
FIG. 20 is a schematic diagram for explaining an operation example of the charge processing system according to the third embodiment.
In FIG. 20, similar to the example shown in FIG. is a diagram schematically exemplifying a state of exiting from the exit tollgate "IC:C".

First, the entrance tollgate device 2a communicates with the vehicle-mounted device S mounted on the vehicle entering the entrance tollgate "IC:A", and confirms that the valid ETC card C is normally set in the vehicle-mounted device. do. When the entrance toll booth device 2a confirms that the valid ETC card C is normally set in the vehicle-mounted device S, it writes information indicating the entrance and entry date and time in the storage area E of the ETC card C, allow entry.

However, the entrance tollgate device 2a may transmit the entry information Data31 having the same contents as the entry information Data1 shown in FIG. 5 to the area management device 1A. For example, when information on entry information is included in the conditions for setting the variable amount, the entrance toll booth device 2a creates entry information Data 31 based on information acquired from the onboard device S through communication with the onboard device S, and manages the area management of the entry information Data31. Send to device 1A. In this case, the area management device 1A may store the entry information Data31 acquired from the entrance toll booth device 2a in the storage unit 12. FIG.

Next, when a vehicle entering from the entrance tollgate "IC:A" passes through route a in area A, the route device 4a creates passing route information Data32 indicating that the vehicle has passed through route a. The passing route information Data32 thus obtained is transmitted to the area management device 1A. The passage route information Data32 may have the same content as the passage route information Data2 shown in FIG. The area management device 1A stores the passing route information Data32 received from the route device 4a in the storage unit 12. FIG. For example, the area management device 1A accumulates the received passage route information Data32 in the storage unit 12 as route information arranged for each vehicle identification information.

Next, when the vehicle that has passed the route a passes through a checkpoint, the checkpoint device 5 communicates with the vehicle-mounted device S mounted on the vehicle passing through the checkpoint to determine the area based on the information acquired from the vehicle-mounted device S. Crossing information Data33 is created, and the created area crossing information Data33 is transmitted to area management device 1A of area A. FIG. Here, the area crossing information Data33 is information indicating that the user has passed through a checkpoint and moved to an adjacent area, and may have the same content as the area crossing information Data3 shown in FIG. The checkpoint device 5 may transmit the area crossing information Data33 to the area management device 1B of the destination area B, or the area management device 1A of the source area A and the destination area B may You may transmit to both the management apparatus 1B.

When the area management device 1A acquires (receives) the area crossing information Data 33 from the checkpoint device 5, the area management device 1A provides handover information for handing over the information indicating the accumulated amount of change for the vehicle passing through the checkpoint to the area management device 1B of the destination area B. Create Data34. For example, the area management device 1A extracts all route information in area A (own area) of the vehicle from the storage unit 12 based on the identification information of the vehicle passing through the checkpoint, and extracts the change amount for all routes in area A is drawn from the variable charge table T2A for area A, and the total value of the variable charges corresponding to all routes is calculated as the cumulative variable charge.

In the third embodiment, since the entrance information indicating the entrance is written in the ETC card C set in the vehicle-mounted device S mounted on the vehicle, the transfer information Data 34 does not need to include the entrance information, and the identification of the vehicle is performed. Any information that includes information (card ID, vehicle-mounted device ID) and an accumulated amount of change may be used. In addition, when the storage unit 12 stores the accumulated amount of change up to the previous area of its own area, the area management device 1A adds the total value of the amount of change in its own area to the accumulated amount of change up to the previous area. Calculate the cumulative amount of change up to your own area.

After calculating the accumulated amount of change, the area management device 1A creates takeover information Data 34 including the calculated accumulated amount of change up to its own area and the identification information (card ID or vehicle-mounted device ID) of the vehicle. After creating the takeover information Data34, the area management device 1A transmits the takeover information Data34 to the area management device 1B of the area B to which the vehicle is moving. As a result, the destination area management device 1B stores in the storage unit 12 the cumulative change amount included in the handover information Data34 from the move source area management device 1B as the cumulative change amount up to the previous area.

Next, when a vehicle that has entered area B from a checkpoint passes through route c, the route device 4c communicates with the vehicle-mounted device S of each vehicle passing through each route c, and passes through route information indicating that the vehicle has passed through route c. Create Data35. The route device 4c transmits the created passing route information Data35 to the area management device 1B. The passing route information Data35 may have the same format (structure) as the passing route information Data32 described above.

When receiving the passing route information Data35, the area management device 1B stores the passing route information Data35 in the storage unit 12 as route information in the area B (own area). As a result, the area management device 1B stores in the storage unit 12 all the route information in its own area and the accumulated amount of change up to the previous area.

Next, when the vehicle enters the exit tollgate "IC:C", the exit tollgate device 3c communicates with the vehicle-mounted device S mounted on the vehicle to acquire information about the vehicle, and and all the route information of its own area are created. However, in the third embodiment, the area management device 1 does not calculate basic tolls and tolls based on the basic table. For this reason, the entry information Data 36 may simply be information requesting the cumulative change amount up to the previous area for the participating vehicle and all route information in the own area. good.

The entry information Data36 may have the same contents as the entry information Data6 shown in FIG. For example, when information on entry information is included in the conditions for setting the variable amount, the exit tollgate device 3 manages the entry information Data 36 created based on the information acquired from the onboard device S through communication with the onboard device S. It may be transmitted to the device 1A.

When the area management device 1B acquires the entry information Data 36 from the exit toll gate device 3c, it searches for the cumulative change amount up to the previous area for the vehicle and all the route information of the own area stored in the storage unit 12, Related information Data 37 of the amount of change including the accumulated amount of change for the vehicle up to the previous area and all the route information of the own area is created. The fluctuation amount related information Data 37 is information indicating the accumulated fluctuation amount and all route information associated with the vehicle identification information (card ID, vehicle-mounted device ID). The area management device 1B returns the created variable amount related information Data37 to the exit tollgate device 3c, which is the transmission source of the entry information Data36.

On the other hand, the exit tollgate device 3c acquires information indicating the entrance of the vehicle recorded in the ETC card C by communicating with the vehicle-mounted device S of the exiting vehicle, and acquires the entrance and exit information from the vehicle-mounted device S. Based on the combination, the basic charge is allocated from the basic table T1. Furthermore, the exit toll gate device 3c calculates the variable charge for all routes in the area B based on the information on all the routes in the area B included in the variable charge related information Data 37 received from the area management device 1B. Allocate from table T2B. The exit toll booth device 3c calculates the sum of the amount of change for all routes in area B and the sum of the amount of change accumulated up to the previous area. The exit toll booth device 3c calculates the toll by applying the total fluctuation amount to the basic toll allocated from the basic table T1. As a result, the exit toll gate device 3c of the exit toll gate executes exit processing for the vehicle based on the calculated toll. In this exit processing, the exit tollgate device 3c writes information indicating the exit and the date and time of exit in the storage area E of the ETC card C set in the vehicle-mounted device S mounted on the exiting vehicle.

Next, operation of each device in the fee processing system according to the third embodiment will be described.
The operation of the area management device 1 in the fee processing system according to the third embodiment will be described.
FIG. 21 is a flow chart for explaining an operation example of the area management device 1 in the charge processing system according to the third embodiment.
When the device communication section 13 receives the entry information from the entrance tollgate device 2 (ST311, YES), the control section 11 of the area management device 1 stores the entry information in the storage section 12 (ST312). Here, the entrance toll gate device 2 writes information indicating the entrance and the date and time of entry into the storage area E of the ETC card C set in the vehicle-mounted device S mounted on the entering vehicle. However, if the operation does not require the area management device to manage the entry information, the processing of ST311 and ST312 may be omitted.
When passing route information is received from the route device 4 (ST313, YES), the control section 11 of the area management device 1 stores the received passing route information in the storage section 12 (ST314).

Further, when the area crossing information is received from the checkpoint device 5 (ST315, YES), the control unit 11 of the area management device 1 controls all the vehicle in its own area specified by the identification information included in the received area crossing information. The route information is retrieved from the storage unit 12, and the variable charges for all routes in the own area are assigned from the variable charge table T2A (T2B) by area (ST316). After allocating the variable amounts for all the routes in the own area, the control section 11 calculates the total variable amount as the accumulated variable amount (ST317).

Here, when the cumulative amount of change for the vehicle up to the previous area is stored in the storage unit 12, the control unit 11 adds the total amount of change for all routes in the own area to the cumulative amount of change up to the previous area. Calculate the cumulative change amount up to your own area. If the storage unit 12 does not store the accumulated amount of change for the vehicle up to the previous area, the control unit 11 sets the total amount of change for all routes in the own area as the accumulated amount of change up to the own area.

After calculating the cumulative variation amount up to the own area, the control section 11 creates handover information for handing over the cumulative variation amount up to the own area to the next area (ST318). For example, the control unit 11 creates takeover information indicating the cumulative amount of change up to the own area associated with the vehicle identification information (card ID or vehicle-mounted device ID) included in the area crossing information. Control unit 11 identifies the area management device in charge of the destination area based on the area crossing information, and transmits the created handover information to the area management device of the destination area (ST319).
Further, when handover information is received from an area management device of another area (ST320, YES), the control unit 11 of the area management device 1 identifies the cumulative change amount up to the previous area included in the received handover information. It is stored in the storage unit 12 in association with the information (ST321). In this case, the control unit 11 accumulates the route information of the vehicle in its own area in the storage unit 12 after storing the accumulated amount of change up to the previous area.

Further, when the entry information is received from the exit tollgate device 3 (ST322, YES), the control section 11 of the area management device 1 determines the cumulative amount of change up to the front area for the vehicle specified by the identification information included in the entry information. and all route information in its own area from the storage unit 12 (ST323). When the cumulative change amount up to the previous area and all the route information in the own area for the vehicle of the identification information included in the participation information are specified, the control unit 11 determines the cumulative change amount up to the specified previous area and the entire route information in the own area. is created (ST324), and the created variable amount related information is transmitted to the exit tollgate device 3, which is the source of the entry information (ST325). As a result, the area management device of the area of the exit tollgate can provide the exit tollgate device 3 with the cumulative fluctuation amount up to the previous area and all the route information in its own area. Based on the information from the area management device 1, the exit toll gate device 3 writes information indicating the exit and departure date and time in the storage area E of the ETC card C set in the vehicle-mounted device S mounted on the exiting vehicle. Execute entry processing including processing.

The checkpoint device 5 in the fee processing system according to the third embodiment may perform the same operation as the checkpoint device described in the first embodiment as shown in FIG. Therefore, in the third embodiment, detailed description of the operation of the checkpoint device 5 will be omitted.

Next, the operation of the exit toll booth device 3 in the toll processing system according to the third embodiment will be described.
FIG. 22 is a flow chart for explaining an operation example of the exit toll gate device 3 in the toll processing system according to the third embodiment.
When the control section 31 of the exit tollgate device 3 detects a vehicle entering the exit tollgate (ST351), the vehicle communication section 33 starts communication with the vehicle-mounted device S mounted on the vehicle. When the communication with the vehicle-mounted device S is established, the control unit 31 acquires various information about the vehicle through communication with the vehicle-mounted device S (ST352). For example, in 3rd Embodiment, the control part 31 acquires information, such as identification information, such as card|curd ID and vehicle-mounted device ID, information which shows a vehicle model, and entrance information, from the vehicle-mounted device S. FIG.

When the identification information (card ID, vehicle-mounted device ID) for specifying the vehicle is acquired from the vehicle-mounted device S, the control unit 31 acquires information related to the amount of change for the vehicle (accumulated amount of change up to the previous area and It prepares entry information including the identification information acquired from the vehicle-mounted device S as information requesting all route information), and transmits the produced entry information to the area management device 1 in its own area (ST353).

Further, the control unit 31 identifies the entrance based on the entrance information obtained from the onboard device S (ST354), and identifies the vehicle type based on the vehicle type information obtained from the onboard device S (ST355). After specifying the entrance and the vehicle type for these vehicles, the control unit 31 allocates the basic charge according to the combination of the entrance and the exit from the basic table T1 corresponding to the vehicle type (ST356).

When information related to the variable amount is received from the area management device 1 that transmitted the participation information, the control unit 31 calculates the variable amount for all routes in the own area based on the all route information of the own area received from the area management device 1. is assigned from the variable charge table T2A (T2B) (ST357). When the amount of change for all routes in the own area is assigned, the control unit 31 adds the total amount of change for all routes in the own area and the accumulated amount of change up to the previous area to calculate the accumulated amount of change for all areas. (ST358).

After calculating the cumulative variation amount of all areas, the control unit 31 calculates the total amount of money obtained by applying the calculated cumulative variation amount of all areas to the basic toll as the toll charged to the vehicle (ST359). After calculating the toll, the controller 31 displays the calculated toll on the roadside display 35 (ST360), and permits the vehicle to exit through the start controller 34 (ST361). Furthermore, the control unit 31 writes the entry information to the ETC card C set in the vehicle-mounted device S of the vehicle (ST362), and terminates the entry processing for the vehicle.

As described above, according to the third embodiment, the area management device has a variable charge table for each area and accumulates route information in its own area. When the vehicle moves to another area, the area management device in the area of the source of movement calculates the cumulative amount of change, including the amount of change corresponding to all routes in the own area based on all route information in the own area, to the area of the destination. Send to the management device. The destination area management device retains the accumulated amount of change from the destination area management device to the previous area, and also retains route information in its own area. Further, each area management device 1 transmits the cumulative fluctuation amount up to the previous area, all the route information in its own area, and the exit toll gate device according to the entry information. The exit toll booth device is equipped with a basic table and a variable charge table for each area. Then, the toll is calculated by applying the total amount of variation corresponding to all routes in all areas to the basic toll based on the combination of entrances and exits.

As a result, in the fee processing system according to the third embodiment, the area management device of each area takes over the accumulated fluctuation amount from other areas to the previous area, so that the accumulated fluctuation amount up to the previous area and the total amount in its own area To provide route information to an exit toll gate device, and to efficiently process a variable amount according to a route set based on the degree of congestion of each route on a large-scale toll road extending over a vast area. can be done. In addition, in the fee processing system according to the third embodiment, since each area management device transmits and receives the cumulative fluctuation amount of vehicles that have moved between areas, there is no need to transfer a large amount of data between areas, and the amount of communication data can be reduced. can be reduced, and the communication load between areas can be reduced.

(First modification of the third embodiment)
In the above-described third embodiment, each area management device and each exit tollgate device is provided with an area-by-area variable charge table corresponding to its own area. However, the variable charge table provided in each area management device and each exit toll gate device may be a common variable charge table that indicates the variable amount for each route of the entire toll road (all areas).

Here, as a first modified example of the third embodiment, the variable charge table provided in the area management device in the charge processing system according to the third embodiment is replaced with a common variable charge table corresponding to all areas. will be explained.

FIG. 23 is a schematic diagram for explaining an operation example of the charge processing system according to the first modified example of the third embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 23, the toll processing system according to the first modified example of the third embodiment has each area management device and each exit in the toll processing system according to the third embodiment configured as shown in FIG. It has a configuration in which the area-by-area variable charge tables T2A and T2B provided in the tollgate equipment are replaced with a common variable charge table T2 corresponding to all areas. The variable billing table T2 common to all areas may be the one described in the first modification of the first embodiment, and the processing performed by each area management device 1 (1A, 1B) is The same processing as in the above-described third embodiment can be performed except that the variable billing table T2 is used as the variable billing table.

According to the configuration shown in FIG. 23, since the common variable billing table T2 stores the variable charges for all routes in all areas, the amount of data is larger than that of the area-by-area variable billing tables T2A and T2B. , without the need to create or update for each area.

(Second modification of the third embodiment)
In the first modification of the third embodiment described above, each area management device accumulates route information indicating the route passed in its own area, and when the vehicle passes through a checkpoint and moves to another area, the vehicle The cumulative change amount including the total amount of change corresponding to all routes in the own area is handed over to the area management device of the destination area. However, each area management device may hand over all route information indicating all routes passed in its own area to the area management device of the destination area. This eliminates the need for the area management device to have a variable billing table.

As a second modified example of the third embodiment, in the fee processing system according to the above-described third embodiment, the area management device transmits route information instead of the cumulative fluctuation amount to the area management device of the destination area. do.

FIG. 24 is a schematic diagram for explaining an operation example of the charge processing system according to the second modification of the third embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 24, the charge processing system according to the second modification of the third embodiment has a configuration in which the variable charge table in the configuration shown in FIG. 20 is replaced with a common variable charge table T2 corresponding to all areas. It is realized by

In the example shown in FIG. 24, the area management device 1A stores passing route information Data32 acquired from the route device 4a in the area A in the storage unit 12. In the example shown in FIG. In addition, the area management device 1A may also store the entry information Data31 from the entrance toll booth device 2a in the storage unit 12 as one of the route information indicating the conditions for specifying the variable amount. When the area management device 1A receives the area crossing information Data33 from the checkpoint device 5, the area management device 1A extracts all the route information corresponding to the vehicle identification information included in the received area crossing information Data33 from the storage unit 12, and extracts all the route information. to the area management device 1B of the destination area B.

The area management device 1B stores all route information (all route information up to the previous area) included in the handover information Data34' from the area management device 1A in the storage unit 12 in association with the identification information of the vehicle. When the area management device 1B receives the passage route information Data35 from the route device 4c in the area B, it stores it in the storage unit 12 as route information in its own area. When receiving the entry information Data36 from the exit toll booth device 3c, the area management device 1B collects all route information corresponding to the identification information of the vehicle included in the received entry information Data36 (all routes to the previous area and routes in the own area). all routes) are extracted from the storage unit 12 . The area management device 1B transmits related information Data 37' of variable amounts including all extracted route information of all areas to the exit tollgate device 3c. As a result, the exit toll booth device 3c allocates the variable amount for all route information from the variable billing table T2, and applies the total variable amount to the basic fare allocated from the basic table to calculate the toll.

Next, the operation of the area management device 1 in the charge processing system according to the second modified example of the third embodiment will be described.
FIG. 25 is a flow chart for explaining an operation example of the area management device 1 in the charge processing system according to the second modification of the third embodiment.
In the second modification of the third embodiment, each area management device 1 receives entry information from the entrance toll gate device 2 in the area, passage route information from the route device 4, area crossing information from the checkpoint device 5, and , the entry information from the exit tollgate device 3 is received at any time. Also, the area management device 1 receives handover information including information indicating all routes traveled so far by a vehicle that has passed through a checkpoint and moved into the area from the area management device of the movement source area.

When the entry information from the entrance tollgate device 2 is received (ST371, YES), the control section 11 of the area management device 1 stores the entry information in the storage section 12 (ST372). However, if the information included in the entry information is not used as a variable amount condition, the area management device 1 does not need to acquire the entry information from the entrance toll gate device 2 .
When passing route information is received from the route device 4 (ST373, YES), the control section 11 of the area management device 1 stores the received passing route information in the storage section 12 (ST374).

Further, when the area crossing information is received from the checkpoint device 5 (ST375, YES), the control unit 11 of the area management device 1 collects all the route information related to the vehicle identified by the identification information included in the received area crossing information. handover information for handing over to the next area (ST376). Based on the vehicle identification information included in the area crossing information, the control unit 11 extracts all route information of the vehicle so far from the storage unit 12, and stores all the extracted route information and the vehicle identification information. Takeover information including is created (ST376). Furthermore, the control unit 11 identifies the area management device in charge of the destination area based on the area crossing information, and transmits the created handover information to the area management device of the destination area (ST377).
Further, when the takeover information is received from the area management device of another area (ST378, YES), the control unit 11 of the area management device 1 transmits all the route information up to the previous area included in the received takeover information to the vehicle. It is stored in the storage section 12 in association with the identification information (ST379).

When the entry information is received from the exit tollgate device 3 (ST380, YES), the control unit 11 of the area management device 1 stores all the vehicles specified by the identification information included in the entry information received in the storage unit 12. is retrieved (ST381). After extracting all the route information, the control section 11 creates information related to the variable amount including all the extracted route information (ST382). The control unit 11 transmits the information related to the variable amount including all the created route information to the exit tollgate device 3 which is the transmission source of the entry information (ST383). As a result, the area management device can provide the exit toll booth device 3 with information including all route information of all areas through which the vehicle has passed.

In the toll processing system according to the second modification of the third embodiment, the checkpoint device 5 may perform the same processing as the processing shown in FIG. is the same flow as the processing shown in FIG. Calculate the total variable amount (cumulative variable amount) according to all routes by allocating from the billing table T2, and add the total variable amount according to all routes in all areas to the basic charge allocated from the basic table T1. It should be applied to calculate the toll.

As described above, according to the second modification of the third embodiment, the area management device accumulates passage route information collected from route devices within its own area. When the area management device receives the area crossing information from the checkpoint device, the area management device transmits all route information up to its own area as handover information to the destination area management device. In addition, when the area management device receives exit information from the exit tollgate device, it transmits to the exit tollgate device information indicating all routes in all areas indicating all routes to the previous area and all routes in its own area. do.

As a result, in the fee processing system according to the second modification of the third embodiment, all route information up to the own area can be handed over to the area management device of the destination. To surely manage information on all routes traveled by a vehicle even on a toll road, and to smoothly process the toll by applying a variable amount according to the route set based on the degree of congestion of each route. can be done.

(Fourth embodiment)
The fourth embodiment is an embodiment in which both the basic charge table and the variable charge table are managed by the exit tollgate, and the entry information and route information are stored and managed in the ETC card.

When moving between areas, the area management device obtains all the route information in its own area written in the memory in the ETC card via the checkpoint equipment, and responds to the all route information in its own area. Provide the accumulated fluctuation amount to the destination area management device. Furthermore, when exiting, the area management device provides the exit toll booth device with the cumulative fluctuation amount up to the previous area taken over from the area management device of the source area.

The fee processing system according to the fourth embodiment will be described in detail below.
The fee processing system according to the fourth embodiment is realized by various devices as shown in FIG. 1 explained in the first embodiment, and each device has the configuration shown in FIG. 19 explained in the third embodiment. It is something to do. That is, in the toll processing system according to the fourth embodiment, as shown in FIG. 19, the exit toll gate device 3 has a storage unit 36 provided with a basic table T1 and a variable billing table T2A (T2B) of its own area, Each area management device 1A, 1B is configured to have variable charge tables T2A, T2B for each area.

FIG. 26 is a schematic diagram for explaining an operation example of the charge processing system according to the fourth embodiment.
In FIG. 26, similar to the example shown in FIG. is a diagram schematically exemplifying a state of exiting from the exit tollgate "IC:C".

The entrance tollgate device 2a communicates with the vehicle-mounted device S mounted on the vehicle entering the entrance tollgate "IC:A" and confirms that the valid ETC card C is normally set in the vehicle-mounted device S. Then, a storage area E is secured in the memory in the ETC card C, entry information indicating the entrance and entry date and time is written in the storage area E, and entry of the vehicle is permitted.

Next, when a vehicle entering from the entrance tollgate "IC:A" passes through route a in area A, the route device 4a communicates with the vehicle-mounted device S mounted on the vehicle, and is set in the vehicle-mounted device S. The route information indicating that the route a has been passed is written in the storage area E in the ETC card C that is currently in use. The route information written in the storage area E of the ETC card C is, for example, information indicating the route passed and the date and time of the passage.

Next, when the vehicle that has passed the route a passes through a checkpoint, the checkpoint device 5 communicates with the vehicle-mounted device S mounted on the vehicle passing through the checkpoint, and the data from the vehicle-mounted device S is recorded in the memory of the ETC card C. Get all route information The checkpoint device 5 creates area crossing information Data 43 including the acquired all route information, information indicating the checkpoint passage, and vehicle identification information, and transmits the created area crossing information Data 43 to the area management device 1A of area A. Note that the checkpoint device 5 may also acquire entry information recorded in the memory of the ETC card C from the vehicle-mounted device, and create area crossing information including the acquired entry information.

When the area management device 1A receives the area crossing information Data43 from the checkpoint device 5, the area management device 1A creates handover information Data44 for handing over the accumulated amount of change for the vehicle passing the checkpoint to the area management device 1B of the destination area B. For example, the area management device 1A allocates from the variable charge table T2A for the area A the variable charge for all the route information in the area A (own area) of the vehicle included in the received area crossing information 43, The total value of the amount of fluctuation corresponding to all routes is calculated as the cumulative amount of fluctuation. Here, if the cumulative variation amount from the area before area A (cumulative variation amount up to the previous area) is inherited, the area management device 1A calculates the variation amount corresponding to all routes in area A. The sum is added to the cumulative change amount up to the previous area to calculate the cumulative change amount.

After calculating the accumulated amount of change, the area management device 1A creates takeover information Data 44 including the calculated accumulated amount of change up to its own area and the identification information (card ID or vehicle-mounted device ID) of the vehicle. The area management device 1A may create handover information including the admission information when the area crossing information including the admission information is acquired.
After creating the takeover information Data44, the area management device 1A transmits the takeover information Data44 to the area management device 1B of the area B to which the vehicle is moving. As a result, the destination area management device 1B stores the accumulated change amount included in the handover information Data44 from the move source area management device 1A as the accumulated change amount up to the previous area.

Further, the checkpoint device 5 acquires all the route information in the area of the movement source recorded in the storage area E in the ETC card C from the vehicle-mounted device S (or the area crossing information Data 43 After sending to the device 1A), delete all route information (all route information recorded) by the area of the movement source from the storage area E of the ETC card C. This secures the storage area of the route information in the storage area E of the ETC card C by deleting the record of all the route information in the movement source area. The example shown in FIG. 26 shows a state in which the checkpoint device 5 has deleted the route information in the area of the movement source.

Next, when a vehicle entering area B from a checkpoint passes through route c, route device 4c communicates with vehicle-mounted device S of each vehicle passing through route c, and stores area B in memory area E of ETC card C. Write route information indicating that the route c has been passed.

Next, when the vehicle enters the exit tollgate "IC:C", the exit tollgate device 3c acquires the identification information of the vehicle through communication with the vehicle-mounted device S mounted on the vehicle, and obtains the identification information of the vehicle. A request is made to the area management device 1B for the accumulated amount of change up to the previous area corresponding to .
The area management device 1B searches the storage unit 12 for the accumulated amount of change up to the previous area for the identification information of the vehicle in response to a request from the exit tollgate device 3c. If there is a cumulative variation amount up to the previous area, the area management device 1B transmits a response as information on the variation amount for the vehicle, including information indicating the cumulative variation amount up to the previous area, to the exit toll gate device 3c. If there is no cumulative change amount up to the previous area corresponding to the requested vehicle identification information, the area management device 1B transmits a response to the effect that there is no cumulative change amount for the vehicle to the exit toll booth. Also good.

In addition, the exit toll booth device 3c acquires information indicating the entrance of the vehicle recorded in the ETC card C through communication with the vehicle-mounted device S of the exiting vehicle, and acquires the entrance and exit information from the vehicle-mounted device S. Based on the combination, the basic charge is allocated from the basic table T1. In addition, the exit toll booth device 3c allocates a variable amount corresponding to all routes in its own area from the variable charge table T2B based on all route information in its own area acquired from the on-vehicle device S, Calculate the total amount of change. Furthermore, when the exit toll booth device 3c receives the cumulative variation amount up to the previous area from the area management device 1B, the total variation amount obtained by adding the total variation amount in its own area and the cumulative variation amount up to the previous area to calculate The exit toll booth device 3c calculates the toll by applying the total fluctuation amount to the basic toll allocated from the basic table T1. As a result, the exit tollgate device 3c of the exit tollgate executes exit processing for the vehicle based on the calculated toll, and stores the storage area E of the ETC card C set in the vehicle-mounted device S as the entrance and exit. Entry information indicating the date and time is written, and entry of the vehicle is permitted.

Next, operation of each device in the fee processing system according to the fourth embodiment will be described.
First, the operation of the area management device 1 in the fee processing system according to the fourth embodiment will be described.
FIG. 27 is a flow chart for explaining an operation example of the area management device 1 in the charge processing system according to the fourth embodiment.
As described above, the area management device 1 of the toll processing system according to the fourth embodiment includes area crossing information including all route information indicating all routes passed by vehicles moving from the checkpoint device 5 to another area within its own area. Information is received (ST411, YES). When the area crossing information is received from the checkpoint device 5 (ST411, YES), the control unit 11 of the area management device 1 sets the amount of change according to the route for all the route information included in the received area crossing information to its own area. from the variable charge table T2A (T2B) (ST412). After allocating the variable amounts for all the passage routes in the own area, the control section 11 calculates the total variable amount as the accumulated variable amount (ST413).

Here, when the cumulative variation amount for the vehicle up to the previous area is stored in the storage unit 12, the control unit 11 adds the total variation amount for all routes in the own area to the cumulative variation amount up to the previous area. By doing so, the cumulative fluctuation amount up to the own area is calculated. If the storage unit 12 does not store the cumulative amount of variation for the vehicle up to the previous area, the control unit 11 sets the total amount of variation for all routes in the own area as the cumulative amount of variation up to the own area.

After calculating the cumulative variation amount up to the own area, the control section 11 creates handover information for handing over the cumulative variation amount up to the own area to the next area (ST414). After creating the handover information indicating the accumulated amount of change up to the own area, the control unit 11 identifies the area management device in charge of the destination area based on the area crossing information, and creates the transfer information in the area management device of the destination area. transmit the handover information (ST415)
Further, when handover information is received from an area management device of another area (ST416, YES), the control unit 11 of the area management device 1 identifies the vehicle by identifying the cumulative amount of change up to the previous area included in the received handover information. It is stored in the storage section 12 in association with the information (ST417).

Further, when receiving a request for the cumulative change amount up to the previous area from the exit tollgate device 3 (ST418, YES), the control section 11 of the area management device 1 calculates the cumulative change amount up to the previous area for the specified vehicle. A search is made from the storage unit 12 (ST419). After retrieving the cumulative change amount up to the previous area for the vehicle, the control unit 11 creates cumulative change amount information as response information indicating the cumulative change amount up to the previous area as the search result (ST420). The variable amount information is transmitted to the exit tollgate device 3 (ST421). As a result, the area management device of the exit toll gate area can provide the exit toll gate device 3 of its own area with the cumulative fluctuation amount up to the previous area.

Next, the operation of the checkpoint device 5 in the fee processing system according to the fourth embodiment will be described.
FIG. 22 is a flow chart for explaining an operation example of the exit toll gate device 3 in the toll processing system according to the third embodiment.
When the control unit 51 of the checkpoint device 5 detects a vehicle passing through the checkpoint (ST431, YES), the vehicle communication unit 53 communicates with the vehicle-mounted device S mounted on the vehicle passing through the checkpoint (ST432).

When the vehicle communication unit 53 establishes communication with the vehicle-mounted device S mounted on the vehicle passing through the checkpoint, the control unit 51 transmits all route information within its own area stored in the ETC card C from the vehicle-mounted device S. to get After obtaining all the route information within the own area from the vehicle-mounted device S, the control unit 51 creates area crossing information including all the route information within the own area obtained from the vehicle-mounted device S (ST433). In the fourth embodiment, for example, the control unit 51 includes vehicle identification information (card ID, vehicle-mounted device ID), information indicating a passing checkpoint, information indicating a destination area, create cross-area information including all route information. Here, when the entrance information is also acquired from the vehicle-mounted device S, the control unit 51 may create area crossing information including the entrance information.

After creating the area crossing information, the control unit 51 transmits the created area crossing information to the area management device 1 of the area of the movement source (ST434). However, the checkpoint device 5 may transmit the area crossing information to the area management device 1 in the destination area, or both the area management device in the source area and the area management device in the destination area may You can send it to

Further, the control unit 51 acquires the route information within the area of the movement source stored in the ETC card C from the vehicle-mounted device S of the vehicle passing through the checkpoint, and then stores the route information in the ETC card C set in the vehicle-mounted device S. A process of clearing all stored route information in the area of the movement source is performed (ST435). As a result, the ETC card C set in the vehicle-mounted device S of the vehicle passing through the checkpoint has an area for storing the route information released so that the route information in the destination area can be written. As a result, even if the ETC card C has a small storage area, it is possible to reliably record the route information.

Next, the operation of the exit toll booth device 3 in the toll processing system according to the fourth embodiment will be described.
FIG. 29 is a flow chart for explaining an operation example of the exit toll gate device 3 in the toll processing system according to the fourth embodiment.
When the control section 31 of the exit tollgate device 3 detects a vehicle entering the exit tollgate (ST451), the vehicle communication section 33 starts communication with the vehicle-mounted device S mounted on the vehicle. When communication with the vehicle-mounted device S is established, the control unit 31 acquires various information about the vehicle through communication with the vehicle-mounted device S (ST452). For example, in 4th Embodiment, the control part 31 acquires information, such as identification information, such as card|curd ID and vehicle-mounted device ID, information which shows a vehicle model, and entrance information, from the vehicle-mounted device S. FIG.

When the identification information (card ID, vehicle-mounted device ID) for identifying the vehicle is acquired from the vehicle-mounted device S, the control unit 31 requests the area management device 1 of its own area for the cumulative amount of change up to the previous area for the vehicle. (ST453).

Further, the control unit 31 identifies the entrance based on the entrance information acquired from the vehicle-mounted device S (ST454), and identifies the vehicle type based on the information indicating the vehicle type acquired from the vehicle-mounted device S (ST455). After specifying the entrance and the vehicle type for these vehicles, the control unit 31 allocates the basic charge according to the combination of the entrance and the exit from the basic table T1 corresponding to the vehicle type (ST456). Further, the control unit 31 allocates the variable amount for all the routes in the own area based on the all route information in the own area acquired from the vehicle-mounted device S from the variable billing table T2A (T2B) for the own area ( ST457).

Further, after requesting the accumulated amount of change from the area management device 1, the control unit 31 acquires response information indicating the accumulated amount of change from the area management device 1 to the previous area. and the total amount of variation in its own area to calculate the amount of variation accumulated in all areas (ST458).

After calculating the cumulative variation amount of all areas, the control unit 31 calculates the total amount of money obtained by applying the calculated cumulative variation amount of all areas to the basic toll as the toll to be imposed on the vehicle (ST459). After calculating the toll, the controller 31 displays the calculated toll on the roadside display 35 (ST460), and permits the vehicle to exit through the start controller 34 (ST461). Furthermore, the control unit 31 writes the entry information to the ETC card C set in the vehicle-mounted device S of the vehicle (ST462), and terminates the entry processing for the vehicle.

As described above, according to the fourth embodiment, the ETC card set in the on-vehicle device of the vehicle stores the entry information and the route information, and the checkpoint device stores the ETC card set in the on-board device of the vehicle passing through the checkpoint. Acquires all route information in its own area recorded in the ETC card, transmits area crossing information including all route information in its own area to the area management device, and all routes in its own area recorded in the ETC card Delete information. When each area management device 1 receives area crossing information including route information within its own area from a checkpoint device, each area management device 1 allocates a variable amount according to a passage route within its own area from the variable billing table T2 for each area, and accumulates fluctuations. The amount is calculated, and the takeover information including the cumulative change amount is transmitted to the destination area management device. Furthermore, each area management device 1 provides the exit tollgate device with response information indicating the cumulative fluctuation amount up to the previous area in response to a request from the exit tollgate device in its own area. The exit toll gate device assigns a variable amount according to all routes in its own area based on all route information in its own area obtained from the on-board unit and adds it to the cumulative variable amount up to the previous area. Calculate the total amount of change. The exit toll booth device calculates the toll by applying the calculated variable amount to the base toll that the base table applies to.

As a result, in the fee processing system according to the fourth embodiment, the area management device of each area can take over the fluctuation amount in its own area to the area management device of the destination area, and a large-scale It is possible to efficiently process the variable amount according to the route set based on the degree of congestion for each route on the toll road. In addition, in the fee processing system according to the fourth embodiment, each area management device transmits and receives the cumulative fluctuation amount of vehicles that have moved between areas. can be reduced, and the communication load between areas can be reduced.

(First modification of the fourth embodiment)
In the above-described fourth embodiment, the area management device and the exit toll booth equipment are provided with area-by-area variable charge tables corresponding to their own areas. However, the variable charge table provided by the area management device and the exit tollgate device may be a common variable charge table that indicates the variable amount for each route of the entire toll road (all areas).

In the first modification of the fourth embodiment, in the toll processing system according to the fourth embodiment described above, the variable charge tables provided in the area management device and each exit tollgate device are converted into a common variable charge table corresponding to all areas. It has been replaced.

FIG. 30 is a schematic diagram showing an operation example of the charge processing system according to the first modification of the fourth embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 30, in the toll processing system according to the first modification of the fourth embodiment, each area management device and each exit toll gate device in the toll processing system configured as shown in FIG. It has a configuration in which the variable billing table is replaced with a common variable billing table T2 corresponding to all areas. The variable billing table T2 common to all areas may be the one described in the first modification of the first embodiment, and the processing performed by each area management device 1 (1A, 1B) is It can be realized by the same processing as in the above-described fourth embodiment, except that the variable billing table T2 is used as the variable billing table.

According to the configuration shown in FIG. 30, since the common variable charge table T2 stores the variable charges for all routes in all areas, the amount of data is larger than that of the area-specific variable charge tables T2A and T2B. , without the need to create or update for each area.

(Second modification of the fourth embodiment)
In the first modification of the fourth embodiment described above, each area management device calculates the total amount of fluctuation in its own area based on all route information acquired from the checkpoint equipment when the vehicle passes through the checkpoint, to the area management device of the destination area. However, each area management device may hand over all route information indicating the passage route in its own area acquired from the checkpoint device to the area management device of the destination area.
In the second modification of the fourth embodiment, in the fee processing system according to the fourth embodiment described above, the area management device transfers all route information up to its own area instead of the cumulative fluctuation amount to the area management device of the destination area. Describe things.

FIG. 31 is a diagram showing an operation example of the fee processing system according to the second modified example of the fourth embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 31, in the toll processing system according to the second modification of the fourth embodiment, the variable billing table provided in the exit tollgate equipment in the configuration shown in FIG. It is realized by replacing with the billing table T2 and making each area management device unnecessary for the variable billing table.

In the example shown in FIG. 31, the entrance tollgate device 2a first writes entry information indicating the entrance and the date and time of entry into the storage area E of the memory in the ETC card C set in the vehicle-mounted device S of the entering vehicle. Allow the vehicle to enter. Next, the route device 4a writes route information indicating that the route a has been passed in the storage area E of the ETC card C set in the vehicle-mounted device S of the vehicle passing the route a.

Next, the checkpoint device 5 acquires all the route information in the area of the movement source from the ETC card C set in the vehicle-mounted device S of the vehicle passing through the checkpoint. The checkpoint device 5 transmits area crossing information Data 43 including the acquired all-route information, information indicating the passage through the checkpoint, and vehicle identification information to the area management device 1A of the area A. FIG. The area management device 1A receives handover information Data 44 including all the route information in area A (own area) included in the area crossing information Data 43 received from the checkpoint device 5 and the identification information (card ID or vehicle-mounted device ID) of the vehicle. ', and transmits the handover information Data44 to the area management device 1B of the area B to which the vehicle is moving. As a result, the destination area management device 1B stores all route information included in the handover information Data44 from the source area management device 1A as all route information up to the previous area.

In addition, after acquiring all the route information recorded in the storage area E in the ETC card C from the vehicle-mounted device S, the checkpoint device 5 acquires the route information in the area of the movement source from the storage area E of the ETC card C. Delete (recorded all route information).

Next, the route device 4c writes information indicating that the route c has been passed and information indicating the passage date and time in the storage area E of the ETC card C set in the vehicle-mounted device S of each vehicle passing through the route c. .
Next, the exit toll booth device 3c communicates with the vehicle-mounted device S mounted on the vehicle, and requests the area management device 1B for all route information to the front area corresponding to the vehicle. The area management device 1B extracts all the route information to the front area corresponding to the identification information of the vehicle from the storage unit 12 in response to a request from the exit toll booth device 3c, and stores information Data 46' indicating the all route information to the front area. and send a response containing it to the exit toll gate device 3c.

As a result, the exit toll gate device 3c acquires all route information in the area B recorded in the ETC card C from the on-vehicle device S of the vehicle, and acquires all route information up to the previous area from the area management device 1B. , it is possible to obtain all route information for all areas of the vehicle. As a result, the exit toll booth device 3c allocates the variable amount for all route information in all areas from the variable billing table T2, and applies the total variable amount in all areas to the basic fare allocated from the basic table. Calculate the toll to charge the vehicle.

Next, the operation of the area management device 1 in the charge processing system according to the second modified example of the fourth embodiment will be described.
FIG. 32 is a flow chart for explaining an operation example of the area management device 1 in the charge processing system according to the second modification of the fourth embodiment.
When area crossing information is received from the checkpoint device 5 (ST471, YES), the control unit 11 of the area management device 1 creates handover information including all route information included in the received area crossing information (ST472), The created takeover information is transmitted to the area management device of the destination area (ST473). However, when the route information to the front area for the vehicle is stored in the storage unit 12, the control unit 11 stores the entire route to the own area, which consists of all route information in the own area and all route information to the front area. It is assumed that handover information including information is created and transmitted to the area management device of the destination area.

Further, when the takeover information is received from the area management device of another area (ST474, YES), the control unit 11 of the area management device 1 identifies the entire route information up to the previous area included in the received takeover information. It is stored in the storage unit 12 in association with the information (ST475).

Further, when receiving a request for route information to the front area from the exit tollgate device 3 (ST476, YES), the control unit 11 of the area management device 1 determines the entire route to the front area for the vehicle of the specified identification information. Information is retrieved from the storage unit 12 (ST477), response information indicating all route information to the previous area obtained as the retrieval result is created (ST478), and the response information thus created is transmitted to the exit tollgate device 3 ( ST479). As a result, the area management device of the area of the exit toll gate can provide all the route information to the previous area and the exit toll gate device 3 in its own area.

Next, the operation of the exit toll gate device 3 in the toll processing system according to the second modified example of the fourth embodiment will be described.
FIG. 33 is a flow chart for explaining an operation example of the exit toll gate device 3 in the toll processing system according to the second modified example of the fourth embodiment.
When the control unit 31 of the exit tollgate device 3 detects a vehicle entering the exit tollgate (ST481), the vehicle communication unit 33 communicates with the vehicle-mounted device S mounted on the vehicle to obtain various information about the vehicle. (ST482). For example, the control unit 31 acquires information from the onboard device S, such as identification information such as a card ID and an onboard device ID, information indicating the vehicle type, entrance information, and all route information in its own area.

When the identification information (card ID, vehicle-mounted device ID) for specifying the vehicle is acquired from the vehicle-mounted device S, the control unit 31 requests the area management device 1 in its own area for all route information to the front area for the vehicle. (ST483).

Further, the control unit 31 identifies the entrance based on the entrance information acquired from the vehicle-mounted device S (ST484), and identifies the vehicle type based on the information indicating the vehicle type acquired from the vehicle-mounted device S (ST485). After specifying the entrance and the vehicle type for the vehicle, the control unit 31 allocates the basic charge according to the combination of the entrance and the exit from the basic table T1 corresponding to the vehicle type (ST486).

Furthermore, when all the route information up to the previous area is acquired from the area management device 1, the control unit 31 acquires all the route information in its own area acquired from the vehicle-mounted device S and the entire route information up to the previous area acquired from the area management device 1. Based on the route information, variable charges for all transit routes in all areas are allocated from the common variable charge table T2 (ST487).

The control section 31 calculates the sum of the variable charges corresponding to all routes in all areas allocated from the common variable billing table T2 (ST488), and applies the sum of the variable charges of all areas to the basic charge. It is calculated as a toll to be imposed on the vehicle (ST489). After calculating the toll, the controller 31 displays the calculated toll on the roadside display 35 (ST490), and permits the vehicle to exit through the start controller 34 (ST491). Further, the control unit 31 writes the entry information to the ETC card C set in the vehicle-mounted device S of the vehicle (ST492), and terminates the entry processing for the vehicle.

As described above, according to the second modification of the fourth embodiment, the area management device acquires all route devices in its own area included in the area crossing information from the checkpoint device, and obtains all routes to its own area. Transfer information indicating the information is transmitted to the destination area management device. When receiving a request for all route information to the previous area, the destination area management device transmits information indicating all routes to the previous area to the exit tollgate device. The exit toll gate device fluctuates according to all routes in all areas based on all route information up to the previous area obtained from the area management device and all route information in its own area obtained from the ETC card set in the on-board device. Calculate the toll by deducting the amount.

As a result, in the fee processing system according to the second modification of the fourth embodiment, all route information up to the own area can be handed over to the destination area management device. To surely manage information on all routes traveled by a vehicle even on a toll road, and to smoothly process the toll by applying a variable amount according to the route set based on the degree of congestion of each route. can be done.

While several embodiments of the invention have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention described in the claims and equivalents thereof.
The content described in the scope of claims as originally filed for this application will be added below.
[1]
A toll processing system for processing tolls on a toll road divided into a plurality of areas,
an area management device provided corresponding to the area on the toll road;
an entrance toll booth device that performs an entry process to the toll road;
an exit toll booth device that performs exit processing from the toll road;
a route device for detecting a route passed by the vehicle on the toll road;
A checkpoint device that detects a vehicle passing through a checkpoint that is the boundary of another area;
and
The checkpoint device is
A vehicle communication unit that communicates with a vehicle-mounted device mounted on a vehicle that passes through the checkpoint;
a central communication unit that communicates with the area management device;
When communicating with a vehicle passing through the checkpoint, cross-area information indicating that the vehicle has moved between areas to both or at least one of the area management device of the source area and the area management device of the destination area. and a checkpoint control unit that transmits
The area management device
an inter-area communication unit that communicates with area management devices in other areas;
Entrance tollgate equipment in its own area, exit tollgate equipment in its own area, route equipment in its own area, and its own area and other areas adjacent to its own area, which are supported by the area management device A device communication unit that communicates with the checkpoint device provided at the connection part of
When area crossing information indicating a vehicle that has moved between areas is received from the checkpoint device or the area management device of the adjacent area, the takeover information indicating the route traveled by the vehicle or a variable amount corresponding to the route is sent to the area of the adjacent area. and a central control unit that takes over with the management device
The exit toll gate device
a communication unit that communicates with an area management device provided in its own area where an exit tollgate is arranged among the area management devices provided for each of the areas on the toll road;
a vehicle communication unit that communicates with an in-vehicle device mounted on the vehicle when the vehicle enters the exit toll booth;
information about the vehicle communicated by the vehicle communication unit; handover information from an area management device corresponding to the area from which the vehicle moves when the vehicle has moved from another area to the own area; an exit control unit that performs exit processing for the vehicle based on the route traveled by the vehicle in the own area,
fee processing system.
[2]
The area management device has at least a basic table set by correspondence between entrances and exits, and a variable billing table showing variable charges set for routes,
The central control unit of the area management device,
If the vehicle is a vehicle that has moved from another area to its own area, the area management device in its own area receives the handover information from the area management device corresponding to the area from which the vehicle has moved and the relevant information in its own area. Update information about the vehicle from the route traveled by the vehicle,
when receiving a request from the exit tollgate device, transmitting to the exit tollgate device updated information on the vehicle and information on tolls based on the basic table and the variable billing table;
The exit toll gate device requests the information on the toll of the vehicle communicated by the vehicle communication unit from the area management device of the own area, and performs exit processing for the vehicle based on the information acquired from the area management device. ,
The charge processing system according to [1].
[3]
the variable charge table is a variable charge table that indicates a variable charge set for a route in the own area among the variable charge tables set for each area on the toll road;
The central control unit of the area management device,
A variable amount according to the route traveled by the vehicle within the own area is allocated from the variable charge table, and the amount is changed according to all the routes traveled within the own area by the vehicle moving from the own area to another area. Sending takeover information indicating the cumulative change amount including the total amount to the area management device of the destination area,
Said handover information regarding vehicles entering said own area is received from an area management device of said movement source area, and obtained from said area management device of said movement source area in response to a request from an exit tollgate device within said area. The total amount of fluctuation obtained by adding the amount of fluctuation allocated from the variable billing table for all routes traveled by the vehicle in its own area to the accumulated amount of fluctuation included in the handover information is determined as the entrance and exit of the vehicle. providing the exit toll gate device with information indicating the toll applied to the basic toll according to the combination of
The charge processing system according to [2].
[4]
The variable billing table is a common variable billing table indicating variable amounts set for routes on the entire toll road,
The central control unit of the area management device,
A variable amount according to the route traveled by the vehicle within the own area is allocated from the common variable charge table, and according to all the routes traveled within the own area by the vehicle moving from the own area to another area. transfer information indicating the cumulative amount of change, including the total amount of change, to the area management device of the destination area;
receiving handover information about the vehicle entering the own area from the area management device of the movement source area, and acquiring it from the area management device of the movement source area in response to a request from the exit tollgate device in the own area. The total amount of fluctuation obtained by adding the amount of fluctuation allocated from the common variable billing table for the route traveled by the vehicle in its own area to the accumulated amount of fluctuation included in the handover information is calculated as the entrance and exit of the vehicle. providing the exit toll gate device with information indicating the toll applied to the basic toll according to the combination of
The charge processing system according to [2].
[5]
The variable billing table is a common variable billing table indicating variable amounts set for routes on the entire toll road,
The central control unit of the area management device,
transmitting handover information including all route information indicating all routes traveled within the own area by the vehicle moving from the own area to another area to the area management device of the destination area;
receiving handover information about the vehicle entering the own area from the area management device of the movement source area, and acquiring it from the area management device of the movement source area in response to a request from the exit tollgate device in the own area. The sum of variable amounts allocated from the common variable billing table for all routes indicated by the takeover information and all routes traveled by the vehicle in the own area is calculated according to the combination of the entrance and exit of the vehicle. providing information to the exit toll gate device indicating the toll applied to the base toll;
The charge processing system according to [2].
[6]
The area management device has a variable billing table showing variable charges set for routes,
The exit toll gate device has a basic billing table set at least according to the correspondence between entrances and exits,
The central control unit of the area management device,
If the vehicle is a vehicle that has moved from another area to its own area, the area management device in its own area receives the handover information from the area management device corresponding to the area from which the vehicle has moved and the relevant information in its own area. Update information about the vehicle from the route traveled by the vehicle,
when receiving a request from the exit toll gate device, transmitting to the exit toll gate device updated information regarding the vehicle and information regarding a variable amount based on a variable billing table;
The exit toll gate device requests the information on the variable amount of the vehicle communicated by the vehicle communication unit from the area management device in its own area, and based on the information on the variable amount acquired from the area management device and the basic table performing an exit process for the vehicle;
The charge processing system according to [1].
[7]
the variable charge table is a variable charge table that indicates a variable charge set for a route in the own area among the variable charge tables set for each area on the toll road;
The central control unit of the area management device,
A variable amount according to the route traveled by the vehicle within the own area is allocated from the variable charge table, and the amount is changed according to all the routes traveled within the own area by the vehicle moving from the own area to another area. Sending takeover information indicating the cumulative change amount including the total amount to the area management device of the destination area,
Said handover information regarding vehicles entering said own area is received from an area management device of said movement source area, and obtained from said area management device of said movement source area in response to a request from an exit tollgate device within said area. Information indicating the sum of the variable amount obtained by adding the variable amount allocated from the variable charge table for all the routes traveled by the vehicle in its own area to the cumulative variable amount included in the takeover information is provided by the exit toll gate device. provide to
The fee processing system according to [6].
[8]
The variable billing table is a common variable billing table indicating variable amounts set for routes on the entire toll road,
The central control unit of the area management device,
A variable amount according to the route traveled by the vehicle within the own area is allocated from the common variable charge table, and according to all the routes traveled within the own area by the vehicle moving from the own area to another area. transfer information indicating the cumulative amount of change, including the total amount of change, to the area management device of the destination area;
receiving handover information about the vehicle entering the own area from the area management device of the movement source area, and acquiring it from the area management device of the movement source area in response to a request from the exit tollgate device in the own area. Information indicating the sum of the variable amount obtained by adding the variable amount allocated from the common variable charge table for all the routes traveled by the vehicle in its own area to the cumulative variable amount included in the takeover information is the exit charge information. provided to equipment,
The fee processing system according to [6].
[9]
The variable billing table is a common variable billing table indicating variable amounts set for routes on the entire toll road,
The central control unit of the area management device,
transmitting handover information including all route information indicating all routes traveled within the own area by the vehicle moving from the own area to another area to the area management device of the destination area;
receiving handover information about the vehicle entering the own area from the area management device of the movement source area, and acquiring it from the area management device of the movement source area in response to a request from the exit tollgate device in the own area. providing the exit tollgate device with information indicating the sum of variable amounts allocated from the common variable billing table for all routes indicated by the takeover information and all routes traveled by the vehicle in the own area;
The fee processing system according to [6].
[10]
The exit tollgate device has at least a basic charge table set according to the correspondence between entrances and exits, and a variable charge table showing variable amounts set for routes,
The central control unit of the area management device,
If the vehicle is a vehicle that has moved from another area to its own area, the area management device in its own area receives the handover information from the area management device corresponding to the area from which the vehicle has moved and the relevant information in its own area. Update information about the vehicle from the route traveled by the vehicle,
The exit toll gate device performs exit processing for the vehicle based on information obtained from the area management device and a basic table.
The charge processing system according to [1].
[11]
the variable charge table is a variable charge table that indicates a variable charge set for a route in the own area among the variable charge tables set for each area on the toll road;
The central control unit of the area management device,
A variable amount according to the route traveled by the vehicle within the own area is allocated from the variable charge table, and the amount is changed according to all the routes traveled within the own area by the vehicle moving from the own area to another area. Sending takeover information indicating the cumulative change amount including the total amount to the area management device of the destination area,
Said handover information regarding vehicles entering said own area is received from an area management device of said movement source area, and obtained from said area management device of said movement source area in response to a request from an exit tollgate device within said area. Providing the exit toll gate device with information including the cumulative change amount included in the takeover information and all route information indicating all routes traveled by the vehicle in the own area;
The fee processing system according to [10].
[12]
The variable billing table is a common variable billing table indicating variable amounts set for routes on the entire toll road,
The central control unit of the area management device,
A variable amount according to the route traveled by the vehicle within the own area is allocated from the common variable charge table, and according to all the routes traveled within the own area by the vehicle moving from the own area to another area. transfer information indicating the cumulative amount of change, including the total amount of change, to the area management device of the destination area;
receiving handover information about the vehicle entering the own area from the area management device of the movement source area, and acquiring it from the area management device of the movement source area in response to a request from the exit tollgate device in the own area. Providing the exit toll gate device with information including the cumulative change amount included in the takeover information and all route information indicating all routes traveled by the vehicle in the own area;
The fee processing system according to [10].
[13]
The central control unit of the area management device,
transmitting handover information including all route information indicating all routes traveled within the own area by the vehicle moving from the own area to another area to the area management device of the destination area;
receiving handover information about the vehicle entering the own area from the area management device of the movement source area, and acquiring it from the area management device of the movement source area in response to a request from the exit tollgate device in the own area. Providing information indicating all routes indicated by the takeover information and all routes traveled by the vehicle in the own area to the exit toll gate device;
The fee processing system according to [10].
[14]
the variable charge table is a variable charge table that indicates a variable charge set for a route in the own area among the variable charge tables set for each area on the toll road;
The central control unit of the area management device,
Area crossing information including information indicating all routes traveled within the own area by a vehicle moving from the own area to another area is received from the checkpoint device, and the vehicle travels within the own area. A variable amount according to the route is allotted from the variable billing table, and handover information indicating the cumulative variable amount including the sum of the variable amounts according to all routes traveled by the vehicle in the own area is transferred to the destination area. Send to the area management device,
Said handover information regarding vehicles entering said own area is received from an area management device of said movement source area, and obtained from said area management device of said movement source area in response to a request from an exit tollgate device within said area. providing the exit tollgate device with information indicating the cumulative fluctuation amount included in the takeover information;
The fee processing system according to [10].
[15]
The variable billing table is a common variable billing table indicating variable amounts set for routes on the entire toll road,
The central control unit of the area management device,
Area crossing information including information indicating all routes traveled within the own area by a vehicle moving from the own area to another area is received from the checkpoint device, and the vehicle travels within the own area. A variable amount according to the route is allotted from the common variable billing table, and handover information indicating the cumulative variable amount including the sum of the variable amounts according to all routes traveled by the vehicle in the own area is transferred to the destination. Send to the area management device of the area,
receiving handover information about the vehicle entering the own area from the area management device of the movement source area, and acquiring it from the area management device of the movement source area in response to a request from the exit tollgate device in the own area. providing the exit tollgate device with information indicating the cumulative fluctuation amount included in the takeover information;
The fee processing system according to [10].
[16]
The central control unit of the area management device,
Area crossing information including information indicating all routes traveled within the own area by a vehicle moving from the own area to another area is received from the checkpoint device, and all routes traveled by the vehicle within the own area to the area management device of the destination area, and
receiving handover information about the vehicle entering the own area from the area management device of the movement source area, and acquiring it from the area management device of the movement source area in response to a request from the exit tollgate device in the own area. providing information indicating all routes included in the takeover information to the exit tollgate device;
The fee processing system according to [10].
[17]
An area management device provided for each area for processing tolls on a toll road divided into a plurality of areas,
An exit tollgate device in the own area as an area corresponding to the area management device, and a checkpoint device that detects vehicles passing through a checkpoint provided between the own area and an adjacent area adjacent to the own area. a device communication unit for communication;
an inter-area communication unit that communicates with the area management device of the adjacent area;
When area crossing information indicating a vehicle that has moved from the own area to the adjacent area is received from the checkpoint device, area management of the area of the destination area transfers transfer information indicating the route traveled by the vehicle or a variable amount according to the route. to the device,
An exit tollgate device in response to a request from an exit tollgate device in said area based on handover information acquired from an area management device in a source area in response to a request from said exit tollgate device and a route traveled by said vehicle in said own area. a control unit that creates response information to be provided to the exit toll booth device, and transmits the created response information to the exit toll booth device;
area management device.
[18]
The area management device has at least a basic table set by correspondence between entrances and exits, and a variable billing table showing variable charges set for routes,
The central control unit of the area management device,
If the vehicle is a vehicle that has moved from another area to its own area, the area management device in its own area receives the handover information from the area management device corresponding to the area from which the vehicle has moved and the relevant information in its own area. Update information about the vehicle from the route traveled by the vehicle,
When receiving a request from the exit tollgate device, the updated information on the vehicle and the information on tolls based on the basic table and the variable billing table are transmitted to the exit tollgate device.
The area management device according to [17].
[19]
the variable charge table is a variable charge table that indicates a variable charge set for a route in the own area among the variable charge tables set for each area on the toll road;
The control unit
A variable amount according to the route traveled by the vehicle within the own area is allocated from the variable charge table, and the amount is changed according to all the routes traveled within the own area by the vehicle moving from the own area to another area. Sending takeover information indicating the cumulative change amount including the total amount to the area management device of the destination area,
Said handover information regarding vehicles entering said own area is received from an area management device of said movement source area, and obtained from said area management device of said movement source area in response to a request from an exit tollgate device within said area. The total amount of fluctuation obtained by adding the amount of fluctuation allocated from the variable billing table for all routes traveled by the vehicle in its own area to the accumulated amount of fluctuation included in the handover information is determined as the entrance and exit of the vehicle. providing the exit toll gate device with information indicating the toll applied to the basic toll according to the combination of
The area management device according to [18].
[20]
The variable billing table is a common variable billing table indicating variable amounts set for routes on the entire toll road,
The control unit
A variable amount according to the route traveled by the vehicle within the own area is allocated from the common variable charge table, and according to all the routes traveled within the own area by the vehicle moving from the own area to another area. transfer information indicating the cumulative amount of change, including the total amount of change, to the area management device of the destination area;
Receiving handover information about vehicles entering the own area from the area management device of the movement source area, and acquiring from the area management device of the movement source area in response to a request from the exit tollgate device in the own area. The total variable amount obtained by adding the variable amount allocated from the common variable billing table for the route traveled by the vehicle in its own area to the accumulated variable amount included in the handover information is calculated as the entrance and exit of the vehicle. providing information to the exit toll gate device indicating the toll applied to the base toll in combination with
The area management device according to [18].
[21]
The variable billing table is a common variable billing table indicating variable amounts set for routes on the entire toll road,
The control unit
transmitting handover information including all route information indicating all routes traveled within the own area by the vehicle moving from the own area to another area to the area management device of the destination area;
receiving handover information about the vehicle entering the own area from the area management device of the movement source area, and acquiring it from the area management device of the movement source area in response to a request from the exit tollgate device in the own area. The sum of variable amounts allocated from the common variable billing table for all routes indicated by the takeover information and all routes traveled by the vehicle in the own area is calculated according to the combination of the entrance and exit of the vehicle. providing information to the exit toll gate device indicating the toll applied to the base toll;
The area management device according to [18].
[22]
The area management device has a variable billing table showing variable charges set for routes,
The central control unit of the area management device,
If the vehicle is a vehicle that has moved from another area to its own area, the area management device in its own area receives the handover information from the area management device corresponding to the area from which the vehicle has moved and the relevant information in its own area. Update information about the vehicle from the route traveled by the vehicle,
When receiving a request from the exit tollgate device, the updated information on the vehicle and information on the variable amount based on the variable billing table are transmitted to the exit tollgate device.
The area management device according to [17].
[23]
the variable charge table is a variable charge table that indicates a variable charge set for a route in the own area among the variable charge tables set for each area on the toll road;
The control unit
A variable amount according to the route traveled by the vehicle within the own area is allocated from the variable charge table, and the amount is changed according to all the routes traveled within the own area by the vehicle moving from the own area to another area. Sending takeover information indicating the cumulative change amount including the total amount to the area management device of the destination area,
Said handover information regarding vehicles entering said own area is received from an area management device of said movement source area, and obtained from said area management device of said movement source area in response to a request from an exit tollgate device within said area. Information indicating the sum of the variable amount obtained by adding the variable amount allocated from the variable charge table for all the routes traveled by the vehicle in its own area to the cumulative variable amount included in the takeover information is provided by the exit toll gate device. provide to
The area management device according to [22].
[24]
The variable billing table is a common variable billing table indicating variable amounts set for routes on the entire toll road,
The control unit
A variable amount according to the route traveled by the vehicle within the own area is allocated from the common variable charge table, and according to all the routes traveled within the own area by the vehicle moving from the own area to another area. transfer information indicating the cumulative amount of change, including the total amount of change, to the area management device of the destination area;
receiving handover information about the vehicle entering the own area from the area management device of the movement source area, and acquiring it from the area management device of the movement source area in response to a request from the exit tollgate device in the own area. Information indicating the sum of the variable amount obtained by adding the variable amount allocated from the common variable charge table for all the routes traveled by the vehicle in its own area to the cumulative variable amount included in the takeover information is the exit charge information. provided to equipment,
The area management device according to [22].
[25]
The variable billing table is a common variable billing table indicating variable amounts set for routes on the entire toll road,
The control unit
transmitting handover information including all route information indicating all routes traveled within the own area by the vehicle moving from the own area to another area to the area management device of the destination area;
receiving handover information about the vehicle entering the own area from the area management device of the movement source area, and acquiring it from the area management device of the movement source area in response to a request from the exit tollgate device in the own area. providing the exit tollgate device with information indicating the sum of variable amounts allocated from the common variable billing table for all routes indicated by the takeover information and all routes traveled by the vehicle in the own area;
The area management device according to [22].
[26]
The central control unit of the area management device,
If the vehicle is a vehicle that has moved from another area to its own area, the area management device in its own area receives the handover information from the area management device corresponding to the area from which the vehicle has moved and the relevant information in its own area. updating information about the vehicle from the route traveled by the vehicle and delivering it to the exit toll gate device in the area;
The area management device according to [17].
[27]
Having a variable billing table indicating a variable charge set for a route in the own area;
The control unit
A variable amount according to the route traveled by the vehicle within the own area is allocated from the variable charge table, and the amount is changed according to all the routes traveled within the own area by the vehicle moving from the own area to another area. Sending takeover information indicating the cumulative change amount including the total amount to the area management device of the destination area,
Said handover information regarding vehicles entering said own area is received from an area management device of said movement source area, and obtained from said area management device of said movement source area in response to a request from an exit tollgate device within said area. Providing the exit toll gate device with information including the cumulative change amount included in the takeover information and all route information indicating all routes traveled by the vehicle in the own area;
The area management device according to [26].
[28]
having a common variable charge table indicating variable charges set for routes on the entire toll road;
The control unit
A variable amount according to the route traveled by the vehicle within the own area is allocated from the common variable charge table, and according to all the routes traveled within the own area by the vehicle moving from the own area to another area. transfer information indicating the cumulative amount of change, including the total amount of change, to the area management device of the destination area;
receiving handover information about the vehicle entering the own area from the area management device of the movement source area, and acquiring it from the area management device of the movement source area in response to a request from the exit tollgate device in the own area. Providing the exit toll gate device with information including the cumulative change amount included in the takeover information and all route information indicating all routes traveled by the vehicle in the own area;
The area management device according to [26].
[29]
The control unit
transmitting handover information including all route information indicating all routes traveled within the own area by the vehicle moving from the own area to another area to the area management device of the destination area;
receiving handover information about the vehicle entering the own area from the area management device of the movement source area, and acquiring it from the area management device of the movement source area in response to a request from the exit tollgate device in the own area. Providing information indicating all routes indicated by the takeover information and all routes traveled by the vehicle in the own area to the exit toll gate device;
The area management device according to [26].
[30]
Having a variable billing table indicating a variable charge set for a route in the own area;
The control unit
Area crossing information including information indicating all routes traveled within the own area by a vehicle moving from the own area to another area is received from the checkpoint device, and the vehicle travels within the own area. A variable amount according to the route is allotted from the variable billing table, and handover information indicating the cumulative variable amount including the sum of the variable amounts according to all routes traveled by the vehicle in the own area is transferred to the destination area. Send to the area management device,
Said handover information regarding vehicles entering said own area is received from an area management device of said movement source area, and obtained from said area management device of said movement source area in response to a request from an exit tollgate device within said area. providing the exit tollgate device with information indicating the cumulative fluctuation amount included in the takeover information;
The area management device according to [26].
[31]
having a common variable charge table indicating variable charges set for routes on the entire toll road;
The control unit
Area crossing information including information indicating all routes traveled within the own area by a vehicle moving from the own area to another area is received from the checkpoint device, and the vehicle travels within the own area. A variable amount according to the route is allotted from the common variable billing table, and handover information indicating the cumulative variable amount including the sum of the variable amounts according to all the routes traveled by the vehicle in the own area is transferred to the destination. to the area management device in the area of
receiving handover information about the vehicle entering the own area from the area management device of the movement source area, and acquiring it from the area management device of the movement source area in response to a request from the exit tollgate device in the own area. providing the exit tollgate device with information indicating the cumulative fluctuation amount included in the takeover information;
The area management device according to [26].
[32]
The control unit
Area crossing information including information indicating all routes traveled within the own area by a vehicle moving from the own area to another area is received from the checkpoint device, and all routes traveled by the vehicle within the own area to the area management device of the destination area, and
receiving handover information about the vehicle entering the own area from the area management device of the movement source area, and acquiring it from the area management device of the movement source area in response to a request from the exit tollgate device in the own area. providing information indicating all routes included in the takeover information to the exit tollgate device;
The area management device according to [26].
[33]
A checkpoint device used in a toll processing system for processing tolls on toll roads divided into multiple areas,
a vehicle communication unit that communicates with an on-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle that passes through a checkpoint serving as a boundary between a first area on the toll road and a second area adjacent to the first area;
a central communication unit that communicates with both or at least one of a first area management device corresponding to the first area and a second area management device corresponding to the second area;
When the vehicle communication unit communicates with a vehicle moving from the first area to the second area through the checkpoint, area crossing information including information indicating the vehicle moving from the first area to the second area is transmitted to the second area. a control unit that transmits to both or at least one of one area management device and the second area management device;
Checkpoint equipment with
[34]
The control unit transmits area crossing information including identification information of a vehicle that has moved from the first area to the second area to both or at least one of the first area management device and the second area management device. do,
The checkpoint device according to [33].
[35]
The control unit stores area crossing information including identification information of a vehicle that has moved from the first area to the second area and information indicating all routes traveled by the vehicle in the first area to the first area management. transmitting to both or at least one of a device and said second area management device;
The checkpoint device according to [33].
[36]
An exit tollgate device used in a toll processing system for processing tolls on a toll road divided into a plurality of areas and performing vehicle exit processing at the exit tollgate,
a communication unit that communicates with an area management device provided in its own area where the exit tollgate is arranged among the area management devices provided for each of the areas on the toll road;
A vehicle communication unit that communicates with an onboard device mounted on a vehicle that enters the exit toll booth;
Information about the vehicle communicated by the vehicle communication unit is requested from the area management device in the own area, and if the vehicle is a vehicle that has moved from another area to the own area, the area management device in the own area requests the information. Acquisition of response information created from the takeover information from the area management device corresponding to the area from which the vehicle is moving and the route traveled by the vehicle in the own area, and departure of the vehicle based on the acquired response information. a control unit that performs processing;
exit toll station equipment.
[37]
The control unit acquires information indicating a toll to be imposed on the vehicle from the area management device of the own area, and performs exit processing for the vehicle based on the acquired toll,
The exit toll booth device according to [36].
[38]
further comprising a basic table showing basic tolls corresponding to combinations of entrances and exits for the entire toll road;
The control unit allocates from the basic table the basic charge corresponding to the combination of the entrance and exit of the vehicle acquired from the vehicle-mounted device by the vehicle communication unit, and the variable amount for the vehicle from the area management device of the own area. Acquiring information indicating the total of, and performing the exit processing for the vehicle based on the toll calculated by applying the variable amount to the basic toll,
The exit toll booth device according to [36].
[39]
further comprising: a basic table indicating basic charges corresponding to combinations of entrances and exits on the entire toll road; and a variable charge table indicating variable amounts set for routes in the own area;
The control unit allocates from a basic table a basic charge corresponding to a combination of an entrance and an exit of the vehicle acquired from the vehicle-mounted device by the vehicle communication unit, and the movement of the vehicle from the area management device of the own area. Acquisition of information including the cumulative change amount up to the original area and all route information indicating all routes in the own area, and obtaining the cumulative change amount up to the movement source area for all routes traveled in the own area On the other hand, performing the exit processing for the vehicle based on the toll calculated by applying the total variable amount obtained by adding the variable amount allocated from the variable billing table to the basic fee,
The exit toll booth device according to [36].
[40]
Further, a basic table showing basic tolls corresponding to combinations of entrances and exits for the entire toll road;
a variable billing table indicating a variable charge set for a route in the own area;
The control unit allocates from a basic table a basic charge corresponding to a combination of an entrance and an exit of the vehicle acquired from the vehicle-mounted device by the vehicle communication unit, and the movement of the vehicle from the area management device of the own area. Acquisition of the cumulative change amount to the original area, acquisition of all route information indicating all routes in the self area from the vehicle-mounted device by the vehicle communication unit, and addition of the cumulative change amount to the movement source area to the self area Participation of the vehicle based on the toll calculated by adding the variable amount allocated from the variable charge table for all routes traveled within the area and applying the total amount of change in all areas to the basic charge. process,
The exit toll booth device according to [36].

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 (1A, 1B)... Area management apparatus, 2... Entrance tollgate apparatus, 3... Exit tollgate apparatus, 4... Route apparatus, 5... Checkpoint apparatus, 11... Control part, 12... Storage part, 13... Device communication part , 14... Inter-area communication unit, 31... Control unit, 32... Higher order communication unit, 33... Vehicle communication unit, 34... Starting controller, 35... Roadside indicator, 36... Storage unit, 41... Control unit, 42... Higher order Communication unit 42 High-level communication unit 43 Vehicle communication unit 43 Information 51 Control unit 52 High-level communication unit 53 Vehicle communication unit C ETC card S Vehicle-mounted device T1 (T1a, T1b, T1c) ... basic table, T2A, T2B, T2 ... variable billing table

Claims (16)

A toll processing system for processing tolls on a toll road divided into a plurality of areas,
an area management device provided corresponding to the area on the toll road;
an entrance toll booth device that performs an entry process to the toll road;
an exit toll booth device that performs exit processing from the toll road;
a route device for detecting a route passed by the vehicle on the toll road;
A checkpoint device that detects a vehicle passing through a checkpoint that is the boundary of another area;
and
The checkpoint device is
A vehicle communication unit that communicates with a vehicle-mounted device mounted on a vehicle that passes through the checkpoint;
a central communication unit that communicates with the area management device;
When communicating with a vehicle passing through the checkpoint, cross-area information indicating that the vehicle has moved between areas to both or at least one of the area management device of the source area and the area management device of the destination area. and a checkpoint control unit that transmits
The area management device
an inter-area communication unit that communicates with area management devices in other areas;
Entrance tollgate equipment in its own area, exit tollgate equipment in its own area, route equipment in its own area, and its own area and other areas adjacent to its own area, which are supported by the area management device A device communication unit that communicates with the checkpoint device provided at the connection part of
When area crossing information indicating a vehicle that has moved between areas is received from the checkpoint device or the area management device of the adjacent area, the takeover information indicating the route traveled by the vehicle or a variable amount corresponding to the route is sent to the area of the adjacent area. and a central control unit that takes over with the management device, and the exit toll gate device,
a communication unit that communicates with an area management device provided in its own area where an exit tollgate is arranged among the area management devices provided for each of the areas on the toll road;
a vehicle communication unit that communicates with an in-vehicle device mounted on the vehicle when the vehicle enters the exit toll gate;
information about the vehicle communicated by the vehicle communication unit; handover information from an area management device corresponding to the area from which the vehicle moves when the vehicle has moved from another area to the own area; an exit control unit that performs exit processing for the vehicle based on the route traveled by the vehicle in the own area,
fee processing system. The area management device has at least a basic table set by correspondence between entrances and exits, and a variable billing table showing variable charges set for routes,
The central control unit of the area management device,
If the vehicle is a vehicle that has moved from another area to its own area, the area management device in its own area receives the handover information from the area management device corresponding to the area from which the vehicle has moved and the relevant information in its own area. Update information about the vehicle from the route traveled by the vehicle,
when receiving a request from the exit tollgate device, transmitting to the exit tollgate device updated information on the vehicle and information on tolls based on the basic table and the variable billing table;
The exit toll gate device requests the information on the toll of the vehicle communicated by the vehicle communication unit from the area management device of the own area, and performs exit processing for the vehicle based on the information acquired from the area management device. ,
The fee processing system according to claim 1. the variable billing table is a variable billing table that indicates a variable amount set for a route in the own area among the variable billing tables set for each area of the toll road;
The central control unit of the area management device,
A variable amount according to the route traveled by the vehicle within the own area is allocated from the variable charge table, and the amount is changed according to all the routes traveled by the vehicle moving from the own area to another area within the own area. Sending takeover information indicating the cumulative change amount including the total amount to the area management device of the destination area,
Said handover information regarding vehicles entering said own area is received from an area management device of said movement source area, and obtained from said area management device of said movement source area in response to a request from an exit toll booth device within said area. The total amount of variation obtained by adding the amount of variation allocated from the variable charge table for all the routes traveled by the vehicle in its own area to the cumulative variation amount included in the handover information is calculated as the entrance and exit of the vehicle. providing the exit toll gate device with information indicating the toll applied to the basic toll according to the combination of
The fee processing system according to claim 2. The variable charge table is a common variable charge table indicating variable amounts set for routes on the entire toll road,
The central control unit of the area management device,
A variable amount according to the route traveled by the vehicle within the own area is allocated from the common variable charge table, and according to all the routes traveled within the own area by the vehicle moving from the own area to another area. transfer information indicating the cumulative amount of change, including the total amount of change, to the area management device of the destination area;
receiving handover information about the vehicle entering the own area from the area management device of the movement source area, and acquiring it from the area management device of the movement source area in response to a request from the exit tollgate device in the own area. The total variable amount obtained by adding the variable amount allocated from the common variable charge table for the route traveled by the vehicle in its own area to the cumulative variable amount included in the handover information is calculated as the entrance and exit of the vehicle. providing the exit toll gate device with information indicating the toll applied to the basic toll according to the combination of
The fee processing system according to claim 2. The variable billing table is a common variable billing table indicating variable amounts set for routes on the entire toll road,
The central control unit of the area management device,
transmitting handover information including all route information indicating all routes traveled within the own area by the vehicle moving from the own area to another area to the area management device of the destination area;
receiving handover information about the vehicle entering the own area from the area management device of the movement source area, and acquiring it from the area management device of the movement source area in response to a request from the exit tollgate device in the own area. The sum of variable amounts allocated from the common variable billing table for all routes indicated by the takeover information and all routes traveled by the vehicle in the own area is calculated according to the combination of the entrance and exit of the vehicle. providing information to the exit toll gate device indicating the toll applied to the base toll;
The fee processing system according to claim 2. The area management device has a variable billing table showing variable charges set for routes,
The exit toll gate device has a basic billing table set at least according to the correspondence between entrances and exits,
The central control unit of the area management device,
If the vehicle is a vehicle that has moved from another area to its own area, the area management device in its own area receives the handover information from the area management device corresponding to the area from which the vehicle has moved and the relevant information in its own area. Update information about the vehicle from the route traveled by the vehicle,
when receiving a request from the exit toll gate device, transmitting to the exit toll gate device updated information regarding the vehicle and information regarding a variable amount based on a variable billing table;
The exit toll gate device requests the information on the variable amount of the vehicle communicated by the vehicle communication unit from the area management device in its own area, and based on the information on the variable amount acquired from the area management device and the basic table performing an exit process for the vehicle;
The fee processing system according to claim 1. the variable charge table is a variable charge table that indicates a variable charge set for a route in the own area among the variable charge tables set for each area on the toll road;
The central control unit of the area management device,
A variable amount according to the route traveled by the vehicle within the own area is allocated from the variable charge table, and the amount is changed according to all the routes traveled within the own area by the vehicle moving from the own area to another area. Sending takeover information indicating the cumulative change amount including the total amount to the area management device of the destination area,
Said handover information regarding vehicles entering said own area is received from an area management device of said movement source area, and obtained from said area management device of said movement source area in response to a request from an exit tollgate device within said area. Information indicating the sum of the variable amount obtained by adding the variable amount allocated from the variable charge table for all the routes traveled by the vehicle in its own area to the cumulative variable amount included in the takeover information is provided by the exit toll gate device. provide to
The fee processing system according to claim 6. The variable charge table is a common variable charge table indicating variable amounts set for routes on the entire toll road,
The central control unit of the area management device,
A variable amount according to the route traveled by the vehicle within the own area is allocated from the common variable charge table, and according to all the routes traveled within the own area by the vehicle moving from the own area to another area. transfer information indicating the cumulative amount of change, including the total amount of change, to the area management device of the destination area;
receiving handover information about the vehicle entering the own area from the area management device of the movement source area, and acquiring it from the area management device of the movement source area in response to a request from the exit tollgate device in the own area. Information indicating the sum of the variable amount obtained by adding the variable amount allocated from the common variable charge table for all the routes traveled by the vehicle in its own area to the accumulated variable amount included in the takeover information is the exit fee. provided to equipment,
The fee processing system according to claim 6. The variable billing table is a common variable billing table indicating variable amounts set for routes on the entire toll road,
The central control unit of the area management device,
transmitting handover information including all route information indicating all routes traveled within the own area by the vehicle moving from the own area to another area to the area management device of the destination area;
receiving handover information about the vehicle entering the own area from the area management device of the movement source area, and acquiring it from the area management device of the movement source area in response to a request from the exit tollgate device in the own area. providing the exit toll booth device with information indicating the sum of the variable amounts allocated from the common variable billing table for all routes indicated by the takeover information and all routes traveled by the vehicle in the own area;
The fee processing system according to claim 6. The exit tollgate device has at least a basic charge table set according to the correspondence between entrances and exits, and a variable charge table showing variable amounts set for routes,
The central control unit of the area management device,
When the vehicle is a vehicle that has moved from another area to its own area, the area management device in its own area receives the handover information from the area management device corresponding to the area from which the vehicle moved and the relevant information in its own area. Update information about the vehicle from the route traveled by the vehicle,
The exit toll gate device performs exit processing for the vehicle based on information obtained from the area management device and a basic table.
The fee processing system according to claim 1. the variable billing table is a variable billing table that indicates a variable amount set for a route in the own area among the variable billing tables set for each area of the toll road;
The central control unit of the area management device,
A variable amount according to the route traveled by the vehicle within the own area is allocated from the variable charge table, and the amount is changed according to all the routes traveled by the vehicle moving from the own area to another area within the own area. Sending takeover information indicating the cumulative change amount including the total amount to the area management device of the destination area,
Said handover information regarding vehicles entering said own area is received from an area management device of said movement source area, and obtained from said area management device of said movement source area in response to a request from an exit toll booth device within said area. Providing the exit toll gate device with information including the cumulative change amount included in the takeover information and all route information indicating all routes traveled by the vehicle in the own area;
The fee processing system according to claim 10. The variable charge table is a common variable charge table indicating variable amounts set for routes on the entire toll road,
The central control unit of the area management device,
A variable amount according to the route traveled by the vehicle within the own area is allocated from the common variable charge table, and according to all the routes traveled within the own area by the vehicle moving from the own area to another area. transfer information indicating the cumulative amount of change, including the total amount of change, to the area management device of the destination area;
receiving handover information about the vehicle entering the own area from the area management device of the movement source area, and acquiring it from the area management device of the movement source area in response to a request from the exit tollgate device in the own area. Providing the exit toll gate device with information including the cumulative change amount included in the takeover information and all route information indicating all routes traveled by the vehicle in the own area;
The fee processing system according to claim 10. The central control unit of the area management device,
transmitting handover information including all route information indicating all routes traveled within the own area by the vehicle moving from the own area to another area to the area management device of the destination area;
receiving handover information about the vehicle entering the own area from the area management device of the movement source area, and acquiring it from the area management device of the movement source area in response to a request from the exit tollgate device in the own area. Providing information indicating all routes indicated by the takeover information and all routes traveled by the vehicle in the own area to the exit tollgate device;
The fee processing system according to claim 10. the variable charge table is a variable charge table that indicates a variable charge set for a route in the own area among the variable charge tables set for each area on the toll road;
The central control unit of the area management device,
Area crossing information including information indicating all routes traveled within the own area by a vehicle moving from the own area to another area is received from the checkpoint device, and the vehicle travels within the own area. A variable amount according to the route is allotted from the variable billing table, and handover information indicating the cumulative variable amount including the sum of the variable amounts according to all routes traveled by the vehicle in the own area is transferred to the destination area. Send to the area management device,
Said handover information regarding vehicles entering said own area is received from an area management device of said movement source area, and obtained from said area management device of said movement source area in response to a request from an exit tollgate device within said area. providing the exit tollgate device with information indicating the cumulative fluctuation amount included in the takeover information;
The fee processing system according to claim 10. The variable billing table is a common variable billing table indicating variable amounts set for routes on the entire toll road,
The central control unit of the area management device,
Area crossing information including information indicating all routes traveled within the own area by a vehicle moving from the own area to another area is received from the checkpoint device, and the vehicle travels within the own area. A variable amount according to the route is allotted from the common variable billing table, and handover information indicating the cumulative variable amount including the sum of the variable amounts according to all routes traveled by the vehicle in the own area is transferred to the destination. Send to the area management device of the area,
receiving handover information about the vehicle entering the own area from the area management device of the movement source area, and acquiring it from the area management device of the movement source area in response to a request from the exit tollgate device in the own area. providing the exit tollgate device with information indicating the cumulative fluctuation amount included in the takeover information;
The fee processing system according to claim 10. The central control unit of the area management device,
Area crossing information including information indicating all routes traveled within the own area by a vehicle moving from the own area to another area is received from the checkpoint device, and all routes traveled by the vehicle within the own area to the area management device of the destination area, and
receiving handover information about the vehicle entering the own area from the area management device of the movement source area, and acquiring it from the area management device of the movement source area in response to a request from the exit tollgate device in the own area. providing information indicating all routes included in the takeover information to the exit tollgate device;
The fee processing system according to claim 10.

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