JPH0962881A - On-vehicle responder - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an on-vehicle responder which can previously prevent that various charges on a vehicle are improperly adjusted by means of replacing the responder to the other vehicle. SOLUTION: The on-vehicle responder is installed in a vehicle and it transmits an information signal for deciding the adjustment sum of the various charges on the vehicle to the external part of the vehicle in response to a question from outside the vehicle. A removal detection means A detecting removal from inside the vehicle and an information signal transmission inhibition means 39A inhibiting the transmission of the information signal to the outside of the vehicle based on a detected result by the removal detection means A are provided. When removal from inside the vehicle by the removal detection means A is detected, the information signal transmission inhibition means 39A inhibits the transmission of the information signal to the external part of the vehicle.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is installed in a vehicle passing through a toll road and pays a toll according to the vehicle type based on wireless transmission and reception of an information signal with an interrogator at a toll gate. The present invention relates to a vehicle-mounted transponder that performs processing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, the problem of traffic congestion on toll roads such as expressways has been taken up again. Specific causes of this traffic congestion include a sharp increase in the number of vehicles during the period of rapid growth and an increase in the frequency of use of vehicles due to changes in lifestyles. Solutions are being implemented centering on the expansion of road facilities by increasing the number of roads and constructing new roads to serve as bypass lines. However, on toll roads, even if the facilities are expanded, a phenomenon called so-called toll gate congestion occurs due to congestion when passing through the toll collection gate, so in reality the above-mentioned solution will reduce congestion. It has not yet been fully relaxed.

By the way, as a background of vehicle congestion at toll gates on toll roads, there is a peculiar situation in Japan that the toll differs depending on the traffic section and the type (size, weight, etc.) of the vehicle. Therefore, on many toll roads in Japan, when you get on a toll road, you receive a toll ticket at the entrance gate, and when you get off the toll road, you pass the toll ticket to the staff at the exit gate, Based on the information on the entrance gate, a traffic section and a vehicle type are specified, and a toll is calculated from the specified information to collect the toll.

In order to collect the tolls, the vehicles must be stopped at the exit gates, and as the number of passing vehicles increases, the congestion of vehicles waiting to collect the tolls at the exit gates increases, and the passage tickets and tolls are handed over. When change exchanges are added, the stop time will be extended and the traffic congestion will be intensified. Therefore, recently, the introduction of a prepaid card that can shorten the stop time at the exit gate compared with transferring cash has been promoted, but the need to stop the vehicle at the exit gate remains, so the fundamental solution is It cannot be a measure.

Due to the above-mentioned various circumstances, a transponder, which performs wireless communication between the interrogator on the gate side when passing through the entrance gate and the exit gate, is installed in the vehicle, and the interrogator on the exit gate is interrogated. The toll in the billing information received from the billing device is subtracted from the electronic cash stored in the storage medium inside the responder, that is, the prepaid amount for billing processing, or the billing information received is stored in the storage medium. It is attempted to settle the accumulated amount at a later date, that is, postpay.

Specifically, when passing through the entrance gate, the vehicle type of the own vehicle is returned to the interrogator by the responder in response to the inquiry from the interrogator, and in response to this, the location of the entrance gate sent by the interrogator. Etc. is received by the transponder and stored in the internal storage medium, and at the time of passing through the exit gate, the data at the location of the entrance gate is sent to the interrogator, and the toll charge sent by the interrogator in response to this is charged. Receive the information and process the payment according to either prepaid or postpaid. With such a toll collection system, there is no need to stop at both the entrance and exit gates, and congestion at toll gates is prevented, which is extremely useful in fundamentally solving traffic congestion on toll roads. It can be said that this is an effective measure.

[0007]

By the way, in order to realize the above-mentioned toll collection system, the information on the location of the entrance gate through which the amount of money is paid on the side of the responder, for example, prepaid or postpaid, is used. A rewritable portable external storage medium such as an IC card to be stored, or a RAM (Random) of a microcomputer that executes toll subtraction processing
It is necessary to store the information until it passes through the exit gate by Access Memory), and this information is the most important information together with the information about the vehicle type of the vehicle in determining the toll of the toll road. For this reason, for example, if you remove the transponder of your own vehicle with the location information of the entrance gate stored in another vehicle that came in from the gate before the entrance gate that you actually entered, and replace it, There is a problem that the vehicle with the transponders illegally uses the toll road at a lower toll than usual. The problem of unauthorized use also occurs when the transponder of the own vehicle is replaced with another vehicle having a larger vehicle type and a higher toll than the own vehicle.

If the toll collection system is established and the transponder is fixedly installed from the beginning of the vehicle, it becomes more difficult to remove the transponder from the vehicle. Although it will be eased, especially in the early stage of operation, the transponder will be retrofitted to the existing vehicle in order to respond to this toll collection system, so it is necessary to remove the transponder from the vehicle. It is considered that the possibility of occurrence of the above-described problem increases as much as it becomes easier, which may hinder the establishment of a toll collection system.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances,
An object of the present invention is to hold information signals necessary for settlement of various tolls related to vehicles, such as location information of the toll gate at the entrance of vehicles on toll roads with different tolls depending on the toll section, and vehicles on the toll road. A transponder that sends the information signal to an object outside the vehicle is installed inside the vehicle in order to determine the amount to be settled for the various charges when the various charges are settled, such as when passing through the toll gate at the exit. In doing so, the transponder may be replaced with a transponder that holds another information signal before the various charges are settled, and the various charges may be settled with an illegal amount based on the other information signal. It is to provide a vehicle-mounted transponder that can be prevented in advance.

[0010]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention according to claim 1 is installed inside a vehicle as shown in the basic configuration diagram in FIG. An in-vehicle transponder that responds by sending an information signal for determining the settlement amount of various charges related to the vehicle to the outside of the vehicle, the removal detecting means A for detecting removal from the inside of the vehicle; An information signal transmission prohibiting means 39A for prohibiting the transmission of the information signal to the outside of the vehicle based on the detection result of the removal detecting means A, and the removal of the information signal from the inside of the vehicle by the removal detecting means A. Upon detection, the information signal transmission prohibiting means 39A prohibits the transmission of the information signal to the outside of the vehicle.

The present invention according to claim 2 further comprises storage means B for storing the information signal and erasing means C for erasing the information signal in the storage means B, and the information signal is sent out. The prohibiting unit 39A prohibits the information signal from being sent to the outside of the vehicle, so that the deleting unit C deletes the information signal from the storage unit B. Further, in the present invention according to claim 3, the information signal includes location information of the entrance received from the entrance when passing through the entrance on which the vehicle enters on the track, and the question from the outside of the vehicle is The information signal is used to determine the amount of toll of the vehicle according to the section from the entrance to the exit of the runway when passing through the exit of the runway on which the vehicle travels. Shall be sent to.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the vehicle responds to a question from the outside of the vehicle when the detachment detecting means A detects the detachment of the responder installed inside the vehicle from the vehicle. Since the information signal transmission prohibiting means 39A prohibits the transmission of the information signal for determining the settlement amount of various charges to the outside of the vehicle, even if the information signal is transferred to the transponder installed in another vehicle, this transponder will not operate. The other information signal held is not transmitted to the outside of the vehicle in place of the information signal held by the original responder, and therefore, based on the other information signal which is not the original information signal, It is possible to prevent the various charges from being settled with an illegal amount.

When the information signal is stored in the storage means B as in the second aspect of the present invention, the transmission of the information signal to the outside of the vehicle by the information signal transmission prohibiting means 39A is prohibited by the storage means. This can be achieved by erasing the information signal in B by the erasing means C. By doing so, it becomes possible to reliably prevent the unauthorized transmission of the information signal.

According to the present invention as set forth in claim 3, in order to determine the toll according to the section from the entrance to the exit of the track on which the vehicle travels, when passing through the exit of the track,
Output from the responder in response to the question from this exit,
An information signal containing the location information of the entrance of the road where the vehicle entered,
Even if the transponder is replaced with another transponder and replaced with location information of an entrance that is different from the actual entrance to the track, removing the transponder actually sends an information signal to the outside of the vehicle. Before the transmission, the information signal transmission inhibiting means 39A inhibits the transmission. Therefore, instead of the official toll according to the road section where the vehicle actually traveled, it was not according to the false traffic section based on the location information of the entrance in the information signal held by the transposed transponder. It will be surely prevented from being settled by an illegal toll.

[0015]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. First, an indoor configuration of a vehicle in which the vehicle-mounted transponder of the present invention is installed will be described with reference to the explanatory view of FIG.

In the vehicle interior shown by reference numeral 1 in FIG.
A dashboard 11 in which the meter panel 3, the car stereo 5, the air conditioner 7, the glove box 9 and the like are collectively arranged is provided, and a windshield 13 is arranged in front of the dashboard 11. .
A transponder 20 according to the present invention is installed on the upper surface 11a of the dashboard 11.

Next, the vehicle-mounted transponder according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 9. Figure 3 is the first
A perspective view of a vehicle-mounted transponder according to an embodiment as viewed from the front side,
4 is a perspective view of the vehicle-mounted transponder of FIG. 3 seen from the bottom side, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the internal configuration of the vehicle-mounted transponder of FIG.

As shown in FIG. 3, the transponder 20 has a lower case 21 which is in the shape of a horizontally long rectangle in plan view and which is open upward.
And a substantially mountain-shaped upper case 23 attached on the lower case 21. As shown in FIG. 4, a through hole 22a for taking in external light is formed at a substantially central portion of the bottom surface 22 of the lower case 21. The upper case 23 is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, the front surface 25 and the back surface 27 are inclined so as to approach each other as they go upward, and the side surfaces 29 and 29 having a substantially triangular shape are provided.
The upper sides of are joined together.

On the lower part of the front surface 25, there is a ten-key pad 25.
a is provided, a liquid crystal display 25b is provided on the upper portion of the front surface 25, and a slot 25c for inserting and removing the IC card 40 is formed at the front surface 25 portion below the numeric keypad 25a. Incidentally, the reference numeral 45 in FIG.
Upper and lower cases 23, 21 for theft prevention of the transponder 20
And a sealing sticker that is attached across the upper surface 11a of the dashboard 11. The sealing seal 45 is shown in FIG.
As shown in (a), by attaching once and then peeling off, for example, a part of the adhesive is not the sealing seal 45 but is attached to the upper and lower cases 21 and 23 or the upper surface 11a side of the dashboard 11 which is the attachment partner. Characters, marks, and the like indicating that they are left and once peeled off are visible so that they appear on the seal sticker 45, for example, like an "open" sign 45a shown in FIG. 6B. .

As shown in FIG. 5, rigid circuit boards 31 and 33 are provided inside the transponder 20 along the bottom surface 22 of the lower case 21 and the front surface 25 of the upper case 23, respectively. Together with these circuit boards 31, 33
An antenna 35 such as a flat strip antenna, which is thinner than the above, extends along the back surface 27 of the upper case 23. A reader / writer 37 for writing / reading information to / from the IC card 40 is mounted on the upper surface 31a of the circuit board 31, and the reader / writer 37 is
The circuit board 31 is disposed at a location facing the slot 25c.

The optical sensor 3 whose output signal level is switched from low level to high level by irradiating visible light on the substantially central portion of the lower surface 31b of the circuit board 31.
6 is mounted on the light receiving surface 36a of the optical sensor 36.
Are arranged so as to face the through hole 22a of the bottom surface 22 of the lower case 23. In the present embodiment, the light sensor 36 does not zero the received light amount of the light receiving surface 36a thereof, even if it is a little brightness (light amount) as in a room when the illumination is turned off at night. As long as this is done, it is configured to output a high level signal.

Further, on the circuit board 33, a numeric keypad 25a, a liquid crystal display 25b and a driver 25 thereof are provided.
B, a power supply circuit 34, a modulation / demodulation circuit 38 for signal transmission / reception connected to the antenna 35, and a microcomputer (hereinafter abbreviated as microcomputer) 39 for overall control are mounted.

As shown in the block diagram showing the electrical schematic construction of the responder 20 in FIG.
U (Central Processing Unit) 39a
And a RAM 39b and a ROM (Read-Only Memory) 39
It is composed of c and.

The numeric keypad 25 is provided on the CPU 39a.
a, liquid crystal display 25b driver 25B, optical sensor 36, reader / writer 37, modulation / demodulation circuit 38, RAM3
9b, ROM 39c, and non-volatile memory fixed in the dashboard 11 (hereinafter abbreviated as NVM) 13
And a power supply circuit 34 for supplying electric power from a battery (not shown) to the microcomputer 39 and the like. R
The AM 39b has a data area for storing various data and a work area used for various processing operations.
The OM 39c stores a control program for causing the CPU 39a to perform various processing operations.

The NVM 13 holds a vehicle ID, which is an identification number unique to the vehicle 1, and vehicle type information indicating the vehicle type of this vehicle 1 according to the toll road toll system.
In the IC card 40, electronic cash information (advance payment: prepaid), which is the cash balance information prepaid for payment of tolls through banks, etc., and tolls that can be settled at a later date by automatic withdrawal from a bank account, etc. Payer information (post-payment: post-paid), which is the remaining amount information, and a card ID for card use authentication incidental thereto are written in advance. The vehicle ID of the NVM 13 and the card ID of the IC card 40 may have the same content.

Next, the processing performed by the CPU 39a according to the control program stored in the ROM 39c will be described with reference to the flowchart of the main routine of FIG. A battery (not shown) is an ignition switch (not shown)
Is connected to the transponder 20 via the power supply circuit 34, and when the microcomputer 39 is started by the start of the power supply from the power supply circuit 34 and the program starts, CP
The U 39a performs a process of resetting the values of flags and counters for various processes secured in the work area of the RAM 39b to zero, that is, initial setting (step S
1), and subsequently, use start processing is performed (step S3).

In the use starting process of step S3, a detailed description with a flowchart is omitted, but the following process is generally performed. That is, when the use of the transponder 20 is started, the IC is transferred from the slot 25c to the reader / writer 37.
It is confirmed whether the card 40 is inserted or not, and if so, a liquid crystal display 23b displays an input request message of a personal identification number (corresponding to the input information), and while confirming the display, the input is made by the ten keys 23a. The password is the card ID written in the IC card 40.
When it matches with the personal identification number, it is determined that the user is an authorized user of the IC card 40, and permission to use the prepaid or postpaid amount information in the IC card 40 is generated, and the use start processing is ended. In addition, if the match of the PIN is not reached,
The use start process ends without generating the use permission.

When the use starting process of step S3 is completed, next, an entrance gate passing process is performed (step S
5). In the entrance gate passage process of step S5, the outline will be described in the same way as the use start process of step S3. As shown in the perspective view of the toll gate in FIG. 10, the vehicle 1 is at the gate 60 of the toll gate 50 at the entrance of the toll road. After passing through, it is confirmed whether or not an interrogation signal is received from the interrogator 69 disposed above the gate 60. Then, when it is confirmed that the inquiry signal from the interrogator 69 is received, the interrogator 69 of the gate 60 is caused to transmit the vehicle type (on the toll system) information of the vehicle 1 stored in the NVM 13, next,
On the other hand, it is confirmed whether or not the entrance toll gate information and the vehicle type information returned from the interrogator 69 are received. Further, if it is confirmed that the tollgate information at the entrance and the vehicle type information are received, the received information is used as the IC information.
The card 40 is written, and the entrance gate passage processing ends.

After the entrance gate passage processing of step S5 is completed, the anti-theft processing which will be described in detail later is executed (step S7), and then the exit gate passage processing is executed (step S).
9). In the exit gate passage processing of step S9, the following processing is generally performed. That is, it is confirmed whether or not the vehicle 1 has passed the toll gate 50 at the exit of the toll road, and has received the inquiry signal from the interrogator 69 arranged above the gate 60. , The interrogator 69 of the gate 60 is made to transmit the toll gate information and the vehicle type information written in the IC card 40, and then the toll information returned from the interrogator 69 in response to this. Check to see if you have received. Then, if you confirm that you received it, based on the received toll information,
The payment process of subtracting the toll from the amount of the prepaid or postpaid amount information written in the IC card 40 is performed, and the exit gate passing process is ended.

If the entrance toll gate information and vehicle type information from the responder 20 to the interrogator 69 in response to the interrogation signal from the interrogator 69 is not transmitted, the interrogator 6
From 9 to the responder 20, instead of notifying the toll information,
For example, when a command signal for instructing payment at a payment gate with an attendant is notified, and when this is received, a notification message indicating that is issued, the liquid crystal display 25b.
A buzzer (not shown) displays or outputs a voice, and the exit gate passage process is completed. Then, if the exit gate passage process of step S9 is completed, it is confirmed whether or not the ignition switch is on in step S11. If the ignition switch is on (Y in step S11), the entrance gate passage process of step S5 is performed. If it is not on (N in step S11), the control is ended.

Details of the anti-theft erasing process for the stored contents of the IC card 40, which is performed in step S7, will be described with reference to the flowchart of the subroutine of FIG. First, it is confirmed whether the output signal level of the optical sensor 36 is low level (step S7).
1) If the level is low (Y in step S71), the process returns to the main routine of FIG. 8 and proceeds to step S9. On the other hand, in step S71, when the output signal level of the optical sensor 36 is not low level (N), after the entrance toll gate information and the vehicle type information written in the IC card 40 are erased by the reader / writer 37 ( Step S73) returns to the main routine of FIG.
Proceed to 9.

Next, the operation will be described. First, when the transponder 20 is installed, the bottom surface 22 of the lower case 21 is
The interior hole of the vehicle 1 is prevented from entering the inside of the transponder 20 by blocking the through hole 22a of the transponder 20, or the transponder 20 is prevented from being supplied with power via the power circuit 34. Adhesive is applied to the bottom surface 22, or double-sided tape is attached, and in that state, the bottom surface 22 is fixed to the top surface 11a of the dashboard 11 so as to be in close contact, and the supply of the power is confirmed. .

After the use of the transponder 20 is started, the vehicle 1 passes through the gate 60 of the toll gate 50 at the entrance of the toll road,
After the toll gate information and the vehicle type information of the vehicle 1 are written in the IC card 40 of the transponder 20 installed in the vehicle 1, the vehicle 1 exits without the transponder 20 being removed from the dashboard 11. After passing through the gate 60 of the office 50, the interrogator 69 of the gate 60 is sent from the responder 20.
Is notified of the tollgate information of the entrance in the IC card 40 and the vehicle type information of the own vehicle 1. Then, based on the toll gate information at the entrance and the vehicle type information of the own vehicle 1, the entrance toll gate 5 at which the vehicle 1 entered
The official toll from 0 to the exit toll gate 50 that is now passing is calculated, and the official toll is calculated at the exit toll gate 5.
The responder 20 is notified from the interrogator 69 of the gate 60 of 0. Therefore, the payment process is normally performed in the responder 20, and the regular toll is collected, or the payment is reserved thereafter.

On the other hand, the gate 6 of the tollgate 50 at the entrance
After writing the tollgate information of the entrance and the vehicle type information of the own vehicle 1 into the IC card 40 accompanying the passage of 0, the transponder 20 is removed from the dashboard 11, and the upper surface 11a of the transponder 20 is the bottom surface of the lower case 21 of the transponder 20. When 22 is separated, the room light of the vehicle 1 enters the inside of the responder 20 through the through hole 22a of the bottom surface 22, and the room light is radiated to the light receiving surface 36a of the photosensor 36, and the output signal level of the photosensor 36 is increased. Changes from low level to high level, and IC card 40
The tollgate information at the entrance inside and the vehicle type information of the own vehicle 1 are deleted. Therefore, when the vehicle 1 passes through the gate 60 of the exit toll gate 50, the entrance toll gate information and the vehicle type information of the own vehicle 1 are transmitted from the responder 20 to the interrogator 69 of the gate 60 of the exit toll gate 50. Will not be notified and normal payment processing will not occur,
Instead, for example, a notification message requesting payment at a payment gate with an attendant is displayed on the liquid crystal display 25.
It is displayed on b or is output by a buzzer (not shown). Therefore, no official toll collection or subsequent payment reservation will be made.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, when passing through the gate 60 of the toll gate 50 at the entrance of the toll road,
The information on the location of the entrance toll booth 50 is received from the interrogator 69 on the gate 60 and written in the IC card 40, and the information is sent to the interrogator 69 on the gate 60 at the exit toll booth 50, and the inquiry is made accordingly. On the upper surface 11a of the dashboard 11 of the vehicle 1, the responder 20 that performs the payment process of subtracting the toll from the amount of the prepaid or postpaid amount information in the IC card 40 based on the amount of toll received from the device 69 is provided. When installing the transponder 2 on the toll road
0 is removed from the dashboard 11, and when the bottom surface 22 of the lower case 21 of the transponder 20 separates from the top surface 11a, the bottom surface 2
The light sensor 36 in the transponder 20 detects the light entering the transponder 20 through the two through holes 22a, and the CPU 39a of the microcomputer 39 responds to the detection by the CPU 39a of the microcomputer 39. The information necessary for performing payment processing at the exit toll gate 50, such as location information, is deleted.

For this reason, for example, another vehicle entering from the toll booth 50 before the entrance toll booth 50 that actually entered
The transponder 20 of the own vehicle 1 in which the location information of the entrance toll gate 50 is stored is removed from the upper surface 11a of the dashboard 11 and replaced, and the vehicle 1 having the transponder 20 replaced is cheaper than usual. It is possible to reliably prevent the problem of illegally using a toll road for a fee.

Further, according to the present embodiment, when the seal sticker 45 is attached from the transponder 20 to the upper surface 11a of the dashboard 11 and the seal sticker 45 is peeled off, the "open" sign 45a appears visually. Therefore, whether or not the transponder 20 is removed from the upper surface 11a of the dashboard 11 can be easily confirmed by the presence or absence of the "open" sign 45a of the seal sticker 45.

Next, FIG. 1 showing the second embodiment of the present invention.
Description will be made with reference to FIGS. FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the vehicle-mounted transponder according to the second embodiment as viewed from the bottom side, FIG.
FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing the internal configuration of the vehicle-mounted transponder as seen from the bottom side, and in these figures, FIGS.
The same members and places as those shown in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals as those given in the drawings, and the explanation of the overlapping parts will be omitted. A transponder of the present embodiment, which is indicated by a reference numeral 20A in FIG. 11, is an upper case 23 similar to the transponder 20 of the first embodiment and a lower case 21A which is slightly different from the transponder 20.
The bottom case 22A of the lower case 21A has a slot 22Aa penetrating the bottom surface 22A at a substantially central portion thereof. In addition, as shown in FIG.
The internal structure of 0A is the lower surface 31b of the circuit board 31.
In addition, the mechanical switch 32 is provided instead of the optical sensor 36, which is a difference from the transponder 20 of the first embodiment. Then, except for the points described above, the external appearance and internal configuration of the transponder 20A are the same as those of the transponder 20 of the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 12, the mechanical switch 32 is fixed on the lower surface 31b of the circuit board 31 and the open type conductive pattern 32A formed on the lower surface 31b of the circuit board 31 to form an open / close circuit, and Pattern 32A
And a spring member 32D that opens and shorts between the two open ends 32B and 32C. The spring member 32D
As shown in FIG. 13, a base portion 32E fixed to the lower surface 31b of the circuit board 31, a spiral coil portion 32F continuously provided at the base end of the base portion 32E, and the coil portion 32F.
Swing arm part 3 whose base end is connected to the base part 32E through
2G and a switch pin portion 32H that is bent from the tip of the swing arm portion 32G and is continuously provided. The swing arm portion 32G has a switch pin portion 32H. Contact terminals 32J are formed on the circuit board 31 side in a mountain shape so as to come close to and separate from the circuit board 31 by swinging.

As shown in FIG. 12, in the spring member 32D, the tip of the base portion 32E contacts one open end 32B of the conductive pattern 32A, and the swing arm portion 32G.
The contact terminal 32J is located below and facing the other open end 32C of the conductive pattern 32A by the elastic force of the coil portion 32, and in this state, as shown in FIG. The portion 32H is configured to be inserted through the elongated hole 22Aa and to project outward (downward) of the responder 20 from the bottom surface 22A of the lower case 21A. Also,
As shown by the broken line in FIG. 13, the spring member 32D causes the tip of the switch pin portion 32H to be positioned inside the responder 20 against the elastic force of the coil portion 32F. By pushing it into the long hole 22Aa,
The contact terminal 32J is configured to contact the other open end 32C of the conductive pattern 32A.

The electrical schematic structure of the transponder 20A of the present embodiment is as shown in the block diagram of FIG.
Except for the point that 6 is replaced with a mechanical switch 32, the other points are the same as the responder 20 of the first embodiment. FIG.
In FIG. 4, the mechanical switch 32 is schematically shown. In the present embodiment, the mechanical switch 3
2 has one open end 32B of the conductive pattern 32A.
Is pulled up by the power supply from the power supply circuit 38, the other open end 32C is grounded, and the voltage level of the one open end 32B is the mechanical switch 3
The voltage level of 2 is detected by the CPU 39a.
Therefore, the mechanical switch 32 detected by the CPU 39a
The voltage level of the contact terminal 32J is the conductive pattern 32A.
Goes to a high level when it is separated from the other open end 32C, and goes to a low level when the contact terminal 32J is in contact with the open end 32C.

In the transponder 20A having the above structure, the process performed by the CPU 39a in accordance with the control program stored in the ROM 39c is generally the same as the main routine shown in the flowchart of FIG. The specific contents of the anti-theft processing of
It is slightly different from the subroutine shown in the flowchart of FIG. 9, and specifically, step S71 of FIG. 9 is changed to step S71A shown in FIG. That is, step S
In 71A, it is confirmed whether or not the voltage level of the mechanical switch 32 is low level. If the voltage level is low level (Y in step S71A), the process returns to the main routine of FIG. If it is not the level (N in step S71A), the process proceeds to step S73, and the tollgate information and the vehicle type information of the entrance written in the IC card 40 are erased by the reader / writer 37 as in the first embodiment. After that, the process returns to the main routine of FIG. 8 and proceeds to step S9.

Next, the operation will be described. First, when the responder 20A is installed, the spring member 3 is provided outside the responder 20 through the long hole 22a in the bottom surface 22A of the lower case 21A.
In order to prevent the 2D switch pin portion 32H from protruding, the switch pin portion 32H is pushed into the long hole 22Aa against the elastic force of the coil portion 32F, and the tip thereof is positioned inside the responder 20. , The bottom surface 22 is coated with an adhesive or a double-sided tape is attached, and in that state, the top surface 11 of the dashboard 11 is adhered so that the bottom surface 22 is in close contact.
Fix to a and check the supply of the power.

Then, the use of the transponder 20A is started,
Toll gate information at the entrance and vehicle type information for own vehicle 1 are IC cards 40
After being written in, the transponder 20A is attached to the dashboard 11
When the bottom surface 22A of the lower case 21A of the responder 20A is separated from the upper surface 11a of the switch pin portion 3
The tip of 2H is elongated hole 22A by the elastic force of the coil portion 32F.
The contact terminal 32J projects from the a to the outside of the responder 20A, and is separated from the other open end 32C of the conductive pattern 32A.
Therefore, the voltage level of the mechanical switch 32 detected by the CPU 39a changes from the low level to the high level, and along with this, the toll gate information in the IC card 40 and the own vehicle 1
The vehicle type information of is deleted. With the transponder 20A of the present embodiment having the above-described configuration, the same operational effect as that of the transponder 20 of the first embodiment can be obtained.

In the first and second embodiments described above, the information on the location of the entrance toll gate 50 received from the interrogator 69 of the gate 60 of the entrance toll gate 50 is written in the IC card 40, and a response is made on the toll road. By removing the appliances 20 and 20A from the dashboard 11, the entrance toll gate information in the IC card 40 and the vehicle type information of the own vehicle 1 are deleted. However, when the entrance toll gate 50 is passed, the entrance fee is charged. The location information and the vehicle type information of the own vehicle 1 are written in the RAM 39b and the NVM 13, and the RAM 39b is written in response to the removal of the transponders 20 and 20A from the dashboard 11 on the toll road.
Alternatively, the information in the NVM 13 may be deleted. Alternatively, in response to the removal of the transponders 20, 20A from the dashboard 11 on the toll road, the tollgate information at the entrance and the vehicle type information of the vehicle 1 are read from the RAM 39b or the NVM 13, or the transponders 20, It may be configured to prohibit any of the outputs from 20A.

As means for detecting the detachment of the transponders 20 and 20A from the vehicle 1 side, for example, in place of the mechanical switch 32, it is determined whether or not a mechanical contact such as a micro switch or a proximity switch is provided. Various materials can be used regardless of the type.

Further, for example, when the transponders 20 and 20A are installed in a vehicle such as a motorcycle where the driver's seat area is exposed to the front, as shown in FIG.
A windshield case 90 having an open tray 91 on the upper side and an opening / closing lid 93 for opening and closing the upper portion of the tray may be used. In this case, the sealing seal 45 may be attached to the upper surface of the tray 91 and the transponders 20 and 20A. However, the sticking of the seal sticker 45 may be omitted.

When the windshield case 90 is used and the transponder 20 according to the first embodiment is housed inside, the light receiving is provided at a portion of the pan 91 corresponding to the through hole 22a of the bottom surface 22 of the lower case 21. It is only necessary to form a through hole (not shown) that allows transmission. Similarly, when accommodating the transponder 20A of the second embodiment, it corresponds to the long hole 22Aa of the bottom surface 22A of the lower case 21A. A long hole (not shown) through which the tip of the switch pin portion 32H can project may be formed at the receiving tray 91. When the windshield case 90 is used, the tray 91 of the windshield case 90 and the windshield case 9
Stay 0 shown in FIG.
May be fastened with a metal wire 95, and the fastening portion may be attached with a sealing member 17 in which a sealing material 17a is engraved in a lump of lead or the like. Even if 20 and 20A are removed, the trace can be left in the same manner as the seal seal 45. Note that FIG. 16 shows a state in which the transponder 20 of the first embodiment is housed inside.

Further, in the above-described first and second embodiments, the information for prohibiting the output from the transponders 20 and 20A due to the removal from the vehicle 1 is provided to the gate 6 of the entrance toll gate 50.
The tollgate information received from 0 and the vehicle type information of the own vehicle 1 are included. Of these, the vehicle type information of the own vehicle 1 is
It may be excluded because it can be imported again from the NVM 13. Further, the fee collection process using the transponders 20 and 20A is related to, for example, the parking fee of the parking lot, and a signal for prohibiting the output from the transponders 20 and 20A when the vehicle is removed from the vehicle 1 is transmitted to the parking lot, for example. INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention is widely applied to a vehicle-mounted transponder that outputs, in response to an external request at the time of settlement, information for determining the settlement amount of various charges related to the vehicle 1 other than the toll of the toll road, such as the entry time. It goes without saying that it is applicable.

[0050]

As described above, according to the present invention as set forth in claim 1, it is installed inside a vehicle, and in response to a question from the outside of the vehicle, the settlement amount of various charges relating to the vehicle is determined. Is a vehicle-mounted transponder that sends an information signal for the purpose of the vehicle exterior to the exterior of the vehicle, based on the removal detection means for detecting removal from the interior of the vehicle, and the detection result by the removal detection means. An information signal transmission prohibiting means for prohibiting the transmission of the information signal to the outside of the vehicle when the removal detecting means detects the removal from the inside of the vehicle. The configuration is such that the transmission of information signals is prohibited.

Therefore, even if the transponder installed in another vehicle is replaced with another transponder, the other information signal held by this transponder replaces the information signal held by the original transponder. It is not transmitted to the outside of the vehicle, and therefore it is possible to prevent the various charges from being settled with an illegal amount based on other information signals that are not the original information signals.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, it further comprises storage means for storing the information signal and erasing means for erasing the information signal in the storage means, and the information signal transmission prohibition. Since the means prohibits the transmission of the information signal to the outside of the vehicle, the erasing means erases the information signal from the storage means. There is no information signal that may be illegally used after being transferred to the vehicle, and thus it is possible to reliably prevent the unauthorized transmission of the information signal.

Further, according to the invention of claim 3,
The information signal includes the location information of the entrance received from the entrance when the vehicle enters the entrance on the runway, and the question from the outside of the vehicle is that the exit of the runway on which the vehicle travels is passed. At that time, the information signal is sent to the exit in order to determine the amount of the toll of the vehicle according to the section from the entrance to the exit of the runway. For this reason, by removing the transponder and replacing it with another transponder, the entrance location information in the information signal of the transponder sent when the vehicle passes through the exit of the road is different from the entrance that actually entered the track. Even if it is replaced with the location information of, the actual toll is not based on the road section actually traveled by the vehicle, but based on the location information of the entrance in the information signal held by the transposed transponder, It is possible to reliably prevent payment from being made with an illegal toll according to a false traffic section.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a basic configuration diagram of a vehicle-mounted transponder according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an indoor configuration of a vehicle in which the vehicle-mounted transponder of the present invention is installed.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the vehicle-mounted transponder according to the first embodiment of the present invention viewed from the front side.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the vehicle-mounted transponder of FIG. 3 viewed from the bottom side.

5 is a cross-sectional view showing an internal configuration of the vehicle-mounted transponder of FIG.

FIG. 6 shows a theft-prevention sealing sticker that is attached across the vehicle-mounted transponder and the dashboard of FIG.
FIG. 6A is an explanatory view showing a normal pasted state, and FIG. 6B is an explanatory view showing a state in which the pasted seal is removed.

7 is a block diagram showing an electrical schematic configuration of the vehicle-mounted transponder of FIG.

8 is a flowchart of a main routine showing a process performed by a CPU of a microcomputer according to a control program stored in the ROM of FIG.

9 is a flowchart of a sub-routine of an anti-theft erasing process in FIG.

10 is a perspective view of a toll gate that constitutes an entrance or an exit of a toll road through which a vehicle having the on-vehicle transponder shown in FIG. 3 passes.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a vehicle-mounted transponder according to a second embodiment of the present invention viewed from the bottom side.

12 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing the internal configuration of the vehicle-mounted transponder of FIG. 11 as seen from the bottom surface side.

13 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a spring member of the mechanical switch shown in FIG.

14 is a block diagram showing an electrical schematic configuration of the vehicle-mounted transponder of FIG. 11. FIG.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart of a subroutine of an anti-theft erasing process according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a windshield case that houses the transponders of the first and second embodiments.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Vehicle 20 Responder 39 Microcomputer 39a CPU 39b RAM 39c ROM 39A Information signal transmission inhibiting means A Removal detection means B Storage means C Erasing means

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A vehicle-mounted transponder which is installed inside a vehicle and sends an information signal for determining a settlement amount of various charges relating to the vehicle to the outside of the vehicle in response to a question from the outside of the vehicle. There is a removal detection unit that detects removal from the inside of the vehicle, and an information signal transmission prohibition unit that prohibits transmission of the information signal to the outside of the vehicle based on a detection result by the removal detection unit. In addition, when the removal detecting means detects the removal from the inside of the vehicle, the information signal sending prohibiting means prohibits the sending of the information signal to the outside of the vehicle. Responder. 2. A storage means for storing the information signal, and an erasing means for erasing the information signal in the storage means, wherein the information signal transmission prohibiting means has the information signal to the outside of the vehicle. The vehicle-mounted transponder according to claim 1, wherein the information signal is erased from the storage means by the erasing means by prohibiting the transmission of the. 3. The information signal includes location information of the entrance received from the entrance when passing through the entrance on which the vehicle enters on the track, and a question from the outside of the vehicle is traveled by the vehicle. The information signal is sent to the exit in order to determine the amount of the toll of the vehicle, which is carried out from the exit when passing through the exit of the runway and depends on the section from the entrance to the exit of the runway. The in-vehicle transponder according to 1 or 2.