JPH1153590A - Taxi meter - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a taxi meter which precisely handles a fare system and which can execute a fare adjusting processing by preventing the release of a high speed tariff from being forgotten. SOLUTION: When a taxi shifts from freeway travel to a general road travel, a non-high speed travel state detection means 103 judges the shift. A warning generation means 104 is turned on and a warning for preventing high speed tariff release from being forgotten is issued to the driver. Even if the taxi stops owing to congestion on a freeway and the high speed tariff release warning is issued, a high speed travel state detection means 106 automatically judges it when high speed travel is started again, the warning generation means 104 is turned off and the warning can be stopped. Thus, the warning can surely be issued without a complicated operation and the release of the high speed tariff is prevented from being forgotten.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a taxi meter, and more particularly to a taxi meter capable of preventing forgetting to release a high-speed tariff.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Taxi fares include an empty car tariff, an actual car tariff as a basic mode of rental road, an extra tariff such as a late-night surcharge, a discount tariff, a pick-up car tariff, a charter tariff, and the like. Various tariffs, that is, a tariff mode, such as a high-speed tariff and a waiting tariff, are set.

In general, a taxi meter is provided with a tariff switching function corresponding to a tariff system in which such various tariffs exist. The taxi meter has a function of adding and accumulating the charges corresponding to the mileage and the mileage time for each of these tariffs in an adding method in accordance with the tariff rules.

That is, generally, in a taxi meter,
Toll data is calculated by processing travel distance information obtained by a travel sensor or the like provided in the drive system of the taxi vehicle based on the set fee data, and this is stored and displayed on a meter. The calculation method based on the fee system is set for each tariff.

[0005] For example, when traveling on a general road in the daytime, an actual vehicle tariff mode, which is a basic toll mode corresponding to the mode, is applied. The charge is calculated by the sum of the amount and the amount added in accordance with the accumulated running time. Further, when a toll runs from a general road to an expressway, the corresponding portion is not added to the time of the low-speed traveling while traveling on the expressway, but only the portion corresponding to the traveling distance.

In such charge data calculation / storage processing, when tariffs are switched, set tariff data corresponding to each of the tariffs is applied, and the individual tariffs are processed through the above data processing. It is calculated and stored as charge data for each. Then, when the taxi arrives at the passenger's destination, the taxi driver puts the taxi meter into checkout mode, and the taxi meter aggregates the fare data for each individual tariff that was stored so far and finally bills the passenger. Calculate the price to be paid and display it on the meter. Alternatively, the data is output as a receipt by a printer or the like.

[0007] The functions of the taxi meter as described above, ie, detection of travel distance information and calculation of toll data, in particular,
Various techniques have been proposed for realizing the storage (and display) processing by a circuit system using an LSI such as a one-chip microcomputer with the progress of integrated circuit technology and improvement of its reliability.

On the other hand, regarding the switching of the tariff,
Conventionally, every time the traveling mode as a toll system changes, the taxi driver himself switches to a tariff corresponding to the traveling mode by, for example, pressing a changeover switch. However, in the case where the switching of the tariff is performed depending on the input by the driver as described above, for example, even when the time when the premium is applied, the driver forgets the switching operation to the corresponding premium tariff,
In some cases, it is not possible to calculate and charge a bill in accordance with the setting of the premium bill.

In order to eliminate such inconveniences, various techniques have been proposed for automatically performing the switching of the tariff which changes in response to the time, that is, the extra tariff, in particular, as described above. ing. That is, there is a technique in which a taxi meter automatically performs a tariff change according to a change in time. Various techniques have been proposed for realizing such automatic switching of the premium tariff corresponding to the time by applying a time data function of a microcomputer.

[0010]

However, the type of tariff switching does not always change in accordance with the time as described above. In addition to the above, there are various tariffs such as a pick-up tariff, a reserved tariff, a high-speed tariff, and a waiting tariff as described above. Among them, a high-speed tariff, in particular, is completely different from other tariff switching in that it is applied, and switching is most easily forgotten, and automation thereof is also difficult.

When a taxi moves from traveling on a highway to traveling on a general road, or conversely, traveling from traveling on a general road to traveling on a highway, a taxi mode corresponding to the highway traveling, that is, a high-speed tariff, is used. , Toll mode corresponding to general road driving, that is, to general real car tariff, or vice versa,
It is necessary to switch during wagering. In addition, the validity of the switching should be determined based on the identification of the taxi traveling road type, such as whether the vehicle is traveling on a highway or other general road.

As described above, since the identification of the traveling road type is completely different from that which can be switched in response to a change in time such as the above-mentioned late night surcharge, it is automatically performed using the time data as described above. Technology such as switching to another cannot be applied. Further, it is extremely difficult to automatically and accurately determine the traveling road type by some means. This is mainly due to the fact that there is practically no suitable means for accurately identifying the road type. For example,
The technology of identifying whether or not the currently traveling point is on a highway using a so-called car navigation system using a satellite communication system can be applied, but the traveling point can be identified with high accuracy and high reliability. It is extremely difficult to identify.

[0013] Alternatively, even if such recognition of the type of traveling road can be realized with high accuracy and high reliability, a device for that purpose becomes complicated or large-scale, and a small and simple device required for a taxi is required. Problems such as disadvantages in terms of performance, ease of maintenance, and the size and comfort of the indoor space are also assumed.

On the other hand, when a car as well as a taxi generally enters an expressway, the type of road on which the driver travels can be identified very clearly. In addition, in the situation of entering the highway and starting high-speed driving in this way, since the driver's psychology is generally prepared to prepare for highway driving, the operation of changing tariffs to high-speed tariffs is performed. It is extremely rare to forget.

For these reasons, the driver has to identify the type of the traveling road. Therefore, when the taxi goes up from the general road to the highway, the driver presses the highway tariff switching button to change from the actual vehicle tariff, which is the general road toll calculation mode, to the highway tariff, which is the highway toll calculation mode. Switch. Conversely, when the taxi gets off the highway to the general road, the driver performs a switching operation such as pressing the high-speed tariff switching button again to switch from the high-speed tariff to the general vehicle tariff.

As described above, the switching from the general real vehicle tariff to the high-speed tariff and the release of the high-speed tariff are described below.
Since this is the simplest and most practical means, the driver manually switches the mode. However, among the switching of such high-speed tariffs, especially when the high-speed tariff is released, the driver forgets to release the high-speed tariff, particularly when the highway driving is terminated and the vehicle is shifted to the general road driving. As a result, there is a problem that it is not possible to add and accumulate tolls exactly in accordance with a prescribed toll system.

The present invention has been made in order to solve such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to prevent a forgetting to cancel a high-speed tariff, thereby realizing a toll settlement process that can accurately correspond to a toll system. To provide a meter.

[0018]

A taxi meter according to the present invention firstly includes a charge calculating means 101 for calculating a taxi fare, and the calculation processing performed by the charge calculating means 101 corresponds to a normal tolling. Switching means 10 for switching from the first arithmetic processing to the second arithmetic processing corresponding to highway driving
A taxi meter mounted on the taxi vehicle, a non-high speed running state detecting means 103 for detecting that the running state of the taxi vehicle has become a predetermined non-high speed running state, When the means 101 is in the second arithmetic processing state, a warning generating means 104 for issuing a warning in response to the detection of the non-high-speed running state by the non-high-speed running state detecting means 103 is provided.

That is, when traveling on a highway, the vehicle is basically not stopped and does not run at a low speed below a specific speed, and stops or runs at a low speed for the first time at a tollgate at a highway exit. Should be. Moreover, such a high-speed exit is at the very boundary where the road travels from a highway to a general road.

Therefore, the taxi meter according to the present invention detects a non-high-speed running state when the above-mentioned taxi vehicle enters a predetermined non-high-speed running state, that is, when the taxi stops or runs at a low speed. Detected by means 103,
The provision of the warning generating means 103 for generating a warning in response to this means that the first stop or low-speed running after the taxi vehicle enters the highway and is switched to the high-speed tariff is notified to the toll booth of the low speed. It is determined that the vehicle has traveled and descended from the highway to a general road, and based on this, it is possible to warn the driver to switch from the highway tariff to the general real vehicle tariff.

As a result, it is possible to prevent the driver from forgetting to release the high-speed tariff, and to realize a fare settlement process accurately corresponding to the fare system. In order to determine that the taxi vehicle has stopped or running at a low speed, for example, the travel sensor 20 for travel distance integration is determined.
Data detected at 5 and sent to the taxi meter can be suitably used. Alternatively, speed information detected by a speed sensor (not shown) for a speed meter may be used.

The speed corresponding to the above-mentioned non-high-speed running state is not limited to this, but is, for example, a speed at which a time is added at a normal toll on a normal road. A speed of 10 km / h or less can be suitably used. Further, the above-mentioned warning generating means 10
For example, a warning sound such as an alarm buzzer or a warning lamp such as a blinking light may be used as the warning for generating the signal 4.

The warning may be generated by the warning generating means 103 immediately after the non-high-speed running state of the taxi vehicle is detected, or at a specific time. It may be issued later (for example, 30 seconds after the taxi vehicle travels at a low speed). Various changes can be made to the setting of the start time of the generation of the warning, for example, by connecting a timer device or the like (not shown).

Secondly, in the taxi meter according to the present invention, in the taxi meter shown in the first aspect, the toll calculating means 101 performs the first arithmetic processing based on a distance and a time of a toll run. A taxi meter comprising: a first calculating means 101a; and a second calculating means 101b for calculating the second calculating process based on only the mileage.

The first calculation processing as described above is a charge calculation processing in a normal tolling tariff (or an actual vehicle tariff) defined in a generally used toll system.
Further, the second calculation processing is a high-speed tariff defined in a generally used toll system, that is, a toll calculation processing at the time of traveling on a highway.

Thirdly, the taxi meter according to the present invention is the taxi meter according to the first or second aspect, further comprising a warning stopping means 105 for stopping the warning. That is, when the vehicle is once stopped or runs at a low speed due to, for example, traffic congestion while driving on the highway, the non-high-speed running state detecting means 103 detects the low-speed running state, that is, the non-high-speed running state, and responds accordingly. The generating unit 104 may issue a warning. However, since the low-speed traveling in such a case is a low-speed traveling while traveling on a highway, it is originally unnecessary to issue a warning. Therefore, in this case, it is desirable that the warning can be stopped manually or automatically. Therefore, in such a case, the warning is stopped by the warning stopping means 105.

More specifically, the above-mentioned warning stopping means 105 includes a means for automatically entering a warning stop mode, for example, by using a timer device, and a method for manually using, for example, when a high-speed tariff is applied. Using a button or the like that is not used as an input key and entering a stop mode by inputting a warning stop command can be roughly divided into two types.

Further, as for the apparatus which automatically enters the warning stop mode, there are roughly two kinds of methods. That is, a device that automatically enters a warning stop mode after a lapse of a specific time using a timer device or the like, and a device that performs a warning stop after determining whether a warning can be stopped based on a parameter other than the time. There are two possibilities. In particular, if it is possible to stop the warning by determining whether or not the vehicle is traveling on a highway, it goes without saying that it is preferable.

Therefore, in the taxi meter according to the present invention, fourthly, in the taxi meter according to the third aspect, the warning stopping means 104 is used as the warning stopping means 105 so that the taxi vehicle can operate at a predetermined high speed. A warning stopping means for stopping the warning when the high-speed running detecting means detects the high-speed running state;
It is characterized by having.

That is, it is possible to determine whether or not the vehicle is still running on the highway even after the warning for warning of the release of the highway tariff is turned ON as described above. Even if the taxi vehicle stops due to traffic congestion or the like and the high-speed tariff release warning is turned on during traveling, if the traffic congestion is resolved and the vehicle is driven again at high speed (for example, such a state The "high-speed running state determined in advance"), it can be automatically judged and the high-speed tariff release warning can be stopped, and the trouble caused by the occurrence of the high-speed tariff releasing warning while driving on the highway is also prevented. be able to.

The above-mentioned predetermined high-speed driving state may be, for example, a state in which a taxi vehicle that has been stopped once while traveling on the highway starts running again, or after the taxi vehicle has been cleared of traffic congestion. The state may be a state when the running speed has become equal to or higher than a predetermined running speed after starting running again. The purpose is to determine whether or not to continue the warning as described above, that is, to determine whether or not the taxi vehicle is still running on the highway even after running once at low speed.
Anything that matches this may be used. Therefore, specifically, as for such a speed, in the case of a Japanese highway, a minimum speed limit is generally determined, and in principle, the vehicle is to be driven at a higher speed. It is preferable to set the minimum speed to, for example, a speed of 80 km / h or more. This is, for example, 60 km / h or more, even when driving on a general road.
It is difficult to be used as an index (parameter) for judging highway driving because traveling at a speed of about 100 km / h is more than 100 km / h. This is because not only does the vehicle run at a speed of 100 km / h or more, but the vehicle travels frequently at a speed of 100 km / h or less to about 80 km / h. However, it goes without saying that the preferred speed index is not limited to this.

[0032]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of a taxi meter according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. (Embodiment 1) As shown in FIG. 1, a taxi meter according to a first embodiment includes a toll calculating means 101 and a first to which a calculating process performed by the toll calculating means 101 corresponds to a normal tolling.
And a switching means 102 for switching from the arithmetic processing of (a) to the second arithmetic processing corresponding to the highway traveling. , A taxi meter 100 normally provided near the driver's seat of a taxi vehicle.

That is, the toll calculating means 101 includes a toll calculating process in the general travel toll accumulating mode corresponding to the toll regulation (performed by the first arithmetic processing means 101a) and a toll calculating process in the high-speed toll accumulating mode ( This is performed by the second arithmetic processing means 101b). In addition to the above, for example, the taxi fare calculation method itself, such as calculation when the payment button 301c (see FIGS. 2 and 3) is pressed and the payment mode is selected, and addition of a pick-up fee, are used. It goes without saying that various fare calculation processes based on the taxi fare system are performed in the same manner as in a normal method.

The switching means 102 switches the charge accumulation mode of the charge calculation means 101 as described above. Then, the warning generating means 104 switches the toll-accumulating mode of the taxi vehicle when the toll-accumulating mode of the toll calculating means 101 is switched to the high-speed toll-accumulating mode by the switching means 102 and the high-speed toll-accumulating mode, that is, the high-speed tariff is selected. When the running becomes a predetermined non-high-speed running state and the non-high-speed running state detecting means 103 detects it, a buzzer driving unit 104b for driving an alarm buzzer 104a is turned on to drive the alarm buzzer 104a. A warning to cancel the high speed tariff.

As a peripheral circuit other than the main part, a storage means 107 for storing travel distance information counted during traveling or various other information such as fare data and traveling time, such as pick-up fare, includes the above-mentioned fare calculating means 101. It is connected to the. Further, the operation means 300 is a real vehicle 301.
a, a high-speed 301b, a payment 301c, and the like, are provided with a tariff switching button corresponding to various tariff modes. When these buttons are pressed, a switching command in the calculation switching unit 102 of the fee calculation unit 101 is input. That is, various tariff switching buttons 301a, 30 of the operation means 300
When the driver of the taxi operates 1b, the switching means 102 executes the switching between the above-described toll accumulation mode for high-speed traveling and the toll accumulation mode for general road traveling in the toll computing means 101.

As the peripheral devices of the main part, the amounts accumulated or added by the charge calculating means 101 when the payment mode is selected, the driving mode selected by the operation means 300, or the storage means 107 are stored. Display means 302 for displaying various information and the like, and printing means 303 for printing them out in the form of, for example, a receipt.
Are connected to the charge calculation means 101.

FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing a display / operation panel portion on the front of the taxi meter according to the present embodiment. On the lower half of the front display / operation panel, there are provided an actual vehicle tariff button 301a, a high-speed tariff button 301b, a payment tariff button 301c, a pick-up car tariff button 301d, a wireless waiting tariff, which are various tariff switching buttons of the operation means 300 as described above. A button 301e, a total button 301f, an empty button 301g, and the like are provided. Further, the upper half is provided with a display means 302 for displaying the currently selected driving mode, the current rental fee, and the like.

The main part of the toll calculating means 101 is provided with a first calculating means 101a corresponding to normal road tolling and a second calculating means 101b corresponding to highway driving. This is a system based on a general digital meter. The first calculation means 101a
If the mileage does not progress for more than a specific unit time under the conditions specified in the normal fare system while performing the toll calculation according to the mileage, the toll addition corresponding to that time is added The toll calculation is performed in the normal toll road mode specified in the normal toll system. This is, more specifically, the travel pulse detected by the travel sensor 105 is:
If the vehicle does not come within the specific time, it is considered that the toll driving corresponding to the specific time has been performed within the specific time, and the toll calculated by using the specific time as a parameter is added. That is. Further, in the second calculating means 101b, when the toll on the highway, that is, the high-speed tariff is selected, the toll calculated using the above time as a parameter is not added to the toll accumulation.

When the normal toll operation is performed, when the actual vehicle tariff button 301a of the various tariff switching buttons provided on the operation unit 300 is pressed when the vehicle shifts from the empty vehicle traveling to the actual vehicle traveling, the toll computing unit 101 switches. The first calculation means 101a is selected by 102 to enter a normal vehicle traveling mode, that is, a normal vehicle tariff state, and performs the above-described toll accumulation based on both the distance and the time of the renting. Then, when the taxi vehicle goes up on the highway and the driver manually presses the high-speed tariff button 301b to select the high-speed tariff state, the switching means 102 receives the command input and selects the second arithmetic means 101b. Then, the subsequent fee is calculated based on the mileage as described above.

The non-high-speed running state detecting means 103 detects when the taxi vehicle is running in a predetermined non-high-speed running state in the high-speed tariff mode as described above. The non-high-speed running state detecting means 103 enters the ON state when the high-speed tariff button 301b is pressed to select the high-speed tariff mode. When the high-speed tariff button 301b is pressed again, the high-speed tariff mode is released and returns to the OFF state. Therefore, this ON / OFF is performed by the high-speed tariff mode ON / O of the charge calculating means 101.
What is necessary is just to link and execute it with FF.

In order for the non-high-speed running state detecting means 103 to detect that the taxi vehicle 200 has entered the above-mentioned non-high-speed running state, information such as a running state or a pulse detected corresponding thereto is first obtained. Although it is necessary to measure, for example, a travel sensor 205 that detects a travel pulse generated in response to axle rotation by a rotation sensor can be suitably used. This is, for example, the travel sensor 2
It is possible to determine that the pulse corresponding to the rotation of the axle transmitted from 05 is equal to or less than a predetermined pulse count per unit time or 0 by using a pulse counter or the like. . For example, when the pulse detected by the traveling sensor 205 becomes 0 per predetermined time, the traveling state at that time is determined as a stopped state, that is, a non-high-speed traveling state.
Alternatively, for example, when the taxi vehicle is in a traveling state substantially similar to that of ordinary road traveling, that is, the number of pulses detected by the traveling sensor 205 per a predetermined unit time is applied to the time accumulation in the ordinary traveling toll accumulation mode. It is determined that the vehicle is in the non-high-speed running state when the number of pulses becomes equal to or less than the number of pulses, or when the speed is converted into speed and the vehicle runs at a low speed (including stoppage) of, for example, 10 km / h or less. It is preferable to make settings so that

When the previously set non-high-speed running state is detected as described above, the warning generating means 104 issues a warning based on the detected state. That is, this warning generating means 1
The buzzer driving unit 104b provided in the unit 04 is turned on to sound the alarm buzzer 104a. Then, even if the vehicle exits the running state and starts running at a high speed again, the warning generation means 104 keeps the warning ON state until the high speed tariff is released. And this warning generating means 1
04 returns to the OFF state when the driver depresses the high-speed tariff button 301b again to release the high-speed tariff mode itself.

As the warning means generated by the warning generating means 104, a warning means such as an alarm buzzer 104a exemplified in this embodiment may be used. A warning lamp such as a lamp may be used. It is desirable to set the buzzer to a sound that can be clearly recognized to the extent that the driver can be instructed to release the high-speed tariff, and that does not give a complicated impression to the passenger. Further, as the blinking light, for example, the high-speed tariff button 301b is of a transmission light type, and a flashing or the like is arranged on the back side of the high-speed tariff button so that the high-speed tariff button 301b flashes. do it. Alternatively, a method of blinking the tariff section display portion of the display means 302 so as to be clearly recognizable, or, in the case of color display, a high-speed tariff display with a normal display color (for example, light blue)
Change to a different color (for example, orange)
Such a method is preferable.

The warning may be generated by the warning generating means 104 immediately after the low-speed running state of the taxi vehicle is detected, or after 30 seconds, for example. The occurrence may be started after a specific time, that is, after a time lag such as a time corresponding to the time when the vehicle leaves the expressway and starts running again and descends on a general road. Such a function of delaying the start time of the generation of the warning can be realized by, for example, delaying the timing of turning on the buzzer driving unit 104b of the warning generation unit 104 to a specific time later using a timer circuit (not shown).

As described above, the storage means 107 stores various kinds of charges normally required for normal taxi business, such as charges accumulated during the taxi rent by the fare calculation means 101 and charges such as pick-up charges, mileage and mileage. Information is stored. Further, the running state for comparing the pulse state corresponding to the running state at the present time detected by the running sensor 205 with the pulse state corresponding to the preset non-high-speed running state in the warning generating means 104. Are coded and stored.
The storage means 107 includes a RAM 403, a ROM 404, and an E ² PROM 304, as shown in FIG.
The main part is constituted from. RAM of these
The 403 and the ROM 404 are provided inside a microcomputer 401 described later. The CPU 402 is stored in the ROM 404.
And a control program for causing the CPU to perform various processing operations. The RAM 403 has a temporary storage area for temporarily storing data necessary for executing various data processing or arithmetic operations in the CPU 402, and a work area for using the arithmetic processing. In the E ² PROM 304, prescribed fee data such as a rental fee and a charter fee as specified in the fee system are coded and written, and the tariff mode selected at that time by the CPU 402 of the microcomputer 401 is written. Is selected and read out. The charge calculating means 101 executes a charge calculation based on the mileage, time, extra charge data, and the like.
To be displayed. Alternatively, during the toll running, the toll calculating means 101 calculates the instantaneous toll accumulated amount and displays the calculated amount.
To be displayed. The non-high-speed running state detecting means 103 compares the pulse state corresponding to the previously set non-high-speed running state with the E ² PROM 304.
The information of the pulse state corresponding to the running state is coded and stored, and is read as needed.

Here, the configuration of the main part of the taxi meter according to the present invention as described above is, as shown in the block diagram of FIG. 1, for each functional block such as the charge calculating means 101 and the warning generating means 104. It is needless to say that the circuit may be configured separately, or a one-chip microcomputer 401 may be used for its main part, and peripheral circuits and peripheral devices may be connected therearound. Therefore, in the present embodiment, such a one-chip microcomputer 401 is used. FIG. 3 shows the configuration of the main part. The charge calculating means 101, the switching means 102, and the warning generating means 104 are circuits for performing calculations and data processing for realizing the above-described functions, respectively.
Can be built with Information for controlling these functional blocks is stored in the RAM 40 of the storage unit 107.
3. The various functions as described above can be realized based on the stored data in the ROM 404.
403 and the ROM 404 store the R in the microcomputer 401.
Needless to say, AM and ROM can be suitably used. In addition, the outline of the parts other than the above-mentioned main part will be described. The display means 302 has a main display part 302a for displaying the fee and a sub-display part 302b for displaying the currently selected tariff mode. ing. In each of these cases, display data is input from the CPU 402 to perform various displays as described above using, for example, a liquid crystal display panel.
2 between the main display unit 302a and the sub display unit 302b.
Driver circuit 302c and driver circuit 302d, respectively
Is connected. And these driver circuits 302
c) The driver circuit 302d converts the display data transmitted from the CPU 402 into image data or the like that can be displayed on the display panel of the display unit, and then converts it into the main display unit 302a.
・ Send to the sub display unit 302b.

Next, the flow of the operation process of the taxi meter according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the main part of which is constituted as described above, will be described with reference to the flow charts of FIGS. The charge calculation method, the switching operation method, and the charge display method of this taxi meter are the same as those of a normal digital taxi meter, and key input (interruption) as shown in FIG. And correspondingly, a renting (actual vehicle) input s501 and a payment input s50.
2. The flags F1, F2, F3, F4,... Corresponding to the empty vehicle input s503, the high-speed input s504, and the other input s505 are set, and the current process is interrupted.

5 (b), the rental process (actual vehicle mode) s506, the payment process (payment mode) s507a, s507b, or the empty vehicle mode s508 and the empty vehicle process s509 are the flags described above. And the flags F1 and F2 are reset when the time has elapsed.

When the above key input is input again, the corresponding actual vehicle flag (s511) each time,
One of the payment flag (s512), the empty vehicle flag (s513), the high speed flag (s514), and the like is set as described above. These operations can be performed in the same manner as in the related art. Therefore, the same parts as those in the related art will not be described in detail for the sake of brevity, and the main parts of the present invention will be particularly described below.

When the passenger gets on the vehicle, the arithmetic processing means 101
Is switched from the empty vehicle mode to the actual vehicle mode (s50).
1 and s511) The calculation for the toll on the general road is started, the basic fee is displayed, and the flag 1 is set (s4).
01). If you are traveling on a general road without climbing the highway (s40
2N), the first calculation processing and the charge display based thereon are continued (s403b).

If the taxi goes up on the highway while continuing to pay, it is necessary to shift to the high-speed tariff from that time due to the regulations of the toll system. Such a shift of the taxi meter to the high-speed tariff is performed when the taxi driver confirms this at the time of entering the highway and manually operates the operating means 3.
By depressing the high-speed tariff button 301b of 00 (Y in s504), the high-speed flag F2 is set from an initial value of 0 to 1 (s514). A charge corresponding to only the mileage is added (Y in s402 to s403)
a).

Thus, the charge calculating means 101 is switched to the switching means 1
With 02, the toll addition method is switched to the highway traveling (high speed tariff) mode. However, at this time,
For example, when it is used in combination with another mode such as a late-night surcharge mode, it goes without saying that the charge regulation in that mode is also applied. For example, in the case of the late-night surcharge mode, it is needless to say that the late-night fee system is applied to the fare for the addition of the traveling distance even in the case of a high-speed tariff. As described above, in the taxi meter according to the present invention, such an addition method itself is performed according to a conventional method.

When the high-speed tariff is applied after entering the highway (Y in s402), the second arithmetic processing is continued (s403a). On the other hand, the operation of the non-high-speed running state detecting means 103 starts from the time when the high-speed tariff mode is entered (s414). Then, when the taxi gets off the highway, the taxi driver depresses the highway tariff button 301b again and inputs it if he / she has not forgotten (s504).
Y and s409 Y). Then, the flag F2 becomes F = 0.
(S514 and S406) On the other hand, the toll calculation means 101 changes the toll accumulation method from the accumulation method (high-speed tariff) corresponding to the above-mentioned highway traveling state to the ordinary ordinary road traveling state by the switching means 102. Is switched to the integration method (ordinary actual vehicle tariff), and returns to the integration method of the ordinary road driving mode in which the integration for the wage travel distance and the integration for the rental time are used in combination.
03b).

Alternatively, even when the high-speed tariff is released during traveling on the highway for some reason, it is needless to say that the high-speed tariff mode OFF can be executed by depressing the high-speed tariff button 301b again (s409 to s403b). . In any case, s501
The alarm has not been activated from to s409.

However, when the driver forgets to turn off the high-speed tariff mode and goes down the highway with the high-speed tariff mode kept ON (N in s409), the non-high-speed running state detecting means 103 determines this (s410). Warning means 10
Turn 4 ON. Then, the alarm buzzer 104a issues a warning to prevent forgetting to release the high-speed tariff (s411).

That is, in general, a vehicle traveling on an expressway generally has a minimum speed regulation stipulated by the Road Traffic Law or the like. It should continue to run at a speed above the specified minimum speed. Stops on expressways are not permitted in principle.

Therefore, in the taxi meter of the present invention, the high-speed tariff is ON, that is, the traveling on the highway is continued, in order to detect the end of the highway traveling and the transition to the general road traveling. (N of s409)
In the high-speed tariff mode, while the wage toll accumulation is continued, whether or not the vehicle has entered the non-high-speed traveling state, that is, in the present embodiment, the vehicle enters the low-speed traveling state corresponding to the general road traveling state including the stopped state. The non-high-speed running state detecting means 103 determines whether or not the vehicle has entered, using a pulse corresponding to the running state detected by the running sensor 205 (s410).

This is, more specifically, the traveling sensor 20
The pulse (corresponding to the running state) detected at 5 is generally used for the travel distance calculation for calculating the toll by the toll calculating means 101. By comparing the pulse count per unit time with the pulse count corresponding to the preset traveling state, the traveling state at that time is set to the preset traveling state (that is, the stop state in the present embodiment). (Or a low-speed running state).

Alternatively, to determine whether or not the vehicle has entered the non-high-speed running state, the pulse waveform (frequency, pulse period, phase, etc.) detected by the running sensor 205 is changed to the pulse waveform corresponding to the non-high-speed running state. The determination may be made by comparing. Alternatively, the parameters for determining the running state as described above include the running sensor 205 as described above.
However, the present invention is not limited to only the traveling pulse detected by In addition to this, for example, the traveling speed information used by the speedometer to perform the speed indication is coded, and a code corresponding to the traveling speed is compared with a code corresponding to a predetermined traveling speed, and the above-described code is compared. Such a stop or low-speed running state may be determined.

On the other hand, when the traveling pulse detected by the traveling sensor 205 does not correspond to the above-mentioned non-high-speed traveling state, that is, the state corresponding to the traveling state such as the stop or the low-speed traveling state (N in s410), the highway traveling is performed. The non-high-speed running state detecting means 103 determines that the continuation is in progress, and continues the state waiting for detection. Therefore, the warning is not turned on during that state.

Subsequently, when the pulse detected by the traveling sensor 205 is a pulse corresponding to the above-mentioned non-high-speed traveling state, that is, a stop or low-speed traveling state, the non-high-speed traveling state detecting means 103 is based on the pulse. Determines that the traveling on the highway has ended (Y in s410), the warning generation means 104
Turn ON. Then, the warning generating means 104 issues a warning for urging the taxi driver to release the high-speed tariff (s411).

Subsequently, in response to the warning, the taxi driver presses down the high-speed tariff button again to turn it on.
If FF is set (Y in s504 and Y in s407), the toll calculating means 101 switches from the toll accumulation mode corresponding to the high-speed tariff to the toll accumulation mode for general road driving in accordance with the OFF input and performs the toll accumulation while F2. Is reset (F2 = 0) (Ys s406 in s514 and s409), the non-high-speed running state detecting means 103 is returned to the detection waiting state, and the warning generating means 104 is turned off to stop the warning. Then, the toll calculation of the toll calculating means 101 returns to the first calculation process, which is an integration method corresponding to ordinary ordinary road running, and the display thereof again (s403).
b).

After that, when the passenger arrives at the destination, the normal payment mode is selected and the fare is settled, and the rental operation is completed. The illustration and the detailed description are omitted because the direct relationship with the main part according to the invention is thin.) As described above, the taxi meter according to the present invention detects whether or not the taxi has shifted from running on the highway to running on the general road with the running pulse at that time by the running sensor 205 and detects this by the non-high speed running state detecting means. In step 103, the pulse is compared with a pulse set in advance corresponding to a non-high-speed running state such as a stop or a low-speed running state that can be determined as a state of getting off the highway.
If it is determined that the pulse corresponds to such a non-high-speed running state, it is determined that the taxi has shifted from running on the highway to running on the general road, and the warning generating means 10
4 turns ON, and warns the driver to prevent forgetting to release the high-speed tariff. As a result, the release of the high-speed tariff can be urged to the taxi driver, so that forgetting to release the high-speed tariff can be prevented.

(Embodiment 2) As shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, the taxi meter of the second embodiment differs from the taxi meter of the first embodiment in that a taxi driver manually inputs a warning stop command. The main part of the taxi meter is provided with a warning stopping means 105a for stopping a warning that is generated in response to the warning, and is usually a taxi meter mounted near the driver's seat of a taxi vehicle.

In order to simplify the description and make the understanding clearer, in the following detailed description, the same parts or steps as those in the first embodiment will be described in the first part.
The same reference numerals and names as those of the first embodiment are used, and the characteristic portions of this embodiment will be described in detail.

As input means for the driver to manually input a warning stop command, that is, to take an I / F,
In this embodiment, when the driver touches a metal portion on the surface of the operation unit 300, the touch sensor 201 that detects an electrostatic change based on the input as an input is provided by the operation unit 30.
0. Therefore, if the driver wants to turn off the warning to prevent forgetting to turn off the high-speed tariff, the driver operates the operating means 3.
Touch the metal body on the 00 surface with your hand. Then, the touch sensor 201 detects this, and transmits the warning stop command to the warning stop unit 105a assuming that the command has been manually input.

When the input detected by the touch sensor 201 is transmitted, the alarm stop means 105a turns off the buzzer drive unit 104b of the alarm generation means 104 in accordance with the input of the warning stop command to stop the alarm buzzer 104a. Let it. Next, FIG. 7 shows a schematic flowchart relating to the taxi meter of the second embodiment according to the present invention in which the main part is configured as described above. In the taxi meter of the second embodiment, the outline process as shown by s411 in FIG. 4 in the first embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment. This is different from the first embodiment. Therefore, a description will be given focusing on this part with reference to FIG. 6 which is a schematic configuration diagram and FIG. 7 which is a schematic flowchart of the operation.

When the traveling pulse detected by the traveling sensor 205 is in a state corresponding to the non-high-speed traveling state (Y in s410), the warning generating means 104 is turned on to issue a warning for urging the taxi driver to cancel the high-speed tariff. Emit (s)
411). However, if the stop or low-speed driving state actually occurred on a highway, the warning to cancel the high-speed tariff should be perceived as troublesome for taxi drivers and passengers. It is.

Therefore, in the taxi meter of the present embodiment, the warning for releasing the high-speed tariff is ON as described above.
In the case where the vehicle is still running on the highway even after the vehicle has become (S411), the taxi driver inputs a stop command to stop the vehicle manually (S6).
01 Y). In this embodiment, the input of the stop command is manually performed through the touch sensor 201 as described above.

When the stop command is manually input in this way, the warning generating means 104 is turned off based on the input, and the warning is stopped (s602). Here, if the stop command is not input (N of s601), the high-speed tariff OF
The process returns to the instruction input waiting state of F.

Then, if the taxi driver turns off the high-speed tariff after receiving the warning (Y in s407), the toll calculating means 101 changes the calculation mode from the high-speed tariff mode to the toll accumulation mode for ordinary road driving according to this OFF input. And the warning is stopped. That is,
The warning is stopped by turning off the warning generating means 103 (s
602), the flag F2 is reset to F2 = 0 (s406). Then, the charge calculation by the charge calculation means 101 returns to the integration method of the first calculation processing corresponding to ordinary ordinary road running again (s403b).

Thereafter, as in a normal taxi business,
Upon arriving at the passenger's destination, the normal payment mode is selected, the fare is settled, and the ride ends in the present case (the details of this part are not directly related to the main part according to the present invention, so the detailed description is omitted. Do). As described above, the taxi meter according to the second embodiment of the present invention can be used, for example, when the taxi vehicle stops due to traffic congestion and the high-speed tariff release warning is turned on, but the taxi meter is still running on the highway. As described above, when the taxi driver manually inputs the stop command as described above, the warning stop unit 105a can be operated to turn off the warning of the warning generation unit 104.
As a result, forgetting to release the high-speed tariff can be prevented by the generation of the warning, and the complication caused by the generation of the high-speed tariff release warning while traveling on the highway can also be prevented.

In the above embodiment, the touch sensor 201 is used as the stop command input unit. However, it goes without saying that the stop command input unit according to the present invention is not limited to this. Alternatively, for example, a tariff button that is not functioning during use of the high-speed tariff may be used as a stop command input unit during that time, and a stop command may be input by pressing this button. Alternatively, a stop command input button may be newly provided separately from the existing operation buttons.

(Third Embodiment) As shown in FIGS. 1 and 8, the taxi meter according to the third embodiment differs from the taxi meter according to the second embodiment in that the taxi vehicle is brought into a predetermined high-speed running state. High-speed running state detecting means 106 for detecting that the vehicle has returned, and a warning stopping unit 10 for stopping the warning of the warning generating means 104 when the state is detected.
5b.

In order to simplify the explanation and make the understanding more clear, in the following detailed description, the same parts as those in the first and second embodiments are the same as those in the first embodiment. These are indicated by reference numerals and names. The same applies to the flowchart according to the present embodiment in FIG.

The charge calculating means 101 and the switching means 102 are parts for realizing the same functions as in the first and second embodiments. In the taxi meter according to the third embodiment, even if the warning generating means 103 generates a warning due to traffic congestion or the like while the taxi is traveling on the highway, it is determined that the warning is being performed on the highway. Is different from the warning stopping means 105a according to the second embodiment, in which the warning stopping means 105b for automatically determining and stopping the warning is provided.

When the warning generating means 104 is generating a warning (s 411), the high-speed running state detecting means 106 outputs a running pulse detected by the running sensor 205 every moment.
A comparison is made with a high-speed running pulse corresponding to a running state on the highway set in advance, and when the state matches the high-speed running pulse, this is detected (s412).

The function of comparing running pulses is as follows.
For example, the number of pulses of the set high-speed running pulse per predetermined unit time is coded and stored in a storage element such as an E ² PROM. Compared to the pulse number converted into the code format, when the current traveling pulse becomes larger than the set pulse number, the taxi vehicle traveling state is a highway traveling state, that is, traveling on a highway. What is necessary is just to judge that it is in the state which is doing. Alternatively, besides coding and comparing the number of pulses, for example, a pulse waveform or a pulse timing may be compared.

After the running state corresponding to the ordinary road running such as the stop or the low speed running state (Y in s410) is returned to the running state corresponding to the above-mentioned highway running (Y in s412), The high-speed running state detecting means 1
In step 06, it is determined that the vehicle is traveling on the highway, and the warning stop means 105b is turned off to stop the warning sound of the alarm buzzer 104a (s413).

The predetermined high-speed traveling state determined by the warning stopping means 105b is, for example, a traveling state in which a taxi vehicle that has been stopped once while traveling on the highway again corresponds to the highway traveling. This is a running state when the vehicle starts running, or a state where the taxi vehicle starts running again after the congestion is resolved and becomes higher than a specific running speed. That is, the purpose of determining the high-speed running state is to determine whether the warning is continued or not, that is, to determine whether or not the taxi vehicle is still running on the highway even after running once at low speed. Therefore, it is necessary to conform to this. Therefore, as a parameter for specifically determining such a high-speed traveling state, the minimum speed is generally determined in the case of a Japanese highway, and in principle, the vehicle travels at a higher speed. Therefore, it is preferable to set such a minimum speed, for example, a speed of 80 km / h or more.

Although the main components of the taxi meter according to the present invention have been mainly described above, further detailed structures and peripheral portions thereof will be described. A fee system such as a fare or a pick-up fare accumulated by the arithmetic means 101 and various information such as a traveling distance and a traveling time are stored. In particular, the E ² PROM in the storage means 107
In 304, information obtained by coding a non-high-speed running pulse or a high-speed running pulse set in advance for comparison with the current running pulse in the non-high-speed running state detecting means 103 or the warning stopping means 105b is stored. This is read as needed. The E ² PROM 304 also substantially forms part of the non-high-speed running state detecting means 103 and the warning stopping means 105b.

The structure of the main part of the taxi meter according to the present invention as described above is the same as in the first embodiment.
The circuit may be configured separately for each functional block such as the charge calculation unit 101, the warning generation unit 103, the warning stop unit 105b, or the like, or a one-chip microcomputer as described in the first embodiment or the like. It is needless to say that a peripheral circuit or a peripheral device may be connected around the main part to be constructed. Therefore, such a one-chip microcomputer is also used in the present embodiment.

In this embodiment, the case where the non-high-speed running state detecting means 103 and the high-speed running state detecting means 106 are formed as separate circuit blocks has been described in detail. For example, the function of comparing the number of running pulses is formed as running pulse number comparing means, and the function of the running pulse number comparing means is used as the non-high speed running state detecting means 103 and the high speed running state detecting means 106.
It goes without saying that both functions may also be used.

That is, both the non-high speed running state detecting means 103 and the high speed running state detecting means 106 compare the number of running pulses detected by the running sensor 205 per predetermined unit time with the preset number of pulses. Since the point of the function is the same, the function of comparing the number of pulses is shared by the traveling pulse number comparing means,
Non-high-speed running state detecting means 103
When used as a high speed running state detecting means 10
When used as 6, the data to be compared may be switched according to each case so as to be compared with a preset number of pulses corresponding to the high-speed running state.

As described above, in the taxi meter according to the third embodiment of the present invention, the warning stop means 105b determines whether or not the vehicle is still running on the highway even after the high-speed tariff release warning is turned on. judge. In other words, even if a taxi vehicle stops due to traffic congestion while driving on a highway and a high-speed tariff release warning is turned on, when the traffic congestion is resolved and the vehicle is driven at high speed again, it is automatically reset. By making a determination, a warning for preventing forgetting to release the high-speed tariff can be automatically stopped. As a result, it is possible to warn that the user has forgotten to release the high-speed tariff, and it is also possible to prevent complications caused by the generation of the warning while driving on the highway.

[0086]

As described in the detailed description above, according to the present invention, there is provided a taxi meter capable of realizing a fare settlement process accurately corresponding to a fee system by preventing forgetting to release a high-speed tariff. can do.

In addition to the high-speed tariff, which is the main object of the present invention, tariffs that depend on the driver for switching include, for example, pick-up tariffs and chartered tariffs. It can be set (or switched) in advance at any time, and the cancellation can be performed by the driver, such as when the driver stops at the airport to pick up passengers, or when the fare adjustment is completed after the charter is completed. Since there are many breaks, the driver is less likely to forget to release it.
On the other hand, in the case of a high-speed tariff, switching is performed in an extremely unique situation. In general, in the taxi driving mode, as long as the expressway is used, the order of returning from the general road to the general road through the expressway is an order. Therefore, the cancellation of the highway tariff is always in the middle of the toll.

That is, among the tariffs which depend on the manual release operation as described above, especially the high-speed tariff release is different from the case where it is sufficient to cancel the release operation at the time of a break or stoppage of the rental. The release operation must be performed on the way. In addition, the situation in which the highway tariff must be canceled is when the driver pays the expressway toll and gets off the expressway to the general road.At this time, the driver must pay the expressway toll, store the receipt, or drive. Other operations and the like must be safely and securely performed by one person in a short period of time. In addition, at this time, the high-speed driving, which was nervous until then, will return to the general road,
Since the so-called relief psychology works, the driver is very psychologically forgotten about the release operation. As a result, there has been a problem that, forgotten to switch tariffs, the regular roads also rent at the same high-speed tariff, making it impossible to add fares in accordance with the prescribed fare system.

However, according to the present invention, as in the above embodiments, the warning is automatically generated or the warning is stopped subsequently, so that the driver can be effectively warned that he or she will not forget to release the high-speed tariff. As a result, it is possible to realize a fare settlement process that accurately corresponds to the fee system.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing main components of a taxi meter according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an outline of a display / operation panel portion on the front of a taxi meter according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an outline of a microcomputer incorporating a main part of the configuration of the taxi meter according to the present invention and peripheral devices thereof.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a warning operation part in the operation process of the taxi meter according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic flowchart showing a main part of the overall toll calculation process and the tariff switching process of the taxi meter according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a main part of the configuration of a taxi meter according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a warning operation part of the operation process of the taxi meter according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a main part of the configuration of a taxi meter according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a warning operation part of the operation process of the taxi meter according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 100 CPU 101 Fee calculation unit 102 Switching unit 103 Non-high-speed running state detecting unit 104 Warning generating unit 105 Warning stopping unit 106 High-speed running state detection Department

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A toll calculating means for calculating a taxi fare, and a second calculating corresponding to a highway driving from a first calculating processing corresponding to a normal toll to the calculating processing performed by the toll calculating means. Switching means for switching to processing, a taxi meter mounted on the taxi vehicle, wherein a non-high speed running detection means for detecting that the running state of the taxi vehicle has become a predetermined non-high speed running state; A taxi meter comprising: a warning generating means for issuing a warning in response to the detection of the non-high-speed running state by the detecting means when the fare calculating means is in the second calculation processing state. 2. The taxi meter according to claim 1, wherein the toll calculation means calculates the first calculation processing based on a distance and a time of a toll ride, and the second calculation means. A taxi meter comprising: a second calculating means for performing a calculating process based only on a mileage distance. 3. The taxi meter according to claim 1, further comprising warning stop means for stopping a warning being generated by said warning generation means. 4. The taxi meter according to claim 3, wherein the warning stopping means includes a high-speed running detecting means for detecting that the taxi vehicle has entered a predetermined high-speed running state, and A taxi meter comprising a warning stopping means for stopping the warning when the detecting means detects the high-speed running state.