Onboard-installation for a vehicle

• US 10,054,662 B2
• Filed: 04/15/2014
• Issued: 08/21/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kapsch TrafficCom AG (Datax Handelsgmbh)
• Original Assignee: Kapsch TrafficCom AG (Datax Handelsgmbh)
• Inventors: Povolny, Robert, Nagy, Oliver
• Primary Examiner(s): Mott, Adam R
• Application Number:
  US14/253,627
• Publication Number:
  US 20140316685A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,589 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3278 RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/063 using wireless information transmission between the vehicle and a fixed station identification of vehicles G08G
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/017 identifying vehicles G08G1/015, G08G1/054 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/149 coupled to means for restricting the access to the parking space, e.g. authorization, access barriers, indicative lights
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/44 for communication between vehicles and infrastructures, e.g. vehicle-to-cloud [V2C] or vehicle-to-home [V2H]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

The present subject matter relates to an onboard unit for a traffic telematics system, comprising: a first communication module, designed for near-range radio communication with a first external communication device, a second communication module, designed for far-range radio communication with a second external communication device, and a non-volatile memory, which can be accessed both by the first and the second communication module, wherein each communication module has a power-supplied communication mode and a powerless or power-saving rest mode, and wherein the power supply of the memory during an access thereto is effected by the accessing communication module. The present subject matter further relates to an onboard system for a vehicle comprising such an onboard unit, and to a communication device for said system.

Claims

1. An onboard unit for a traffic telematics system, comprising:

a first communication module in the onboard unit, configured to generate or process near-range radio communications with a first external communication device, the first communication module comprising first processing circuitry;

a second communication module in the onboard unit that is separate from the first communication module, configured to generate or process far-range radio communications with a second external communication device, the second communication module comprising second processing circuitry that is separate from the first processing circuitry; and

a non-volatile memory in the onboard unit for storing data related to traffic telematics, the non-volatile memory configured to be accessed both by the first and second communication modules for the data related to traffic telematics;

wherein each communication module has a power-supplied communication mode and a powerless or power-saving rest mode;

wherein whether the first communication module is in its power-supplied communication mode or its powerless or power-saving rest mode is independent of whether the second communication module is in its power-supplied communication mode or its powerless or power-saving rest mode; and

wherein power to the memory is only supplied when the first or the second communication module accesses the memory for the data related to traffic telematics.

2. The onboard unit according to claim 1, wherein the power supply of the memory during the access of the respective accessing communication module is supplied by said accessing communication module.

3. The onboard unit according to claim 1, wherein the first communication module is a passive near field communication (NFC) tag that is configured to receive power via radio.

4. The onboard unit according to claim 1, wherein the second communication module is a passive radio frequency identification (RFID) tag that is configured to receive power via radio.

5. The onboard unit according to claim 1, wherein power is supplied to the memory during an access of at least one communication module by a battery configured to be switched on via a switch controlled by the at least one communication module for the duration of the access to the memory.

6. The onboard unit according to claim 1, wherein the second communication module is a DSRC (dedicated short range communication), ITS-G5 or WAVE (wireless access for vehicular environments) module, or an active RFID tag to which power is supplied by a battery of the onboard unit.

7. The onboard unit according to claim 1, wherein the onboard unit or the memory is configured to prioritise the memory access of the second communication module over the memory access of the first communication module.

8. The onboard unit according to claim 1, wherein the second communication module, if in the power-supplied communication mode, deactivates the first communication module.

9. The onboard unit according to claim 1, wherein the memory contains configuration data for the traffic telematics system, the configuration data written into the memory via the first communication module and read out from the memory via the second communication module.

10. The onboard unit according to claim 9, wherein the configuration data contains one or more of the following elements:

user identification, vehicle identification, tolling account identification, axle number, tolling parameters, load designation, account credit or account balance of an electronic purse of the onboard unit, cryptographic keys or timestamps.

11. The onboard unit according to claim 1, wherein the memory contains transaction data of the traffic telematics system, the transaction data written into the memory via the second communication module and read out from the memory via the first communication module.

12. The onboard unit according to claim 11, wherein the transaction data contains one or more of the following elements:

location data, beacon identifications, load designation, tolling transactions, parking fee transactions, account balance of an electronic purse of the onboard unit, cryptographic keys or timestamps.

13. The onboard unit according to claim 1, further comprising a third communication module, which is formed as an NFC reader and is configured to read out an identification of a further NFC tag separate from the onboard unit and to write this identification into the memory, wherein the second communication module is formed as a DSRC (dedicated short range communication), ITS-G5 or WAVE (wireless access for vehicular environments) module and is configured to transmit the aforementioned identification to the second external communication device.

14. The onboard unit according to claim 13, wherein the separate NFC tag is formed as an adhesive label that is configured to produce a permanent vehicle linking between the separate NFC tag and a vehicle.

15. The onboard unit according to claim 13, wherein the first communication module and the third communication module are formed by a common NFC module configured to be switched over between an operating mode as the first communication module and an operating mode as the third communication module.

16. An onboard system for a vehicle, comprising:

an onboard unit that includes;

a first communication module in the onboard unit, configured to generate or process near-range radio communications with a first external communication device, the first communication module comprising first processing circuitry,

a second communication module in the onboard unit that is separate from the first communication module, configured to generate or process far-range radio communications with a second external communication device, the second communication module comprising second processing circuitry that is separate from the first processing circuitry, and

a non-volatile memory in the onboard unit for storing data related to traffic telematics, the non-volatile memory configured to be accessed both by the first and second communication modules for the data related to traffic telematics,

wherein each communication module has a power-supplied communication mode and a powerless or power-saving rest mode;

wherein whether the first communication module is in its power-supplied communication mode or its powerless or power-saving rest mode is independent of whether the second communication module is in its power-supplied communication mode or its powerless or power-saving rest mode; and

wherein power to the memory is only supplied when the first or the second communication module accesses the memory for the data related to traffic telematics,

the first communication module being a passive near field communication (NFC) tag configured to receive power via radio, and

the memory of the onboard unit containing an identification of the onboard unit configured to be read out via the first communication module; and

a further NFC tag, separate from the onboard unit, which contains a radio-readable identification of the separate further NFC tag.

17. The onboard system according to claim 16, wherein the separate further NFC tag is formed as an adhesive label configured to produce a permanent vehicle linking between the separate NFC tag and the vehicle once adhered.

18. The onboard system according to claim 16, wherein the memory of the onboard unit also contains the identification of the separate further NFC tag.

19. An onboard unit for a traffic telematics system, comprising:

a first communication module in the onboard unit, configured to generate or process near-range radio communications with a first external communication device, the first communication module comprising first processing circuitry;

a second communication module in the onboard unit that is separate from the first communication module, configured to generate or process far-range radio communications with a second external communication device, the second communication module comprising second processing circuitry that is separate from the first processing circuitry; and

a non-volatile memory in the onboard unit for storing data related to traffic telematics, the non-volatile memory configured to be accessed both by the first and second communication modules for the data related to traffic telematics;

wherein each communication module has a power-supplied communication mode and a powerless or power-saving rest mode;

wherein whether the first communication module is in its power-supplied communication mode or its powerless or power-saving rest mode is independent of whether the second communication module is in its power-supplied communication mode or its powerless or power-saving rest mode; and

wherein a power supply is connected to the memory via a switch, and

wherein power is only supplied to the memory when the first or the second communication module controls the switch to supply the power via the power supply and accesses the memory for the data related to traffic telematics.