Electronic toll collection system

• US 20060071816A1
• Filed: 10/05/2004
• Published: 04/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mark IV Industries Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mark IV Industries Corporation
• Inventors: Ho, Thua Van, Tang, Wai-Cheung
• Granted Patent: US 7,233,260 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/928
• 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

Abstract

An improved electronic toll collection system having two lane-based antennas per laneway. The antennas include an overhead antenna and a side mount antenna. The side mount antenna is disposed so as to communicate especially with license plate transponders. The two antennas are coupled to a transaction processing system for conducting toll transaction communications with a vehicle-mounted transponder through one of the two antennas.

Claims

1. A system for electronic toll collection in connection with a vehicle having a transponder, the vehicle travelling in a laneway, the system comprising:

a first antenna for transmitting a first signal to the transponder and for receiving a response signal from the transponder and being disposed above the laneway;

a second antenna for transmitting a second signal to the transponder and for receiving the response signal from the transponder and being disposed at a side of the laneway; and

a transaction processor coupled to said first antenna and to said second antenna for controlling generation of said first signal and said second signal and for processing said response signal received from said first antenna or from said second antenna.

2. The system claimed in claim 1, wherein said first antenna defines a first capture zone and wherein said second antenna defines a second capture zone.

3. The system claimed in claim 2, wherein the laneway includes a direction of travel, and wherein said first capture zone is upstream of said second capture zone with regard to said direction of travel.

4. The system claimed in claim 2, wherein a portion of said first capture zone overlaps a portion of said second capture zone.

5. The system claimed in claim 2, wherein the vehicle includes a windshield area and a licence plate mounting area, and wherein said second capture zone includes said licence plate mounting area and excludes said windshield area when the vehicle is in the laneway.

6. The system claimed in claim 2, wherein said second antenna is mounted between three and five feet above a surface of the laneway.

7. The system claimed in claim 2, wherein said second capture zone defines a volume substantially spanning the laneway and having a height of between two and four feet at a centre point in the laneway.

8. The system claimed in claim 1, wherein said transaction processor includes a transceiver, and wherein said transceiver controls said first antenna and said second antenna so as to transmit said first signal and said second signal at mutually exclusive times.

9. The system claimed in claim 8, further including a vehicle sensor, said vehicle sensor detecting the vehicle in the laneway, said vehicle sensor being disposed between said first antenna and said second antenna, and wherein said transceiver deactivates said first antenna and activates said second antenna in response to said vehicle sensor.

10. The system claimed in claim 1, wherein said first signal comprises a signal at a first frequency and said second signal comprises a signal at a second frequency different from said first frequency.

11. The system claimed in claim 1, wherein said transaction processor includes a signal output port and wherein said signal output port is coupled to said first antenna and said second antenna through a splitter.

12. A reader for use in a toll plaza for obtaining toll payment from a vehicle travelling in a laneway, the vehicle having a transponder, the reader comprising:

a first lane-based antenna positioned overhead of the laneway and having a beam path directed substantially downwards towards the laneway;

a second lane-based antenna positioned at a side of the laneway and having a beam path directed substantially transverse to the laneway; and

a transaction processing system coupled to said first lane-based antenna and coupled to said second lane-based antenna and including a transceiver for exciting said antennas to induce propagation of an output signal and for receiving a response signal from the transponder through at least one of said antennas, and wherein said transaction processing system performs toll transaction processing.

13. The reader claimed in claim 12, wherein said beam path of said first lane-based antenna defines a first capture zone and wherein said beam path of said second lane-based antenna defines a second capture zone.

14. The reader claimed in claim 13, wherein the laneway includes a direction of travel, and wherein said first capture zone is upstream of said second capture zone with regard to said direction of travel.

15. The reader claimed in claim 13, wherein a portion of said first capture zone overlaps a portion of said second capture zone.

16. The reader claimed in claim 13, wherein the vehicle includes a windshield area and a licence plate mounting area, and wherein said second capture zone includes said licence plate mounting area and excludes said windshield area when the vehicle is in the laneway.

17. The reader claimed in claim 13, wherein said second lane-based antenna is mounted between three and five feet above a surface of the laneway.

18. The reader claimed in claim 13, wherein said second capture zone defines a volume substantially spanning the laneway and having a height of between two and four feet at a centre point in the laneway.

19. The reader claimed in claim 12, wherein said transceiver induces propagation of a first signal from said first lane-based antenna and induces propagation of a second signal from said second lane-based antenna, and wherein said first signal and said second signal are transmitted at different times.

20. The reader claimed in claim 19, further including a vehicle sensor, said vehicle sensor detecting the vehicle in the laneway, said vehicle sensor being disposed between said first lane-based antenna and said second lane-based antenna, and wherein said transceiver deactivates said first lane-based antenna and activates said second lane-based antenna in response to said vehicle sensor.

21. The reader claimed in claim 12, wherein said transceiver induces propagation of a first signal from said first lane-based antenna and induces propagation of a second signal from said second lane-based antenna, and wherein said first signal comprises a signal at a first frequency and said second signal comprises a signal at a second frequency different from said first frequency.

22. The reader claimed in claim 12, wherein said transceiver includes a signal output port and wherein said signal output port is coupled to said first lane-based antenna and said second lane-based antenna through a coupling device.

23. The reader claimed in claim 22, wherein said coupling device is a device chosen from the devices consisting of a splitter, a coupler, and a switch.

24. A method for communicating with a vehicle-mounted transponder in an electronic toll collection system using a predefined communications protocol, said electronic toll collection system including a transaction processing system and, for a laneway in a toll plaza, an overhead antenna and a side mount antenna, the side mount antenna being disposed at a side of the laneway, the overhead antenna and the side mount antenna being coupled to the transaction processing system, the method comprising the steps of:

propagating a first signal using the overhead antenna;

if the overhead antenna receives a response signal from the transponder, then conducting a transaction process in accordance with the predefined communications protocol using the overhead antenna;

propagating a second signal using the side mount antenna; and

if the side mount antenna receives a response signal from the transponder, then conducting the transaction process in accordance with the predefined communications protocol using the side mount antenna.

25. The method claimed in claim 24, wherein said step of propagating the second signal is performed if said overhead antenna fails to receive the response signal from the transponder.

26. The method claimed in claim 24, wherein said overhead antenna defines a first capture zone and wherein said side mount antenna defines a second capture zone, and wherein said first signal is propagated in said first capture zone and wherein said second signal is propagated in said second capture zone.

27. The method claimed in claim 26, wherein the laneway includes a direction of travel, and wherein said first capture zone is upstream of said second capture zone with regard to said direction of travel.

28. The method claimed in claim 26, wherein a portion of said first capture zone overlaps a portion of said second capture zone.

29. The method claimed in claim 26, wherein the vehicle includes a windshield area and a licence plate mounting area, and wherein said second capture zone includes said licence plate mounting area and excludes said windshield area when the vehicle is in the laneway.

30. The method claimed in claim 26, wherein the electronic toll collection system includes a vehicle sensor for determining if the vehicle has passed through a substantial portion of said first capture zone and wherein said steps of propagating the second signal and conducting the transaction process using the side mount antenna are performed in response to said vehicle sensor.

31. The method claimed in claim 30, further including a step of deactivating the overhead antenna in response to said vehicle sensor if the overhead antenna has not received the response signal.

32. The method claimed in claim 30, further including a step of generating an error signal if neither the overhead antenna nor the side mount antenna have received the response signal after a predetermined time period.

33. The method claimed in claim 24, wherein said steps of propagating a first signal and propagating a second signal are performed at different times.

34. The method claimed in claim 24, wherein said steps of propagating a first signal and propagating a second signal occur at substantially the same time, and wherein said first signal comprises a signal at a first frequency and said second signal comprises a signal at a second frequency different from said first frequency.