ELECTRONIC TOLL COLLECTION SYSTEM WITH MULTI-BEAM ANTENNAS
First Claim
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1. An electronic toll collection system for conducting electronic toll collection for a multilane roadway having a direction of travel, the system comprising:
- a first phased array antenna disposed above a first laneway in the roadway and positioned and configured to have a first plurality of beams, each beam having a beam center ray substantially within a first vertical plane parallel with the direction of travel;
a second phased array antenna disposed above a second laneway adjacent the first laneway in the roadway and positioned and configured to have a second plurality of beams, each beam having a beam center ray substantially within a second vertical plane parallel with the direction of travel; and
a reader including a first transceiver for exciting and controlling the first phased array antenna and for receiving incoming signals from the first phased array antenna, a second transceiver for exciting and controlling the second phased array antenna and for receiving incoming signals from the second phased array antenna, and a controller for controlling the transceivers, wherein the controller is configured to conduct electronic toll communications with a transponder within the roadway through the antennas, and wherein the controller is configured to determine whether said transponder is located in said first laneway or said second laneway based on said incoming signals from the first and second phased array antennas.
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Abstract
An ETC system that uses lane-based phased array antennas to create both wide zone coverage areas upstream of the toll location and narrow zone coverage areas to complete transaction processing and vehicle location functions at the toll location. The phased array antennas are partly directed upstream with respect to the direction of travel in the roadway and they are each positioned to create a series of coverage areas generally parallel to the direction of travel and generally centered within a laneway.
27 Citations
16 Claims
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1. An electronic toll collection system for conducting electronic toll collection for a multilane roadway having a direction of travel, the system comprising:
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a first phased array antenna disposed above a first laneway in the roadway and positioned and configured to have a first plurality of beams, each beam having a beam center ray substantially within a first vertical plane parallel with the direction of travel; a second phased array antenna disposed above a second laneway adjacent the first laneway in the roadway and positioned and configured to have a second plurality of beams, each beam having a beam center ray substantially within a second vertical plane parallel with the direction of travel; and a reader including a first transceiver for exciting and controlling the first phased array antenna and for receiving incoming signals from the first phased array antenna, a second transceiver for exciting and controlling the second phased array antenna and for receiving incoming signals from the second phased array antenna, and a controller for controlling the transceivers, wherein the controller is configured to conduct electronic toll communications with a transponder within the roadway through the antennas, and wherein the controller is configured to determine whether said transponder is located in said first laneway or said second laneway based on said incoming signals from the first and second phased array antennas. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 16)
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9. An electronic toll collection system for conducting electronic toll collection for a multilane roadway having a direction of travel, the system comprising:
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a first phased array antenna disposed above a first laneway in the roadway and positioned and configured to have a first plurality of beams defining a first series of coverage areas substantially centered along a first beam path parallel to said direction of travel; a second phased array antenna disposed above a second laneway adjacent the first laneway in the roadway and positioned and configured to have a second plurality of beams defining a second series of coverage areas substantially centered along a second beam path parallel to said direction of travel; and a reader including a first transceiver for exciting and controlling the first phased array antenna and for receiving incoming signals from the first phased array antenna, a second transceiver for exciting and controlling the second phased array antenna and for receiving incoming signals from the second phased array antenna, and a controller for controlling the transceivers, wherein the controller is configured to conduct electronic toll communications with a transponder within the roadway through the antennas, and wherein the controller is configured to determine whether said transponder is located in said first laneway or said second laneway based on said incoming signals from the first and second phased array antennas. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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Specification