ELECTRONIC TOLL MANAGEMENT

• US 20090146845A1
• Filed: 02/06/2009
• Published: 06/11/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture Global Services GmbH (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Hedley, Jay E.
• Granted Patent: US 8,660,890 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/936
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/30 Transportation; Communications
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/62 Text, e.g. of license plates, overlay texts or captions on TV images
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/06 Arrangements for road pricing or congestion charging of vehicles or vehicle users, e.g. automatic toll systems
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/017 identifying vehicles G08G1/015, G08G1/054 take precedence

Abstract

Electronic toll management includes capturing an image of a vehicle triggered by a transaction event representing an interaction between the vehicle and a facility, determining a vehicle identifier based on the captured image, checking whether the vehicle identifier matches a vehicle identifier provided by a party, and notifying the party of an occurrence of a match.

Claims

1. A computerized method comprising:

electronically detecting a first transaction event representing an interaction between a first vehicle and a toll site of a toll facility;

in response to detecting the first transaction event, capturing an image of the first vehicle;

electronically determining a first vehicle identifier based on the captured image of the first vehicle;

electronically detecting a first volume of traffic that is traversing the toll site when the first transaction event is detected;

electronically calculating a first toll fee for the first vehicle based on the detected first volume of traffic;

electronically identifying a first party associated with the first vehicle based on the determined first vehicle identifier;

requesting payment of the first toll fee from the first party associated with the first vehicle;

electronically detecting a second transaction event representing an interaction between a second vehicle and the toll site of the toll facility;

in response to detecting the second transaction event, capturing an image of the second vehicle;

electronically determining a second vehicle identifier based on the captured image of the second vehicle;

electronically detecting a second volume of traffic that is traversing the toll site when the second transaction event is detected, the second volume of traffic being greater than the first volume of traffic;

electronically calculating a second toll fee for the second vehicle based on the detected second volume of traffic, the second toll fee being greater than the first toll fee;

electronically identifying a second party associated with the second vehicle based on the determined second vehicle identifier; and

requesting payment of the second toll fee from the second party associated with the second vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein electronically determining the first and second vehicle identifiers comprises electronically determining license plate numbers.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the toll facility comprises at least one of a toll road, a toll bridge, and a toll tunnel.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein electronically detecting the first transaction event comprises electronically detecting a presence of the first vehicle at the toll site and electronically detecting at least one of a characteristic of the first vehicle interacting with the toll site and a speed at which the first vehicle passes through the toll site.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first vehicle comprises a registered vehicle that includes at least one of an automobile, a truck, a motorcycle, and a bus.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein electronically identifying the first party associated with the first vehicle comprises searching one or more vehicle registration authority databases using the first vehicle identifier as a key for searching the databases, each database being associated with a particular jurisdiction.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

electronically detecting the average speed of vehicles passing through the toll site;

electronically determining whether the average speed of the vehicles passing through the toll site has dropped; and

conditioned on determining that the average speed of the vehicles passing through the toll site has dropped, sending an electronic message to a highway control facility to alert controllers of a possibility of a vehicle incident.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising, subsequent to informing the highway control facility of the possibility of a vehicle incident, enabling authorized controllers associated with the highway control facility to communicate with equipment at the toll site to view images captured at the toll site.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein requesting payment of the first toll fee from the first party comprises retrieving a mailing address of the first party and sending, to the mailing address, a request for payment of the first toll fee.

10. A system comprising:

a database for storing vehicle identifiers;

a toll facility configured to;

electronically detect a first transaction event representing an interaction between a first vehicle and a toll site of the toll facility,

in response to detecting the first transaction event, electronically capture and process an image of the first vehicle,

electronically detect a first volume of traffic that is traversing the toll site when the first transaction event is detected,

electronically detect a second transaction event representing an interaction between a second vehicle and the toll site,

in response to detecting the second transaction event, electronically capture and process an image of the second vehicle, and

electronically detect a second volume of traffic that is traversing the toll site when the second transaction event is detected, the second volume of traffic being greater than the first volume of traffic; and

a computer system configured to;

communicate with the database and the facility,

electronically determine a first vehicle identifier based on the captured image of the first vehicle,

electronically identify a first party associated with the first vehicle based on the determined first vehicle identifier,

electronically calculate a first toll fee for the first vehicle based on the detected first volume of traffic,

request payment of the first toll fee from the first party associated with the first vehicle,

electronically determine a second vehicle identifier based on the captured image of the second vehicle,

electronically identify a second party associated with the second vehicle based on the determined second vehicle identifier,

electronically calculate a second toll fee for the second vehicle based on the detected second volume of traffic, the second toll fee being greater than the first toll fee, and

request payment of the second toll fee from the second party associated with the second vehicle.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the computer system is configured to electronically determine the first and second vehicle identifiers by electronically determining license plate numbers.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the toll facility comprises at least one of a toll road, a toll bridge, and a toll tunnel.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the toll facility configured to electronically detect the first transaction event comprises the toll facility being configured to electronically detect a presence of the first vehicle at the toll site and electronically detect at least one of a characteristic of the first vehicle interacting with the toll site and a speed at which the first vehicle passes through the toll site.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the first vehicle includes a registered vehicle that includes at least one of an automobile, a truck, a motorcycle, and a bus.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the computer system configured to electronically identify the first party associated with the first vehicle comprises the computer system being configured to search one or more vehicle registration authority databases using the first vehicle identifier as a key for searching the databases, each database being associated with a particular jurisdiction.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein:

the toll facility is further configured to electronically detect the average speed of vehicles passing through the toll site, and

the computer system is further configured to;

electronically determine whether the average speed of the vehicles passing through the toll site has dropped; and

conditioned on determining that the average speed of the vehicles passing through the toll site has dropped, send an electronic message to a highway control facility to alert controllers of a possibility of a vehicle incident.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the computer system is further configured, subsequent to informing the highway control facility of the possibility of a vehicle incident, to enable authorized controllers associated with the highway control facility to communicate with equipment at the toll site to view images captured at the toll site.

18. A computerized method comprising:

electronically detecting a first transaction event representing an interaction between a first vehicle and a first toll site of a toll facility;

in response to detecting the first transaction event, capturing an image of the first vehicle;

electronically determining a time at which the first transaction event occurred;

electronically determining a first vehicle identifier based on the captured image of the first vehicle;

electronically detecting a second transaction event representing an interaction between a second vehicle and a second toll site of the toll facility, the second toll site being located a predetermined distance along a road of the toll facility from the first toll site;

in response to detecting the second transaction event, capturing an image of the second vehicle;

electronically determining a time at which the second transaction event occurred, the time at which the second transaction event occurred being subsequent to the time at which the first transaction event occurred;

electronically determining a second vehicle identifier based on the captured image of the second vehicle;

comparing the second vehicle identifier to the first vehicle identifier;

concluding that the first vehicle and the second vehicle are a same vehicle based on the comparison;

in response to concluding that the first vehicle and the second vehicle are the same vehicle, calculating a speed of the first vehicle based on the time at which the first transaction event occurred, the time at which the second transaction event occurred, and the predetermined distance;

determining that the calculated speed of the first vehicle is illegal; and

electronically informing law enforcement of the first vehicle in response to determining that the calculated speed of the first vehicle is illegal.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein electronically determining the first and second vehicle identifiers comprises electronically determining license plate numbers.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the toll facility includes at least one of a toll road, a toll bridge, and a toll tunnel.