DYNAMIC PRICING FOR TOLL LANES

• US 20090295599A1
• Filed: 06/02/2009
• Published: 12/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electronic Transaction Consultants Corporation
• Original Assignee: Electronic Transaction Consultants Corporation
• Inventors: Lain, Marty, Coffee, Brett
• Granted Patent: US 8,149,139 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 1/0104 Measuring and analyzing of parameters relative to traffic conditions

Abstract

The present invention provides a method and system for determining a toll charge for vehicles traveling on a toll lane that includes determining a change in traffic flow for vehicles traveling on the toll lane, determining a change in traffic speed for vehicles traveling on the toll lane, and determining the toll charge for vehicles traveling on the toll lane using a weighting approach that weights the change in traffic flow with a first factor and weights the change in speed with a second factor, the first factor depending on whether the change in traffic flow is increasing or decreasing, and the second factor depending on whether the change in speed is increasing or decreasing.

Claims

1. A method for determining a toll charge for vehicles traveling on a toll lane, the method comprising:

determining a change in traffic flow of vehicles traveling on the toll lane;

determining a change in speed of vehicles traveling on the toll lane; and

determining the toll charge for vehicles traveling on the toll lane using a weighting approach that weights the change in traffic flow by a first factor and weights the change in speed by a second factor, the first factor depending on whether the change in traffic flow is increasing or decreasing, and the second factor depending on whether the change in speed is increasing or decreasing.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the traffic flow is defined as a rate at which vehicles travel pass a section of the toll lane over a predetermined period of time.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the speed is defined as an average speed of vehicles traveling on the toll lane.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the change in traffic flow includes determining a difference between a current traffic flow and a previous traffic flow.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first factor is also dependent on the current traffic flow of vehicles traveling on the toll lane.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the first factor is greater for a current traffic flow that is proximate an optimum traffic flow than a current traffic flow that is proximate a minimum traffic flow, the optimum traffic flow and the minimum traffic flow being user-defined parameters.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the change in speed includes determining a difference between a current speed and a previous speed.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the second factor is also dependent on the current speed of vehicles traveling on the toll lane.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the second factor is greater for a current speed that is proximate an optimum speed than a current speed that is proximate a maximum speed, the optimum speed and the maximum speed being user-defined parameters.

10. A method for determining a toll charge for vehicles traveling on a toll lane, the method comprising:

determining a change in traffic flow and speed of vehicles traveling on a toll lane;

determining a change in traffic flow and speed of vehicles traveling on a non-toll lane that runs parallel with the toll lane;

weighting the change in traffic flow and speed of vehicles traveling on the toll lane in relation to a current traffic flow and speed for the toll lane;

weighting the change in traffic flow and speed of vehicles traveling on the non-toll lane in relation to a current traffic flow and speed for the non-toll lane; and

determining the toll charge by combining the weighted change in traffic flow and speed for the toll lane and the weighted change in traffic flow and speed for the non-toll lane.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the determining the change in traffic flow and speed of vehicles traveling on the toll lane and non-toll lane includes:

determining a difference between the current traffic flow and a previous traffic flow; and

determining a difference between the current speed and a previous speed.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the weighting the change in traffic flow and speed of vehicles traveling on the toll lane includes:

weighting the change in traffic flow of vehicles traveling on the toll lane by a first factor, the first factor depending on whether the change in traffic flow for the toll lane is increasing or decreasing; and

weighting the change in speed of vehicles traveling on the toll lane by a second factor, the second factor depending on whether the change in speed for the toll lane is increasing or decreasing.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the weighting the change in traffic flow and speed of vehicles traveling on the non-toll lane includes:

weighting the change in traffic flow of vehicles traveling on the non-toll lane by a third factor, the third factor depending on whether the change in traffic flow for the non-toll lane is increasing or decreasing; and

weighting the change in speed of vehicles traveling on the non-toll lane by a fourth factor, the fourth factor depending on whether the change in speed for the non-toll lane is increasing or decreasing.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the traffic flow is defined as a rate at which vehicles travel pass a section of the toll lane or non-toll lane over a predetermined period of time;

wherein the speed is defined as an average speed of vehicles.

15. A toll system comprising:

a first sensor for sensing a traffic flow of vehicles traveling on a toll lane;

a second sensor for sensing a speed of vehicles traveling on the toll lane; and

a controller operatively coupled to the first and second sensors for receiving information regarding the traffic flow and the speed, of vehicles traveling on the toll lane and configured to;

determine a change in the traffic flow of vehicles traveling on the toll lane;

determine a change in the speed of vehicles traveling on the toll lane; and

determine a toll charge for vehicles traveling on the toll lane using a weighting approach that weights the change in the traffic flow by a first factor and weights the change in the speed by a second factor, the first factor depending on whether the change in traffic flow is increasing or decreasing, and the second factor depending on whether the change in speed is increasing or decreasing.

16. The toll system of claim 15, wherein the change in the traffic flow of vehicles traveling on the toll lane is defined as a difference between a traffic flow determined at a current point in time and a traffic flow determined at a previous point in time;

and

wherein the change in the speed of vehicles traveling on the toll lane is defined as a difference between a speed determined at the current point in time and a speed determined at the previous point in time.

17. The toll system of claim 16, wherein the first factor is also dependent on the current traffic flow of vehicles traveling on the toll lane;

and

wherein the second factor is also dependent on the current speed of vehicles traveling on the toll lane.

18. The toll system of claim 17, wherein the first factor is greater for a current traffic flow near an optimum traffic flow as compared to a current traffic flow near a minimum traffic flow, the optimum traffic flow and minimum traffic flow being user-defined parameters;

wherein the second factor is greater for a current speed near an optimum speed as compared to a current speed near a maximum speed, the optimum speed and maximum speed being user-defined parameters.

19. The toll system of claim 15, further comprising:

a third sensor for sensing a traffic flow of vehicles traveling on a non-toll lane; and

a fourth sensor for sensing a speed of vehicles traveling on the non-toll lane;

wherein the controller is operatively coupled to the third and fourth sensors for receiving information regarding the traffic flow and the speed of vehicles traveling on the non-toll lane and configured to;

determine a change in the traffic flow of vehicles traveling on the non-toll lane;

determine a change in the speed of vehicles traveling on the non-toll lane;

weight the change in traffic flow of vehicles traveling on the non-toll lane by a third factor, the third factor depending on whether the change in traffic flow for the non-toll lane is increasing or decreasing;

weight the change in speed of vehicles traveling on the non-toll lane by a fourth factor, the fourth factor depending on whether the change in speed for the non-toll lane is increasing a decreasing; and

determine the toll charge by combining the weighted change in traffic flow and speed for the toll lane and the weighted change in traffic flow and speed for the non-toll lane.

20. The toll system of claim 19, wherein the change in the traffic flow of vehicles traveling on the non-toll lane is defined as a difference between a traffic flow determined at a current point in time and a traffic flow determined at a previous point in time;

and

wherein the change in the speed of vehicles traveling on the non-toll lane is defined as a difference between a speed determined at the current point in time and a speed determined at the previous point in time.