Method and Apparatus for Displaying Toll Charging Parameters

• US 20110090095A1
• Filed: 10/16/2009
• Published: 04/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kapsch TrafficCom AG (Datax Handelsgmbh)
• Original Assignee: Kapsch TrafficCom AG (Datax Handelsgmbh)
• Inventors: Aschenbrenner, Thomas, Aschenbrenner, Roland, Goldmann, Christian
• Granted Patent: US 8,321,264 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
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0175 by photographing vehicles, e.g. when violating traffic rules

Abstract

The invention relates to methods and apparatus for displaying toll charging parameters of vehicles by means of a roadside display. In one embodiment, parameters are sent from an onboard-unit of the vehicle to the roadside display. In an alternative embodiment, parameters are registered under a vehicle identification in a database and retrieved therefrom for displaying on the roadside display by a detection of the identification of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A method of displaying toll charging parameters set in a toll charging onboard-unit of a vehicle comprising the steps of:

sending at least one toll charging parameter from the onboard-unit to a roadside display; and

displaying said at least one parameter on the roadside display.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said parameter is the number of occupants of the vehicle.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the vehicle is traveling on a high-occupancy or express toll lane.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said parameter is a vehicle class of the vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said parameter is a status of the vehicle registered in a database list.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending step is made using a DSRC, WAVE, RFID or infrared link.

7. An apparatus for displaying toll charging parameters set in a toll charging onboard-unit of a vehicle comprising:

at least one onboard-unit including means for sending at least one of its toll charging parameters to at least one roadside display;

wherein the at least one roadside display includes means for receiving and displaying said parameter.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said parameter is the number of occupants of the vehicle.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the vehicle is traveling on a high-occupancy or express toll lane.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said parameter is a vehicle class of the vehicle.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the means for sending and the means for receiving said parameter is a DSRC, WAVE, RFID or infrared link established between the onboard-unit and the roadside display.

12. A method of displaying toll charging parameters of a vehicle comprising the steps of:

registering at least one toll charging parameter of the vehicle together with an identification of the vehicle in a database,

detecting the identification of a vehicle and sending it to the database,

retrieving at least one toll charging parameter for said identification from the database and sending it to a roadside display, and

displaying said at least one parameter on the roadside display.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said identification is written on a license plate of the vehicle and said detecting step is made by optical reading of the license plate.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein said identification is stored in an electronic device of the vehicle and said detecting step is made by wireless communication with the electronic device.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said detecting step is made using a DSRC, WAVE, RFID, or infrared link.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein said registering step is made by means of a web portal of the database server.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein said registering step is made by means of a short message sent to the database server via a mobile phone network.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein said parameter is the number of occupants of the vehicle.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein said parameter is a vehicle class of the vehicle.

20. An apparatus for displaying toll charging parameters of a vehicle, comprising:

a database for registering at least one toll charging parameter of the vehicle together with an identification of the vehicle,

a detection and retrieval means for detecting the identification of a vehicle and retrieving at least one of the toll charging parameters registered under this identification from the database, and

a roadside display for displaying said at least one parameter retrieved.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein said detection and retrieval means comprises a camera reading a license plate of the vehicle as said identification.

22. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein said detection and retrieval means comprises a wireless communication device reading an electronic identification tag of the vehicle as said identification.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein said wireless communication device establishes a DSRC, WAVE, RFID, or infrared link with the electronic identification tag.

24. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein said database has an internet interface for entering registration data.

25. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein said database has a mobile phone network interface for receiving registration data sent by a short message over the mobile phone network.