BEACON FOR A ROAD TOLL SYSTEM

• US 20110263207A1
• Filed: 04/18/2011
• Published: 10/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kapsch TrafficCom AG (Datax Handelsgmbh)
• Original Assignee: Kapsch TrafficCom AG (Datax Handelsgmbh)
• Inventors: Zottl, Gerald, Tijink, Jasja, Povolny, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 8,830,087 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/66.1
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/063 using wireless information transmission between the vehicle and a fixed station identification of vehicles G08G

Abstract

A beacon with a transceiver for radio communication with vehicle OBUs of a road toll system, wherein the transceiver has a directional antenna and is configured to communicate wirelessly with OBUs on a selected channel directed via the directional antenna wherein the transceiver is additionally equipped with an omnidirectional antenna and is configured to transmit, before the beginning of a directional radio communication, by means of the omnidirectional antenna a channel reservation message and/or to check, before the beginning of a directional radio communication, by means of the omnidirectional antenna whether the selected channel is free.

Claims

1. A beacon for a road toll system comprising:

a transceiver for radio communication with a plurality of vehicle OBUs of the road toll system, wherein the transceiver includes a directional antenna and is configured to communicate wirelessly and directionally with OBUs on a selected channel via the directional antenna, and wherein the transceiver is additionally equipped with an omnidirectional antenna and is configured to perform one or more of the group consisting of transmitting a channel reservation message by the omnidirectional antenna, before the beginning of a directional radio communication, and checking by the omnidirectional antenna whether the selected channel is free, before the beginning of a directional radio communication.

2. The beacon according to claim 1, wherein the transceiver is configured to first check whether the selected channel is free and then to transmit the channel reservation message.

3. The beacon according to claim 1, wherein the directional radio communication occurs according to the DSRC or WAVE standard.

4. The beacon according to claim 1, further comprising a support mounted over a road, on which the directional antenna and the omnidirectional antenna are mounted.

5. The beacon according to claim 3, further comprising a support mounted over a road, on which the directional antenna and the omnidirectional antenna are mounted.