ROAD TOLL SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20120232964A1
• Filed: 03/07/2012
• Published: 09/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Titan Intelligence Technology Limited
• Original Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Inventors: BRANDS, Jan Rene
• Granted Patent: US 9,934,619 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/13
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/063 using wireless information transmission between the vehicle and a fixed station identification of vehicles G08G
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00174 Electronically operated locks; Circuits therefor; Nonmechanical keys therefor, e.g. passive or active electrical keys or other data carriers without mechanical keys mechanical locks with electric permutation E05B49/00; arrangements for sensing or reading record carriers G06K7/00; electronic switching H03K17/00

Abstract

The invention relates to a road toll system using a vehicle-mounted satellite navigation receiver, from which routes taken and road prices incurred are determined. A billing system bills a user in dependence on the road prices incurred. A portable activation device transmits information concerning the owner of the portable activation device to the vehicle-mounted unit, and the vehicle-mounted unit provides information to the billing system to enable identification of the owner of the portable activation device.

In combination, the portable activation device and the vehicle-mounted unit can be considered to function in a similar way to a known vehicle-mounted OBU. However, by separating the data necessary to provide user-personalisation into the portable activation device, the vehicle-mounted unit can become more standard, and the user is able to drive other vehicles more easily.

Claims

1. A road toll arrangement comprising a vehicle mounted unit for use in a road toll system, wherein the vehicle mounted unit comprises a satellite navigation receiver implementing a position tracking function and wherein the road toll system comprises a routing system for determining the routes taken by the vehicle based on the position tracking information, a pricing system for determining road prices incurred based on the routes taken, and a billing system for billing a user of the system in dependence on the road prices incurred,

wherein the road toll arrangement further comprises a portable activation device, wherein the portable activation device is adapted to transmit information concerning the owner of the portable activation device to the vehicle-mounted unit, and the vehicle-mounted unit is adapted to provide information to the billing system to enable identification of the owner of the portable activation device.

2. An arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the portable activation device comprises:

a transmitter and receiver; and

a security module.

3. An arrangement as claimed in claim 2, wherein the portable activation device is a wireless device which is used to remotely unlock the vehicle.

4. An arrangement as claimed in claim 2, wherein the portable activation device is a wireless device used to disable an immobilization unit of the vehicle.

5. A road toll system comprising:

a road toll arrangement as claimed in claim 2;

the routing system for determining the routes taken by the vehicle based on the position tracking information;

the pricing system for determining road prices incurred based on the routes taken; and

the billing system for billing a user of the system in dependence on the road prices incurred.

6. A system as claimed in claim 5, adapted to establish a communication channel between the security module and the vehicle-mounted unit via the transmitter and receiver.

7. A system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the vehicle-mounted unit comprises an element that can communicate wirelessly with a remote server to transmit route information which comprises information about routes taken and/or information about pricing relating to the routes taken, to the remote server.

8. A system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the vehicle-mounted unit is adapted to communicate with the portable activation device to send data for signature to the security module derived from the route information, and the security module is adapted to apply a digital signature to the data and return the signed data to the vehicle-mounted unit for communication by the vehicle-mounted unit to the remote server.

9. A system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the security module is further adapted to encrypt the data for signature.

10. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the portable activation device comprises one of:

a wireless smart card which is separate to a vehicle key;

part of a wireless vehicle key, wherein the same channel for immobilisation is used as for transmitting information concerning the owner of the portable wireless activation device to the vehicle-mounted unit;

part of a wireless vehicle key, with a separate card reader provided for the reception by the vehicle-mounted unit of the information concerning the owner of the portable activation device to the channel for immobilisation;

part of a key fob of the vehicle key;

part of a smart card vehicle key, wherein the information concerning the owner of the portable activation device is transmitted to the vehicle-mounted unit by a wired link between the vehicle-mounted unit and smart card vehicle key when inserted in a key slot.

11. A method of implementing road tolling comprising:

operating a satellite navigation receiver implementing a position tracking function in a vehicle-mounted unit;

determining the routes taken by the vehicle based on the position tracking information;

determining road prices incurred based on the routes taken;

billing a user of the system in dependence on the road prices incurred,

wherein the method comprises;

using a portable activation device to transmit information concerning the owner of the portable activation device to the vehicle-mounted unit; and

using the vehicle-mounted unit to provide information to the billing system to enable identification of the owner of the portable activation device.

12. A method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising using the portable activation device to remotely unlock the vehicle and/or to disable an immobilization unit of the vehicle.

13. A method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising establishing a communication channel between a security module of the portable activation device and the vehicle-mounted unit and comprising the vehicle-mounted unit communicating wirelessly with a remote server to transmit route information which comprises information about routes taken and/or information about pricing relating to the routes taken, to the remote server.

14. A method as claimed in claim 13, further comprising:

the vehicle-mounted unit communicating with the portable activation device to send data for signature to the security module derived from the route information;

the security module applying a digital signature to the data and returning the signed data to the vehicle-mounted unit;

the vehicle-mounted unit communicating the digitally signal data to the remote server.

15. A method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the security module encrypts the data for signature.