Control Devices and Methods for a Road Toll System

• US 20130201038A1
• Filed: 02/01/2013
• Published: 08/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kapsch TrafficCom AG (Datax Handelsgmbh)
• Original Assignee: Kapsch TrafficCom AG (Datax Handelsgmbh)
• Inventors: Leopold, Alexander, Nagy, Oliver, Bck, Joachim
• Granted Patent: US 9,286,628 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/989
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/00 Arrangement or adaptation of signal devices not provided for in one of main groups B60Q1/00 - B60Q7/00 , e.g. haptic signalling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• 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: G07B 15/063 using wireless information transmission between the vehicle and a fixed station identification of vehicles G08G
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0137 for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/015 with provision for distinguishing between two or more types of vehicles, e.g. between motor-cars and cycles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0175 by photographing vehicles, e.g. when violating traffic rules
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/052 with provision for determining speed or overspeed speed measuring in general G01P
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/054 photographing overspeeding vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/202 Dispatching vehicles on the basis of a location, e.g. taxi dispatching
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental

Abstract

Control devices and methods for a road toll system that is based on on-board units carried by vehicles, using at least one recording vehicle and at least one control vehicle, which communicate with a central violation server, wherein the recording vehicle reads out a toll parameter from the on-board unit of a passing vehicle via a DSRC radio interface, compares it to a shape parameter of the vehicle detected by a sensor, and based thereon, in case of inconsistency, generates a violation data record and transmits it to the violation server, wherein the control vehicle registers the position or surroundings thereof in the violation server, and the violation server makes available to this control vehicle those violation data records, the locations of the violations of which are within the surroundings of a position of a control vehicle, and wherein the control vehicle issues an alert message when it detects a violating vehicle in the surroundings thereof.

Claims

1. A control device for a road toll system that is based on on-board units carried by vehicles, comprising:

at least one recording vehicle and at least one control vehicle, which each comprise a read unit for reading the license plate number of a license plate of the vehicle and are wirelessly connected to a central violation server,

wherein the recording vehicle is configured to detect a traffic or toll violation of an on-board unit, or of a vehicle carrying the same, and, if a violation exists, to transmit a violation data record, including the location of the violation and the license plate number read result of the vehicle, to the violation server,

wherein the violation server is configured to register control vehicles, including the positions or the surroundings thereof, and to provide violation data records, the locations of the violations of which are in the surroundings of a position, to a control vehicle that is registered with this position or these surroundings, and

wherein the control vehicle is configured to register the position or surroundings thereof in the violation server and to determine a violation data record that has been provided by the violation server for a read license plate number and, if such a record exists, to issue an alert message.

2. The control device according to claim 1 for a road toll system comprising on-board units, from which at least one vehicle shape-specific toll parameter can be read out via a DSRC radio interface, wherein

the recording vehicle comprises a DSRC transceiver configured to read out the toll parameter of a passing vehicle and a sensor configured for detecting a shape parameter of the vehicle,

wherein the recording vehicle is configured to check the toll parameter for consistency with the shape parameter and, in case of inconsistency, to transmit the violation data record, including the location of the violation and license plate number read result of the vehicle, to the violation server.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the recording vehicle is equipped with a unit configured to measure the speed of a passing vehicle so as to determine the traffic or toll violation also based on these measured values.

4. The device according to claim 1, further comprising a first plurality of recording vehicles and a second plurality of control vehicles, wherein the second plurality is greater than the first by at least one power of ten.

5. The device according to claim 2, wherein the shape parameter and the toll parameter are a respective vehicle length or a respective number of vehicle axles.

6. The device according to claim 2, wherein the sensor is a laser rangefinder or laser scanner configured to detect at least a portion of the shape of the vehicle by scanning as it passes and to generate at least one shape parameter therefrom.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein the violation data record also contains a time stamp, and the violation server is configured to take only violation data records into consideration that are within a predetermined time period.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein the recording vehicle is equipped with a unit configured to measure the speed and driving direction of a passing vehicle and to add these measured values to the violation data record, and the violation server is configured to extrapolate a temporal change of the location of the violation based on the aforementioned measurement values so as to take this into consideration when checking whether a location of a violation is within the surroundings of a position at a particular time.

9. A recording vehicle comprising

a communication unit for wirelessly communicating with a central violation server,

a DSRC transceiver for reading out a vehicle shape-specific toll parameter of a passing vehicle,

a sensor for detecting a shape parameter of the vehicle, and

a read unit for reading the license plate number of a license plate of the vehicle,

wherein the recording vehicle is configured to check the toll parameter for consistency with the shape parameter and, in case of inconsistency, to transmit a violation data record, including the location of the violation and license plate number read result of the vehicle, to the violation server.

10. The recording vehicle according to claim 9, wherein the sensor is a laser scanner, which is configured to detect at least a portion of the shape of the vehicle by scanning as it passes and generates at least one shape parameter therefrom.

11. The recording vehicle according to claim 9, wherein it is equipped with a unit for determining the location of the violation.

12. The recording vehicle according to claim 9, wherein it is equipped with a unit configured to measure at least one of the speed and the driving direction of a passing vehicle and to add this/these measured value(s) to the violation data record.

13. A violation server comprising:

a communication unit for wirelessly communicating with recording vehicles and control vehicles,

wherein the violation server is configured

to receive violation data records from recording vehicles and store these,

to register control vehicles, including the positions or the surroundings thereof, and

to provide violation data records, the locations of the violations of which are within the surroundings of a position, to a control vehicle that is registered with this position or these surroundings.

14. The violation server according to claim 13, wherein the violation data record also contains a time stamp, and the violation server is configured to take only violation data records into consideration that are within a predetermined time period.

15. The violation server according to claim 13, wherein the violation data record also contains measured values regarding the speed and driving direction, and the violation server is configured to extrapolate a temporal change of the location of the violation based on the aforementioned measured values so as to take these into consideration when checking whether a location of a violation is within the surroundings of a position at a particular time.

16. A control vehicle comprising:

a communication unit for wirelessly communicating with a central violation server,

a unit for registering the position or surroundings thereof in the violation server, and

a read unit for reading the license plate number of a license plate of a passing vehicle,

wherein the control vehicle is configured to determine a violation data record that has been provided by the violation server for a read license plate number and, if such a record exists, to issue an alert message.

17. The control vehicle according to claim 16, wherein the violation data record also contains a time stamp, and the control vehicle is configured to discard violation data records that are outside a predetermined time period.

18. The control vehicle according to claim 16, wherein it is equipped with a unit configured to determine the position thereof so as to register the position in the violation server.

19. A control method for a road toll system which is based on on-board units carried by vehicles, using at least one recording vehicle and at least one control vehicle, which can wirelessly communicate with a central violation server, the method comprising:

in the recording vehicle;

detecting a traffic or toll violation of an on-board unit or of a vehicle carrying the same and, if a violation exists,

transmitting a violation data record, containing a determined location of the violation and a read license plate number of the vehicle, to the violation server;

in the violation server;

registering control vehicles, including positions or the surroundings thereof,

receiving violation data records from recording vehicles and, if the locations of the violations thereof are within the surroundings of a position,

providing these violation data records to a control vehicle that is registered with this position or these surroundings;

in the control vehicle;

registering the position or surroundings thereof in the violation server,

reading the license plate number of a passing vehicle,

determining a violation data record provided by the violation server for a read license plate number and, if such a record exists,

issuing an alert message.

20. The control method according to claim 19 for a road toll system comprising on-board units, from which at least one vehicle shape-specific toll parameter can be read out via a DSRC radio interface, further comprising:

in the recording vehicle;

reading out the toll parameter of a passing vehicle by means of a DSRC transceiver,

detecting a shape parameter of the vehicle by means of a sensor,

checking the toll parameter for consistency with the shape parameter and, in case of inconsistency,

transmitting a violation data record, including the location of the violation and license plate number read result of the vehicle, to the violation server.

21. The method according to claim 19, wherein at least one of the speed or the driving direction of a passing vehicle is/are measured in the recording vehicle and the traffic or toll violation is also determined based on this/these measured value(s).

22. The method according to claim 19, wherein the shape parameter and the toll parameter are a respective vehicle length or a respective number of vehicle axles.

23. The method according to claim 19, wherein the violation data record also contains a time stamp, and the violation server only takes violation data records into consideration containing time stamps within a predetermined time period and/or the control vehicle discards violation data records containing time stamps outside a predetermined time period.

24. The method according to claim 19, wherein the recording vehicle measures the speed, and preferably the driving direction, of a passing vehicle and adds these to the violation data record, and based thereon the violation server extrapolates a temporal change of the location of the violation, so as to take this into consideration when checking whether a location of a violation is within the surroundings of a position at a particular time.