Apparatus in taximeters for coaction by teletransmission with a common calculator unit

• US 4,570,228 A
• Filed: 09/08/1982
• Issued: 02/11/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/1980
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Trancometer AB
• Original Assignee: Haldex AB (SAF-HOLLAND SE)
• Inventors: Ahlberg, Krister
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Gary
• Application Number:
  US06/416,020
• Time in Patent Office: 1,252 Days
• Field of Search: 364/467, 364/561, 364/565, 235/30 R, 235/45, 377/16, 377/20, 377/24
• US Class Current: 705/417
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0284 Time or distance, e.g. usage of parking meters or taximeters
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 13/04 for indicating fare or state of hire

Abstract

The invention relates to taximeter installations including mobile taximeter apparatus (2) coacting via radio (3, 4) with a central computer (1). Each taximeter (2) includes registers (15, 26) for collecting pulses relating to travelled distance and consumed time, the central computer (1) initiating periodic read-out (20, 21, 29, 30) of the register content, inter alia for fare price calculation. The central computer also sets a criterion frequency value, so that the pulses related to travelled distance are prevented by means of a circuit (9) from being stored in the register (15) when the frequency of said pulses falls below the criterion frequency, time pulses being stored in a register (26) when the criterion frequency is not attained by the travelled distance pulses.

Claims

1. Apparatus for calculating taxi fares, comprising a central unit and a mobile unit in each, of a plurality of taxis,

said mobile unit comprising means responsive to the distance travelled by the taxi for generating distance information, clock means for generating elapsed time information, first register means for storing said distance information, second register means for storing said elapsed time information,

means for enabling the transmission of distance information from said distance information generating means to said first register means only when the taxi is travelling at a speed above a threshold speed and for enabling the transmission of elapsed time information from said clock means to said second register means when the taxi is stopped or is travelling at a speed below said threshold speed, means for transmitting the stored distance and time information to said central unit, means for receiving from said central unit a calculated fare and means for displaying said calculated fare, and

said central unit comprising means for controlling said enabling means of said mobile units to change said threshold speed, means for periodically and sequentially initiating the transmittal of stored distance and time information from said mobile units of said taxis, memory means for receiving and storing said information, computer means for calculating the fare for each taxi from said stored information and means for transmitting the calculated fares to said taxis.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which said distance information generating means comprises means for generating distance pulses at a frequency corresponding to the speed of said taxi and said elapsed time information generating means comprises means for generating clock pulses of a fixed frequency.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2, in which said first and second register means comprise means for receiving and storing information in the form of binary states.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3, in which said enabling means comprises means for comparing the frequency of said distance pulses with the frequency of said clock pulses and feeding said distance pulses to said first register means when said distance pulses have a frequency higher than a set frequency determined by said threshold speed and feeding said clock pulses to said second register means when said distance pulses have a frequency below said set frequency.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which each mobile unit includes means for signalling said central unit that a trip has been completed and requesting a calculated fare.

6. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which each mobile unit includes means for transmitting to said central unit information affecting tariff rates.

7. Apparatus for calculating taxi fares, comprising a central unit and a mobile unit in each of a plurality of taxis,

said mobile unit comprising first means for generating pulses proportional to the distance travelled by the taxi, first register means for storing distance information in the form of binary states, second means for generating clock pulses, second register means for storing time information in the form of binary states, means for transmitting said distance pulses to said first register means only when the speed of said taxi is above a threshold speed and for transmitting said clock pulses to said second register means only when said taxi is stopped or travelling at a speed below said threshold speed, first transceiver means for transmitting to said central unit on command distance and time information stored in said first and second register means, and means for displaying fares received through said first transceiver means from said central unit, and

said central unit comprising second transceiver means for receiving said distance and time information from mobile units, means for transmitting through said second transceiver means a signal to all mobile units to change said threshold speed and computer means for storing and processing said information to determine applicable fare, means for generating signals transmitted to mobile units through said second transceiver means for periodically and sequentially initiating transmittal of said information from mobile units to said central unit, and means for generating a signal transmitted to respective mobile units through said second transceiver means to activate said means for displaying a fare.

8. Apparatus according to claim 7, in which said means for transmitting pulses from said first and second pulse generator means to said first and second register means comprises first gate means controlling the transmission of pulses from said first pulse generating means to said first register means, second gate means controlling the transmission of pulses from said second pulse generating means to said second register means, and means responsive to the frequency of pulses generated by said first pulse generating means for controlling said first and second gate means to transmit pulses from said first pulse generating means to said first register means only when the frequency of pulses from said first pulse generating means is above a set frequency and to transmit pulses from said second pulse generating means to said second register means only when the frequency of pulses from said first pulse generating means is below said set frequency.

9. Apparatus according to claim 7, in which each of said mobile units includes means for transmitting to said central unit through said first transceiver means information affecting fare computation.

10. Apparatus according to claim 7, in which each of said mobile units includes means for transmitting to said central unit through said first transceiver means a signal indicating completion of a trip and requesting fare information.

11. Apparatus for calculating taxi fares, comprising a central unit and a mobile unit for each of a plurality of taxis,

said mobile unit comprising means responsive to the distance travelled by the taxi for generating distance information, clock means for generating elapsed time information, means for storing said distance information only when the speed at which the taxis is travelling is above a threshold speed and for storing said elapsed time information only when the taxi is stopped or is travelling at a speed below said threshold speed, means for transmitting the stored distance and time information to said central unit, and means for receiving from said central unit and displaying a calculated fare, and

said central unit comprising means for periodically and sequentially initiating transmission of said stored distance and time information from said mobile units to said central unit, means for receiving and storing said information, means for calculating the fare for each taxi from said stored information and means for transmitting the calculated fares to said taxis,

each mobile unit including means for sequentially timing the transmission of information to said central unit in order to effect transmission sequences within a given short time period, the transmission being initiated by said central unit which thus starts the said means for sequential timing of each mobile unit.