Vehicle-mounted unit for an automatic toll collection system that prevents double toll charging
First Claim
1. An automatic toll collection system mounted on a vehicle, said system comprising:
- toll charge processing means for executing a toll charge process by performing predetermined communication with an interrogator when said vehicle is in a toll chargeable area where said system can receive toll charge commands from said interrogator;
toll charge prohibiting means for prohibiting said toll charge processing means from executing further toll charge processes after said toll charge processing means finishes a first toll charge process;
travel distance measuring means for measuring a travel distance of said vehicle from a position of said vehicle during said first toll charging process; and
a toll charge prohibition continuation means for continuing said toll charge prohibition when said travel distance is less than a toll chargeable distance which corresponds to a size of said toll chargeable area.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
After a vehicle-mounted unit determines that a vehicle has entered a toll chargeable area, if communication is determined to be allowable through a flag, communication operations are performed and after finishing communication operations, the flag is set and communication operations thereafter are prohibited. Next, the unit determines if a travel distance has exceeded a toll chargeable distance. The travel distance is measured by counting the number of vehicular speed pulses received after the end of the communication operations, and the toll chargeable distance is set to be equal or greater than the travel distance needed by the vehicle to enter the communication area and leave it. If it is determined that travel distance has exceeded toll chargeable distance, the flag is reset, communication prohibition is released and communication thereafter is allowed.
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Citations
22 Claims
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1. An automatic toll collection system mounted on a vehicle, said system comprising:
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toll charge processing means for executing a toll charge process by performing predetermined communication with an interrogator when said vehicle is in a toll chargeable area where said system can receive toll charge commands from said interrogator; toll charge prohibiting means for prohibiting said toll charge processing means from executing further toll charge processes after said toll charge processing means finishes a first toll charge process; travel distance measuring means for measuring a travel distance of said vehicle from a position of said vehicle during said first toll charging process; and a toll charge prohibition continuation means for continuing said toll charge prohibition when said travel distance is less than a toll chargeable distance which corresponds to a size of said toll chargeable area. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method of controlling toll charge processing operations in an automatic toll collection system mounted on a vehicle, said method comprising the steps of:
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receiving a toll charge command from an interrogator; performing toll charge processing responsive to said toll charge command; inhibiting performance of subsequent toll charge processing; measuring a distance travelled by said vehicle from a position of said vehicle during said toll charge processing; and enabling performance of subsequent toll charge processing when said distance exceeds a predetermined distance. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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Specification