Electronic vehicle toll collection system and method

• US 5,805,082 A
• Filed: 10/24/1996
• Issued: 09/08/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Amtech Systems LLC (Roper Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: At/Comm Incorporated
• Inventors: Hassett, John J.
• Primary Examiner(s): SWARTHOUT, BRENT
• Application Number:
  US08/736,270
• Time in Patent Office: 684 Days
• Field of Search: 340/905, 340/928, 340/933, 340/539, 340/901, 348/148, 348/149, 364/436, 364/401, 235/382, 235/384, 235/380, 235/379, 380/24, 701/117
• US Class Current: 340/928
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/765 with exchange of information between interrogator and responder
• 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 1/0104 Measuring and analyzing of parameters relative to traffic conditions

Abstract

A system for automatic collection of tolls includes an in-vehicle toll processor having memory for storing a toll-money-available quantity purchased by the user, and a toll-facility-identification site that transmits a toll-facility-identifier signal indicating the identity of the upcoming toll facility. As the vehicle approaches the identification site, the in-vehicle processor receives the identifier signal and calculates the toll to be debited. When the vehicle passes through the toll facility, the in-vehicle processor transmits its identity, its net balance and the toll, which it debits from an account balance. The in-vehicle processor may increment a low balance, in which case it transmits information which is relayed to a central system for billing. Various means for shutting down delinquent in-vehicle components or identifying offender vehicles are described.

Claims

1. A method for automatically collecting tolls from a vehicle moving along a roadway having a plurality of entrances and exits, wherein the toll to be charged to a vehicle varies with an entrance point of the vehicle to the roadway, an exit point of the vehicle to the roadway, and a vehicle class, the method comprising the steps of

providing at least a exit toll facility through which the vehicle can pass for toll collection,

providing an entrance toll-facility-identification site corresponding to said entrance point of said vehicle to said roadway,

providing in a vehicle a vehicle transponder having storage for storing toll-money-available information representative of a monetary quantity available for debiting in a toll transaction at an upcoming toll facility,

loading the transponder with electronic gross-toll-amount information representative of an initial toll-money-available value,

storing a toll schedule, indicative solely of exit toll facility tolls corresponding to said entrance point of said vehicle to said roadway, in said vehicle transponder in response to a transmission from said entrance toll-facility-identification site,

transmitting, from a exit toll-facility-identification site corresponding to the exit toll facility, a exit toll-facility-identifier signal for reception by said vehicle transponder,

said vehicle transponder being receptive to receive said exit toll-facility-identifier signal,

said vehicle transponder being arranged to determine, in response to the exit toll-facility-identifier signal, a toll amount from said schedule to be debited against the value of the money available at the exit toll facility, and

transmitting, from the vehicle transponder, as the vehicle proceeds through the exit toll collection facility, data identifying the in-vehicle toll processor and toll balance information from storage.

2. The method of claim 1, including the step of reducing the value of the toll-money-available signal in accordance with the toll amount debited.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of transmitting to the in-vehicle toll processor an acknowledgment signal indicating that said toll balance information has been received.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of using the vehicle transponder to compare the monetary quantity represented by the toll-money-available information with a preselected minimum, and automatically incrementing the monetary quantity represented by the toll-money-available information when it falls below the preselected minimum.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising the step of transmitting an update signal from the vehicle transponder indicative of said incrementing.

6. The method of claim 4, further including the step of remotely receiving said update signal and separately and independently billing for the amount of said incrementing.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of storing said exit toll-facility-identifier signal in said vehicle transponder.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising the steps of

providing a second toll facility on the roadway, remote from said first toll facility,

providing a second toll-facility-identification site corresponding to said second toll facility,

transmitting from said second toll-facility-identification site a second toll-facility-identifier signal,

using the vehicle transponder to receive said second toll-facility-identifier signal, and

overwriting the stored first toll-facility-identifier signal with the second toll-facility-identifier signal.

9. The method of claim 1, further wherein the step of providing a vehicle transponder includes providing a transponder configured for automatically incrementing the amount of toll money available in storage in said vehicle transponder when the value of money available is low and further including the step of transmitting a signal to enable separately and independently billing for said incrementing.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising a said step of transmitting a list identifying invalid vehicle transponders, and wherein a vehicle transponder identified in the list responds to reception of said list by shutting down, whereby it may be detected as non-responsive at said toll facility.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said vehicle transponder is authorized for use in a vehicle having a specified toll class, and said transponder stores a portion of the schedule applicable to said class.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising a said step of transmitting a list identifying invalid vehicle transponders, and wherein a vehicle transponder identified in the list responds to reception of said list by transmitting an offender message, whereby it may be detected at said toll facility.

13. An in-vehicle component for an automatic toll collection system, such component comprising

a processor including information storage and an operating program configured to store and to augment a toll-money-available balance in said storage, and

a transponder interfaced with said processor for receiving toll station communications and responding thereto with current balance information and a balanced incremented notification if a balance has been augmented since a last response as a vehicle bearing said in-vehicle component proceeds past a toll station, thereby providing said current balance information to a toll station externally of said component such that when a current balance exceeds an externally-recorded toll-money-available balanced and a "balance incremented" notification is sent to said toll station, a user may be billed for the processor having automatically augmented the toll-money-available balance in said storage.

14. Apparatus for locating a mobile object moving in relation to at least one stationary transceiver corresponding to a roadway for which use a toll is charged and having a toll account balance associated with use of said toll roadway by said object comprising,

a transmitter included in said stationary transceiver transmitting a radio frequency signal having a locally distributed signal intensity and identifying its location,

a toll account memory for storing said toll account balance,

a receiver included in said stationary transceiver for receiving radio frequency signals,

a mobile transceiver having a preassigned identity and being carried by said object, said transceiver including a transmitter, a receiver, a memory, a microprocessor, and a signal evaluation circuit for evaluating the radio frequency signal to determine location of said object with respect to said stationary transceiver, such that said mobile transceiver transmits back to said stationary transceiver an indication of the pre-assigned identity of said object and its location with respect to said stationary transceiver, the mobile transceiver further transmitting said toll account balance stored in said toll account memory.

15. Apparatus in accordance with claim 14, wherein in response to said transmitted toll account balance a delinquent status is generated when said transmitted toll account balance differs from an external stored balance and no "balance incremented" notification is sent by said mobile object, and the apparatus actuates an externally detectable signaling device to identify the moving object carrying said mobile transceiver.