Toll collection system

• US 5,872,525 A
• Filed: 02/09/1996
• Issued: 02/16/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Hashimoto, Kazuyuki, Namiki, Masato, Fukasawa, Kazuo, Kojima, Hideaki, Naito, Kazutoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery
• Assistant Examiner(s): LA, ANH V
• Application Number:
  US08/596,866
• Time in Patent Office: 1,103 Days
• Field of Search: 340/928, 340/933, 364/436, 235/384, 235/375, 235/383
• US Class Current: 340/928
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/063 using wireless information transmission between the vehicle and a fixed station identification of vehicles G08G

Abstract

A radio communication system is provided at an entrance gate of traffic facilities for radio communicating with a communication device carried by a vehicle. The system includes a first communication unit for transmitting first entrance data relative to the entrance gate of the traffic facilities to the communication device carried by the vehicle coming into the entrance gate, a discriminating unit for determining a vehicle type showing a kind of incoming vehicle, and a second communication unit, provided on an opposite side of the entrance gate from the first communication unit, along a direction of progress of the vehicle, for transmitting a second entrance data including data relative to the determined vehicle type to the communication device when the first communication unit transmits the first entrance data to the communication device.

Claims

1. A radio communication system, provided at an entrance gate of traffic facilities, for radio communicating with a communication device carried by a vehicle, the radio communication system comprising:

first communication means, at a first side of the entrance gate, for transmitting a first entrance data relative to the entrance gate of the traffic facilities to the communication device carried by the vehicle coming into the entrance gate;

means for determining a vehicle type of the vehicle based on an overall length of the vehicle optically detected by the determining means; and

second communication means, provided at a second side of the entrance gate opposite the first side of the entrance gate along a direction of progress of the vehicle, for transmitting a second entrance data including data relative to the determined vehicle type to the communication device when the first communication means transmits the first entrance data to the communication device.

2. The radio communication system as claimed in claim 1 further comprising means, provided on the second side of the entrance gate along the direction of progress of the vehicle, for issuing a ticket onto which the first entrance data is recorded when the first communication means does not transmit the first entrance data to the communication device.

3. The radio communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the determining means obtains projective information of the vehicle from an optical sensing device and compares a pattern of the projective information with previously stored standard patterns to determine the vehicle type.

4. The radio communication system as claimed in claim 2, wherein:

the determining means obtains projective information of the vehicle from an optical sensing device and compares a pattern of the projective information with previously stored standard patterns to determine the vehicle type.

5. The radio communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the determining means further determines the vehicle type based on a kind of number plate on the vehicle perceived by a video camera.

6. A toll collection system having an entrance gate processing apparatus, provided at an entrance gate of a toll road, for communicating with a communication device carried by a vehicle and an exit gate processing apparatus, provided at an exit gate of the toll road, for communicating with the communication device and calculating a toll, the system comprising:

the entrance gate processing apparatus including;

first communication means, at a first side of the entrance gate, for transmitting a first entrance data relative to the entrance gate of the toll road to the communication device carried by the vehicle;

means for determining a vehicle type of the vehicle;

second communication means, provided at a second side of the entrance gate opposite the first side of the entrance gate along a direction of progress of the vehicle, for transmitting a second entrance data including data relative to the determined vehicle type to the communication device when the first communication means transmits the first entrance data to the communication device; and

issuing means, provided on the second side of the entrance gate along the direction of progress of the vehicle, for issuing a ticket onto which the first and the second entrance data are recorded when the first communication means does not transmit the first entrance data to the communication device, and the exit gate processing apparatus including;

third communication means for receiving the first and the second entrance data from the communication device;

first calculation means for calculating the toll of the vehicle carrying the communication device based on received data when the third communication means receives the first and the second entrance data; and

second calculation means for calculating the toll of the vehicle based on the first and the second entrance data recorded on the ticket when the third communication means does not receive the first entrance data.

7. The toll collection system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the exit gate processing apparatus further comprises:

input means for inputting data corresponding to the second entrance data when the third communication means does not receive the second entrance data; and

third calculation means for calculating the toll of the vehicle based on the first entrance data received by the third communication means and the data input by the input means.

8. The toll collection system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the exit gate processing apparatus further includes means for informing of an abnormality when the third communication means does not receive one of the first and the second entrance data.

9. A radio communication system comprising:

vehicle detection means for detecting a vehicle, carrying an on-board equipment, coming into a prescribed location;

axle detection means for detecting a number of axles of the incoming vehicle; and

radio communication means for starting a radio communication with the on-board equipment carried by the incoming vehicle when the vehicle detection means detects the incoming vehicle and stopping the radio comnunication with the on-board equipment carried by the incoming vehicle in response to the axle detection means detecting a second axle of the incoming vehicle.

10. The radio communication system as claimed in claim 9 further comprising control means for stopping the radio communication between the on-board equipment and the radio communication means when a proper completion of the radio communication with the on-board equipment carried by the incoming vehicle is detected before the axle detecting means detects the second axle of the incoming vehicle.

11. A radio communication system for communicating with an on-board equipment, which stores prescribed information including peculiar ID information, carried by a vehicle incoming into a prescribed location, the radio communication system comprising:

means for detecting the incoming vehicle;

axle detection means for detecting a number of axles of the incoming vehicle;

first communication means for starting a radio communication with the on-board equipment carried by the incoming vehicle when the detecting means detects the incoming vehicle and requesting the on-board equipment to transmit the peculiar ID information;

ID information receipt detection means for detecting whether the peculiar ID information is received from the on-board equipment in response to a request of the first communication means;

second communication means for exchanging required information with the on-board equipment when the ID information receipt detection means detects a receipt of the peculiar ID information; and

control means for stopping the radio communication with the on-board equipment when the axle detection means detects a second axle of the incoming vehicle even if the ID information receipt detection means does not detect the receipt of the peculiar ID information.

12. The radio communication system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the first communication means includes means for sending a start signal, for starting an operation of the on-board equipment, to the on-board equipment carried by the incoming vehicle.

13. The radio communication system as claimed in claim 11 further comprising second control means for stopping an operation of the second communication means when a proper completion of an operation of the second communication means is detected before the axle detection means detects the second axle of the incoming vehicle.

14. A toll collection system for exchanging required information through a radio communication with an on-board equipment carried by a vehicle coming into a prescribed location, the toll collection system comprising:

first axle detection means for detecting a total number of axles of the vehicle;

vehicle detection means for detecting the vehicle;

second axle detection means for detecting a number of axles of the vehicle; and

control means for starting the radio communication with the on-board equipment carried by the vehicle when the vehicle detection means detects the vehicle and stopping the radio communication with the on-board equipment when the second axle detection means detects the number of axles being less than the total number of axles by one if the total number of axles detected by the first axle detection means is more than 2.

15. A toll collection system having an entrance gate processing apparatus, provided at an entrance gate of a toll road, for communicating with a communication device carried by a vehicle and an exit gate processing apparatus, provided at an exit gate of the toll road, for communicating with the communication device and calculating a toll, the toll collection system comprising:

the entrance gate processing apparatus including;

vehicle detection means for detecting the vehicle coming into the entrance gate;

axle detection means for detecting a number of axles of the incoming vehicle;

first communication means, at a first side of the entrance gate, for starting a transmission of a first entrance data relative to the entrance gate to the communication device carried by the incoming vehicle when the vehicle detection means detects the incoming vehicle and stopping the transmission of the first entrance data to the communication device when the axle detection means detects a second axle of the incoming vehicle;

means for determining a vehicle type showing a kind of incoming vehicle;

second communication means, provided at a second side of the entrance gate opposite the first side of the entrance gate along a direction of progress of the vehicle, for transmitting a second entrance data including data relative to the determined vehicle type to the communication device when the first communication means transmits the first entrance data to the communication device; and

means, provided on the second side of the entrance gate along the direction of progress of the vehicle, for issuing a ticket onto which the first and the second entrance data are recorded when the first communication means does not transmit the first entrance data to the communication device; and

the exit gate processing apparatus including;

third communication means for receiving the first and the second entrance data from the communication device;

first calculation means for calculating the toll of the vehicle carrying the communication device based on received data when the third communication means receives the first and second entrance data; and

second calculation means for calculating the toll of the vehicle based on the first and the second entrance data recorded on the ticket when the third communication means does not receive the first and the second entrance data.

16. A radio communication system provided at an entrance gate of traffic facilities, for radio communicating with a communication device carried by a vehicle, the radio communication system comprising:

first communication means, at a first side of the entrance gate, for transmitting a first entrance data relative to the entrance gate of the traffic facilities to the communication device carried by the vehicle coming into the entrance gate;

means for determining a vehicle type of the vehicle based on a kind of number plate on the vehicle perceived by a video camera;

second communication means, provided at a second side of the entrance gate opposite the first side of the entrance gate along a direction of progress of the vehicle, for transmitting a second entrance data including data relative to the determined vehicle type to the communication device.