ETC car-mounted equipment

• US 6,172,618 B1
• Filed: 05/12/1999
• Issued: 01/09/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubushi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Okada, Shimon, Hakozaki, Hirotoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel J.
• Application Number:
  US09/309,786
• Time in Patent Office: 608 Days
• Field of Search: 340/461, 340/928, 705/13
• US Class Current: 235/382
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/063 using wireless information transmission between the vehicle and a fixed station identification of vehicles G08G

Abstract

An ETC car-mounted equipment which can be attached to an existing room mirror in a vehicle and enhances operability for inputting the data impairing neither the communication function nor the visual range for operation. An ETC car-mounted equipment exchanges ETC data relative to an ETC road equipment, and comprises a main body 13 of the car-mounted equipment having a display unit for displaying the ETC data, an IC card insertion port 16 formed in the main body of said car-mounted equipment and in which will be inserted an IC card that stores said ETC data, a mirror unit 14 provided on the front surface of the main body of said car-mounted equipment, an antenna unit 15 provided on the back surface side of the main body of said car-mounted equipment, and resilient holding units 21 for holding the main body of said car-mounted equipment on a room mirror in the vehicle integrally therewith.

Claims

1. An ETC car-mounted equipment for exchanging ETC data relative to an ETC road equipment, comprising;

a main body of the car-mounted equipment having a display unit for displaying the ETC data;

an IC card insertion port formed in the main body of said car-mounted equipment and in which will be inserted an IC card that stores said ETC data;

a mirror unit provided on the front surface of the main body of said car-mounted equipment;

an antenna unit provided on the back surface side of the main body of said car-mounted equipment; and

resilient holding units for holding the main body of said car-mounted equipment on a room mirror in said vehicle integrally therewith.

2. An ETC car-mounted equipment according to claim 1, wherein the main body of said car-mounted equipment has holder rubbers which are disposed being opposed to said resilient holding units to hold said room mirror.

3. An ETC car-mounted equipment according to claim 1, further comprising a burglarproof mechanism for securing the main body of said car-mounted equipment to the room mirror.

4. An ETC car-mounted equipment according to claim 3, wherein said burglarproof mechanism includes openings formed in the main body of said car-mounted equipment and a burglarproof metal fitting, and said burglarproof metal fitting includes:

a mirror stay-engaging portion that engages with the stay of said room mirror;

protuberances inserted in the openings in the main body of said car-mounted equipment; and

locking pawls provided at portions of said protuberances to engage with said openings.

5. An ETC car-mounted equipment according to claim 4, wherein said mirror stay-engaging portion has a U-shape of which the width can be variably set depending upon the shape of said stay.

6. An ETC car-mounted equipment according to claim 4, wherein the openings of the main body of said car-mounted equipment produce resiliency in the opening/closing direction, and the state of engagement between the locking pawls of said burglarproof metal fitting and the openings in the main body of said car-mounted equipment, is liberated by inserting a special jig in said openings.

7. An ETC car-mounted equipment according to claim 4, wherein the protuberances of said burglarproof metal fitting comprise a pair of protuberances that produce resiliency toward the inside, said locking pawls are provided on the inside only of each of said pair of protuberances, and the state of engagement between the locking pawls of said burglarproof metal fitting and the openings in the main body of said car-mounted equipment, is liberated by inserting a special jig between said pair of protuberances.

8. An ETC car-mounted equipment according to claim 1, wherein an antenna-mounting portion for mounting said antenna unit on the main body of said car-mounted equipment, includes an antenna angle-adjusting mechanism for adjusting the direction of communication of said antenna unit.

9. An ETC car-mounted equipment according to claim 8, wherein said antenna angle-adjusting mechanism includes at least a front direction angle-adjusting shaft and a side direction angle-adjusting shaft for turning the communication plane of said antenna unit in the directions of a plurality of axes with respect to the direction in which the vehicle travels.

10. An ETC car-mounted equipment according to claim 1, wherein said display unit is arranged at a lower part on the front surface of the main body of said car-mounted equipment, and has key switches on both sides thereof for inputting the data.

11. An ETC car-mounted equipment according to claim 1, wherein the main body of said car-mounted equipment has a hole through which a reflection-preventing lever of said room mirror protrudes so as to be operated.