Time management system for passing vehicles

• US 6,218,963 B1
• Filed: 03/15/2000
• Issued: 04/17/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Information & Control Solutions Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.), Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Shimizu, Yasuo, Kawanabe, Toshihiro, Kayukawa, Satoru, IIno, Takayuki, Nozato, Masanari
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Benjamin C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Previl, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US09/526,012
• Time in Patent Office: 398 Days
• Field of Search: 340/933, 340/936, 340/928, 340/940, 235/384, 701/117
• US Class Current: 340/933
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/063 using wireless information transmission between the vehicle and a fixed station identification of vehicles G08G

Abstract

When a vehicle enters a tollhouse and is detected with a vehicle detector, a fixed station transmits a communication link request to a mobile station of the vehicle via an antenna to thereby start transferring toll transfer information between the fixed station and mobile station. During a predetermined release timer time after the communication completion, the communication between the mobile station and fixed station is inhibited, and the mobile station can resume communication upon reception of the communication link request from the fixed station after the lapse of the release timer time. The passing time of the vehicle passing a section between the vehicle detector and another vehicle detector is measured at the fixed station to update the release timer time in accordance with the passing times of vehicles.

Claims

1. A time management system for passing vehicles, comprising:

mobile communication means mounted on a vehicle;

fixed communication means for transferring toll transfer information to and from said mobile communication means mounted on the vehicle when the vehicle enters a communicable area;

passing time measuring means for measuring a passing time of the vehicle passing a vehicle measuring section partially including a road belonging to the communicable area; and

timer time setting means for setting a release timer time in accordance with a value measured by said passing time measuring means and adding the set release timer time to the toll transfer information, the release timer time indicating a communication inhibition time after completion of transfer of the toll transfer information, wherein said mobile communication means stops communication with said fixed communication means for the release timer time added to the toll transfer information after the completion of transfer of the toll transfer information to and from said fixed communication means, even if a communication link request is received from said fixed communication means.

2. A time management system for passing vehicles according to claim 1, wherein when said fixed communication means starts the transfer of the toll transfer information to and from said mobile communication means mounted on the vehicle and judges that communication is duplicate communication to a same vehicle in the communicable area, said fixed communication means forcibly stops the communication with the same vehicle.

3. A time management system for passing vehicles, comprising:

mobile communication means mounted on a vehicle;

fixed communication means for transferring toll transfer information to and from said mobile communication means mounted on the vehicle when the vehicle enters a communicable area;

passing speed measuring means for measuring a passing speed of the vehicle passing a vehicle measuring section partially including a road belonging to the communicable area; and

timer time setting means for setting a release timer time in accordance with a value measured by said passing speed measuring means and adding the set release timer time to the toll transfer information, the release timer time indicating a communication inhibition time after completion of transfer of the toll transfer information, wherein said mobile communication means stops communication with said fixed communication means for the release timer time added to the toll transfer information after the completion of transfer of the toll transfer information to and from said fixed communication means, even if a communication link request is received from said fixed communication means.

4. A time management system for passing vehicles according to claim 3, wherein when said fixed communication means starts the transfer of the toll transfer information to and from said mobile communication means mounted on the vehicle and judges that communication is duplicate communication to a same vehicle in the communicable area, said fixed communication means forcibly stops the communication with the same vehicle.

5. A time management system for passing vehicles, comprising:

mobile communication means mounted on a vehicle;

fixed communication means for transferring toll transfer information to and from said mobile communication means mounted on the vehicle when the vehicle enters one of a plurality of divided communicable areas;

passing time measuring means for measuring a passing time of the vehicle passing a vehicle measuring section partially including a road belonging to each of the plurality of divided communicable areas; and

timer time setting means for setting a release timer time in accordance with a value measured by said passing time measuring means and adding the set release timer time to the toll transfer information, the release timer time indicating a communication inhibition time after completion of transfer of the toll transfer information, wherein said mobile communication means stops communication with said fixed communication means for the release timer time added to the toll transfer information after the completion of transfer of the toll transfer information to and from said fixed communication means, even if a communication link request is received from said fixed communication means.

6. A time management system for passing vehicles according to claim 5, wherein when said fixed communication means starts the transfer of the toll transfer information to and from said mobile communication means mounted on the vehicle and judges that communication is duplicate communication to a same vehicle in the communicable area, said fixed communication means forcibly stops the communication with the same vehicle.

7. A time management system for passing vehicles, comprising:

mobile communication means mounted on a vehicle;

fixed communication means for transferring toll transfer information to and from said mobile communication means mounted on the vehicle when the vehicle enters one of a plurality of divided communicable areas;

passing speed measuring means for measuring a passing speed of the vehicle passing a vehicle measuring section partially including a road belonging to each of the plurality of divided communicable areas; and

timer time setting means for setting a release timer time in accordance with a value measured by said passing speed measuring means and adding the set release timer time to the toll transfer information, the release timer time indicating a communication inhibition time after completion of transfer of the toll transfer information, wherein said mobile communication means stops communication with said fixed communication means for the release timer time added to the toll transfer information after the completion of transfer of the toll transfer information to and from said fixed communication means, even if a communication link request is received from said fixed communication means.

8. A time management system for passing vehicles according to claim 7, wherein when said fixed communication means starts the transfer of the toll transfer information to and from said mobile communication means mounted on the vehicle and judges that communication is duplicate communication to a same vehicle in the communicable area, said fixed communication means forcibly stops the communication with the same vehicle.