Method and a system for registering vehicle fees

• US 6,252,523 B1
• Filed: 05/28/1999
• Issued: 06/26/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Combitech Traffic SYST AB
• Original Assignee: Combitech Traffic SYST AB
• Inventors: Moström, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): POPE, DARYL C
• Application Number:
  US09/297,122
• Time in Patent Office: 760 Days
• Field of Search: 340/928, 340/925, 340/539, 340/901, 235/382, 235/384, 235/380, 235/379, 701/117
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/81 Dynamic pricing, e.g. change of tariff during call

Abstract

A method and system for registering vehicle fees by means of radio communication between stationary toll collection facilities in a toll border (1, 2) of a main zone and communication equipments in passing vehicles when making predetermined checking operations such as for securing the authority of the vehicle equipment. Within the main zone a number of radio transmitters are arranged, which transmit data carrying signals relating to additional fees related to passing the respective transmitter. When passing in, the toll collection facilities carry out an introductory part of the checking operations and activate the vehicle equipment to register signals from the transmitters when passing them. When passing out, the registering operation is terminated including the checking operations, then summing up the registered fees and debiting the total fee. Thereby the main zone can be divided into a number of inner zones (A, B, C, 9) so that the total fee is made to be dependent on the inner zones into which the vehicle is driven and without the need for complete toll collection facilities for bidirectional communication within the main zone.

Claims

1. A method of registering vehicle fees by wireless communication, comprising:

defining a main zone having an outer toll border and a plurality of inner zones having a toll border within the main zone;

providing toll collection facilities along roads at entrances to the main zone for transmitting and receiving data carrying signals;

providing a plurality of additional transmitters at entrances to the inner zones for transmitting data carrying signals;

providing a vehicle unit in a vehicle, the vehicle unit comprising a transmitter and a receiver for receiving signals from the toll collection facilities and the additional transmitters;

carrying out security and checking operations including transmitting a signal with the toll collection facilities to activate the vehicle unit and programming a toll into the vehicle unit when the vehicles pass into the main zone;

transmitting signals with the additional transmitters to the vehicle unit when the vehicle passes into one of the inner zones to register an additional fee;

terminating calculation of vehicle registration fees with the toll collection facilities when a vehicle passes out of the main zone;

summing up all data registered in the vehicle unit related to tolls and fees;

deducting the summed tolls and fees from an account associated with the vehicle, the summed tolls and fees being dependent on the number of inner zones into which the vehicle is driven.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the wireless communication is carried out with radio waves.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined security and checking operations comprise securing authority of the vehicle transmitters and receivers in relation to the toll collection facilities and for correctly registering a debiting of all of a vehicle fees according to the payment operation.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the main zone shares a border with at least one inner zone.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein selected inner zones have associated time dependent additional fees, wherein when the vehicle enters one of the selected inner zones the vehicle unit receives a signal from an additional transmitter located at an entrance to the selected inner zone for starting a countdown in the vehicle unit and when the vehicle exits the selected inner zone the vehicle unit receives a signal from an additional transmitter located at an exit of the selected inner zone for terminating the countdown, wherein the toll collection facilities calculate and charge an additional time dependent fee based upon the start and stop of the countdown when the vehicle passes the toll border of the main zone.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the selected inner zones are parking facilities.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein the vehicle unit includes means for sensing whether the vehicle is moving or stationary and means for terminating the countdown of time during periods when the sensing means senses that the vehicle is stationary.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein calculating the additional fees comprises:

transmitting data related to a unit of calculation adapted to passage through a zone; and

combining in the vehicle unit each unit of calculation with a unit of calculation determined for a type of vehicle thereby forming a value representing an additional fee adapted to a schedule of fees of a passed through zone and to the type of vehicle.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle unit comprises a smart card including a programmed money balance from which summed tolls and fees are deducted.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein when passing one of the toll collection facilities upon exiting from the main zone over the outer toll border data associated with collection and deduction of the summed tolls and fees are transferred to the toll collection facilities and have checked according to established security and checking operations.

11. A system for registering vehicle fees by wireless communication, the system comprising:

a plurality of stationary toll collection facilities arranged in a number of passing roads along an outer toll border of a main zone;

a plurality of additional transmitters at entrances to inner zones within the main zone for transmitting data carrying signals;

a vehicle unit in a vehicle, the vehicle unit comprising a transmitter and a receiver for receiving signals from the toll collection facilities and the additional transmitters;

wherein the toll collection facilities and the vehicle unit are arranged to carry out successive communications resulting in a staying operation and making predetermined security and checking operations, the toll collection facilities are arranged to carry out an introductory part of the security and checking operations and to activate the vehicle unit so that the vehicle unit will register data regarding additional fees related to passage into one of the inner zones when receiving signals from the additional transmitters, the toll collection facilities are arranged such that when the vehicle passes out of the main zone the toll collection facilities terminate the paying operation including the security and checking operations by summing up all data recorded in the vehicle unit in respect of fees and debiting the total fee, the paying operation being partially carried out as the vehicle passes the additional transmitters.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the security and checking operations comprise securing authority of the vehicle unit in relation to a considered toll collection facility and registering a debiting of a vehicle fee according to the paying operation.

13. The system according to claim 11, wherein the wireless communication is carried out with radio waves.

14. The system according to claim 11, wherein the main zone shares a border with and an inner zone.

15. The system according to claim 11, wherein the vehicle unit is arranged to make a calculation of an additional fee by basing it on a unit of calculation received from one of the additional transmitters and related to passing the additional transmitter and a unit of calculation relating to the class of the vehicle in a predetermined schedule of type classes.

16. The system according to claim 11, wherein selected inner zones comprise car parks and the additional transmitters arranged at entrances to the car parks activate a parking function in the vehicle unit and the additional transmitters arranged at exits to the car parks deactivate the parking function.

17. The system according to claim 16, wherein the parking function is time dependent, and the vehicle unit comprises time measurement means for counting down elapsed time after activation of the parking function and until the deactivation thereof is made, the vehicle unit registering a corresponding additional fee calculated using a unit of calculation associated with the car park and a unit of calculation related to the time counted down.

18. The system according to claim 17, wherein the additional fee is calculated also using a unit of calculation relating to the class of the vehicle.

19. The system according to claim 11, wherein the main zone and the inner zone comprise driving roads, and at entrances to the main zone or an inner zone the additional transmitters are arranged to activate a timing function in the vehicle unit and at exits from the main zone or inner zone transmitters are arranged to deactivate the timing function, the additional fee being calculated using a unit of calculation related to the schedule of fees for the main zone or inner zone and a unit of calculation related to the staying time in the zone.

20. The system according to claim 19, wherein the additional fee is calculated also using a unit of calculation related to a class of the vehicle.

21. A system according to claim 11, wherein the vehicle unit comprises means sensing movement of the vehicle and counts down a period of time that the vehicle remains in a zone only during a time that the sensing means senses movement of the vehicle.

22. The system according to claim 11, wherein selected inner zones have associated time dependent additional fees, wherein when the vehicle enters one of the selected inner zones the vehicle unit receives a signal from an additional transmitter located at an entrance to the selected inner zone for starting a countdown in the vehicle unit and when the vehicle exits the selected inner zone the vehicle unit receives a signal from an additional transmitter located at an exit of the selected inner zone for terminating the countdown, wherein the toll collection facilities calculate and charge an additional time dependent fee based upon the start and stop of the countdown when the vehicle passes the toll border of the main zone.

23. The system according to claim 22, wherein the selected inner zones are parking facilities.

24. The system according to claim 22, wherein the vehicle unit includes means for sensing whether the vehicle is moving or stationary and means for terminating the countdown of time during periods when the sensing means senses that the vehicle is stationary.

25. The system according to claim 11, wherein the vehicle unit further comprises a smart card including a programmed money balance from which summed tolls and fees are deducted.

26. The system according to claim 11, wherein when passing one of the toll collection facilities upon exiting from the main zone over the outer toll border data associated with collection and deduction of the summed tolls and fees are transferred to the toll collection facilities and are checked according to established security and checking operations.