Toll collection apparatus and toll collection method

• US 6,337,639 B1
• Filed: 03/23/2000
• Issued: 01/08/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Kojima, Hideaki
• Primary Examiner(s): SWARTHOUT, BRENT
• Application Number:
  US09/533,590
• Time in Patent Office: 656 Days
• Field of Search: 340/928, 340/905, 340/937, 235/384, 701/47
• 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 toll collection method of a toll collection apparatus that is jointly installed with a wireless toll collection system for the toll collection is to receive the vehicle data of a vehicle of which toll could not be collected by the wireless toll collection system, collect a toll from the vehicle corresponding to the received vehicle data and transmit the vehicle data to the wireless toll collection system when the toll collection process is completed by the processing means.

Claims

1. A toll collection system, including a toll collection apparatus and a wireless toll collection apparatus, for collecting a toll, comprising:

said wireless toll collection apparatus including;

means for collecting a toll through a wireless communication with a vehicle side;

first take means for taking a vehicle number plate data of the vehicle when said wireless toll collection apparatus could not collect a toll; and

means for sending the vehicle number plate data taken by said first take means to said toll collection apparatus as an unfair passage vehicle data;

said toll collection apparatus including;

storage means for storing the vehicle data sent from and sending means;

processing means for collecting a toll from the vehicle;

second take means for taking a vehicle number plate data for the vehicle when the toll collection process is performed by said processing means;

means for inspecting whether the vehicle number plate data of the vehicle taken by said second take means is stored in said storage means; and

means for deleting the vehicle number plate data stored as the unfair passage vehicle data from said storage means when said inspecting means found that the vehicle number plate data is stored in said storage means.

2. A toll collection system according to claim 1 further comprising:

means for collating a toll manually when the inspecting means found that the vehicle number plate data is not stored in the storage means.

3. A toll collection method in a toll collection system including a toll collection apparatus and a wireless toll collection apparatus, for toll collecting, comprising:

in said wireless toll collection apparatus;

collecting a toll through a wireless communication with a vehicle side;

first taking a vehicle number plate data of the vehicle when the wireless toll collection apparatus could not collect a toll; and

sending the vehicle number plate data taken in said first taking to said toll collection apparatus as an unfair passage vehicle data;

in said toll collection apparatus;

storing the vehicle data from said wireless toll collection apparatus in a storage means;

collecting a toll from the vehicle;

second taking a vehicle number plate data of the vehicle when the toll collection process is performed in said collecting by said toll correcting apparatus; and

inspecting whether the vehicle number plate data of the vehicle taken in said second taking is stored in the storage means; and

deleting the vehicle number plate data stored as the unfair passage vehicle data from the storage means when said inspecting found that the vehicle number plate data is stored in the storage means.