Gate apparatus, on-board unit, setup method of the on-board unit, toll collecting method and judging method of the entrance and exit

• US 6,690,293 B2
• Filed: 04/24/2001
• Issued: 02/10/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Amita, Kozo
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAM, TOAN NGOC
• Application Number:
  US09/840,127
• Publication Number:
  US 20020021228A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,022 Days
• Field of Search: 340/928, 340/825.69, 340/933, 340/10.51, 340/994, 340/905, 340/10.4, 705/13, 705/41, 701/117, 235/384, 235/375
• US Class Current: 340/928
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/105 involving programming of a portable memory device, e.g. IC cards, "electronic purses"
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/063 using wireless information transmission between the vehicle and a fixed station identification of vehicles G08G

Abstract

A gate apparatus for judging the entrance and exit of a vehicle, which is attached with a wireless tag that is stored with a data peculiar to the vehicle, and, on which an on-board unit having a wireless communication function is mounted. In the gate apparatus, the data peculiar to the vehicle is procured by the wireless communicating with the wireless tag, and the data of the on-board unit stored in the on-board unit and IC card data set in the on-board unit are procured by the wireless communicating with the on-board unit.

Claims

1. A gate apparatus for judging the entrance and exit for registering vehicle data of a vehicle, which is attached associated with a wireless tag that is stored with a stores vehicle data peculiar to the vehicle and which uniquely identifies it, and, on which an on-board unit having a wireless communication function is mounted, comprising:

first wireless communication means for procuring the data peculiar to the vehicle by the wireless communicating with the wireless tag; and

second wireless communication means for procuring the data of the on-board unit stored in the on-board unit and IC card data set in the on-board unit by the wireless communicating with the on-board unit;

checking means for judging whether or not the vehicle data can be registered by comparing the peculiar data obtained by the first wireless communication means and the IC card data; and

registering means for registering the vehicle data into the on-board unit through the second wireless communication means when the checking means judges the vehicle data can be registered.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 further comprising:

judging means for discriminating a vehicle class and judging a propriety of the utilization of a facilities basing upon the IC card data and the data peculiar to the vehicle obtained through the first and the second wireless communication means.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2 further comprising:

toll collection means for performing a toll collection process corresponding to the vehicle class judged for the vehicle allowed utilizing the facilities as the result of the checking means.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2 further comprising:

guidance displaying means for displaying the judging result by the judging means.

5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2 further comprising:

opening and closing means for opening the an entrance and exit gate for the facilities for the vehicle allowed utilizing the facilities as the checking result by the checking means based on judgment by the checking means.

6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wireless tag is attached to a number plate.

7. An apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein data of the number plate is stored in the wireless tag.

8. An on-board unit, which is mounted on a vehicle attached with a wireless tag in which a data peculiar to the vehicle is stored, and which may utilize a contracted service after a data for the user of the vehicle to utilize the contracted service is registered in a memory, comprising:

wireless communication means for transmitting the data stored in the memory, in case the data is requested by wireless communication by a wireless apparatus of the contracted service presenting side before the registration; and

registering means for registering an unregistered data in the memory, in case the unregistered data is answered back to the memory by wireless communication to the data transmitted by the wireless communication means.

9. A setup method of an on-board unit, which is mounted on a vehicle attached with a wireless tag in which a data peculiar to the vehicle is stored, and which may utilize a contracted service after the data for a user of the vehicle to utilize the contracted service is registered in a memory, comprising the steps of:

obtaining the data peculiar to the vehicle by wireless communicating with the wireless tag;

obtaining a data of the on-board unit stored in the on-board unit and an IC card data set in the on-board unit by the wireless communicating with the on-board unit;

judging whether or not an unregistered data can be registered by comparing the obtained data peculiar to the vehicle and the IC card data, when the data necessary for judging a utilization of the contracted service is not yet registered among the procured data of the on-board unit; and

registering the necessary data included in the data peculiar to the vehicle into the an-board unit through the wireless communication, when the unregistered data can be registered as the result of the judging step.

10. A toll collecting method using an on-board unit, mounted on a vehicle attached with which has a wireless tag in which data peculiar to the vehicle is stored and, in which data for a user of the vehicle to utilize an automatic toll collection service is may be registered, the toll collection method comprising the steps of:

obtaining the data peculiar to the vehicle by wireless communicating with the wireless tag;

obtaining a data of the on-board unit stored in the on-board unit and an IC card data set in the on-board unit, by the wireless communicating with the on-board unit;

judging a discrimination of the vehicle class and a propriety of the utilization of the automatic toll collection service basing upon the procured data of the on-board unit and the IC card data and the data peculiar to the vehicle;

and performing toll collection process for the vehicle that may utilize the automatic toll collection service corresponding to the judged vehicle class as the result of the judging step, wherein the toll collecting method includes the following process;

obtaining the data peculiar to the vehicle by wireless communicating with the wireless lag;

obtaining a data of the on-board unit stored in the on-board unit and an IC card data set in the on-board unit by the wireless communicating with the on-board unit;

judging whether or not unregistered data can be registered by comparing the obtained data peculiar to the vehicle and the IC card data, when the data necessary for judging a utilization of the contracted service is not yet registered among the procured data of the on-board unit; and

registering the necessary data included in the data peculiar to the vehicle into the on-board unit through the wireless communication, when the unregistered data can be registered as the result of the judging step.