Vehicle-mounted apparatus of a dedicated short range communications system

• US 6,744,377 B1
• Filed: 10/15/2002
• Issued: 06/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Inoue, Masahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): TONG, NINA C
• Application Number:
  US10/269,940
• Time in Patent Office: 595 Days
• Field of Search: 340/928, 340/933-943, 340/10.1, 340/10.51, 340/10.4, 340/10.52, 340/10.56, 235/384, 235/380, 235/375, 235/382
• 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 vehicle-mounted apparatus of a dedicated short-range communications system is capable of informing a discount of an amount of toll to a user. The apparatus includes a radio communication part for communicating with road-side radio equipment, an IC card storing therein traffic histories, a control part for processing data received from the radio communication part, an account instruction part for generating an account instruction based on the data from the control part, a discount instruction part for generating a discount instruction based on the data from the control part, a display part and an audio part for informing an account and a discount to the user based on the instruction from the account instruction part and the instruction from the discount instruction part, and a buzzer part for notifying a condition of passage of a vehicle through a toll gate to the user by performing an account or a discount.

Claims

1. A vehicle-mounted apparatus of a dedicated short-range communications system in an intelligent transport system, said apparatus comprising:

a radio communication part for communicating with road-side radio equipment;

a control part for processing data received from said road-side radio equipment via said radio communication part to determine an toll amount to be charged to an account of a user and a discount amount applied to said toll amount;

an account instruction part for generating an account instruction based on first control data from said control part;

a discount instruction part for generating a discount instruction based on second control data from said control part;

information means for informing the user of said toll amount and said discount amount based on the account instruction from said account instruction part and the discount instruction from said discount instruction part; and

a buzzer part for notifying the user of a condition of passage of a vehicle through a toll gate resulting in determination of said toll amount or said discount amount by said control part based on third control data from said control part.

2. The vehicle-mounted apparatus of a dedicated short-range communications system according to claim 1, further comprising a buzzer sound switching part for receiving the third control data from the control part and controlling said buzzer part to switch between generating a first buzzer sound when said discount amount is applied to said toll amount and a second buzzer sound when said discount amount is not applied to said toll amount.

3. The vehicle-mounted apparatus of a dedicated short-range communications system according to claim 1, further comprising an IC card storing therein traffic histories, wherein said control part comprises:

a history reading part for reading out a toll history of said user account from said IC card; and

a calculation part for calculating said toll amount charged to said account based on said discount amount and a previous toll amount from said IC card and read out therefrom by said history reading part.

4. The vehicle-mounted apparatus of a dedicated short-range communications system according to claim 3, further comprising an input switch operable by a user for displaying the toll history of the user by manually triggering said history reading part and said calculation part.

5. The vehicle-mounted apparatus of a dedicated short-range communications system according to claim 1, wherein said information means comprises a display part for displaying said toll amount, said display part being provided with an icon part for indicating whether said discount amount has been applied to a displayed toll amount.