Debiting device for deducting tolls

• US 6,816,707 B1
• Filed: 02/12/2001
• Issued: 11/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kapsch TrafficCom AG (Datax Handelsgmbh)
• Original Assignee: Vodafone Holding GmbH (Vodafone Group PLC)
• Inventors: Weber, Günther, Grün, Bernd, Barker, Ronald, Widl, Andreas
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Vivian
• Assistant Examiner(s): Yun, Eugene
• Application Number:
  US09/763,004
• Time in Patent Office: 1,366 Days
• Field of Search: 455/405, 455/456.1, 455/456.3, 455/456.6, 455/66.1, 455/74, 455/517, 455/406, 455/41.2, 340/928, 340/988, 340/933
• US Class Current: 455/41.2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/127 Shopping or accessing services according to a time-limitation
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/063 using wireless information transmission between the vehicle and a fixed station identification of vehicles G08G
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0014 for vending, access and use of specific services not covered anywhere else in G07F17/00 meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas or electricity G07F15/00

Abstract

The invention relates to a debiting device, which is arranged in a vehicle to deduct such tolls as are payable for the utilization of those road sections that are chargeable within a road network, and which comprises the following device modules permanently installed in the vehicle:

vehicle box (1)

external communications module (2) and

holding module (3)

and a mobile, electronic, toll device (4), which can be inserted into said holding module (3) and which can be easily removed again from the same.

Claims

1. A debiting device that is arranged in a vehicle and used to deduct such tolls as are payable for the utilization of those road sections that are chargeable within a road network, and which comprises a vehicle box, an external communications module, and a holding module which are permanently installed in the vehicle, and a mobile electronic toll device, which can be inserted into said holding module and which can be easily removed again from the holding module;

the vehicle box comprising a power supply unit, a tamper-protected memory module for vehicle-specific information, including a vehicle-specific device certificate, and an interface for inter-communication with the mobile toll device;

the external communication module comprising an antenna for receiving GPS satellite signals and at least one antenna for at least one of DSRC and GSM communication;

the holding module being connected to the vehicle box and the external communication module for signaling purposes and comprising mechanical fittings to accommodate the mobile toll device, equipment for the mobile toll device to exchange signals with the external communication module and the vehicle box, and a power supply for the mobile toll device; and

the mobile toll device comprising a GPS receiver to determine the current geographical position of the vehicle, a memory for tariff data and geographical data relating to the chargeable road network, a memory for a device certificate for the mobile toll device, a memory that can be loaded externally with credits for electronic processing of payment transactions between a user of the debiting device and a recipient of the tolls, a processor to calculate tolls and perform reciprocal authentication for the mobile toll device and the vehicle box, a keypad to operate the device, and a display unit to show the device status and accounting information.

2. The debiting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the information in the memory module in the vehicle box is encrypted for storage.

3. The debiting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the vehicle box has an interface for picking up current vehicle operating information from an information bus or from sensors or measuring equipment in the vehicle.

4. The debiting device as claims in claim 1, wherein the memory for tariff data and geographical data is divided into a read-only memory (ROM) and a read/write memory (RAM) to record update data, wherein current tariff data can only be derived by referring to the tariff data in the ROM.

5. The debiting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the memory for the device certificate and the memory with credits for electronic processing of payment transactions is a fixed chip card that is integrated in the mobile toll device.

6. The debiting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the individual memories of the mobile toll device are combined into a common memory module.

7. The debiting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the memory for payment transactions is designed as a radio chip card (contactless card).

8. The debiting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the functions of the GPS receiver, the at least one of DSRC and GSM communication, controllers for the memories, and the processor are physically combined in a highly integrated electronic ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit).

9. The debiting device as claimed in claim 8, wherein exclusively parallel interfaces are used for communication with the highly-integrated circuit.

10. The debiting device as claimed in claim 8, wherein a so-called “

hardened kernel”

is used for operation of the mobile toll device.

11. The debiting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the debiting device is part of an electronic tachograph.

12. The debiting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the debiting device includes the modules of a mobile radio phone or a traffic-communications terminal, or is installed together with modules of a mobile phone or traffic-communications terminal in the vehicle.

13. The debiting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the design of the debiting-device electronics is open to further applications, so that additional software applications for traffic communications can be loaded externally in the form of modules at a later stage.

14. The debiting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein information about the correct operation of the debiting device can be requested externally via the external communication module.