Electronic toll collection system for toll road

• US 7,181,414 B1
• Filed: 09/13/1999
• Issued: 02/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kawasaki, Shinichiro, Kaneko, Shigeki, Fuyama, Seiji, Wada, Hirokazu, Ogawa, Takao, Morisaki, Kazuhiro, Yaegashi, Kenji, Nishikigi, Koji
• Primary Examiner(s): Hafiz; Tariq R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TARAE, CATHERINE MICHELLE
• Application Number:
  US09/394,514
• Time in Patent Office: 2,717 Days
• Field of Search: 705/13, 340/933, 701/1
• US Class Current: 705/13
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/063 using wireless information transmission between the vehicle and a fixed station identification of vehicles G08G

Abstract

An ETC (electronic toll collection) system includes an antenna having a predetermined directivity for providing a limited radio-communication service zone. A vehicle sensor operates for detecting a vehicle which reaches a predetermined position in the limited radio-communication service zone. A radio signal is transmitted via the antenna. A decision is made as to whether or not a radio response to the radio signal is received via the antenna. In cases where a radio response to the radio signal is received, it is judged that there is an ETC vehicle incoming. In cases where the vehicle sensor detects a vehicle while a radio response to the radio signal is not received, it is judged that there is a non-ETC vehicle incoming.

Claims

1. An ETC (electronic toll collection) system, consisting of:

an antenna having a predetermined directivity for providing a limited radio-communication service zone that extends from the antenna and covers at least a portion of the area of a lane under the antenna, and which length along the lane is set to a distance which approximates a single vehicle;

a single vehicle sensor within said system and positioned within said service zone at a location closer to oncoming vehicles than said antenna by a predetermined interval for detecting a vehicle which reaches a predetermined position defined in the limited radio-communication service zone, the predetermined position being defined by the location of the vehicle sensor such that only one vehicle is within said service zone and sensed by said vehicle sensor at any one time;

first means for continuously transmitting a radio signal via the antenna independently of whether or not the vehicle sensor detects the vehicle;

second means for deciding whether or not a radio response from a vehicle to the radio signal is received via the antenna;

third means for, in cases where the second means decides that a radio response to the radio signal is received, judging that there is an ETC vehicle coming into the limited radio-communication service zone in response to the detection of a vehicle by said sensor within said service zone; and

fourth means for, in cases where the vehicle sensor detects a vehicle while the second means decides that a radio response to the radio signal is not received, judging that there is a non-ETC vehicle coming into the limited radio-communication service zone.

2. An ETC system as recited in claim 1, wherein the distance of the limited radio-communication service zone is greater than a length of the vehicle and smaller than twice the length of said vehicle.

3. An ETC system as recited in claim 2, wherein the distance of the limited radio-communication service zone is about 6.5 m.

4. An ETC system as recited in claim 1, wherein the length of the limited radio-communication service zone is about 6.5 m.

5. An ETC system as recited in claim 1, wherein the antenna is one in number.

6. An ETC system as recited in claim 1, wherein the antenna comprises a matrix array of antenna elements.

7. An ETC (Electronic Toll Collection) system, consisting of:

an antenna having a predetermined directivity for providing a limited radio-communication service zone that extends from the antenna and covers at least a portion of the area of a lane under the antenna, and which length along the lane is set to a distance which approximates a single vehicle;

a single vehicle sensor within said system and positioned at a location within said service zone closer to oncoming vehicles than said antenna by a predetermined interval for detecting whether a vehicle has reached a predetermined position defined in said limited radio-communication service zone, the predetermined position being defined by the location of the vehicle sensor such that only one vehicle is within said service zone and sensed by said vehicle sensor at any one time;

transceiver means working cooperatively with said antenna for continuously transmitting a radio signal at a given rating level to cover the limited radio-communication service zone independently of whether or not the vehicle sensor within said radio-communication service zone detects a vehicle and for detecting a radio response to said radio signal from each vehicle detected by said vehicle sensor within said radio-communication service zone; and

processor means for deciding a vehicle that has been detected by said vehicle sensor in said radio-communication service zone is a non-ETC vehicle if no radio response to said radio signal is detected from said vehicle.

8. An ETC system of claim 7, wherein said processor means decides a vehicle that has been detected by said vehicle sensor in said radio-communication zone is an ETC vehicle if a radio response to said radio signal is detected from said vehicle.

9. An ETC system as recited in claim 7, wherein the antenna comprises a matrix array of antenna elements.

10. An ETC system as recited in claim 7, wherein the distance of the limited radio-communication service zone is greater than a length of the vehicle and smaller than twice the length of said vehicle.

11. An ETC (Electronic Toll Collection) system, consisting of:

an antenna for directing a limited radio-communication service zone to cover at least a portion of the area of a lane under the antenna, the distance along the lane covered by said antenna approximating the length of a single vehicle;

a single vehicle sensor within said system and positioned at a location within said service zone closer to oncoming vehicles than said antenna by a predetermined interval for detecting whether a vehicle has reached a predetermined position in said limited radio-communication service zone, the predetermined position being defined by the location of said vehicle sensor such that only one vehicle is within said service zone and sensed by said vehicle sensor at any one time;

a transceiver working cooperatively with said antenna for continuously transmitting a radio signal to the limited radio-communication service zone independently of whether or not the vehicle sensor within said radio-communication service zone detects a vehicle and for detecting a radio response to said radio signal from each vehicle detected by said vehicle sensor within said radio-communication service zone; and

a processor for deciding a vehicle that has been detected by said vehicle sensor in said radio-communication service zone is a no-ETC vehicle if no radio response to said radio signal is detected from said vehicle.