Method for identifying a toll-required section of road

• US 7,324,017 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2005
• Issued: 01/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yunex Traffic Austria GmbH (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG Osterreich (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Hartinger, Horst
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, PHUNG
• Application Number:
  US11/077,941
• Publication Number:
  US 20050258978A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,054 Days
• Field of Search: 340/989, 340/928, 340/426.19, 340/988, 455/406, 701/209, 701/213
• US Class Current: 340/989
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/06 Arrangements for road pricing or congestion charging of vehicles or vehicle users, e.g. automatic toll systems

Abstract

A process for determining travel through at least one toll road section by at least one vehicle (FAR) by means of a position determination system (POS) which is set up to determine the current position of the at least one vehicle (FAR), whereby positions of the at least one vehicle (FAR) are compared with the position of at least one reference point characteristic for an entrance (AUF) to a toll road section, whereby the orientation (ORI) of the vehicle is determined within a specifiable region (BER) about the entrance (AUF), whereby it is determined whether the orientation (ORI) determined agrees within a specifiable tolerance range with the orientation (ORA) characteristic of entry onto the toll road section.

Claims

1. A process for determining whether at least one toll road section is traveled by at least one vehicle by means of a position determination system which is set up to determine the current position of the at least one vehicle, so that positions of the at least one vehicle are compared with the position of at least one reference point characteristic for an entrance to a toll road section, comprising the steps of:

determining if the distance of the vehicle from the entrance is less than a predetermined distance;

determining if the vehicle is in a first orientation determination region around the entrance; and

determining the orientation of the vehicle within the first orientation determination region around the entrance, whereby it is determined whether the vehicle'"'"'s determined orientation agrees, within a predetermined tolerance range, with a characteristic entrance orientation.

2. The process according to claim 1, further including, if there is agreement within the predetermined tolerance range of the vehicle'"'"'s determined orientation in the first orientation determination region with the characteristic entrance orientation, the step of determining if the vehicle passes at least one control point along the toll road section.

3. The process according to claim 2, further including the step of comparing the position data determined from the position determination system with georeference data from an electronic map to determine the position of the vehicle with respect to the at least one entrance and the vehicle'"'"'s determined orientation in a second orientation determination region.

4. The process according to claim 1, further including the step of comparing the position data determined from the position determination system with georeference data from an electronic map to determine the position of the vehicle with respect to the at least one entrance and the vehicle'"'"'s determined orientation in a second orientation determination region.

5. A toll system having a position determination system which is set up to determine the instantaneous position of a vehicle, whereby the vehicle has a control set up to compare positions of the vehicle with the position of reference points characteristic for the at least one toll road section, characterized in that the system includes a test to determine if the distance of the vehicle from the entrance is less than a predetermined distance, the system includes a further test to determine if the vehicle is within a first orientation determination region about the entrance, and the system includes a further test to determine the vehicle'"'"'s orientation within the first orientation determination region around the entrance, whereby the system is further set up to check if the vehicle'"'"'s determined orientation agrees, within a predetermined tolerance range, with a characteristic entrance orientation.

6. The toll system according to claim 5, characterized in that, if the vehicle'"'"'s determined orientation in the second orientation determination region agrees, within the predetermined tolerance range, with the characteristic entrance orientation, the system includes a test to determine if the vehicle passes at least one control point along the toll road section.

7. The toll system according to claim 6, characterized in that the system is set up to compare the position data determined from the position determination system with georeference data from an electronic map to determine the position of the vehicle with respect to the at least one entrance and the vehicle'"'"'s determined orientation a second orientation determination region.

8. The toll system according to claim 5, characterized in that the system is set up to compare the position data determined from the position determination system with georeference data from an electronic map to determine the position of the vehicle with respect to the at least one entrance and the vehicle'"'"'s determined orientation in the second orientation determination region.