Vehicle collected fee distributing system

• US 7,487,108 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2001
• Issued: 02/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Kakihara, Masaki, Aoki, Yasuyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Zeender; F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHAAWAT, MUSSA A
• Application Number:
  US10/381,660
• Publication Number:
  US 20040024664A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,685 Days
• Field of Search: 379/93.12, 235/381, 235/380, 902/22, 902/24, 902/30, 902/31
• US Class Current: 705/13
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/127 Shopping or accessing services according to a time-limitation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3437 the counter having non-monetary units, e.g. trips
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/363 with the personal data of a user
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/06 Arrangements for road pricing or congestion charging of vehicles or vehicle users, e.g. automatic toll systems
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/063 using wireless information transmission between the vehicle and a fixed station identification of vehicles G08G
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0042 for hiring of objects
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/02 by keys or other credit registering devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0866 by active credit-cards adapted therefor G07F7/1008 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles

Abstract

An on-vehicle automatic charging apparatus 10 obtains its own position information from GPS signals from GPS satellites 51 to 53, determines on the basis of the position information whether conditions for charging are satisfied, and subtracts a calculated charge amount from an inserted prepaid car, when the conditions for charging are satisfied. At this time, information used for calculation of the charge amount is written into the prepaid card as a charge record. When the prepaid card is inserted into a card issuing machine 20 in order to increase the balance, the card issuing machine 20 reads the written charge record and transmits it to a center computer 30. The center computer 30 distributes the charge amount to management companies on the basis of the charge record.

Claims

1. A collected-charge distribution system for a vehicle which comprises an on-vehicle automatic charging apparatus mounted on a vehicle and a ground terminal apparatus disposed on the ground, and which is adapted to distribute charges collected through said on-vehicle automatic charging apparatus, wherein said on-vehicle automatic charging apparatus comprises:

first holding means for removably holding an information readable, writable recording medium having a balance recorded thereon;

charge processing means for calculating a charge amount to be charged to the vehicle on the basis of position information representing the position of the vehicle, reading the balance from the recording medium held by said first holding means, subtracting the calculated charge amount from the balance, and writing the subtracted balance into the recording medium; and

charge record write means for writing into the recording medium a charge record, including information which said charge processing means used in order to calculate the charge amount, for specifying the charge amount and a party to which a fee corresponding to the charge amount is to be distributed, and

wherein said ground terminal apparatus comprises;

second holding means for removably holding the recording medium; and

charge record read-out means for reading out the charge record including the charge amount and the party to which a fee corresponding to the charge amount is to be distributed from the recording medium held by said second holding means.

2. The collected-charge distribution system according to claim 1, wherein

the system includes a computer which is connected to a plurality of ground terminal apparatuses in a communicable manner;

and

each of the ground terminal apparatuses includes transmission means for transmitting to said computer the information read out from the recording medium.

3. The collected-charge distribution system according to claim 1, wherein

said charge processing means of said on-vehicle automatic charging apparatus is configured to read out from the recording medium charge information used for determining the charge amount and determine the charge amount with reference to the charge information;

and

said ground terminal apparatus comprises charge information write means for writing the charge information into the recording medium held by said second holding means.

4. The collected-charge distribution system according to claim 1, wherein

said ground terminal apparatus comprises balance changing means for changing the balance of the recording medium held by said holding means.

7. The collected-charge distribution system according to claim 1, wherein

the system includes a computer which is connected to a plurality of ground terminal apparatuses in a communicable manner;

and

each of the ground terminal apparatuses includes transmission means for transmitting to said computer the information read out from the recording medium.

8. The collected-charge distribution system according to claim 1, wherein

said charge processing means of said on-vehicle automatic charging apparatus is configured to read out from the recording medium charge information used for determining the charge amount and determine the charge amount with reference to the charge information;

and

said ground terminal apparatus comprises charge information write means for writing the charge information into the recording medium held by said second holding means.

9. The collected-charge distribution system according to claim 2, wherein

said charge processing means of said on-vehicle automatic charging apparatus is configured to read out from the recording medium charge information used for determining the charge amount and determine the charge amount with reference to the charge information;

and

said ground terminal apparatus comprises charge information write means for writing the charge information into the recording medium held by said second holding means.

10. The system according to claim 7, wherein

said charge processing means of said on-vehicle automatic charging apparatus is configured to read out from the recording medium charge information used for determining the charge amount and determine the charge amount with reference to the charge information;

and

said ground terminal apparatus comprises charge information write means for writing the charge information into the recording medium held by said second holding means.

11. The collected-charge distribution system according to claim 1, wherein

said ground terminal apparatus comprises balance changing means for changing the balance of the recording medium held by said second holding means.

12. The collected-charge distribution system according to claim 2, wherein

said ground terminal apparatus comprises balance changing means for changing the balance of the recording medium held by said second holding means.

13. The system according to claim 7, wherein

said ground terminal apparatus comprises balance changing means for changing the balance of the recording medium held by said second holding means.

14. The collected-charge distribution system according to claim 3, wherein

said ground terminal apparatus comprises balance changing means for changing the balance of the recording medium held by said second holding means.

15. The collected-charge distribution system according to claim 9, wherein

said ground terminal apparatus comprises balance changing means for changing the balance of the recording medium held by said second holding means.

16. The collected-charge distribution system according to claim 8, wherein

said ground terminal apparatus comprises balance changing means for changing the balance of the recording medium held by said second holding means.

17. The system according to claim 10, wherein

said ground terminal apparatus comprises balance changing means for changing the balance of the recording medium held by said second holding means.

18. The collected-charge distribution system according to claim 1, wherein the charge record includes information that specifies each of a plurality of parties that is to receive a fee and a charge amount corresponding to the fee.

5. An on-vehicle automatic charging apparatus which is mounted on a vehicle and constitutes a collected-charge distributions system in cooperation with a ground terminal apparatus disposed on the ground, the ground terminal apparatus adapted to distribute charges collected through said on-vehicle automatic charging apparatus, said on-vehicle automatic charging apparatus comprising:

first holding means for removably holding an information readable, writable recording medium;

charge processing means for calculating a charge amount to be charged to the vehicle on the basis of position information representing the position of the vehicle, reading the balance from the recording medium first held by the holding means, subtracting the calculated charge amount from the balance, and writing the subtracted balance into the recording medium; and

charge record write means for writing into the recording medium a charge record, including information which said charge processing means used in order to calculate the charge amount, for specifying the charge amount and a party to which a fee corresponding to the charge amount is to be distributed,

wherein said ground terminal apparatus comprises;

second holding means for removably holding the recording medium; and

charge record read-out means for reading out the charge record including the charge amount and the party to which a fee corresponding to the charge amount is to be distributed from the recording medium held by said second holding means.

6. A ground terminal apparatus which is disposed on the ground and cooperates with an on-vehicle automatic charging apparatus mounted on a vehicle so as to constitute a collected-charge distributions system for distributing charges collected through said on-vehicle automatic charging apparatus, said ground terminal comprising:

holding means for removably holding an information readable, writable recording medium having a balance recorded thereon, said on-vehicle automatic charging apparatus writing into the recording medium a new balance obtained through the subtraction from the balance of a charge amount calculated on the basis of position information representing the position of the vehicle, as well as information for specifying the calculated charge amount and a party to which a fee corresponding to the charge amount is to be distributed; and

read-out means for reading out the information including the charge amount and the party to which a fee corresponding to the charge amount is to be distributed from the recording medium held by said holding means,

wherein said on-vehicle automatic charging apparatus includes on vehicle holding means for removably holding the information readable, writable recording medium having the balance recorded thereon, charge processing means for calculating the charge amount to be charged to the vehicle on the basis of position information representing the position of the vehicle, reading the balance from the recording medium held by said on vehicle holding means, subtracting the calculated charge amount from the balance, and writing the subtracted balance into the recording medium, and charge record write means for writing into the recording medium a charge record, including information which said charge processing means used in order to calculate the charge amount, for specifying the charge amount and the party to which a fee corresponding to the charge amount is to be distributed.