Electronic toll management

• US 7,676,392 B2
• Filed: 06/12/2006
• Issued: 03/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture Global Services GmbH (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Hedley, Jay E., Thornburg, Neal Patrick
• Primary Examiner(s): Hayes; John W
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wu; Rob
• Application Number:
  US11/423,690
• Publication Number:
  US 20070008179A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,366 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 705/13
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 2240/00 Transportation facility access, e.g. fares, tolls or parking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/52 Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/54 of traffic, e.g. cars on the road, trains or boats
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/588 Recognition of the road, e.g. of lane markings; Recognition of the vehicle driving pattern in relation to the road
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/62 Text, e.g. of license plates, overlay texts or captions on TV images
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/625 License plates
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/63 Scene text, e.g. street names
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/00 Arrangements or apparatus for collecting fares, tolls or entrance fees at one or more control points handling coins or valuable papers, e.g. banknotes, G07D; apparatus for vending or hiring articles or services activated by coins, credit cards, paper currency or the like G07F7/00, G07F17/00
• 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: G08G 1/0175 by photographing vehicles, e.g. when violating traffic rules
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/188 Capturing isolated or intermittent images triggered by the occurrence of a predetermined event, e.g. an object reaching a predetermined position signal generation from motion picture films H04N5/253

Abstract

Identifying a vehicle in a toll system includes accessing a set of toll transaction entries. Each entry in the set designates a toll transaction between a vehicle and the toll system and includes a transaction descriptor and a transaction time stamp. A series of toll transaction pictures is accessed. The series includes a plurality of pictures, each of which is associated with a picture time stamp. A toll transaction entry is identified from the set as a violation transaction entry based on the transaction descriptor. A toll transaction picture is selected from the series. The transaction time stamp of the violation transaction is compared, using a processing device, with the picture time stamp of the selected toll transaction picture. The selected toll transaction picture is identified as a violation picture corresponding to the violation transaction entry based on a result of the comparison.

Claims

1. A method of identifying a vehicle in a toll system, the method comprising:

accessing a set of toll transaction entries, each entry in the set designating a toll transaction between a vehicle and the toll system and including a transaction descriptor and a transaction time stamp;

accessing a series of toll transaction pictures, the series including a plurality of pictures, each of which is associated with a picture time stamp;

identifying a toll transaction entry from the set as a violation transaction entry based on the transaction descriptor;

selecting a toll transaction picture from the series;

comparing, by a processing device, the transaction time stamp of the violation transaction with the picture time stamp of the selected toll transaction picture; and

identifying the selected toll transaction picture as a violation picture corresponding to the violation transaction entry based on a result of the comparison.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the transaction time stamps included in the set of toll transaction entries and the picture time stamps associated with the plurality of pictures are based on independent clocks.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein accessing the set of toll transaction entries comprises receiving the set of toll transaction entries from a lane transaction system.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein accessing the series of toll transaction pictures comprises receiving the series of toll transaction pictures from an imaging system that is independent from the lane transaction system.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the imaging system being independent from the lane transaction system comprises the imaging system not receiving signals from the lane transaction system.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the imaging system being independent from the lane transaction system comprises the imaging system having an internal clock that is independent from an internal clock of the lane transaction system.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the transaction time stamps included in the set of toll transaction entries are generated based on the internal clock of the lane transaction system and the picture time stamps associated with the plurality of pictures are generated based on the internal clock of the imaging system.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein receiving the set of toll transaction entries from the lane transaction system comprises receiving the set of toll transaction entries in an e-mail.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the picture time stamp includes a time of day at which an imaging system records occurrence of the toll transaction, and

the transaction time stamp includes a time of day at which a lane transaction system records occurrence of the toll transaction.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein accessing the set of toll transaction entries comprises accessing a set of toll transaction entries that includes at least one transaction entry that corresponds to a vehicle that provides for payment for transacting with the toll system at the time of the toll transaction.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein accessing the series of toll transaction pictures comprises accessing a series of toll transaction pictures that includes at least one toll transaction picture of a vehicle that provides for payment for transacting with the toll system at the time of the toll transaction.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

selecting an other toll transaction picture from the series;

accessing the picture time stamp of the other toll transaction picture;

comparing, by a processing device, the transaction time stamp of the violation transaction with the picture time stamp of the selected other toll transaction picture; and

identifying the selected other toll transaction picture as not corresponding to the violation transaction entry based on a result of the comparison.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein accessing the series of toll transaction pictures comprises accessing a chronological sequence of pictures taken by an imaging system of every vehicle on a particular lane of the toll system transacting with a facility of the toll system during a predetermined window of time.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein accessing the set of toll transaction entries comprises accessing a chronological sequence of toll transaction entries taken by a lane transaction system of every vehicle on the particular lane of the toll system transacting with the facility of the toll system during the predetermined window of time.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

accessing a first picture time stamp for a first picture in the chronological sequence of pictures;

accessing a first transaction time stamp for a first transaction entry in the chronological sequence of toll transaction entries; and

determining a clock offset between a clock of the imaging system and a clock of the lane transaction system based on the first picture time stamp and the first transaction time stamp.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein comparing the transaction time stamp of the violation transaction with the picture time stamp of the selected toll transaction picture comprises:

calculating an adjusted transaction time stamp by adjusting the transaction time stamp of the violation transaction based on the determined clock offset, and

comparing the adjusted transaction time stamp with the picture time stamp of the selected toll transaction picture.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein comparing the transaction time stamp of the violation transaction with the picture time stamp of the selected toll transaction picture comprises:

calculating an adjusted picture time stamp by adjusting the picture time stamp of the selected toll transaction picture based on the determined clock offset, and

comparing the transaction time stamp of the violation transaction with the adjusted picture time stamp.

9. A system for identifying a vehicle in a toll system, the system comprising:

an accessing module configured to;

access a set of toll transaction entries, each entry in the set designating a toll transaction between a vehicle and the toll system and including a transaction descriptor and a transaction time stamp, and

access a series of toll transaction pictures, the series including a plurality of pictures, each of which is associated with a picture time stamp;

a first identification module configured to identify a toll transaction entry from the set as a violation transaction entry based on the transaction descriptor;

a selecting module configured to select a toll transaction picture from the series;

a comparing module including at least one processor configured to compare the transaction time stamp of the violation transaction with the picture time stamp of the selected toll transaction picture; and

a second identification module configured to identify the selected toll transaction picture as a violation picture corresponding to the violation transaction entry based on a result of the comparison.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the accessing module is configured to access the set of toll transaction entries by receiving the set of toll transaction entries from a lane transaction system.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the accessing module is configured to access the series of toll transaction pictures by receiving the series of toll transaction pictures from an imaging system that is independent from the lane transaction system.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the imaging system being independent from the lane transaction system comprises the imaging system not receiving signals from the lane transaction system.

22. The system of claim 9, wherein:

the picture time stamp includes a time of day at which an imaging system records occurrence of the toll transaction, and

the transaction time stamp includes a time of day at which a lane transaction system records occurrence of the toll transaction.

23. The system of claim 9, wherein the accessing module is configured to access the set of toll transaction entries by accessing a set of toll transaction entries that includes at least one transaction entry that corresponds to a vehicle that provides for payment for transacting with the toll system at the time of the toll transaction.

24. The system of claim 9, wherein the accessing module is configured to access the series of toll transaction pictures by accessing a series of toll transaction pictures that includes at least one toll transaction picture of a vehicle that provides for payment for transacting with the toll system at the time of the toll transaction.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein

the selecting module is further configured to select an other toll transaction picture from the series;

the accessing module is further configured to access the picture time stamp of the other toll transaction picture;

the comparing module is further configured to compare, by the processing device, the transaction time stamp of the violation transaction with the picture time stamp of the selected other toll transaction picture; and

the second identification module is further configured to identify the selected other toll transaction picture as not corresponding to the violation transaction entry based on a result of the comparison.

26. The system of claim 9, wherein the accessing module is configured to access the series of toll transaction pictures by accessing a chronological sequence of pictures taken by an imaging system of every vehicle on a particular lane of the toll system transacting with a facility of the toll system during a predetermined window of time.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the accessing module is configured to access the set of toll transaction entries by accessing a chronological sequence of toll transaction entries taken by a lane transaction system of every vehicle on the particular lane of the toll system transacting with the facility of the toll system during the predetermined window of time.

28. The system of claim 27,

wherein the accessing module is further configured to access a first picture time stamp for a first picture in the chronological sequence of pictures and access a first transaction time stamp for a first transaction entry in the chronological sequence of toll transaction entries;

and

further comprising a determining module configured to determine a clock offset between a clock of the imaging system and a clock of the lane transaction system based on the first picture time stamp and the first transaction time stamp.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the comparing module is configured to compare the transaction time stamp of the violation transaction with the picture time stamp of the selected toll transaction picture by:

calculating an adjusted transaction time stamp by adjusting the transaction time stamp of the violation transaction based on the determined clock offset, and

comparing the adjusted transaction time stamp with the picture time stamp of the selected toll transaction picture.

30. The system of claim 28, wherein the comparing module is configured to compare the transaction time stamp of the violation transaction with the picture time stamp of the selected toll transaction picture by:

calculating an adjusted picture time stamp by adjusting the picture time stamp of the selected toll transaction picture based on the determined clock offset, and

comparing the transaction time stamp of the violation transaction with the adjusted picture time stamp.

31. An apparatus for identifying a vehicle in a toll system, the apparatus comprising:

means for accessing a set of toll transaction entries, each entry in the set designating a toll transaction between a vehicle and the toll system and including a transaction descriptor and a transaction time stamp;

means for accessing a series of toll transaction pictures, the series including a plurality of pictures, each of which is associated with a picture time stamp;

means for identifying a toll transaction entry from the set as a violation transaction entry based on the transaction descriptor;

means for selecting a toll transaction picture from the series;

means for comparing, by a processing device, the transaction time stamp of the violation transaction with the picture time stamp of the selected toll transaction picture; and

means for identifying the selected toll transaction picture as a violation picture corresponding to the violation transaction entry based on a result of the comparison.