Electric toll management

• US 8,775,235 B2
• Filed: 03/08/2010
• Issued: 07/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Hedley, Jay E., Thornburg, Neal Patrick
• Primary Examiner(s): Vetter, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US12/719,652
• Publication Number:
  US 20100228607A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,583 Days
• Field of Search: 705/13
• 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:

detecting, using a first sensor that is coupled to a lane transaction system of a toll system, a toll transaction between a first vehicle and the toll system;

generating, by a processor of the lane transaction system, a first toll transaction entry in response to detection by the first sensor of the toll transaction between the first vehicle and the toll system, the first toll transaction entry including a first transaction time stamp generated by a first clock;

detecting, using a second sensor that is separate from the first sensor and that is coupled to an imaging system of the toll system, the toll transaction between the first vehicle and the toll system;

capturing, using an image capture device of the imaging system, a picture deemed to depict the toll transaction between the first vehicle and the toll system in response to detection by the second sensor of the toll transaction between the first vehicle and the toll system;

accessing the first toll transaction entry;

accessing a first picture time stamp associated with the picture, the first picture time stamp being generated by a second clock that is independent from the first clock;

accessing a second toll transaction entry, the second toll transaction entry designating a toll transaction between a second vehicle and the toll system and the second toll transaction entry including a second transaction time stamp generated by the first clock;

accessing a second picture time stamp associated with a picture deemed to depict the toll transaction between the second vehicle and the toll system, the second picture time stamp being generated by the second clock;

calculating, using at least one computer processor, a transaction time difference between the first transaction time stamp and the second transaction time stamp;

calculating a picture time difference between the first picture time stamp and the second picture time stamp; and

enabling the calculated transaction time difference and the calculated picture time difference to be concurrently displayed in a graphical user interface for perception by a user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the transaction between the first vehicle and the toll system occurs in a same toll lane as the transaction between the second vehicle and the toll system.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the transaction between the first vehicle and the toll system and the transaction between the second vehicle and the toll system are sequential transactions in the same toll lane such that no other transaction occurs in the same toll lane between the transaction between the first vehicle and the toll system and the subsequent transaction between the second vehicle and the toll system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein accessing the first and second toll transaction entries comprises receiving the first and second toll transaction entries from the lane transaction system.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein accessing the first and second toll transaction pictures comprises receiving the first and second toll transaction pictures from the imaging system, and wherein the imaging system is independent from the lane transaction system.

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

7. The method of claim 5,

wherein the imaging system being independent from the lane transaction system comprises the imaging system having the second clock as its internal clock and the lane transaction system having the first clock as its internal clock.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

accessing a clock offset between the first clock of the lane transaction system and the second clock of the imaging system, the clock offset representing a known time disparity between time tracked by the first clock of the lane transaction system and time tracked by the second clock of the imaging system; and

adjusting the first and second transaction time stamps based on the clock offset or adjusting the first and second picture time stamps based on the clock offset.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the clock offset represents a known time disparity due to a difference in clock resolution between the first clock of the lane transaction system and the second clock of the imaging system, a difference in clock drift between the first clock of the lane transaction system and the second clock of the imaging system, or a fixed difference in clock setting between the first clock of the lane transaction system and the second clock of the imaging system.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling the calculated transaction time difference and the calculated picture time difference to be concurrently displayed in a graphical user interface comprises enabling the calculated transaction time difference and the calculated picture time difference to be displayed in a graph.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the graph is a bar graph including a first bar having a height corresponding to the calculated transaction time difference and a second bar having a height corresponding to the calculated picture time difference.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accessing a third toll transaction entry, the third toll transaction entry designating a toll transaction between a third vehicle and the toll system and the third toll transaction entry including a third transaction time stamp generated by the first clock;

accessing a third picture time stamp associated with a picture deemed to depict the toll transaction between the third vehicle and the toll system, the third picture time stamp being generated by the second clock;

calculating a transaction time difference between the second transaction time stamp and the third transaction time stamp;

calculating a picture time difference between the second picture time stamp and the third picture time stamp; and

enabling display, in the graphical user interface, of the transaction time difference between the second and third transaction time stamps and the picture time difference between the second and third picture time stamps while the transaction time difference between the first and second transaction time stamps and the picture time difference between the first and second picture time stamps are concurrently displayed.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the transaction between the first vehicle and the toll system, the transaction between the second vehicle and the toll system, and the transaction between the third vehicle and the toll system occur in a same toll lane of the toll system.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the transaction between the first vehicle and the toll system, the transaction between the second vehicle and the toll system, and the transaction between the third vehicle and the toll system are sequential transactions in the same toll lane such that no other transaction occurs in the same toll lane between the transaction between the first vehicle and the toll system and the subsequent transaction between the second vehicle and the toll system and no other transaction occurs in the same toll lane between the transaction between the second vehicle and the toll system and the subsequent transaction between the third vehicle and the toll system.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein enabling display of the transaction time difference between the second and third transaction time stamps and the picture time difference between the second and third picture time stamps while the transaction time difference between the first and second transaction time stamps and the picture time difference between the first and second picture time stamps are concurrently displayed comprises enabling display of a bar graph having a first bar corresponding to the transaction time difference between the second and third transaction time stamps, a second bar corresponding to the picture time difference between the second and third picture time stamps, a third bar corresponding to the transaction time difference between the first and second transaction time stamps, and a fourth bar corresponding to the picture time difference between the first and second picture time stamps.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface includes a graphical element selectable by the user.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

receiving an indication that the graphical element was selected by the user; and

in response to the indication, enabling the transaction time difference and the picture time difference to be concurrently displayed in the graphical user interface.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the graphical element comprises a graphical icon or button.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

comparing the transaction time difference to the picture time difference; and

designating the first and second transaction time stamps and the first and second picture time stamps as anomalous based on results of the comparison.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying the calculated transaction time difference and the calculated picture time difference concurrently to the user in the graphical user interface.

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

a lane transaction system including;

a first sensor configured to detect a toll transaction between a first vehicle and the toll system,

a first clock, and

a lane transaction system processor configured to generate a first toll transaction entry in response to detection by the first sensor of the toll transaction between the first vehicle and the toll system, the first toll transaction entry including a first transaction time stamp generated by the first clock;

an imaging system including;

a second sensor configured to detect the toll transaction between the first vehicle and the toll system,

a second clock that is independent from the first clock, and

an image capture device configured to capture a picture deemed to depict the toll transaction between the first vehicle and the toll system in response to detection by the second sensor of the toll transaction between the first vehicle and the toll system; and

one or more computer processors configured to;

access the first toll transaction entry;

access a first picture time stamp associated with the picture, the first picture time stamp being generated by the second clock;

access a second toll transaction entry, the second toll transaction entry designating a toll transaction between a second vehicle and the toll system and the second toll transaction entry including a second transaction time stamp generated by the first clock;

access a second picture time stamp associated with a picture deemed to depict the toll transaction between the second vehicle and the toll system, the second picture time stamp being generated by the second clock;

calculate a transaction time difference between the first transaction time stamp and the second transaction time stamp;

calculate a picture time difference between the first picture time stamp and the second picture time stamp; and

enable the calculated transaction time difference and the calculated picture time difference to be concurrently displayed in a graphical user interface for perception by a user.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the one or more computer processors are configured to access the first and second toll transaction entries by receiving the first and second toll transaction entries from the lane transaction system.

23. The system of claim 22,

wherein the one or more computer processors are configured to access the first and second picture time stamps by receiving the first and second picture time stamps from the imaging system, wherein the imaging system is independent from the lane transaction system, and

wherein the imaging system being independent from the lane transaction system comprises the imaging system not receiving signals from the lane transaction system.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein the graphical user interface includes a graphical element selectable by the user.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the one or more computer processors are further configured to receive an indication that the graphical element was selected by the user and enable display of the transaction time difference and the picture time difference in response to the indication.

26. The system of claim 24, wherein the graphical element comprises a graphical icon or button.

27. The system of claim 21, wherein the one or more computer processors are further configured to:

compare the transaction time difference to the picture time difference; and

designate the first and second transaction time stamps and the first and second picture time stamps as anomalous based on results of the comparison.

28. The system of claim 21, wherein the one or more computer processors are further configured to concurrently display the calculated transaction time difference and the calculated picture time difference in a graphical user interface for perception by the user.