Road toll system linking on board unit with vehicle

• US 9,401,052 B2
• Filed: 04/29/2008
• Issued: 07/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Titan Intelligence Technology Limited
• Original Assignee: Telit Automotive Solutions Nv (TUS International Ltd.)
• Inventors: Peeters, Michael M. P., Taelman, Jan L. R. M., Daems, Frank C. H., Ballet, Veroni
• Primary Examiner(s): McNally, Kerri
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dorsey, Renee
• Application Number:
  US12/597,146
• Publication Number:
  US 20100060484A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,010 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/02 taking into account a variable factor such as distance or time, e.g. for passenger transport, parking systems or car rental systems G07B15/06 takes precedence; taximeters G07B13/00; parking meters per se G07F17/24; car rental systems per se G07B15/00
• 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 1/017 identifying vehicles G08G1/015, G08G1/054 take precedence

Abstract

A road toll system comprises a vehicle-mounted unit comprising a satellite navigation system implementing a position tracking function; transmitting means for transmitting position or route information to a remote server; and a unique identification device for attaching to the vehicle, and associated with the satellite navigation receiver. The road toll system function is enabled only when the identification device is present. The identification device comprises an electronic device which is adapted to alter by detachment or attempted detachment such as to prevent the road toll system function being enabled. This system increases the security of this type of system and makes fraudulent use of the system increasingly difficult.

Claims

1. A road toll system comprising:

a vehicle-mounted unit comprising;

a satellite navigation system implementing a position tracking function;

a cellular modem for transmitting information to a remote server; and

a unique identification device for the vehicle and for attaching to the vehicle such that the unique identification device is permanently fixed in a stationary position relative to the vehicle, and associated with the satellite navigation system,

the vehicle-mounted unit is installed in the same vehicle as the unique identification device so that a road toll system function of the road toll system is enabled only when the unique identification device is present and activation of the vehicle-mounted unit is not possible outside of the vehicle to which the unique identification device is attached,

wherein the unique identification device comprises an electronic device which is adapted to alter by detachment or attempted detachment such as to prevent the road toll system function being enabled.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the unique identification device comprises an RFID sticker which is interrogated by the system in use.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the system further comprises a processor for determining routes taken by the vehicle based on the position tracking information.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the system is an after-market system.

5. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the system is adapted to receive an odometer value for the vehicle when the system is installed or at a reset time, and wherein the system is adapted to compute a distance travelled based on the transmitted position or route information, thereby to enable comparison of a new odometer value with an expected odometer value.

6. The system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the cellular modem is adapted to transmit an odometer value for the vehicle when the system is installed, at a reset time, or at a verification time.

7. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the unique identification device comprises an antenna that is disconnected upon detachment or attempted detachment from the vehicle such that it cannot be interrogated after damage caused by the detachment or attempted detachment.

8. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the unique identification device is adapted such that an alert is provided after damage caused by detachment or attempted detachment, the alert being used by the road toll system to disable the road toll function.

9. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the unique identification device comprises a chip embedded in a power cable, the power cable being attached to the vehicle, and communication with the unique identification device being made through the cable.

16. The road toll system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle-mounted unit further comprises a reader to detect the unique identification device, wherein the vehicle-mounted unit requires specific response times to interrogation signals from the reader.

10. A road toll system comprising:

a remote server in communication with a vehicle-mounted unit,

the remote server comprising a satellite navigation system implementing a position tracking function, the remote server receiving position or route information from the vehicle-mounted unit, wherein the remote server is adapted to receive an odometer value for the vehicle when the system is installed or at a reset time, and wherein the remote server is adapted to computer a distance travelled based on the received position or route information and compare a new odometer value for the vehicle with an expected odometer value for the vehicle based on the computed distance traveled, and

the vehicle-mounted unit comprising a unique identification device for attaching to the vehicle, and associated with the satellite navigation system, wherein the road toll system function is enabled only when the unique identification device is present, and wherein the unique identification device comprises an electronic device which is adapted to alter by detachment or attempted detachment such as to prevent the road toll system function being enabled.

11. The system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the remote server receiving an odometer value for the vehicle when the system is installed, at a reset time, or at a verification time.

12. The system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the remote server is adapted to receive an odometer value for the vehicle when the system is installed or at a reset time from the user of the vehicle during a registration process.

13. The system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the registration process comprises the user providing:

a user identification;

a vehicle license number;

a system ID; and

a vehicle odometer value.

14. The system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the unique identification device comprises an RFID sticker which is interrogated by the system in use.

15. The system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the unique identification device comprises a chip embedded in a power cable, the power cable being attached to the vehicle, and the communication with the unique identification device being made through the cable.