Non-stop toll collection method and system

• US 20020145542A1
• Filed: 04/01/2002
• Published: 10/10/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Yamashita, Hiroshi
• Granted Patent: US 6,791,475 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/935
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/056 with provision for distinguishing direction of travel

Abstract

A plurality of roadside wireless devices are provided on a roadside of an entry of a toll area. A first roadside wireless device, which communicates with a vehicle-mounted device over wireless communication, sends unique information obtained from the vehicle-mounted device to a second roadside wireless device located, downstream to the first roadside wireless device, along a moving direction of the vehicle. The second roadside wireless device checks if unique information on the vehicle-mounted device obtained from the vehicle-mounted device matches the unique information on vehicle-mounted device notified from the first roadside wireless device to judge if the moving direction is a direction of entry into a toll area and charges the vehicle-mounted device for toll only when it is judged that the moving direction is the direction of entry into the toll area.

Claims

1. A mobile station management system including a plurality of base stations coupled for communication each other, wherein

one base station of said plurality of base stations comprises:

means for obtaining unique information on a mobile station that has entered a wireless communication area of said one base station, via wireless communication with the mobile station; and

means for notifying the unique information on the mobile station obtained by said one base station to other base station located downstream to said one base station along a moving direction of the mobile station, and wherein

said other base station comprises;

means for obtaining unique information on the mobile station via wireless communication with the mobile station that has entered a wireless communication area of said other base station;

means for determining if the moving direction of the mobile station is a predetermined forward direction or a backward direction by comparing the unique information on the mobile station obtained by said other base station with the unique information notified by said one of base stations; and

means for controlling an execution of predetermined processing for the mobile station based on a determination result of the moving direction of the mobile station.

2. The mobile station management system as defined in claim 1, wherein

in case of the moving direction of the mobile station being a predetermined one direction of the forward and backward directions, said means for controlling an execution of predetermined processing based on the determination result of the moving direction of the mobile station executes first processing necessary in association with the movement along said one direction of the mobile station, and in case of the moving direction of the mobile station being an opposite direction of said predetermined one direction, does not execute said first processing respectively.

3. The mobile station management system as defined in claim 2, wherein

in case of the moving direction of the mobile station being the opposite of said predetermined one direction, said means for controlling an execution of predetermined processing based on the determination result of the moving direction of the mobile station does not execute said first processing but executes predetermined second processing associated with the movement of the mobile station along said opposite direction.

4. The mobile station management system as defined in claim 1, wherein

the mobile station is a wireless communication device provided in or mounted on a mobile body.

5. The mobile station management system as defined in claim 1, wherein

said mobile station is a vehicle-mounted device for ETC (Electrical Toll Collection) that is mounted on a vehicle.

6. A toll collection system comprising a plurality of roadside wireless devices being spaced each other and arranged along a road leading to a toll area, wherein

one roadside wireless device communicating with a vehicle-mounted device on a vehicle via wireless communication comprises:

means for notifying unique information obtained by said one roadside wireless device from said vehicle-mounted device via road-to-vehicle communication to other roadside wireless device located downstream to said one roadside wireless device along a moving direction of the vehicle, and wherein

aid other roadside wireless device comprises;

means for determining if a moving direction of the vehicle is an entry into or exit from said toll area by comparing unique information obtained by said other roadside wireless device from said vehicle-mounted device via road-to-vehicle communication with the unique information notified by said other roadside wireless device from said one roadside wireless devices, and for controlling an execution of toll charging processing based on a result of the determination.

7. A toll collection system comprising at least a first and a second roadside wireless devices that are spaced each other and arranged along a road leading to a toll area, wireless communication areas of said first and second roadside wireless devices not overlapping, wherein

a vehicle-mounted device mounted on a vehicle entering the toll area communicates with said first roadside wireless device located upstream along a moving direction of the vehicle,

wherein said first roadside wireless device comprises means for obtaining vehicle-mounted device unique information sent from said vehicle-mounted device via wireless communication and for notifying the vehicle-mounted device unique information to the second roadside wireless device located downstream along the moving direction of the vehicle, and

wherein said second roadside wireless device comprises:

means for storing the vehicle-mounted device unique information notified by said first roadside wireless device into storage means;

means for obtaining vehicle-mounted device unique information sent from said vehicle-mounted device via wireless communication and for retrieving the vehicle-mounted device unique information, stored in said storage means to check if vehicle-mounted device unique information matching the obtained vehicle-mounted device unique information is present;

means for executing toll charging processing for said vehicle-mounted device judging that the vehicle is entering the toll area if vehicle-mounted device unique information matching the obtained vehicle-mounted device unique information is present in said storage means; and

means for deleting the vehicle-mounted device unique information on said vehicle-mounted device stored in said storage means after executing the toll charging processing for said vehicle-mounted device.

8. The toll collection system as defined in claim 7, wherein

a vehicle-mounted device of the vehicle moving in a direction of an exit from the toll area communicates, via wireless communication, with said second roadside wireless device located upstream along a moving direction of the vehicle,

wherein said second roadside wireless device further comprises means for obtaining vehicle-mounted device unique information sent from said vehicle-mounted device via wireless communication and for notifying the vehicle-mounted device unique information to said first roadside wireless device located downstream to said second roadside wireless device along the moving direction of the vehicle,

wherein said second roadside wireless device obtains vehicle-mounted device unique information sent from said vehicle-mounted device via wireless communication, retrieves vehicle-mounted device unique information stored in said storage means to check if vehicle-mounted device unique information matching the obtained vehicle-mounted device unique information is present in said storage means,

said second roadside wireless device not executing toll charging processing for said vehicle-mounted device, if vehicle-mounted device unique information matching the obtained vehicle-mounted device unique information is not present in said storage means, and

wherein said first roadside wireless device further comprises:

means for storing the vehicle-mounted device unique information notified by said second roadside wireless device into storage means;

means for obtaining vehicle-mounted device unique information sent from said vehicle-mounted device via wireless communication and for retrieving the vehicle-mounted device unique information, stored in said storage means, to check if vehicle-mounted device unique information matching the obtained vehicle-mounted device unique information is present; and

means for controlling to suppress toll charging processing for said vehicle-mounted device judging that the vehicle is moving in a direction of an exit from the toll area if vehicle-mounted device unique 1information matching the obtained vehicle-mounted device unique information is present in said storage means.

9. A method for managing a mobile station by using a plurality of base stations coupled for communicating each other, said method comprising the steps of:

obtaining, by one base station, unique information on a mobile station that has entered a wireless communication range of said one base station, via wireless communication with the mobile station;

notifying, by one base station, the unique information on the mobile station obtained by said one base station, to other base station located downstream to said one base station along a moving direction of the mobile station;

obtaining, by said other base station, unique information on the mobile station via wireless communication with the mobile station that has entered a wireless communication range of said other base station;

determining, by said other base station, if a moving direction of the mobile station is a predetermined forward direction or a backward direction by comparing the unique information on the mobile station obtained by said other base station with the unique information notified by said one of base stations; and

controlling, by said other base station, an execution of predetermined processing for the mobile station based on a determination result of the moving direction of the mobile station.

10. The mobile method as defined in claim 9, wherein

if the moving direction of the mobile station is a predetermined one direction of the forward direction and a backward direction of the mobile station,

the step of controlling an execution of predetermined processing based on a determination result of the moving direction of the mobile station executes first processing necessary in association with the movement into said one direction of the mobile station and, if the moving direction of the mobile station is an opposite direction of said one direction of the mobile station, does not execute said first processing.

11. The method as defined in claim 10, wherein

if the moving direction of the mobile station is the opposite of said one directions of the mobile station,

the step of controlling an execution of predetermined processing based on a determination result of the moving direction of the mobile station does not execute the first processing but executes predetermined second processing with regards to the movement along said opposite direction.

12. The method as defined in claim 9, wherein

the mobile station is a wireless device provided in or mounted on a moving body.

13. The method as defined in claim 9, wherein

said mobile station is a vehicle-mounted device for ETC (Electrical Toll Collection) that is mounted on a vehicle.

17. The toll collection method as defined in claim 16 further comprising the steps of:

a vehicle-mounted device of a vehicle moving along a direction of an exit from the toll area entering the second wireless communication area located upstream along a moving direction of the vehicle to communicate with said second roadside wireless device via wireless communication,

obtaining, by said second roadside wireless device, vehicle-mounted device unique information sent from said vehicle-mounted device;

notifying, by said second roadside wireless device, the vehicle-mounted device unique information to said first roadside wireless device located downstream along the moving direction of the vehicle;

obtaining, by said second roadside wireless device, vehicle-mounted device unique information sent from said vehicle-mounted device via wireless communication, retrieving the vehicle-mounted device unique information, stored in said storage means, to check if vehicle-mounted device unique information matching the obtained vehicle-mounted device unique information is present in said storage means, and suppressing toll charging processing for said vehicle-mounted device if the vehicle-mounted device unique information matching the obtained vehicle-mounted device unique information is not present in said storage means;

storing, by said first roadside wireless device, the vehicle-mounted device unique information notified by said second roadside wireless device into storage means;

obtaining, by said first roadside wireless device, vehicle-mounted device unique information sent from said vehicle-mounted device via wireless communication when the vehicle keeps on moving and enters the first wireless communication area, and retrieving the vehicle-mounted device unique information, stored in said storage means, to check if vehicle-mounted device unique information matching the obtained vehicle-mounted device unique information;

suppressing, by said first roadside wireless device, toll charging processing for said vehicle-mounted device judging that the vehicle is moving in the direction of an exit from the toll area if the vehicle-mounted device unique information matching the obtained vehicle-mounted device unique information is present in said storage means; and

deleting, by said first roadside wireless device, the obtained vehicle-mounted device unique information and the vehicle-mounted device unique information stored in said storage means matching the obtained vehicle-mounted device unique information.

14. A method for managing a mobile station, said method comprising the steps of:

obtaining, by one base station which communicates with a mobile station via a wireless communication, unique information on the mobile station via the wireless communication with the mobile station;

notify, by said one base station, the unique information on the mobile station obtained by said one of base stations, to a control station or a center connected to said one of base stations;

obtaining, by other base station located downstream to said one base station along a moving direction of the mobile station, unique information on the mobile station via wireless communication with the mobile station that has entered a wireless communication range of said other base station;

notifying, by said other base station, the unique information on the mobile station obtained by said other base station, to said control station or center connected to said other base station,

comparing, by said control station or center, the unique information on the mobile station obtained by said other base station with the unique information notified by said one of base stations to determine if a moving direction of the mobile station is a predetermined forward direction or a backward direction by; and

controlling, by said other base station, an execution of predetermined processing for the mobile station via said other base station based on a determination result of the moving direction of the mobile station.

15. A toll collection method in which a plurality of roadside wireless devices are spaced each other and arranged along a road leading to a toll area, said method comprising the steps of:

notifying, by one roadside wireless device which communicates with a vehicle-mounted device on a vehicle via wireless communication, unique information obtained from said vehicle-mounted device via road-to-vehicle communication, to other roadside wireless device located downstream to said one roadside wireless device along a moving direction of the vehicle; and

comparing, by said other roadside wireless device, unique information obtained from said vehicle-mounted device via road-to-vehicle communication with the unique information notified by said one roadside wireless device to determine if a moving direction of the vehicle is an entry into or exit from the toll area for controlling an execution of toll charging processing based on a determination result.

16. A toll collection method in which at least a first and a second roadside wireless devices are spaced each other and arranged along a road leading to a toll area, first and second wireless communication areas of said first and second roadside wireless devices not overlapping, said method comprising the steps of:

obtaining, by said first roadside wireless device, vehicle-mounted device unique information sent from a vehicle-mounted device via wireless communication when said vehicle-mounted device mounted on a vehicle entering the toll area enters the first wireless communication area located upstream along a moving direction of the vehicle and communicates with said first roadside wireless device via wireless communication;

notifying, by said first roadside wireless device, the vehicle-mounted device unique information to said second roadside wireless device located downstream along the moving direction and then discarding the vehicle-mounted device unique information;

storing, by said second roadside wireless device, the vehicle-mounted device unique information notified by said first roadside wireless device into storage means;

obtaining, by said second roadside wireless device, vehicle-mounted device unique information sent from said vehicle-mounted device via wireless communication when the vehicle enters the second wireless communication area;

retrieving, by said second roadside wireless device, the vehicle-mounted device unique information, stored in said storage means to check if vehicle-mounted device unique information matching the obtained vehicle-mounted device unique information is present;

executing, by said second roadside wireless device, toll charging processing for said vehicle-mounted device judging that the vehicle is entering the toll area if vehicle-mounted device unique information matching the obtained vehicle-mounted device unique information is present in said storage means; and

deleting, by said second roadside wireless device, the vehicle-mounted device unique information on said vehicle-mounted device from said storage means after executing the toll charging processing for said vehicle-mounted device.