ROAD TOLL SYSTEM

• US 20100198665A1
• Filed: 06/25/2008
• Published: 08/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Titan Intelligence Technology Limited
• Original Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Inventors: Daems, Frank C. H., Peeters, Michael M. P.
• Granted Patent: US 9,536,234 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/13
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/13 Receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/145 Payments according to the detected use or quantity
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/383 Anonymous user system
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 2240/00 Transportation facility access, e.g. fares, tolls or parking
• 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: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C

Abstract

A road toll system comprises a vehicle-mounted unit having a satellite navigation receiver. A first data processing means determines a route taken 5 based on satellite navigation data provided from the receiver, and the satellite navigation data is associated with a variable identity. A road toll level is derived. A second data processing means receives the road toll level provided by the first data processing means, and the satellite navigation obtains the determined road toll level from the second data processing means using the 10 variable identity. This provides a thin client scenario (the receiver does not implement the map calculations), but with data security corresponding to a thick client solution. Thus, the map matching and trip cost computation steps are delegated by the on-board unit to an external unit, but this delegation is performed anonymously, so that no data sent for external processing 15 compromises the privacy of the data.

Claims

1. A road toll system comprising:

a satellite navigation receiver implementing a position tracking function;

a first data processor for determining a route taken based on satellite navigation data provided from the receiver, the satellite navigation data being associated with a variable identity, and for determining a road toll level; and

a second data processor for receiving the road toll level provided by the first data processor,

wherein the satellite navigation receiver is adapted to obtain the determined road toll level from the second data processor using the variable identity.

2. A system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a mobile telephony receiver for enabling communication between the satellite navigation receiver and the first and second data processors.

3. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein satellite navigation data is provided by the receiver as periodic blocks of samples, and wherein the variable identity is varied each time a block of samples of satellite navigation data is provided to the first data processor.

4. A system as claimed in claim 3, wherein each block of samples corresponds to a predetermined time duration.

5. A system as claimed in claim 3, wherein each block of samples relates to a part of a journey within a predetermined area, and a new block of samples is started when the journey crosses area boundaries.

6. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the satellite navigation data provided to the first data processor by the receiver includes timing information which is no more accurate than approximately 1 minute, or more preferably, approximately 10 minutes.

7. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communication from the receiver is encrypted with an encryption key.

8. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein data is provided by the receiver to the first data processor via a proxy.

9. A system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the proxy comprises other satellite navigation receivers of the system.

10. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second data processor is implemented by the other satellite navigation receivers.

11. A method of calculating a road toll within a road toll system, the method comprising:

using a satellite navigation receiver to implement a position tracking function;

determining a route taken based on satellite navigation data provided by the receiver to a first processor, the satellite navigation data being associated with a variable identity, and determining a road toll level;

receiving the road toll level provided by the first data processor at a second data processor; and

obtaining the determined road toll level at the receiver from the second data processor using the variable identity.

12. A method as claimed in claim 11, wherein satellite navigation data provided is provided by the receiver as periodic blocks of samples, and wherein the variable identity is varied each time a block of samples of satellite navigation data is provided to the first data processor.

13. A method as claimed in claim 12, wherein each block of samples is prepared for a predetermined time duration.

14. A method as claimed in claim 12, wherein each block of samples is prepared for a part of a journey within a predetermined area, and a new block of samples is started when the journey crosses area boundaries.

15. A method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the satellite navigation data provided to the first data processor by the receiver includes timing information which is no more accurate than approximately 1 minute, or more preferably approximately 10 minutes.

16. A method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the communication from the receiver is encrypted with an encryption key.

17. A method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the second data processor is implemented by the other satellite navigation receivers.

18. A method as claimed in claim 11, comprising providing data from the receiver to the first data processor via a proxy.

19. A method as claimed in claim 18, wherein the proxy comprises other satellite navigation receivers of the system.