Electronic Toll Management and Vehicle Identification

• US 20140355837A1
• Filed: 06/17/2014
• Published: 12/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Hedley, Jay E., Thornburg, Neal Patrick
• Application Number:
  US14/306,431
• Publication Number:
  US 20140355837A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/105
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/62 Text, e.g. of license plates, overlay texts or captions on TV images
• 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: G08G 1/017 identifying vehicles G08G1/015, G08G1/054 take precedence

Abstract

Identifying a vehicle in a toll system includes accessing image data for a first vehicle and obtaining license plate data from the accessed image data for the first vehicle. A set of records is accessed. Each record includes license plate data for a vehicle. The license plate data for the first vehicle is compared with the license plate data for vehicles in the set of records. Based on the results of the comparison of the license plate data, a set of vehicles is identified from the vehicles having records in the set of records. Vehicle fingerprint data is accessed for the first vehicle. The vehicle fingerprint data for the first vehicle is based on the image data for the first vehicle. Vehicle fingerprint data for a vehicle in the set of vehicles is accessed. Using a processing device, the vehicle fingerprint data for the first vehicle is compared with the vehicle fingerprint data for the vehicle in the set of vehicles. The vehicle in the set of vehicles is identified as the first vehicle based on results of the comparison of vehicle fingerprint data.

Claims

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

accessing image data for a first vehicle engaging in a first transaction with a toll facility;

obtaining a first license plate read result for the first vehicle from the accessed image data;

accessing a vehicle record database that includes vehicle identification records for a set of vehicles, the vehicle identification records including license plate read data;

accessing a read errors database that includes error records that link historic incorrect license plate read results to correct corresponding vehicle identification records;

comparing the first license plate read result with vehicle identification records stored in the vehicle record database and error records stored in the read errors database;

identifying, based on the comparison, a first vehicle candidate and a second vehicle candidate of the set of vehicles as possibly corresponding to the first vehicle;

enabling a user to perceive image data for the first vehicle, image data for the first vehicle candidate, and image data for the second vehicle candidate;

receiving, from the user, an indication that the first vehicle candidate corresponds to the first vehicle; and

in response to the indication, updating the read errors database to include an error record that links the first read result for the first vehicle to the vehicle identification record of the first vehicle candidate.