Electronic Toll Management

• US 20160049015A1
• Filed: 10/28/2015
• Published: 02/18/2016
• 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
• Granted Patent: US 10,115,242 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 computer-implemented method comprising:

accessing a set of lane transaction entries, each entry in the set designating a toll transaction between a vehicle and a toll system and including a transaction descriptor and a transaction time stamp generated by a first clock;

accessing a series of lane transaction pictures, the series including a plurality of pictures, each of which is associated with a picture time stamp generated by a second clock that is different from the first clock;

identifying, a computer processor, a lane transaction entry from the set as a violation transaction entry based on the transaction descriptor;

selecting a group of lane transaction entries from among the set of lane transaction entries based on the time stamp of the violation transaction entry;

selecting a group of lane transaction pictures from the series of lane transaction pictures based on the selected group of lane transaction entries and at least one of the time stamps of the series of lane transaction pictures; and

identifying a lane transaction picture from the group of lane transaction pictures as a violation picture corresponding to the violation transaction entry by associating the group of lane transaction entries with the group of lane transaction pictures.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein associating the group of lane transaction entries with the group of lane transaction pictures comprises:

matching a first picture of the group of lane transaction pictures with a first lane transaction entry of the group of lane transaction entries; and

matching a second picture of the group of lane transaction pictures with a second lane transaction entry of the group of lane transaction entries.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first picture is a picture of a first transaction between a first vehicle and the toll system in a lane of the toll system and the second picture is a picture of a second transaction between a second vehicle and the toll system in the lane of the toll system, the second transaction occurring after the first transaction.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first clock is an internal clock of a lane transaction system and the second clock is an internal clock of an image acquisition system, the method comprising:

generating, using the first clock and in response to detection of transacting vehicles by a sensor of the lane transaction system, the transaction time stamps of the set of lane transaction entries; and

generating, using the second clock and in response to separate detection of transacting vehicles by a sensor of the image acquisition system that is different from the sensor of the lane transaction system, the picture time stamps of the series of lane transaction pictures.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

selecting a group of lane transaction entries from among the set of lane transaction entries based on the time stamp of the violation transaction entry comprises;

determining a landmark transaction entry from among the set of lane transaction entries; and

selecting a sequence of lane transaction entries that comprises two or more sequential transaction entries for a particular lane in the toll system without any intervening entries that are not in the sequence of lane transaction entries, the landmark transaction entry being at a beginning of the sequence or an end of the sequence and the sequence including the violation transaction entry; and

selecting a group of lane transaction pictures from the series of lane transaction pictures based on the selected group of toll transaction entries and at least one of the time stamps of the series of lane transaction pictures comprises;

determining a time stamp of the landmark transaction entry; and

selecting a sequence of lane transaction pictures from the series of lane transaction pictures using the time stamp of the landmark transaction entry, the series of lane transaction pictures comprising a sequence of pictures for the particular lane in the toll system without any intervening pictures that are not in the sequence of lane transaction pictures.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein selecting the sequence of lane transaction pictures from the series of lane transaction pictures using the time stamp of the landmark transaction entry comprises selecting the sequence of lane transaction pictures from the series of lane transaction pictures such that a time stamp for a first picture or a last picture in the sequence is within a predetermined period of time from the time stamp of the landmark transaction entry.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein determining the landmark transaction entry from among the set of lane transaction entries comprises determining a particular transaction entry from among the set of lane transaction entries for a vehicle with three or more axles using data for the particular transaction entry that identifies a number of axles for the vehicle.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein determining the landmark transaction entry from among the set of lane transaction entries comprises determining a particular transaction entry from among the set of lane transaction entries for a vehicle that has a transponder using data for the particular transaction entry.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein determining the particular transaction entry for a vehicle that has a transponder using the data for the particular transaction entry comprises determining, using data for the particular transaction entry, the particular transaction entry for the vehicle that paid for a transaction with the toll system using the transponder.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein determining the landmark transaction entry from among the set of lane transaction entries comprises:

determining a pair of transaction entries from among the set of lane transaction entries that have a time gap between the pair of transaction entries during which no transaction occurred for the particular lane; and

selecting one of the pair of transaction entries as the landmark transaction entry.

11. The method of claim 5, comprising:

determining a second landmark transaction entry from among the set of lane transaction entries, wherein;

selecting the sequence of lane transaction entries that comprises two or more sequential transaction entries for a particular lane in the toll system comprises selecting the sequence of lane transaction entries with the landmark transaction entry at the beginning of the sequence and the second landmark transaction entry being at the end of the sequence, the sequence comprising all transaction entries for the particular lane between the landmark transaction entry and the second landmark transaction entry; and

selecting the sequence of lane transaction pictures from the series of lane transaction pictures using the time stamp of the landmark transaction entry comprises

determining a time stamp of the second landmark transaction entry; and

selecting the sequence of lane transaction pictures from the series of lane transaction pictures using a timestamp of the landmark transaction entry to determine a first picture in the sequence and the timestamp of the second landmark transaction entry to determine a second picture in the sequence, the sequence including all pictures for the particular lane between the first picture and the second picture.

12. The method of claim 5, wherein:

determining the landmark transaction entry from among the set of lane transaction entries comprises;

determining whether a particular transaction entry for the particular lane and from among the set of lane transaction entries is adjacent to a violation transaction entry for the particular lane; and

selecting the particular transaction entry as the landmark transaction entry in response to determining that the particular transaction entry for the particular lane is not adjacent to a violation transaction entry for the particular lane; and

selecting the sequence of lane transaction entries that comprises two or more sequential transaction entries for the particular lane in the toll system without any intervening entries that are not in the sequence of lane transaction entries comprises selecting the sequence of lane transaction entries that comprises three or more sequential transaction entries for the particular lane in the toll system.

13. The method of claim 5, comprising:

determining a time interval that includes the landmark transaction entry and the violation transaction entry; and

determining that the time interval does not include another landmark transaction entry, wherein selecting the sequence of lane transaction entries that comprises two or more sequential transaction entries for the particular lane in the toll system without any intervening entries that are not in the sequence of lane transaction entries comprises selecting the sequence of lane transaction entries that includes only the landmark transaction entry and does not include a second landmark transaction entry.

14. A system comprising:

a lane transaction entry data store configured to store lane transaction entries that each designate a toll transaction between a vehicle and a toll system, include a transaction descriptor, and are associated with transaction time stamps generated by a first clock of a lane transaction system for the toll transactions between the vehicles and the toll system;

a vehicle image data store configured to store lane transaction pictures that are associated with picture time stamps generated by a second clock of an image acquisition system that is different from the first clock of the lane transaction system; and

a processing device configured to;

identify a violation transaction entry from the lane transaction entry data store using the transaction descriptor included in the violation transaction entry;

select a group of lane transaction entries from the lane transaction entry data store using the time stamp of the violation transaction entry, the group of lane transaction entries including the violation transaction entry;

select a group of lane transaction pictures from the vehicle image data store based on the selected group of toll transaction entries and at least one of the time stamps of the lane transaction entries in the group of lane transaction entries; and

identify a lane transaction picture from the group of lane transaction pictures as a violation picture corresponding to the violation transaction entry by associating the group of lane transaction entries with the group of lane transaction pictures.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein associating the group of lane transaction entries with the group of lane transaction pictures comprises:

matching a first picture of the group of lane transaction pictures with a first lane transaction entry of the group of lane transaction entries; and

matching a second picture of the group of lane transaction pictures with a second lane transaction entry of the group of lane transaction entries.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the first picture is a picture of a first transaction between a first vehicle and the toll system in a lane of the toll system and the second picture is a picture of a second transaction between a second vehicle and the toll system in the lane of the toll system, the second transaction occurring after the first transaction.

17. The system of claim 14, comprising:

a lane transaction system that includes the first clock as an internal clock and configured to generate, using the first clock and in response to detection of transacting vehicles by a sensor of the lane transaction system, the transaction time stamps for at least some of the lane transaction entries in the lane transaction entry data store; and

an image acquisition system that includes the second clock as an internal clock and configured to generate, using the second clock and in response to separate detection of transacting vehicles by a sensor of the image acquisition system that is different from the sensor of the lane transaction system, the picture time stamps for at least some of the pictures in the vehicle image data store.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the processing device is configured to:

select a group of lane transaction entries from the lane transaction entry data store using the time stamp of the violation transaction entry by;

determining a landmark transaction entry from the lane transaction entry data store; and

selecting a sequence of lane transaction entries that comprises two or more sequential transaction entries for a particular lane in the toll system without any intervening entries that are not in the sequence of lane transaction entries, the landmark transaction entry being at a beginning of the sequence or an end of the sequence and the sequence including the violation transaction entry; and

select a group of lane transaction pictures from the vehicle image data store based on the selected group of toll transaction entries and at least one of the time stamps of the lane transaction entries in the group of lane transaction entries by;

determining a time stamp of the landmark transaction entry; and

selecting a sequence of lane transaction pictures from the vehicle image data store using the time stamp of the landmark transaction entry, the sequence of lane transaction pictures comprising a sequence of pictures for the particular lane in the toll system without any intervening pictures that are not in the sequence of lane transaction pictures.

19. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions executable by a data processing apparatus and upon such execution cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

accessing a set of lane transaction entries, each entry in the set designating a toll transaction between a vehicle and a toll system and including a transaction descriptor and a transaction time stamp generated by a first clock;

accessing a series of lane transaction pictures, the series including a plurality of pictures, each of which is associated with a picture time stamp generated by a second clock that is different from the first clock;

identifying, using a computer processor, a lane transaction entry from the set as a violation transaction entry based on the transaction descriptor;

selecting a group of lane transaction entries from among the set of lane transaction entries based on the time stamp of the violation transaction entry;

selecting a group of lane transaction pictures from the series of lane transaction pictures based on the selected group of toll transaction entries and at least one of the time stamps of the series of lane transaction pictures; and

identifying a lane transaction picture from the group of lane transaction pictures as a violation picture corresponding to the violation transaction entry by associating the group of lane transaction entries with the group of lane transaction pictures.

20. The computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein associating the group of lane transaction entries with the group of lane transaction pictures comprises:

matching a first picture of the group of lane transaction pictures with a first lane transaction entry of the group of lane transaction entries; and

matching a second picture of the group of lane transaction pictures with a second lane transaction entry of the group of lane transaction entries.