Vehicle-relevant onboard ETC-information communication control apparatus

• US 6,340,934 B1
• Filed: 11/02/2000
• Issued: 01/22/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Hisada, Masaaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAM, TOAN NGOC
• Application Number:
  US09/703,731
• Time in Patent Office: 446 Days
• Field of Search: 340/928, 340/905, 340/933, 340/901, 340/539, 340/934, 340/936, 340/938, 701/117, 701/118, 701/119, 235/380, 235/382, 235/384
• US Class Current: 340/928
• 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

An ETC-relevant information communication control system designed for limiting ETC-relevant information communication between an ETC communication equipment of a toll gate provided on or along a toll road and an vehicle-onboard ETC-relevant information communication control apparatus of a motor vehicle after entry thereof into a communication area for a predetermined interval up to a location within the communication area where communication error can be evaded while maintaining the current speed of the motor vehicle entering the communication area. The vehicle-onboard ETC-relevant information communication control apparatus includes a communication limiting interval setting means (8A) for setting a communication limiting interval for disabling communication between a vehicle-onboard ETC-relevant information communication control apparatus and the ETC communication equipment of the toll gate until the motor vehicle entered a communication area where communication between the vehicle-onboard ETC-relevant information communication control apparatus and the ETC communication equipment is possible has traveled a predetermined distance within the communication area, a vehicle-traveled distance arithmetic means (8A; 15) for arithmetically determining a vehicle-traveled distance within the communication area as measured from a time point the motor vehicle entered the communication area, and a communication control means (8A) for making decision as to whether or not the vehicle-traveled distance as calculated by the travel distance arithmetic means (8A, 15) exceeds the distance equivalent to the vehicle-traveled distance preset by the communication limiting interval setting means (8A) to thereby allow the communication between the ETC communication equipment and the vehicle-onboard ETC-relevant information communication control apparatus to be started when decision is made that the vehicle-traveled distance exceeds the preset communication limiting interval.

Claims

1. An vehicle-onboard ETC-relevant information communication control apparatus mounted on a motor vehicle capable of running on and along a toll road for interchanging information required for toll charge/payment transaction with ETC communication equipment installed in association with said toll road to thereby execute toll charge/payment settlement processing on the basis of said ETC-relevant information;

said vehicle-onboard ETC-relevant information communication control apparatus comprising;

communication limiting interval setting means for setting a communication limiting interval for disabling function of said vehicle-onboard ETC-relevant information communication control apparatus to conduct communication with said ETC communication equipment until said motor vehicle entered a communication area where communication between said vehicle-onboard ETC-relevant information communication control apparatus and said ETC communication equipment is allowed has traveled for a predetermined distance within said communication area after entry thereto;

vehicle-traveled distance arithmetic means for arithmetically determining a vehicle-traveled distance for which said motor vehicle has traveled within said communication area from a time point when said motor vehicle entered said communication area; and

communication control means for making decision as to whether or not said vehicle-traveled distance arithmetically determined by said vehicle-traveled distance arithmetic means exceeds said communication limiting interval preset by said communication limiting interval setting means, to thereby allow communication between said vehicle-onboard ETC-relevant information communication control apparatus and said ETC communication equipment to be started when said decision is made to such effect that said vehicle-traveled distance has exceeded said communication limiting interval.

2. An vehicle-onboard ETC-relevant information communication control apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said communication limiting interval setting means is so designed as to set a communication limiting interval for disabling communication between said vehicle-onboard ETC-relevant information communication control apparatus and said ETC communication equipment, said interval extending from termination of the communication concerning the toll charge/payment transaction between said ETC communication equipment and said vehicle-onboard ETC-relevant information communication control apparatus to a time point at which any signal can no more be received from said ETC communication equipment for which the communication with said vehicle-onboard ETC-relevant information communication control apparatus has been terminated within the relevant communication area.

3. An vehicle-onboard ETC-relevant information communication control apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said communication limiting interval setting means is further so designed as to set said communication limiting interval relatively short when running speed of said motor vehicle is relatively high, while setting said communication limiting interval relatively long when the running speed of said motor vehicle is relatively low.

4. An vehicle-onboard ETC-relevant information communication control apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein said communication limiting interval setting means is so designed as to set a communication limiting interval for disabling communication between said vehicle-onboard ETC-relevant information communication control apparatus and said ETC communication equipment, said interval extending from termination of the communication concerning the toll charge/payment transaction between said ETC communication equipment and said vehicle-onboard ETC-relevant information communication control apparatus to a time point at which any signal can no more be received from said ETC communication equipment for which the communication with said vehicle-onboard ETC-relevant information communication control apparatus has been terminated within the relevant communication area.

5. An vehicle-onboard ETC-relevant information communication control apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein said communication limiting interval setting means is so designed as to set said communication limiting interval by extending in dependence on a traveling speed of the motor vehicle a time point lapsing from a time period when said motor vehicle entered said communication area to a time point at which said ETC-relevant information communication is to be started.