Electronic toll collection system

• US 6,737,986 B2
• Filed: 01/03/2002
• Issued: 05/18/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Fuyama, Seiji
• Primary Examiner(s): La, Anh V
• Application Number:
  US10/034,309
• Publication Number:
  US 20020089431A1
• Time in Patent Office: 866 Days
• Field of Search: 340/928, 340/917, 340/933, 340/905, 340/935, 340/937, 455/361, 455/816, 455/899, 455/403, 455/402, 455/422, 455/517, 455/63, 343/841, 343/361, 343/816, 370/286, 370/201, 370/287, 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: H01Q 1/3225 Cooperation with the rails or the road
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 17/008 with a particular shape H01Q17/007 takes precedence

Abstract

The present invention intends to provide an electronic toll collection system for suppressing multi-path. For this end, the electronic toll collection system automatically collects tolls by establishing wireless communication between a roadside antenna 23 of a toll gate and a vehicle unit 33 installed in a traveling vehicle. It features a road-to-vehicle wireless communication zone of the tollgate covered with a structure 22 including radio wave absorbing material. The inner surface is preferably made from a radio wave absorbing member 11 including a mixture 13 of magnetic material and synthetic rubber. The roadside antenna 23 is installed inside the structure 22, thereby enabling the roadside antenna 23 to wireless communicate only with ETC vehicles traveling in the structure 22 and preventing multi-path between the roadside antenna 23 and vehicles traveling outside the structure 22 (or outside the communication zone).

Claims

1. An electronic toll collection system for automatically collecting tolls by establishing wireless communication between a roadside antenna installed in a tollgate and a vehicle unit installed in a traveling vehicle, characterized in that:

an interference radio wave radiation antenna for radiating an interference radio wave is provided independent of the roadside antenna for road-to-vehicle wireless communication in a tollgate for invalidating communication by radio wave leaked outside the road-to-vehicle wireless communication zone, wherein the interference radio wave radiation antenna is disposed in an adjacent lane to the lane where the roadside antenna is installed, the interference radio wave is radiated to cover the area of the adjacent lane, and the roadside wireless control apparatus controls the interference wave radiation apparatus to radiate interference radio wave from the interference wave radiation antenna simultaneously with wireless communication.

2. An electronic toll collection system of claim 1, wherein the interference radio wave is radiated from the interference radio wave radiation antenna in synchronism with the road-to-vehicle wireless communication of the roadside antenna.

3. An electronic toll collection system of claim 1, wherein the interference radio wave radiation antenna radiates interference radio wave of the same carrier frequency as the road-to-vehicle communication.

4. An electronic toll collection system of claim 1, wherein the interference radio wave radiation antenna radiates a different carrier frequency from the road-to-vehicle communication.

5. An electronic toll collection system of claim 1, wherein the interference radio wave is radiated from the interference radio wave radiation antenna continuously in the multi-path area.