Card processing system and card processing method on toll road

• US 6,999,001 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2003
• Issued: 02/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Kojima, Hideaki
• Primary Examiner(s): GOINS, DAVETTA WOODS
• Application Number:
  US10/607,558
• Publication Number:
  US 20040004120A1
• Time in Patent Office: 963 Days
• Field of Search: 340/928, 340/933, 340/937, 340/436, 235/384, 235/375, 235/383, 701/117
• 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 1/01 Detecting movement of traffic to be counted or controlled G08G1/07 - G08G1/14 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/015 with provision for distinguishing between two or more types of vehicles, e.g. between motor-cars and cycles

Abstract

A wireless type pre-paid IC card system enhances the convenience of users and assures the safe payment of tolls by vehicles including bikes when introduced for toll roads. This toll collecting system is composed of: a card processor that is arranged in a booth for the toll collection process and has an antenna unit for executing the card process through the wireless communication with IC cards, antenna units arranged at the left and right roadsides of the booth for executing the card process through the wireless communication with IC cards, a vehicle class discriminator for discriminating classes of vehicles entering into a traffic lane, and a traffic lane controller that selects an antenna unit to perform the card process according to a discriminated vehicle class and controls the card process.

Claims

1. A card processing system, comprising:

a first antenna unit set in a booth provided at a road side of a traffic lane so as to process data in an IC card with respect to use of a toll road for a vehicle passing the toll road through a wireless communication with the IC card;

a second antenna unit set at the road side of the traffic lane outside the booth to process the data through a wireless communication with the IC card; and

a data processor to process the data relative to use of the toll road based on the card data obtained from either one of the first and second antenna units, wherein

the first and second antenna units read and process the card data containing vehicle class data from the IC card and execute the data process of the IC card, further comprising;

a controller to judge whether a vehicle currently in process is a two-wheeled vehicle or other than a two-wheeled vehicle from the vehicle class data read by either the first or second antenna unit and control acceptability of data process for the remaining antenna unit according to the result of the judgment.

2. A card processing system, comprising:

a first antenna unit set in a booth provided at a road side of a traffic lane so as to process data in an IC card with respect to use of a toll road for a vehicle passing the toll road through a wireless communication with the IC card;

a second antenna unit set at the road side of the traffic lane outside the booth to process the data through a wireless communication with the IC card; and

a data processor to process the data relative to use of the toll road based on the card data obtained from either one of the first and second antenna units, wherein

the first antenna unit reads and processes the card data containing vehicle class data from the IC card, further comprising;

a passing ticket processor set in the booth to process a passing ticket by operation of a toll clerk;

a judging unit to judge whether a succeeding vehicle entering into the traffic lane during the passing ticket processing by the passing ticket processor or during the card data processing by the first antenna unit is a two wheeled vehicle or other class vehicle; and

a controller to allow the second antenna unit to process the IC card data through the wireless communication with the IC card when the succeeding vehicle is a two wheeled vehicle as a result of the judgment by the judging unit.