Method and apparatus for a satellite positioning-based metering system for use in transport-related applications
First Claim
1. A system for monitoring, measuring, and/or usage metering of a vehicle involving tracking continuous movement and position of said vehicle comprising:
- an apparatus mounted on or in the vehicle, comprising;
a receiver for receiving positioning signals from a signal source;
a motion detector for determining parking episodes of the vehicle to form a parking-log;
an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) and/or DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communications) element for determining entry and exit data based on movement of the vehicle into or out of gated areas;
a processor for forming a continuous, time-marked position-log from the positioning signals having regard to the parking-log and the entry and exit data, the processor comprising a memory;
a storage element for storing position-logs; and
a two-way wireless telecommunication element, such as GPRS, to transmit position-logs;
a central processing system, in communication with the apparatus, comprising;
a central telecommunication element to demand, receive and acknowledge receipt of position-logs and system information from the apparatus;
digital maps and databases for containing usage fees, premium rules, parking fees and schedules;
a central processor to further process position-logs, calculate user fees and generate invoices, maps and data feeds; and
a central storage element for storing the maps, databases, position-logs, and system information,wherein the position-log contains optimized positioning signals processed to correct for multipath error when the vehicle is in either open or obscured line-of-sight from the signal source.
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Abstract
A system and method for monitoring, measuring, and/or usage metering of a vehicle involving tracking continuous movement and position of the vehicle for priced parking spots, priced roads, and/or pay-as-you-drive insurance. The system comprises a vehicle-mounted apparatus incorporating positioning signal reception, filtering, compression, storage and wireless transmission, while a central processing system collects these position-logs for matching with digital maps and parking, road use, and insurance fee application schedules. Sufficient accuracy and precision enables billing of vehicle owners unambiguously, generating timely congestion and traffic maps, and providing real time data feeds to signal control and navigation systems. This invention may be used to meter parking, road use, or insurance, either alone or concurrently in combination.
126 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A system for monitoring, measuring, and/or usage metering of a vehicle involving tracking continuous movement and position of said vehicle comprising:
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an apparatus mounted on or in the vehicle, comprising; a receiver for receiving positioning signals from a signal source; a motion detector for determining parking episodes of the vehicle to form a parking-log; an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) and/or DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communications) element for determining entry and exit data based on movement of the vehicle into or out of gated areas; a processor for forming a continuous, time-marked position-log from the positioning signals having regard to the parking-log and the entry and exit data, the processor comprising a memory; a storage element for storing position-logs; and a two-way wireless telecommunication element, such as GPRS, to transmit position-logs; a central processing system, in communication with the apparatus, comprising; a central telecommunication element to demand, receive and acknowledge receipt of position-logs and system information from the apparatus; digital maps and databases for containing usage fees, premium rules, parking fees and schedules; a central processor to further process position-logs, calculate user fees and generate invoices, maps and data feeds; and a central storage element for storing the maps, databases, position-logs, and system information, wherein the position-log contains optimized positioning signals processed to correct for multipath error when the vehicle is in either open or obscured line-of-sight from the signal source. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A method for monitoring, measuring, and/or usage metering of a vehicle involving tracking continuous movement and position of said vehicle, comprising the following steps:
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using a mobile communication device mounted on a vehicle to performs steps comprising the following; receiving signals for generating a position-log for a vehicle from a signal source; processing the signals in the position-log to optimize the signals and correct for multipath error when the vehicle is in either open or obscured line-of-sight from the signal source; determining for each element of the position-log whether it is part of a journey-log or a parking episode; marking the beginning and end of each journey-log segment and parking episode applying distinct compression methods for journey-log segments and parking episodes; retaining compressed congestion information within the journey-log segments; storing position-logs; sending the position-logs to a central processing system on a scheduled or demand basis; using the central processing facility to perform steps comprising the following; scheduling, demanding, receiving and acknowledging transmissions from vehicles; post processing of compressed position-logs for final error removal and data collation; for each parking episode, establishing whether it was located in a subscribing parking spot and determining the parking fee payable; and for each journey-log, determining any road-usage fee due and/or insurance premium due.
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Specification