JP2009064461A - Toll collection system, card processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

[PROBLEMS] To eliminate "illegal acts such as card exchange" which becomes a problem when a non-contact IC card system is introduced into a toll collection system on a toll road.
A toll collection system includes means for writing vehicle license plate information and vehicle type information into an IC card at the entrance of a toll road, and the number of vehicles on which the IC card is processed by wireless communication means at the exit of the toll road. Number plate reading means for picking up an image of the plate and reading information on the license plate, information on the license plate at the entrance obtained from the IC card by the wireless communication means, and information on the license plate at the exit obtained by the license plate reading means For vehicles that have been confirmed to be consistent, fees will be collected based on the vehicle type information determined at the entrance. On the other hand, for vehicles that cannot be confirmed, IC card processing by wireless communication means will be suspended. Means for notifying that effect.
[Selection] Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a toll collection system and a card processing method for paying a toll on a toll road with a non-contact IC card such as a prepaid format.

As a system for collecting tolls on toll roads such as expressways, a wireless automatic toll collection system (ETC) has already been introduced in addition to a system using a magnetic card. It is disclosed in Document 1 and the like.
In the ETC system disclosed in Patent Document 1, vehicle information is recorded in a mobile communication device called an in-vehicle device that records vehicle information and the like, and a contact IC card that records user information and the like is set in the in-vehicle device. Used for fee collection processing. In general, the in-vehicle device in which the vehicle information is recorded is not easily removed from the vehicle.

  In the ETC system, when a vehicle (ETC vehicle) equipped with an in-vehicle device enters the entrance lane of the entrance toll gate, entrance information is provided by mobile communication equipment (first antenna, second antenna, etc.) installed on the road side of the entrance lane. And vehicle type information, etc. are recorded by wireless communication on an IC card set in the vehicle-mounted device.

  Then, at the exit toll gate, the mobile communication equipment (third antenna, etc.) installed on the roadside reads the entrance information recorded on the IC card at the entrance toll gate, collects the calculated toll, and records the toll collection result To do.

  The ETC vehicle is determined at the entrance by a vehicle type discriminating device (vehicle type discriminator) installed on the road side and checked against the vehicle information recorded in the in-vehicle device. Since the vehicle type discriminating device is an optical sensor or the like, it cannot be denied that there is a possibility of erroneous discrimination of the vehicle type due to various factors such as snow and dirt. There is a possibility of inviting.

  When a mismatch occurs as a result of the vehicle type matching, information to that effect is recorded in the in-vehicle device as an entrance processing result, and is read by the roadside mobile communication facility at the exit toll gate. At the exit toll gate, a vehicle that has caused a mismatch in vehicle type matching at the entrance cannot automatically specify the vehicle type for calculating the toll, and cannot perform toll collection processing. In this way, if the vehicle type is not confirmed and the toll collection process cannot be executed, the vehicle is guided to the position of the clerk booth in the exit lane, temporarily stopped, and the vehicle type confirmation operation of the corresponding vehicle is performed visually by the clerk. The system side (control unit) calculates a toll based on the vehicle type determined by the clerk operation, and executes a toll collection process (such as a toll collection process).

The ETC system is a system configured to install an ETC in-vehicle device in a vehicle, but in recent years, as a toll collection system that does not use an in-vehicle device or the like, a non-contact IC card or a wireless tag that is not fixed to the vehicle A system configuration using a mobile communication medium is considered.
In the case of a toll collection system that uses a mobile communication medium that is not fixed to the vehicle, such as a non-contact IC card, without using the vehicle-mounted device, etc., after executing the vehicle type discrimination process from the appearance of the vehicle itself at the entrance, The determined vehicle type information is recorded together with the entrance information on a non-contact IC card or the like. Then, at the exit, a fee collection process is executed based on the information recorded at the entrance. At this time, considering the possibility of misclassification in the car type discrimination process at the entrance, after the reading process, the clerk will visually check the car type, change the car type if necessary, and calculate the toll Then, charge collection processing (writing processing) is executed.

Japanese Patent No. 3256642 (pages 6-8)

For this reason, in the exit process, even if the reading process of the information recorded on the mobile communication medium such as a non-contact IC card is performed at high speed, it takes time to determine the vehicle type by the clerk. The use of mobile communication technology has a problem that the processing efficiency of the mobile communication fee collection system, which is expected to perform charge collection processing efficiently in a short time, does not increase.
In addition, a toll collection system (mixed system, etc.) that processes a vehicle using a non-contact IC card and a non-use general vehicle in the same lane is also conceivable. After issuing the pass ticket, if the vehicle is a vehicle using a non-contact IC card, the pass ticket once issued is collected and non-contact IC card processing is performed. For this reason, there was a problem that the issued pass ticket was once wasted.
If a mobile communication medium that is not fixed to the vehicle, such as a non-contact IC card, is used, the card is exchanged with another user between the entrance and the exit, and the other person's card at the exit There is a possibility that payment will be made using.
In the event of a discrepancy in the vehicle type, the staff member will be notified, and after the notification, the staff member who has received the notification will visually determine the vehicle model and enter the vehicle type, and then the toll collection process must be executed. Don't be. During this time, the in-vehicle device (vehicle) is forced to stop in the communication area of the mobile communication facility installed on the roadside, and depending on the size of the communication area, the vehicle is reliably stopped in the communication area. You must hold the in-vehicle device. Depending on the vehicle, the vehicle may start without processing and leave the communication area, resulting in a processing error.
In exit processing, no matter how fast the information recorded in the vehicle-mounted device is read, it takes time for the vehicle type to be determined by the staff. There has been a problem that the processing efficiency of the wireless communication type fee collection system that should be able to execute the automatic fee collection processing efficiently cannot be increased.

  The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and eliminates a “fraud such as card exchange” which becomes a problem when a contactless IC card system is introduced into a toll collection system on a toll road. The purpose is to provide a toll collection system and a card processing method that can be operated efficiently.

  In order to solve the above problems, the toll collection system of the present invention is a means for writing information on the vehicle license plate and vehicle type information to the IC card as a result of the entrance processing performed on the vehicle entering the entrance of the toll road. And a wireless communication means for wirelessly communicating with the IC card provided at the exit of the toll road, and a vehicle license plate provided at the exit of the toll road and processed by the wireless communication means. Number plate reading means for imaging and reading information on the license plate, information on the license plate at the entrance read from the IC card by the wireless communication means, and number at the exit read by the license plate reading means License plate information confirmation means for confirming consistency with plate information; For vehicles that have been confirmed to be consistent by the vehicle information confirmation means, the fee is collected based on the vehicle type information determined at the entrance, while for the vehicles whose consistency cannot be confirmed, the processing of the IC card by the wireless communication means is interrupted. And a means for notifying that effect.

  The card processing method of the present invention comprises a step of writing information on a vehicle license plate and vehicle type information on an IC card as a result of an entrance process performed on a vehicle entering an entrance of a toll road, and provided at an exit of the toll road Imaging a license plate of a vehicle at a position where the IC card is processed by the wireless communication means, and reading information on the license plate; and a number at the entrance read from the IC card by the wireless communication means Confirming the consistency between the plate information and the license plate information read at the exit, and for vehicles that have been confirmed to be consistent, the fee is collected based on the vehicle type information determined at the entrance, while the consistency is confirmed. For vehicles that cannot be used, a step of interrupting the processing of the IC card by the wireless communication means and informing the fact to that effect. It is characterized by having and.

  In the present invention, the license plate information of the vehicle stored in the IC card as a result of the vehicle type discrimination process at the entrance of the toll road, and the license plate information read from the vehicle that performs the IC card processing by the wireless communication means for each vehicle type at the exit, Since the validity of the IC card to be used is determined by performing the matching check, it is possible to prevent an illegal act due to the replacement of the IC card.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, when a non-contact IC card system is introduce | transduced into the toll collection system of a toll road, a "fraud act, such as card exchange" which becomes a problem can be eliminated and a system can be operated efficiently.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a system configuration of a toll collection system (distance system) for a toll road of a distance charging system according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a diagram of a uniform fee type entrance system (uniform system). FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a system configuration, FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration of an entrance system in the distance system of FIG. 1, FIG. 4 is a schematic layout diagram of equipment in the entrance system of FIG. 3, and FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the positional relationship in the height direction of the first antenna unit, the second antenna unit, and the third antenna unit), and FIG. 6 shows the exit system in the distance system of FIG. FIG. 7 is a schematic arrangement diagram of the equipment of the system of FIG. 6, FIG. 8 is a number imaging camera, a vehicle license plate, and each antenna unit in the vehicle traveling direction. Diagram showing the positional relationship, FIG. 9 (a) equipment schematic arrangement plan view of the outlet system in the case of good visibility of the vehicle from the collection personnel, FIG. 9 (b) is a side view thereof.

As shown in FIG. 1, the distance type system includes an entrance system installed at the entrance of the toll road, an exit system installed at the exit of the toll road, these entrance systems and exit systems, and administrative work of the toll road. Card issuance / stacking system 7 installed in offices and service areas, etc., and a host computer 9 connected to these entrance system, exit system and card issuance / stacking system 7 via a communication line 8, a center device 9, etc. It consists of and.
The entrance system is subdivided into an entrance conventional fee collection system 3 and an entrance contactless IC card system 5. The entrance conventional toll collection system 3 is a system for issuing a pass ticket according to the vehicle type by determining the vehicle type. The entrance non-contact IC card system 5 is a system that performs entrance processing using an IC card. The exit system is subdivided into an exit conventional fee collection system 4 and an exit contactless IC card system 6.
The exit conventional toll collection system 4 is a system that collects a toll based on information on a toll ticket. The exit non-contact IC card system 6 is a system that collects a toll based on information of the IC card. The toll system 9 receives the card information processed at the entrance and the result of exit processing inside and outside the lane at the exit from the communication line 8, collates each other's information, and illegally identifies the IC card whose difference has been confirmed. It has the function of registering it in its own database as a card and distributing it to the entrance or exit of the toll road. In addition, the information on the illegal card may be distributed to both the entrance and the exit of the toll road.

Card issuance / stacking system 7 newly issued a non-contact IC prepaid card (hereinafter referred to as an IC card), which is a wireless prepaid IC card that can be used in this system, or the balance of the IC card has decreased. In this case, the system performs processing for replenishing (charging) the balance.
An IC card is provided with an IC chip called a wireless tag on an internal substrate and an antenna formed by patterning a conductor (such as a printed wiring of copper foil) on the substrate. In this example, a wireless communication type non-contact prepaid IC card will be described as an example. However, a contact type IC card having a metal contact on the surface is also applicable.
In the IC chip of the IC card, card individual information (fixed information) such as a card ID number and variable information such as prepaid amount information (remaining amount information) and usage history information are stored as card information. The usage history information includes vehicle information such as the number plate number of the vehicle specified during the entrance process, vehicle type information of the vehicle determined during the entrance process, entrance information, and the like. The entrance information is entrance gate information (information for identifying an entrance such as a lane number of an entrance toll gate), entrance passage time information, and the like. In addition, a card ID number for each card is printed on the card surface so that the IC card can be visually identified.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the uniform system includes a toll gate system 1 installed at a toll gate at the entrance or exit of a toll road, a host computer connected to the toll gate system 1 via a communication line 8, and a center device. Etc. and a card issuing / stacking system 7. The toll booth system 1 has almost the same equipment configuration as the exit system of the distance type system of FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the entrance system includes a first antenna unit 11a as a first wireless communication unit, a second antenna unit 11b as a second wireless communication unit, a third antenna unit 11c, and a vehicle type determination device 12. , Automatic ticket issuing device 13, automatic ticket issuing device 14 for left-hand drive vehicles (hereinafter referred to as left-hand drive ticket issuing device 14), display device 15, start detection device 16, start control device 17, first vehicle detection means Vehicle detector 18a as a second vehicle detector, a vehicle detector 18b as a second vehicle detection means, and a control device 19.

The vehicle type identification device 12 is a device including a tread 12a, a vehicle separator 12b, a vehicle length detector 12c, an image pickup device 12d, and the like. The tread 12a is disposed on the road surface, and obtains material information for determining the wheel interval (vehicle width), the number of wheels, the number of axes, and the like by detecting the pressing position when the wheels pass. The vehicle separator 12b includes a columnar body provided on the roadside so as to face each other across the lane, and a plurality of optical sensors arranged in the vertical direction (height direction) on the columnar body. Material information (vehicle height information, vehicle separation information, etc.) for identifying one vehicle is obtained from the situation where the light emitted from the sensor is blocked by the approaching vehicle. The material information is used, for example, to identify a tow vehicle as one vehicle.
The vehicle length detector 12c is disposed on one road side portion at a position away from the vehicle separator 12b by a predetermined distance from the vehicle traveling direction forward side. The vehicle length detector 12c is provided with a light emitter and a light receiver in a columnar body, and the vehicle starts from the time when the light emitted from the light emitter is reflected by the vehicle body passing through this position and received by the light receiving unit. Detects the car's length. The image pickup device 12d is a device such as a CCD camera that acquires the image of the license plate portion at the front or rear of the vehicle as image information.
That is, the vehicle type determination device 12 detects a vehicle that has entered the lane, acquires vehicle information such as the number of axes of the entering vehicle, vehicle height, vehicle length, and number plate, and determines the vehicle type of the vehicle from the acquired vehicle information. To do. The vehicle type here is a type of vehicle classified on the toll road management side for toll collection, such as a large vehicle, an oversized vehicle, a medium-sized vehicle, a small vehicle, a light vehicle, and the like. The number of the license plate may be a part of the number.

The first antenna unit 11a is disposed together with the vehicle detector 18a at a position on the right side of the road that travels in the vehicle traveling direction by a distance (about 5 m) from which the ordinary vehicle can be accommodated from the position of the vehicle separator 12b. The first antenna unit 11a is arranged at a height (about 1 m) that can be reached by a driver who has stopped a vehicle that has entered the lane by reaching out from the driver side window (front side window).
The first antenna unit 11a is a wireless communication means provided at least one for each first vehicle type (group) so as to perform wireless communication when contacting or approaching the IC card. In this case, the two antennas 51 are provided so as to be close to the upper side and the lower side to form a vertical rectangle.
The first vehicle type (group) is a vehicle whose overall length (vehicle length) itself is short and whose length from the driver's seat to the front end of the vehicle is relatively long. In this case, a normal vehicle, a light vehicle, a medium-sized vehicle, etc. Say. When the IC card is brought within a predetermined range from the position of the first antenna unit 11a, the first antenna unit 11a acquires the card information from the IC card by wireless communication (non-contact) with the IC card, and the card information is normal. Vehicle information, antenna type or vehicle type information (information indicating the first vehicle type (group)), and entrance information when the own antenna type and the vehicle type determination result of the vehicle type determination device 12 match (the vehicle type matches). Record on IC card by wireless communication (non-contact). Within the predetermined range is different from the communication range of the ETC in-vehicle device, for example, within a range of several tens of centimeters. Note that “approaching” includes actions such as touching (contact) or holding (proximity).

The second antenna unit 11b is disposed together with the vehicle detector 18b at the position on the right side of the road that travels in the vehicle traveling direction by a distance (approximately 7 m) that a standard large vehicle can be accommodated from the position of the vehicle separator 12b. Yes. The second antenna unit 11b is disposed at a height (approximately 1.5 m) that can be reached by a driver who has once stopped a large vehicle that has entered the lane, reaching out from the window on the driver's seat side.
The second antenna unit 11b is wireless communication means provided at least one for each second vehicle type (group) so as to perform wireless communication when contacting or approaching the IC card. In this case, the two antennas 51 are provided so as to be close to the upper side and the lower side to form a vertical rectangle. The second vehicle type (group) refers to a vehicle having a long vehicle length and a relatively short length from the driver's seat to the vehicle tip, in this case, a large vehicle, an extra large vehicle, or the like.
When the IC card is brought within a predetermined range from the position of the second antenna unit 11b, the second antenna unit 11b acquires the card information from the IC card by wireless communication (non-contact) with the IC card, and the card information is normal. Yes, when the antenna type of the vehicle and the vehicle type determination result of the vehicle type determination device 12 match (the vehicle type is the same), the vehicle information, the vehicle type information (information indicating the second vehicle type (group)) and the entrance information are wirelessly communicated (non- Recorded on the IC card. Within the predetermined range is, for example, within a range of several tens of centimeters, like the first antenna unit. Note that “approaching” includes actions such as touching (contact) or holding (proximity).

The third antenna unit 11c is disposed together with the vehicle detector 18a at a position on the roadside (left side in the vehicle traveling direction) that substantially faces the antenna unit 11a via the lane. The third antenna unit 11c is a wireless communication means provided for at least one for the left-hand drive vehicle (driver). The left-hand drive vehicle corresponds to the first vehicle type because of the charge classification, and is handled in the same manner as the first antenna unit 11a. However, for example, the left-hand drive vehicle may be an independent vehicle type division as a left-hand drive vehicle. In this case, the third antenna unit 11c is provided in a vertically long position at substantially the same position and height as the first antenna unit 11a that is reached by the driver from the driver's seat window (left window) of the left-hand drive vehicle. ing.
The third antenna unit 11c acquires card information from the IC card by wireless communication with the IC card held by itself, the card information is normal, and the own antenna type matches the vehicle type discrimination result of the vehicle type discrimination device 12. When the vehicle types match, vehicle information, vehicle type information (information indicating the first vehicle type group), and entrance information are recorded on the IC card by wireless communication (non-contact). The wireless communication range of the third antenna unit 11c is the same as that of the first antenna units 11a and 11b.

  The first antenna unit 11a, the second antenna unit 11b, and the third antenna unit 11c are each provided with a display unit. The display unit lights, blinks, or displays a message when the card processing function (wireless communication function) of the corresponding antenna unit is valid. The message is, for example, “Please hold the IC card over this position”, “Please wait for the previous vehicle to finish processing”, “Card processing in progress”, etc.

  The start control device 17 is arranged at the exit of the lane. The start control device 17 lowers the blocking bar until the entrance process is completed to prevent the vehicle from passing, and after the entrance process is completed, raises the blocking bar to allow the vehicle to pass. The start detection device 16 is disposed on the start side of the start control device 17 in the vehicle traveling direction. The start detection device 16 detects that the vehicle starts to start and leaves the lane after the driver of the vehicle receives a pass ticket or performs an entrance process with an IC card.

The automatic pass ticket issuing device 13 is erected in a columnar shape on the roadside portion between the start control device 17 and the second antenna unit 11b. A plurality of ticket issuing units are arranged in the vertical direction (height direction) in the automatic ticket issuing device 13. The height of each ticket issuing unit is a position where drivers of vehicles having different vehicle heights such as ordinary cars and large cars reach out from their windows.
Each ticket issuing unit has a function of issuing a pass ticket under the control of the control device 19 and temporarily retracting the issued pass ticket in some cases and then completely storing or reissuing it. “Depending on the case” refers to a case where the approaching vehicle does not use an IC card, or a case where the processing of the IC card has not ended normally. In other words, the automatic pass ticket issuing device 13 uses a vehicle that does not use an IC card or a traffic corresponding to the type of the entering vehicle when the entrance process does not end normally due to an error in the entrance process for the IC card. A ticket is issued.
When each ticket issuing unit and each antenna unit are connected by a LAN or the like, the antenna type information is notified to each control unit 19 from each antenna unit. Manage correspondence and vehicle type classification. In addition to this, the communication line system may be divided and the correspondence between each ticket issuing unit and each antenna unit may be managed by physical wiring.
The left-hand drive car ticketing device 14 is disposed at a position on the road side substantially opposite to the automatic ticket issuing device 13 via the lane. The left-hand drive car ticketing device 14 is provided with one ticket-issuing section, and issues a passage ticket from the ticket-issuing section to the left-hand drive vehicle (driver) in the same manner as the automatic ticket issuing device 13. The display device 15 displays the processing status and guidance content and notifies the driver of the vehicle.

The control device 19 is connected to each device including the antenna units 11a to 11c and each detector through a communication line, acquires information from each device, and performs various processes related to vehicle traffic on toll roads (entrance processing, etc.) ) And control of each device on the roadside (toll collection processing using card information transmitted / received in wireless communication processing between the antenna units 11a to 11c and the IC card, ticket issue control and start control device 17 according to the result of the toll collection processing) Open / close control, etc.).
In addition, although the said entrance system and an exit system are the structural examples of a distance type | system | group system, in the system of the form which collects a uniform charge collectively in any one of the entrance or exit of a toll road, ie, a uniform system, In order to collect a fee at either the entrance or the exit of the toll road, for example, when collecting the fee at the exit, the device configuration is the same as that of the exit system.

In this example, as shown in FIG. 5, the first antenna unit 11a (third antenna unit 11c) is arranged at a position closer to the vehicle traveling direction entry side, and the second antenna unit 11b is arranged on the vehicle than the first antenna unit 11a. It is located at a position far from the entry side in the direction of travel. In other words, the first antenna unit 11a (third antenna unit 11c) and the second antenna unit 11b are short in vehicle length, can be quickly separated and discriminated by the vehicle type discriminating device 12, and from the vehicle traveling direction entry side in the order in which the vehicle type is determined quickly. Has been placed.
Further, the shape of the vehicle passing through the toll road is various, and the first antenna unit 11a and the second antenna unit 11b are rectangular in two upper and lower tiers in order to cope with variations in the height of the driver's seat of the vehicle. A vertically long (antenna) antenna 51 is disposed. The shape of the antenna 51 is preferably set such that the height dimension (H) is larger than the width dimension (W) in consideration of the variation in the height of the driver's seat rather than the variation in the stop position of the vehicle.
Further, the height of the second antenna unit 11b is relatively higher than the height of the first antenna unit 11a. This makes it easier for the driver of the vehicle to hold the IC card over the corresponding antenna unit, and prevents the antenna unit holding the IC card from being mistaken.
As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the exit system includes a fourth antenna unit 21a, a fifth antenna unit 21b, a sixth antenna unit 21c, vehicle detectors 22a and 22b, and a roadside display device 23 as a user display device. , Booth equipment provided in the booth 33 (paper sheet processing device 24, receipt issuing device 25, lane control device 29, card processing device 30 and the like), start detection device 26, start control device 27, imaging camera 31 The image processing device 32 and the like.
The paper sheet processing device 24 includes a processing unit that processes a pass ticket, a cash voucher, a magnetic prepaid card, a display unit that displays a guidance display for an attendant, and an operation unit that the attendant performs an input operation. ing. The receipt issuing device 25 is connected to the paper sheet processing device 24, and issues a usage certificate and the like when the operation unit is operated to issue a certificate by a staff member. The card processing device 30 has a wireless communication function equivalent to the antenna units 21a, 21b, and 21c, that is, an antenna unit.
The lane control device 29 acquires information on the IC card from the card processing device 30, performs a series of processing related to toll collection, and controls each roadside device.

The vehicle detector 22a is installed at a first position near the entrance of the exit lane (exit lane) in order to pass through the toll road and exit, and detects the axle of the vehicle that has entered the exit lane. The vehicle detector 22a and the fourth antenna unit 21a are installed at substantially the same position in terms of the vehicle traveling direction.
The vehicle detector 22b is installed at a second position advanced by a predetermined distance from the first position of the vehicle detector 22a to the forward side in the vehicle traveling direction, and detects the axle of the vehicle that has reached the second position. The vehicle detector 22b and the fifth antenna unit 21b are installed at substantially the same position in terms of the vehicle traveling direction.
The predetermined distance is about the difference in length from the front of the normal vehicle and the large vehicle to the position of the driver's seat, for example, about 1 m to 2 m.
The vehicle start detection device 26 is provided near the exit exit of the exit lane, and detects a vehicle exiting from the exit lane (toll road). The type of vehicle is a type of vehicle that is classified according to the size (length, width, etc.) of the toll road on the toll road management side in order to collect usage fees. Cars, light vehicles, etc. are classified as the first vehicle type, and large vehicles, oversized vehicles, etc. are classified as the second vehicle type.
The start control device 27 is disposed at the exit of the exit lane and in front of the vehicle start detection device 26. The start control device 27 lowers the blocking bar until the exit process is completed to prevent the vehicle from passing, and after the exit process is completed, raises the blocking bar to allow the vehicle to pass.

An imaging camera 31, a booth 33, and a roadside display device 23 are arranged in that order in the vehicle traveling direction on the roadside portion on the right side of the lane between the start control device 27 and the fifth antenna unit 21b.
In the booth 33, a staff member called a receipt person or the like is resident, and handles irregular processing even when conventional card processing and cash processing or an IC card is used.
The card processing device 30 in the booth 33 is provided with an antenna unit that reads information from the IC card by holding the IC card over the surface of the device or touching it, and writes a processing result.
The antenna unit of the card processing device 30 has the same specifications as the antenna unit 21a outside the booth 33, and transmits a radio wave in a communication range of, for example, about several tens of centimeters. The information reading process, the writing process, the writing information confirmation process, and the like are performed on the IC chip of the IC card.

The imaging camera 31 is provided in the exit lane so as to capture the license plate at the front portion of the vehicle when the processing target vehicle stops at the position of the corresponding antenna unit 21a (21c), 21b. The image processing device 32 reads and acquires information for identifying the vehicle from the license plate image captured by the imaging camera 31. That is, the imaging camera 31, the image processing device 32, and the like are optical license plate information reading means.
The roadside display device 23 displays a display for prompting the user to hold the IC card over the antenna 51 when the vehicle stops at the position of the antenna unit of the corresponding vehicle type and the processing status of the IC card (withdrawal amount and withdrawal) The remaining balance etc.) is displayed.

A control module is mounted on the lane control device 29. The control module stores processing related to the IC card and the vehicle, a control program for controlling equipment in the booth 33 or roadside equipment outside the booth 33, and a charge table. The control module itself may be software and stored in a memory, and the CPU of the lane control device 29 may read the software from the memory and perform processing. The toll table stores toll data corresponding to the section between the entrance and exit of the toll road.
The lane control device 29 controls various processes (exit processing and the like) related to vehicle traffic on toll roads and the above-described devices. For example, the vehicle detectors 22a and 22b automatically determine the vehicle type based on the detection of the vehicle entering the exit lane, the front and rear axle positions of the vehicle, the behavior of the vehicle, etc. When the vehicle type of the vehicle is input to the paper sheet processing device 24 by the clerk operation, the antenna unit (fourth antenna unit 21a, fifth antenna unit 21b, sixth Any one of the antenna units 21c) to start the wireless communication operation, the information of the IC card acquired by any one of the antenna units, the vehicle type input from the operation unit of the paper sheet processing device 24, the IC Based on the type of antenna unit that is processing the card, processing related to vehicle traffic (toll collection processing, etc.) is executed.
In the control module, exit information (toll gate number, lane number, toll table with other toll gates, etc.) is stored in advance. The control module (or the paper sheet processing device 24, etc.) obtains a toll (usage fee) from the entrance information stored in (recorded on) the IC card or toll ticket of the vehicle leaving the toll road and the information at the exit. Calculate and collect the calculated fee. Note that the lane control device 29 may not be directly operated by an attendant and may be disposed outside the booth 33.

  The fourth antenna unit 21a, the fifth antenna unit 21b, and the sixth antenna unit 21c are a housing unit, a control unit, a power supply unit, an antenna unit, a display, and a main body housing unit and an outdoor housing unit that are connected by a communication line. And is connected (interface) to the lane control device 29 via the control unit. A control unit and a power supply unit are housed in the main body casing. An antenna unit and a display unit are accommodated in the outdoor housing unit. The control unit controls the entire apparatus. The control unit is connected to the lane control device 29, and performs card processing on the processing target IC card by communicating with the lane control device 29. The power supply unit supplies power to each part of the apparatus.

There are the following two methods for stopping (standby) or starting (starting reception) the wireless communication function of each antenna unit.
For example, normally all the antenna units are stopped, and when the vehicle is detected by the vehicle detector 22a in the vicinity of the lane entrance, the antenna unit is operated, and all the antenna units are operated in advance, There is a method of stopping the operation of other antenna units (turning off the wireless communication function) when an IC card is held over one antenna unit.

As shown in FIG. 8, when the license plate reference stop position at the time of license plate shooting in the imaging range of the imaging camera 31 is T, the first antenna unit 21a is located on the opposite side of the vehicle traveling direction from the license plate reference stop position T. It is arranged at a position retracted by a distance A. Further, the second antenna unit 21b is disposed at a position retracted from the number plate reference stop position T by a distance B on the opposite side to the vehicle traveling direction. That is, each antenna unit 21a (21c), 21b is arranged at a position returning to the vehicle entry side by the distance from the stop position of the license plate assumed for each vehicle type to the driver's seat.
For example, in the case of a normal vehicle, if the assumed distance from the license plate to the driver's seat is A, the fourth antenna unit, which is the first vehicle type antenna unit, is located at the position returned from the license plate stop reference position to the vehicle entry side by the distance A. 21a is disposed, and the assumed distance from the license plate of the large vehicle to the driver's seat is B. The fifth antenna unit for the second vehicle type is located at the position returned from the license plate reference position to the vehicle entry side by a distance B. It is assumed that the antenna unit 21b is arranged.
That is, the position moved from the ideal license plate position when reading the license plate attached to the front end of the vehicle by the imaging camera 31 to the lane approach direction side by the distances A and B set in advance for each vehicle type group. The antenna units 21a and 21b are respectively arranged in FIG. The distance is the distance from the leading end of a typical vehicle to the driver's seat for each vehicle type group. For example, a representative distance A from the front end of the first vehicle type group (normal vehicle etc.) for the first antenna unit 21a to the driver's seat is a vehicle of the second vehicle type group (large vehicle etc.) for the second antenna unit 21b. In general, the distance is longer than the representative distance B from the front end to the driver's seat. In such a case, the fourth antenna unit 11a and the fifth antenna unit 11b are arranged in this order from the lane approach direction. The position of the sixth antenna unit 11c in the vehicle traveling direction is the same as that of the fourth antenna unit 11a.
When importance is attached to the visibility of the clerk as in the uniform system, as shown in FIG. 9, the antenna unit (fourth antenna unit 21 a and fifth antenna unit 21 b) for each vehicle type is connected to the clerk door of the booth 33. It shall be arrange | positioned along with the height position in the vertical direction (vertical direction) beside 33a. The side of the clerk door 33a is the vehicle traveling direction forward side with respect to the clerk door 33a.

The operation of this fee collection system will be described below with reference to FIGS.
First, normal processing at the entrance of a toll road in the distance type system will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  When a vehicle enters the lane for performing entrance processing such as writing entrance information on an IC card at the entrance toll gate on the toll road, that is, when the vehicle enters the entrance lane, the vehicle type discrimination processing is performed after the vehicle is detected by the vehicle type discrimination device 12 (S101). When executed (S102), the vehicle type is determined from the vehicle information such as the number of axes of the approaching vehicle, the vehicle height, the vehicle length, and the license plate, and is notified to the control device 19.

If the vehicle that has entered the entrance lane is, for example, an ordinary vehicle, the driver temporarily stops the vehicle at the position of the first antenna unit 11a, puts his hand out of the window, and places the IC card on the antenna 51 of the first antenna unit 11a. Hold it over.
As a result, wireless communication is performed between the first antenna unit 11a and the IC card, card information is obtained in the control device 19, entrance processing is performed (S104), and the entrance processing result is the first antenna. Data is written from the unit 11a to the IC card.
Information obtained by the control device 19 includes information from the vehicle type discriminating device 12 (vehicle type discrimination result (vehicle type information), antenna type, vehicle information (number plate number, etc.)) and card information from the IC card.
The entrance process performed by the control device 19 includes the vehicle type determination process (generation of vehicle type information) of the approaching vehicle by the matching process of the antenna unit type and the vehicle type discrimination result, the card specific information confirmation process, the card remaining amount confirmation process, , Entry information, vehicle type discrimination result (vehicle type information), vehicle information (number plate number, etc.), entry antenna unit type, and the like are written into the IC card.
Specifically, when the antenna unit type (first vehicle type) matches the vehicle type determination result in the matching process between the antenna unit type and the vehicle type determination result, the control device 19 determines the vehicle information and the vehicle type determination result. The type of the first antenna unit 11a (first vehicle type), the fact that the antenna unit type and the vehicle type discrimination result match, and entrance information are recorded on the IC card.

As a result of performing the entrance process, when the entrance process ends normally, the control device 19 controls the start control device 17 to open and displays the processing results on the display device 15 and the display unit of the first antenna unit 11a (S105). ). On the display unit of the first antenna unit 11a, the remaining amount and the fact that traffic is allowed are displayed as the processing result.
As a result, the start control device 17 raises the blocking bar to allow the vehicle to start, the vehicle driver starts the vehicle after confirming the display content on the display unit or the display device 15, and the vehicle passes through the entrance lane ( S106). After that, when the start of the vehicle is detected by the start detection device 16, the control device 19 controls the start control device 17 to be closed (S107), whereby the start control device 17 lowers the blocking rod, and the next vehicle Will be blocked.

Next, normal processing at the exit of the toll road in the distance type system will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 11 and FIG. The normal processing at the toll gate of the uniform system is the same.
When the vehicle that has traveled on the toll road passing through the entrance of the toll road exits a certain exit, the vehicle detector 22a detects when entering the lane (exit lane) for toll collection at the exit (S201), Each roadside device (the fourth antenna unit 21a, the fifth antenna unit 21b, the sixth antenna unit 21c, etc.) in the exit lane is activated.
The driver of the approaching vehicle holds the IC card over the antenna unit at a position corresponding to the vehicle type of the vehicle that he / she is driving. In this case, it is assumed that the approaching vehicle is a normal vehicle and an IC card is held over the fourth antenna unit 21a.
Then, the fourth antenna unit 21a starts wireless communication with the IC card held over itself (S202).

When wireless communication with the IC card becomes possible, the fourth antenna unit 21a starts card processing, and information stored in the IC card at the entrance of the toll road along with the card specific information (vehicle information, vehicle type discrimination result ( Vehicle type information), the type information of the antenna unit, the entrance antenna unit type and the vehicle type discrimination result are matched (the vehicle type is matched) and the entrance information, etc.) are read from the IC card (S203), and these information are read from the lane control device. 29 is notified.
The lane control device 29 includes the type of the fourth antenna unit 21a currently processing, the vehicle type determination result (vehicle type information) at the entrance included in the card information read by the fourth antenna unit 21a from the IC card, and (S204), the result of reading the card information is sent to the sheet processing device 24 for clerk operation and displayed on the display unit of the sheet processing device 24, and the clerk confirms the vehicle type. Prompt for confirmation input.

When the consistency of the vehicle type is confirmed, the lane control device 29 determines the vehicle type of the vehicle to be processed based on the vehicle type determination result (vehicle type information) at the entrance read from the IC card without waiting for the vehicle type determination input by the clerk. Then, fee collection processing is performed (S205). The toll collection process is a process of calculating a toll based on the card information reading result, charging the IC card, and storing the charging result and history. For example, when the IC card is a prepaid system, the card remaining amount withdrawal process is executed.
When the toll collection process ends normally, the lane control device 29 instructs the start control device 27 to open the exit lane and to display the processing result (passable, etc.) on the display unit of the corresponding antenna unit, the roadside display device 23, and the like. It is displayed (S206). After the vehicle driver confirming this display starts the vehicle, when the start of the vehicle is detected by the start detection device 26 (S207), the lane control device 29 instructs the start control device 27 to enter the exit lane. To close.

In addition, in the case where the vehicle information is matched in the confirmation processing in S204, the clerk is prompted to confirm / confirm the vehicle type, or the vehicle type confirmation / correction input by the clerk is essential. When the vehicle type is visually confirmed by the attendant and there is a correction input (correction of S208), the lane control device 29 indicates that the vehicle type difference has occurred in the host system 9 as the toll collection vehicle type difference, and the unique information of the card (S209).
The host system 9 distributes the unique information of the IC card in which the vehicle type has occurred and the history information of the vehicle type processing to the entrance system / exit system (toll gate system) and the card stacking system 7 of each toll gate on the toll road. (S210).
Next time, when the IC card is used at each entrance or exit, for example, at the entrance, the control device 19 informs the IC card through the corresponding antenna unit that the vehicle type difference has occurred (vehicle type difference occurrence information). After recording (S211), the lane control device 29 immediately performs clerk processing when any one of the plurality of antenna units 21a to 21c reads information on the IC card at the exit (S212).
That is, at the exit, when any one of the plurality of antenna units 21a to 21c reads the vehicle type difference occurrence information from the IC card, the processing of the IC card is not executed, but the clerk process is performed. The information is displayed on the display unit, the roadside display device 23, and the display unit of the paper sheet processing device 24 to notify the driver and staff.
When an attendant who has confirmed the display content of the display unit of the paper sheet processing device 24 visually confirms the vehicle type and performs a vehicle type determination operation at the operation unit of the paper sheet processing device 24, the lane from the paper sheet processing device 24 The vehicle type is notified to the control device 29, and the lane control device 29 executes a toll collection process corresponding to the notified vehicle type.
If necessary, the entrance system / exit system or the card issuing / stacking system 7 includes the unique information of the IC card and the unique information of the IC card included in the vehicle type difference information distributed from the host system 9. , And the correction of the vehicle type that was collected last time from the history information of the corresponding IC card difference, and the remaining amount correction process for the difference between the amount collected before and the amount that should have been received, The corrected information is recorded on the IC card.

On the other hand, if the vehicle information is inconsistent in the confirmation process in S204 and there is a vehicle type correction input after confirming the vehicle type by the clerk (S214), the fee collection process is performed in the same manner as described above for the vehicle type confirmed by the clerk. (S215).
When the toll collection process ends normally, the lane control device 29 instructs the start control device 27 to open the exit lane and to display the processing result (passable, etc.) on the display unit of the corresponding antenna unit, the roadside display device 23, and the like. It is displayed (S216). After the vehicle driver confirming this display starts the vehicle, when the start of the vehicle is detected by the start detection device 26 (S217), the lane control device 29 instructs the start control device 27 to enter the exit lane. To close.

Even in such a toll collection system, there is a possibility that irregular acts different from normal use may be performed. For example, a case where a vehicle corresponding to the first vehicle group passes the position of the first antenna unit 11a by mistake, and an IC card is held over the second antenna unit 11b for the second vehicle group, and the card processing is performed. The reverse case is also conceivable.
Therefore, in order to deal with such a case, the entrance and exit processing when the antenna vehicle type and the vehicle type discrimination result do not match in the entrance processing will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
If the antenna vehicle type and the vehicle type discrimination result do not match at the entrance of the toll road (S301), the entry information from the antenna unit to the IC card, the vehicle type discrimination result, the vehicle type group record of the antenna, and the antenna vehicle type and vehicle type Storage (writing) is performed to the effect that the discrimination results do not match (S302).
When the writing process to the IC card is normally completed, the control device 19 controls the start control device 17 to open the exit of the lane (S303), so that the driver of the vehicle starts the vehicle.
On the other hand, at the exit of the toll road, when a vehicle enters the exit lane, the vehicle detector 22a detects the vehicle entry (S304) and notifies the lane control device 29 to that effect, so the lane control device 29 Activates each roadside device in the exit lane.
Then, the driver of the approaching vehicle stops the vehicle at the position of the antenna unit for the vehicle type, and holds the IC card over the antenna unit. In this case, for example, it is assumed that the fourth antenna unit 21a IC card is held over.
Then, the fourth antenna unit 21a starts wireless communication with the IC card (S305), reads the card information from the IC card (S306), and notifies the lane control device 29.

Here, the vehicle type of the entrance antenna unit and the vehicle type discrimination result of the fourth antenna unit 21a are not consistent with the card specific information, the entrance information, the vehicle type discrimination result, the vehicle type group information (first vehicle type, etc.) of the entrance antenna unit. When the fourth antenna unit 21a, which is the corresponding antenna unit, completes the card information reading process of the IC card, the lane control device 29 interrupts the card processing and transfers to the paper sheet processing device 24. A vehicle type determination request is sent (S307). As a result, a display prompting the vehicle type determination is performed on the display unit of the paper sheet processing device 24.
When the clerk confirms the display content on the display unit of the paper sheet processing device 24 and performs the vehicle type determination operation on the operation unit of the paper sheet processing device 24 (S308), the lane control device 29 uses the same card specific information. Toll collection processing is executed through the antenna unit for the IC card having (S309).
As a result of executing the toll collection process, if the toll can be normally received (normal in S309), the lane control device 29 opens the start control device 27 (S310) and can pass through the display unit of the corresponding antenna unit. Display a message such as When the vehicle driver confirming this display starts the vehicle and the vehicle start detector 26 detects the start (pass) of the vehicle (S311), the lane controller 29 closes the start controller 27. Let
If the toll collection process for the IC card cannot be executed correctly (abnormality in S309), the lane control device 29 notifies the driver that the clerk process is to be performed by display or the like, and the clerk process is performed. (S312).
In the clerk process, the driver hands the IC card to the clerk of the booth 33 and holds the IC card received by the clerk over the card processing device 30 having the function of the antenna unit. Is executed.

  When the antenna vehicle type and the vehicle type discrimination result do not match at the entrance of the toll road, the control device 19 performs card processing by the first antenna unit 11a (third antenna unit 11c) or the second antenna unit 11b. The pass ticket issuance process is performed by the automatic ticket issuing device 13 or the left-hand drive ticketing device 14. Then, at the exit of the toll road, the driver hands the pass ticket and the IC card to the staff and performs exit processing.

Here, referring to FIG. 13 and FIG. 14, a vehicle that does not use an IC card at the entrance of a toll road (a vehicle that should issue a pass ticket) and a vehicle that uses an IC card (a vehicle that does not need to issue a pass ticket) ) Will be described by taking two cases as an example.
First, a first case of issuing a pass ticket in the entrance mixed system will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

In the case of the first case, when the vehicle enters the entrance lane and the vehicle type discrimination device 12 detects the entry of the vehicle (S401), the vehicle type discrimination device 12 performs a vehicle type discrimination process (S402) and displays the vehicle type discrimination result. Notify the control device 19.
After the vehicle type discriminating device 12 notifies the control device 19 of the vehicle type discriminating result, if the vehicle detector 18a, 18b notifies the control device 19 of the axle detection information, the control device 19 discriminates the vehicle type by the vehicle type discriminating device 12. Based on the result and the axle detection information from the respective vehicle detectors 18a and 18b, it is determined whether or not it is necessary to issue a pass ticket.

At this time, the control device 19 first determines whether the vehicle type determination result from the vehicle type determination device 12 is the first vehicle type group (for example, ordinary vehicle, medium-sized vehicle, light vehicle) or the second vehicle type group (for example, large vehicle, extra large vehicle). (S403).
When the vehicle type determination result from the vehicle type determination device 12 is the first vehicle type group (for example, a normal vehicle, a medium-sized vehicle, or a light vehicle) (the first vehicle type group in S403), the control device 19 is connected to the first antenna unit 11a. It is determined whether the axle detected by the vehicle detector 18a at the position and the vehicle detector 18b at the position of the second antenna unit 11b is the first axis or the second axis (S404).
As a result of the determination, passage of the second axis of the vehicle is detected by the vehicle detector 18a at the position of the first antenna unit 11a, and passage of the first axis of the vehicle is detected by the vehicle detector 18b at the position of the second antenna unit 11b. If detected (Yes in S404), the control device 19 instructs the corresponding pass ticket issuing device (passage ticket automatic issuing device 13 or left-hand drive ticket issuing device 14) to issue a pass ticket to the vehicle. Then, a pass ticket is issued (S405).
If the detected axle is other than the above (No in S404), the control device 19 waits for the IC card to be held over one of the antenna units, that is, maintains the IC card processing waiting state (S406). .

On the other hand, in the vehicle type group determination process of S403, when the vehicle type determination result by the vehicle type determination device 12 is the second vehicle type group (for example, large vehicle, extra large vehicle) (second vehicle type group of S403), the control device 19 It is determined whether or not passage of the first axis of the vehicle is detected by the vehicle detector 18b installed at the position of the two antenna unit 11b (S407).
As a result of the determination, when the vehicle detector 18b installed at the position of the second antenna unit 11b detects the passage of the first axis of the vehicle (Yes in S407), the control device 19 passes through the vehicle. The corresponding ticket issuing device (passage ticket automatic issuing device 13 or left-hand drive ticketing device 14) is instructed to issue the ticket, and the ticket is issued (S405).

Next, a second case in which a pass ticket is issued in the entrance mixed process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
In the case of the second case, when the vehicle enters the entrance lane and the vehicle type discrimination device 12 detects that the vehicle has entered from the tread 12a (S501), the vehicle type discrimination device 12 performs a vehicle type discrimination process (S502). The vehicle type discrimination result is notified to the control device 19.

If the vehicle type of the approaching vehicle cannot be determined (Yes in S503), the vehicle type determination device 12 notifies the control device 19 to that effect, so that the control device 19 immediately applies the corresponding pass ticket issuing device (passage ticket automatic issuing device). 13 or a left-hand drive car ticketing device 14) to issue a pass ticket (S504).
When the vehicle detector 18a installed at the position of the first antenna unit 11a detects the passage of the vehicle (S505), the vehicle detector 18a notifies the control device 19 that the vehicle has been detected. The vehicle passage detection is preferably vehicle axle detection or vehicle tip detection.
Further, when the passage of the vehicle is detected by the vehicle detector 18b installed at the position of the second antenna unit 11b (S506), the vehicle detector 18b notifies the control device 19 that the vehicle has been detected. The vehicle passage detection is preferably vehicle axle detection or vehicle tip detection.

When the control device 19 sequentially receives vehicle detection notifications from the vehicle detector 18a and the vehicle detector 18b installed at predetermined intervals in the entrance lane, it first checks whether the processing of the IC card has been started ( S507).
If the IC card process is not started (No in S507), the time difference between the vehicle detector 18a and the vehicle detector 18b is calculated from the time difference when the vehicle detection notification is received and the distance between the detectors. The vehicle average speed V is obtained by calculation and compared with a threshold value (speed data: V0) set in advance in its own memory (S508).
When the comparison result is obtained before the IC card processing, for example, when the vehicle average speed V between the vehicle detector 18a and the vehicle detector 18b does not become lower than the preset speed V0 (No in S509), that is, When the vehicle is not decelerated, the control device 19 determines that the vehicle does not use the IC card, and based on the vehicle type discrimination result, the corresponding pass ticket issuing device (for the pass ticket automatic issuing device 13 or the left-hand drive vehicle). The ticket issuing device 14) is instructed to issue a pass ticket (S504).
If the IC card process is started during that time, the control device 19 executes the entrance process using the IC card (S510).

With reference to the flowchart of FIG. 15, an exit process for detecting an unauthorized exchange of an IC card in a toll road will be described.
At the exit of the toll road, when each vehicle having exchanged the IC card in the toll road enters the exit lane of the toll road exit toll gate, the vehicle detector 22a detects the entry of the vehicle (S601).
The vehicle decelerates and temporarily stops at the position of the antenna unit for the vehicle type in order to process the IC card with the antenna unit for the vehicle type.
When the driver of the vehicle once stopped holds the IC card over the corresponding antenna unit, for example, when the approaching vehicle is a normal vehicle, the first antenna unit 21a starts wireless communication (S602), and the IC Card information is read from the card (S603).

  In addition, the imaging camera 31 passes image data obtained by imaging the license plate portion of the vehicle once stopped to the image processing device 32. The image processing device 32 performs license plate information recognition processing, that is, number reading processing, based on the received image data (S604), whereby a license plate number is obtained.

On the other hand, the first antenna unit 21a reads card unique information, entrance information, vehicle information, vehicle type discrimination result, antenna unit type, etc. stored in the IC card at the entrance from the IC card (S605) and notifies the lane control device 29. To do.
The lane control device 29 matches and matches the license plate number by the vehicle type discrimination at the entrance read by the first antenna unit 21a from the IC card with the license plate number read by the imaging camera 31 and the image processing device 32 at the exit. A sex check (confirmation) is performed (S606).
As a result of the consistency check (confirmation), when the license plate numbers match each other (when the consistency confirmation can be confirmed by the confirmation processing in S606), the lane control device 29 reads from the vehicle type determined at the entrance, that is, the IC card. The toll collection process is executed for the selected vehicle type (entrance vehicle type) (S607).

  When the toll collection process ends normally, the lane control device 29 instructs the start control device 27 to open the exit lane (S608), start the vehicle, and then the start detection device 26 detects the start of the vehicle. Then, the start control device 27 is instructed to close the exit lane.

On the other hand, when the consistency cannot be confirmed in the confirmation process of S605 (when there is a mismatch in the confirmation process of S606), the lane control device 29 is displayed on the display unit of the roadside display device 23 and the paper sheet processing device 24. A message to that effect is displayed and a sound is generated by a buzzer or the like in the booth 33, and a warning is sent to the staff.
Further, as a result of checking the card information read from the IC card, the lane control device 29 interrupts the card processing by the first antenna unit 21a when the vehicle type cannot be determined by the entrance processing (S609), and the clerk processing Toll collection processing is performed after the vehicle type confirmation operation by the staff. Card processing is to check whether or not the card information obtained from the IC card is normal. When the card information is normal, the vehicle information (number plate number) of the IC card and the vehicle type information (number indicating the charge category of the normal vehicle) Information), entrance information (toll booth number, lane number, entrance passage time, etc.) is correct, the remaining amount information is read, and usage is withdrawn.

  Note that even if the vehicle license plate cannot be read by the imaging camera 31 at the exit of the toll road, the card processing by the first antenna unit 21a is not performed and the first antenna unit 21a is handed over to the attendant. A message is displayed on the display unit to notify the driver and perform the clerk process.

  Thus, according to the toll collection system of this embodiment, a plurality of antenna units 11a, 11b, 11c, 21a, 21b, and 21c are arranged at different positions for each vehicle type in the lane at the entrance and / or the exit lane of the toll road. By having the driver of the vehicle hold the IC card over the antenna unit of the corresponding car model, the reliability of the car model decision is improved, and the car model that the clerk should carry out or change the car model when collecting the toll at the exit When work is not required, fee collection processing can be performed without depending on the staff operation.

In addition, considering the shape of the antenna unit for each vehicle type group and the installation position in the lane, when the driver holds the non-contact IC card over the antenna unit, it is difficult to hold the IC card due to variations in the height of the driver's seat of the vehicle. Can be avoided.
In addition, at the exit of the toll road, the antenna units (fourth antenna unit 21a, fifth antenna unit 21b, and sixth antenna unit 21c) for each vehicle type group are respectively set based on the imaging position of the license plate imaged by the imaging camera 31. With the arrangement, the license plate can be reliably imaged when the vehicle of each vehicle type stops to perform card processing with the corresponding antenna unit.
Further, in the entrance mixed system, it is determined whether or not it is necessary to issue a pass ticket based on the result of vehicle type discrimination and axle detection at the positions of the first antenna unit 11a and the second antenna unit 11b in the lane, or vehicle detectors 18a and 18b. Since the pass ticket is issued when the speed of the vehicle in between does not drop, the toll road is also used for the general vehicle by enabling the smooth issuance of the pass ticket for the general vehicle having no IC card. Deterioration of convenience at the time can be prevented.

In addition, although the antenna units (first antenna unit 11a, second antenna unit 11b, and third antenna unit 11c) for each vehicle type are arranged in the entrance lane, the driver uses an antenna unit different from the actual vehicle type for IC When the card is processed, the consistency between the entrance car type read from the IC card and the car type determined at the exit is checked at the exit of the toll road. You can avoid suffering disadvantages.
In addition, if it is determined that the reliability of the vehicle type determination at the entrance process is not sufficient, it is determined that the reliability of the entrance vehicle type is insufficient at the exit, and the vehicle type is confirmed only for that vehicle, so that reliable toll collection is possible. And improvement of overall toll collection processing efficiency can be realized.
In addition, when an illegal act such as an IC card exchange is performed between the entrance and the exit, an illegal act such as an IC card exchange can be prevented by reliably detecting at the exit.

Furthermore, in the uniform system, the plurality of antenna units 21a and 21b are arranged at different heights on the side of the clerk door 33a of the booth 33, thereby preventing deterioration of the vehicle visibility of the clerk at the exit. First, even when an abnormal process occurs at the exit, the driver can hand the IC card to the staff without moving the vehicle once stopped.
The exit processing efficiency of both normal processing and abnormal processing can be improved, and the overall fee processing efficiency can be improved.
As a result, problems such as introducing a contactless IC card system into a toll collection system on toll roads, such as “deterioration of toll collection efficiency due to the determination of the type of clerk at the exit”, “wasted tolls”, “invalidity such as card exchange It is possible to eliminate the “action” and operate the system efficiently.

In addition, this invention is not limited only to the said embodiment.
In the above-described embodiment, the first antenna unit 11a (fourth antenna unit 21a) for ordinary vehicles, light vehicles, and medium-sized vehicles, large vehicles, and extra large vehicles are used as the vehicle-specific antenna units in the respective lanes at the entrance and exit. Although the minimum two types of antenna units such as the second antenna unit 11b (fifth antenna unit 21b) are arranged, if each vehicle type is five types, five types of antenna units are arranged for each vehicle type, etc. A plurality of antenna units may be arranged up to the maximum number of models.
In the above embodiment, the wireless prepaid IC card alone or the combined payment with cash etc. is mainly described, but it can be mixed or shared with the ETC system IC card (credit type IC card).

  In the above-described embodiment, the wireless communication type non-contact prepaid IC card has been described. However, the present invention can be applied to a vehicle such as a wireless tag or a mobile phone (including a type using a UIM card). The present invention can also be applied when using a mobile communication medium that can be easily separated. UIM is a user identification module.

The figure which shows the whole structure of the distance type | system | group system of one Embodiment of the charge collection system and charge collection method which concern on this invention. The figure which shows the whole structure of a uniform system. The figure which shows the apparatus structure of the entrance system of the distance type | system | group of FIG. FIG. 4 is a device layout diagram of the inlet system of FIG. 3. The figure which shows the arrangement | positioning relationship of the height direction of the antenna unit according to vehicle type group. The figure which shows the apparatus structure of the exit system of the distance type system of FIG. FIG. 7 is a device layout diagram of the outlet system of FIG. 6. The figure which shows the relationship between an imaging camera, a license plate, and an antenna unit. FIG. 3 is a device arrangement diagram when importance is placed on the visibility of the staff in the uniform system of FIG. 2. The flowchart which shows the normal process in the entrance of a toll road to which a distance type system is applied. The flowchart which shows the normal process in the exit of a distance type system or a uniform system. The flowchart which shows the process of an entrance and an exit when an antenna vehicle type and vehicle type discrimination | determination result do not correspond in the entrance process of a toll road. The flowchart which shows the process of the 1st case which issues a pass ticket to the vehicle which does not use an IC card when the entrance of a toll road is an entrance mixed system. The flowchart which shows the process of the 2nd case which issues a pass ticket to the vehicle which does not use an IC card when the entrance of a toll road is an entrance mixed system. The flowchart which shows the operation | movement which detects unauthorized card | curd exchange in the exit of a toll road.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Toll booth system, 3 ... Conventional entrance fee collection system, 4 ... Outlet conventional fee collection system, 5 ... Entrance non-contact IC card system, 6 ... Exit non-contact IC card system, 8 ... Communication line, 9 ... Host System 11a 1st antenna unit 11b 2nd antenna unit 11c 3rd antenna unit 12 vehicle type discriminating device 13 traffic ticket automatic issuing device 14 left vehicle automatic ticket issuing device (left Handle vehicle ticketing device), 15 ... display device, 16 ... start detection device, 17 ... start control device, 19 ... lane control device, 21a ... fourth antenna unit, 21b ... fifth antenna unit, 21c ... sixth antenna unit 22a, 22b ... vehicle detector, 23 ... roadside display device, 24 ... paper sheet processing device, 25 ... receipt issuing device, 26 ... start detection device, 2 ... start controller, 29 ... the traffic lane controller, 30 ... card processing device, 31 ... image pickup camera, 32 ... image processing apparatus, 33 ... booth.

Claims (2)

Means for writing vehicle license plate information and vehicle type information to an IC card as a result of entrance processing performed on a vehicle entering the toll road entrance;
Wireless communication means provided at the exit of the toll road and performing wireless communication with the IC card;
License plate reading means that is provided at the exit of the toll road, images the license plate of a vehicle in which the IC card is processed by the wireless communication means, and reads information on the license plate;
License plate information confirmation means for confirming the consistency between the information of the license plate at the entrance read from the IC card by the wireless communication means and the information of the license plate at the exit read by the license plate reading means; ,
For vehicles whose consistency has been confirmed by the license plate information confirmation means, the fee is collected based on the vehicle type information determined at the entrance, while for the vehicles whose consistency cannot be confirmed, processing of the IC card by the wireless communication means is interrupted. And a toll collection system comprising means for notifying that effect. Writing vehicle license plate information and vehicle type information to an IC card as a result of entrance processing performed on a vehicle entering a toll road entrance;
Imaging the number plate of the vehicle at the position where the IC card is processed by the wireless communication means provided at the exit of the toll road, and reading the information on the number plate;
Confirming the consistency between the information of the license plate at the entrance read from the IC card by the wireless communication means and the information of the license plate read at the exit;
For vehicles whose integrity has been confirmed, a fee is collected based on the vehicle type information determined at the entrance, while for vehicles whose integrity cannot be confirmed, the processing of the IC card by the wireless communication means is interrupted and a notification is made. And a card processing method.

Images