Method for simulating a toll system

Abstract

Method for simulating a toll system which calculates a user fee for specified vehicle types on specific routes in a traffic network, wherein, on the basis of real measurement data comprising toll data (20) and / or traffic data (30), a traffic and / or event simulation (10) is carried out for at least one subnetwork of the traffic network, which simulates various processes and their effects in their temporal behavior, including forecasts, wherein at least one predeterminable boundary condition and / or parameter for simulating the operation of the toll system (60) is derived from at least one simulation result (40) of the traffic and / or event simulation (10), wherein the toll system (60) is designed as a distributed system with a toll center (62) and several vehicle terminals (66), wherein the operation of the toll system (60) comprises communication of the toll center (62) via communication processes (64) with the respective vehicle terminal (66), wherein the communication is carried out for toll collection and / or toll recording and / or for setting the respective vehicle terminal (66), wherein boundary conditions and / or parameters for the communication processes (64) of the toll center (62) are generated from the at least one simulation result (40) of the traffic and / or event simulation (10) in order to estimate the communication volume and the dimensioning of the toll center (62).

Description

The invention relates to a method for simulating a toll system.Known toll systems determine a usage fee for predefined vehicle types on specific routes in a traffic network. In an automatic toll system, toll vehicles in the toll network communicate with a toll center for toll detection and / or toll determination. In a manual toll system, a toll vehicle buys a type of "vignette" for a predefined route in the toll network.In the patent specification DE 43 04 838 C2 an on-board device for determining route use fees is described. The described apparatus comprises a path storage device in which data of at least one path network are electronically stored, and means for determining the position of the vehicle. Data of a route network subject to usage fees are stored in the route storage device with associated route fee parameters. A computer unit determines from the data of the position determination means and the route storage device the usage fee due to the use of the road segments traveled by the vehicle.The published patent application DE 103 24 572 A1 describes a system and a method for determining toll fees for driving route sections of a route network.In the articles B. S. Kerner and S. L. Klenova: "A microscopic model for phase transitions in traffic flow" from Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and General 35 (2002) L31 to L43, B. S. Kerner and S. L. Klenova: "Microscopic theory of spatial-temporal-related traffic patterns at highway bottlenecks" from Physical Review E 68; (2003) 0361130, and Boris S. Kerner, Sergey L. Klenova and Dietrich E. Wolf: "Cellular automatic approach to three-phase traffic theory" from Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and General 35 (2002) 9971 to 10013, mathematical bases of microscopic vehicle sequence models are described, which can be used for a traffic simulation in a traffic network.In addition, U.S. patent application 2002 / 0198694 A1 describes a traffic data management and simulation system for a traffic network.The document van Dijk, N. [et. al.]: "Designing the Westerchelde tunnel toll plaza using a combination of queuing and simulation", Proceedings of the 1999 Winter Simulation Conference, 5-8 Dec. 1999, pp 1272-1279; IEEE Xpmore [online], DOl: 10.1109 / WSC.1999.816853 describes that a combined queuing and simulation study was performed for the design of a tollstation. The study determined both the configuration of different types of tolls with different payment options (e.g. cash and credit cards) and the number of tolls for each type. The model was also used to validate toll site distances as well as toll station safety and accessibility.Document DE 101 26 345 A1 discloses a method and an apparatus for automatic toll collection. In the method for automatic toll collection, the toll road network is divided into individual sections. Each of the sections has at least one marker transmitter uniquely assigned to it. When a marker transmitter passes through a vehicle, the marker transmitter transmits information relevant for toll collection to a detection device in the vehicle. The registration device stores the license plate and further features of the vehicle. When leaving the road network, the license plate of the vehicle and the information of the marker transmitters are transmitted to a communication device arranged at the corresponding exit. The communication device transmits information about the amount of the charge incurred to the detection device and to a central electronic data processing device (EDP). Detection devices, marker transmitters, communication devices and the central computer are components of the device for carrying out the method for automatic toll collection.It is an object of the invention to specify a method for simulating a toll system which supports the controllability of a complex distributed toll system.The invention achieves this object by providing a method for simulating a toll system having the features of patent claim 1.Advantageous embodiments and developments of the invention are specified in the dependent claims.According to the invention, for simulating a toll system which determines a usage fee for predefined vehicle types on specific routes in a traffic network, a traffic and / or event simulation is carried out for at least one subnetwork of the traffic network on the basis of real measurement data which comprise toll data and / or traffic data, said simulation simulating various processes and their effects in terms of their time behavior including predictions. At least one predefinable boundary condition and / or one parameter for simulating the operation of the toll system is derived from at least one simulation result of the traffic and / or event simulation. The simulation method according to the invention advantageously enables a microscopic simulation, in particular of truck traffic in a toll system, so that the influence of the traffic sequence on the toll system, in particular on the communication processes within the toll system, can be determined. Such a vehicle-fine simulation is an important support for achieving controllability of a distributed toll collection system with an automatic method. In addition, the simulation method according to the invention provides a basis for deciding operating parameters of the toll system or for cost and revenue estimation or for cost and revenue control.The toll system is designed as a distributed system and comprises a toll center and a plurality of vehicle terminals. The operation of the toll system comprises communication of the toll center via communication processes with the respective vehicle terminal. The communication is carried out for toll collection and / or toll detection and / or for setting the respective vehicle terminal.According to the invention, boundary conditions and / or parameters for the communication processes of the toll center are generated from the at least one simulation result of the traffic and / or event simulation in order to be able to estimate the communication volume and the dimensioning of the toll center. Extreme value scenarios for estimating the communication volume can thus be simulated, for example.From the result of the simulation of the operation of the toll system, at least one predefinable boundary condition and / or one parameter for adapting the communication processes and / or the vehicle terminal and / or the toll center can be advantageously derived in order to avoid a local overload of a communication system.In one embodiment of the simulation method according to the invention, the traffic and / or event simulation is constructed in modular fashion and can be used for various networks and vehicle types. The traffic network is constructed, for example, by individual objects which comprise routes, accesses, exits, nodes and lane changes. Outside of premises, for example, traffic and / or event simulation simulates known highway traffic objects that include "moving wide jams" and "synchronized traffic.". Within districts, the traffic and / or event simulation simulates, for example, vehicles on route sections and in queues at a predefined point in time.In a further embodiment of the simulation method according to the invention, the traffic and / or event simulation simulates toll-relevant events, which comprise a change of state of a vehicle ignition and / or a switching on of a main power supply and / or journeys in non-toll areas, via movement information, which comprises location information and / or time information and / or speed information.The toll data includes, for example, vehicle count data and / or automatic accounting data, and the traffic condition data includes, for example, average vehicle speed data and / or inter-vehicle time interval data and / or traffic density data and / or traffic flow data. In addition, the traffic and / or event simulation can be carried out, for example, on the basis of time-dependent gait lines.In a further embodiment of the simulation method according to the invention, the traffic and / or event simulation distinguishes between different network levels, which comprise a toll network, an operator network, which comprises the toll network, and a non-toll private branch network.In a further embodiment of the simulation method according to the invention, events on the terminal side are taken into account in the traffic and / or event simulation, which events comprise a temporal distribution of the vehicles in one network level until entry into another network level, for example when the vehicles are changed from a toll-based route network to a non-toll-based subnet.In a further embodiment of the simulation method according to the invention, effects or effects of the traffic and / or event simulation are examined in small sub-networks and transmitted and / or up-calculated to an overall network via a scalable up-calculation.The simulation method according to the invention can be used, for example, for confirming results and calculations of the usage fee and / or for estimating the amount of toll volume. In addition, potential traffic guidance effects and / or relocation effects can be simulated by changes in toll fees in road networks and estimated with a conversion calculation.In a further embodiment of the simulation method according to the invention, the traffic and / or event simulation takes into account feedbacks of the user behavior and of the system behavior, wherein the feedbacks are examined by an iterative simulation and the convergence is monitored using standard methods. The behavior of the toll collection simulation and / or the toll collection simulation is monitored, for example, by the feedback of the system behavior, in particular by the feedback of the quality of the load-dependent communication processes with the toll center. The behavior of the user in the traffic and / or event simulation is monitored, for example, by events on the vehicle and / or by waiting times.In a further embodiment of the method according to the invention, the traffic and / or event simulation is used as a basis for traffic estimates, wherein virtual detectors are positioned in the road network and methods for automatic traffic condition monitoring and / or for vehicle flow control are operated with the composite values of the virtual detectors in order to determine loss times on sections of the road network.The method according to the invention for simulating a toll system advantageously enables different problems of a complex toll system, such as communication volume, communication costs, central dimensioning, displacement effects during toll augmentation, etc., to be estimated.An advantageous embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the drawings and is described below.The following are shown: FIG. 1 shows a schematic block diagram of a first embodiment of a method according to the invention for simulating a toll system, and FIG. 2 shows a schematic block diagram of a second embodiment of a method according to the invention for simulating a toll system.As can be seen from FIG. 1, in block 10, on the basis of real measurement data, which comprise toll data 20 and / or traffic data 30, a traffic and / or event simulation is carried out in at least one subnetwork of the traffic network, which simulates various processes and their effects in terms of their time behavior, including predictions. Toll data 20 includes, for example, vehicle count data and / or automatic accounting data, and traffic condition data 30 includes, for example, average vehicle speed data and / or inter-vehicle time interval data and / or traffic density data and / or traffic flow data. In block 40, at least one predefinable boundary condition and / or one parameter for simulating the operation of the toll system is derived in block 60 from at least one simulation result of the traffic and / or event simulation 10. In addition, the simulation result 40 of the traffic and / or event simulation 10 can be output in block 50 for example as a graphic on a corresponding optical display unit. In block 60, the operation of the toll system is simulated, which determines a usage fee for predefined vehicle types on specific routes in the traffic network.As further seen in FIG. 1, the toll system 60 includes, as a distributed system, a toll center 62 and a plurality of vehicle terminals 66, wherein the toll center 62 and the vehicle terminals 66 communicate with one another via communication processes 64 during operation of the toll system 60. The communication via the communication processes 64 is carried out, for example, for toll collection and / or for toll detection and / or for setting the respective vehicle terminal 66. The effects of the traffic and / or event simulation 10 can be examined, for example, in small sub-networks of the traffic network and then transmitted and / or up-calculated to the entire traffic network via a scalable up-calculation.The traffic and / or event simulation 10 depicts, for example, a traffic flow of commercial vehicles on the basis of microscopic vehicle sequence models in the toll system 60, such that processes of the traffic flow and their influence on the communication processes 64 within the toll system 60 can be simulated. The simulation results 40 of the traffic and / or event simulation 10 can generate boundary conditions and / or parameters for the communication processes 66 of the toll center 62, in particular, in order to be able to estimate the communication volume and the dimensioning of the toll center 62 via extreme value scenarios.The traffic and / or event simulation 10 is of modular construction and can be used for various networks and vehicle types. Thus, the traffic and / or event simulation 10 can be carried out, for example, separately for different vehicle types such as passenger motor vehicles and commercial vehicles or simultaneously for all vehicle types in the traffic network. The networks comprise, for example, a toll network which comprises all toll-based routes of the traffic network, an operator network which comprises the toll network, and a secondary network which comprises the non-toll-based routes of the traffic network. The traffic network is constructed by individual objects which comprise routes, accesses, exits, nodes and lane changes. During the traffic and / or event simulation 10, events are observed on the terminal side, which events comprise, for example, a temporal distribution of the vehicles in one network level until entry into another network level. For example, the effects in the event of a change from the toll network to the subnet or from the subnet to the toll network and the communication processes connected thereto can be examined. Outside of premises, traffic objects are simulated on expressways, including "moving wide jams" and "synchronized traffic.". Within premises, vehicles are simulated on route sections and in queues at a predetermined time.In addition, the traffic and / or event simulation 10 simulates toll-relevant events, which comprise a change of state of a vehicle ignition and / or a switching on of a main power supply and / or journeys in non-toll areas, via movement information, which comprises location information and / or time information and / or speed information. The traffic and / or event simulation 10 is carried out, for example, on the basis of time-dependent gait lines. The traffic and / or event simulation 10 can advantageously also simulate potential traffic guidance effects and / or displacement effects and estimate them with a conversion calculation which are caused by changes in toll fees.As can be seen from FIG. 2, feedbacks of the user behavior and of the system behavior are taken into account in the illustrated second embodiment of the method according to the invention for simulating a toll system, wherein the feedbacks are examined by iterative simulation and the convergence is monitored using standard methods. In the second embodiment, the simulation results of the traffic and / or event simulation 10 are used to execute a toll collection and / or toll collection simulation in block 12, wherein the behavior of the user is fed back to the traffic and / or event simulation 10. The behavior of the user in the traffic / event simulation 10 can be monitored, for example, by events on the vehicle, by waiting times in a call center, etc. In block 42, at least one predefinable boundary condition and / or a parameter for simulating the operation of the toll system is derived in block 60 from at least one simulation result of the elevation and / or detection simulation 12. By simulating toll collection and / or toll collection in block 12, the various options provided, such as automatic collection of toll fees, manual booking system and booking via the Internet via telephone / Disponent, etc., can be examined. In addition, possibilities of "toll bouncing" within the toll system 60 can be simulated. As further seen in FIG. 2, system behavior is fed back from the toll system simulation at block 60 to the toll collection and / or toll collection simulation at block 12. As a result, the behavior of the elevation and / or detection simulation 12 can be monitored.Furthermore, the traffic and / or event simulation 10 can be used as a basis for traffic estimates, wherein virtual detectors are positioned in the road network and methods for automatic traffic state monitoring and / or for vehicle flow control can be operated with the combined values of the virtual detectors in order to determine loss times on sections of the road network. The method according to the invention for simulating a toll system provides at least one predefinable boundary condition and / or one parameter for adapting the communication processes 64 and / or the vehicle terminal 66 and / or the toll center 62. In addition, the method according to the invention can be used for confirming results and calculations of the usage charge and / or for estimating the amount of toll volume.

Claims

Method for simulating a toll system which ascertains a usage charge for predefined vehicle types on specific routes in a traffic network, wherein a traffic and / or event simulation (10) is carried out for at least one subnetwork of the traffic network on the basis of real measurement data which comprise toll data (20) and / or traffic data (30), said simulation simulating different processes and their effects in terms of their time behavior including predictions, wherein at least one predefinable boundary condition and / or one parameter for simulating the operation of the toll system (60) is derived from at least one simulation result (40) of the traffic and / or event simulation (10), wherein the toll system (60) is designed as a distributed system having a toll center (62) and a plurality of vehicle terminals (66), wherein the operation of the toll system (60) comprises a communication of the toll center (62) with the respective vehicle terminal (66) via communication processes (64), wherein the communication is carried out for toll collection and / or toll detection and / or for setting the respective vehicle terminal (66), wherein boundary conditions and / or parameters for the communication processes (64) of the toll center (62) are generated from the at least one simulation result (40) of the traffic and / or event simulation (10) in order to estimate the communication volume and the dimensioning of the toll center (62).Method according to Claim 1, characterized in that at least one predeterminable boundary condition and / or a parameter for adapting the communication processes (65) and / or the vehicle terminal (66) and / or the toll centre (62) are derived from the result of the simulation of the operation of the toll system (60).Method according to one of Claims 1 to 2, characterized in that the traffic and / or event simulation (10) simulates toll-relevant events, which comprise a change in state of a vehicle ignition and / or switching on a main power supply and / or journeys in non-toll areas, via movement information, which comprises location information and / or time information and / or speed information.Method according to one of Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the toll data (20) comprise vehicle count data and / or automatic booking data and the traffic state data (30) comprise medium vehicle speed data and / or time interval data between vehicles and / or traffic density data and / or traffic flow data.Method according to one of Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the traffic and / or event simulation (10) is carried out on the basis of time-dependent gait lines.Method according to one of Claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the traffic and / or event simulation (10) distinguishes different network levels which comprise a toll network, an operator network which comprises the toll network and a non-toll private branch network.Method according to one of Claims 1 to 6, characterized in that potential traffic guidance effects and / or displacement effects are simulated by changes in toll fees in route networks and are estimated using a conversion calculation.Method according to one of Claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the traffic and / or event simulation (10) takes account of feedbacks of the user behavior and of the system behavior, the feedbacks being investigated by iterative simulation and the convergence being monitored using standard methods.Method according to Claim 8, characterized in that the behavior of the toll collection simulation and / or of the toll collection simulation (12) is monitored by the feedback of the system behavior, in particular by the feedback of the quality of the load-dependent communication processes (64) with the toll centre 62, and the behavior of the user is monitored in the traffic and / or event simulation (10) by events on the vehicle and / or waiting times.Method according to one of Claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the traffic and / or event simulation (10) is used as a basis for traffic estimates, virtual detectors being positioned in the road network and methods for automatic traffic state monitoring and / or for vehicle flow control being operated with the combined values of the virtual detectors in order to determine loss times on sections of the road network.

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