Failure prediction device, toll collection system, failure prediction method, and program

Abstract

To provide a failure prediction device that can predict a failure of an automatic toll collection machine, a toll collection system, a failure prediction method, and a program.SOLUTION: A failure prediction device includes: an acquisition unit for acquiring currency information by denomination concerning currency that has entered or exited one or more automatic toll collection machines for toll collection processing; an accumulation unit that accumulates the number of uses of currency-handling parts in the one or more automatic toll collection machines, for each part, based on the acquired currency information; and a determination unit for determining that the currency-handling parts are in a deteriorated state when the accumulated number of uses reaches or exceeds a predetermined number threshold.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a failure prediction device, a toll collection system, a failure prediction method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] At toll booths of toll roads such as expressways, automatic toll collection machines are installed to collect tolls from users. When an automatic toll collection machine receives a toll payment from a user in cash (currency including paper money and coins), if the amount of the inserted cash is more than the toll, the machine returns the difference to the user as change.

[0003] The bill handling unit and coin handling unit installed in the automated toll collection machine are structured to physically transport bills and coins, and are composed of currency handling parts such as bill transport belts, rollers, and coin sorting motors. For this reason, if the currency handling parts that have been used many times wear out and break down, there is a possibility that the operation of the toll booth will be halted.

[0004] In order to avoid a fatal situation in which the operation of a toll booth is halted, there is a need for predictive maintenance that predicts failures in currency processing parts and takes measures in advance. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for predictive maintenance by providing sensors that detect vibrations inside a banknote processing unit and a coin processing unit to detect failures in currency processing parts.

[0005] Another predictive maintenance technique may involve determining the useful life of currency handling components and replacing them when that useful life has elapsed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-164523 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] However, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, mounting sensors inside the banknote processing unit and the coin processing unit is very costly. Also, when the frequency of failures of currency handling components is taken into consideration, the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 and predictive maintenance technology based on the useful life of currency handling components have the problem of low profitability. Furthermore, predictive maintenance technology based on the useful life of currency handling components often involves replacement of banknote handling units and coin handling units without considering the number of times each currency handling component is used, which results in the problem of extra costs being incurred as currency handling components that have been used less frequently are replaced.

[0008] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a failure prediction device, a fare collection system, a failure prediction method, and a program that can predict failures in currency handling components in an automatic fare collection machine. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The failure prediction device of the present disclosure comprises an acquisition unit that acquires currency information by denomination regarding currency entered and withdrawn from one or more automatic fare collection machines during toll collection processing, an accumulation unit that accumulates the number of times each currency handling component of the one or more automatic fare collection machines is used for each component based on the acquired currency information, and a determination unit that determines that the currency handling component is in a deteriorated state if the accumulated number of times of use is equal to or greater than a predetermined number threshold.

[0010] The failure prediction method disclosed herein includes the steps of acquiring currency information by denomination regarding currency entered and withdrawn from one or more automated fare collection machines during toll collection processing, accumulating the number of times each currency handling component of the one or more automated fare collection machines has been used for each component based on the acquired currency information, and determining that the currency handling component is in a deteriorated state if the accumulated number of times of use is equal to or greater than a predetermined number threshold.

[0011] The program of the present disclosure causes a computer of a failure prediction device to execute the steps of acquiring currency information by denomination regarding currency entered and withdrawn from one or more automatic fare collection machines during toll collection processing, accumulating the number of times each currency handling component of the one or more automatic fare collection machines has been used for each component based on the acquired currency information, and determining that the currency handling component is in a deteriorated state if the accumulated number of times of use is equal to or greater than a predetermined number threshold. Effect of the Invention

[0012] The failure prediction device, toll collection system, failure prediction method, and program disclosed herein make it possible to predict failures in currency handling components in automatic toll collection machines. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic perspective view of a fee collection system according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] 1 is a diagram showing a functional configuration of an automatic toll collection machine according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 3] 1 is a diagram showing a functional configuration of a fee collection system according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] 3 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a process of a failure prediction method according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. [Diagram 5] 2 is an example of a usage count storage table for currency handling components stored in the failure prediction device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] 2 is an example of a durable operation count table for currency handling components referenced by the failure prediction device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] 13 is an example of a graph showing the number of times a currency handling component is used, notified by a failure prediction device according to variant example 1 of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a fee collection system according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 9]A diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of a computer provided in a failure prediction device according to each embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] Hereinafter, each embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In all the drawings, the same or corresponding components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and common descriptions will be omitted.

[0015] <First embodiment> Hereinafter, a fee collection system 1 according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0016] (Overall composition) FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a fee collection system according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. The toll collection system 1 according to this embodiment is installed, for example, at a toll gate (entrance toll gate or exit toll gate) of a toll road, and collects tolls from both ETC vehicles A1 and non-ETC vehicles A2 traveling on a lane L connecting the toll road and a general road. The lane L according to this embodiment is an ETC-only lane equipped with an electronic toll collection system (ETC equipment 2). Note that in other embodiments, the lane L may be a mixed lane on which both ETC vehicles A1 and non-ETC vehicles A2 travel.

[0017] In this embodiment, an example will be described in which the toll collection system 1 is installed at an exit toll gate. Hereinafter, the direction in which the lane L extends (±X direction) will be referred to as the "lane direction". The toll road side (-X side) of the lane direction will also be referred to as the "upstream side", and the general road side (+X side) will also be referred to as the "downstream side". Furthermore, the width direction of the lane L (±Y direction) will be referred to as the "lane width direction".

[0018] 1 shows an example in which a toll booth has multiple lanes L of the same configuration, but the present invention is not limited to this. In other embodiments, the toll booth may have only one lane L.

[0019] As shown in Fig. 1, the toll collection system 1 includes an ETC facility 2 and an automatic toll collection machine 3 installed in each of a plurality of lanes L, and a monitoring panel 4 that remotely monitors the plurality of automatic toll collection machines 3. In the first embodiment of the present disclosure, the monitoring panel 4 functions as a failure prediction device.

[0020] (ETC equipment configuration) The ETC equipment 2 is a group of devices for executing a first toll collection process that automatically collects tolls via wireless communication from an ETC vehicle A1 equipped with an on-board device α. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 1, the ETC equipment 2 includes an approaching vehicle detector 21, a roadside antenna 22, a communicating vehicle detector 23, a lane server 24, a starting controller 25, and an exiting vehicle detector 26.

[0021] The approaching vehicle detector 21 is installed on an island I provided on both sides of the lane L at the approach detection position X1 on the most upstream side (-X side) in the lane direction, and detects the approach of a vehicle into the lane L. The approaching vehicle detector 21 is, for example, a transmission type vehicle detector as shown in FIG. 1, and has a pair of a projector and a receiver installed opposite each other across the lane L. The approaching vehicle detector 21 outputs a detection signal that can distinguish the presence or absence of a vehicle at the approach detection position X1 based on whether the receiver receives the light projected from the projector. The approaching vehicle detector 21 outputs a detection signal indicating that no vehicle is present at the approach detection position X1 while the receiver receives light. On the other hand, the approaching vehicle detector 21 outputs a detection signal indicating that a vehicle is present at the approach detection position X1 while the receiver does not receive light.

[0022] The roadside antenna 22 is installed above the road surface downstream (+X side) in the lane direction from the approaching vehicle detector 21. When the approaching vehicle detector 21 detects that a vehicle has entered the lane L, the roadside antenna 22 emits radio waves for wireless communication toward a predetermined communication area R1 on the lane L. The communication area R1 is set to the range from the approaching vehicle detector 21 to the communication vehicle detector 23, for example, as shown in FIG. 1. The roadside antenna 22 transmits and receives various commands and information for executing the first toll collection process to and from the on-board device α of the ETC vehicle A1 present within the communication area R1 via wireless communication.

[0023] The communicating vehicle detector 23 is installed on the island I at a communication end position X2 downstream (+X side) in the lane direction from the roadside antenna 22, and detects the passage of a vehicle through the communication end position X2. The communicating vehicle detector 23 has a similar device configuration to the approaching vehicle detector 21. When the communicating vehicle detector 23 detects that the vehicle has passed the communication end position X2, the roadside antenna 22 stops emitting radio waves.

[0024] The lane server 24 executes a first toll collection process for collecting a toll from the ETC vehicle A1. For example, the lane server 24 acquires information including the type of the ETC vehicle A1, the position (entrance toll gate) and date and time when the ETC vehicle A1 entered the toll road, and the payment method of the toll (credit card number, etc.) from the on-board device α via the roadside antenna 22, and performs processes such as calculation and settlement of the toll according to the type and mileage of the ETC vehicle A1 based on this information. The lane server 24 may be installed on the island I as shown in FIG. 1, or may be installed in the toll gate office.

[0025] The departure control device 25 is installed on the island I downstream (+X side) of the toll collection machine 3 in the lane direction. The departure control device 25 opens (permits vehicles to pass) and closes (restricts vehicles to pass) the lane L by raising and lowering the opening and closing bar in accordance with the opening and closing commands from the lane server 24 and the toll collection machine 3. When the first toll collection process is completed, the lane server 24 outputs an opening command to the departure control device 25 to permit the vehicle to pass. In addition, when the exiting vehicle detector 26 described later detects that the vehicle has left the lane L, the lane server 24 outputs a closing command to the departure control device 25 to restrict the passage of the following vehicle. Similarly, when the toll collection machine 3 collects the toll from the non-ETC vehicle A2 in the second toll collection process, it outputs an opening command to the departure control device 25 to permit the vehicle to pass. Furthermore, when the automatic toll collection machine 3 receives an instruction to end the second toll collection process, it outputs a close command to the departure control device 25 to restrict the passage of following vehicles.

[0026] The exiting vehicle detector 26 is installed on the island I at the exit detection position X3 on the most downstream side (+X side) in the lane direction, and detects a vehicle passing through the exit detection position X3 (exiting from the lane L). The exiting vehicle detector 26 has the same equipment configuration as the entering vehicle detector 21.

[0027] 1 shows an example in which the approaching vehicle detector 21, the communicating vehicle detector 23, and the exiting vehicle detector 26 are transmission type vehicle detectors, but the present invention is not limited to this. In other embodiments, these may be reflection type vehicle detectors.

[0028] Furthermore, the ETC equipment 2 may utilize existing equipment already installed in a conventional ETC-only lane or mixed lane.

[0029] (Configuration of automated toll collection machine) The automatic toll collector 3 executes a second toll collection process to collect the toll in cash (money including paper money and coins) from a non-target vehicle that cannot collect the toll in the first toll collection process by the ETC facility 2. A non-target vehicle is a non-ETC vehicle A2 that does not have an on-board device α. The ETC vehicle A1 includes a normal ETC vehicle A1a that can correctly collect the toll in the first toll collection process, and an abnormal ETC vehicle A1b that cannot collect the toll in the first toll collection process. Therefore, the non-target vehicles include the abnormal ETC vehicle A1b. Possible causes of the first toll collection process for the ETC vehicle A1 not ending normally include a malfunction of the ETC facility 2 or the on-board device α, a communication error, and the expiration date of the credit card inserted in the on-board device α. In this embodiment, an example will be described in which the non-target vehicle is a non-ETC vehicle A2.

[0030] As shown in Figures 1 and 3, an automatic toll collection machine 3 (3A, 3B, ..., 3N) provided on each of a plurality of lanes L is connected to a monitoring panel 4 via a communication network such as the Internet. Note that, although Figure 1 shows an example in which a plurality of automatic toll collection machines 3 are provided on each of a plurality of lanes L of the same configuration at a toll booth, this is not limiting. In other embodiments, only one automatic toll collection machine 3 may be provided at a toll booth. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the automatic toll collection machine 3 has a camera 31, an operation reception unit 32, and a toll collection processing unit 33. The camera 31 detects the non-ETC vehicle A2 entering the lane L and exiting the lane L. The operation reception unit 32 receives operations by users (passengers of the non-ETC vehicle A2), payment of tolls, etc. For example, the operation reception unit 32 has a toll ticket insertion slot for inserting a toll ticket, a cash insertion slot for accepting cash payments, a change return slot for paying out change, a card insertion slot for inserting an IC card (credit card, etc.), etc.

[0031] The toll collection processing unit 33 executes a second toll collection process to collect tolls from non-ETC vehicles A2 (vehicles not subject to the first toll collection process) that cannot collect tolls in the first toll collection process. When the toll collection processing unit 33 collects tolls from the non-ETC vehicles A2, it outputs an open command to the departure control unit 25 to allow the vehicle to pass. When the automatic toll collection machine 3 receives an instruction to end the second toll collection process from the first monitoring panel 4, it outputs a close command to the departure control unit 25 to restrict the passage of following vehicles.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 2, the automated fare collection machine 3 is equipped with a banknote processing unit 35 that transports accepted banknotes from the cash insertion port to a storage location inside the automated fare collection machine 3, among the coins inserted as cash by the user during the second fare collection process, and a coin processing unit 36 ​​that transports accepted coins from the cash insertion port to a storage location inside the automated fare collection machine 3.

[0033] When the amount of cash inserted is more than the toll, the automated toll collection machine 3 returns the difference to the user as change. In this case, of the currency to be returned to the user, banknotes are transported by the banknote handling unit 35 from a storage location inside the automated toll collection machine 3 to a change return port. Of the currency to be returned to the user, coins are transported by the coin handling unit 36 ​​from a storage location inside the automated toll collection machine 3 to a change return port. The banknote processing unit 35 and the coin processing unit 36 ​​are structured to physically transport banknotes and coins, and are made up of currency processing parts 37 such as a banknote transport belt, rollers, and a coin sorting motor.

[0034] The automatic toll collector 3 executes a second toll collection process to collect tolls from non-ETC vehicles A2 (vehicles not subject to the first toll collection process) that cannot collect tolls in the first toll collection process. The toll collection processing unit 33 starts and ends the second toll collection process according to instructions from the monitoring panel 4. Furthermore, when the automatic toll collector 3 collects tolls from non-ETC vehicles A2, it outputs an open command to the starting control device 25 to allow the vehicle to pass. Furthermore, when the automatic toll collector 3 receives an instruction to end the second toll collection process from the monitoring panel 4, it outputs a close command to the starting control device 25 to restrict the passage of following vehicles.

[0035] The automated toll collection machine 3 notifies the number of bills and coins to be prepared as change by denomination based on the difference between the number of bills and coins initially stored in a storage location inside the automated toll collection machine 3 and the number of bills and coins received and discharged during the second toll collection process, based on an instruction from the monitoring panel 4. For example, in an embodiment of the present disclosure, the number of bills and coins to be prepared as change is notified by denomination based on the difference between the number of bills and coins initially stored in a storage location inside the automated toll collection machine 3 and the number of bills and coins received and discharged during the second toll collection process.

[0036] (Monitoring panel configuration) The monitoring panel 4 is installed in a remote location such as a toll booth office, and is connected to the automated toll collection machine 3 via a communication network such as the Internet. The monitoring panel 4 is used by a toll collector stationed at the toll booth office to remotely monitor the automated toll collection machine 3. The monitoring panel 4 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure also functions as a failure prediction device by including a failure prediction unit 10 described later.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 3, the monitoring panel 4 has a display device 41, an input device 42, an instruction transmission unit 43, and a failure prediction unit 10.

[0038] The display device 41 displays various data received from the automatic toll collection machine 3. For example, when the display device 41 is notified by the automatic toll collection machine 3 of the entry of a non-ETC vehicle A2, the display device 41 displays an image captured by the camera 31 equipped in the automatic toll collection machine 3. The display device 41 may also display various information (information read from a toll ticket, calculated toll, etc.) acquired and generated by the automatic toll collection machine 3 in the second toll collection process.

[0039] The input device 42 accepts input operations by a toll collector stationed at the toll gate office. The input device 42 may be a touch panel included in the display device 41. When the input device 42 is notified by the automatic toll collector 3 that a non-ETC vehicle A2 has entered the lane L, the input device 42 accepts operations by the toll collector to instruct the start and end of the second toll collection process.

[0040] The instruction transmission unit 43 transmits to the automated toll collection machine 3 an instruction to start and an instruction to end the second toll collection process input via the input device 42 .

[0041] The failure prediction unit 10 predicts a failure of the money handling component 37 of the automatic toll collection machine 3. As shown in FIG. 3, the failure prediction unit 10 has an acquisition unit 11, an accumulating unit 12, a determination unit 13, a notification unit 14, and a memory unit 15.

[0042] The acquisition unit 11 acquires, by denomination, currency information on currency received and withdrawn during toll collection processing from the automated toll collection machine 3. For example, in an embodiment of the present disclosure, an instruction is sent from the monitoring panel 4 to the automated toll collection machine 3 to cause the automated toll collection machine 3 to notify the automated toll collection machine 3 of currency information on currency received and withdrawn during toll collection processing, by denomination, and the information is acquired.

[0043] The accumulating unit 12 accumulates the number of times each of the money handling components 37 of the automated toll collection machine 3 is used, based on the money information acquired by the acquiring unit 11.

[0044] The determination unit 13 determines whether or not the money handling component 37 of the automated toll collection machine 3 is in a deteriorated state, based on the number of uses accumulated by the accumulating unit 12.

[0045] When the judgment unit 13 judges that the currency handling component 37 is in a deteriorated state, the notification unit 14 notifies a warning about the automatic fare collection machine 3 that is the target of the warning and that has the currency handling component 37 judged to be in a deteriorated state.

[0046] The memory unit 15 stores information used in the failure prediction processing flow, such as a currency handling component usage count memory table 100 that stores the number of times the currency handling component 37 has been used calculated by the calculation unit 12, and a currency handling component 37 durability operation count table 200 that is referenced by the judgment unit 13.

[0047] (Process flow of failure prediction method) FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing of a failure prediction method by the toll collection system according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. The flow of processing of the failure prediction method of the toll collection system 1 according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to Fig. 4. When an ETC vehicle A1 enters lane L, toll collection processing (first toll collection processing) is performed by the ETC equipment 2. In this case, however, no money is fed into or fed out of the automatic toll collection machine 3, and the processing of the failure prediction method is not performed, so the description will be omitted. Here, the case where toll collection processing (second toll collection processing) is performed to collect toll from a non-ETC vehicle A2 that has entered lane L will be described.

[0048] When the non-ETC vehicle A2 enters the lane L, the camera 31 detects that the non-ETC vehicle A2 is stopped, and a toll collection process (second toll collection process) is performed. Specifically, the toll collector operates the input device 42 while referring to the image of the camera 31 displayed on the display device 41 of the monitoring panel 4, and an instruction to start the toll collection process is transmitted from the instruction transmission unit 43 to the automatic toll collection machine 3, and the automatic toll collection machine 3 performs the toll collection process (step S100). In the following, a case will be described in which, among the multiple automatic toll collection machines 3 (3A, 3B, . . . , 3N), the automatic toll collection machine 3A performs toll collection processing, but similar processing is performed for the other automatic toll collection machines.

[0049] In the toll collection process at the automatic toll collection machine 3, the toll collection processing unit 33 completes the payment process by accepting operation by a user (a passenger of a non-ETC vehicle A2) and payment of the toll in cash (currency including banknotes and coins). The banknote handling unit 35 of the automated toll collection machine 3 transports accepted banknotes among the coins inserted as cash by users during toll collection processing from a cash slot to a storage location inside the automated toll collection machine 3. As shown in Fig. 2, the banknote handling unit 35 has multiple currency handling components 37, but the currency handling components 37 used for transportation differ depending on the denomination of the inserted banknote.

[0050] The coin handling unit 36 ​​of the automated toll collection machine 3 transports accepted coins inserted as cash by users during toll collection processing from a cash slot to a storage location inside the automated toll collection machine 3. As shown in Fig. 2, the coin handling unit 36 ​​has multiple coin handling parts 37, but the coin handling parts 37 used for transportation differ depending on the denomination of the inserted coin.

[0051] If the amount of cash inserted into the automatic toll collection machine 3 is more than the toll, the difference is returned to the user as change through a change return slot. The banknote handling unit 35 of the automated toll collection machine 3 transports banknotes among the currency returned to the user as change from a storage location inside the automated toll collection machine 3 to a change return port. As shown in Fig. 2, the banknote handling unit 35 has multiple currency handling components 37, but the currency handling components 37 used for transportation differ depending on the denomination of the returned banknotes.

[0052] The coin handling unit 36 ​​of the automated toll collection machine 3 transports coins among the currency returned to the user as change from a storage location inside the automated toll collection machine 3 to a change return port. As shown in Fig. 2, the coin handling unit 36 ​​has multiple currency handling parts 37, but the currency handling parts 37 used for transportation differ depending on the denomination of the coins to be returned.

[0053] When the toll collection process at the automated toll collection machine 3 is completed, the acquisition unit 11 of the monitoring panel 4 acquires currency information by denomination from the automated toll collection machine 3 regarding the currency received and withdrawn during the toll collection process (step S101). In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the acquisition unit 11 of the monitoring panel 4 transmits an instruction to the automated toll collection machine 3 to cause the automated toll collection machine 3 to notify and acquire currency information by denomination regarding the currency received and withdrawn during the toll collection process. The acquisition unit 11 of the monitoring panel 4 stores the acquired currency information regarding the currency in the memory unit 15. For example, the acquisition unit 11 of the monitoring panel 4 transmits an instruction to the automated fare collection machine 3 to notify it of information on the denomination of the coins to be replenished as change, thereby acquiring the information on the denomination of the coins to be replenished as change from the automated fare collection machine 3 and storing it in the memory unit 15. The information on the denomination of the coins to be replenished as change is information on the shortage in the number of coins of each denomination that occurs due to the input and output of coins during the toll collection process at the automated fare collection machine 3, from the number of coins of each denomination that was initially stored in the automated fare collection machine 3 (i.e., set as an initial value and actually stored in the automated fare collection machine 3).

[0054] In this way, the number of coins of each denomination that have been received or withdrawn during the current toll collection process can be calculated from the difference between the information on the shortage of the number of coins of each denomination obtained at the time when the current toll collection process is completed and the information on the shortage of the number of coins of each denomination obtained at the time when the previous toll collection process is completed and stored in the memory unit 15. Also, immediately after change has been replenished in the automatic toll collection machine 3, the information on the shortage of the number of coins of each denomination obtained at the time when the current toll collection process is completed can be used as the number of coins of each denomination that have been received or withdrawn during the current toll collection process. The number of coins of each denomination that is set as an initial value in the automatic toll collection machine 3 may be stored in advance in the memory unit 15, or may be acquired by the acquisition unit 11 of the monitoring panel 4 at a predetermined timing.

[0055] Next, the accumulating unit 12 of the monitoring panel 4 accumulates the number of times the money handling components 37 of the automated toll collection machine 3 have been used for each component, based on the money information acquired by the acquiring unit 11 (step S102). In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the accumulating unit 12 of the monitoring panel 4 calculates the number of coins of each denomination that have been received and withdrawn during the current toll collection process, based on information on the shortfall in the number of coins of each denomination acquired by the acquiring unit 11 at the time the current toll collection process is completed. In addition, the accumulating unit 12 of the monitoring panel 4 accumulates the number of times the money handling components 37 of the automated toll collection machine 3 have been used for each component, based on the calculated number of coins of each denomination, and updates the number of times the money handling components 37 have been used memory table 100 stored in the memory unit 15.

[0056] Below, we will explain with a specific example the procedure by which the accumulation unit 12 of the monitoring panel 4 calculates the number of coins of each denomination that have been received or withdrawn during the current toll collection process, based on the information on the shortfall in the number of coins of each denomination acquired by the acquisition unit 11 at the time the current toll collection process is completed. For example, suppose the numbers of each denomination of currency initially stored in the automated fare collection machine 3 immediately after the change was replenished (i.e., set as initial values ​​and actually stored in the automated fare collection machine 3) were 20 5,000 yen bills, 100 1,000 yen bills, 50 500 yen coins, 100 100 yen coins, 50 50 yen coins, and 100 10 yen coins. Here, for example, if the toll this time is 2560 yen, the user inserts one 10,000 yen note into the automatic toll collection machine 3, and one 5,000 yen note, two 1,000 yen notes, zero 500 yen coins, four 100 yen coins, zero 50 yen coins, and four 10 yen coins are returned as change of 7440 yen through the change return port of the automatic toll collection machine 3. In this case, the acquisition unit 11 of the monitoring panel 4 acquires information from the automatic toll collection machine 3 regarding the shortage of each denomination of currency, namely, one 5,000 yen note, two 1,000 yen notes, zero 500 yen coins, four 100 yen coins, zero 50 yen coins, and four 10 yen coins, and stores this information in the memory unit 15. Since the change has just been replenished in the automatic toll collection machine 3, the accumulating unit 12 of the monitoring panel 4 refers to the memory unit 15 and calculates the information on the shortage of the number of coins of each denomination acquired at the time when the current toll collection process is completed (1 5,000 yen bill, 2 1,000 yen bills, 0 500 yen coins, 4 100 yen coins, 0 50 yen coins, and 4 10 yen coins) as the number of coins of each denomination that were received or withdrawn during the current toll collection process. By referring to the memory unit 15, the accumulating unit 12 of the monitoring panel 4 can determine that the change has just been replenished in the automatic toll collection machine 3, since there is no information on the shortage of the number of coins of each denomination acquired by the acquiring unit 11 at the time when the previous toll collection process is completed.

[0057] Further, consider a case where a toll collection process is performed from the next user. For example, when the toll is 1500 yen, the user inserts one 5,000 yen bill into the automatic toll collection machine 3, and as change for 3500 yen, 0 5,000 yen bills, 3 1,000 yen bills, 1 500 yen coin, 0 100 yen coins, 0 50 yen coins, and 0 10 yen coins are returned from the change return port of the automatic toll collection machine 3. In this case, the acquisition unit 11 of the monitoring panel 4 acquires information on the shortage of the number of each denomination of currency from the automatic toll collection machine 3, such as 0 5,000 yen bills, 5 1,000 yen bills, 1 500 yen coin, 4 100 yen coins, 0 50 yen coins, and 4 10 yen coins, and stores this information in the memory unit 15. The accumulation unit 12 of the monitoring panel 4 refers to the memory unit 15 and acquires information on the shortage of the number of coins of each denomination acquired by the acquisition unit 11 at the time when the current toll collection process is completed (0 5,000 yen bills, 5 1,000 yen bills, 1 500 yen coin, 4 100 yen coins, 0 50 yen coins, and 4 10 yen coins), as well as the shortage of the number of coins acquired by the acquisition unit 11 at the time when the previous toll collection process is completed. Based on the difference between this and the information on the shortage of each denomination (1 5,000 yen bill, 2 1,000 yen bills, 0 500 yen coins, 4 100 yen coins, 0 50 yen coins, and 4 10 yen coins), the number of each denomination of currency that was received and issued during this toll collection process is calculated as (-1 5,000 yen bill, 3 1,000 yen bills, 1 500 yen coin, 0 100 yen coins, 0 50 yen coins, and 0 10 yen coins). In addition, the number of coins of each denomination that are input and output during the toll collection process indicates the number of coins that are output from the automatic toll collection machine 3 and decreased, so if the number is negative, it means that the number of coins that are input into the automatic toll collection machine 3 and increased.

[0058] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the denomination information of the currency to be replenished as change from the automated toll collection machine 3 acquired by the acquisition unit 11 of the monitoring panel 4 is only 5,000 yen notes, 1,000 yen notes, 500 yen coins, 100 yen coins, 50 yen coins, and 10 yen coins, and does not include information on 10,000 yen notes. For this reason, the number of 10,000 yen notes that have been received or withdrawn during the toll collection process may be calculated by the accumulating unit 12 of the monitoring panel 4, for example, by the acquisition unit 11 of the monitoring panel 4 separately acquiring toll amount information and referring to information on the shortage of the number of each denomination of currency for 5,000 yen notes, 1,000 yen notes, 500 yen coins, 100 yen coins, 50 yen coins, and 10 yen coins. Finally, the accumulating unit 12 of the monitoring panel 4 calculates the number of coins of each denomination that were received and issued during this toll collection process as follows: 0 10,000 yen bills, 1 5,000 yen bill, 3 1,000 yen bills, 1 500 yen coin, 0 100 yen coins, 0 50 yen coins, and 0 10 yen coins.

[0059] Next, using Figure 5, we will explain the procedure by which the accumulating unit 12 of the monitoring panel 4 accumulates the number of times each currency handling component of the automated fare collection machine 3 is used for each component based on the calculated number of currency of each denomination, and updates the number of times the currency handling components 37 are used memory table 100 stored in the memory unit 15. FIG. 5 is an example of a usage count storage table of the currency handling components 37 stored in the storage unit 15 by the monitoring panel 4, which is the failure prediction device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. The memory unit 15 stores a usage count memory table 100 of the money handling component 37 shown in FIG. 5 for each of the multiple automated toll collection machines 3 (3A, 3B, . . . , 3N) separately. As described above, when the automatic fare collection machine 3A among the multiple automatic fare collection machines 3 (3A, 3B, ..., 3N) performs the fare collection process, the number of uses memory table 100 of the currency handling component 37 for the automatic fare collection machine 3A is to be updated.

[0060] As shown in Fig. 5, in the usage count storage table 100 for the money handling components 37, the vertical columns indicate the names of the money handling components 37, and the horizontal rows indicate the denominations of currency (banknotes and coins). For example, in the item in the usage count storage table 100 where the name of the money handling component is conveyor belt A and the denomination is 1000 yen, the number of uses of conveyor belt A, which is a money handling component 37 used to convey 1,000 yen bills, is recorded. Note that the same number of uses is recorded for money handling components 37 that are used in common for different denominations. For example, the number of uses of conveyor belt B, which is a money handling component 37 that is used in common for conveying 1,000 yen bills, 5,000 yen bills, and 10,000 yen bills, is recorded as 45,000 times for each.

[0061] The accumulation unit 12 of the monitoring panel 4 calculates the number of coins of each denomination that were received and withdrawn during the current toll collection process based on the currency information acquired by the acquisition unit 11, and then uses this calculated information to accumulate the number of times each of the currency handling components 37 in the automatic toll collection machine 3 has been used for each component. As described above, the currency handling components 37 used to transport the currency differ depending on the denomination of the currency inserted during the toll collection process. Similarly, the currency handling components 37 used to transport the currency differ depending on the denomination of the currency returned during the toll collection process. For example, when a 1,000 yen note is inserted, of the money handling components 37 provided in the banknote handling unit 35, the conveyor belt A, the conveyor belt B, and the conveyor roller A are used. On the other hand, when a 1,000 yen note is returned, of the money handling components 37 provided in the banknote handling unit 35, the conveyor belt B, the conveyor belt C, and the conveyor roller B are used. Association information indicating the relationship between the denomination of currency and the currency handling components 37 used to transport the currency may be stored in the memory unit 15.

[0062] The accumulating unit 12 of the monitoring panel 4 has calculated the number of coins of each denomination that were input and output during the current toll collection process as 0 10,000 yen bills, 1 5,000 yen bill, 3 1,000 yen bills, 1 500 yen coin, 0 100 yen coins, 0 50 yen coins, and 0 10 yen coins, and so based on the calculated information, it accumulates each item in the number of uses memory table 100 shown in Fig. 5. That is, in the number of uses memory table 100 shown in Fig. 5, the accumulating unit 12 accumulates the number of times each money handling component 37 used to insert 5,000 yen bills by 1, the number of times each money handling component 37 used to return 1,000 yen bills by 3, and the number of times each money handling component 37 used to return 500 yen coins by 1.

[0063] Next, the determination unit 13 of the monitoring panel 4 determines whether or not the money handling component 37 of the automated toll collection machine 3 is in a deteriorated state, based on the number of uses accumulated by the accumulating unit 12 (step S103). Specifically, after the accumulation unit 12 accumulates and updates the number of uses memory table 100 of the currency handling component 37 shown in Figure 5, the judgment unit 13 judges whether the number of uses accumulated by the accumulation unit 12 is greater than or equal to a predetermined number threshold. The predetermined number threshold may be a predetermined value equal to or less than the durable number of operations specified for each component of the money handling components 37. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a value that is 70% of the durable number of operations specified for each component of the money handling components 37 is set as the predetermined number threshold. Note that the predetermined number threshold may be a value other than 70% of the durable number of operations specified for each component of the money handling components 37, or may be a different value for each component.

[0064] The predetermined number threshold value used by the determining unit 13 for the above determination will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is an example of a durable operation count table of the currency handling component 37 referenced by the failure prediction device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. The memory unit 15 stores a durable operation count table 200 for the money handling components 37 shown in FIG. 6 for each of the multiple automated toll collection machines 3 (3A, 3B, . . . , 3N) separately.

[0065] As shown in Fig. 6, in durable operation count table 200 for money handling components 37, the vertical columns indicate the names of the money handling components 37, and the horizontal rows indicate the denominations of currency (banknotes and coins). For example, in durable operation count table 200, in the item in which the money handling component name is conveyor belt A and the denomination is 1000 yen, 100,000 operations are stored as the durable operation count of the money handling component 37 used to convey 1,000 yen bills. Note that the same durable operation count is stored for money handling components 37 used in common for different denominations. For example, the durable operation count of conveyor belt B, which is a money handling component 37 used in common for conveying 1,000 yen bills, 5,000 yen bills, and 10,000 yen bills, is all stored as 80,000 operations.

[0066] As described above, in the case where the automatic fare collection machine 3A among the multiple automatic fare collection machines 3 (3A, 3B, ..., 3N) performs the fare collection process, the judgment unit 13 makes the above judgment by referring to the durable operation count table 200 of the currency handling component 37 for the automatic fare collection machine 3A.

[0067] 6, the durable number of operations of conveyor belt A, which is a currency handling component 37 used to transport 1,000 yen bills, is 100,000 times, so the predetermined number threshold is 70% of that, or 70,000 times. Also, the durable number of operations of conveyor belt B, which is a currency handling component 37 used to transport 1,000 yen bills, is 80,000 times, so the predetermined number threshold is 70% of that, or 56,000 times. In the usage count memory table 100 for currency handling components 37 shown in Figure 5, the number of uses of conveyor belt A, which is currency handling component 37 used to transport 1,000 yen bills, is 70,000, which is greater than the predetermined number threshold of 70,000 (YES in step S103), so the judgment unit 13 judges that conveyor belt A, which is currency handling component 37 used to transport 1,000 yen bills, is in a deteriorated state (step S104). On the other hand, in the usage count memory table 100 for currency handling component 37 shown in Figure 5, the number of uses of conveyor belt B, which is currency handling component 37 used to transport 1,000 yen bills, is 45,000, which is not greater than the predetermined number threshold of 56,000 (NO in step S103), so the judgment unit 13 judges that conveyor belt B, which is currency handling component 37 used to transport 1,000 yen bills, is not in a deteriorated state, and the processing flow of the failure prediction method returns to before step S100, as shown in Figure 4.

[0068] If the judgment unit 13 judges that the currency handling component 37 is in a deteriorated state, the notification unit 14 of the monitoring panel 4 notifies a maintenance staff of a warning about the automatic fare collection machine 3A that is the target of the warning and has the currency handling component 37 judged to be in a deteriorated state, among the multiple automatic fare collection machines 3 (3A, 3B, ..., 3N) (step S105). As described above, when the automatic fare collection machine 3A among the multiple automatic fare collection machines 3 (3A, 3B, ..., 3N) performs a fare collection process, it is determined that the conveying belt A, which is a currency handling part 37 used to transport 1,000 yen bills, is in a deteriorated state, so the notification unit 14 notifies the maintenance staff of a warning about the automatic fare collection machine 3A that is the target of the warning. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, when the notification unit 14 of the monitoring panel 4 notifies a maintenance staff of a warning, it notifies the maintenance staff of the accumulated number of uses of the currency handling component 37 determined to be in a deteriorated state. Specifically, the notification unit 14 notifies that the number of uses of the conveyor belt A, which is the currency handling component 37 equipped in the automated toll collection machine 3A and used to transport 1,000 yen bills, is 70,000 times. The notification unit 14 may notify the maintenance staff of the warning via, for example, the display device 41 of the monitoring panel 4. In this case, in response to the notification from the notification unit 14, the display device 41 may display a message indicating that the number of uses of the conveyor belt A, which is the currency handling component 37 used by the automated toll collection machine 3A to transport 1,000 yen bills, is 70,000 times, and a message encouraging the maintenance staff to replace the conveyor belt A. The notification unit 14 may notify the automatic toll collection machine 3A of the warning. In this case, the maintenance staff is notified of the warning via the automatic toll collection machine 3A. Furthermore, the automatic toll collection machine 3A may notify the display device 41 of the monitoring panel 4 of the warning.

[0069] The maintenance staff who has been notified of the warning regarding the automated toll collection machine 3A that is the subject of the warning replaces the money handling component 37 of the automated toll collection machine 3A that has been determined to be in a deteriorated state (step S106).

[0070] After the maintenance staff replaces the money handling component 37 of the automated toll collection machine 3A that has been determined to be in a deteriorated state, the number of times the replaced money handling component 37 has been used is reset (step S107). Specifically, in the number of uses storage table 100 for money handling components 37 shown in Fig. 5, the number of uses of conveyor belt A, which is the money handling component 37 used to convey 1,000 yen bills, is reset to 0. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, after replacing the money handling component 37 of the automated toll collection machine 3A that has been determined to be in a deteriorated state, a maintenance worker resets the number of uses of the replaced money handling component 37 in the number of uses storage table 100 for money handling components 37 shown in Fig. 5 via the input device 42. However, for example, the failure prediction unit 10 may detect the replacement of the money handling component 37 of the automated toll collection machine 3A and automatically reset the number of uses of the replaced money handling component 37.

[0071] (Action and effect) As described above, the acquisition unit 11 of the failure prediction device (monitoring panel 4) according to this embodiment acquires currency information by denomination regarding currency received and withdrawn during the toll collection process from one or more automated fare collection machines 3. The accumulation unit 12 accumulates the number of uses of the currency handling components 37 of one or more automated fare collection machines 3 for each component based on the currency information acquired by the acquisition unit 11. Furthermore, the determination unit 13 determines that the currency handling components 37 are in a deteriorated state when the number of uses accumulated by the accumulation unit 12 is equal to or greater than a predetermined number threshold.

[0072] In this way, the failure prediction device (monitoring panel 4) according to this embodiment can take into account the number of times each currency handling component 37 in the automated toll collection machine 3 has been used and quantitatively and accurately determine whether or not the currency handling component 37 is in a deteriorated state for each component. Therefore, predictive maintenance can be performed, such as predicting a failure and replacing the currency handling component 37 in advance before it wears out and breaks down. This can prevent the operation of the toll booth from being stopped. In addition, instead of replacing the banknote processing unit 35 and coin processing unit 36 ​​as a unit as in the conventional technology in which the currency processing parts are replaced when their useful life expires, it is possible to replace only the currency processing part 37 which is likely to be in a deteriorated state, thereby reducing unnecessary costs. Furthermore, the appropriate replacement timing can be ascertained in both cases where the currency handling component 37 is used frequently and infrequently.

[0073] Furthermore, according to one example of this embodiment, the predetermined number threshold value may be a predetermined value equal to or less than the durable number of operations specified for each component of the currency handling component 37.

[0074] In this way, the failure prediction device (monitoring panel 4) according to this embodiment can accurately determine whether or not each of the currency handling components 37 is in a deteriorated state on a component-by-component basis.

[0075] In addition, when it is determined that the currency handling component 37 is in a deteriorated state, the notification unit 14 of the failure prediction device (monitoring panel 4) in this embodiment notifies a warning about the automatic fare collection machine 3A that is the target of the warning and has the currency handling component 37 determined to be in a deteriorated state, among one or more automatic fare collection machines 3 (3A, 3B, ..., 3N).

[0076] In this way, maintenance personnel can easily determine which of the currency handling components 37 equipped in multiple automatic fare collection machines 3 (3A, 3B, ..., 3N) is in a deteriorated state and can quickly replace the currency handling components 37 that are in a deteriorated state. In addition, it becomes unnecessary for a maintenance person to individually inspect and check each of the multiple automated toll collection machines 3 (3A, 3B, . . . , 3N).

[0077] In addition, when issuing a warning, the notification unit 14 of the failure prediction device (monitoring panel 4) according to this embodiment notifies the accumulated number of uses of the currency handling component 37 that has been determined to be in a deteriorated state.

[0078] In this way, the maintenance person can determine the urgency of replacing the currency handling component 37, such as whether the currency handling component 37 determined to be in a deteriorated state requires immediate replacement or whether there is sufficient time before replacement. Furthermore, if the predetermined number threshold is set low in advance, by checking the accumulated number of uses for the currency handling component 37 determined to be in a deteriorated state, the maintenance person can take care of the replacement with ample time.

[0079] The toll collection system 1 according to this embodiment also includes a monitoring panel 4, which is a failure prediction device, and one or more automatic toll collection machines.

[0080] In this way, the toll collection system 1 equipped with the failure prediction device (monitoring panel 4) according to this embodiment can quantitatively and accurately determine whether or not each money handling component 37 is in a deteriorated state, by taking into account the number of times each money handling component 37 in the automated toll collection machine 3 has been used. This makes it possible to avoid a situation in which the money handling components 37 wear out and break down, causing the operation of the toll booth to be halted. In addition, instead of replacing the banknote processing unit 35 and coin processing unit 36 ​​as a unit as in the conventional technology in which the currency processing parts are replaced when their useful life expires, it is possible to replace only the currency processing part 37 which is likely to be in a deteriorated state, thereby reducing unnecessary costs. Furthermore, the appropriate replacement timing can be ascertained in both cases where the currency handling component 37 is used frequently and infrequently.

[0081] In addition, in the toll collection system 1 according to this embodiment, the monitoring panel 4 that remotely monitors one or more automatic toll collection machines 3 functions as a failure prediction device.

[0082] In this way, the toll collection system 1 can realize predictive maintenance that detects failures in currency handling components at low cost and with great ease, simply by adding a failure prediction device function (failure prediction unit 10) to the existing monitoring panel 4.

[0083] (Variation 1) In one example of this embodiment, when notifying a maintenance personnel of a warning, the notification unit 14 of the monitoring panel 4 notifies the maintenance personnel of the accumulated number of uses for the currency handling component 37 determined to be in a deteriorated state; however, as a variant example, when notifying a warning, the notification unit 14 may notify the maintenance personnel of the accumulated number of uses for all currency handling components 37 equipped on the automatic fare collection machine 3A that is the subject of the warning.

[0084] In this way, a maintenance technician who is notified of the warning can check the number of times other currency handling parts 37 in the automated fare collection machine 3A other than the currency handling part 37 determined to be in a deteriorated state have been used, and can perform predictive maintenance such as replacing the other currency handling parts 37 in advance if necessary.

[0085] For example, the notification unit 14 may notify the accumulated number of uses for all of the money handling components 37 included in the automated toll collection machine 3A that is the target of the warning in the form of a graph as shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is an example of a graph showing the number of times a currency handling component 37 is used, notified by a monitoring panel 4 which is a failure prediction device according to a modified example of the present disclosure. 7, all currency handling components 37 included in the automated toll collection machine 3A that is the target of the warning are displayed as bar graphs by denomination. The height of each bar graph itself indicates the number of times each currency handling component 37 can be operated, and the height of the blackened areas in each bar graph indicates the number of times each currency handling component 37 has been used.

[0086] In this manner, a maintenance person who receives a warning can very easily ascertain the number of times all of the currency handling components 37 equipped in the automatic toll collection machine 3A that is the subject of the warning have been used, and can accurately determine whether replacement is necessary.

[0087] (Variation 2) In one example of this embodiment, when the accumulating unit 12 of the monitoring panel 4 accumulates the number of uses of the currency handling components 37 of the automated fare collection machine 3 for each component based on the currency information acquired by the acquisition unit 11, the accumulating unit 12 accumulates the number of uses as is, but as a variant, the accumulating unit 12 may multiply the number of uses of the currency handling components 37 by a predetermined coefficient defined for each currency denomination before accumulating.

[0088] This makes it possible to more accurately reflect the degree of wear of the currency handling components 37 according to the denomination, and to accurately determine whether the currency handling components 37 are in a deteriorated state for each component. It also makes it possible to reduce costs by reducing the frequency of replacing the currency handling components 37. Specifically, the predetermined coefficient for a denomination for which the degree of wear on the currency handling components 37 is higher may be set to be higher than the predetermined coefficient for a denomination for which the degree of wear on the currency handling components 37 is lower. For example, for a currency handling component 37 that is commonly used for different denominations, by setting a predetermined coefficient multiplied by the number of times of use to 0.5 when the denomination is a 1,000 yen note, and by setting a predetermined coefficient multiplied by the number of times of use to 0.2 when the denomination is a 5,000 yen note or a 10,000 yen note, it is possible to more accurately determine whether the currency handling component 37 is in a deteriorated state. Any value may be set as the predetermined coefficient defined for each denomination of currency to be multiplied by the number of times the currency handling component 37 is used. For example, a value based on the properties of the currency, such as the size, weight, and hardness, of the currency, may be set.

[0089] <Second embodiment> Hereinafter, the fee collection system 1 according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a functional configuration of the fee collection system 1 according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. The configuration of the fee collection system 1 according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure is similar to that of the first embodiment, except for the points described below.

[0090] As shown in FIG. 8, a monitoring panel 4 for remotely monitoring one or more automatic toll collection machines 3 (3A, 3B, . . . , 3N) may be further provided in addition to the failure prediction device 10. That is, in the first embodiment, the monitoring panel 4 functions as a failure prediction device, but in the toll collection system 1 according to the second embodiment, the monitoring panel 4 and the failure prediction device 10A are separate, isolated devices, as shown in Fig. 8. The failure prediction device 10A according to the second embodiment has an acquisition unit 11, an accumulating unit 12, a determination unit 13, a notification unit 14, and a storage unit 15, similar to the failure prediction unit 10 according to the first embodiment, and these components function in the same way as the failure prediction unit 10.

[0091] (Action and effect) The fee collection system 1 according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure has the same functions and effects as the first embodiment. Furthermore, in the toll collection system 1 according to the second embodiment, a monitoring panel 4 for remotely monitoring one or more automatic toll collection machines 3 (3A, 3B, . . . , 3N) is further provided separately from the failure prediction device 10, which makes it easy to attach and detach the failure prediction device 10 to and from the monitoring panel 4. This makes it possible to perform failure prediction by attaching the failure prediction device 10 to the monitoring panel 4 for only the required period of time. In addition, in Figure 8, the monitoring panel 4 is connected between the automatic toll collection machine 3 (3A, 3B, ..., 3N) and the failure prediction device 10, but the configuration may also be such that the failure prediction device 10 is connected between the automatic toll collection machine 3 (3A, 3B, ..., 3N) and the monitoring panel 4.

[0092] <Other Modifications> In the example of each of the above-mentioned embodiments, the money handling parts 3 provided in the banknote handling unit 35 and the coin handling unit 36 ​​are a banknote transport belt, rollers, and a coin sorting motor, etc., but the money handling parts 3 provided in the banknote handling unit 35 and the coin handling unit 36 ​​may be other parts. In one example of each of the above-mentioned embodiments, the acquisition unit 11 acquires the denomination information of the coins to be replenished as change from the automated fare collection machine 3 by sending an instruction to the automated fare collection machine 3 to notify it of the denomination information of the coins to be replenished as change, but the denomination information of the coins to be replenished as change from the automated fare collection machine 3 may be transmitted to the acquisition unit 11 and acquired from the automated fare collection machine 3 without sending an instruction. Furthermore, the currency information on the currency received and withdrawn during the toll collection process that the acquiring unit 11 acquires from the automated toll collection machine 3 may be information other than the denomination information of the currency to be replenished as change. For example, the automated toll collection machine 3 may record the currency information on the currency received and withdrawn during the toll collection process, and the acquiring unit 11 may acquire the currency information.

[0093] In one example of each of the above-mentioned embodiments, the currency information regarding the currency that has been exchanged during the toll collection process that the acquisition unit 11 acquires from the automated toll collection machine 3 does not include information about 10,000 yen notes, but the currency information regarding the currency that has been exchanged during the toll collection process that the acquisition unit 11 acquires from the automated toll collection machine 3 may include information about 10,000 yen notes.

[0094] In one example of each of the above-described embodiments, the failure prediction device (failure prediction unit) 10 processes information about 10,000 yen notes, 5,000 yen notes, 1,000 yen notes, 500 yen coins, 100 yen coins, 50 yen coins, and 10 yen coins, but the types of bills and coins processed by the failure prediction device (failure prediction unit) 10 may be types other than these. For example, the types of bills may include 2,000 yen bills.

[0095] In one example of each of the above-described embodiments, the acquiring unit 11 acquires currency information by denomination regarding currency that has entered and left the automated toll collection machine 3 during the toll collection process when the toll collection process is completed at the automated toll collection machine 3, but the acquisition may be performed at other times. For example, the acquiring unit 11 may acquire the information a predetermined time after the toll collection process is completed, or may acquire the information periodically regardless of the timing when the toll collection process is completed at the automated toll collection machine 3.

[0096] In one example of each of the above-described embodiments, the acquiring unit 11 acquires currency information by denomination regarding currency that has entered and left the automated toll collection machine 3 during the toll collection process when the toll collection process is completed at the automated toll collection machine 3, but the acquisition may be performed at other times. For example, the acquiring unit 11 may acquire the information a predetermined time after the toll collection process is completed, or may acquire the information periodically regardless of the timing when the toll collection process is completed at the automated toll collection machine 3.

[0097] <Hardware configuration> FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of the automatic toll collection machine 3, the monitoring panel 4, and the failure prediction device 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 9, a computer 900 includes a processor 901, a main memory 902, a storage 903, and an interface 904.

[0098] The devices constituting the toll collection system 1 according to each of the above-mentioned embodiments (the automatic toll collection machine 3, the monitoring panel 4, and the failure prediction device 10) are each implemented in a computer 900. The operations of each of the above-mentioned processing units are stored in the form of a program in a storage 903. The processor 901 reads the program from the storage 903, loads it in the main memory 902, and executes the above-mentioned processing according to the program. The processor 901 also secures a storage area in the main memory 902 corresponding to each of the above-mentioned storage units according to the program.

[0099] The program may be for realizing a part of the functions to be performed by the computer 900. For example, the program may be for realizing the functions by combining with other programs already stored in the storage 903 or by combining with other programs implemented in other devices. In another embodiment, the computer 900 may include a custom LSI (Large Scale Integrated Circuit) such as a PLD (Programmable Logic Device) in addition to or instead of the above configuration. Examples of PLDs include PAL (Programmable Array Logic), GAL (Generic Array Logic), CPLD (Complex Programmable Logic Device), and FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). In this case, some or all of the functions to be realized by the processor 901 may be realized by the integrated circuit.

[0100] Examples of storage 903 include a magnetic disk, a magneto-optical disk, an optical disk, and a semiconductor memory. Storage 903 may be an internal medium directly connected to the bus of computer 900, or may be an external medium 910 connected to computer 900 via interface 904 or a communication line. In addition, when this program is distributed to computer 900 via a communication line, computer 900 that receives the program may load the program in main memory 902 and execute the above-mentioned process. In at least one embodiment, storage 903 is a non-transitory tangible storage medium.

[0101] Furthermore, the program may be for realizing a part of the above-mentioned functions. Furthermore, the program may be a so-called differential file (differential program) that realizes the above-mentioned functions in combination with another program already stored in the storage 903.

[0102] <Other embodiments> Although several embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present disclosure. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and gist of the disclosure.

[0103] <Additional Notes> The failure prediction device, the toll collection system, the failure prediction method, and the program described in each embodiment can be understood, for example, as follows.

[0104] (1) The failure prediction device 4 in the first aspect includes an acquisition unit 11 that acquires currency information by denomination regarding currency entered and withdrawn from one or more automated fare collection machines 3 during toll collection processing, an accumulation unit 12 that accumulates the number of times that currency handling components of the one or more automated fare collection machines 3 have been used for each component based on the acquired currency information, and a determination unit 13 that determines that the currency handling components are in a deteriorated state when the accumulated number of times of use is equal to or greater than a predetermined number threshold.

[0105] In this way, the failure prediction device (monitoring panel 4) according to this embodiment can take into account the number of times each currency handling component 37 in the automated toll collection machine 3 has been used and quantitatively and accurately determine whether or not the currency handling component 37 is in a deteriorated state for each component. Therefore, predictive maintenance can be performed, such as predicting a failure and replacing the currency handling component 37 in advance before it wears out and breaks down. This can prevent the operation of the toll booth from being stopped. In addition, instead of replacing the banknote processing unit 35 and coin processing unit 36 ​​as a unit as in the conventional technology in which the currency processing parts are replaced when their useful life expires, it is possible to replace only the currency processing part 37 which is likely to be in a deteriorated state, thereby reducing unnecessary costs. Furthermore, the appropriate replacement timing can be ascertained in both cases where the currency handling component 37 is used frequently and infrequently.

[0106] (2) A failure prediction device 4 according to a second aspect is a failure prediction device 4 of (1), in which the specified number threshold is a specified value that is less than the durable number of operations specified for each component of the currency handling component 37.

[0107] In this way, the failure prediction device (monitoring panel 4) according to this embodiment can accurately determine whether or not each of the currency handling components 37 is in a deteriorated state on a component-by-component basis.

[0108] (3) The failure prediction device 4 of the third aspect is the failure prediction device 4 of (1) or (2), further comprising a notification unit 14 that, when it is determined that the currency handling component 37 is in a deteriorated state, issues a warning about the automatic fare collection machine 3A that is the target of the warning, among the one or more automatic fare collection machines 3 (3A, 3B, ..., 3N), which has the currency handling component 37 determined to be in a deteriorated state.

[0109] In this way, maintenance personnel can easily determine which of the currency handling components 37 equipped in multiple automatic fare collection machines 3 (3A, 3B, ..., 3N) is in a deteriorated state and can quickly replace the currency handling components 37 that are in a deteriorated state. In addition, it becomes unnecessary for a maintenance person to individually inspect and check each of the multiple automated toll collection machines 3 (3A, 3B, . . . , 3N).

[0110] (4) A fourth aspect of the failure prediction device 4 is the failure prediction device 4 described in (3), in which the notification unit 14, when notifying the warning, notifies the accumulated number of uses of the currency handling component 37 that has been determined to be in a deteriorated state.

[0111] In this way, the maintenance person can determine the urgency of replacing the currency handling component 37, such as whether the currency handling component 37 determined to be in a deteriorated state requires immediate replacement or whether there is sufficient time before replacement. Furthermore, if the predetermined number threshold is set low in advance, by checking the accumulated number of uses for the currency handling component 37 determined to be in a deteriorated state, the maintenance person can take care of the replacement with ample time.

[0112] (5) A fifth aspect of the failure prediction device 4 is the failure prediction device 4 described in (3) in which the notification unit 14, when notifying the warning, notifies the accumulated number of uses for all of the currency handling components 37 equipped in the automatic fare collection machine 3A that is the subject of the warning.

[0113] In this way, a maintenance technician who is notified of the warning can check the number of times other currency handling parts 37 in the automated fare collection machine 3A other than the currency handling part 37 determined to be in a deteriorated state have been used, and can perform predictive maintenance such as replacing the other currency handling parts 37 in advance if necessary.

[0114] (6) A sixth aspect of the failure prediction device 4 is a failure prediction device 4 of any one of (1) to (5), in which the accumulation unit 12 multiplies the number of uses of the currency handling component 37 by a predetermined coefficient defined for the denomination of the currency and then accumulates the multiplied number.

[0115] This makes it possible to more accurately reflect the degree of wear of the currency handling components 37 according to the denomination, and to accurately determine whether the currency handling components 37 are in a deteriorated state for each component. It also makes it possible to reduce costs by reducing the frequency of replacing the currency handling components 37. Specifically, the predetermined coefficient for a denomination for which the degree of wear on the currency handling components 37 is higher may be set to be higher than the predetermined coefficient for a denomination for which the degree of wear on the currency handling components 37 is lower.

[0116] (7) A toll collection system 1 according to a seventh aspect includes a failure prediction device 4 according to any one of (1) to (6) and the one or more automatic toll collection machines 3.

[0117] In this way, the toll collection system 1 according to this embodiment can quantitatively and accurately determine whether or not each money handling component 37 in the automated toll collection machine 3 is in a deteriorated state, taking into account the number of times each money handling component 37 in the automated toll collection machine 3 has been used. This makes it possible to perform predictive maintenance, such as predicting a malfunction and replacing the money handling components 37 in advance before they wear out and break down. This makes it possible to avoid situations in which the toll booth's operations are suspended. In addition, instead of replacing the banknote processing unit 35 and coin processing unit 36 ​​as a unit as in the conventional technology in which the currency processing parts are replaced when their useful life expires, it is possible to replace only the currency processing part 37 which is likely to be in a deteriorated state, thereby reducing unnecessary costs. Furthermore, the appropriate replacement timing can be ascertained in both cases where the currency handling component 37 is used frequently and infrequently.

[0118] (8) The toll collection system 1 according to the eighth aspect is the toll collection system 1 of (7), in which a monitoring panel 4 that remotely monitors the one or more automatic toll collection machines 3 functions as the failure prediction device 4.

[0119] In this way, the toll collection system 1 can realize predictive maintenance that detects failures in currency handling components at low cost and with great ease, simply by adding a failure prediction device function (failure prediction unit 10) to the existing monitoring panel 4.

[0120] (9) The ninth aspect of the fare collection system 1 is the fare collection system 1 of (7), further comprising a monitoring panel 4 for remotely monitoring the one or more automatic fare collection machines 3, separate from the failure prediction device 10.

[0121] According to this embodiment, the toll collection system 1 further includes a monitoring panel 4 that remotely monitors one or more automatic toll collection machines 3 (3A, 3B, . . . , 3N) separate from the failure prediction device 10, which makes it easy to attach and detach the failure prediction device 10 to and from the monitoring panel 4. This makes it possible to perform failure prediction by attaching the failure prediction device 10 to the monitoring panel 4 for only the required period of time.

[0122] (10) A failure prediction method according to a tenth aspect includes the steps of acquiring currency information by denomination regarding currency entered and withdrawn from one or more automated fare collection machines during a toll collection process, accumulating the number of times each currency handling component of the one or more automated fare collection machines has been used for each component based on the acquired currency information, and determining that the currency handling component is in a deteriorated state if the accumulated number of times of use is equal to or greater than a predetermined number threshold.

[0123] In this way, the failure prediction method according to this embodiment considers the number of times each currency handling component 37 in the automated toll collection machine 3 has been used, and can quantitatively and accurately determine whether or not each currency handling component 37 is in a deteriorated state for each component. Therefore, it is possible to perform predictive maintenance, such as predicting a failure and replacing the currency handling components 37 in the automated toll collection machine 3 before they wear out and break down. This makes it possible to avoid situations in which the toll booth's operations are suspended. In addition, instead of replacing the banknote processing unit 35 and coin processing unit 36 ​​as a unit as in the conventional technology in which the currency processing parts are replaced when their useful life expires, it is possible to replace only the currency processing part 37 which is likely to be in a deteriorated state, thereby reducing unnecessary costs. Furthermore, the appropriate replacement timing can be ascertained in both cases where the currency handling component 37 is used frequently and infrequently.

[0124] (11) The program of the eleventh aspect causes a computer of a failure prediction device to execute the steps of acquiring currency information by denomination regarding currency entered and withdrawn from one or more automated fare collection machines during a toll collection process, accumulating the number of times that each currency handling component of the one or more automated fare collection machines has been used for each component based on the acquired currency information, and determining that the currency handling component is in a deteriorated state if the accumulated number of times of use is equal to or greater than a predetermined number threshold.

[0125] In this way, the program according to this embodiment considers the number of times each currency handling component 37 in the automated toll collection machine 3 has been used, and can quantitatively and accurately determine whether or not each currency handling component 37 is in a deteriorated state for each component. This makes it possible to perform predictive maintenance, such as predicting a malfunction and replacing the currency handling components 37 in the automated toll collection machine 3 before they wear out and break down. This makes it possible to avoid situations in which the toll booth has to stop operating. In addition, instead of replacing the banknote processing unit 35 and coin processing unit 36 ​​as a unit as in the conventional technology in which the currency processing parts are replaced when their useful life expires, it is possible to replace only the currency processing part 37 which is likely to be in a deteriorated state, thereby reducing unnecessary costs. Furthermore, the appropriate replacement timing can be ascertained in both cases where the currency handling component 37 is used frequently and infrequently. [Explanation of symbols]

[0126] 1 Toll collection system 2 ETC equipment (electronic toll collection system) 10 Failure prediction unit, failure prediction device 11 Acquisition Department 12 Integration section 13 Judgment section 14 Notification Department 15 Storage section 21 Entry vehicle detector 22 Roadside antenna 23 Communication vehicle detector 24 Lane Server 25 Launch control device 26 Exit vehicle detector 3, 3A~3N Automatic toll collection machine 31 Camera 32 Operation reception section 33 Toll collection processing section 35 Bill Handling Unit 36 Coin Handling Unit 37 Money handling parts 4. Monitoring panel (failure prediction device) 41 Display device 42 Input Devices 43 Instruction transmission unit 100 Usage record table for currency handling parts 200 Table of durability of currency handling parts 900 Computers 901 Processor 902 Main storage 903 Auxiliary storage device 904 Interface 910 External storage device A1, A2 vehicles G. Graph of usage of currency handling parts I-Island L Lane R1 communication area α Onboard equipment

Claims

1. an acquisition unit that acquires, by denomination, currency information relating to currency entered and withdrawn during a toll collection process from one or more automated toll collection machines; an accumulating unit that accumulates the number of times each of the currency handling components of the one or more automated toll collection machines is used for each component based on the acquired currency information; a determination unit that determines that the money handling component is in a deteriorated state when the accumulated number of uses is equal to or greater than a predetermined number threshold; A failure prediction device comprising:

2. The failure prediction device according to claim 1 , wherein the predetermined number threshold is a predetermined value equal to or less than a durable number of operations specified for each of the currency handling components.

3. The failure prediction device of claim 1 or 2, further comprising a notification unit that, when it is determined that the currency handling component is in a degraded state, issues a warning about a fare collection machine that is the target of the warning, among the one or more fare collection machines, and that has the currency handling component determined to be in a degraded state.

4. The failure prediction device according to claim 3 , wherein the notification unit, when issuing the warning, notifies the accumulated number of uses of the currency handling component determined to be in a deteriorated state.

5. 4. The failure prediction device according to claim 3, wherein the notification unit, when notifying the warning, notifies the accumulated number of uses of all of the currency handling components provided in the automatic toll collection machine that is the target of the warning.

6. 3. The failure prediction device according to claim 1, wherein the accumulating unit multiplies the number of uses of the currency handling component by a predetermined coefficient defined for each denomination of the currency, and then performs the accumulating operation.

7. The failure prediction device according to claim 1 or 2, The one or more automated toll collection machines; A toll collection system comprising:

8. 8. The toll collection system according to claim 7, wherein a monitoring panel that remotely monitors the one or more automated toll collection machines functions as the failure prediction device.

9. The toll collection system according to claim 7, further comprising a monitoring panel for remotely monitoring said one or more automatic toll collection machines, separate from said failure prediction device.

10. acquiring currency information by denomination regarding currency received and discharged during a toll collection process from one or more automated toll collection machines; accumulating the number of times each of the currency handling components of the one or more automated toll collection machines is used for each component based on the acquired currency information; determining that the currency handling component is in a deteriorated state when the accumulated number of uses is equal to or greater than a predetermined number threshold; A failure prediction method comprising the steps of:

11. The computer of the failure prediction device acquiring currency information by denomination regarding currency received and discharged during a toll collection process from one or more automated toll collection machines; accumulating the number of times each of the currency handling components of the one or more automated toll collection machines is used for each component based on the acquired currency information; determining that the currency handling component is in a deteriorated state when the accumulated number of uses is equal to or greater than a predetermined number threshold; A program that executes the following.

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