In-vehicle devices, toll collection systems, toll collection methods, and programs

Abstract

The present invention provides an in-vehicle device that can calculate toll fees based on the route traveled by the vehicle. [Solution] The in-vehicle device includes: an operating distance map acquisition unit that acquires an operating distance map that defines operating distance specification information for each predetermined geometrically defined driving section of a toll road; a driving section specification unit that identifies the driving section the vehicle is traveling on based on location information acquired while the vehicle is driving; an operating distance acquisition unit that acquires the operating distance traveled while driving by referring to the operating distance specification information based on the identified driving section; an accumulation unit that accumulates and records the operating distance obtained by the operating distance acquisition unit; and a notification unit that notifies the exit toll gate server of the exit toll gate of the toll road of the operating distance accumulated by the accumulation unit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an in-vehicle device, a toll collection system, a toll collection method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] On current toll roads and highways, the toll is calculated using a toll table distributed from a center server to an exit toll gate server of an exit toll gate. The toll table defines the toll according to the driving section (driving distance) from the entrance toll gate to the exit toll gate.

[0003] Discounts may be applied to the toll. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a technique for applying a time-zone discount to vehicles that pass through an entrance toll gate during a specific time zone. Also, different toll tables may be set according to the driving route of the road.

[0004] A toll table to which a time-zone discount is applied, a (normal) toll table to which a time-zone discount is not applied, etc. are distributed from the center server to each exit toll gate server at necessary timings such as the start and end timings of the discount time zone. The exit toll gate server calculates the toll for each vehicle using the distributed toll table.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] In recent years, it has been required to flexibly change the toll for each vehicle according to the route traveled by the vehicle. However, with the conventional mechanism, it has been difficult to make a flexible response such as changing the appropriate toll according to the route actually traveled by each vehicle.\

[0007] The purpose of this disclosure is to provide an in-vehicle device, a toll collection system, a toll collection method, and a program that can calculate tolls according to the route traveled by a vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the in-vehicle device includes: an operating distance map acquisition unit that acquires an operating distance map that defines operating distance identification information for each geometrically defined predetermined driving section of a toll road; a driving section identification unit that identifies the driving section on which the vehicle is traveling based on location information acquired while the vehicle is driving; an operating distance acquisition unit that acquires the operating distance while driving by referring to the operating distance identification information based on the identified driving section; an accumulation unit that accumulates and records the operating distance obtained by the operating distance acquisition unit; and a notification unit that notifies the exit toll gate server of the exit toll gate of the toll road of the operating distance accumulated by the accumulation unit.

[0009] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the toll collection system comprises the above-mentioned in-vehicle device and an exit toll gate server installed at an exit toll gate of the toll road, wherein the exit toll gate server comprises: a business distance acquisition unit that acquires the accumulated business distance of the vehicle notified by the in-vehicle device; a toll calculation unit that calculates the toll for the vehicle based on the acquired business distance; and a billing processing unit that performs billing processing to charge the calculated toll for the vehicle.

[0010] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the toll collection method includes the steps of: an onboard device installed in a vehicle acquires an operating distance map that defines operating distance identification information for each geometrically defined predetermined driving section of a toll road; the onboard device identifies the driving section the vehicle is traveling on based on location information acquired while the vehicle is driving; the onboard device acquires the operating distance during the driving by referring to the operating distance identification information associated with the identified driving section; the onboard device accumulates the acquired operating distances; the onboard device notifies the exit toll gate server of the exit toll gate of the toll road of the accumulated operating distances; the exit toll gate server calculates the vehicle's toll based on the acquired operating distances; and the exit toll gate server performs a billing process to charge the vehicle the calculated toll.

[0011] According to one aspect of this disclosure, the program causes the in-vehicle device to perform the following steps: acquire an operating distance map that defines operating distance identification information for each geometrically defined predetermined driving section of a toll road; identify the driving section the vehicle is traveling on based on location information acquired while the vehicle is driving; acquire the operating distance traveled by referring to the operating distance identification information associated with the identified driving section; and accumulate the acquired operating distances. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the above configuration, tolls can be calculated based on the route traveled by the vehicle. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] This diagram shows the overall configuration of the toll collection system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] This diagram shows the functional configuration of the in-vehicle device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] This diagram shows the functional configuration of the entrance toll gate server according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4]It is a diagram showing the functional configuration of an exit tollgate server according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] It is a diagram showing the functional configuration of a roadside device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] It is a sequence diagram showing an example of the processing of a toll collection system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] It is a diagram showing an example of transmission of a business distance map, position information, and business distance information according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] It is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a toll collection system according to the second and third embodiments. [Figure 9] It is a diagram showing the functional configuration of an in-vehicle device according to the second and third embodiments. [Figure 10] It is a sequence diagram showing an example of the processing of a toll collection system according to the second and third embodiments. [Figure 11] It is a diagram showing an example of transmission of a business distance map, position information, and business distance information according to the second and third embodiments. [Figure 12] It is a schematic block diagram showing the configuration of a computer according to an embodiment.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0014] <First Embodiment> Hereinafter, the first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7.

[0015] (Overall Configuration) FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a toll collection system 100 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. ①, the toll collection system 100 includes an in-vehicle device 10 mounted on a vehicle V, an entrance tollgate server 20, an exit tollgate server 30, a roadside device 40, and a center server 50.

[0016] Note: In the translation of the text in line , "図1に示すように" is translated as "As shown in FIG. ①", where "①" should be "1" in the actual translation. This is just to show the position of the original reference number for better understanding of the translation process. In the final translation, it should be "As shown in FIG. 1".The in-vehicle unit 10 performs a process of automatically paying the toll for the toll road of the vehicle V by an automatic toll collection system (also referred to as an "electronic toll collection system". In Japan, it is also referred to as an ETC system (Electronic Toll Collection System (registered trademark)). In this embodiment, an example applied to the ETC system in Japan will be described, but it may be applied to various other automatic toll collection systems. The in-vehicle unit 10 of this embodiment is capable of acquiring an operating distance map 1 (described in FIG. 7. Details will be described later). The in-vehicle unit 10 is capable of recording the operating distance (described later) of the vehicle V on the toll road based on the operating distance map 1. The in-vehicle unit 10 notifies the exit tollgate server 30 of the recorded operating distance. The exit tollgate server 30 calculates the toll for the vehicle V from the operating distance notified from the in-vehicle unit 10. In this embodiment, an example in which the in-vehicle unit 10 acquires the operating distance based on information notified from the entrance tollgate server 20, the roadside device 40, etc. will be described.

[0017] (Operating Distance Map) First, the "operating distance map" will be described. The operating distance map is an information table that defines operating distance specific information for each predetermined driving section of the toll road. The "operating distance specific information" is information that can identify the operating distance corresponding to the predetermined driving section. The "operating distance" is information indicating the driving distance when traveling through that driving section, and is information set by the judgment of the road operator for each driving section. The operating distance does not necessarily match the actual driving distance determined by the geometric shape of the driving section itself.

[0018] For example, based on the judgment that the traffic volume of vehicles on a certain bypass corresponding to a driving section is small, the road operator can set the operating distance of the bypass to be shorter than the actual driving distance determined geometrically.

[0019] Specifically, the operating distance is a geometrically determined driving distance weighted by the road operator. A concrete example of the operating distance map in the first embodiment is the information table shown by reference numeral 1 in Figure 7. That is, the operating distance map 1 is an information table that links a unique identifier (e.g., "Area X") assigned to each driving section with the operating distance specification information (XI) for that driving section. In this case, the operating distance specification information XI is determined as a fixed value (operating distance fixed value) weighted based on the judgment of the road operator to the geometrically determined actual driving distance of the driving section indicated by Area X. The operating distance fixed value is one form of operating distance specification information. Another form of operating distance specification information is the operating distance coefficient, which will be described later as an example.

[0020] In other words, the operating distance map specifies operating distance identification information associated with each geometrically defined predetermined driving section of a toll road. The operating distance map 1 of the first embodiment illustrates an example in which a fixed operating distance value corresponding to a predetermined driving section is specified as operating distance identification information, as described above.

[0021] As shown in Figure 1, in the first embodiment, the toll road is virtually divided into multiple driving sections. Each of the divided driving sections has specified information for determining the operating distance. In this embodiment, the toll road is virtually divided into multiple driving sections at junctions such as interchanges and junctions. Each of the multiple driving sections is specified so that there are no junctions in the part of the driving section other than the start and end points. Therefore, a vehicle V that enters a driving section will not leave the toll road midway through that driving section. That is, each driving section is set up so that when vehicle V enters a driving section, it can be determined that vehicle V will travel the entirety of that driving section.

[0022] In this embodiment, a portion of the toll road is divided into multiple driving sections (Area 1 to Area 7) by a junction point. Area 1 is the area from a junction point (not shown) to toll gate A. Area 2 is the area from toll gate A to the branching point between Area 3 and Area 4. Area 3 is the area from the branching point with Area 4 to the merging point (branching point) with Area 5. Area 4 is the area from the branching point with Area 3 to toll gate B. Area 5 is the area from toll gate B to the merging point (branching point) with Area 3. Area 6 is the area from the merging point (branching point) with Area 3 and Area 5 to toll gate C. Area 7 is the area from toll gate C to a junction point (not shown). Each of the driving sections from Area 1 to Area 7 can be determined to have been traveled through the entire section once vehicle V enters it.

[0023] The business distance map 1 of this embodiment includes an identifier that identifies the travel section and business distance identification information linked to the travel section.

[0024] In this embodiment, the example shown is when vehicle V is traveling on a toll road in one direction (from Area 1 and Area 2 towards Area 6 and Area 7).

[0025] The entrance tollbooth servers 20 are installed, for example, one at each tollbooth office of a toll road. In the example shown in Figure 1, entrance tollbooth servers 20A, 20B, and 20C are installed at the tollbooth offices of tollbooths A, B, and C. The entrance tollbooth servers 20 communicate with the on-board unit 10 of the vehicle V via roadside antennas 21 installed at the entrance tollbooths (e.g., DSRC communication). The roadside antennas 21A, 21B, and 21C are provided, corresponding to the entrance tollbooth servers 20A, 20B, and 20C, respectively. In this embodiment, the entrance tollbooth servers 20 transmit the operating distance map 1, entrance information (which tollbooth was used to enter), and time information of passing through the entrance to the on-board unit 10. Note that the operating distance map 1 is not limited to being transmitted entirely (for the entire area of ​​the toll road) from the entrance tollbooth servers 20. For example, the operating distance map 1 may be transmitted by the entrance toll gate server 20 only for the vicinity of the entrance toll gate (the range that a vehicle V that has passed through a certain entrance toll gate can travel, up to the nearby roadside device 40). In this case, the operating distance map 1 for the range not transmitted by the entrance toll gate server 20 may be transmitted by other means (such as transmission from the roadside device 40).

[0026] The exit toll gate servers 30 are installed, for example, one at each toll gate office on a toll road. In the example shown in Figure 1, exit toll gate servers 30A, 30B, and 30C are installed at the toll gate offices of toll gates A, B, and C. The exit toll gate servers 30 communicate with the on-board unit 10 of the vehicle V via roadside antennas 31 installed at the exit toll gates (e.g., DSRC communication). The roadside antennas 31A, 31B, and 31C are provided, corresponding to the exit toll gate servers 30A, 30B, and 30C, respectively. The exit toll gate servers 30 perform processing related to the collection of tolls. In this embodiment, the exit toll gate servers 30 acquire information transmitted from the on-board unit 10 and perform processing for the collection of tolls.

[0027] The roadside device 40 is installed at a predetermined notification point on a toll road. Notification points include, for example, ITS spots installed at toll road junctions, free-flow charging points, and connection points of toll roads with different toll systems. The roadside device 40 communicates (e.g., DSRC communication) with the onboard unit 10 of a vehicle V passing through a notification point via a roadside antenna 41 installed at the notification point. The roadside device 40 transmits location information to the onboard unit 10 of a vehicle V that has arrived at the predetermined notification point. In this embodiment, the location information indicates which driving section the vehicle has entered. The roadside device 40 also transmits time information of the vehicle V's arrival at the predetermined notification point to the onboard unit 10 of the vehicle V. That is, the roadside device 40 transmits information to the onboard unit 10 of the vehicle V indicating which driving section it entered and at what time. The roadside device 40 may also transmit other information besides location information and time information. For example, the entrance toll gate server 20 may send the operating distance map 1 for the area that was not transmitted.

[0028] In the example shown in Figure 1, roadside equipment 40 includes ITS spots D, E, and F. Additionally, roadside antennas 41D, 41E, and 41F are provided, corresponding to ITS spots D, E, and F, respectively. ITS spot D is located at the point where the vehicle enters area 4 from the junction. ITS spot E is located at the point where the vehicle enters area 6 from the junction (junction) between area 3 and area 5. ITS spot F is located at the point where the vehicle enters area 3 from the junction.

[0029] The central server 50 distributes the operating distance map 1 to the entrance toll gate servers 20 at each toll booth. The central server 50 may also distribute the operating distance map 1 to the roadside devices 40 at each notification point. The entrance toll gate servers 20 at each toll booth and the roadside devices 40 at each notification point transmit information including the operating distance map 1 to the in-vehicle unit 10.

[0030] Alternatively, the center server 50 may directly transmit the business distance map 1 to the in-vehicle unit 10 via cellular communication. In this case, the in-vehicle unit 10 obtains the business distance map 1 from the center server 50 using its own built-in cellular communication function, or using the cellular communication function of a terminal device 11 that can connect to the in-vehicle unit 10. The terminal device 11 is a smartphone or tablet, and is connected to the in-vehicle unit 10 via wired or wireless (e.g., Bluetooth®) communication.

[0031] (Functional configuration of in-vehicle devices) Figure 2 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of the in-vehicle unit 10 according to the first embodiment. As shown in Figure 2, the in-vehicle unit 10 includes a business distance map acquisition unit 101, a driving section identification unit 102, a business distance acquisition unit 103, an accumulation unit 104, and a notification unit 105.

[0032] The business distance map acquisition unit 101 acquires the business distance map 1. In this embodiment, the business distance map acquisition unit 101 acquires the business distance map 1 transmitted from the entrance toll gate server 20 at the entrance toll gate of a toll road. The business distance map acquisition unit 101 may also acquire the business distance map 1 from roadside equipment 40 or the like.

[0033] The driving section identification unit 102 identifies the driving section in which vehicle V is traveling based on location information acquired while vehicle V is traveling. In this embodiment, the driving section identification unit 102 acquires location information transmitted from the entrance toll gate server 20 and the roadside device 40 to identify the driving section in which vehicle V is traveling.

[0034] The operating distance acquisition unit 103 acquires the operating distance of the currently driven section by referring to the operating distance identification information (fixed operating distance value) recorded in the operating distance map acquisition unit 101, based on the driving section identified by the driving section identification unit 102. In other words, the operating distance acquisition unit 103 acquires the operating distance that the vehicle V will travel at least, based on the identified driving section. In this embodiment, "acquiring the operating distance" refers to acquiring the fixed operating distance value.

[0035] The accumulating unit 104 accumulates and records the operating distance acquired by the operating distance acquisition unit 103. In addition, the accumulating unit 104 in this embodiment also records the travel section and time information together with the operating distance.

[0036] The notification unit 105 notifies the toll gate server 30 at the toll gate exit of the toll road of the operating distance calculated by the calculation unit 104. In this embodiment, the notification unit 105 also notifies the toll gate server 30 of the travel section and time information associated with the operating distance, along with the operating distance.

[0037] (Functional configuration of the entrance toll gate server) Figure 3 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of the entrance toll gate server 20 according to the first embodiment. As shown in Figure 3, the entrance toll gate server 20 includes a business distance map receiving unit 201, a business distance map transmitting unit 202, and an entrance information transmitting unit 203.

[0038] The operating distance map receiving unit 201 receives the operating distance map 1 transmitted from the center server 50. The operating distance map 1 received by the operating distance map receiving unit 201 includes information about the travel section from the entrance toll gate where the entrance toll gate server 20 is located to at least some of the exit toll gates or notification points (roadside devices 40) downstream from there. At least some of the exit toll gates are, for example, exit toll gates located between the entrance toll gate and the next notification point.

[0039] The operating distance map transmission unit 202 transmits information including the operating distance map 1 to the onboard unit 10 of a vehicle V that has arrived at the entrance toll gate, via the roadside antenna 21 at the entrance toll gate.

[0040] The entrance information transmission unit 203 transmits entrance information to the on-board unit 10 of the vehicle V that has arrived at the entrance toll gate via the roadside antenna 21 of the entrance toll gate. The entrance information includes identification information of the entrance toll gate into which the vehicle V entered, and time information (processing execution date and time information) of the time the vehicle V arrived at the entrance toll gate.

[0041] (Functional configuration of the exit toll gate server) Figure 4 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of the exit toll gate server 30 according to the first embodiment. As shown in Figure 4, the exit toll gate server 30 includes a toll calculation information acquisition unit 301, a business distance receiving unit 302, a toll calculation unit 303, and a billing processing unit 304.

[0042] The toll calculation information acquisition unit 301 receives and records toll calculation information transmitted from the center server 50. The toll calculation information is information that allows the toll for vehicle V to be calculated from the information transmitted from the vehicle's onboard unit 10. The toll calculation information is, for example, a fixed value per operating distance. Alternatively, the toll calculation information may be defined as different values ​​for different time periods, such as nighttime discounts.

[0043] The operating distance receiving unit 302 receives the accumulated operating distance of vehicle V from the onboard unit 10 of vehicle V as it arrives at the exit toll gate. In this embodiment, the operating distance receiving unit 302 also receives time information associated with the operating distance.

[0044] The toll calculation unit 303 calculates the toll for vehicle V based on the information (including the operating distance) received by the operating distance receiving unit 302. Specifically, the toll calculation unit 303 in this embodiment calculates the toll for vehicle V based on the operating distance and time information.

[0045] The billing processing unit 304 performs billing processing to charge the vehicle V the toll calculated by the toll calculation unit 303.

[0046] (Functional configuration of roadside equipment) Figure 5 shows the functional configuration of the roadside device 40 according to the first embodiment. As shown in Figure 5, the roadside device 40 includes a location information transmission unit 401, a business distance map receiving unit 402, and a business distance map transmission unit 403.

[0047] The location information transmission unit 401 transmits location information to the on-board unit 10 of the vehicle V when it arrives at a predetermined notification point. As mentioned above, the location information transmitted from the location information transmission unit 401 indicates which driving section the vehicle has entered. The location information transmission unit 401 also transmits time information linked to the location information to the on-board unit 10 of the vehicle V along with the location information.

[0048] The operating distance map receiving unit 402 receives the operating distance map 1 from the center server 50. The operating distance map 1 includes information about the driving section up to at least some of the exit toll booths or notification points (roadside equipment 40) downstream of the notification point where the roadside equipment 40 is installed. At least some of the exit toll booths are, for example, the exit toll booths that exist between the next notification point and the next notification point.

[0049] The business distance map transmission unit 403 transmits information, including the business distance map 1 received by the business distance map reception unit 402, to the on-board unit 10 of a vehicle V that has arrived at a notification point where a roadside device 40 is installed.

[0050] The following is an example of the specific processing involved in the transmission and reception of the operating distance map 1 between the operating distance map transmission unit 202 of the entrance toll gate server 20 and the operating distance map transmission unit 403 of the roadside device 40 and the on-board unit 10.

[0051] For example, when vehicle V arrives at toll gate A in Figure 1, the entrance toll gate server 20A (operating distance map transmission unit 202) transmits the operating distance map 1 of area 2, which is the range from toll gate A to ITS spot D downstream, to the on-board unit 10 of vehicle V.

[0052] Next, when vehicle V selects the route on the area 4-area 5 side (hereinafter also referred to as the main route) and passes through ITS spot D, the ITS spot D's operating distance map transmission unit 403 transmits the operating distance map 1 for the area downstream of ITS spot D (area 4 and area 5) to the on-board unit 10. Subsequently, when vehicle V passes through ITS spot E, the ITS spot E's operating distance map transmission unit 403 transmits the operating distance map 1 for the area downstream (area 6 and area 7) to the on-board unit 10.

[0053] Furthermore, when vehicle V selects the route on the Area 3 side (hereinafter also referred to as the detour route) and passes through ITS spot F, ITS spot F transmits the operating distance map 1 for the area downstream of ITS spot F (Area 3) to the on-board unit 10. Subsequently, when vehicle V passes through ITS spot E, ITS spot E transmits the operating distance map 1 for the area downstream of ITS spot E (Area 6 and Area 7) to the on-board unit 10. In this manner, the operating distance map transmission unit 403 of each ITS spot (and the operating distance map transmission unit 202 of the entrance toll gate) successively transmits the operating distance map 1 of the area up to the next ITS spot to the arriving vehicle V.

[0054] Another example is as follows: When vehicle V arrives at toll gate A in Figure 1, the entrance toll gate server 20A (operating distance map transmission unit 202) transmits the operating distance map 1 for multiple areas (area 2, area 3, area 4, and area 5) belonging to a predetermined range downstream from toll gate A (up to ITS spot E) to the on-board unit 10 of vehicle V. Next, when vehicle V selects the main route and passes through ITS spot D, the ITS spot D's operating distance map transmission unit 403 transmits the operating distance map 1 for multiple areas (area 4, area 5, area 6, and area 7) belonging to a predetermined range downstream to the on-board unit 10. At this time, the on-board unit 10 discards or overwrites information for areas 4 and 5 that overlap with already received operating distance map 1, and records the operating distance map 1 received from ITS spot D in the operating distance map acquisition unit 101. Furthermore, when vehicle V selects a detour route and passes through ITS spot F, ITS spot F transmits the operating distance map 1 for multiple areas (area 3, area 6, area 7) belonging to a predetermined range downstream of ITS spot F to the on-board unit 10. At this time, the on-board unit 10 discards or overwrites the information for area 3 that overlaps with the operating distance map 1 already received, and records the operating distance map 1 received from ITS spot F in the operating distance map acquisition unit 101. In this manner, the operating distance map transmission unit 403 of each ITS spot (and the operating distance map transmission unit 202 of the entrance toll gate) successively transmits operating distance maps 1 of multiple areas belonging to a predetermined range downstream to the arriving vehicle V. Each time the in-vehicle unit 10 receives an operating distance map 1 from an ITS spot, it updates the map by discarding or overwriting information for areas that overlap with already received operating distance maps 1.

[0055] Furthermore, in this case, the following may also be done: When vehicle V arrives at toll gate A, the on-board unit 10 acquires information indicating that the vehicle has entered the toll road from toll gate A (information indicating the entrance toll gate). This information indicating the entrance toll gate is, for example, the entrance information recorded on an IC card (also called an ETC card in Japan) used by inserting it into the on-board unit 10 in an automated toll collection system. The on-board unit 10 also keeps a record indicating that it has communicated with each ITS spot when passing through that spot.

[0056] When the operating distance map transmission unit 403 of each ITS spot transmits the operating distance map 1, each ITS spot may obtain information from the on-board unit 10 about the points that the vehicle V has passed through (information indicating entrance toll gates and information indicating ITS spots) that the on-board unit 10 holds. Each ITS spot refers to the information about the points that the vehicle V has passed through and transmits the operating distance map 1 to the on-board unit 10, limited to the range that is not transmitted at each point. In this way, the operating distance map transmission unit 403 of each ITS spot can transmit the operating distance map 1 while avoiding duplication with the operating distance map 1 that the on-board unit 10 has already received. Therefore, the operating distance map transmission unit 403 of each ITS spot can transmit the operating distance map 1 to the on-board unit 10 while keeping the amount of data down.

[0057] (Example of processing by a fare collection system) Figure 6 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the processing of the toll collection system according to the first embodiment. Figure 7 is a diagram showing an example of the transmission of the business distance map 1, location information, and business distance information according to the first embodiment. Note that business distance information refers to information including the accumulated business distance. The processing flow of the toll collection system 100 in this embodiment will be explained with reference to Figures 6 and 7.

[0058] The central server 50 transmits the operating distance map 1 to the entrance toll gate server 20, for example, at predetermined time intervals (step S101). The operating distance map 1 transmitted from the central server 50 is received and recorded by the operating distance map receiving unit 201 of the entrance toll gate server 20.

[0059] For example, as shown in Figure 7, suppose vehicle V enters the toll road from toll gate A. When vehicle V reaches the entrance toll gate of toll gate A, the operating distance map transmission unit 202 of the entrance toll gate server 20 transmits the latest operating distance map 1 to the on-board unit 10 of vehicle V (step S102). Also in step S102, the entrance information transmission unit 203 of the entrance toll gate server 20 transmits entrance information, including the identification information of toll gate A and the time information (t1) when vehicle V arrived at toll gate A, to the on-board unit 10 of vehicle V. The entrance information transmission unit 203 of the entrance toll gate server 20 transmits the entrance information to the on-board unit 10 via the roadside antenna 21.

[0060] The operating distance map 1 transmitted from the entrance toll gate server 20 is recorded in the operating distance map acquisition unit 101 of the in-vehicle unit 10 (step S103). Also in step S103, the driving section identification unit 102 of the in-vehicle unit 10 identifies which driving section vehicle V is (will) driving in based on the entrance information transmitted from the entrance toll gate server 20. Specifically, as shown in Figure 7, when entering the toll road from toll gate A, vehicle V will always drive in either area 1 or area 2. In this embodiment, vehicle V will drive in area 2. Furthermore, information including operating distance identification information acquired based on the operating distance map 1 from the driving section identified by the driving section identification unit 102, and time information (t1), is linked to the driving section and recorded in the accumulating unit 104.

[0061] The central server 50 transmits the business distance map 1 to each roadside device 40, for example, at predetermined time intervals (step S111). The business distance map 1 transmitted from the central server 50 is received and recorded by the business distance map receiving unit 402 of each roadside device 40.

[0062] Suppose a vehicle V that entered the toll road from tollbooth A arrives at ITS spot F at time (t2). At this time, the ITS spot F transmits the operating distance map 1 to the vehicle's onboard unit 10 via the roadside antenna 41F from the operating distance map transmission unit 403 of the roadside device 40F (step S112). The operating distance map 1 transmitted from the operating distance map transmission unit 403 is the portion that was not transmitted by the operating distance map transmission unit 202 at the entrance tollbooth. In other words, the operating distance map transmission unit 403 transmits the additional portion of the operating distance map 1. As a specific example, at tollbooth A, the operating distance map 1 up to ITS spot D and ITS spot F is transmitted, and at ITS spot F, the operating distance map 1 up to ITS spot E is transmitted.

[0063] Furthermore, in step S112, the ITS spot F transmits location information to the vehicle V's onboard unit 10 via the location information transmission unit 401 of the roadside device 40F. At this time, the time information (t2) of when the vehicle V arrived at the ITS spot F is also transmitted to the onboard unit 10. Specifically, the location information transmitted at the ITS spot F is information indicating that the vehicle V has entered area 3.

[0064] The onboard unit 10's business distance map acquisition unit 101 records the business distance map 1 transmitted from the ITS spot F's business distance map transmission unit 403 (step S113). Also in step S113, the onboard unit 10's driving section identification unit 102 identifies which driving section the vehicle V is traveling on based on the location information transmitted from the ITS spot F.

[0065] The onboard unit 10's operating distance acquisition unit 103 acquires the operating distance based on the driving section identified by the driving section identification unit 102 and the operating distance map 1 (step S114). Specifically, the operating distance acquisition unit 103 acquires operating distance identification information (fixed operating distance value) from the operating distance map 1 and uses this as the operating distance for the driving section being traveled. The operating distance acquisition unit 103 accumulates the operating distance acquired in step S114 into the accumulation unit 104 and records it (step S115). In other words, the operating distance acquisition unit 103 acquires the operating distance by referring to the operating distance identification information (fixed operating distance value) associated with the specified driving section and accumulates the operating distance during the drive into the accumulation unit 104. Specifically, by passing through ITS spot F, it is recorded in the accumulation unit 104 that vehicle V has traveled through area 2 and area 3.

[0066] Steps S111 to S115 described above are executed each time the vehicle arrives at a roadside device 40 from the exit toll gate until it leaves the toll road. In this embodiment, vehicle V, having passed ITS spot F, passes ITS spot E. At this time, the same processing as steps S111 to S115 described above is executed. At ITS spot E, the operating distance map 1 downstream from ITS spot E is transmitted. Also at ITS spot E, information indicating that vehicle V entered area 6 at time t3 is transmitted.

[0067] This section explains the process when vehicle V exits the toll road from the exit toll gate at toll gate C.

[0068] The central server 50 transmits toll calculation information to the exit toll gate server 30, for example, at predetermined time intervals (step S121). The toll calculation information transmitted from the central server 50 is received and recorded by the toll calculation information acquisition unit 301 of the exit toll gate server 30.

[0069] When vehicle V reaches the exit toll gate of toll gate C, the notification unit 105 of the on-board unit 10 transmits the operating distance information, which has been calculated and recorded by the accumulating unit 104, to the exit toll gate server 30 (step S122). In addition, on toll roads where different tolls are charged depending on the vehicle type, the on-board unit 10 also transmits the vehicle type information to the exit toll gate server 30. The information, including the operating distance information transmitted from the notification unit 105, is received by the operating distance receiving unit 302 of the exit toll gate server 30. Step S122 may also be configured so that the notification unit 105 of the on-board unit 10 transmits the operating distance information to the exit toll gate server 30 when the exit toll gate server 30 requests information from vehicle V.

[0070] The toll calculation unit 303 of the exit toll gate server 30 calculates the toll for vehicle V based on the operating distance information received by the operating distance receiving unit 302 (step S123). At this time, the toll calculation unit 303 calculates the toll for vehicle V by referring to the toll calculation information recorded in the toll calculation information acquisition unit 301. In addition, on toll roads where different tolls are charged depending on the vehicle type, the toll for vehicle V is also calculated based on the vehicle type of vehicle V.

[0071] Furthermore, in step S123, a toll fee may be calculated for vehicle V that traveled on a toll road during a specific time period, with a time-based discount applied. In this case, the toll fee for vehicle V is calculated based on time information recorded in conjunction with the operating distance.

[0072] Next, the billing processing unit 304 of the exit toll gate server 30 performs billing processing to charge the vehicle V the toll calculated by the toll calculation unit 303 (step S124). The content of the billing processing is the same as the billing processing in a conventional automatic toll collection system. When the billing processing is completed, the billing processing unit 304 of the exit toll gate server 30 transmits the billing information to the center server 50 and terminates the process. The billing information includes, for example, the identification information of the in-vehicle device 10 and the toll.

[0073] (If vehicle V travels a different route) Furthermore, if vehicle V enters the toll road from toll gate A and then enters area 4 from area 2, it may be processed as follows, for example.

[0074] When vehicle V arrives at ITS spot D, ITS spot D transmits a location information indicating that vehicle V has entered area 4. When vehicle V exits the toll road from toll gate B, vehicle V is charged for the tolls incurred by passing through area 2 and area 4. On the other hand, when vehicle V enters area 5, the driving section identification unit 102 and the operating distance acquisition unit 103 may retrospectively identify that area 5 was also traveled when location information is obtained at ITS spot E, and record this in the accumulating unit 104. Alternatively, a roadside device 40 may be installed at the point where area 4 enters area 5, and location information indicating that vehicle V has entered area 5 may be transmitted.

[0075] (Effects of the first embodiment) As described above, the in-vehicle unit 10 according to this embodiment includes: an operating distance map acquisition unit 101 that acquires an operating distance map 1 which defines operating distance identification information for each geometrically defined predetermined driving section of a toll road; a driving section identification unit 102 that identifies the driving section on which the vehicle V is traveling based on location information acquired while the vehicle V is driving; an operating distance acquisition unit 103 that acquires the operating distance traveled by referring to the operating distance identification information based on the identified driving section; an accumulation unit 104 that accumulates and records the operating distance acquired by the operating distance acquisition unit 103; and a notification unit 105 that notifies the exit toll gate server 30 of the exit toll gate of the toll road of the operating distance accumulated by the accumulation unit 104.

[0076] Conventional technology calculates tolls based on which entrance toll gate a vehicle entered through and which exit toll gate it exited through, making it impossible to calculate tolls that reflect the actual route taken by each individual vehicle. In other words, conventional technology calculates tolls based on a rough route. Therefore, it has been difficult to calculate tolls that correspond to the actual route taken by each individual vehicle. In contrast, in this embodiment, the toll road is divided into multiple travel sections. The onboard device 10 of a vehicle V can record which travel sections a vehicle V has traveled through by accumulating the data. By calculating tolls from this information, the toll collection system 100 of this embodiment can calculate tolls that correspond to the route taken by vehicle V.

[0077] In this embodiment, operating distance identification information is defined for each travel section. In particular, in this embodiment, a fixed value for the operating distance is defined as the operating distance identification information. According to this, when a vehicle travels a certain travel section, the operating distance is uniquely determined. Therefore, for example, even if a vehicle takes the inside lane to shorten the travel distance at a curved section of the roadway, the operating distance does not change. Thus, the toll collection system 100 of this embodiment can obtain the route actually traveled by the vehicle V without including any elements that might cause the driver to change lanes repeatedly to match the curves of the roadway.

[0078] Furthermore, if there are parking areas or service areas in a given driving section, the operating distance does not change even if the vehicle enters these areas. Therefore, the toll collection system 100 of this embodiment can obtain the actual route traveled by the vehicle V without requiring any elements that would cause the vehicle to drive for a long time to avoid the increased driving distance caused by entering parking areas or service areas. In other words, the toll collection system 100 of this embodiment can obtain the actual route traveled by the vehicle V without causing any disadvantages from taking breaks at parking areas or service areas.

[0079] Furthermore, the operating distance can be changed at the discretion of the road operator. Therefore, for example, if there are a right route and a left route, the operating distance can be set to be the same even if the Euclidean distance (geometrically determined distance) is different. This allows for adjustment of the volume of vehicle traffic on each route. If the volume of vehicle traffic on one route is high, the operating distance of the other route can be shortened to increase the number of vehicles traveling on that route. Also, if one route passes through a tunnel and the other passes along a mountain, the operating distance can be adjusted to take into account the burden on the road. In addition, the operating distance corresponding to the Euclidean distance can be changed between urban and rural areas.

[0080] Furthermore, the onboard unit 10's business distance map acquisition unit 101 acquires the business distance map 1 transmitted from the entrance toll gate server 20 at the entrance toll gate.

[0081] In this way, the in-vehicle unit 10 acquires the operating distance map 1 at the entrance toll gate. Therefore, even if the operating distance map 1 is not pre-stored in the in-vehicle unit 10, the operating distance can be calculated as described above. Furthermore, because the operating distance map 1 is transmitted at the entrance toll gate, the latest operating distance information at the time of entering the toll road can be obtained. In addition, by dividing the operating distance map 1 and transmitting it in parts not only from the entrance toll gate but also from roadside devices 40, the amount of data sent at once can be reduced. Therefore, communication failures such as not being able to receive the operating distance map 1 while passing through the entrance toll gate can be suppressed.

[0082] Furthermore, the toll collection system 100 of this embodiment can charge vehicle V a toll that flexibly applies to the route and time traveled by vehicle V, based on information (operating distance and time information) notified from the in-vehicle unit 10.

[0083] Specifically, the on-board unit 10 can record the actual travel section of the road when the vehicle V passes through a notification point (entrance toll gate or roadside device 40). The roadside device 40 is also capable of transmitting time information. This allows the on-board unit 10 to record which travel section the vehicle V traveled and at what time. As a result, the toll collection system 100 can flexibly calculate the toll based on the actual travel section and time of travel of the vehicle V.

[0084] <Second Embodiment> Next, a second embodiment of this disclosure will be described in detail with reference to Figures 8 to 11. Note that the same configuration as in the first embodiment will not be described.

[0085] The toll collection system 100a according to the second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in its method of identifying the travel section. The toll collection system 100a according to the second embodiment does not have the roadside device 40 as in the first embodiment. In the first embodiment, the travel section of the vehicle V is identified based on location information transmitted from the roadside device 40, but in the second embodiment, the travel section of the vehicle V is identified based on location information obtained by the positioning function. In addition, the operating distance map 1 in the second embodiment includes geometric locations, which are range information of the travel section (indicated by longitude and latitude). Geometric locations are linked to a certain travel section (for example, area X) as geometric location XP (see Figure 11).

[0086] (Overall structure) Figure 8 shows the overall configuration of the toll collection system 100a according to the second embodiment. As shown in Figure 8, the toll collection system 100a comprises an on-board unit 10a mounted on a vehicle V, an entrance toll gate server 20, an exit toll gate server 30, and a central server 50.

[0087] (Functional configuration of in-vehicle devices) Figure 9 shows the functional configuration of the in-vehicle unit 10a according to the second embodiment. As shown in Figure 9, the in-vehicle unit 10a includes a business distance map acquisition unit 101, a driving section identification unit 102a, a business distance acquisition unit 103a, an accumulation unit 104, and a notification unit 105. The in-vehicle unit 10a also has a GNSS antenna (not shown).

[0088] The driving section identification unit 102a identifies the driving section in which the vehicle V is traveling based on location information acquired while the vehicle V is traveling. In the second embodiment, the driving section identification unit 102a acquires location information by a positioning function and identifies the driving section in which the vehicle V is traveling. Specifically, the positioning function is a GNSS positioning function. That is, the in-vehicle device 10a according to the second embodiment can acquire location information by acquiring GNSS positioning information from GNSS satellites 60.

[0089] The driving section identification unit 102a identifies the driving section that vehicle V is traveling on from the acquired location information and the business distance map 1. Specifically, the driving section identification unit 102a identifies the driving section that vehicle V is traveling on by performing map matching between the acquired location information and the business distance map 1. In addition, time information transmitted simultaneously with GNSS positioning information from GNSS satellite 60 is linked to the identified driving section.

[0090] The operating distance acquisition unit 103a acquires the operating distance while driving by referring to the operating distance identification information recorded in the operating distance map acquisition unit 101, based on the driving section identified by the driving section identification unit 102a. That is, the operating distance acquisition unit 103a acquires the operating distance that the vehicle V will travel at least, based on the identified driving section. In the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, a fixed value for the operating distance is defined as the operating distance identification information.

[0091] The accumulating unit 104 accumulates and records the operating distance acquired by the operating distance acquisition unit 103a. The accumulating unit 104 also records the travel section and time information associated with the operating distance, along with the operating distance. In addition, GNSS positioning information associated with these may also be recorded in the accumulating unit 104.

[0092] (Example of processing by a fare collection system) Figure 10 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the processing of the toll collection system 100a according to the second embodiment. Figure 11 is a diagram showing an example of the transmission of the operating distance map 1, location information, and operating distance information according to the second embodiment. The processing flow of the toll collection system 100a in the second embodiment will be explained with reference to Figures 10 and 11. Note that the processing of the toll collection system 100a in the second embodiment differs from that of the first embodiment only in the processing of determining the travel section, so the explanation of other processes will be omitted.

[0093] The GNSS satellite 60 transmits the vehicle V's location and time information to the vehicle V's onboard unit 10a (step S116).

[0094] The driving section identification unit 102a of the in-vehicle unit 10a receives location information transmitted from the GNSS satellite 60 and performs map matching with the business distance map 1 to identify the driving section on which the vehicle V is traveling (step S117). In addition, even if the driving section identification unit 102a cannot clearly identify the driving section as described above, the following processing may be performed.

[0095] The onboard unit 10a's business distance acquisition unit 103a acquires the business distance based on the driving section identified by the driving section identification unit 102a and the business distance map 1 (step S118). Specifically, the business distance acquisition unit 103a acquires business distance identification information (fixed business distance value) and uses this as the business distance of the driving section being driven. The onboard unit 10a's accumulating unit 104 accumulates the acquired business distance during the driving (step S119). In other words, the business distance acquisition unit 103a acquires the business distance by referring to the business distance identification information (fixed business distance value) associated with the identified driving section and accumulates the business distance during the driving in the accumulating unit 104.

[0096] In the second embodiment, the travel section and operating distance may be recorded retrospectively in the accumulating unit 104. Specifically, if the travel section is not clearly identified by the operating distance acquisition unit 103a, provisional information may be recorded in the accumulating unit 104, and the travel section and operating distance may be recorded retrospectively in the accumulating unit 104 once the travel section is clearly identified. For example, when vehicle V enters area 3 from area 2, it may not be possible to determine whether it entered area 3 or area 4 immediately after entering area 3. In this case, the travel section and operating distance may be recorded retrospectively in the accumulating unit 104 once it is clearly identified that vehicle V has entered area 3.

[0097] Steps S116 to S119 described above are performed intermittently, for example, at predetermined time intervals, from the exit toll gate until the vehicle leaves the toll road. However, if the driving section of vehicle V identified by the driving section identification unit 102a is the same as the most recent driving section, steps S118 and S119 may be omitted.

[0098] (Effects of the second embodiment) As described above, the in-vehicle unit 10a according to the second embodiment acquires location information by positioning. The in-vehicle unit 10a identifies the travel section from the obtained location information and the operating distance map 1. Therefore, the in-vehicle unit 10a according to the second embodiment can obtain the route traveled by the vehicle V, similar to the first embodiment. Accordingly, the toll collection system 100a of the second embodiment can calculate the toll according to the route traveled by the vehicle V.

[0099] Furthermore, by linking time information transmitted from GNSS satellite 60 with location information, it is possible to calculate tolls that apply the time information of travel on the toll road. In other words, the toll collection system 100a can flexibly calculate tolls by applying the travel section actually traveled by vehicle V and the time spent traveling that section.

[0100] Furthermore, the toll collection system 100a can acquire location information without installing roadside devices 40 by using its positioning function. Therefore, the above-mentioned effects can be achieved by adding an antenna to the on-board unit 10a. In other words, the toll collection system 100a can be configured without installing roadside devices 40. This reduces the initial cost of introducing the toll collection system 100a. It also shortens the preparation period for introducing the toll collection system 100a.

[0101] Furthermore, the toll collection system 100a performs map matching between location information and the operating distance map 1. Since the operating distance map 1 contains information about toll roads, the map matching only needs to determine where the vehicle is on the toll road. In other words, the map matching in the toll collection system 100a does not need to consider general roads. Therefore, the toll collection system 100a can suppress processing failures caused by difficulty in determining whether vehicle V is on a toll road or on a general road adjacent to a toll road.

[0102] <Third Embodiment> The third embodiment of this disclosure will be described in detail. Note that the same configurations as those in the first and second embodiments will not be described.

[0103] The toll collection system 100b according to the third embodiment has the same basic configuration as the toll collection system 100a according to the second embodiment. The toll collection system 100b is similar to the toll collection system 100a according to the second embodiment in that it obtains location information by positioning. On the other hand, the toll collection system 100b differs from the toll collection system 100a according to the second embodiment in that it uses an operating distance coefficient instead of a fixed operating distance value as operating distance identification information. The operating distance coefficient is a form of operating distance identification information.

[0104] The overall configuration of the toll collection system 100b according to the third embodiment is shown in Figure 8. The toll collection system 100b comprises an on-board unit 10b mounted on a vehicle V, an entrance toll gate server 20, an exit toll gate server 30, and a central server 50.

[0105] (Functional configuration of in-vehicle devices) The functional configuration of the in-vehicle unit 10b according to the third embodiment is as shown in Figure 9. The in-vehicle unit 10b includes a business distance map acquisition unit 101, a driving section identification unit 102b, a business distance acquisition unit 103b, an accumulation unit 104, and a notification unit 105. The in-vehicle unit 10b also has a GNSS antenna (not shown).

[0106] The driving section identification unit 102b identifies the driving section in which vehicle V is traveling based on location information acquired while vehicle V is traveling. In the third embodiment, the driving section identification unit 102b acquires location information by positioning function and identifies the driving section in which vehicle V is traveling. The driving section identification unit 102b identifies the driving section in which vehicle V is traveling from the acquired location information and the business distance map 1. Specifically, the driving section identification unit 102b identifies the driving section in which vehicle V is traveling by performing map matching between the acquired location information and the business distance map 1.

[0107] The operating distance acquisition unit 103b acquires the operating distance while driving by referring to the operating distance identification information recorded in the operating distance map acquisition unit 101, based on the identified driving section. The business distance acquisition unit 103b of the third embodiment also acquires business distance based on location information acquired by the positioning function. Specifically, the business distance acquisition unit 103b calculates the Euclidean distance traveled between location information obtained at a certain time and location information obtained immediately before that time. The business distance acquisition unit 103b also obtains a business distance coefficient, which is business distance identification information, based on the specified driving section. The business distance acquisition unit 103b calculates the business distance by multiplying the obtained Euclidean distance and the business distance coefficient. It should be noted that the calculation of business distance by multiplying the Euclidean distance and the business distance coefficient by the business distance acquisition unit 103b is also included in the meaning of "the business distance acquisition unit 103b acquires business distance".

[0108] The accumulation unit 104 accumulates and records the operating distance calculated by the operating distance acquisition unit 103b. The accumulation unit 104 also records the travel section and time information associated with the operating distance, along with the operating distance. The accumulation unit 104 records various information each time the operating distance is calculated by the operating distance acquisition unit 103b.

[0109] (Example of processing by a fare collection system) A sequence diagram showing an example of the processing of the toll collection system 100b according to the third embodiment is shown in Figure 10. Furthermore, a diagram showing an example of the transmission of the business distance map 1, location information, and business distance information according to the second embodiment is shown in Figure 11. The processing flow of the toll collection system 100b in the third embodiment will be explained with reference to Figures 10 and 11. Note that processing common to the second embodiment will be omitted from the explanation.

[0110] The GNSS satellite 60 transmits the vehicle V's location and time information to the vehicle V's onboard unit 10b (step S116).

[0111] The driving section identification unit 102b of the in-vehicle unit 10b receives location information transmitted from the GNSS satellite 60 and performs map matching with the business distance map 1 to identify the driving section on which the vehicle V is traveling (step S117).

[0112] The operating distance acquisition unit 103b of the in-vehicle unit 10b calculates the Euclidean distance traveled between location information obtained at a certain time and location information obtained immediately before (step S118). Also in step S118, the operating distance acquisition unit 103b obtains operating distance specification information (operating distance coefficient) based on the driving section specified by the driving section specification unit 102b and the operating distance map 1. The operating distance acquisition unit 103b calculates the operating distance by multiplying the obtained Euclidean distance by the operating distance coefficient. The accumulating unit 104 accumulates the operating distance traveled during the drive calculated by the operating distance acquisition unit 103b (step S119). In other words, the accumulating unit 104 records information on how much operating distance has been traveled at what time point in time.

[0113] Steps S116 to S119 described above are performed intermittently, for example, at predetermined time intervals, from the exit toll gate until the vehicle leaves the toll road. In other words, steps S116 to S119 are performed every time location information is obtained, throughout the entire period until the vehicle leaves the toll road. Steps S116 to S119 may also be set to be performed at predetermined time intervals, rather than every time location information is obtained. Furthermore, in the third embodiment, the operating distance coefficient in parking areas and service areas is set to 0. That is, the operating distance while vehicle V enters a parking area or service area from a toll road and travels within that section is 0.

[0114] Furthermore, the location information used by the distance acquisition unit 103b as the location information obtained immediately before may be the location information recorded in the accumulating unit 104. As another example, the location information obtained immediately before may be temporarily recorded and used by the distance acquisition unit 103b.

[0115] (Effects of the third embodiment) As described above, the in-vehicle unit 10b according to the third embodiment acquires location information by positioning. The in-vehicle unit 10b also uses an operating distance coefficient as operating distance identification information. The in-vehicle unit 10b records the operating distance traveled in a certain time interval moment by moment. As a result, by defining an operating distance coefficient for each travel section, the toll collection system 100b according to the third embodiment can achieve the same effects as the first and second embodiments. Furthermore, the toll collection system 100b allows for more detailed recording of where the vehicle was at what time. As a result, time-based toll discounts can be applied more precisely. In other words, the toll collection system 100b allows for more flexible calculation of tolls.

[0116] <Computer Configuration Examples> Figure 12 is a schematic block diagram showing the configuration of a computer according to the first, second, and third embodiments. The computer 900 comprises a processor 901, main memory 902, auxiliary memory 903, and interface 904. The above-mentioned in-vehicle devices 10, 10a, 10b, entrance toll gate server 20, exit toll gate server 30, and roadside device 40 are each implemented in different computers 900. The operation of each of the above-mentioned processing units is stored in the auxiliary memory 903 in the form of a program. The processor 901 reads the program from the auxiliary memory 903, expands it into the main memory 902, and executes the above processing according to the program. The processor 901 also allocates memory area in the main memory 902 to be used for the above processing according to the program.

[0117] The program may be for implementing a part of the functions to be performed by the computer 900. For example, the program may perform functions in combination with other programs already stored in the auxiliary storage device 903, or in combination with other programs implemented in other devices. In other embodiments, the computer may be equipped with a custom LSI (Large Scale Integrated Circuit) such as a PLD (Programmable Logic Device) in addition to, or in place of, the above configuration. Examples of PLDs include PAL (Programmable Array Logic), GAL (Generic Array Logic), CPLD (Complex Programmable Logic Device), FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), etc. In this case, some or all of the functions implemented by the processor may be implemented by the integrated circuit.

[0118] Examples of auxiliary storage devices 903 include HDDs (Hard Disk Drives), SSDs (Solid State Drives), magnetic disks, magneto-optical disks, CD-ROMs (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), DVD-ROMs (Digital Versatile Disc Read Only Memory), and semiconductor memory. The auxiliary storage device 903 may be an internal medium directly connected to the bus of the computer 900, or it may be an external medium (external storage device 910) connected to the computer 900 via an interface 904 or a communication line. Furthermore, if this program is distributed to the computer 900 via a communication line, the computer 900 that receives the distribution may expand the program into the main memory 902 and execute the above processing. In at least one embodiment, the auxiliary storage device 903 is a tangible storage medium that is not temporary.

[0119] <Other Embodiments> Although one embodiment has been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to that described above, and various design changes are possible. In other embodiments, the order of the above-described processes may be changed as appropriate. Also, some processes may be executed in parallel.

[0120] For example, a roadside device 40 according to one embodiment does not need to include a business distance map receiving unit 402 and a business distance map transmitting unit 403. Specifically, depending on the size of the data, roadside devices 40 equipped with a business distance map receiving unit 402 and a business distance map transmitting unit 403 may be mixed with roadside devices 40 that do not have these units. Furthermore, if the entrance toll gate server 20 can transmit the entire business distance map 1, then not all roadside devices 40 need to be equipped with a business distance map receiving unit 402 and a business distance map transmitting unit 403.

[0121] Furthermore, in one embodiment of the toll collection systems 100, 100a, and 100b, the toll may be calculated by the on-board units 10, 10a, and 10b. In this case, for example, toll calculation information is transmitted from the exit toll gate server 30 to the on-board units 10, 10a, and 10b. Based on the transmitted toll calculation information and the information from the accumulating unit 104, the on-board units 10, 10a, and 10b calculate the toll for vehicle V. The toll calculated by the on-board units 10, 10a, and 10b is notified to the exit toll gate server 30, and the billing process may be executed.

[0122] <Note> One embodiment described above can be understood, for example, as follows.

[0123] (1) The in-vehicle units 10, 10a, and 10b according to the first embodiment include: an in-vehicle unit 101 that acquires an in-vehicle unit 1 which defines in-vehicle unit 1 which specifies

[0124] Conventional technology calculates tolls based on which toll gate a vehicle entered through and which toll gate it exited through, making it impossible to calculate tolls that reflect the route each individual vehicle traveled. Therefore, it has been difficult to calculate tolls that correspond to the actual route each vehicle traveled. In contrast, in this embodiment, the toll road is divided into multiple travel sections. The operating distance map 1 defines specific operating distance information for each travel section. The onboard devices 10, 10a, and 10b of a vehicle V can record which travel sections it has traveled by accumulating this information. By calculating tolls from this information, it is possible to calculate tolls that correspond to the route traveled by vehicle V.

[0125] (2) The in-vehicle units 10, 10a, and 10b according to the second embodiment are the in-vehicle units 10, 10a, and 10b according to (1), wherein the business distance map acquisition unit 101 acquires the business distance map 1 transmitted from the entrance toll gate server 20 of the entrance toll gate at the entrance toll gate of the toll road.

[0126] In this way, the on-board units 10, 10a, and 10b acquire the operating distance map 1 at the entrance toll gate. Therefore, even if the operating distance map 1 is not pre-stored in the on-board units 10, 10a, and 10b, the above-described calculation of operating distance can be performed. Furthermore, because the operating distance map 1 is transmitted at the entrance toll gate, the latest operating distance map 1 at the time of entering the toll road can be obtained.

[0127] (3) The toll collection systems 100, 100a, and 100b according to the third embodiment are toll collection systems 100, 100a, and 100b comprising the in-vehicle units 10, 10a, and 10b of (1) or (2), and an exit toll gate server 30 installed at an exit toll gate of the toll road, wherein the exit toll gate server 30 comprises a business distance receiving unit 302 that receives the accumulated business distance of the vehicle V notified by the in-vehicle units 10, 10a, and 10b, a toll calculation unit 303 that calculates the toll for the vehicle V based on the acquired business distance, and a billing processing unit 304 that performs billing processing to charge the calculated toll to the vehicle V.

[0128] In this way, the toll collection systems 100, 100a, and 100b can charge vehicle V a toll at the exit toll gate that is flexibly calculated according to the route actually traveled by vehicle V.

[0129] (4) The toll collection systems 100, 100a, and 100b according to the fourth embodiment are the toll collection systems 100, 100a, and 100b according to (3), further comprising an entrance toll gate server 20 installed at the entrance toll gate of the toll road, the entrance toll gate server 20 comprising an operating distance map transmission unit 202 that transmits the operating distance map 1 to the in-vehicle units 10, 10a, and 10b.

[0130] In this way, the toll collection systems 100, 100a, and 100b transmit the operating distance map 1 to the on-board units 10, 10a, and 10b at the entrance toll gate using the operating distance map transmission unit 202. Therefore, the entrance toll gate server 20 can transmit the latest operating distance map 1 to the on-board units 10, 10a, and 10b of the vehicle V that has passed through the entrance toll gate.

[0131] (5) The toll collection system 100 according to the fifth embodiment is the toll collection system 100 of (3) or (4), further comprising a roadside device 40 installed at a predetermined notification point on the toll road, the roadside device 40 having a location information transmission unit 401 that transmits location information to the onboard unit 10 of the vehicle V that has arrived at the notification point, and the driving section identification unit 102 acquires the location information transmitted from the roadside device 40 and identifies the driving section.

[0132] In this way, the in-vehicle device 10 can record the actual travel section of the vehicle V once the vehicle V passes through the notification point. Furthermore, the toll collection system 100 can then calculate the toll corresponding to the actual route traveled by the vehicle V and charge the vehicle V accordingly.

[0133] (6) The toll collection systems 100, 100a, and 100b according to the sixth embodiment are the toll collection systems 100, 100a, and 100b according to (3) to (5), wherein the roadside device 40 includes a business distance map transmission unit 403 that transmits the business distance map 1 to the onboard units 10, 10a, and 10b.

[0134] In this manner, the toll collection systems 100, 100a, and 100b transmit the operating distance map 1 to the on-board units 10, 10a, and 10b of the vehicle V that has passed through the notification point. Therefore, the latest operating distance map 1 can be transmitted to the on-board units 10, 10a, and 10b of the vehicle V that has passed through the notification point. Furthermore, because the operating distance map 1 can be transmitted from each notification point, the operating distance map 1 can be transmitted in segments. Consequently, the amount of data transmitted at once from the operating distance map transmission unit 403 can be reduced.

[0135] (7) The toll collection system 100 according to the seventh embodiment is the toll collection system 100 of (5) or (6), wherein the location information transmission unit 401 transmits time information linked to the location information together with the location information to the onboard unit 10 of the vehicle V, the accumulation unit 104 further records the time information linked to the operating distance, the notification unit 105 notifies the exit toll gate server 30 of the time information linked to the operating distance together with the accumulated operating distance, the operating distance receiving unit 302 receives the time information linked to the operating distance together with the accumulated operating distance, and the toll calculation unit 303 calculates the toll for the vehicle V based on the operating distance and the time information.

[0136] In this way, the toll collection system 100 can flexibly calculate the toll by applying the actual distance traveled by vehicle V and the time spent traveling that distance.

[0137] (8) The toll collection systems 100a and 100b according to the eighth aspect are the toll collection systems of (3) to (7), wherein the driving section identification units 102a and 102b acquire the location information by positioning function and identify the driving section.

[0138] In this way, the toll collection systems 100a and 100b can record the actual travel section of the vehicle V using their positioning function. Furthermore, the toll collection systems 100a and 100b can calculate the toll corresponding to the route actually traveled by the vehicle V and charge the vehicle V accordingly.

[0139] (9) The toll collection systems 100a and 100b according to the ninth embodiment are the toll collection systems 100a and 100b of (8), wherein the driving section identification units 102a and 102b identify the driving section by acquiring time information linked to the location information together with the location information, the accumulation unit 104 further records the time information linked to the operating distance, the notification unit 105 notifies the exit toll gate server 30 of the time information linked to the operating distance along with the accumulated operating distance, the operating distance receiving unit 302 receives the time information linked to the operating distance along with the accumulated operating distance, and the toll calculation unit 303 calculates the toll for the vehicle V based on the operating distance and the time information.

[0140] In this way, the toll collection systems 100a and 100b can flexibly calculate the toll by applying the actual travel distance and the time spent traveling that distance by vehicle V.

[0141] (10) The toll collection method according to the tenth embodiment includes the steps of: an onboard unit 10, 10a, 10b mounted on the vehicle V acquires an operating distance map 1 which defines operating distance identification information for each geometrically defined predetermined driving section of the toll road; the onboard unit 10 identifies the driving section on which the vehicle is traveling based on location information acquired while the vehicle is driving; the onboard unit 10 acquires the operating distance traveled by referring to the operating distance identification information associated with the identified driving section; the onboard unit 10 accumulates the acquired operating distances; the onboard unit 10 notifies the exit toll gate server 30 of the exit toll gate of the toll road of the accumulated operating distances; the exit toll gate server 30 calculates the toll for the vehicle V based on the acquired operating distances; and the exit toll gate server 30 performs a billing process to charge the calculated toll for the vehicle V.

[0142] (11) The program according to the eleventh embodiment causes the in-vehicle units 10, 10a, and 10b to perform the following steps: acquire an operating distance map 1 which defines operating distance identification information for each geometrically defined predetermined driving section of a toll road; identify the driving section that the vehicle V is traveling on based on location information acquired while the vehicle V is driving; acquire the operating distance traveled while driving by referring to the operating distance identification information associated with the identified driving section; and accumulate the acquired operating distances. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0143] 100 Toll Collection System 1. Service distance map 10 Onboard equipment 101 Business Distance Map Acquisition Department 102 Specific section of the route 103 Sales Distance Acquisition Department 104 Estimation Department 105 Notification Department 11 Terminal device 20 Entrance Toll Booth Server 201 Business Distance Map Receiving Unit 202 Business Distance Map Transmission Unit 203 Entrance Information Transmission Unit 21 Roadside antenna 30 Exit toll gate server 301 Fee Calculation Information Acquisition Department 302 Business Distance Receiving Unit 303 Toll Calculation Section 304 Billing Processing Unit 31 Roadside antenna 40 Roadside equipment 41 Roadside antenna 401 Location Information Transmission Unit 402 Business Distance Map Receiving Unit 403 Business Distance Map Transmission Unit 50 Center Servers 100a Toll Collection System 10a Onboard equipment 102a Specific section of the route 103a Sales Distance Acquisition Section 100b Toll Collection System 10b Onboard equipment 102b Specific section of the route 103b Sales Distance Acquisition Department 60 GNSS satellites 900 Computers 901 Processor 902 Main storage 903 Auxiliary storage device 904 Interface 910 External storage device V Vehicle

Claims

1. A unit for acquiring operating distance maps that define operating distance information for each geometrically defined predetermined driving section of a toll road, A driving section identification unit identifies the driving section in which the vehicle is traveling based on location information acquired while the vehicle is in motion, A business distance acquisition unit that acquires the business distance while traveling by referring to the business distance identification information based on the identified travel section, A summation unit that calculates and records the sales distance obtained by the sales distance acquisition unit, A notification unit that notifies the toll gate server of the toll gate at the exit of the toll road of the accumulated distance calculated by the accumulation unit, An in-vehicle device equipped with this feature.

2. The aforementioned business distance map acquisition unit acquires the aforementioned business distance map transmitted from the entrance toll gate server of the toll road entrance gate at the entrance toll gate. The in-vehicle device according to claim 1.

3. The in-vehicle device according to claim 1 or 2, An exit toll gate server installed at the exit toll gate of the aforementioned toll road, A toll collection system comprising, The aforementioned exit toll gate server is: A business distance receiving unit that receives the accumulated business distance of the vehicle from the in-vehicle unit, A toll calculation unit that calculates the toll for the vehicle based on the acquired operating distance, A billing processing unit that performs billing processing to charge the calculated toll fee to the vehicle, A toll collection system equipped with [a specific feature / feature].

4. The aforementioned toll road is further equipped with an entrance toll gate server located at the entrance toll gate, The aforementioned entrance toll gate server includes a business distance map transmission unit that transmits the business distance map to the in-vehicle device. The toll collection system according to claim 3.

5. The roadside equipment is further provided at designated notification points on the aforementioned toll road, The roadside device includes a location information transmission unit that transmits location information to the on-board unit of the vehicle that has arrived at the notification point. The aforementioned driving section identification unit acquires the position information transmitted from the roadside device and identifies the driving section. The toll collection system according to claim 3.

6. The roadside device includes a business distance map transmission unit that transmits the business distance map to the in-vehicle unit. The toll collection system according to claim 5.

7. The location information transmission unit transmits time information linked to the location information, along with the location information, to the in-vehicle device of the vehicle. The accumulating unit further records the time information linked to the operating distance, The notification unit notifies the exit toll gate server of the accumulated operating distance along with the time information linked to the operating distance. The aforementioned business distance receiving unit receives the accumulated business distance along with the time information associated with the business distance. The toll calculation unit calculates the toll for the vehicle based on the operating distance and the time information. The toll collection system according to claim 5.

8. The aforementioned driving section identification unit acquires the location information by positioning and identifies the driving section. The toll collection system according to claim 3.

9. The aforementioned driving section identification unit acquires time information linked to the location information together with the location information to identify the driving section. The accumulating unit further records the time information linked to the operating distance, The notification unit notifies the exit toll gate server of the accumulated operating distance along with the time information linked to the operating distance. The aforementioned business distance receiving unit receives the accumulated business distance along with the time information associated with the business distance. The toll calculation unit calculates the toll for the vehicle based on the operating distance and the time information. The toll collection system according to claim 8.

10. The process involves an on-board device installed in the vehicle acquiring an operating distance map that defines operating distance information for each geometrically defined predetermined driving section of a toll road, and The in-vehicle device identifies the driving section in which the vehicle is traveling based on location information acquired while the vehicle is in motion. The in-vehicle device obtains the operating distance while driving by referring to the operating distance identification information associated with the identified driving section, The in-vehicle device performs the step of accumulating the acquired operating distance, The in-vehicle device notifies the toll gate server at the toll gate exit of the toll road of the accumulated operating distance, The steps include: the exit toll gate server calculates the toll for the vehicle based on the acquired operating distance; The steps include: the exit toll gate server performing a billing process to charge the vehicle the calculated toll fee; A method of collecting tolls that includes [a specific feature / feature].

11. The steps include obtaining an operating distance map that defines operating distance information for each geometrically defined predetermined driving section of a toll road, A step of identifying the section of travel the vehicle is making based on location information acquired while the vehicle is in motion, The steps include: obtaining the operating distance during travel by referring to the operating distance identification information associated with the identified operating section; A step of accumulating the acquired operating distance, A program that causes the in-vehicle device to execute.

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