A system for acquiring route information for vehicles traveling on toll road networks

Abstract

To efficiently and properly grasp a route of a group of vehicles passing through a toll road traffic network.SOLUTION: In a route information acquisition system, in a predetermined cycle, (1) each vehicle location information server stores vehicle information collected by a vehicle information collection device in a vehicle location information DB; (2) each vehicle location information server inquires a vehicle management DB belonging to a management area located one upstream from the vehicle information collection device of the vehicle information to be stored in the vehicle location information DB accumulated during the predetermined cycle; (3) a vehicle management server that manages the inquired vehicle management database transfers the inquired vehicle information in the vehicle management database to the vehicle management DB belonging to a management area located one downstream from the vehicle information collection device; and (4) the vehicle management server that manages the vehicle management database to which the inquired vehicle information is transferred repeatedly adds a management area code, to which the vehicle management DB belongs, to the vehicle information and stores the same in the vehicle management database.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a route information acquisition system that efficiently and appropriately grasps the routes of a group of vehicles traveling on a toll road transportation network. [Background technology]

[0002] At the entrances and exits of general expressways, vehicles traveling on both the inbound and outbound lanes are collected at the toll gates, where tolls are collected. Therefore, when a vehicle passes through a toll gate, it is not possible to determine whether it will enter the inbound or outbound lanes. As a result, when the vehicle leaves the toll gate at the exit, it is determined whether the vehicle has passed through the inbound or outbound lanes. Also, when the expressway is in a loop shape, it is difficult to determine whether the vehicle has passed through the inbound or outbound lanes.

[0003] Currently, the highway network is complex, and there are often multiple routes from one entrance toll booth to another exit toll booth. Route selection is one of the major problems drivers face.

[0004] Various studies are being conducted to dynamically change road usage by flexibly changing tolls according to road conditions such as congestion, construction, etc. This is because, in order to encourage more vehicles to use expressways as social assets, it is effective to change tolls to positive incentives rather than negative incentives such as regular traffic information.

[0005] However, changing the toll fee according to the route traveled is impossible unless the route is identified and the toll fee calculated before the vehicle passes through the exit.Currently, vehicle recognition and toll charging technologies exist that use wireless communication with ETC (Electronic Toll Collection System), so it is possible to imagine a technology that recognizes ETC-equipped vehicles traveling on the main road and charges them a toll.However, deploying this technology on all expressways in Japan would require not only enormous costs but also extremely complex calculations, making it difficult to realize. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-87337 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] The present disclosure provides a route information acquisition system that efficiently and appropriately obtains routes of a group of vehicles traveling through a toll road transportation network. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The present disclosure relates to a route information acquisition system that solves the above problems. The route information acquisition system according to the embodiment includes: A plurality of vehicle location information databases; a plurality of vehicle location information servers that manage and control corresponding vehicle location information databases among the plurality of vehicle location information databases; A plurality of vehicle management databases; a vehicle management server that manages and controls a corresponding vehicle management database among the plurality of vehicle management databases; A route information acquisition system that is provided via a network. In such a route information acquisition system, Each vehicle location information database stores vehicle information including at least a vehicle ID of a vehicle passing through the toll road detected by a corresponding vehicle information collecting device; Each vehicle management database aggregates and stores vehicle information detected by a vehicle information collecting device provided upstream of each of the plurality of management areas; Each management area includes one or more interchanges on a route of the toll road, but does not include junctions. In the route information acquisition system, At a given cycle, (1) Each vehicle location information server stores vehicle information collected by a corresponding vehicle information collecting device in a corresponding vehicle location information database; (2) Each vehicle location information server inquires of a vehicle management database belonging to a management area located one upstream from the corresponding vehicle information collecting device about vehicle information stored in the corresponding vehicle location information database accumulated during a predetermined period; (3) A vehicle management server that manages the queried vehicle management database sends the queried vehicle information in the vehicle management database to a vehicle management database that belongs to a management area that is located one area downstream from the corresponding vehicle information collecting device, (4) The vehicle management server that manages the vehicle management database to which the queried vehicle information is sent adds the code of the management area to which the vehicle management database belongs to the vehicle information and stores the vehicle information in the corresponding vehicle management database. Repeatedly execute the above. Effect of the Invention

[0009] The route information acquisition system of the present disclosure can efficiently and appropriately grasp the routes of a group of vehicles traveling through a toll road transportation network. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a route information acquisition system according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a current toll gate system on a toll road such as an expressway. [Diagram 3] 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle management server and its surroundings in the route information acquisition system according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 4] 2 is a schematic plan view showing an example of the arrangement of a vehicle information gathering device at a junction; FIG. [Diagram 5] 1 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic relationship between each management area, a vehicle management DB, and a vehicle information collection device; [Figure 6]4 is a diagram showing a time interval, which is a period of data exchange performed between databases of the route information acquisition system according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a route and a configuration example of a database that acquires route information related to the route. [Figure 8a] FIG. 8B shows the route corresponding to FIG. 8B and the configuration of a database for acquiring route information related to the route. [Figure 8b] 8 is a flowchart showing a process of data exchange in each vehicle management server and vehicle management DB in the configuration example shown in FIG. 7, for example. [Figure 9] 1 is a schematic diagram of a route information acquisition system for implementing toll discount processing based on route determination; [Figure 10a] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a route and a configuration example of a database that acquires route information related to the route. [Figure 10b] 1 is a flowchart (1) of a route discount process. [Figure 10c] 13 is a flowchart (2) of route discount processing. [Figure 10d] 13 is a flowchart (3) of route discount processing. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate. However, more detailed explanation than necessary may be omitted. For example, detailed explanation of already well-known matters or duplicate explanation of substantially the same configuration may be omitted. This is to avoid the following explanation becoming unnecessarily redundant and to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art.

[0012] It should be noted that the inventors provide the accompanying drawings and the following description so that those skilled in the art can fully understand the present disclosure, and they do not intend to limit the subject matter described in the claims.

[0013] 1. Background to this disclosure 1.1. Route acquisition and its problems Fig. 2 is a configuration diagram of a current toll booth system 14 on a toll road such as an expressway. A toll road has many interchanges, and a toll booth is provided at each interchange. Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 2, a toll booth 12 is equipped with a toll booth system 14. The toll booth system 14 includes a toll data processing device 16, an ETC toll booth server 18, an ETC lane server 20, a cash management device 28, and a license plate reader 35.

[0014] The ETC lane server 20 is a server that performs ETC processing for each toll gate lane, and includes an ETC processing unit 22, an ETC communication unit 24, and an ETC antenna 26. The ETC processing unit 22 is a processing unit that performs processing such as ETC security. The ETC communication unit 24 is a processing unit that performs ETC communication processing. The ETC antenna 26 is an antenna that performs ETC radio wave processing.

[0015] The cash management device 28 is a device that manages cash payments and credit card payments, and includes a cash processing unit 30, a toll ticket reading unit 32, and a toll ticket issuing device 34. The cash processing unit 30 is a device that processes cash payments and credit card payments. The toll ticket reading unit 32 is a processing unit that reads toll tickets and displays the fare. The toll ticket issuing device 34 is a device that issues toll tickets.

[0016] The license plate reader 35 is a device that reads the vehicle number on the license plate, which is the vehicle ID.

[0017] The toll gate system 14 is connected to a higher-level system 36 via a branch point 44 that extracts information on entering and exiting vehicles. The higher-level system 36 is connected to an intermediate aggregation device 38, a payment information aggregation device 40, and a payment agent device 42. The intermediate aggregation device 38 is a device that intermediately aggregates the toll data devices of the toll gates. The payment information aggregation device 40 is a device that aggregates ETC card information between each road operator. Furthermore, the payment agent device 42 is a device that passes payment information by ETC card to the payment agent.

[0018] The toll gate system 14 shown in Fig. 2 is composed of an ETC toll gate server 18 and an ETC lane server 20 for each toll gate 12, a cash management device 28 for toll tickets, a license plate reader 35, and a toll data processing device 16 that integrates these. A system 36 higher up than the toll gate system 14 performs the settlement processing of toll data (including partial discount processing for mileage, etc.).

[0019] The toll gate system 14, at the vehicle entrance, identifies the entrance toll gate number and the date and time, and determines the vehicle type, and writes the resulting data onto the ETC card in the case of ETC, or onto the magnetic tape portion of the toll ticket in the case of toll ticket processing.

[0020] At the vehicle's exit, the toll is determined based on the information written at the entrance and a preset toll table. In the case of ETC, the toll table is switched taking into consideration discounts based on the time of passage, etc. Therefore, the current toll system is basically composed only of the toll gate numbers at the entrance and exit, and toll tables organized by vehicle type. Various discounts are realized by switching between these toll tables.

[0021] Meanwhile, in toll roads such as expressways, which are long distance and wide and comprise a large number of entrance and exit toll gates, there is a need to change the toll for vehicles traveling on a given route or for vehicles taking a combination of several routes. By doing so, it becomes possible to actively guide the routes of vehicles traveling on the expressway, increase the utilization efficiency of the entire expressway, and suppress the occurrence of congestion, etc., and the need for such efforts is currently increasing.

[0022] However, the current system for calculating expressway tolls does not include a calculation system or calculation method that incorporates a specific route. In order to detect the route of a vehicle, it is necessary to install a device that detects vehicles and collects information, i.e., a vehicle information collection device, on the main expressway. It is very expensive to install a large number of such vehicle information collection devices on expressways across the country. Furthermore, the amount of vehicle information collected by these devices is enormous, and a high-speed and complex database system and advanced calculation processing are required to extract the route for each vehicle contained in the large amount of vehicle information and calculate the tolls for that vehicle.

[0023] This route information also includes information on using short sections of expressways, etc. Information on using short sections of expressways, etc. does not necessarily contribute to the efficiency of expressway use.

[0024] Furthermore, if a system were to specialize in discounts for specific routes and to install vehicle information collection devices only on certain sections of the routes, systems specialized for each installation location and each discount method would proliferate. In the long term, it would be highly likely that the flexibility and rationality of the entire system, including the toll system, would be hindered. Therefore, the optimal system would be a route determination method and system that can handle expressways and toll roads connected to expressways in a series.

[0025] Tolls on expressways and other toll roads are sometimes called toll resistance. This toll resistance has the effect of suppressing or encouraging users to use the road. Detecting the route of the expressway during congestion due to long-term construction or social events leads to controlling the toll resistance. By dynamically changing the tolls of the expressway, which is a social asset, it is possible to effectively improve social benefits by prioritizing the transportation of emergency supplies and the dispatch of personnel in times of disasters. In addition, since the management costs of the expressway are not clearly proportional to the traffic volume, lowering the toll resistance for sections with low traffic volume is also a method of improving social benefits. Therefore, realizing route guidance based on the overall traffic situation not only benefits users, but also leads to a reduction in social infrastructure costs.

[0026] In light of the above, the inventors of the present application have devised a system for route acquisition that identifies vehicle groups for each management area, as described below.

[0027] 1.2. About the Management Area This section explains a system that effectively grasps the routes of vehicles traveling on expressways and captures overall traffic while reducing the amount of data to an appropriate level.

[0028] It is known that the distance traveled by a single vehicle on an expressway (hereinafter referred to as the travel distance) is 50km or longer in about 24% of cases. In other words, it is known that the longer the travel distance, the lower the number of users tends to be.

[0029] When considering a toll discount for a route, the route will include two or more junctions where the route can be selected. Therefore, the number of routes tends to increase as the driving distance becomes longer.

[0030] Taking these factors into consideration, the inventors of the present application have devised a route information acquisition system that assumes management areas separated by vehicle information collection devices, sets up a vehicle management database for each management area, and assigns route information to each vehicle information in the vehicle management database.

[0031] 2. First embodiment 2.1. Configuration of the route information acquisition system 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a route information acquisition system according to embodiment 1. The route information acquisition system includes a tollgate system 14, a vehicle information collection device 8, a vehicle management database 6, and a vehicle position information database 10 connected via a network. Note that hereinafter, "database" may also be expressed as "DB."

[0032] As shown in FIG. 2, the toll gate system 14 is a system that includes an ETC toll gate server 18, an ETC lane server 20, a cash management device 28, a license plate reader 35, and a toll data processing device 16. The information handled by the toll gate system 14 (i.e., vehicle information) includes information necessary for toll calculation, such as a code that can identify a vehicle, such as ETC ID information or license plate information (i.e., vehicle ID), entrance / exit toll gate numbers, entry or exit times, etc. The current vehicle information does not include information indicating the route of the vehicle. The toll gate system 14 includes a vehicle ID collection device at the toll gate, which is the ETC processing unit 22 and license plate reader 35 of the ETC lane server 20 that collect vehicle information including at least the vehicle ID. As a result, the toll gate 12 and each interchange 52 (see, for example, FIG. 5, FIG. 7, FIG. 8a, FIG. 10a) where the toll gate system 14 is installed are provided with a vehicle ID collection device at the toll gate.

[0033] The toll gate system 14 is installed at each toll gate and is a system that manages information on vehicles entering and leaving the interchange 52 .

[0034] The vehicle management database 6 is a database that collects and stores vehicle information within a management area 2 consisting of multiple toll booths via a network. A server that manages and controls this vehicle management database 6 is called a vehicle management server 6s. The vehicle management server 6s is usually provided in the same location as the vehicle management database 6 and is attached to the vehicle management database 6. The vehicle management server 6s is also connected to other databases and servers via a network. Figure 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of the vehicle management server 6s and its surroundings in the route information acquisition system according to the first embodiment.

[0035] The vehicle management server 6s allows the vehicle management DB 6 to perform linkage processing with adjacent DBs, such as the vehicle position information DB 10 and the adjacent vehicle management DB 6. The vehicle management server 6s mainly links with the adjacent vehicle position DB 6 to obtain target vehicle information from the upstream vehicle management DB 6.

[0036] The internal DB 6i is a DB provided in the vehicle management DB 6, and collects and manages vehicle information of vehicles that enter through each toll gate 12 within the management area 2. It does not manage vehicle information of vehicles that cross the management area 2. The external DB 6o is also a DB provided in the vehicle management DB 6, and collects and manages vehicle information of vehicles that exit from each toll gate, etc. within the management area 2.

[0037] Vehicle information collecting devices 8 such as FF antennas (free flow antennas: ETC antennas installed on the main roads) are installed on the main highways. Vehicle location information DB10 collects and stores vehicle information of traveling vehicles detected from the vehicle information collecting devices 8. A server that manages and controls this vehicle location information DB10 and the vehicle information collecting devices 8 is called a vehicle location information server 10s. The vehicle location information server 10s is usually provided in the same location as the vehicle location information DB10 and is associated with the vehicle location information DB10. The vehicle location information DB10 is also connected to other databases and servers via a network. The vehicle information collecting devices 8 will be described later.

[0038] The management area 2 is an area that is partitioned by the vehicle information collecting device 8 and includes a plurality of toll gates 12 and a toll gate system 14. The management area 2 will be described later.

[0039] Furthermore, the vehicle management DB 6 includes a vehicle management DB [for upbound] 6u and a vehicle management DB [for downbound] 6d. The vehicle management DB [for upbound] 6u is a DB that stores only vehicle information of vehicles traveling in the upbound direction in the vehicle management DB 6, and manages history information within the range of the expressway. The vehicle management DB [for downbound] 6d is a DB that stores only vehicle information of vehicles traveling in the downbound direction in the vehicle management DB 6, and manages history within the range of the expressway.

[0040] Vehicle information of vehicles entering from each toll gate system 14 is stored in the internal DB 6i, and vehicle information of vehicles exiting from each toll gate system 14 is stored in the external DB 6o. The internal DB 6i at the entry stage does not have information on the route. Both the internal DB 6i and the external DB 6o can be easily constructed by classifying information obtained by branching information from the branch point 44 shown in FIG. 2 into each DB (i.e., the internal DB 6i and the external DB 6o). The classification can be realized simply by connecting the entrance ETC lane server 20 to the internal DB 6i and the exit ETC lane server 20 to the external DB 6o, respectively. The classification in the cash management device 28 is similar. The license plate reader 35 can also be connected to the internal DB 6i and the external DB 6o, respectively.

[0041] As mentioned above, the management range of one vehicle management DB 6 is called a management area 2, and a management area is set to include one or more consecutive interchanges 52 on one route on a toll road (see, for example, Figures 5, 7, 8a, and 10a). Management areas 2 may be assigned management numbers, as shown in Figure 3. In Figure 3, I, II, III, etc. are assigned.

[0042] These management areas 2 are set in advance. Each management area 2 is set so that it does not include route branches such as junctions. Furthermore, it is set so that the route at the vehicle information collection device 8 immediately upstream of one management area 2 is definitely connected to the management area 2. In addition, it is set so that there are no facilities such as rest facilities that would cause vehicles to stay between management areas 2. However, rest facilities adjacent to junctions are excluded.

[0043] The vehicle information collection device 8 is installed on the main line between the management areas 2, and is a device that detects identifiers and codes that can identify vehicles traveling on the main line. The vehicle information collection device 8 includes a vehicle ID collection device on the main line that is composed of, for example, an ETC free flow antenna (FF antenna) system that identifies the ETC vehicle management ID, and a license plate reader that identifies the vehicle number (vehicle number). The vehicle ID collection device on the main line detects vehicle information, including at least the vehicle ID, of vehicles passing nearby. This vehicle information collection device 8 is already in use at present.

[0044] There are two types of vehicle information collecting devices 8: those installed at junctions and those not. Those installed at junctions reflect the route selection of a group of vehicles. Those not installed at junctions are used to limit the number of vehicles managed within one management area 2 or to correct detection failures of other vehicle information collecting devices 8.

[0045] The vehicle management DB 6 is a DB that consolidates, by travel direction, vehicle position DB 10 that collects information captured by vehicle information collection devices 8 installed on the upstream main lines of each management area 2. To the vehicle information of a vehicle that moves between management areas 2, code group information (hereinafter referred to as "route information") indicating the direction of movement is added as route information by adding the management number of the management area 2 after the move after the management number of the management area 2 before the move.

[0046] FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view showing an example of the arrangement of vehicle information collection devices 8 at a junction including a road. The vehicle information collection devices 8 are installed at a location where the final exits of each road are gathered together, thereby determining the route of a vehicle that has entered the junction. Therefore, at least four vehicle information collection devices 8 are required at a four-way junction, three vehicle information collection devices 8 are required in the case of a three-way junction, and two vehicle information collection devices 8 are required in the case of a two-way junction. Alternatively, there is a method of installing the vehicle information collection devices at a ramp section connecting main lines and at one main line section. In this case, it is expected that detection accuracy will be improved by detecting at the ramp section where the vehicle speed is slower, but the number of devices to be installed will increase.

[0047] 2.2. Operation of the Route Information Acquisition System 5 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic relationship between each management area 2, the vehicle management DB 6, and the vehicle information collection device 8. Interchanges 52 from A to H are shown. As described above, the vehicle position information DB 10 is a database that aggregates information from the vehicle information collection device 8.

[0048] The information processing between these DBs will be explained below.

[0049] In the route information acquisition system according to the first embodiment, these databases exchange data with each other as appropriate. The period of this data exchange is called a time interval. An example of the mutual data exchange and the time interval is shown in FIG. 6. In the example of FIG. 6, interchanges A, B, and C constitute one management area 2, interchanges D, E, and F constitute one management area 2, and interchanges G, H, and I constitute one management area 2.

[0050] As shown in FIG. 6, one time interval is divided into a period of "intra-management area aggregation" and a period of "inter-management area adjustment," which are repeated alternately.

[0051] The time interval is the period for data exchange, such as adjustments between each DB and each management area. The set time should be less than the actual travel time between interchanges on a highway. If the average distance between interchanges is 7 km, the actual travel time is estimated to be about 4 minutes (i.e., approximately 4.2 minutes) for a vehicle traveling at 100 km / h. Taking into account the placement of interchanges in urban areas, a shorter time can be set, but overall synchronization is required.

[0052] Data exchange between these DBs is performed at high speed, for example, via an optical transmission network. Therefore, a time interval of 10 seconds is sufficient. By setting this time interval, it becomes possible to statically capture and process a fleet of vehicles that are constantly moving.

[0053] The internal DB 6i and external DB 6o of the vehicle management DB 6 collect and manage vehicle entry and exit information from the tollgate system 14 under the management area 2. The vehicle management DB 6 is capable of exchanging data with the internal DB 6i that manages entering vehicles and the external DB 6o that manages exiting vehicles. This process makes it possible to grasp information on vehicles present within the management area during a certain time interval, information on vehicles that have exited the toll road, and information on vehicles that have exited from an upstream management area and whose traveling direction has been identified.

[0054] 2.2.1. Actions for understanding routes Next, a mechanism for these DBs to cooperate with each other to exchange data and to assign and acquire route information will be described using an example. Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a route and a configuration example of a database that acquires the route information related thereto. Although this is basically the same as the diagram shown in Fig. 5, the vehicle information collecting device 8 indicated by Ka, Ki, Ku, Ke, and Ko in Fig. 5 are omitted in order to explain only one-way traffic below.

[0055] Assume that vehicle (1) enters at interchange A and exits at interchange H. The data exchange and route information assignment during this time will be explained in the following "1. to 13." The direction from interchange A to interchange H is assumed to be the uphill direction. The vehicle route function for vehicle (1) is "C()", and management area information is added to it as route information. For example, if the vehicle passes through management area 2_1 and management area 2_2, it is expressed as C(1-2). Also, the vehicle management DB 6 is a DB for the traveling direction indicated by the arrow.

[0056] 1. The vehicle information of vehicle (1) entering through interchange A is registered in the internal DB 6i_(I). At this stage, the direction is not yet determined, but route information C(1) is assigned.

[0057] 2. The vehicle (1) is captured by a vehicle information collecting device 8_(A) on the main line, and the vehicle information of the vehicle (1) is stored in the vehicle position information DB 10_(I).

[0058] 3. At the timing of inter-area adjustment of the time interval, the vehicle information of the vehicle (1) in the vehicle position information DB 10_(1) is inquired of the vehicle management DB 6_(I) one level upstream.

[0059] 4. If the vehicle information of the vehicle (1) is present in the vehicle management DB 6_(I), the data is sent to the vehicle management DB 6_(II) which is one step downstream of the vehicle information collecting device 8_(A). If the vehicle information of the vehicle (1) is not in the vehicle management DB 6_(I), an inquiry may be made to an internal DB 6i_(I) included in the vehicle management DB 6_(I), and if the internal DB 6i_(I) has information of the vehicle (1), the data may be sent to a vehicle management DB 6_(II) that is one step downstream of the vehicle information collecting device 8_(A). If the internal DB 6i does not have the target vehicle information, an inquiry may be made sequentially to a vehicle management DB 6 further upstream (i.e., two steps upstream) and the internal DB 6i included in it.

[0060] 5. The information on the vehicle (1) is deleted from the internal DB 6i_(I) and moved to the vehicle management DB 6_(II). The information on the vehicle (1) is not written to the internal DB 6i_(II).

[0061] 6. In the information on vehicle (1) in vehicle management DB 6_(II), the driving direction is determined, and the route information of the vehicle information on vehicle (1) is set to C(1-2). That is, the code "2" of the management area 2_2 is added to the vehicle information on vehicle (1) and stored in vehicle management DB 6_(II).

[0062] 7. Vehicle (1) is captured by a vehicle information collecting device 8_(a) on the main line and stored in a vehicle position information DB 10_(b).

[0063] 8. At the timing of inter-area adjustment of the time interval, the vehicle information of the vehicle (1) in the vehicle position information DB10_(2) is inquired of the vehicle management DB6_(II).

[0064] 9. The vehicle information of the vehicle (1) in the vehicle management DB 6_(II) is managed as history information, and is further stored in the vehicle management DB 6_(III). The route information of the vehicle information of the vehicle (1) is set as C(1-2-3).

[0065] 10. Vehicle (1) is captured by a vehicle information collection device (C) on the main line and stored in the vehicle position information DB 10 (III).

[0066] 11. At the timing of inter-area adjustment of the time interval, the vehicle information of the vehicle (1) in the vehicle position information DB 10_(III) is inquired of the vehicle management DB 6_(III).

[0067] 12. The vehicle information of the vehicle (1) in the vehicle management DB 6_(III) is managed as history information, and is further stored in the vehicle management DB 6_(IV). The route information of the vehicle information of the vehicle (1) is set as C(1-2-3-4).

[0068] 13. When the vehicle (1) exits the H interchange in the management area 2_4, the vehicle information of the vehicle (1) is stored in the external DB (IV). Then, the vehicle information of the vehicle (1) is deleted from the vehicle management DB 6_(IV), and also deleted from the history information of the vehicle management DB 6_(II) and the vehicle management DB 6_(III).

[0069] As shown in the above example, route information is added to the vehicle information of the vehicle mechanically stored in the vehicle management DB 6 based on the vehicle information captured by the vehicle information collecting device 8.

[0070] Fig. 8b is a flowchart showing the process of data exchange in each vehicle management server 6s and vehicle management DB 6 for the example shown in Fig. 7. Fig. 8a is a diagram showing the route corresponding to Fig. 8b and the configuration of a database that acquires route information related to the route. Again, to simplify the explanation, only the direction from A interchange to H interchange, that is, the uphill direction, is considered.

[0071] Regarding FIG. 8b and FIG. 8a, first, definitions and meanings of terms will be explained. an: Management area number (n is the management number). The management area number of the vehicle information collecting device 8 is represented by the number of the management area on the downstream side of the up lane. I(an): A set of vehicle information that flows in during a time interval. O(an): A set of vehicle information flows during a time interval. S(an): A set of vehicle information in a vehicle management DB, including historical information. P(m, an): A collection of a series of vehicle information of vehicles passing through the main line during a time interval, in the vehicle information collecting device 8 (i.e., the vehicle position information DB 10). m: The management number of the vehicle information collection device.

[0072] The flow chart shown in Fig. 8b shows the processing contents for the time interval shown in Fig. 6, and by the simple data exchange shown here, all databases assign the number of the management area into which the vehicle enters in order to the vehicle information of the vehicle crossing the management area. Basically, the vehicle information captured by the vehicle information collection device 8 downstream of a certain management area 2 is sent to the vehicle management DB 6 for the downstream management area 2 with the route information added.

[0073] A time interval starts (S02), and for incoming vehicle information, data I(an) is collected in the internal DB 6i during the processing of internal aggregation of the management area. An is added as route information to the collected vehicle information I(an) (S04).

[0074] For the incoming vehicle information, the following processes S06 to S28 are executed between the processes of inter-management area adjustment.

[0075] First, an inquiry is made to the vehicle position information DB 10 downstream of the management area 2_an about the captured vehicle ID. That is, the contents of P(m, an+1) are obtained (S06). That is, here, vehicle data leaving the management area 2_an is obtained. Here, m is the management number of the vehicle information collecting device 8 downstream of an.

[0076] next, The route information of s is set to TIFF0007652583000001.tif981, “an+1” is added to the route information of s, and this s is added to S(an+1) of the management area 2_an+1, which is one area downstream (S08).

[0077] After S08, the process may proceed to the next time interval (S36) without checking S10 below. That is, the process may proceed to the next time interval (S36) on the assumption that there is no missed capture by the vehicle information collecting device 8.

[0078] In the flowchart shown in Fig. 8b, after S08, a check is made to see if "P(m,an+1)-s=0?" That is, a check is made to see if all captured vehicle IDs of P(m,an+1) are derived from S(an) (S10).

[0079] If "P(m,an+1)-s=0" in S10 (S10·YES), the process proceeds to the next time interval (S29).

[0080] If "P(m,an+1)-s=0" is not true in S10 (S10·NO), The route information for s' is also added to S(an+1) in the management area 2_an+1, which is one area downstream (S12).

[0081] Here, it is confirmed whether "P(m,an+1)-s-s'=0?" In other words, it is confirmed whether the captured vehicle ID of P(m,an+1) is derived from S(an) and I(an) (S14).

[0082] If it is determined in S14 that "P(m, an+1)-s-s'=0" (S14 YES), the data in the internal database to which the data was moved, i.e., the data relating to the vehicle information in the internal DB 6i for s', is deleted (S16), and processing proceeds to the next time interval (S29).

[0083] If "P(m,an+1)-s-s'=0" is not true in S14 (S14·NO), then the data in the vehicle management DB6 one step upstream is TIFF0007652583000003.tif773, and "an+1" is added to the route information of s'', and this s'' is also added to S(an+1) in the management area 2_an+1, which is one area downstream (S18).

[0084] Here, it is checked whether "P(m,an+1)-s-s'-s''=0?" In other words, it is checked whether the captured vehicle ID of P(m,an+1) is derived from S(an), I(an), and S(an-1) (S20).

[0085] If it is determined in S20 that P(m, an+1)-s-s'-s''=0 (S20·YES), the process proceeds to the next time interval (S29).

[0086] If "P(m,an+1)-s-s'-s''=0" is not true in S20 (S20·NO), The route information for s'' is also added to S(an+1) in the management area 2_an+1, which is one area downstream (S22).

[0087] Here, it is checked whether "P(m,an+1)-s-s'-s''-s''=0?" In other words, it is checked whether the captured vehicle ID of P(m,an+1) is derived from S(an), I(an), S(an-1), and I(an-1) (S24).

[0088] If it is determined in S24 that "P(m, an+1)-s-s'-s''-s'''=0" (S24 YES), the data in the internal database to which the data was moved, i.e., the data relating to the vehicle information in the internal DB6i for s'' is deleted (S26), and processing proceeds to the next time interval (S29).

[0089] If P(m,an+1)-s-s'-s''-s''''=0 is not satisfied in S24 (S24 YES), the remaining captured vehicle IDs are registered in the unknown vehicle list (S28). Then, the process proceeds to the next time interval (S29).

[0090] Next, the flow of steps S30 to S36 regarding the vehicle information to be released will be described.

[0091] A time interval starts (S02), and for the outgoing vehicle information, O(an) data is collected in the external DB 6o during the processing of internal management area aggregation. From the O(an) route information, the vehicle ID is classified for each management area 2 that has been passed through (S30).

[0092] During the process of inter-management area adjustment for the outgoing vehicle information, first, the vehicle ID of O(an) is sent to the vehicle management server 6s in the classified management area 2 (S32). Next, the vehicle management server 6s deletes the target vehicle ID data of O(an) from S(an) in the vehicle management DB 6 (S34). Then, the process proceeds to the next time interval (S36).

[0093] As described above, after S08, "Is P(m,an+1)-s=0?" is checked in S10, but the process may proceed to the next time interval (S36) without checking this. In other words, assuming that there is no missed capture by the vehicle information collecting device 8, the process may proceed to the next time interval (S36) without performing the processes of S10 to S26.

[0094] 2.2.2. Process for determining route and discounting charges Next, a toll discount process based on route determination performed by the route information acquisition system according to the first embodiment will be described.

[0095] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a route information acquisition system for implementing toll discount processing based on route determination (hereinafter also referred to as route discount processing). Compared to the route information acquisition system shown in FIG. 1, a route management server 56 and a toll calculation server 54 are further provided via a network. The route management server 56 collects information required for route discount processing from each vehicle management DB 6 and sends vehicle information of the corresponding vehicle to the toll calculation server 54. The toll calculation server 54 is a server that performs toll calculation based on predetermined calculation data such as discounts, and this calculation data is composed of entrance toll gate numbers, table information arranged by vehicle type, and table numbers assigned by discount type (hereinafter also referred to as toll information). The toll information is transmitted via the route management server 56 to vehicle management servers 6s in all management areas 2 where discounts may be applied.

[0096] The vehicle management server 6s sends the toll information to the subordinate toll gate system 14, and switches the current toll table to the newly delivered toll information and performs charging processing. These processes employ a method similar to the discount processing in the current ETC, so no major modifications to the current toll gate system 14 are required.

[0097] Next, the route discount process will be described using an example. Fig. 10a is a diagram showing an example of a route and a configuration example of a database that acquires route information related to the route. This is basically the same as the diagram shown in Fig. 8a, but the parts indicated by ki, ku, ke, and ko in the vehicle information collection device 8 in Fig. 8a are omitted.

[0098] It is assumed that congestion due to road construction or the like is expected to occur on the route (a2)-(a3) of the management area from (a1)-(a2)-(a3) on the route (a3). Here, it is assumed that a toll setting is implemented in which the toll fee for vehicles that have passed through the route (a1)-(a5)-(a61)-(a4) of the management area is cheaper than that for vehicles that have passed through the route (a1)-(a2)-(a3)-(a4) of the management area. This makes it possible to reduce the number of vehicles passing through (a2)-(a3), and thus makes it possible to reduce the probability of congestion. Therefore, in the following "1. to 6.," discount processing is implemented for vehicles that pass through the management area (a1)-(a5)-(a6)-(a4). However, to simplify the explanation, only the direction from A interchange to H interchange is assumed. Here, “management areas (a1)-(a2)-(a3)-(a4)” and “management areas (a1)-(a5)-(a61)-(a4)” are examples of route conditions, and in this way the route condition passes through multiple consecutive management areas.

[0099] First, the route management server 56 searches for a group of vehicles that have route information for the pattern (a1)-(a5)-(a6)-(a4), and instructs each vehicle management server 6s and vehicle management DB 6 as follows to perform the discount processing.

[0100] 1. Vehicle information of the patterns (a1)-(a5) is extracted from vehicle management DB6_(a5) of management area 2_(a5) and stored in R(a5), a type of discount target database in route management server 56.

[0101] 2. Similarly, vehicle information of the pattern (a1)-(a5)-(a6) is extracted from vehicle management DB6_(a6) of management area 2_(a6) and stored in R(a6), a type of discount target database, in route management server 56.

[0102] 3. The union of R(a5) and R(a6) is calculated to obtain a discount target list R. Furthermore, the discount target list R is sent to the vehicle position information server 10s that manages the vehicle information collection device 8_(c).

[0103] 4. The vehicle information in the vehicle location information DB 10 captured by the vehicle information collection device 8_(C) immediately upstream of the last management area 2 of the discount route conditions is logically ANDed with the discount target list R to create route condition satisfying vehicle information, which is the vehicle information of vehicles that satisfy the discount route conditions. For vehicles that satisfy the discount route conditions (vehicles belonging to the route condition satisfying vehicle information), the vehicle location information server 10s and the vehicle information collection device 8_(C) turn on the discount flag of the ETC card.

[0104] 5. Vehicles that are registered in R(a6) and are not registered in the route condition satisfying vehicle information are registered in the undetected information list X_(c). All undetected information lists X are stored in the route management server 56.

[0105] 6. The undetected information list X_(c) is distributed to all management areas downstream of management area 2_(a4) and sent to each toll gate system 14.

[0106] With the above processing, when using the ETC system at a toll gate downstream of the management area 2_(a4), if the discount flag on the ETC card is ON, it is possible to search for the fare from the discount fare information and process the charge.

[0107] In addition, for vehicles that have not been detected by the vehicle information collecting device 8_(U), after checking the ETC card, it can be confirmed whether or not the vehicle is eligible for a discount by comparing it with the vehicle information registered in the undetected information X_(U).

[0108] 10b, 10c, and 10d are flow charts of the route discounting process.

[0109] FIG. 10b is a flowchart showing the process of extracting and listing vehicle information of target vehicles based on route conditions for implementing route discounts, and transmitting the list to the relevant vehicle information collection device 8.

[0110] Figure 10c is a flowchart showing the process of writing discount information to the ETC card when the vehicle information captured by the relevant vehicle information collection device 8, i.e., the final vehicle information collection device 8 of the route discount conditions, matches the listed vehicle information.

[0111] Figure 10d is a flowchart showing the process of checking the discount information on the ETC card and carrying out the discount processing at a toll booth system that is an exit where a discount can be applied, and the process of correcting missed collection by comparing it with the missed collection information at the final vehicle information collection device 8 of the route discount conditions.

[0112] Again, for simplicity, only the direction from A interchange to H interchange, that is, the uphill direction, will be considered.

[0113] The definitions and meanings of terms will be explained with reference to Figures 10b, 10c, and 10d. an: Management area number (n is the management number). The management area number of the vehicle information collecting device 8 is represented by the number of the management area on the downstream side of the up lane. S(an): A set of vehicle information in a vehicle management DB, including historical information. P(m, an): A collection of a series of vehicle information of vehicles passing through the main line during a time interval, in the vehicle information collecting device 8 (i.e., the vehicle position information DB 10). m: The management number of the vehicle information collection device. K[a(1),a(2),...,a(n-2),a(n-1),a(n)]: Route condition for implementing route discount. In other words, it indicates the condition that the vehicle must have passed through the management areas a(1), a(2),..., and a(n). a(n): represents the nth management area. F[a(1)], F[a(2)], …, F[a(n-2)], F[a(n-1)], F[a(n)]: A set of vehicle information collectors required for discount route detection.

[0114] In the flow chart shown in Fig. 10b, a time interval starts (S50), and the route management server 56 accepts discount route information if there is such information (S52). The discount route conditions and the like are checked in the discount route information (S54). A discount table number is determined, and is sent to the fee calculation server 54 together with the discount route conditions (S54).

[0115] Discount route condition: K[a1, a2, . . . , an-2, an-1, an] is input (S58). Note that the following processes of S60 to S68 are executed for each lane of the expressway, in both directions.

[0116] An inquiry is made to S(an-1) of the vehicle management DB 6 that is one level upstream from the end in terms of the discount route conditions. S(an-1) contains history information. Vehicles that have route information of K[a1, ..., an-2, an-1] are extracted from S(an-1) and registered in R(1) (S60).

[0117] Similarly, an inquiry is made to S(an-2) of the vehicle management DB 6, which is two routes upstream from the last one in the discount route conditions. S(an-2) also contains history information. Vehicles having route information of K[a1, ..., an-2] are extracted from S(an-2) and registered in R(2) (S62).

[0118] The union of R(1) and R(2) is calculated. That is, a discount target list R = R(1) + R(2) is created (S64). Note that duplicate data is deleted from one side.

[0119] The discount target list R may be R(1). In this case, R(2) (S62) does not need to be created.

[0120] After the route discount is confirmed, the discount target list R is sent to the vehicle location information server 10s that manages the vehicle information collection device F[an] at the end of the route (S66).

[0121] First, the vehicle location information server 10s performs a logical product of the vehicle information in the vehicle location information DB 10 belonging to the vehicle information collection device 8 immediately upstream of the last management area 2 in the discount route condition, that is, the final vehicle information collection device F[an] of the route, and the discount target list R. TIFF0007652583000005.tif974 is obtained. This creates discount route condition satisfying vehicle information, which is vehicle information on vehicles that satisfy the discount route conditions. Next, Using TIFF0007652583000006.tif9136, an undetected vehicle list X is obtained, and distributed together with the discount table number to the tollgate system 14 of the interchange 52 where discount processing can be performed (S68). Here, obtaining the undetected vehicle list X means creating a supplementary list for the route condition satisfying vehicle information, which supplements the vehicle information of vehicles that satisfy the discount route conditions. Therefore, it is preferable to register in the undetected information list X even vehicles for which an attempt was made to turn on the discount flag of the ETC card in S82 of the flowchart shown in the following FIG. 10c but the flag did not turn on.

[0122] In the flowchart shown in Fig. 10c, the final vehicle information collection device 8 of the route discount conditions and the vehicle position information server 10s check whether the passing vehicle is included in the discount target list R (S80). That is, it is checked whether the logical product of the final vehicle information collection device F[an] of the route and the discount target list R is satisfied.

[0123] If the passing vehicle is included in list R (S80 YES), the route discount flag in the ETC card of that vehicle is turned ON, and the discount table number is written in the ETC card (S82). Then, the process returns to S80 (S84).

[0124] If the passing vehicle is not included in list R (S80·NO), S80 is repeated for the data of the next passing vehicle (S84).

[0125] That is, in the flowchart shown in FIG. The system searches for the vehicle identified by TIFF0007652583000007.tif881, turns on the route discount flag on the ETC card of the target vehicle, and writes the discount table number to the ETC card.

[0126] The flowchart shown in Fig. 10d shows the process that is additionally performed in the toll gate system 14 at the interchange, which is the exit where the discount process can be executed. First, the toll gate system 14 checks whether the route discount flag of the ETC card of the passing vehicle is ON (S90).

[0127] If the route discount flag of the ETC card of the passing vehicle is ON (S90 YES), the toll gate system 14 performs charging processing using the toll table of the table number written in the ETC card (S92). The toll table is obtained from the toll calculation server 54. Then, the process returns to S90 and processing is performed on the data of the next vehicle (S98).

[0128] If the route discount flag of the ETC card of the passing vehicle is not ON (S90·NO), the tollgate system 14 checks whether the vehicle ID of the passing vehicle is included in the undetected vehicle list X (S94).

[0129] If the vehicle ID of the passing vehicle is included in the undetected vehicle list X (S94 YES), the toll booth system 14 performs charging processing using the toll table with the table number written in the undetected vehicle list X (S96). Then, the process returns to S90 and processing is performed on the data of the next vehicle (S98).

[0130] If the vehicle ID of the passing vehicle is not included in the undetected vehicle list X (S94·NO), the process returns to S90 and the data of the next vehicle is processed (S98).

[0131] 2.3. Route Determination Error A route determination error in the route information acquisition system according to the first embodiment will be described.

[0132] The vehicle information collection device 8 involved in determining the route has a detection rate of 99% even when using a FF antenna, with approximately 1% of undetected vehicles occurring. With a traffic volume of 10,000 vehicles per day, this means that 100 vehicles per day will be undetected, and it can be said that there is a problem with improving the accuracy. However, in the case of the route information acquisition system according to the first embodiment, if the discount route is made up of two or more consecutive management areas 2, the discounted vehicle will pass through at least two vehicle information collection devices. In this case, the undetected rate is approximately 0.01%, and even with a traffic volume of 10,000 vehicles per day, the number of undetected vehicles will drop to approximately one.

[0133] Here, a correction method in the route discount process shown in Fig. 10a to Fig. 10d will be described. A vehicle that has passed through the route (a1)-(a5)-(a6)-(a4) is always a vehicle that has the route information (a1)-(a5), and is therefore included in R(a5). Similarly, a vehicle that has the route information (a1)-(a5)-(a6) is also included in R(a6). By combining both of these pieces of information, it is possible to grasp vehicles other than those that have not been detected by both (d) and (e) of the vehicle information collecting device 8. By comparing this information with the information captured by the vehicle information collecting device 8_(c), it is possible to grasp the route information of 99.99% of the vehicles captured by the vehicle information collecting device 8_(c) and write a flag for discounting to the ETC card.

[0134] However, the vehicles not detected by the vehicle information collecting device 8_(C) cannot be corrected. Let us consider how to correct this. First, the data obtained by adding together R(a5) and R(a6) contains 99.99% of the vehicles to be found, and the remaining information obtained by subtracting the information detected by the vehicle information collecting device 8_(C) from this information contains vehicles that were not detected by the vehicle information collecting device 8_(C). However, this undetected information contains a lot of useless information, such as R(a5), and ultimately increases the search time when processing in the toll gate system 14 at the exit.

[0135] Therefore, by subtracting the information detected by the vehicle information collecting device 8_(C) from R(a6) and obtaining an undetected vehicle list X_(C), it becomes possible to process the exit toll booth system 14 with less information. In this case, the possibility that the target vehicle will be excluded by excluding R(a5) is the probability that the vehicle is undetected by both (D) and (C) of the vehicle information collecting device 8, which is less than 0.01%.

[0136] Since the management area numbers are consecutive except for the final vehicle information collecting device that performs the discount processing, even if a non-detection occurs at any of the vehicle information collecting devices 8, it is possible to correct the number. If the vehicle travels through "1-2-3-4" in the management area 2 as shown in Fig. 5, the vehicle information collecting device 8 passes through three areas "A-E-U." Even if a non-detection occurs at any of A, B, or C, since each vehicle management DB 6 also manages vehicle information of vehicles leaked by the external DB 6o, it is possible to correct the detection information since it can be assumed that the vehicle will not be dropped off midway if there is no leaked information.

[0137] Therefore, as the number of management areas in the route discount conditions increases, the detection rate becomes nearly 100%, so when creating the undetected vehicle list X, it is sufficient to use the vehicle information of the vehicle detected by the final vehicle information collection device 8 in the route discount conditions (i.e., the vehicle information stored in the vehicle position information DB) and the discount target database (list) based on the previous management area.

[0138] In the route shown in FIG. 5, it is assumed that a discount is implemented based only on information (d), (e), and (c) from the vehicle information collecting device 8. In this case, all vehicles from upstream including the management area 2_(1) become target vehicles, so data on the target vehicles cannot be collected unless a vehicle information collecting device 8 is added between the interchange 52_(B) and the junction section 50. In addition, in the vehicle information collected by this vehicle information collecting device 8, a search is performed for vehicles that match the vehicle information collected by (c) of the vehicle information collecting device 8 and the vehicle information collected by (d) and (e), but the time to go back to determine the target vehicle to be searched for cannot be specified, so the target vehicle must be processed by going back to approximately the maximum time.

[0139] Moreover, the data collected by these individual vehicle information collecting devices 8 covers all passing vehicles, resulting in a huge amount of data. Furthermore, a high-speed processing device is required to process the extraction of only the target vehicles from the huge amount of vehicle information. As a result, it is impossible to perform the charging process in a very short time (e.g., 500 milliseconds or less), as is the case with general ETC systems.

[0140] Furthermore, if the processing of route discounts and the like were to be realized using only the vehicle information collecting device 8, it would be necessary to install the vehicle information collecting device 8 at a location that corresponds to the discount conditions each time. Furthermore, software for data processing would need to be created each time according to each discount condition, meaning that the system as a whole would not have generality or flexibility. In other words, system changes would become more frequent as discount conditions and the like fluctuated, resulting in a lack of flexibility for the entire system.

[0141] When a vehicle uses a toll ticket to travel on an expressway, the route information acquisition system and toll gate system 14 perform processing for the toll ticket. In this case, a license plate reader is used in place of the FF antenna system in the vehicle information collection device 8. The toll gate system 14 does not perform processing using an ETC card, but performs information retrieval in the undetected vehicle list X using the vehicle ID acquired using the license plate reader at the exit toll gate. In the case of processing for a toll ticket, the processing time at the exit toll gate is relatively long, so the above-mentioned information retrieval processing can be used to adequately execute route determination and route discount processing.

[0142] 2.4. Costs for building a route information acquisition system The cost for constructing the route information acquisition system according to the first embodiment will be described.

[0143] Since it is sufficient to match the timing with actual traffic time at the latest, the route information acquisition system disclosed herein does not require high speed processing of the vehicle management DB 6 or the vehicle position information DB 10. Furthermore, the route information acquisition system disclosed herein has a simple configuration that repeats standard data exchange processing in a database such as replication, and by setting appropriate management areas, it is possible to build an economical and efficient system that can reduce the number of vehicle information collection devices. Note that in a toll booth system equipped with an ETC-related system, the route information acquisition system disclosed herein can be realized by making small changes such as adding a function to accept and switch to a new toll table.

[0144] The software for the vehicle management DB 6 constituting the route information acquisition system according to the first embodiment and the vehicle management server 6s that manages the vehicle management DB 6 can be the same for each database and server. This is inexpensive from the viewpoint of the entire system. Furthermore, the database software actually used does not require high speed processing, and the specific processing content is standard for database software, so it can be constructed inexpensively. Furthermore, since a database system is constructed for each management area, the number of management areas and the construction costs are proportional.

[0145] The size of the management area will now be described. On expressways, driving distances of 50km or more account for 24% of the total (however, this is the national average). In light of this, if the range of one management area 2 is set to approximately 100km, approximately 60% of the vehicles that flow into a certain management area from the outside will flow out again within the management area. In other words, in the route information acquisition system disclosed herein, it is possible to reduce the number of vehicles that need to know the route to 40% of the total.

[0146] In urban areas, where there are many junctions, the management area tends to be small, whereas in rural areas, where there are few junctions, it is possible to set the management area large. Here, since traffic congestion occurs frequently in urban areas, setting the management area small allows for flexible discount settings. Also, even if the management area is set large in rural areas, the number of vehicles to be managed as targets will be small. Furthermore, by setting the management area larger, the overall costs associated with the system can be reduced, but the amount of information handled within one management area may increase. The size of the management area needs to be considered, taking into account the load on billing calculation processing, etc.

[0147] The toll table data to be distributed does not need to be distributed to all toll gate systems, but only to toll gate systems at interchanges where a toll different from the normal toll may be charged. The distribution of toll tables can also be simplified by managing them on a management area basis rather than on an interchange basis. In other words, because the toll table data is distributed only to the necessary management areas, the load on each toll gate system is averaged, and the increased cost for route discount processing is small, even if the number of discount types increases. Since there are a large number of toll gates, this has a significant effect on overall cost savings.

[0148] It is also possible to install two vehicle management DBs 6 in a manner that divides one management area 2 in half, rather than installing only one vehicle management DB 6 in the management area 2. By installing two vehicle management DBs 6 in this way, a backup function for the vehicle management DB 6 can be provided, and system redundancy can be improved. Furthermore, network efficiency can be improved by distributing the vehicle management DBs 6 in two locations.

[0149] 2.5. Effects of the Route Information Acquisition System According to the First Embodiment By adopting the route information acquisition system according to the first embodiment, it is possible to take proactive measures to control toll resistance, in addition to simply disseminating information related to restrictions and congestion related to long-term road construction restrictions that occur due to large-scale repairs on expressways, and congestion expected for large-scale events such as the Olympics. This improves the social benefits of toll roads such as expressways, and increases the utilization efficiency of the roads themselves.

[0150] 3. [Other embodiments] As described above, the embodiments have been described as examples of the technology disclosed in the present application. However, the technology in the present disclosure is not limited to these, and may be applied to embodiments in which modifications, substitutions, additions, omissions, etc. are made as appropriate.

[0151] In the route information acquisition system according to the first embodiment, it is possible to manage not only the route information of the vehicle but also the information of the vehicle exiting the toll gate. By using this, when a vehicle is forced to transfer between interchanges due to a road closure or the like, it is possible to perform an immediate charge adjustment process when passing through the toll gate of the interchange without making a delayed charge adjustment.

[0152] In other words, vehicles that re-enter within a certain time from the exit time recorded in the external DB 6o are automatically detected and listed, making it possible to instantly extract vehicles that are subject to charge adjustment. In other words, by using this list to perform the necessary toll calculations, the toll gate system 14 at the exit can process the charge at the corrected amount. This not only allows the user to see the accurate toll, but also reduces the costs involved in the subsequent charge correction process that has been carried out in the past.

[0153] In addition, the accompanying drawings and detailed description are provided to explain the embodiments. Therefore, among the components described in the accompanying drawings and detailed description, not only essential components for solving the problem but also components that are not essential for solving the problem in order to illustrate the above technology may be included. Therefore, the fact that the non-essential components are described in the accompanying drawings or detailed description should not be interpreted as immediately indicating that the non-essential components are essential.

[0154] Furthermore, since the above-described embodiments are intended to illustrate the technology in the present disclosure, various modifications, substitutions, additions, omissions, and the like can be made within the scope of the claims or their equivalents. [Explanation of symbols]

[0155] 2. Management area, 6. Vehicle management database, 6s... Vehicle management server, 6u Vehicle management DB [upbound], 6d...Vehicle Management DB [Downbound] 6o...External DB, 6i...Internal DB, 8. Vehicle information collection device, 10. Vehicle location information DB, 10s... Vehicle location information server, 12. Toll booth, 14 Toll booth system, 16. Fee data processing device, 18 ETC toll booth server, 20 ETC lane server 22 ETC processing section, 24 ETC communication unit, 26 ETC antenna, 28...cash management device, 30 Cash handling section, 32 Ticket reader 34....Ticket issuing device, 35 License plate reader, 36... Host system, 38... Intermediate aggregation device, 40 Payment information aggregation device, 42 Payment service provider device, 44 Branching point 50 Junction section, 52···Interchange, 54... Fee calculation server, 56 Route management server.

Claims

1. A plurality of vehicle location information databases; a plurality of vehicle position information servers that manage and control corresponding vehicle position information databases among the plurality of vehicle position information databases; A plurality of vehicle management databases; a vehicle management server that manages and controls a corresponding vehicle management database among the plurality of vehicle management databases; A route information acquisition system provided via a network, Each vehicle location information database stores vehicle information including at least a vehicle ID of a vehicle passing through the toll road detected by a corresponding vehicle information collecting device; Each vehicle management database is a vehicle information collection device provided upstream of each of the plurality of management areas, and aggregates and stores vehicle information detected by the vehicle information collection device excluding toll gates; Each management area includes one or more interchanges on a single route on the toll road, but does not include a junction, In the route information acquisition system, At a given cycle, (1) Each vehicle location information server stores vehicle information collected by a corresponding vehicle information collecting device in a corresponding vehicle location information database; (2) Each vehicle location information server inquires of a vehicle management database belonging to a management area located one upstream from the corresponding vehicle information collecting device about vehicle information stored in the corresponding vehicle location information database accumulated during a predetermined period; (3) A vehicle management server that manages the queried vehicle management database sends the queried vehicle information in the vehicle management database to a vehicle management database that belongs to a management area that is located one area downstream from the corresponding vehicle information collection device, (4) The vehicle management server that manages the vehicle management database to which the queried vehicle information is sent adds the code of the management area to which the vehicle management database belongs to the vehicle information and stores the vehicle information in the corresponding vehicle management database. Repeatedly execute The vehicle is equipped with a card that stores information indicating an entrance to the toll road and information on the date and time of entry, When the vehicle information collection device detects the vehicle information of the vehicle, if the detected vehicle information matches a target vehicle list indicating vehicle information of a target vehicle, which is a target vehicle list created from the multiple vehicle management databases obtained in (1) to (4) that are repeatedly executed at the specified period, a management area code indicating a passing point on the route traveled by the vehicle on the toll road is added to the card of the vehicle.

2. The interchange includes a vehicle ID collection device that collects vehicle information including at least a vehicle ID of a vehicle entering or exiting the interchange, Each vehicle management database includes an internal database for storing vehicle information collected by the vehicle ID collection device of vehicles entering through an interchange within a management area to which the vehicle management database belongs; In the route information acquisition system, Instead of inquiring as described above in (2), (2-1) The vehicle location information server sequentially queries a vehicle management database belonging to a management area one level upstream of the vehicle information collecting device, an internal database included in the vehicle management database, a vehicle management database belonging to a management area two levels upstream, and further an internal database included in the vehicle management database, for vehicle information stored in the vehicle location information database accumulated during a predetermined period, until the vehicle information is found. The route information acquisition system according to claim 1 , further comprising:

3. Each vehicle management database further includes: an external database for storing vehicle information collected by the vehicle ID collection device of vehicles exiting through interchanges in a management area to which each vehicle management database belongs; Furthermore, in the predetermined period, When the external database stores the vehicle information of the vehicle to be leaked, a vehicle management server that manages the vehicle management database deletes the stored vehicle information from all vehicle management databases in which the vehicle information of the vehicle to be leaked is stored. The route information acquisition system according to claim 2 , which is executed repeatedly.

4. Further, a route management server is provided via a network, The route management server includes the target vehicle list, In the route information acquisition system, Furthermore, in the predetermined period, (A) the route management server sets a given route condition passing through a plurality of management areas; (B) the route management server extracts vehicle information having code information for a route from the first management area of ​​the given route condition to the management area one upstream from the last management area of ​​the given route condition in a vehicle management database in the management area one upstream from the last management area of ​​the given route condition, and creates the target vehicle list; (C) a vehicle location information server corresponding to a vehicle information collection device immediately upstream of the last management area in the given route condition calculates a logical product between the created target vehicle list and vehicle information in a vehicle location information database corresponding to the vehicle information collection device, and creates route condition satisfying vehicle information, which is vehicle information of vehicles that satisfy the given route condition; The route information acquisition system according to claim 3 , further comprising:

5. The route management server further includes a first target list and a second target list; In the route information acquisition system, Instead of creating a target vehicle list in (B) above, (B-1) The route management server extracts vehicle information having code information for a route from the first management area of ​​the given route condition to the management area in a vehicle management database in a management area one upstream from the last management area of ​​the given route condition, and creates the first target list; (B-2) The route management server extracts vehicle information having code information for a route from the first management area of ​​the given route condition to the management area in a vehicle management database in the management area two upstream from the last in the given route condition, and creates the second target list; (B-3) The route management server creates a target vehicle list by obtaining a union of the first target list and the second target list. The route information acquisition system according to claim 4 , further comprising:

6. In the route information acquisition system, Furthermore, in the predetermined period, the vehicle location information server creates an undetected list for the list of vehicles satisfying the given route condition, by using the remaining information obtained by subtracting the vehicle information group of the route condition satisfying vehicle information from the vehicle information group of the target vehicle list, the information being the vehicle that has not been detected by the vehicle information collecting device, to supplement the list of vehicles satisfying the given route condition; The route information acquisition system according to claim 4 , further comprising:

7. In the route information acquisition system, Furthermore, in the predetermined period, the vehicle location information server creates an undetected list for the list of vehicles satisfying the given route condition, by using the remaining information obtained by subtracting the vehicle information group of the route condition satisfying vehicle information from the vehicle information group of the first target list, the information being the vehicle that has not been detected by the vehicle information collecting device, to supplement the list of vehicles satisfying the given route condition; The route information acquisition system according to claim 5 , further comprising:

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