Fee Receiving System and Fee Receiving Method

Abstract

To provide a toll collection system capable of performing post-toll collection procedures from remote locations.SOLUTION: A toll collection system includes: a first roadside device installed in at least one entrance toll booth; and a second roadside device installed in at least one exit toll booth. The toll collection system allows the first roadside device to issue a ticket with information indicating the entrance toll booth when a vehicle enters the toll booth, allows the second roadside device to calculate the toll by referring to the information on the ticket indicating the entrance toll booth when the vehicle enters, photographs an official certificate of a user of a vehicle to obtain information on the official certificate, and issues a notice based on the toll and the information on the official certificate.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 15

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure may relate to, for example, a fee collection system and a fee collection method.

Background Art

[0002] The following disclosure is illustrative. It should be understood that the present application and the scope of the present invention are not limited or restricted by the following disclosure.

[0003] On toll roads, an electronic toll collection system (ETC: Electronic Toll Collection System (registered trademark), also referred to as an "automatic toll collection system") is used to automatically collect tolls from vehicles equipped with on-vehicle units (hereinafter also referred to as "ETC vehicles") (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0004] On the other hand, for vehicles not equipped with on-vehicle units (hereinafter also referred to as "non-ETC vehicles"), a toll collector stationed in a manned booth provided on the roadside of the toll booth lane may directly receive and deliver a pass, cash, a credit card, etc. to the user boarding the non-ETC vehicle to collect the toll.

[0005] In recent years, for users of non-ETC vehicles, a collection method (hereinafter also referred to as post-collection) has been studied in which a toll collector copies the information on the face of the user's public certificate (driver's license, My Number card, etc.) and later collects (bills) the toll from the user. Even in the procedure of post-collection, since the toll collector needs to deliver the public certificate to the user, face-to-face interaction with the user is required.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

PROBLEMS TO BE SOLVED BY THE INVENTION

[0007] The following disclosure is illustrative. It should be understood that the present application and the scope of the present invention are not limited or restricted by the following disclosure.

[0008] In recent years, for non-ETC vehicles, a system has been desired in which a toll collector can perform post-collection procedures from a remote location without face-to-face interaction with the user.

[0009] In addition, in recent years, in order to promote "cashless and touchless toll booths", a review of the toll booth operation method centered on "ETC specialization" that mainly uses the ETC system of Patent Document 1 above for toll collection has been studied.

[0010] Furthermore, for non-ETC vehicles, in order to reduce the contact opportunities between the toll collector and the user, methods of collecting (billing) tolls to the user from the information of public certificates or license plates confirmed at the toll booth or the utilization of a toll calculator have been studied.

[0011] In addition, according to Patent Document 2 above, in order to apply to the long-distance toll sections that occupy most of the domestic expressways and vary the tolls according to the distance, an acquisition process of entrance toll booth information using a toll ticket or a transfer ticket is disclosed.

[0012] Therefore, conventionally, for example, a toll collection system and a toll collection method have been desired that can perform post-collection procedures for tolls from a remote location without a toll collector having face-to-face interaction with the user. However, this is illustrative. It should be understood that the present application and the scope of the present invention are not limited or restricted by this.

MEANS FOR SOLVING THE PROBLEMS

[0013] The following disclosure is illustrative. It should be understood that the present application and the scope of the present invention are not limited or restricted by the following disclosure.

[0014] One aspect of the present disclosure is a toll collection system including a first roadside device installed at at least one entrance tollgate and a second roadside device installed at at least one exit tollgate. The first roadside device issues a ticket containing information indicating the entrance tollgate when a vehicle enters. The second roadside device calculates a toll by referring to the information indicating the entrance tollgate of the ticket when a vehicle enters, captures an image of the official certificate of the vehicle user to obtain information of the official certificate, and issues a notice based on the toll and the information of the official certificate.

[0015] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, in the above toll collection system, the information of the official certificate includes still image data of the official certificate and OCR data of the still image data of the official certificate.

[0016] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, in the above toll collection system, the ticket has magnetically recorded information.

[0017] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, in the above toll collection system, the second roadside device reads the magnetically recorded information of the ticket when referring to the ticket when a vehicle enters.

[0018] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, in the above toll collection system, when the second roadside device detects an error when reading the magnetically recorded information of the ticket when a vehicle enters, the second roadside device acquires a still image of the ticket.

[0019] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, in the above toll collection system, the notice describes the name of at least one entrance tollgate where the vehicle enters, the name of at least one exit tollgate where the vehicle enters, the toll, the payment deadline, and the payment method.

[0020] One aspect of the present disclosure is a toll collection method in a toll collection system including a first roadside device installed at at least one entrance toll gate and a second roadside device installed at at least one exit toll gate. In the first roadside device, when a vehicle enters, a toll ticket including information indicating the entrance toll gate is issued. In the second roadside device, when a vehicle enters, a toll is calculated with reference to the information indicating the entrance toll gate of the toll ticket, an official certificate of the vehicle user is imaged to obtain information of the official certificate, and a notice is issued from the toll and the information of the official certificate. This is a toll collection method having the steps of

Advantages of the Invention

[0021] According to the toll collection system and the toll collection method according to the present disclosure, for example, a toll collection procedure can be performed remotely without a collector dealing with the user face to face. However, this is an example. It should be understood that the present application and the scope of the present invention are not limited or restricted by this.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0022]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

Figure 13

Figure 14

Figure 15

Figure 16

Figure 17

Figure 18

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0023] The following disclosure is illustrative. It should be understood that the present application and the scope of the present invention are not limited or restricted by the following disclosure. <First Embodiment> Hereinafter, the toll collection system 1 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7.

[0024] (Overall Configuration) FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a toll collection system according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. The toll collection system 1 according to this embodiment is provided at a tollgate (entrance tollgate or exit tollgate) of a toll road and collects a toll from a vehicle A traveling on a lane L connecting the toll road and a general road. The vehicle A includes an ETC vehicle equipped with an in-vehicle unit and a non-ETC vehicle not equipped with an in-vehicle unit. The lane L according to this embodiment is an ETC dedicated lane provided with an electronic toll collection system (ETC facility 2). In other embodiments, the lane L may be a lane provided for non-ETC vehicles.

[0025] In this embodiment, an example in which the toll collection system 1 is provided at an exit tollgate will be described. Hereinafter, the extending direction (±X direction) of the lane L will be referred to as the "lane direction". Also, the toll road side (-X side) in the lane direction will be referred to as the "upstream side", and the general road side (+X side) will be referred to as the "downstream side". Further, the width direction (±Y direction) of the lane L will be referred to as the "lane width direction".

[0026] In addition, FIG. 1 shows an example in which only one lane L is provided at the tollgate, but the present invention is not limited to this. In other embodiments, a plurality of lanes L may be provided at the tollgate.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 1, the toll collection system 1 includes an ETC facility 2, a roadside device 3, and a monitoring device 4. The toll collection system 1 according to this embodiment performs toll collection processing on an ETC vehicle via the ETC facility 2 while the ETC vehicle is traveling on the lane L. On the other hand, for non-ETC vehicles, the toll collection system 1 does not collect the toll on the lane L, but performs post-collection in which the user of the non-ETC vehicle pays the toll later. The toll collection system 1 uses the roadside device 3 installed on the lane L and the monitoring device 4 installed at a remote location (for example, the tollgate office) of the lane L to identify the user of the non-ETC vehicle and create data for post-collection.

[0028] (Configuration of ETC Facility) The ETC device 2 is a group of devices for automatically collecting tolls via wireless communication from an ETC vehicle equipped with an on-vehicle unit. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the ETC device 2 includes an entrance-side vehicle detector 21, a roadside antenna 22, a communication vehicle detector 23, a lane server 24, a departure controller 25, and an exit-side vehicle detector 26.

[0029] The entrance-side vehicle detector 21 is, for example, a transmissive vehicle detector as shown in FIG. 1, and outputs a detection signal capable of distinguishing the presence or absence of vehicle A at the entrance detection position X1.

[0030] When the roadside antenna 22 detects that vehicle A has entered lane L by the entrance-side vehicle detector 21, it radiates radio waves for wireless communication toward a predetermined communication area on lane L. Also, the roadside antenna 22 performs wireless communication with an on-vehicle unit (not shown) mounted on vehicle A in a predetermined procedure, acquires on-vehicle unit information from the on-vehicle unit, and performs a notification process of the toll to the on-vehicle unit.

[0031] The communication vehicle detector 23 detects the passage of vehicle A through the communication end position X2. The communication vehicle detector 23 has the same device configuration as the entrance-side vehicle detector 21. When the communication vehicle detector 23 detects that vehicle A has passed through the communication end position X2, the roadside antenna 22 stops radiating radio waves.

[0032] The lane server 24 executes a process of collecting tolls from an ETC vehicle. Since the toll collection process by the lane server 24 is the same as the process by a normal electronic toll collection system, the description is omitted.

[0033] The departure controller 25 opens and closes the opening / closing bar according to an opening / closing command from the lane server 24 or the roadside device 3, thereby opening (permitting vehicle A to exit from lane L) and closing (restricting vehicle A from exiting from lane L) lane L.

[0034] The exit-side vehicle detector 26 detects the passage of the vehicle A at the exit detection position X3 (exit from the traffic lane L). The exit-side vehicle detector 26 has the same device configuration as the entry-side vehicle detector 21.

[0035] (Functional Configuration of Roadside Unit) The roadside unit 3 identifies the users of non-ETC vehicles and creates data for post-collection so as to perform post-collection for collecting the toll after the non-ETC vehicles have exited the toll road.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 1, the roadside unit 3 is installed on the island I on the downstream side (+X side) of the communication vehicle detector 23 and on the upstream side (-X side) of the start control device 25 in the lane direction. For example, the roadside unit 3 is arranged to coincide with the position of the driver's seat of the vehicle parked in front of (-X side) the start control device 25 when the opening and closing bar of the start control device 25 is closed.

[0037] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of the roadside unit according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 2, the roadside unit 3 includes a CPU 30, a lane-side communication unit 31, an imaging unit 33, a printing unit 35, a memory 36, a storage 37, and a communication I / F (Interface) 38. Also, as shown in FIG. 1, the lane-side communication unit 31, the imaging unit 33, and the printing unit 35 are provided on the surface of the roadside unit 3 facing the traffic lane L (the surface on the +Y side in FIG. 1) so that they can be used by the users boarding non-ETC vehicles.

[0038] The CPU 30 is a processor that controls the overall operation of the roadside unit 3. Details of the functions of the CPU 30 will be described later.

[0039] The lane-side communication unit 31 is an intercom for communicating between the user and the cashier stationed at the toll booth office.

[0040] The imaging unit 33 captures an official certificate held by the user. The official certificate is, for example, a certificate related to an individual issued by a public office or other related organization such as the user's driver's license, My Number card, passport, etc., and on which user information (information on the face of the certificate) that can identify the user is written. The user information includes, for example, the identification number of the official certificate (driver's license number, My Number, passport number, etc.), the user's name, address, etc. The video of the official certificate captured by the imaging unit 33 is sequentially transmitted to the monitoring device 4 via the communication I / F 38 described later.

[0041] The printing unit 35 is a printer that prints a notice regarding post - collection.

[0042] The memory 36 is a so - called main memory device and has a storage area necessary for the operation of the CPU 30.

[0043] The storage 37 is a so - called auxiliary storage device and is a large - capacity storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive).

[0044] The communication I / F 38 transmits and receives data to and from the monitoring device 4 via a network.

[0045] Next, with reference to FIG. 2, the functions of the CPU 30 will be described. By operating according to a predetermined program, the CPU 30 exhibits functions as a still - image acquisition unit 301, a printing process unit 303, and a command output unit 304.

[0046] The still - image acquisition unit 301 acquires a still image including the official certificate from the video captured by the imaging unit 33. The still image acquired by the still - image acquisition unit 301 is transmitted to the monitoring device 4 via the communication I / F 38.

[0047] The printing process unit 303 creates printing data for a notice regarding post - collection based on the information received from the monitoring device 4 and instructs the printing unit 35 to print.

[0048] After the creation of the post-collection data is completed, the command output unit 304 outputs an open command to the start control device 25. In the present embodiment, the command output unit 304 outputs an open command when it receives the post-collection data created by the monitoring device 4 described later.

[0049] (Functional Configuration of Monitoring Device) FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of the monitoring device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. The monitoring device 4 is a device used when a cashier stationed at the toll office monitors the lane L. As shown in FIG. 3, the monitoring device 4 includes a CPU 40, an office-side communication unit 41, an operation unit 42, a display unit 43, a memory 44, a storage 45, and a communication I / F (Interface) 46.

[0050] The CPU 40 is a processor that controls the overall operation of the monitoring device 4. Details of the functions of the CPU 40 will be described later.

[0051] The office-side communication unit 41 is an intercom for making calls between the cashier and the users boarding non-ETC vehicles.

[0052] The operation unit 42 is an input device (such as a keyboard or a mouse) for receiving the operations of the cashier.

[0053] The display unit 43 is a display device (such as a liquid crystal display) for displaying various information related to the post-collection of the tolls for non-ETC vehicles. Note that the operation unit 42 and the display unit 43 may be integrally configured by a touch panel.

[0054] The memory 44 is a so-called main storage device and has a storage area necessary for the operation of the CPU 40.

[0055] The storage 45 is a so-called auxiliary storage device and is a large-capacity storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive).

[0056] The communication I / F 46 transmits and receives data to and from the roadside device 3 via a network.

[0057] Next, with reference to FIG. 3, the functions of the CPU 40 will be described. By operating according to a predetermined program, the CPU 40 functions as a data creation unit 401.

[0058] Based on the user information indicated in the official certificate photographed by the imaging unit 33 of the roadside device 3, the data creation unit 401 creates data for post-collection of the user's toll. In this embodiment, the toll collector visually checks the video, reads the user information indicated in the official certificate, and inputs it to the monitoring device 4 via the operation unit 42. The created post-collection data is stored in the storage 45. Also, the post-collection data stored in the storage 45 is aggregated to a host device (not shown) at predetermined timings (for example, every day) and used for management such as checking whether the user has made a payment.

[0059] (Processing Flow of Toll Collection System) FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing of the toll collection system according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 4, an example of the processing in which the toll collection system 1 according to this embodiment creates post-collection data for non-ETC vehicles will be described.

[0060] When a non-ETC vehicle enters lane L, no toll collection process is performed by the ETC facility 2, and the launch control unit 25 keeps the opening / closing bar closed. The non-ETC vehicle stops in front of the launch control unit 25. At this time, the user boarding the non-ETC vehicle communicates with the toll collector at the toll office via the lane-side communication unit 31 of the roadside device 3.

[0061] Then, the toll collector requests the user to hold the official certificate in front of the imaging unit 33 via the office-side communication unit 41 of the monitoring device 4 (step S101).

[0062] The imaging unit 33 of the roadside device 3 captures the official certificate held by the user (step S102). The video captured by the imaging unit 33 of the roadside device 3 is sequentially transmitted to the monitoring device 4 (step S103).

[0063] The video transmitted from the roadside device 3 is displayed on the display unit 43 of the monitoring device 4. The recipient visually checks the video displayed on the display unit 43 and reads the user information indicated on the official certificate of the user. If it is difficult to visually recognize the official certificate due to the movement of the user's hand, the recipient operates the operation unit 42 of the monitoring device 4 to acquire a still image. Then, the data creation unit 401 of the monitoring device 4 requests the roadside device 3 to acquire a still image (step S104).

[0064] When the still image acquisition unit 301 of the roadside device 3 receives the request from the monitoring device 4, it acquires a still image including the official certificate from the video captured by the imaging unit 33 (step S105) and transmits it to the monitoring device 4 (step S106). If the video is sufficiently clear and the recipient can read the official certificate without a still image, the processes of steps S104 to S106 may be omitted.

[0065] The still image transmitted from the roadside device 3 is displayed on the display unit 43 of the monitoring device 4. The recipient visually checks the still image displayed on the display unit 43 and reads the user information indicated on the official certificate of the user. Then, the recipient inputs the read user information via the operation unit 42 (keyboard) of the monitoring device 4 (step S108).

[0066] If user information (for example, address) is also described on the reverse side of the official certificate, the processes of steps S101 to S108 may be performed again to acquire the user information described on the reverse side. At this time, the display unit 43 of the monitoring device 4 displays the front - side still image of the official certificate that has been acquired previously and the reverse - side still image of the newly acquired official certificate side by side. Also, the display unit 43 may switch and display either the front - side still image or the reverse - side still image according to the recipient's operation.

[0067] Next, the data creation unit 401 of the monitoring device 4 creates post - collection data based on the user information input by the collector (step S109). The created post - collection data is stored in the storage 45.

[0068] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of post - collection data according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 5, the post - collection data D1 includes a process number, toll information, and user information received from the roadside device 3.

[0069] The process number is a sequential number for managing the post - collection data D1.

[0070] The toll information includes a toll gate ID, a lane ID, a date and time, a vehicle type, and a toll. The toll gate ID and the lane ID are information that can identify the toll gate and the lane where the roadside device 3 is installed, and are information received from the roadside device 3 together with video or still images. The date and time is, for example, the date and time when the data creation unit 401 creates the post - collection data D1. The vehicle type and the toll may be input by the collector via the operation unit 42, or may be specified by a vehicle type discrimination device (not shown) installed at the toll gate.

[0071] The user information is information input by the collector after visually confirming the official certificate, and includes the user's name, address, and identification information of the official certificate (driver's license number, my number, passport number, etc.).

[0072] Next, the data creation unit 401 of the monitoring device 4 transmits the created post - collection data D1 to the roadside device 3 (step S110).

[0073] When the command output unit 304 of the roadside device 3 receives the post - collection data D1 from the monitoring device 4, it outputs an open command to the start control machine 25 (step S111). Then, the start control machine 25 raises the opening bar and permits the non - ETC vehicle to exit from the lane L.

[0074] In addition, the printing data processing unit 303 of the roadside device 3 creates printing data based on the received post - collection data D1 (step S112).

[0075] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of printing data according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 6, the printing data D2 includes a processing number, a tollgate ID, a lane ID, a date and time, a toll, user - specific information, a payment deadline, and a payment method.

[0076] The processing number, the tollgate ID, the lane ID, the date and time, and the toll are the same as the contents of the post - collection data D1.

[0077] The user - specific information is the identification information of the official certificate. In other embodiments, the user - specific information may be the name of the user.

[0078] The payment deadline is the payment deadline for the toll by the user. For example, the date after a predetermined period from the creation date of the post - collection data D1 is automatically input. Also, the payment deadline may be input by the collector via the operation unit 42.

[0079] The payment method is information indicating the method for the user to pay the toll, such as the bank account number for transferring the toll.

[0080] Next, the printing unit 35 of the roadside device 3 prints a notice including the printing data created by the printing data processing unit 303 (step S113).

[0081] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a notice according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 7, like the printed data D2, the notice D3 includes a processing number, a toll office ID, a lane ID, a date and time, a toll, user identification information (identification information of a public certificate), a payment deadline, and a payment method. Note that, as in the example of FIG. 7, the printing unit 35 prints with a part of the identification information of the public certificate (for example, other than the lower 4 digits) in hidden characters. Thereby, even if the notice D3 is seen by others other than the user, it is possible to prevent the identification information of the user's public certificate from being known to others.

[0082] Also, the cashier explains to the user to pay the toll according to the notice D3 printed by the printing unit 35 via the office side communication unit 41 of the monitoring device 4 (step S114).

[0083] After receiving the printed notice D3, the user starts a non-ETC vehicle and exits from the lane L. When the exit side vehicle detector 26 detects the exit of the non-ETC vehicle from the lane L, the start control unit 25 lowers the opening / closing bar to restrict the exit of the following vehicle from the lane L.

[0084] The toll collection system 1 executes the above-described series of processes each time a non-ETC vehicle enters the lane L.

[0085] Note that FIG. 4 shows an example in which the command output unit 304 of the roadside device 3 outputs an open command to the start control unit 25 at the timing of receiving the post-collection data D1 from the monitoring device 4, but the present invention is not limited to this. In other embodiments, the command output unit 304 may output an open command to the start control unit 25 when it detects that the user has received (extracted) the notice D3 from the printing unit 35. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the user from exiting without receiving the notice D3.

[0086] (Function and effect) As described above, the toll collection system 1 according to this embodiment includes an imaging unit 33 that captures a public certificate held by a user, and a data creation unit 401 that creates post - collection data D1 for the user's toll based on the user information indicated in the public certificate captured by the imaging unit 33.

[0087] By doing so, the toll collection system 1 can obtain user information from the public certificate without transferring the public certificate between the toll collector and the user. As a result, the toll collector can perform the procedure for post - collection of tolls from a remote location without face - to - face interaction with the user.

[0088] In addition, the toll collection system 1 further includes a printing unit 35 that prints a notice D3 regarding the post - collection of tolls.

[0089] By doing so, the toll collection system 1 can notify the user of the post - collection of tolls via the notice D3.

[0090] In addition, the toll collection system 1 further includes a still - image acquisition unit 301 that acquires a still image including a public certificate from the video captured by the imaging unit 33.

[0091] By doing so, the toll collection system 1 can present a still image that makes it easy for the toll collector to visually recognize the public certificate without being affected by the user's hand movements or the like.

[0092] In addition, the toll collection system 1 further includes a start control device that opens and closes the lane, and a command output unit 304 that outputs an open command to the start control device 25 after the creation of the post - collection data D1 is completed.

[0093] By doing so, when the creation of the post - collection data D1 is completed, the toll collection system 1 can promptly release the lane and allow non - ETC vehicles to exit from the lane L. Also, until the creation of the post - collection data D1 is completed, the toll collection system 1 can suppress non - ETC vehicles from exiting the lane L before the user information is acquired by closing the lane.

[0094] <Second Embodiment> Next, the toll collection system 1 according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 10. The same reference numerals are given to the components common to the first embodiment, and the detailed description thereof is omitted.

[0095] (Functional Configuration of Road - Side Device) FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of the road - side device according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 8, in the road - side device 3 according to the present embodiment, the CPU 30 further functions as a reading unit 305.

[0096] The reading unit 305 reads user information, which is character information indicated in the official certificate, from the still image acquired by the still - image acquisition unit 301.

[0097] (Processing Flow of Toll Collection System) FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing of the toll collection system according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 9, an example of the process in which the toll collection system 1 according to the present embodiment creates post - collection data for non - ETC vehicles will be described. Since steps S201 to S205 in FIG. 9 are the same as those in the first embodiment (steps S101 to S105 in FIG. 4), the description thereof is omitted.

[0098] The reading unit 305 of the roadside device 3 according to this embodiment reads the user information indicated in the official certificate from the still image acquired by the still image acquisition unit 301 using OCR (Optical Character Recognition) technology (step S206). The user information read by the reading unit 305 is transmitted to the monitoring device 4 together with the still image (step S207).

[0099] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the functions of the monitoring device according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 10, on the display unit 43 of the monitoring device 4, the still image 431 received from the roadside device 3 and the user information 432 read by OCR are displayed side by side at the same time. At this time, the user information 432 is adjusted and displayed so as to substantially match the layout of the official certificate, the size of the characters, etc., so that it is easy to compare with the official certificate included in the still image 431. Further, the processing number and the toll information constituting the post-collection data D1 may be further displayed on the display unit 43.

[0100] The cashier compares the still image 431 and the user information 432 to confirm whether the reading result by the reading unit 305 of the roadside device 3 is correct, and corrects the information as necessary (step S208).

[0101] When the user information 432 matches the written content of the official certificate (the reading result is correct), the cashier presses the confirmation button 421 of the operation unit 42. Then, the data creation unit 401 of the monitoring device 4 creates post-collection data D1 based on the user information (step S209). The data creation unit 401 stores the created post-collection data D1 in the storage 45 of the monitoring device 4 and transmits it to the roadside device 3 (step S210). The subsequent processing (steps S211 to S214) is the same as that of the first embodiment (steps S111 to S114 in FIG. 4), so the description is omitted.

[0102] On the other hand, when the user information 432 does not match the information stated in the official certificate (such as misrecognition or unreadable information), the cashier presses the correction button 422 of the operation unit 42. At this time, the cashier inputs the correct user information via the operation unit 42 (keyboard) (step S208). The cashier may also input and correct the toll information at the same time. Then, the data creation unit 401 of the monitoring device 4 creates the post-collection data D1 based on the user information input by the cashier (step S209). The data creation unit 401 stores the corrected post-collection data D1 in the storage 45 and transmits it to the roadside device 3 (step S210). Since the subsequent processing (steps S211 to S214) is the same as that of the first embodiment (steps S111 to S114 in FIG. 4), the description is omitted.

[0103] (Function and effect) As described above, in the toll collection system 1 according to the present embodiment, the roadside device 3 further includes a reading unit 305 that reads the user information stated in the official certificate from the still image.

[0104] By doing so, the toll collection system 1 can save the labor of the cashier manually inputting the user information character by character. Thereby, the toll collection system 1 can greatly shorten the service time related to the processing of non-ETC vehicles.

[0105] In the toll collection system 1 according to the present embodiment, the display unit 43 of the monitoring device 4 displays the still image and the user information received from the roadside device 3 side by side.

[0106] By doing so, it becomes possible for the cashier to easily confirm the correctness of the reading of the user information by referring to the still image and the user information at the same time.

[0107] <The Third Embodiment> Next, the toll collection system 1 according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIG. 11. The same reference numerals are given to the common components in the first and second embodiments, and the detailed description thereof is omitted. In this embodiment, it is different from the second embodiment in that the data creation unit 401 of the monitoring device 4 automatically creates the retrospective collection data D1 without the input operation of the collector.

[0108] (Processing flow of the toll collection system) FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing of the toll collection system according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure. Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 11, an example of the process in which the toll collection system 1 according to the present embodiment creates retrospective collection data for non-ETC vehicles will be described. Since steps S301 to S307 in FIG. 11 are the same as those in the second embodiment (steps S201 to S207 in FIG. 9), the description thereof is omitted.

[0109] The data creation unit 401 of the monitoring device 4 automatically creates the retrospective collection data D1 based on the user information received from the roadside device 3 (step S308). The data creation unit 401 associates the created retrospective collection data D1 with the still image received from the roadside device 3 and stores it in the storage 45. Further, the data creation unit 401 transmits the created retrospective collection data D1 to the roadside device 3 (step S309). The subsequent processes (steps S310 to S313) are the same as those in the second embodiment (steps S211 to S214 in FIG. 9), and thus the description thereof is omitted.

[0110] (Function and effect) As described above, in the toll collection system 1 according to the present embodiment, the data creation unit 401 of the monitoring device 4 automatically creates the retrospective collection data D1 based on the user information read by the reading unit 305 of the roadside device 3.

[0111] By doing so, the toll collection system 1 can eliminate the need for the operation by the collector for creating the retrospective collection data D1. Thereby, the toll collection system 1 can further shorten the service time related to the processing of non-ETC vehicles.

[0112] Also, in the fee collection system 1 according to the present embodiment, the data creation unit 401 of the monitoring device 4 stores the created retrospective collection data D1 and the still image in association with each other in the storage 45.

[0113] By doing so, the collector can collate the automatically created retrospective collection data D1 and the still image during a time period with few users, etc., and correct any misrecognition of the user information.

[0114] As described above, several embodiments according to the present invention have been described. However, all of these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, as well as in the invention described in the claims and its equivalent scope.

[0115] In the above-described embodiment, the aspect in which the roadside device 3 has the still image acquisition unit 301 and the reading unit 305 has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the monitoring device 4 may have the still image acquisition unit and the reading unit.

[0116] Also, in the above-described embodiment, the aspect in which the printing process unit 303 of the roadside device 3 creates the printing data D2 and the printing unit 35 prints the notice D3 has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the printing process unit 303 and the printing unit 35 may be omitted. In this case, for example, an instruction manual describing the payment method may be prepared in advance near the roadside device 3, and the user may be allowed to take this instruction manual home as needed.

[0117] <Appendix 1> The fee collection system and the fee collection method described in the above-described embodiment can be understood as follows, for example.

[0118] (1) According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a toll collection system (1) includes an imaging unit (33) provided in a lane of a tollgate for photographing a public certificate possessed by a user of a toll road, and information indicated on the public certificate photographed by the imaging unit (33), and based on user information capable of identifying the user, a data creation unit (401) for creating data (D1) for post-collection of the user's toll.

[0119] By doing so, the toll collection system can obtain user information from the public certificate without transferring the public certificate between the toll collector and the user. As a result, the toll collector can perform the procedure for post-collection of the toll from a remote location without facing the user.

[0120] (2) According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, the toll collection system (1) according to the first aspect further includes a printing unit (35) for printing a notice (D3) regarding post-collection of the toll.

[0121] By doing so, the toll collection system can notify the user of the post-collection of the toll via the notice.

[0122] (3) According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, the toll collection system (1) according to the first or second aspect further includes a still image acquisition unit (301) for acquiring a still image including the public certificate from the video photographed by the imaging unit (33).

[0123] By doing so, the toll collection system can present a still image that is easy to visually recognize the public certificate to the toll collector without being affected by the user's hand movement or the like.

[0124] (4) According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, the toll collection system (1) according to the third aspect further includes a reading unit (305) for reading user information, which is character information indicated on the public certificate, from the still image.

[0125] By doing so, the toll collection system can save the labor of the collector manually entering user information one character at a time. As a result, the toll collection system can significantly shorten the service time in post-collection processing.

[0126] (5) According to the fifth aspect of the present disclosure, in the toll collection system (1) according to the fourth aspect, the data creation unit (401) automatically creates post-collection data (D1) from the user information read by the reading unit (305).

[0127] By doing so, the toll collection system can eliminate the need for an operator to create post-collection data. As a result, the toll collection system can further shorten the service time in post-collection processing.

[0128] (6) According to the sixth aspect of the present disclosure, the toll collection system (1) according to any one of the first to fifth aspects further includes a start control device (25) that opens and closes the lane, and a command output unit (304) that outputs an open command to the start control device (25) after the creation of the post-collection data (D1) is completed.

[0129] By doing so, the toll collection system can promptly open the lane when the creation of the post-collection data is completed and allow non-ETC vehicles to exit the lane. In addition, the toll collection system can prevent non-ETC vehicles from exiting the lane before the user information is obtained by closing the lane until the creation of the post-collection data is completed.

[0130] (7) According to the seventh aspect of the present disclosure, the toll collection method includes a step of photographing a public certificate held by a user of a toll road by an imaging unit (33) provided in a lane of a toll booth, and a step of creating post-collection data (D1) for the toll of the user based on user information that can identify the user indicated on the public certificate photographed by the imaging unit (33).

[0131] <Fourth Embodiment> Next, a toll collection system according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIG. 12 and the like. The toll collection system of this embodiment is composed of an entrance monitoring system 5 at the entrance toll gate and an exit monitoring system 6 at the exit toll gate.

[0132] (Configuration of the Entrance Monitoring System) FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the configuration of the entrance monitoring system 5 according to this embodiment. The entrance monitoring system 5 includes an entrance toll gate R1 of a toll road including one or more ticket vending devices 520. For simplicity of explanation, in FIG. 12, it is assumed that the entrance toll gate R1 is an entrance dedicated to non-ETC vehicles. Therefore, it is assumed that vehicle A is a non-ETC vehicle. However, the entrance toll gate R1 may also include an ETC system as shown in FIG. 1. Further, the entrance toll gate R1 may be provided with a departure control device 25 as shown in FIG. 1.

[0133] When the passenger of vehicle A entering lane L passes through the entrance toll gate R1, the vehicle A is temporarily stopped. The passenger of vehicle A obtains a ticket issued from the ticket issuing port 5220 of the ticket vending device 520. Information indicating the entrance toll gate R1 and information indicating the vehicle type of vehicle A may be recorded on this ticket. The passenger of vehicle A submits this ticket at the exit toll gate of the toll road.

[0134] As shown in FIG. 12, the entrance monitoring system 5 includes a ticket vending device 520. Although not shown in FIG. 12, the entrance toll gate R1 may have a plurality of lanes L, and a ticket vending device 520 may be installed in each lane L.

[0135] The ticket vending device 520 is a form of a toll machine installed at a toll gate of a toll road, and issues a ticket to the passenger of vehicle A entering lane L. As shown in FIG. 12, the ticket vending device 520 is installed on the roadside (island) of lane L.

[0136] FIG. 13 shows an example of the format of a toll ticket issued by the toll ticket issuing device 520. The toll ticket issued by the toll ticket issuing device 520 has an area indicated as "entrance", which is the area printed at the entrance lane, and information regarding the entrance toll gate R1 etc. is printed. The information to be printed is, for example, the vehicle type of vehicle A, the route IC number, the month / day / hour / minute when the toll ticket was issued, the collector number, and the serial number. The information to be printed may have at least one of these omitted, and / or may include other information.

[0137] In the toll ticket issued by the toll ticket issuing device 520 of FIG. 13, the "vehicle type" is the vehicle type of vehicle A. The "vehicle type" can be, for example, numbers, alphabets, etc. indicating information representing "light / two-wheeled", "ordinary vehicle", "medium-sized vehicle", "large vehicle", "extra-large vehicle", etc. Such vehicle type classifications regarding the "vehicle type" can be defined corresponding to the toll to be received from the user. An example of a method for acquiring the information of the "vehicle type" will be described later.

[0138] The route IC number can be numbers, alphabets, etc. indicating information representing the toll gate. Regarding the route IC number, for example, if the toll gate is the Tokyo toll gate on the Tomei Expressway, the toll ticket issuing device 520 may print "01101" as the information representing the toll gate.

[0139] The month / day / hour / minute when the toll ticket was issued may include seconds. The collector number may be the identification number of the toll ticket issuing device 520. Also, when a collector is arranged at the entrance toll gate R1 and this collector hands the toll ticket issued by the toll ticket issuing device 520 to the passenger of vehicle A, the collector number may be the identification number of the collector. The serial number may be a serial number assigned to the toll ticket for each toll ticket issuing device 520.

[0140] In the pass issued by the pass issuing device 520 in FIG. 13, the area of "Exit" is blank. Alternatively, the column of "Exit" may be omitted. For example, characters such as "Highway Pass" may be pre-printed on this pass. For example, descriptions such as "1 = Regular Vehicle" may be pre-printed on this pass for the numbers, alphabets, etc. representing "Vehicle Type". Further, information on the entrance toll gate may be printed on this pass. As the information on the entrance toll gate, it may be character information such as "Tokyo Toll Gate" as described above, and / or numbers or alphabets representing the same Tokyo Toll Gate as the route IC number such as "01101".

[0141] The pass shown in FIG. 13 is provided with a magnetic recording part. For example, information regarding the above-mentioned entrance toll gate R1, etc., vehicle type information, ticket issuing date and time, and serial number may be magnetically recorded in this magnetic recording part. The information recorded in the magnetic recording part may omit at least one of these, and / or may include other information. For example, information on the license plate of vehicle A may be included. The magnetic recording part may be configured, for example, by applying magnetic ink to a part of the pass as shown in FIG. 13. Alternatively, the pass itself may be magnetic recording paper, and information may be recorded on a part of the pass as shown in FIG. 13, and this part may be used as the magnetic recording part.

[0142] In the following description, FIG. 12 is referred to again. As shown in FIG. 12, a vehicle type discrimination device 521 is installed on the upstream side of the pass issuing device 520, that is, on the front side in the traveling direction of vehicle A. The vehicle type discrimination device 521 can discriminate the vehicle type classification of vehicle A that has entered the lane L and transmit the discrimination result to the pass issuing device 520. The pass issuing device 520 can print the vehicle type discrimination result (vehicle type classification of vehicle A) received from the vehicle type discrimination device 521 on the pass.

[0143] The vehicle type discrimination device 521 can acquire the vehicle information of the vehicle A that has entered the lane L and discriminate the vehicle type classification of the vehicle A based on this vehicle information. In the present embodiment, the "vehicle information" may specifically be, for example, the number of axles of the vehicle A, information regarding the license plate (classification number, color of the plate, size), and the like.

[0144] The arithmetic device 5210 can uniquely discriminate the vehicle type classification of the vehicle A according to the combination of the specified vehicle information. Note that the arithmetic device 5210 according to the present embodiment is illustrated as being incorporated inside the housing of the vehicle detector 5211. However, the arithmetic device 5210 is not limited to this mode. For example, the arithmetic device 5210 according to another embodiment may be in a mode where it is installed on the roadside in an independent housing. Alternatively, the arithmetic device 5210 may be implemented using a monitoring or management computer arranged at different locations.

[0145] Also, the arithmetic device 5210 according to another embodiment may further specify, as vehicle information, the vehicle length, vehicle height, overhang length, etc. of the vehicle A. In this case, the vehicle type discrimination device 521 may be in a mode that further includes sensor devices for specifying this vehicle information. As the sensor devices, for example, an infrared sensor, a laser sensor, etc. may be used.

[0146] The vehicle detector 5211 is provided on the most upstream side of the lane L and can be configured to detect the presence of a vehicle at the installation position of the lane L. The vehicle detector 5211 according to the present embodiment may be, for example, a transmissive vehicle detector having a light projecting tower and a light receiving tower installed so as to face each other across the lane L in the width direction. When the vehicle detector 5211 detects the presence of the vehicle A, it can be configured to generate a detection signal indicating the presence of the vehicle A and output it to the license plate reader 5213.

[0147] The pedal 5212 can be configured to be able to detect the pressing by the tire of the vehicle A. The pedal 5212 may be installed at the same position as the vehicle detector 5211 on the lane L. Alternatively, the pedal 5212 may be installed closer to the ticket issuing device 520 than the vehicle detector 5211 on the lane L. The above-mentioned arithmetic unit 5210 can count the number of times the pedal 5212 is stepped on while the vehicle detector 5211 detects the presence of the vehicle A, and obtain this as the number of axles of the vehicle A. Further, a plurality of pressure sensors may be arranged in the lane direction inside the pedal 5212. The arithmetic unit 5210 can determine whether the vehicle passing over the pedal 5212 is moving forward or backward by detecting the order in which these plurality of pressure sensors are stepped on. The arithmetic unit 5210 can detect this even when the vehicle A is, for example, a two-wheeled vehicle, by detecting the position where these plurality of pressure sensors are stepped on simultaneously.

[0148] The entrance monitoring system 5 has a license plate reader 5213. The license plate reader 5213 may include, for example, a camera capable of taking moving images / still images, and a computer that reads license plate information from the taken moving images / still images. The process of reading license plate information may be implemented by pattern recognition, shape and character recognition, etc. The computer of the license plate reader 5213 may be an arithmetic unit 5210. The license plate reader 5213 may be arranged, for example, at a position between the vehicle detector 5211 and the ticket issuing device 520. The license plate reader 5213 may be arranged at a position further upstream than the ticket issuing device 520. Alternatively, the license plate reader 5213 may be incorporated into the ticket issuing device 520. The license plate reader 5213 takes a moving image / still image of vehicle A when receiving a detection signal indicating the presence of vehicle A from the vehicle detector 5211, and obtains a moving image / still image including the license plate of the vehicle A. Further, the license plate reader 5213 extracts the NP (license plate) information of vehicle A from the obtained moving image / still image, and transmits it to the arithmetic unit 5210 of the vehicle type discrimination device 521. The NP information may include, for example, a series of specified numbers / place names / classification numbers / hiragana / colors of the license plate described on the license plate.

[0149] The arithmetic unit 5210 of the vehicle type discrimination device 521 can receive the NP information from the license plate reader 5213 and identify vehicle information based on this NP information.

[0150] (Functional Configuration of Ticket Issuing Device) FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the ticket issuing device 520 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 14, the ticket issuing device 520 may include, for example, a CPU 5200, a memory 5201, a communication interface 5202, and a plurality of processing units 5203.

[0151] The CPU 5200 is a processor that controls the overall operation of the ticket issuing device 520, and implements various functions by operating according to a predetermined program.

[0152] The memory 5201 is a so-called main memory device and serves as a storage area for the CPU 5200 to operate according to a program.

[0153] The communication interface 5202 is a communication module that establishes two-way communication with a monitoring terminal that monitors the ticket issuing device 520 via a wired or wireless connection to a wide area communication network. The monitoring terminal that can monitor one or more ticket issuing devices 520 is a device not shown in the figure.

[0154] The plurality of processing units 5203 are processing units for realizing the functions as a ticket issuing device, such as a ticket issuing unit that issues tickets from a ticket issuing port, and a call button for calling a cashier or a supervisor.

[0155] Next, the specific functions of the CPU 5200 will be described. The CPU 5200 implements functions as a transmission unit 52000, a reception unit 52001, a processing unit 52002, and a state identification unit 52003 by operating according to a predetermined program.

[0156] The transmission unit 52000 and the reception unit 52001 perform transmission and reception processing of various information with a monitoring terminal, for example.

[0157] The processing unit 52002 performs normal processing as a ticket issuing device. For example, when vehicle A arrives at lane L, the processing unit 52002 prints information necessary for a new ticket (toll gate identification information, ticket issuing date / month / hour / minute, vehicle type classification of vehicle A, etc.), writes the information to the magnetic recording unit, and performs a ticket issuing process of issuing the ticket. Further, the processing unit 52002 may include information for error detection such as CRC (cyclic redundancy check) in the magnetic recording unit.

[0158] The status specifying unit 52003 specifies various statuses of the toll ticket issuing device 520. For example, the status specifying unit 52003 detects the presence or absence of an abnormality (such as a failure or ticket jam) in the processing unit 5203 and the occurrence of out-of-tickets at regular intervals or when a problem occurs. Further, the status specifying unit 52003 sequentially specifies, as the status of the toll ticket issuing device 520, the number of toll tickets issued, the number of vehicle entries, the number of undelivered tickets (the number of toll tickets not taken) in the toll ticket issuing device 520, and the like. The toll ticket issuing device 520 may transmit this information to an external monitoring terminal or a monitoring server (not shown). For example, when the toll ticket issuing device 520 detects a ticket jam during the issuance of a toll ticket, it may transmit a signal notifying the occurrence of a trouble to a monitoring terminal (not shown). The monitoring terminal (not shown) receives this signal and may notify the cashier or the supervisor of the occurrence of the trouble by means of a screen display or an output of a warning sound.

[0159] (Configuration of the Exit Monitoring System) FIG. 15 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of the exit monitoring system 6 according to the present embodiment. The configuration of the exit monitoring system 6 is similar to that of the toll collection system 1 in FIG. 1, and the same names and reference numerals are given to the similar components. Further, in the following description, when the components in FIG. 15 are similar to the components in FIG. 1, the description of those components may be omitted.

[0160] The exit monitoring system 6 according to the present embodiment may be provided at the exit tollgate of a toll road. The exit monitoring system 6 receives a toll ticket from the passengers of the vehicle A traveling in the lane L connecting the toll road and the general road, and issues a notice for collecting the toll.

[0161] The vehicle A may be an ETC vehicle equipped with an in-vehicle unit or a non-ETC vehicle not equipped with an in-vehicle unit. In the following description, it is assumed that the vehicle A is a non-ETC vehicle. Further, in the following description, it is assumed that the passengers of the vehicle A are holding the toll ticket received in the above-described entrance monitoring system 5.

[0162] The lane L according to this embodiment may be an ETC dedicated lane provided with an ETC facility 2 which is an electronic toll collection system. Alternatively, the lane L may be a lane provided for non-ETC vehicles where the ETC facility 2 is not provided.

[0163] (Functional Configuration of Roadside Unit) The roadside unit 3 identifies users of non-ETC vehicles, creates data for post-collection, and issues a notice for collecting the toll so as to be able to perform post-collection for collecting the toll after the non-ETC vehicle exits the toll road.

[0164] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of the roadside unit 3 according to this embodiment. The configuration disclosed in FIG. 16 may be similar to the configuration disclosed in FIG. 2. Therefore, among the components of FIG. 16, the components similar to the components of FIG. 2 are given the same name and reference number. Also, in the following description, when the components of FIG. 16 are similar to the components of FIG. 2, the description of those components may be omitted.

[0165] As shown in FIG. 16, the roadside unit 3 includes a CPU 30, a lane-side communication unit 31, an imaging unit 33, a printing unit 35, a memory 36, a storage 37, a communication I / F (Interface) 38, and a ticket receiving / reading unit 39. The CPU 30 can implement functions as a still image acquisition unit 301, a printing process unit 303, a command output unit 304, and an OCR process unit 302 by operating according to a predetermined program. Also, as shown in FIG. 16, the lane-side communication unit 31, the imaging unit 33, the printing unit 35, and the ticket receiving / reading unit 39 are provided on the surface of the roadside unit 3 facing the lane L side (the surface on the +Y side in FIG. 1) so that they can be used by the users boarding the non-ETC vehicle.

[0166] The ticket receiving / reading unit 39 is a magnetic recording information reading device that receives a ticket from the passenger of vehicle A and reads the information recorded in the magnetic recording part of this ticket.

[0167] The OCR processing unit 302 identifies characters, numbers, symbols, etc. from the still image acquired by the still image acquisition unit 301, for example, and generates OCR data including information on the identified characters.

[0168] In this embodiment, post - collection data is created from the data obtained by OCR - processing the information read by the toll ticket receiving / reading unit 39 and the video of the official certificate photographed by the imaging unit 33. The post - collection data is stored in the storage 37. Also, the post - collection data stored in the storage 37 may be aggregated to a higher - level device (not shown) at predetermined timings (for example, every day) and used for management such as checking whether the user has made a payment. The post - collection data may be created by a monitoring device.

[0169] (Functional configuration of the monitoring device) FIG. 17 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of the monitoring device according to this embodiment. The configuration disclosed in FIG. 17 may be similar to the configuration disclosed in FIG. 3. Therefore, among the components of FIG. 17, the components similar to the components of FIG. 3 are given the same name and reference number. Also, in the following description, when the components of FIG. 17 are similar to the components of FIG. 3, the description of those components may be omitted.

[0170] The data creation unit 401 modifies the OCR data created by the roadside device 3, etc.

[0171] (Processing flow of the exit monitoring system) FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing of the exit monitoring system 6 according to this embodiment. Hereinafter, an example of the processing in which the exit monitoring system 6 according to this embodiment creates post - collection data for non - ETC vehicles and issues a notice for collecting the toll will be described with reference to FIG. 18.

[0172] When a non-ETC vehicle enters lane L, the ETC facility 2 does not perform toll collection processing, and the departure control device 25 remains in a state where the opening / closing bar is closed. The non-ETC vehicle stops in front of the departure control device 25. At this time, the toll collector in the toll office communicates with the user boarding the non-ETC vehicle via the lane-side communication unit 31 of the roadside device 3 and the office-side communication unit 41 of the monitoring device 4. The toll collector explains to the user the method of paying the toll later (step S401). Also, the toll collector requests the user to insert the pass into the pass receiving / reading unit 39 of the roadside device 3 via the office-side communication unit 41 of the monitoring device 4 and the lane-side communication unit 31 of the roadside device 3 (step S402).

[0173] Instead of the explanation by the toll collector, the roadside device 3 may play back the voice stored in advance in the storage (37 / 45) or memory (36 / 44) of the roadside device 3 or the monitoring device 4. For example, the roadside device 3 may further include a display device such as a touch panel and display buttons such as "Start Payment" on the display device. When the user boarding the non-ETC vehicle touches the button with "Start Payment" displayed, the voice stored in the memory in advance may be played back. Further, after the voice is played back, the roadside device 3 may display a message such as "Please insert the pass" stored in advance in the storage (37 / 45) or memory (36 / 44) of the roadside device 3 or the monitoring device 4 on the display device.

[0174] The user boarding the non-ETC vehicle inserts the pass into the pass receiving / reading unit 39 of the roadside device 3 according to the explanation of the toll collector. The pass receiving / reading unit 39 of the roadside device 3 receives the pass inserted by the user boarding the non-ETC vehicle (step S403). The pass receiving / reading unit 39 of the roadside device 3 reads information from the magnetic recording unit of the pass (step S404).

[0175] The ticket receiving / reading unit 39 of the roadside device 3 determines whether it was able to normally read information from the magnetic recording unit of the ticket (step S405). When the ticket receiving / reading unit 39 of the roadside device 3 determines whether it was able to normally read information from the magnetic recording unit of the ticket (step S405), error check processing using CRC or the like may be performed.

[0176] If the ticket receiving / reading unit 39 of the roadside device 3 determines that it was able to normally read information from the magnetic recording unit of the ticket, it proceeds to the subsequent processing (step S416) (step S406).

[0177] If the ticket receiving / reading unit 39 of the roadside device 3 determines that it was unable to normally read information from the magnetic recording unit of the ticket, it determines that an error has occurred (step S407). The cause of this error may be, for example, that the ticket was damaged, soiled, a write error occurred when writing information to the ticket, or the ticket was exposed to strong magnetism. If the ticket receiving / reading unit 39 determines that it was unable to normally read information from the magnetic recording unit of the ticket (step S407), the roadside device 3 transmits an error signal to the monitoring device 4 via the communication I / F 38.

[0178] The monitoring device 4 receives an error signal from the roadside device 3 via the communication I / F 46 (step S407). The monitoring device 4 notifies the toll collector of the ticket reading error, for example, by displaying an error message on the display unit 43 or outputting a warning sound. The toll collector in the toll office communicates with the user boarding the non-ETC vehicle via the lane-side communication unit 31 of the roadside device 3 and the office-side communication unit 41 of the monitoring device 4. The toll collector requests the user to hold the ticket in front of the imaging unit 33 of the roadside device 3 (step S408). This process may be, for example, to pre-store voice data for requesting the user to hold the ticket in front of the imaging unit 33 of the roadside device 3 in the storage 37 or 45 of the roadside device 3 or the monitoring device 4, or in the memory 36 or 44, and the toll collector instructs the monitoring device 4 to play back this voice data.

[0179] The user boarding the non-ETC vehicle holds the ticket in front of the imaging unit 33 of the roadside device 3 and presents the ticket to the toll collector. The imaging unit 33 of the roadside device 3 captures an image of the ticket presented by the user boarding the non-ETC vehicle and transmits it to the monitoring device 4 via the communication I / F 38 of the roadside device 3 (step S409). Note that the imaging unit 33 of the roadside device 3 may continuously transmit the captured image to the monitoring device 4 constantly or intermittently / periodically, not limited to the case where the user boarding the non-ETC vehicle presents the ticket.

[0180] The monitoring device 4 receives the image of the ticket of the user boarding the non-ETC vehicle from the roadside device 3 via the communication I / F 46 and, for example, displays it on the display unit 43 of the monitoring device 4. Note that the monitoring device 4 may continuously receive the image captured by the imaging unit 33 of the roadside device 3 constantly or intermittently / periodically via the communication I / F 46 and continuously display it on the display unit 43 of the monitoring device 4, not limited to the case where the user boarding the non-ETC vehicle presents the ticket.

[0181] The toll office cashier checks the ticket presented by the user boarding a non-ETC vehicle and instructs the monitoring device 4 to capture a still image of the ticket. This instruction may be input to the monitoring device 4, for example, by pre-displaying an imaging button or the like on the display unit 43 of the monitoring device 4 and having the cashier at the toll office touch it. The monitoring device 4 transmits a signal requesting the capture of a still image of the ticket to the roadside unit 3 via the communication I / F 46 (step S410).

[0182] The roadside unit 3 receives, via the communication I / F 38, a signal requesting the capture of a still image of the ticket from the monitoring device 4. In the roadside unit 3, according to the received signal, the still image acquisition unit 301 of the CPU 30 acquires still image data from the still image captured by the imaging unit 33 (step S411). The CPU 30 of the roadside unit 3 transmits the still image data as an imaging result to the monitoring device 4 via the communication I / F 38 (step S412).

[0183] The monitoring device 4 receives, via the communication I / F 46, the still image data as an imaging result from the roadside unit 3. The CPU 40 of the monitoring device 4 displays the received imaging result on the display unit 43. The cashier visually checks information such as information regarding the entrance toll gate R1, vehicle type information, ticket issue date and time, serial number, etc. from the imaging result displayed on the display unit 43 of the monitoring device 4 (step S413).

[0184] The cashier inputs numbers and characters regarding information such as information regarding the entrance toll gate R1 and vehicle type information to the monitoring device 4 using, for example, a mouse or keyboard (step S414). The cashier determines information such as information regarding the entrance toll gate R1 and vehicle type information, and instructs the monitoring device 4 to transmit a signal of an entrance / vehicle type information confirmation request including this information to the roadside unit 3. This instruction may be input to the monitoring device 4, for example, by pre-displaying a "confirmation" button or the like on the display unit 43 of the monitoring device 4 and having the cashier at the toll office touch it. The CPU 40 of the monitoring device 4 receives the cashier's instruction, generates a signal including an entrance / vehicle type information confirmation request, and transmits it to the roadside unit 3 via the communication I / F 46 (step S415).

[0185] The CPU 30 of the roadside device 3 receives a signal of an entrance / vehicle type information determination request via the communication I / F 38. The CPU 30 of the roadside device 3 calculates the toll by referring to the information included in the signal of the entrance / vehicle type information determination request received from the monitoring device 4 (step S416). In this calculation of the toll, the CPU 30 of the roadside device 3 may refer to, for example, the toll table information stored in the memory 36 or the storage 37. The toll table information may be, for example, a table in which the toll corresponding to the combination of the entrance tollgate and the vehicle type is stored.

[0186] The CPU 30 of the roadside device 3 notifies the user who is a passenger of the vehicle A of the toll (step S417). For example, the roadside device 3 may further include a display unit such as a display panel, and the toll may be displayed on this display unit. Alternatively, the CPU 30 of the roadside device 3 generates voice data of the toll, or selects voice data corresponding to the toll stored in advance in the memory 36 or the storage 37, and plays / outputs this voice data using the lane-side communication unit 31, thereby notifying the user who is a passenger of the vehicle A of the toll. Alternatively, the CPU 30 of the roadside device 3 may transmit a signal indicating the toll to the monitoring device 4 and cause it to be displayed on the display unit 43 of the monitoring device 4. The toll collector may confirm the toll displayed on the display unit 43 and notify the user who is a passenger of the vehicle A of the toll via the office-side communication unit 41 of the monitoring device 4 and the lane-side communication unit 31 of the roadside device 3. Also, this step may be omitted as an optional process.

[0187] Here, the user who is a passenger in vehicle A may be a person with a disability and may be able to receive a discount on the toll. The CPU 30 of the roadside device 3 may inquire of the user who is a passenger in vehicle A whether to apply for a disability discount. For example, the roadside device 3 may further include a display unit such as a display panel, and buttons such as "Apply for discount (such as disability discount)" and "Proceed without applying for discount" may be displayed on this display unit. When the user who is a passenger in vehicle A touches the button "Apply for discount (such as disability discount)", the CPU 30 of the roadside device 3 generates a signal indicating that a discount application has been made, and transmits the signal to the monitoring device 4 via the communication I / F 38 (step S418). The CPU 40 of the monitoring device 4 receives, via the communication I / F 46, a signal indicating that a discount application has been made, and causes a message dialog box indicating that a discount application has been made from the user boarding a non-ETC vehicle to be displayed on the display unit 43.

[0188] The recipient checks a message dialog box indicating that a discount application declaration has been made by a user boarding a non-ETC vehicle displayed on the display unit 43 of the monitoring device 4. The recipient requests the user boarding the non-ETC vehicle to present documents regarding the discount application via the office-side communication unit 41 and the lane-side communication unit 31 of the roadside device 3. The user boarding the non-ETC vehicle holds up documents regarding the discount application, such as a disability handbook, in front of the imaging unit 33 of the roadside device 3. The imaging unit 33 of the roadside device 3 transmits the video of the documents regarding the discount application to the monitoring device 4 via the communication I / F 38. The display unit 43 of the monitoring device 4 displays the video of the documents regarding the discount application received via the communication I / F 46. When the recipient checks the video of the documents regarding the discount application received from the roadside device 3 and determines that the user boarding the non-ETC vehicle is a person eligible for the discount application, the recipient instructs the monitoring device 4 to apply the discount. Regarding this process, the monitoring device 4 may include buttons for "Apply Discount" and "No Discount" in a message dialog box indicating that a discount application declaration has been made, for example, in advance. When the recipient touches the "Apply Discount" button, the CPU 40 of the monitoring device 4 may further display a pull-down menu for selecting the type of discount application and display items such as "Disabled Person Discount" and "Large Quantity / Frequent User Discount". The recipient can select an appropriate one from these items. The CPU 40 of the monitoring device 4 transmits a signal including a discount application request indicating, for example, "Disabled Person Discount" selected by the recipient to the roadside device 3 via the communication I / F 46 (step S419). The CPU 30 of the roadside device 3 receives a signal including a discount application request indicating "Disabled Person Discount" from the monitoring device 4 via the communication I / F 38. The CPU 30 of the roadside device 3 calculates the discount on the toll (step S420). For example, the CPU 30 of the roadside device 3 may refer to the discount toll table information stored in the memory 36 or the storage 37. The discount toll table information may be a table storing the tolls corresponding to the combination of, for example, the entrance toll gate, the vehicle type, and the type of discount.

[0189] The CPU 30 of the roadside device 3 notifies the user who is a passenger in vehicle A of the discounted toll (step S421). For example, the roadside device 3 may further include a display unit such as a display panel, and the discounted toll may be displayed on this display unit. Alternatively, the CPU 30 of the roadside device 3 generates voice data of the discounted toll, or selects voice data corresponding to the discounted toll stored in the memory 36 or the storage 37 in advance, and plays / outputs this voice data using the lane-side communication unit 31, so as to notify the user who is a passenger in vehicle A of the discounted toll. Alternatively, the CPU 30 of the roadside device 3 may transmit a signal indicating the discounted toll to the monitoring device 4 and cause it to be displayed on the display unit 43 of the monitoring device 4. The toll collector may confirm the discounted toll displayed on the display unit 43 and notify the user who is a passenger in vehicle A of the discounted toll via the office-side communication unit 41 of the monitoring device 4 and the lane-side communication unit 31 of the roadside device 3. Also, this step may be omitted as an optional process.

[0190] Alternatively, when the toll collector checks the video of the document regarding discount application received from the roadside device 3 and determines that the user boarding a non-ETC vehicle is not an eligible person for discount application, the toll collector instructs the monitoring device 4 not to apply the discount. For this process, the monitoring device 4 may include buttons for "apply discount" and "no discount" in a message dialog box indicating, for example, that a discount application declaration has been made in advance. When the toll collector touches the "no discount" button, the CPU 40 of the monitoring device 4 transmits a signal including a discount inapplicability request indicating "no discount" to the roadside device 3 via the communication I / F 46. The CPU 30 of the roadside device 3 receives the signal including the discount inapplicability request from the monitoring device 4 via the communication I / F 38. The CPU 30 of the roadside device 3 may notify the user who is a passenger in vehicle A of the inapplicability of the discount. For example, the roadside device 3 may further include a display unit such as a display panel, and a message of inapplicability of the discount may be displayed on this display unit. This notification may also be made by voice or the like.

[0191] Also, when the user who is a passenger in vehicle A is not a person with a disability, the user touches, for example, a button labeled "Proceed without making a discount application". The CPU 30 of the roadside device 3 can generate a signal indicating that no discount application declaration has been made and transmit the signal to the monitoring device 4 via the communication I / F 38. The CPU 40 of the monitoring device 4 can receive, via the communication I / F 46, a signal indicating that no discount application declaration has been made, and may cause the display unit 43 to display a message dialog box indicating that no discount application declaration has been made from the user boarding a non-ETC vehicle.

[0192] Alternatively, the toll collector may make an inquiry regarding the necessity of a discount for a person with a disability or the like by voice to the user who is a passenger in vehicle A from the lane-side communication unit 31 of the roadside device 3 via the office-side communication unit 41 of the monitoring device 4. When the user who is a passenger in vehicle A requests the application of a discount for a person with a disability or the like by voice, the roadside device 3 may calculate the toll after discount in the same manner as described above. Note that the monitoring device 4 may calculate the toll after discount.

[0193] Next, the toll collector requests the user who is a passenger in vehicle A to hold the official certificate in front of the imaging unit 33 by outputting voice from the lane-side communication unit 31 of the roadside device 3 via the office-side communication unit 41 of the monitoring device 4 (step S422).

[0194] The imaging unit 33 of the roadside device 3 captures the official certificate held by the user (step S423). The video of the official certificate captured by the imaging unit 33 of the roadside device 3 is sequentially transmitted to the monitoring device 4.

[0195] The video transmitted from the roadside device 3 is displayed on the display unit 43 of the monitoring device 4. The receiver visually checks the video displayed on the display unit 43 and inputs an instruction to the monitoring device 4 via the operation unit 42 of the monitoring device 4 to acquire a still image and perform OCR processing. The monitoring device 4 receives the instruction from the receiver, and the data creation unit 401 of the monitoring device 4 transmits a signal requesting to acquire a still image and perform OCR processing to the roadside device 3 via the communication I / F 46 (step S423). The roadside device 3 receives the signal from the monitoring device 4 via the communication I / F 38.

[0196] The still image acquisition unit 301 of the roadside device 3 acquires a still image including a public certificate from the video captured by the imaging unit 33. The OCR processing unit 302 of the roadside device 3 performs OCR processing on the still image including the public certificate acquired by the still image acquisition unit 301 and generates OCR data (step S424). The roadside device 3 transmits the data of the still image including the public certificate and the OCR data as the imaging·OCR result to the monitoring device 4 via the communication I / F 38 (step S425). The OCR processing may be configured to be performed by the monitoring device 4.

[0197] The monitoring device 4 receives the imaging·OCR result transmitted from the roadside device 3 via the communication I / F 46. The monitoring device 4 displays the data of the still image and the OCR data included in the imaging·OCR result on the display unit 43. The receiver visually checks the still image and the result of the OCR processing displayed on the display unit 43 to visually confirm whether there are any errors in the information such as the address, name, date of birth, and driver's license number in the OCR data (step S426).

[0198] If the recipient finds an error in the OCR data, the recipient instructs the monitoring device 4 to correct the OCR data from the operation unit 42 of the monitoring device 4. For example, when the CPU 40 of the monitoring device 4 displays the still image data and the OCR data on the display unit 43, the CPU 40 may display two buttons, namely, "correct" and "confirm", on the display unit 43. When the recipient discovers a number or character that has been misrecognized in the OCR data, the recipient may touch the "correct" button. The recipient deletes the misrecognized number or character in the OCR data, for example, using a mouse or a keyboard, and inputs the correct number or character regarding information such as the address and name (step S426). If the recipient does not find an error in the OCR data, the recipient does not input an instruction to correct the OCR data to the monitoring device 4. Through these processes, OCR data with correct content is obtained. The recipient, for example, touches the "confirm" button to confirm the OCR data with correct content and instructs the monitoring device 4 to transmit a signal for requesting confirmation of user information to the roadside device 3. The CPU 40 of the monitoring device 4 receives the recipient's instruction, generates a signal for requesting confirmation of user information including the OCR data with correct content, and transmits the signal to the roadside device 3 via the communication I / F 46 (step S427).

[0199] In addition, if user information (for example, address) is also described on the back side of the official certificate, in order to obtain the user information described on the back side, the processes of steps S422 to S427 may be performed again. At this time, the display unit 43 of the monitoring device 4 displays the still image / OCR data of the front side of the official certificate that has been previously acquired and the still image / OCR data of the back side of the newly acquired official certificate side by side. Further, the display unit 43 may also switch and display either the still image / OCR data of the front side or the still image / OCR data of the back side according to the operation of the recipient.

[0200] The CPU 30 of the roadside device 3 receives a signal of a user information determination request via the communication I / F 38. Based on the signal of the user information determination request including the OCR data with correct content, the CPU 30 of the roadside device 3 creates post-payment data (step S428). The post-payment data may include, for example, at least one of toll information, user information, and evidence information. The toll information may include, for example, at least one of the exit tollgate / lane, the entrance tollgate / lane, the month / day / hour / minute of the issuance of the toll ticket, the vehicle type classification of vehicle A, the NP information, the current month / day / hour / minute of the exit tollgate, the toll, and the presence or absence of a toll discount. The user information may include, for example, at least one of the name, address, and date of birth of the user who is a passenger in vehicle A. The evidence information may include, for example, at least one of a still image of a public certificate and the OCR data with correct content of a public certificate.

[0201] The CPU 30 of the roadside device 3 may transmit the post-payment data to a computer which is a higher-level device (step S429). The computer which is a higher-level device may be a computer that checks whether the toll is correctly paid at a later date and issues a reminder if it is not paid.

[0202] The printing processing unit 303 of the roadside device 3 creates printing data based on the post-payment data. The printing data may include, for example, the name of the entrance tollgate, the name of the exit tollgate, the month / day / hour / minute of the issuance of the toll ticket, the vehicle type classification of vehicle A, the series of designated numbers / place names / classification numbers / hiragana described on the number plate, the current month / day / hour / minute of the exit tollgate, the toll, the presence or absence of a toll discount, the payment deadline, the name / address / date of birth of the user, and the payment method. The printing data does not necessarily include all of these items and may also include other information. Further, for the user's name, address, date of birth, number plate, etc., a part may be masked as a character such as "*".

[0203] The payment deadline is the payment deadline for the toll by the user. For example, the date after a predetermined period from the creation date of the post-payment data may be automatically entered. Also, the payment deadline may be entered by the cashier via the operation unit 42.

[0204] The payment method is information indicating the method for a user to pay the toll, such as the bank account number where the toll is to be transferred, etc. Further, the payment method may include a barcode or a two-dimensional code for payment at a convenience store, etc.

[0205] The printing unit 35 of the roadside device 3 prints a notice including the printing data created by the printing processing unit 303. When the command output unit 304 detects that the user who is a passenger in vehicle A has received (extracted) the notice from the printing unit 35, it outputs an open command to the start control device 25 (step S430).

[0206] (Function and effect) As described above, in the entrance tollgate R1 according to this embodiment, the ticket issuing device 520 issues a ticket including magnetically recorded information. Further, the roadside device 3 of the exit monitoring system 6 issues a notice from the information magnetically recorded on the ticket and the still image or OCR data of the official certificate.

[0207] By doing so, the toll collection system according to this embodiment can enable, for example, the procedure for post-collecting the toll from a remote location without the toll collector directly interacting face-to-face with the user who is a passenger in vehicle A.

[0208] Also, in the roadside device 3 of the exit monitoring system 6 according to this embodiment, when an error is detected during the reading of the information magnetically recorded on the ticket, a still image of the ticket is acquired, OCR data is generated from the still image of the ticket, and visual confirmation and correction are performed by the toll collector.

[0209] By doing so, it can be made possible to surely acquire the information of the ticket necessary for creating the notice at the exit.

[0210] <Supplementary Note 2> The toll collection system and the toll collection method described in the above embodiment can be understood, for example, as follows.

[0211] (1) One aspect of this embodiment is a toll collection system including a first roadside device installed at at least one entrance toll gate and a second roadside device installed at at least one exit toll gate. The first roadside device issues a toll ticket with information indicating the entrance toll gate when a vehicle enters. The second roadside device calculates a toll by referring to the information indicating the entrance toll gate of the toll ticket when a vehicle enters, captures an image of a public certificate of the vehicle user to obtain information of the public certificate, and issues a notice from the toll and the information of the public certificate. This is a toll collection system.

[0212] By doing so, the toll collection system according to this embodiment can, for example, enable the procedure of post-collection of tolls from a remote location without the collector directly interacting with the user who is the passenger of the vehicle.

[0213] (2) According to an additional aspect of this embodiment, in the above toll collection system, the information of the public certificate includes still image data of the public certificate and OCR data of the still image data of the public certificate.

[0214] By doing so, the toll collection system according to this embodiment can, for example, obtain information about the vehicle user and enable the procedure of post-collection to be carried out reliably.

[0215] (3) According to an additional aspect of this embodiment, in the above toll collection system, the toll ticket has magnetically recorded information.

[0216] By doing so, it becomes easy for the toll collection system according to this embodiment to mechanically read the information described on the toll ticket, and for example, it can enable the procedure of post-collection of tolls from a remote location without the collector directly interacting with the user who is the passenger of the vehicle.

[0217] (4) According to an additional aspect of the present embodiment, in the above toll collection system, when a vehicle enters, the second roadside device reads the magnetically recorded information on the toll ticket when referring to the toll ticket.

[0218] By doing so, with the toll collection system according to the present embodiment, it becomes easy to mechanically read the information described on the toll ticket, and for example, it is possible to perform the procedure for post-collecting the toll from a remote location without the collector directly interacting face-to-face with the user who is the passenger of the vehicle.

[0219] (5) According to an additional aspect of the present embodiment, in the above toll collection system, when the second roadside device detects an error when reading the magnetically recorded information on the toll ticket when a vehicle enters, the second roadside device acquires a still image of the toll ticket.

[0220] By doing so, with the toll collection system according to the present embodiment, it is possible to reliably acquire the information on the toll ticket required to create a notice at the exit.

[0221] (6) According to an additional aspect of the present embodiment, in the above toll collection system, the notice includes the name of at least one entrance toll gate where the vehicle entered, the name of at least one exit toll gate where the vehicle entered, the toll, the payment deadline, and the payment method.

[0222] By doing so, with the toll collection system according to the present embodiment, it is possible to smooth the payment of the toll by the vehicle user.

[0223] (7) One aspect of this embodiment is a toll collection method in a toll collection system including a first roadside device installed at at least one entrance toll gate and a second roadside device installed at at least one exit toll gate. In the first roadside device, when a vehicle enters, a pass including information indicating the entrance toll gate is issued. In the second roadside device, when a vehicle enters, the toll is calculated by referring to the information indicating the entrance toll gate of the pass, an official certificate of the vehicle user is imaged to obtain information of the official certificate, and a notice is issued from the toll and the information of the official certificate.

[0224] By doing so, the toll collection system according to this embodiment can enable, for example, the post-collection procedure of the toll from a remote location without the collector directly interacting with the user who is the passenger of the vehicle.

[0225] It should be understood that the above disclosure is illustrative. It is understood that the scope of the present application and the present invention is not limited or restricted by the above disclosure.

Explanation of Signs

[0226] 1 Toll collection system 2 ETC equipment 21 Entrance side vehicle detector 22 Roadside antenna 23 Communication vehicle detector 24 Lane server 25 Departure control device 26 Exit side vehicle detector 3 Roadside device 30 CPU 301 Still image acquisition unit 302 OCR processing unit 303 Printing processing unit 304 Command output unit 305 Reading unit 31 Lane side communication unit 33 Imaging unit 35 Printing unit 36 Memory 37 Storage 38 Communication I / F 4 Monitoring Device 40 CPU 401 Data Creation Unit 41 Office Side Call Unit 42 Operation Unit 43 Display Unit 44 Memory 45 Storage 46 Communication I / F 5 Entrance Monitoring System 520 Ticket Issuing Device 521 Vehicle Type Discrimination Device 5200 CPU 5201 Memory 5202 Communication Interface 5203 Processing Unit 5210 Arithmetic Unit 5211 Vehicle Detector 5212 Pedal 5213 License Plate Reader 5220 Ticket Issuing Opening 52000 Transmission Unit 52001 Reception Unit 52002 Processing Unit 52003 State Identification Unit 6 Exit Monitoring System A Vehicle R1 Entrance Toll Booth

Claims

1. A toll collection system comprising a first roadside device installed at at least one entrance toll gate and a second roadside device installed at at least one exit toll gate, wherein the first roadside device issues a ticket with information indicating the entrance toll gate when a vehicle enters, the second roadside device calculates a toll by referring to the information indicating the entrance toll gate on the ticket when the vehicle enters, captures an official certificate of the user of the vehicle to obtain information of the official certificate, and issues a notice from the toll and the information of the official certificate, wherein the information of the official certificate includes still image data of the official certificate and OCR data of the still image data of the official certificate, a toll collection system.

2. The toll collection system according to claim 1, wherein the ticket has magnetically recorded information.

3. The second roadside device reads the magnetically recorded information of the ticket when referring to the ticket when the vehicle enters, The toll collection system according to claim 2.

4. When the second roadside device detects an error when reading the magnetically recorded information of the ticket when the vehicle enters, the second roadside device acquires a still image of the ticket. The toll collection system according to claim 3.

5. The notice describes the name of the at least one entrance toll gate where the vehicle entered, the name of the at least one exit toll gate where the vehicle entered, the toll, the payment deadline, and the payment method. The toll collection system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. A toll collection method in a toll collection system comprising a first roadside device installed at at least one entrance toll gate and a second roadside device installed at at least one exit toll gate, comprising the steps of: issuing, in the first roadside device, a ticket with information indicating the entrance toll gate when a vehicle enters; and calculating, in the second roadside device, a toll by referring to the information indicating the entrance toll gate on the ticket when the vehicle enters, capturing an official certificate of the user of the vehicle to obtain information of the official certificate, and issuing a notice from the toll and the information of the official certificate, wherein the information of the official certificate includes still image data of the official certificate and OCR data of the still image data of the official certificate, a toll collection method. ​ A toll collection system comprising a first roadside device installed at at least one entrance toll gate and a second roadside device installed at at least one exit toll gate, wherein the first roadside device issues a toll ticket having information indicating the entrance toll gate when a vehicle enters, the second roadside device calculates a toll by referring to the information indicating the entrance toll gate of the toll ticket when the vehicle enters, captures an image of an official certificate of the user of the vehicle to obtain information of the official certificate, and issues a notice from the toll and the information of the official certificate, the toll ticket has magnetically recorded information, the second roadside device reads the magnetically recorded information of the toll ticket when referring to the toll ticket when the vehicle enters, and when an error is detected when reading the magnetically recorded information of the toll ticket, obtains a still image of the toll ticket, A toll collection system. A toll collection system comprising a first roadside device installed at at least one entrance toll gate and a second roadside device installed at at least one exit toll gate, wherein the first roadside device issues a toll ticket having information indicating the entrance toll gate when a vehicle enters, the second roadside device calculates a toll by referring to the information indicating the entrance toll gate of the toll ticket when the vehicle enters, captures an image of an official certificate of the user of the vehicle to obtain information of the official certificate, and issues a notice from the toll and the information of the official certificate, wherein the notice describes the name of the at least one entrance toll gate where the vehicle entered, the name of the at least one exit toll gate where the vehicle entered, the toll, the payment deadline, and the payment method, A toll collection system.

Images