Charging system, processing device, charging method, and program

Abstract

To provide a billing system that allows vehicles that have already been charged tolls to pass through toll booths without stopping.SOLUTION: A billing system includes: a billing server that performs first billing processing to charge a toll fee for a toll road traveled by a vehicle based on location information obtained from an on-board unit mounted on the vehicle; a license plate information server that records first billing information including license plate information of the vehicle and processing results of the first billing processing; a first license plate reader that reads the license plate information of the vehicle traveling on a lane of a toll gate of the toll road; and a processing unit that determines whether the first billing processing has been performed for the vehicle traveling on the lane, and outputs an opening command of an open / close bar to a launch controller having the open / close bar that opens or closes the lane when the first billing processing has been performed for the vehicle.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a billing system, a processing device, a billing method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Electronic Toll Collection Systems (ETC (registered trademark), also known as "automatic toll collection systems") are used as systems for collecting tolls on toll roads from vehicles (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). ETC automatically collects tolls without requiring the vehicle to stop by wirelessly communicating between an on-board unit mounted on a vehicle (hereinafter also referred to as "ETC on-board unit") and a roadside unit installed in the ETC lane at the toll gate.

[0003] Also, a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) based billing system is being considered. A GNSS based billing system detects that a vehicle has traveled on a toll road based on vehicle position information measured by an on-board device (hereinafter also referred to as "GNSS on-board device") mounted on the vehicle, and automatically processes toll charges. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a technology in which a control device is connected to an ETC on-board device, enabling the ETC on-board device to be used in a GNSS based billing system. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5495583 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-56091 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] At toll gates where conventional ETC systems have been introduced, vehicles equipped with only GNSS onboard units cannot pass through the ETC lane without stopping. For this reason, vehicles equipped with GNSS onboard units must explain to the attendant in the general lane that the toll has already been charged using the GNSS charging system in order to be allowed to pass through.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of such problems, and provides a billing system, processing device, billing method, and program that allow vehicles that have already been charged tolls to pass through toll gates without stopping. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a charging system includes: a charging server that performs a first charging process to acquire license plate information and location information of a vehicle from an onboard device mounted on the vehicle and charge a toll for a toll road on which the vehicle has traveled based on the acquired location information; a license plate information server that acquires and records first charging information from the charging server, the first charging information including the license plate information of the vehicle and the processing result of the first charging process; a first license plate reading device that reads the license plate information of a vehicle traveling in a lane of a toll gate on the toll road; and a processing device that determines whether the first charging process has been performed on a vehicle traveling in the lane based on the first charging information recorded in the license plate information server and the license plate information read by the first license plate reading device, and if the first charging process has been performed on the vehicle, outputs a command to a starting control device to open an opening / closing bar.

[0008] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the processing device includes a license plate information acquisition unit that acquires license plate information of vehicles traveling in a lane of a toll gate; a second charging processing unit that performs a second charging processing by wirelessly communicating with an onboard device mounted on a vehicle traveling in the lane; a determination unit that determines whether first charging information associated with the license plate information acquired by the license plate information acquisition unit is recorded in a license plate information server that records the processing results of a first charging processing that charges tolls for the toll road on which the vehicle has traveled based on the vehicle's location information when the second charging processing unit fails to communicate wirelessly with the onboard device; and a control unit that outputs a command to open the opening and closing bar to a starting control device when the first charging information is recorded.

[0009] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a charging method includes the steps of: a charging server acquiring license plate information and location information of a vehicle from an onboard device mounted on the vehicle, and performing a first charging process to charge the vehicle a toll for the toll road on which the vehicle has traveled based on the acquired location information; a license plate information server acquiring and recording first charging information including the license plate information of the vehicle and a processing result of the first charging process from the charging server; a first license plate reading device reading the license plate information of a vehicle traveling in a lane of a toll gate on the toll road; and a processing device determining, based on the first charging information recorded in the license plate information server and the license plate information read by the first license plate reading device, whether the first charging process has been performed on the vehicle traveling in the lane, and if the first charging process has been performed on the vehicle, outputting a command to a starting control device to open an opening / closing bar.

[0010] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the program causes a processing device to execute the following steps: acquiring license plate information of a vehicle traveling in a lane of a toll gate; performing a second charging process by wirelessly communicating with an onboard device mounted on a vehicle traveling in the lane; if the wireless communication with the onboard device fails, determining whether first charging information associated with the acquired license plate information is recorded in a license plate information server that records the processing results of a first charging process that charges tolls for the toll road on which the vehicle has traveled based on the vehicle's location information; and if the first charging information is recorded, outputting a command to open the opening and closing bar to a launch control device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the billing system, processing device, billing method, and program disclosed herein, a vehicle that has already been charged a toll can pass through a toll gate without stopping. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a billing system according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a billing server according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a license plate information server according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a lane server according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] 10 is a first flowchart showing an example of processing of a billing server according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] 10 is a second flowchart showing an example of processing by the billing server according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] 4 is a first flowchart showing an example of processing of the license plate information server according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 8]FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a management table according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] 10 is a second flowchart showing an example of processing by the license plate information server according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 10] 4 is a first flowchart showing an example of processing of a lane server according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 11] 10 is a second flowchart showing an example of processing by the lane server according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a billing system according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a passing vehicle server according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 14] 10 is a first flowchart showing an example of processing of a passing vehicle server according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a passing vehicle list according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 16] 10 is a second flowchart showing an example of processing by a passing vehicle server according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 17] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing by a billing server according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] First Embodiment Hereinafter, a billing system 1 according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0014] (Overall composition) FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a billing system according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. The charging system 1 according to this embodiment is a system for allowing a vehicle A, which has already been charged by a GNSS charging service provider, to pass through a toll gate on a toll road without stopping. As shown in Fig. 1, the charging system 1 includes a charging server 2, a license plate information server 3, a first license plate reader 4, a lane server 5 (processing device), a communication antenna 55, and a departure controller 6.

[0015] The billing server 2 is a server owned or managed by a GNSS billing service provider. The billing server 2 performs a first billing process to bill the toll of the toll road on which the vehicle A has traveled, based on the location information acquired from the GNSS vehicle-mounted device α1 mounted on the vehicle A. The location information is accompanied by identification information that can identify the vehicle A. In this embodiment, the identification information of the vehicle A is the license plate information of the vehicle A (hereinafter also referred to as "NP information").

[0016] The license plate information server 3 (hereinafter also referred to as "NP information server 3") is a server installed at each of the multiple toll gates on the toll road. The NP information server 3 acquires and records the first billing information, which includes the identification information (NP information) of vehicle A and the processing result of the first billing process, from the billing server 2.

[0017] The first license plate reader 4 (hereinafter also referred to as the "first NP reader 4") reads the NP information of vehicle A from an image of the license plate of vehicle A traveling in lane L of the toll gate. The first NP reader 4 is an existing NP reader installed in lane L (ETC lane) of the toll gate.

[0018] The lane server 5 determines, based on the first charging information recorded in the NP information server 3, whether the first charging process has been performed by the charging server 2 for the vehicle A traveling on the lane L.

[0019] The communication antenna 55 performs wireless communication with the ETC vehicle-mounted unit α2 mounted on a vehicle traveling on the lane L. The communication antenna 55 is an existing communication antenna used in ETC.

[0020] The departure control device 6 has an opening and closing bar 61 that opens or closes the lane L. When the first charging process is performed on vehicle A, the departure control device 6 opens the opening and closing bar 61 to allow vehicle A to exit lane L. Furthermore, when vehicle A exits lane L, the departure control device 6 closes the opening and closing bar 61 to restrict the exit of subsequent vehicles from lane L.

[0021] (Functional configuration of billing server) FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the billing server according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 2, the billing server 2 includes a processor 20, a memory 21, a storage 22, and a communication interface .

[0022] The processor 20 operates in accordance with a predetermined program to function as a location information acquisition unit 200, a first charging unit 201, and a transmission unit 202.

[0023] The location information acquisition unit 200 acquires the identification information (license plate information) and location information of the vehicle A from the GNSS in-vehicle device α1 of the vehicle A at predetermined intervals, and stores the information in the storage 22.

[0024] The first charging processing unit 201 performs a first charging process to charge the toll of the toll road on which the vehicle A has traveled, based on the position information of the vehicle A. The content of the first charging process is the same as the charging process in the existing GNSS-based charging system.

[0025] When the transmission processing unit 202 performs the first charging process on the vehicle A, it transmits the first charging information including the identification information (NP information) of the vehicle A and the processing result of the first charging process to the license plate information server.

[0026] The predetermined program executed by processor 20 of billing server 2 is stored in a computer-readable recording medium. Computer-readable recording media include magnetic disks, optical magnetic disks, CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMs, and semiconductor memories. This computer program may be distributed to a computer via a communication line, and the computer that receives the program may execute it. This program may also be a program for implementing some of the above-described functions. Furthermore, this program may be a so-called differential file (differential program) that can realize the above-described functions in combination with a program already stored in the computer system. The same applies to the processors of each server and device described below.

[0027] The memory 21 has a memory area necessary for the processor 20 to operate.

[0028] The storage 22 is a so-called auxiliary storage device, such as a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), etc. The storage 22 stores, for each vehicle, location information collected from the GNSS in-vehicle device α1 of each of the multiple vehicles A, first billing processing information, etc.

[0029] The communication interface 23 is an interface for transmitting and receiving various information (signals) to and from external devices (such as the GNSS vehicle-mounted device α1 and the NP information server 3).

[0030] (Functional configuration of license plate information server) FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the license plate information server according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 3, the NP information server 3 includes a processor 30 , a memory 31 , a storage 32 , and a communication interface 33 .

[0031] The processor 30 operates in accordance with a predetermined program to function as a first charging information acquisition unit 300, an exit information acquisition unit 301, and a deletion processing unit 302.

[0032] The first billing information acquisition unit 300 acquires the first billing information of the vehicle A from the billing server 2 and records it in the storage 32.

[0033] The exit information acquisition unit 301 acquires, from the lane server 5, exit information indicating that the vehicle A has exited the lane L of the toll gate.

[0034] When the deletion processing unit 302 acquires the exit information of the vehicle A from the lane server 5, it deletes the first charging information of the vehicle A from the storage 32.

[0035] The memory 31 has a memory area necessary for the processor 30 to operate.

[0036] The storage 32 is a so-called auxiliary storage device, such as a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), etc. The storage 32 stores first billing information and the like.

[0037] The communication interface 33 is an interface for transmitting and receiving various information (signals) to and from external devices (such as the billing server 2 and the lane server 5).

[0038] (Lane server functional configuration) FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the lane server according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 4, the lane server 5 includes a processor 50, a memory 51, a storage 52, and a communication interface 53.

[0039] The processor 50 operates according to a predetermined program to fulfill the functions of a license plate information acquisition unit 500, a second billing processing unit 501, a determination unit 502, a control unit 503, and an exit notification unit 504.

[0040] The license plate information acquisition unit 500 (hereinafter also referred to as the “NP information acquisition unit 500”) acquires, from the first NP reader 4, the NP information of the vehicle A entering the toll gate.

[0041] The second billing processing unit 501 performs the second billing process through wireless communication with the ETC on-board unit α2 mounted on the vehicle A traveling on the lane L. The content of the second billing process is the same as the billing process in the existing ETC.

[0042] When wireless communication with the ETC onboard unit α2 of vehicle A fails, the judgment unit 502 judges whether the first billing information associated with the NP information read by the first NP reading device 4 is recorded in the NP information server 3.

[0043] When the control unit 503 determines that the first billing information is recorded, it outputs a command to open the opening / closing bar 61 to the departure control device 6. Furthermore, when the second billing process is successful, the control unit 503 outputs a command to open the opening / closing bar 61 to the departure control device 6.

[0044] When vehicle A exits lane L and the opening / closing bar 61 of the launch control device 6 is closed, the exit notification unit 504 notifies the NP information server 3 of exit information indicating that vehicle A has exited lane L.

[0045] The memory 51 has a memory area necessary for the processor 50 to operate.

[0046] The storage 52 is a so-called auxiliary storage device, such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD).

[0047] The communication interface 53 is an interface for transmitting and receiving various information (signals) to and from external devices (NP information server 3, first NP reader 4, communication antenna 55, launch controller 6, etc.).

[0048] (Billing server processing flow) FIG. 5 is a first flowchart illustrating an example of processing by the billing server according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. First, the flow of the first accounting process of the accounting server 2 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0049] The first charging processing unit 201 performs the first charging process on vehicle A based on the location information acquired from vehicle A (step S100). For example, when the first charging processing unit 201 detects from the time series of vehicle A's location information that vehicle A has passed a charging point corresponding to an exit toll gate of a toll road, the first charging processing unit 201 performs the first charging process on vehicle A. The charging point is set upstream of the exit toll gate (rearward in the traveling direction of vehicle A). For example, the charging point is set on a ramp connecting the main lane of the toll road and lane L of the exit toll gate. In another embodiment, a charging point corresponding to an entrance toll gate of a toll road may also be set. In this case, the charging point is also set upstream of the entrance toll gate.

[0050] Next, the transmission processing unit 202 determines whether the first charging process has been successful (step S101).

[0051] If the first billing process is successful (step S101; YES), the transmission processing unit 202 transmits the first billing information including the NP information of vehicle A and the process result indicating successful billing to the NP information server 3 (step S102).

[0052] On the other hand, if the first billing process fails (step S101; NO), the transmission processing unit 202 generates first billing information including the NP information of vehicle A and a processing result indicating billing failure, and transmits it to the NP information server 3 (step S103).

[0053] FIG. 6 is a second flowchart illustrating an example of the process of the billing server according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 6, the billing server 2 executes a process of monitoring whether or not location information is being acquired from the GNSS in-vehicle device α1 of each vehicle A in parallel with the process of FIG.

[0054] The first charging processing unit 201 determines whether the vehicle A is traveling on a toll road based on the position information of the vehicle A (step S110). If the vehicle A is not traveling on a toll road (step S110; NO), the first charging processing unit 201 ends the processing for the vehicle A.

[0055] If vehicle A is traveling on a toll road (step S110; YES), the first charging processing unit 201 determines whether a certain amount of time has passed since the last time the location information of vehicle A was acquired (step S111).

[0056] If a certain time or more has passed since the last acquisition of the location information of vehicle A (step S111; YES), the first accounting processing unit 201 determines that the accounting process for vehicle A cannot be performed normally (the GNSS in-vehicle unit α1 has been powered off, a line abnormality (e.g., outside the radio wave range) has occurred, etc.). In this case, the transmission processing unit 202 transmits flag information including the NP information of vehicle A and information indicating that location information has not been acquired for a long time to the NP information server 3 (step S112).

[0057] Furthermore, if a certain period of time has not passed since the last acquisition of vehicle A's location information (step S111; NO), the first billing processing unit 201 determines whether flag information indicating no long-term location information was sent to the NP information server 3 last time (step S113). If the first billing processing unit 201 has not sent flag information indicating no long-term location information to the NP information server 3 (step S113; NO), the processing for vehicle A is terminated.

[0058] On the other hand, if the first charging processing unit 201 has transmitted flag information indicating that no position information has been obtained for a long period of time to the NP information server 3 (step S113; YES), it determines that it has become possible to obtain position information again from the GNSS in-vehicle unit α1 of vehicle A. For example, the power of the GNSS in-vehicle unit α1 may be temporarily turned off in a parking area or the like, causing the transmission of position information to be interrupted. In this case, when the power of the GNSS in-vehicle unit α1 is turned on and the transmission of position information resumes, the first charging processing unit 201 determines that a state has been restored in which charging processing for vehicle A can be performed normally. In this case, the transmission processing unit 202 transmits flag information including the NP information of vehicle A and information indicating the cancellation of the long period of no position information being obtained to the NP information server 3 (step S114).

[0059] (License plate information server processing flow) FIG. 7 is a first flowchart illustrating an example of processing by the license plate information server according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. First, with reference to FIG. 7, the flow of processing in which the NP information server 3 accumulates information about vehicle A to be charged by the first charging processing will be described.

[0060] If the information acquired from the accounting server 2 is the first accounting information (step S120; YES), the first accounting information acquisition unit 300 adds and stores this first accounting information in the management table T1 (FIG. 8) (step S121).

[0061] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a management table according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 8, management table T1 stores information associating the first charging information of each vehicle A with flag information. The first charging information includes an ID, a creation date and time, NP information of vehicle A, and whether charging was successful or not. The ID of the first charging information is, for example, the processing number (sequence number) of the first charging process. The ID of the first charging information may be a combination of information capable of identifying a charging point (charging point ID, toll gate ID) and the processing number. The creation date and time indicates the date and time when the charging server 2 generated the first charging information. The charging success or failure indicates whether the first charging process for vehicle A was successful ("OK") or unsuccessful ("NG"). The flag information indicates whether location information cannot be obtained from the GNSS onboard device α1 for a long period of time ("YES") or whether location information has been obtained ("NO").

[0062] Furthermore, if the information acquired from the accounting server 2 is flag information (step S120; NO), the first accounting information acquisition unit 300 extracts information having NP information linked to the flag information from the management table T1 and overwrites this information with the flag information (step S122). If the flag information indicates "no long-term location information acquisition", the first accounting information acquisition unit 300 overwrites the flag information with "YES". On the other hand, if the flag information indicates "cancellation of no long-term location information acquisition", the first accounting information acquisition unit 300 overwrites the flag information with "NO".

[0063] FIG. 9 is a second flowchart showing an example of the processing of the license plate information server according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. Next, with reference to FIG. 9, the flow of processing in which the NP information server 3 deletes the information about vehicle A from the management table T1 will be described.

[0064] The exit information acquisition unit 301 acquires, from the lane server 5 of the toll gate, exit information indicating that the vehicle A has exited the toll gate (step S130). The exit information includes the NP information of the vehicle A.

[0065] Then, the deletion processing unit 302 extracts information having NP information that matches the NP information of the exit information from the management table T1 and deletes it (step S131). By deleting unnecessary information from the management table T1 in this way, it is possible to suppress an increase in the storage capacity of the management table T1 and an increase in the search processing time for the management table T1.

[0066] (Lane server processing flow) FIG. 10 is a first flowchart illustrating an example of processing by the lane server according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. Here, an example of processing in which the lane server 5 determines whether or not vehicle A can pass through an exit toll gate will be described with reference to FIG.

[0067] When vehicle A enters lane L, the second billing processing unit 501 performs wireless communication with the ETC on-board unit α2 of vehicle A via the communication antenna 55. Based on the content of this wireless communication, the second billing processing unit 501 determines whether vehicle A is an abnormal ETC vehicle (step S140).

[0068] When wireless communication is established with the ETC on-board unit α2 of vehicle A and information necessary for the second charging process (for example, vehicle model information of vehicle A recorded in the ETC on-board unit α2) is acquired from the ETC on-board unit α2, the second charging processing unit 501 determines that vehicle A is not an abnormal ETC vehicle (is a normal ETC vehicle) (step S140; NO). In this case, the second charging processing unit 501 executes the second charging process for this normal ETC vehicle (step S141). The content of the second charging process is the same as the charging process for existing ETC. Furthermore, when the second charging process is completed, the control unit 503 outputs an open command to the departure control unit 6 (step S147) to permit the normal ETC vehicle to exit lane L. Then, the lane server 5 ends the process for the normal ETC vehicle.

[0069] On the other hand, if wireless communication with the on-board unit of vehicle A via the communication antenna 55 is not established, or if information necessary for the second billing process cannot be obtained from the ETC on-board unit α2, the second billing processing unit 501 determines that this vehicle is an abnormal ETC vehicle (step S140; YES). For example, if vehicle A is equipped with a GNSS on-board unit α1, or if vehicle A is not equipped with any on-board unit, wireless communication is not established and the vehicle is determined to be an abnormal ETC vehicle. Also, if a malfunction occurs in the ETC on-board unit α2, wireless communication is not established or necessary information cannot be obtained, and the vehicle is determined to be an abnormal ETC vehicle.

[0070] If it is determined that the vehicle is an abnormal ETC vehicle (step S140; YES), the NP information acquisition unit 500 acquires the NP information of vehicle A from the first NP reader 4 (step S142).

[0071] Next, the judgment unit 502 judges whether the first charging information associated with the NP information of vehicle A obtained from the first NP reader 4 is recorded in the NP information server 3 (management table T1 in Figure 8) of the exit toll gate (step S143).

[0072] If the first charging information is not recorded in the NP information server 3 (step S143; NO), the determination unit 502 determines that neither the first charging process (charging by the GNSS system) nor the second charging process (charging by ETC) has been performed on this vehicle A. In this case, the determination unit 502 requests the attendant at the exit toll gate to take action to collect the toll from this vehicle A (step S148). For example, the determination unit 502 notifies a toll collection machine (not shown) installed in a manned booth in lane L or a monitoring device (not shown) installed in the toll gate office that attendant action is required for this vehicle A. At this time, the opening / closing bar 61 of the launch control unit 6 is closed, and vehicle A does not exit lane L but stops in front of the launch control unit 6 until the attendant's action is completed. The attendant collects the toll from this vehicle A via the toll collection machine or the monitoring device, or by visiting vehicle A in lane L.

[0073] Furthermore, if the first billing information is recorded in the NP information server 3 (step S143; YES), the determination unit 502 further refers to the flag information to determine whether the location information of vehicle A has been acquired (step S144).

[0074] If the determination unit 502 has not been able to obtain the location information of vehicle A for a long period of time (flag information is "UYES") (step S144; NO), it determines that there is a possibility that the first charging process (charging by the GNSS method) has not been performed normally for this vehicle A. In this case, the determination unit 502 requests the attendant at the exit toll gate to take action to collect the toll for vehicle A (step S148).

[0075] If the position information of vehicle A has been acquired (flag information is "NO") (step S144; YES), the determination unit 502 determines whether the first charging process has been successful (step S145).

[0076] If the charging success / failure of the first charging information is unsuccessful ("NG") (step S145; NO), the determination unit 502 requests the attendant at the exit toll gate to collect the toll from vehicle A (step S148). This makes it possible to charge the toll from vehicle A at the exit toll gate if the first charging process for vehicle A has failed due to a malfunction of the GNSS onboard device α1 or the like.

[0077] On the other hand, if the charging success / failure of the first charging information is successful ("OK") (step S145; YES), the determination unit 502 determines that the charging process for this vehicle A is complete. If so, the determination unit 502 adds the NP information of this vehicle A to the end of the exit queue (step S146). In addition, the control unit 503 outputs an open command to the departure control device 6 (step S147) to permit vehicle A to exit from lane L. As a result, vehicle A, which has already been charged by the charging server 2, can pass through the toll gate without stopping.

[0078] FIG. 11 is a second flowchart illustrating an example of the process of the lane server according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. Next, with reference to FIG. 11, the flow of processing performed by the lane server 5 after the exit of vehicle A is permitted will be described.

[0079] 10 is completed, the launch control device 6 detects that the vehicle A has exited the lane L, closes the opening and closing bar 61, and notifies the lane server 5 of the "closed state" of the opening and closing bar 61. The exit notification unit 504 of the lane server 5 determines whether or not a notification of the "closed state" has been received from the launch control device 6 (step S150).

[0080] For example, if the exit of vehicle A is delayed due to traffic congestion or the like, the control unit 503 may not immediately receive a "closed state" notification from the departure control device 6 after outputting an open command (step S150; NO). In this case, the exit notification unit 504 waits until it receives a "closed state" notification from the departure control device 6.

[0081] Furthermore, when the exit notification unit 504 receives a notification of the "closed state" from the departure controller 6 (step S150; YES), it transmits exit information including the NP information at the top of the exit queue to the NP information server 3 (step S151).

[0082] Next, the exit notification unit 504 deletes the NP information at the top of the exit queue (step S152). This allows the exit notification unit 504 to know whether the vehicle A for which the first charging process has been normally performed has exited, even if there are multiple vehicles A in the lane L due to congestion or the like.

[0083] (Action, effect) As described above, the charging system 1 of this embodiment comprises a charging server 2 that performs a first charging process to charge tolls for the toll road on which vehicle A has traveled based on location information obtained from the GNSS vehicle-mounted device α1 mounted on vehicle A, an NP information server 3 that acquires and records first charging information including NP information of vehicle A and the processing results of the first charging process from the charging server 2, a first NP reading device 4 that reads the NP information of vehicle A entering the toll gate of the toll road, and a lane server 5 (processing device) that determines whether the first charging process has been performed on vehicle A traveling in lane L of the toll gate based on the first charging information recorded in the NP information server 3, and if the first charging process has been performed on vehicle A, outputs an opening command to the start control device 6 to open the opening / closing bar 61.

[0084] In this way, the charging system 1 allows vehicle A, for which the first charging process has been completed in the charging server 2, to pass through the toll gate without stopping. This enables the charging system 1 to shorten the service time at the toll gate and reduce the workload of the attendant.

[0085] The lane server 5 also includes a second billing processing unit 501 that performs second billing processing by wirelessly communicating with the ETC onboard unit α2 of vehicle A, a determination unit 502 that determines whether the first billing information associated with the NP information read by the first NP reading device 4 is recorded in the NP information server 3 when the second billing processing unit 501 fails to communicate wirelessly with the ETC onboard unit α2, and a control unit 503 that outputs an open command to the start control unit 6 when the first billing information is recorded.

[0086] By doing this, the billing system 1 allows both vehicle A equipped with a GNSS onboard unit α1 and vehicle A (ETC vehicle) equipped with an existing ETC onboard unit α2 to pass through the toll gate non-stop.

[0087] <Second embodiment> Next, a billing system 1 according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. Components common to the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0088] (Overall composition) FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a billing system according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 12, the charging system 1 according to this embodiment further includes a second license plate reader 7 (hereinafter also referred to as "second NP reader 7") installed outside the toll booth.

[0089] The second NP reader 7 reads the NP information of vehicle A from an image of the license plate of vehicle A passing through the installation position of the second NP reader 7. For example, the second NP reader 7 is installed at any position on a ramp connecting the main lane of the toll road and the exit toll lane L. Furthermore, in the vicinity of a main lane toll gate located on the main lane of the toll road, the second NP reader 7 may be installed on the main lane upstream of the main lane toll gate.

[0090] The second NP reader 7 is installed corresponding to each charging point so that it is possible to identify that vehicle A has actually passed through the charging point. The charging point is set at the same location as the second NP reader 7 or at any location between the installation location of the second NP reader 7 and the toll gate.

[0091] The billing system 1 according to this embodiment further includes a passing vehicle server 8 that stores the NP information read by the second NP reading device 7. The passing vehicle server 8 stores the NP information of all vehicles that have passed the installation location of the second NP reading device 7.

[0092] (Functional configuration of the passing vehicle server) FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a passing vehicle server according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 13, the passing vehicle server 8 includes a processor 80, a memory 81, a storage 82, and a communication interface 83.

[0093] The processor 80 operates in accordance with a predetermined program to function as a license plate information recording unit 800 and a license plate information deletion unit 801.

[0094] The license plate information recording unit 800 (hereinafter also referred to as the “NP information recording unit 800”) records and accumulates the NP information read by the second NP reader 7 in the storage 82.

[0095] A license plate information deletion unit 801 (hereinafter also referred to as "NP information deletion unit 801") deletes NP information that has been stored in storage 82 for a certain period of time or more.

[0096] The memory 81 has a memory area necessary for the processor 80 to operate.

[0097] The storage 82 is a so-called auxiliary storage device, such as a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), etc. The storage 82 accumulates the NP information read by the second NP reader 7, etc.

[0098] The communication interface 83 is an interface for transmitting and receiving various information (signals) to and from external devices (such as the second NP reader 7 and the NP information server 3).

[0099] (Processing flow of the passing vehicle server) FIG. 14 is a first flowchart illustrating an example of processing by the passing vehicle server according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. Here, the flow of processing in which the passing vehicle server 8 accumulates NP information will be described with reference to FIG.

[0100] First, while vehicle A is traveling near the installation location of the second NP reader 7, the second NP reader 7 reads the NP information of this vehicle A. The NP information recording unit 800 of the passing vehicle server 8 determines whether the new NP information read by the second NP reader 7 matches the NP information already stored in the storage 82 (NP information already recorded in the passing vehicle list T2 described below) (step S200).

[0101] If the new NP information matches the already stored NP information (step S200; YES), the NP information recording unit 800 updates the update date and time of the stored NP information (step S201). This allows the NP information recording unit 800 to prevent the NP information of the same vehicle A from being recorded in duplicate.

[0102] On the other hand, if the new NP information does not match the already stored NP information (step S200; NO), the NP information recording unit 800 records and stores the new NP information in the passing vehicle list T2 (FIG. 15) in the storage 82 (step S202).

[0103] FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of a passing vehicle list according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. 15, the passing vehicle list T2 records the location and acquisition date and time of the license plate of vehicle A, the read NP information, and the update date and time of the NP information in association with each other. Each piece of NP information may be assigned an ID (processing number). The acquisition location is, for example, information indicating the charging point corresponding to the second NP reader 7. The acquisition location may also be information indicating the installation location of the second NP reader 7.

[0104] Furthermore, the NP information recording unit 800 transmits the new NP information to the billing server 2 (step S203). That is, information similar to the passing vehicle list T2 is recorded in the storage 22 of the billing server 2.

[0105] FIG. 16 is a second flowchart illustrating an example of processing by the passing vehicle server according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. Here, the flow of processing in which the passing vehicle server 8 deletes unnecessary NP information will be described with reference to Fig. 16. The passing vehicle server 8 executes the processing in Fig. 16 every time a certain period of time (for example, 30 minutes) has elapsed.

[0106] First, the NP information deletion unit 801 determines whether or not there is any NP information stored in the storage 82 whose update date and time is older than a certain time (for example, 30 minutes) (step S210).

[0107] If there is no NP information whose update date and time is older than a certain time (step S210; NO), the NP information deletion unit 801 ends the process without deleting the NP information.

[0108] On the other hand, if there is NP information whose update date and time is older than a certain time (step S210; YES), the NP information deletion unit 801 deletes this NP information from the passing vehicle list T2 (step S211). This prevents the NP information of vehicle A from remaining accumulated in the passing vehicle list T2 even after vehicle A has exited the toll gate.

[0109] (Billing server processing flow) FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing an example of processing by the billing server according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. Here, the flow of the first accounting process of accounting server 2 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0110] The first charging processing unit 201 detects that vehicle A has passed a charging point from the NP information and location information of vehicle A acquired from the GNSS in-vehicle device α1. The first charging processing unit 201 also references the NP information and acquisition location of each record in the passing vehicle list T2 received from the passing vehicle server 8 to determine whether vehicle A has actually passed the charging point. Specifically, the first charging processing unit 201 determines whether there is a record in the passing vehicle list T2 that matches the combination of the NP information of vehicle A acquired from the GNSS in-vehicle device α1 and the charging point detected from the location information (step S220).

[0111] If there is no record in the passed vehicle list T2 that matches the combination of the NP information of vehicle A acquired from the GNSS in-vehicle device α1 and the charging point detected from the location information (step S220; NO), the first charging processing unit 201 determines that vehicle A has not passed through a charging point. In this case, since there may be an error in the location information, the first charging processing unit 201 does not perform the first charging process for vehicle A.

[0112] On the other hand, if there is a record in the passed vehicle list T2 that matches the combination of the NP information of vehicle A acquired from the GNSS in-vehicle device α1 and the charging point detected from the location information (step S220; YES), the first charging processing unit 201 determines that vehicle A has actually passed through the charging point. In this case, the first charging processing unit 201 executes the first charging process for vehicle A (step S221). Further, the subsequent steps S222 to S224 in the charging server 2 are the same as steps S101 to S103 (FIG. 5) of the first embodiment, respectively.

[0113] In step S220, the first charging processing unit 201 may further determine whether the time difference between the acquisition date and time of the location information and the update date and time of the NP information in the passing vehicle list T2 is within a predetermined time. This predetermined time is set arbitrarily depending on factors such as the distance from the installation location of the second NP reader 7 to the charging point. If the difference between the acquisition date and time of the location information of vehicle A and the update date and time of the NP information in the passing vehicle list T2 exceeds the predetermined time, the first charging processing unit 201 determines that there is no record that matches the location information of the GNSS in-vehicle unit α1 (step S220; NO), and does not execute the first charging processing for vehicle A.

[0114] (Action, effect) As described above, the charging system 1 according to this embodiment further includes the second NP reader 7 installed outside the toll gate, and the passing vehicle server 8 that stores the NP information read by the second NP reader 7. Furthermore, the first charging processing unit 201 of the charging server 2 executes the first charging process for vehicle A when the combination of NP information and location information (charging point) of vehicle A acquired from the GNSS vehicle-mounted device α1 matches the combination of NP information and the location where the NP information was acquired that is accumulated in the passing vehicle server 8.

[0115] In this way, the charging system 1 can perform the first charging process only for the vehicle A that actually passes through the charging point (the installation position of the second NP reader 7). This allows the charging system 1 to prevent erroneous charging due to, for example, an error in the location information.

[0116] Furthermore, the NP information recording unit 800 of the passing vehicle server 8 updates the update date and time of the NP information when the NP information newly read by the second NP reading device 7 has already been recorded. Furthermore, the NP information deletion unit 801 of the passing vehicle server 8 deletes the NP information when there is NP information whose update date and time has not been updated for a certain period of time or more.

[0117] In this way, the passing vehicle server 8 can prevent the NP information from being recorded in duplicate and the unnecessary NP information from remaining recorded.

[0118] In addition, the first billing processing unit 201 of the billing server 2 may not perform the first billing processing for vehicle A if the time difference between the date and time when the location information of vehicle A is obtained from the GNSS vehicle-mounted device α1 and the date and time when the NP information is updated by the second NP reading device 7 exceeds a predetermined time.

[0119] In this way, the billing system 1 can prevent erroneous billing based on fraudulent location information or the like.

[0120] As described above, several embodiments according to the present disclosure have been described, but 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, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents as defined in the claims, as well as in the scope and spirit of the invention.

[0121] For example, in each of the above-described embodiments, an example has been described in which the ETC lane server 5 is used as the processing device that determines whether the first charging process has been performed on vehicle A, but the present invention is not limited to this. In other embodiments, the processing device may be a toll collection machine operated by an attendant in a manned booth provided in lane L, or a remote monitoring device operated by an attendant at the toll booth office.

[0122] Furthermore, the first charging processing unit 201 of the charging server 2 may further include, in the processing result of the first charging information, information indicating which charging point (toll gate) vehicle A has passed through (toll gate ID, charging point ID, etc.). In this case, the transmission processing unit 202 of the charging server 2 transmits the first charging information to the NP information server 3 installed at, for example, a toll gate identified by the toll gate ID among multiple toll gates. As a result, the NP information server 3 at each toll gate will only store the first charging information of vehicle A that has passed through the toll gate (charging point) at which the NP information server 3 is installed. This makes it possible to reduce the capacity of the first charging information (management table T1) stored in the NP information server 3.

[0123] <Additional Notes> The billing system, processing device, billing method, and program described in the above-described embodiments can be understood, for example, as follows.

[0124] (1) According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a charging system (1) includes: a charging server (2) that performs a first charging process to acquire license plate information and location information of a vehicle from an onboard device (α2) mounted on the vehicle and charge a toll for a toll road on which the vehicle has traveled based on the acquired location information; a license plate information server (3) that acquires and records first charging information including the license plate information of the vehicle and the processing result of the first charging process from the charging server (2); a first license plate reader (4) that reads the license plate information of a vehicle traveling in a lane of a toll gate of the toll road; and a processing device (5) that determines whether the first charging process has been performed on the vehicle traveling in the lane based on the first charging information recorded in the license plate information server (3) and the license plate information read by the first license plate reader, and outputs an opening command of an opening / closing bar (61) to a start control device (6) if the first charging process has been performed on the vehicle.

[0125] In this way, the charging system allows vehicles for which the first charging process has been completed by the charging server to pass through the toll gate without stopping, thereby shortening the service time at the toll gate and reducing the workload of the toll gate attendant.

[0126] (2) According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, the billing system (1) according to the first aspect further includes a starting controller (6) that opens and closes the opening and closing bar (61) based on commands output from the processing device (5).

[0127] In this way, when the processing device confirms that the charging process for the vehicle has been completed, the charging system can quickly open the gate of the starting control device to allow the vehicle to exit the lane. On the other hand, when the processing device confirms that the charging process for the vehicle has not been completed, the charging system can keep the gate of the starting control device closed to prevent the vehicle from exiting without paying the toll.

[0128] (3) According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, in the charging system (1) relating to the first or second aspect, the processing device (5) has a second charging processing unit (501) that performs second charging processing by wireless communication with an on-board device (α1) mounted on a vehicle traveling in a lane, a determination unit (502) that determines whether first charging information associated with the license plate information read by the first license plate reading device (4) is recorded in the license plate information server (3) when the second charging processing unit (501) fails to communicate wirelessly with the on-board device (α1), and a control unit (503) that outputs an opening command of the opening / closing bar (61) to the starting control device (6) when the first charging information is recorded.

[0129] By doing this, the billing system allows both vehicles subject to the first billing process (i.e., vehicles equipped with GNSS onboard units) and vehicles subject to the second billing process (i.e., ETC vehicles equipped with existing ETC onboard units) to pass through the toll gate non-stop.

[0130] (4) According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, the charging system (1) relating to any one of the first to third aspects further includes a second license plate reader (7) installed at a point upstream of the toll gate that reads the license plate information of the vehicle, and a passing vehicle server (8) that stores the license plate information read by the second license plate reader (7). When the combination of the vehicle location information and license plate information acquired from the onboard device (α1) matches the combination of the license plate information stored in the passing vehicle server (8) and the installation location of the second license plate reader (7) that read the license plate information, the charging server (2) executes a first charging process for the vehicle.

[0131] In this way, the charging system can perform the first charging process only for vehicles that actually pass through the charging point (the installation position of the second NP reader), which makes it possible for the charging system to prevent erroneous charging due to, for example, an error in location information.

[0132] (5) According to the fifth aspect of the present disclosure, in the billing system (1) relating to the fourth aspect, if the license plate information newly read by the second license plate reading device (7) is already recorded in the passing vehicle server (8), the passing vehicle server (8) updates the update date and time of the license plate information, and if there is license plate information whose update date and time has not been updated for a certain period of time or more, the passing vehicle server (8) deletes the license plate information.

[0133] In this way, the billing system can prevent NP information from being recorded in duplicate in the passing vehicle server and prevent unnecessary NP information from remaining recorded.

[0134] (6) According to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, the processing device (5) includes a license plate information acquisition unit (500) that acquires license plate information of a vehicle traveling in a lane of a toll gate, a second charging processing unit (501) that performs a second charging processing by wireless communication with an on-board device (α2) mounted on the vehicle traveling in the lane, a determination unit (502) that determines whether first charging information associated with the license plate information acquired by the license plate information acquisition unit (500) is recorded in a license plate information server (3) that records the processing result of the first charging processing that charges a toll for the toll road on which the vehicle has traveled based on the vehicle's location information when the second charging processing unit (501) fails to communicate wirelessly with the on-board device (α1), and a control unit (503) that outputs an opening command of the opening / closing bar (61) to the start control device (6) when the first charging information is recorded.

[0135] (7) According to a seventh aspect of the present disclosure, the charging method includes the steps of: a charging server (2) acquiring license plate information and location information of the vehicle from an on-board device (α1) mounted on the vehicle, and performing a first charging process to charge the vehicle a toll for the toll road on which the vehicle has traveled based on the acquired location information; a license plate information server (3) acquiring and recording first charging information including the license plate information of the vehicle and the processing result of the first charging process from the charging server (2); a first license plate reader (4) reading the license plate information of a vehicle traveling in a lane of a toll gate of the toll road; and a processing device (5) determining, based on the first charging information recorded in the license plate information server (3) and the license plate information read by the first license plate reader (4), whether the first charging process has been performed on the vehicle traveling in the lane, and, if the first charging process has been performed on the vehicle, outputting an opening command of the opening / closing bar (61) to the start control device (6).

[0136] (8) According to an eighth aspect of the present disclosure, the program causes the processing device (5) to execute the following steps: acquiring license plate information of a vehicle traveling in a lane of a toll gate; performing a second charging process by wirelessly communicating with an onboard device mounted on the vehicle traveling in the lane; determining, if wireless communication with the onboard device fails, whether first charging information associated with the acquired license plate information is recorded in a license plate information server that records the processing results of the first charging process that charges tolls for the toll road on which the vehicle has traveled based on the vehicle's location information; and, if the first charging information is recorded, outputting a command to open the opening and closing bar to the starting control device. [Explanation of symbols]

[0137] 1. Billing system 2. Billing Server 20 processors 200 Location information acquisition section 201 First charging processing unit 202 Transmission processing unit 21 Memory 22 Storage 23 Communication Interface 3. License Plate Information Server (NP Information Server) 30 processors 300 First billing information acquisition unit 301 Exit information acquisition unit 302 Deletion processing unit 31 memory 32 Storage 33 Communication Interface 4. First license plate reader (first NP reader) 5 Lane Server 50 processors 500 License Plate Information Acquisition Unit (NP Information Acquisition Unit) 501 Second charging processing unit 502 Judgment section 503 Control Unit 504 Exit Notification Department 51 memory 52 Storage 53 Communication Interface 55 Communication Antenna 6 Launch control 61 Opening and Closing Bar 7 Second license plate reader (second NP reader) 8 Passing vehicle server 80 processors 800 License Plate Information Recording Unit (NP Information Recording Unit) 801 License plate information deletion unit (NP information deletion unit) 81 memory 82 Storage 83 Communication Interface α1 GNSS onboard device α2 ETC on-board device

Claims

1. a charging server that performs a first charging process of acquiring license plate information and location information of a vehicle from an on-board device mounted on the vehicle, and charging a toll for a toll road on which the vehicle has traveled based on the acquired location information; a license plate information server that acquires and records first billing information including the license plate information of the vehicle and a processing result of the first billing process from the billing server; a first license plate reader that reads license plate information of a vehicle traveling in a lane of the toll gate of the toll road; a processing device that determines whether the first charging process has been performed on a vehicle traveling on the lane based on the first charging information recorded in the license plate information server and the license plate information read by the first license plate reader, and that outputs a command to open a gate to a launch control device when the first charging process has been performed on the vehicle; A billing system comprising:

2. The vehicle further includes a starting controller that opens and closes the opening and closing bar based on a command output from the processing device. The billing system according to claim 1 .

3. The processing device includes: a second charging processing unit that performs a second charging process by wirelessly communicating with an on-board device mounted on a vehicle traveling on the lane; a determination unit that determines whether the first billing information associated with the license plate information read by the first license plate reader is recorded in the license plate information server when the second billing processing unit fails to establish wireless communication with the in-vehicle device; and a control unit that outputs a command to the starting controller to open the opening and closing bar when the first charging information is recorded; 3. The charging system according to claim 1, further comprising:

4. a second license plate reader that is installed at a point upstream of the toll gate and that reads the license plate information of the vehicle; The vehicle information processing device further includes a passing vehicle server that records the license plate information read by the second license plate reader and the location where the license plate information was obtained, the billing server executes the first billing process for the vehicle when a combination of the location information and the license plate information of the vehicle acquired from the in-vehicle device matches a combination of the license plate information and the acquisition location of the license plate information recorded in the passing vehicle server; 4. The billing system according to claim 1.

5. The passing vehicle server If the license plate information newly read by the second license plate reader has already been recorded in the passing vehicle server, updating the update date and time of the license plate information; If there is license plate information whose update date and time has not been updated for a certain period of time or more, the license plate information will be deleted. The billing system according to claim 4.

6. a license plate information acquisition unit that acquires license plate information of vehicles traveling in the lane of the toll gate; a second charging processing unit that performs a second charging process by wirelessly communicating with an on-board device mounted on a vehicle traveling on the lane; a determination unit that determines whether first billing information associated with the license plate information acquired by the license plate information acquisition unit is recorded in a license plate information server that records a processing result of a first billing process that charges a toll for a toll road on which the vehicle has traveled based on the vehicle's location information when the second billing processing unit fails to establish wireless communication with the in-vehicle device; and a control unit that outputs a command to open the gate to a starting control device when the first billing information is recorded; A processing device comprising:

7. a step in which a billing server acquires license plate information and location information of the vehicle from an on-board device mounted on the vehicle, and performs a first billing process to charge the toll for the toll road on which the vehicle has traveled based on the acquired location information; A license plate information server acquires and records first billing information including the license plate information of the vehicle and the processing result of the first billing process from the billing server; A first license plate reader reads the license plate information of a vehicle traveling in the lane of the toll gate of the toll road; a processing device determining whether the first charging process has been performed on a vehicle traveling in the lane based on the first charging information recorded in the license plate information server and the license plate information read by the first license plate reading device, and outputting a command to open a gate to a starting control device when the first charging process has been performed on the vehicle; A billing method having:

8. obtaining license plate information of vehicles traveling in the toll lane; performing a second charging process by wirelessly communicating with an on-board device mounted on a vehicle traveling on the lane; a step of determining whether first charging information associated with the acquired license plate information is recorded in a license plate information server that records a processing result of a first charging process for charging a toll for a toll road on which the vehicle has traveled based on the location information of the vehicle when the wireless communication with the in-vehicle device has failed; a step of outputting a command to open the gate to a starting controller when the first charging information is recorded; A program that causes a processing device to execute the above.

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