Vehicle type determination system, central processing unit, and vehicle type determination method

Abstract

To provide a vehicle model determination system to improve the determination of appropriate vehicle models.SOLUTION: A vehicle model determination system according to the embodiment includes a plurality of toll booths and a central processing unit that communicates with the plurality of toll booths. At least one of the plurality of toll booths includes a lane server that transmits vehicle-mounted device identification information, axle information, and an interchange number to the central processing unit. The central processing unit includes: a vehicle model estimation unit that estimates the vehicle model based on the axle information and the vehicle-mounted device identification information; a score determination unit that determines each score per at least one toll booth identified by the interchange number to determine the vehicle model based on the number of antennas, the vehicle-mounted device identification information, and the axle information of the at least one toll booth; and a vehicle model determination unit that determines the vehicle model based on the vehicle model estimated at the toll booth that has the highest value among the scores determined by the score determination unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] FIELD Embodiments of the present invention relate to a vehicle type determination system, a central processing unit, and a vehicle type determination method. [Background technology]

[0002] The ETC (Electronic Toll Collection) (registered trademark) system, which is widely used on toll roads, enables non-stop toll collection without vehicles having to stop at toll gates by wirelessly communicating between the onboard units of vehicles traveling through the lanes of toll gates installed at each interchange (IC) and the lane equipment installed at the toll gates.

[0003] On roads with flat toll rates, the ETC system collects tolls according to vehicle type when entering or exiting a flat toll road. On roads with distance-based toll rates, the ETC system collects tolls when exiting a road with distance-based toll rates, based on the IC number recorded when entering the road and the IC number recorded when exiting. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-197314 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The lane server installed at the toll gate determines tolls by searching a toll table, which is a matrix of vehicle types and entrance IC numbers stored internally and transmitted by a central processing unit that manages the lane server. This method lacks immediacy, making it difficult to flexibly change the toll collection method or amount, as it requires changing the number of table transmissions, interval limits, and the type of lane server software. Therefore, a method is adopted in which the lane server does not determine tolls, but rather the central processing unit, which is the lane server's host device, communicates with the lane server and determines the toll. In this case, the central processing unit must determine the vehicle type. However, the vehicle type determined based on information from the lane server may vary depending on the toll gate's configuration, so the central processing unit must appropriately determine the vehicle type.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle type determination system, a central processing unit, and a vehicle type determination method that determine a vehicle type based on information received from a toll booth having the highest score among scores determined for each toll booth. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A vehicle type determination system according to an embodiment comprises a plurality of toll booths that are installed at a plurality of interchanges and communicate with vehicles passing through, and a central processing unit that communicates with the plurality of toll booths, wherein at least one toll booth among the plurality of toll booths comprises lane equipment that includes an antenna that receives, from an on-board unit of a passing vehicle, on-board unit specific information including a vehicle type code of the vehicle and towing information indicating whether the vehicle can tow a towing vehicle, and an axle sensor that generates axle information including information on the number of axles of the vehicle, and a lane server that transmits to the central processing unit the on-board unit specific information, the axle information, and an interchange number that uniquely identifies each of the at least one toll booth received from the lane equipment, wherein the central processing unit comprises a vehicle type estimation unit that estimates the vehicle type of a vehicle passing through each of the at least one toll booth based on the number of axles and the vehicle type code of the vehicle received from the lane server, and a lane server that transmits to the central processing unit the ... The system is equipped with a score determination unit that determines the score of each toll gate based on the number of antennas of the at least one toll gate identified from the interchange number, the on-board device specific information, and the axle information, and a vehicle type determination unit that determines the vehicle type based on the vehicle type estimated at the toll gate that has the highest score determined by the score determination unit among the toll gates that the vehicle has passed through, wherein the score determination unit determines the score of the at least one toll gate to be the lowest score if it determines that the at least one toll gate does not have a two-antenna structure, and if it determines that the at least one toll gate has a two-antenna structure, it determines that the vehicle cannot be towed from the towing information and that the information on the number of axles of the vehicle does not match the number of axles of the estimated vehicle type, it determines the score to be a first value higher than the minimum value. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of an ETC toll collection system according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a central processing unit constituting the ETC toll collection system according to this embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a two-antenna distance-based toll booth that constitutes the ETC toll collection system according to this embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of a two-antenna flat rate toll booth that constitutes the ETC toll collection system according to this embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of a one-antenna toll booth that constitutes the ETC toll collection system according to this embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an example of an FF toll gate that constitutes the ETC toll collection system according to this embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of three routes taken by a vehicle according to this embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of what each toll gate at the IC shown in FIG. 7 is like. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a sequence diagram showing an example of transmission and reception of information among the vehicle, IC, and central processing unit when the vehicle travels along the first route shown in FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in the storage unit of the central processing unit as a result of a vehicle passing through the IC 7 shown in FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of a process in which a processor serving as a score determination unit of a central processing unit determines a score. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a sequence diagram showing an example of transmission and reception of information between the vehicle, IC, and central processing unit when the vehicle travels along the second route shown in FIG. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in the storage unit of the central processing unit by the processes of steps ST1203, ST1208, and ST1213 in FIG. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a sequence diagram showing an example of transmission and reception of information among the vehicle, IC, and central processing unit when the vehicle travels along the third route shown in FIG. [Figure 15]FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in the storage unit of the central processing unit by the processes of steps ST1403, ST1408, and ST1413 in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] The vehicle type determination system, central processing unit, and vehicle type determination method according to this embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Note that in the following embodiments, parts with the same numbers perform similar operations, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0010] (composition) FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the schematic configuration of an ETC toll collection system according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the ETC toll collection system includes a central processing unit 1, a two-antenna distance-based toll gate 2, a two-antenna flat-rate toll gate 3, a one-antenna toll gate 4, and an FF toll gate 5. In the following description, when there is no need to distinguish between the two-antenna distance-based toll gate 2, the two-antenna flat-rate toll gate 3, the one-antenna toll gate 4, and the FF toll gate 5, they will simply be referred to as toll gates. Each toll gate exchanges various information with a vehicle 6 passing through each toll gate.

[0011] The central processing unit 1 is connected to a two-antenna distance-based toll booth 2, a two-antenna flat-rate toll booth 3, a one-antenna toll booth 4, and an FF toll booth 5 via a wired or wireless network, and exchanges various information with each of the toll booths.

[0012] The two-antenna distance-based toll booth 2 is a toll booth consisting of two antennas, and is installed at an interchange (IC) on a toll road where the toll varies depending on the vehicle type and distance.

[0013] The two-antenna flat rate toll booth 3 is a toll booth consisting of two antennas, and is installed at an interchange on a toll road where vehicles can travel at a flat rate determined for each type of vehicle.

[0014] The single-antenna toll booth 4 and the FF toll booth 5 are toll booths that are configured with a single antenna and are installed at interchanges that use either a distance-based toll system or a flat-rate toll system. The FF toll booth 5 does not have a start controller to control whether or not a vehicle 6 can pass. Toll booths are not only installed at the entrances and exits of toll roads, but are also installed at interchanges that switch between distance-based toll roads and flat-rate toll roads.

[0015] A vehicle 6 using the ETC toll collection system is equipped with an on-board unit 61, into which an ETC card 62 is inserted. The on-board unit 61 stores on-board unit specific information. The ETC card 62 stores card information for the ETC card. The on-board unit 61 exchanges various information with the toll gate by wirelessly communicating with the toll gate when passing through the toll gate. The on-board unit 61 may also notify the driver of the vehicle 6 of the various information received from the toll gate by voice or other means.

[0016] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the central processing unit 1 that constitutes the ETC toll collection system according to this embodiment. The central processing unit 1 can be configured using a general-purpose computer or the like, and includes a processor 101, a memory unit 102, an interface 103, a display unit 104, and an operation unit 105. The processor 101 executes programs stored in the memory unit 102 to realize various processing functions. For example, the processor 101 executes programs stored in the memory unit 102 to function as a vehicle type estimation unit, a score determination unit, a vehicle type determination unit, and a toll determination unit. The memory unit 102 has a program memory that stores programs executed by the processor, a working memory that stores working data, and a data memory that stores data files, etc. For example, the memory unit 102 stores a toll table. In the case of a distance-based toll system, the toll table is a toll table that shows tolls by vehicle type for each traffic section determined by the IC number indicating the entrance toll gate and the IC number indicating the exit toll gate. On the other hand, in the case of a flat toll system, the toll table is a toll table that shows tolls by vehicle type. Furthermore, the storage unit 102 can receive and store various information exchanged when the vehicle 6 passes through a toll gate from the toll gate.

[0017] The interface 103 is a communication interface for connecting to each toll gate. For example, the interface 103 functions as a central communication unit that transmits tolls to the exit toll gate. The display unit 104 displays content according to display control from the processor 101, and displays information related to toll collection processing. The operation unit 105 is composed of a keyboard and the like, and receives information input by an operator and supplies the information to the processor 101.

[0018] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a two-antenna distance-based toll booth 2 that constitutes the ETC toll collection system according to this embodiment. The two-antenna distance-based toll booth 2 includes a lane server 21 and lane equipment 22. The lane server 21 can be configured using a general-purpose computer or the like, and includes a processor 211, a memory unit 212, an interface 213, a display unit 214, and an operation unit 215. The processor 211 realizes various processing functions by executing programs stored in the memory unit 212. For example, the processor 211 functions as a control unit of the lane equipment 22 by executing programs stored in the memory unit 212. The memory unit 212 includes a program memory that stores programs executed by the processor 211, a working memory that stores working data, and a data memory that stores data files, etc.

[0019] The interface 213 is a communication interface for receiving various information from the lane devices 22. Furthermore, the interface 213 is a communication interface for connecting to the central processing unit 1, and transmits the various information received from the lane devices 22 to the central processing unit 1.

[0020] The display unit 214 displays the display content according to the display control from the processor 211. The operation unit 215 is configured with a keyboard and the like, and receives information input by an operator and supplies the information to the processor 211 .

[0021] The lane equipment 22 includes an interface aggregation unit 221 , a vehicle detector 222 , a roadside indicator 223 , a departure controller 224 , an axle sensor 225 , a license plate reading camera 226 , a first antenna 227 , and a second antenna 228 .

[0022] The vehicle detector 222 detects a vehicle 6 entering the two-antenna distance-toll toll gate 2. For example, the vehicle detector 222 emits a laser beam, detects the reflected laser beam reflected by an object such as a vehicle 6, measures the distance to the object based on the time from the emission of the laser beam to the detection of the reflected beam, and determines whether or not a vehicle 6 is present based on the distance measurement result. The vehicle detector 222 outputs a vehicle detection signal ON corresponding to the determination that a vehicle 6 is present, or a vehicle detection signal OFF corresponding to the determination that a vehicle 6 is not present, to the interface aggregation unit 221.

[0023] The interface aggregation unit 221 aggregates information from each unit of the vehicle detector 222 and outputs the information to the lane server 21. The interface aggregation unit 221 also outputs information received from the lane server 21 to each unit. For example, the interface aggregation unit 221 outputs a vehicle detection signal ON or OFF to the lane server 21. The lane server 21 detects the position (movement) of the vehicle 6 based on the vehicle detection signal ON or OFF from the vehicle detector 222, and controls the operation of the lane equipment 22. The interface aggregation unit 221 also functions as a communication unit that transmits various pieces of information transmitted from the axle sensor 225, the first antenna 227, and the license plate reading camera 226 to the lane server 21.

[0024] The roadside display 223 displays information such as permission to pass or stop to the driver of the vehicle 6 based on the start control information (permission to pass or stop) received from the interface aggregation unit 221. The roadside display 223 may receive exit toll gate identification information including the toll from the interface aggregation unit 221, in which case the roadside display 223 may display the toll. If a method is adopted in which the start control information is transmitted to the on-board unit 61 of the vehicle 6 and the information is notified to the driver of the vehicle 6 as audio, the two-antenna distance-toll toll gate 2 does not need to be equipped with the roadside controller 223.

[0025] The departure controller 224 controls the opening and closing of the departure control bar based on the departure control information from the interface aggregation unit 221. When the departure control bar is closed, it physically blocks the passage of the vehicle 6 (entering or exiting from the toll gate), and when it is open, it allows the vehicle 6 to pass. When the departure control information indicates permission to pass, the departure controller 224 raises the departure control bar from its state of blocking passage by the departure control bar to allow passage, and when the departure control information indicates a temporary stop, it maintains the state of blocking passage by the departure control bar to block passage.

[0026] The axle sensors 225 are, for example, four step mat-like contact sensors arranged in sequence on the lane where the vehicle 6 passes through the two-antenna distance-based toll booth 2. The axle sensors 225 can detect the number of axles of the vehicle 6 by the vehicle 6 stepping on the sensors in sequence.

[0027] Furthermore, when the axle sensor 225 detects axles, a detection anomaly known as "sensor skipping" may occur, in which, after hitting the first sensor, the vehicle 6's tires bounce and hit the third sensor without hitting the second sensor. Furthermore, a detection anomaly known as "sensor sequence error" may occur, in which the vehicle 6 does not approach the axle sensor 225 in the direction in which each sensor is installed, but instead approaches from an angle, hitting the second sensor before hitting the first sensor. Therefore, the axle sensor 225 also detects these detection anomalies. The axle sensor 225 generates axle information including information on the number of detected axles and detection information indicating whether or not these detection anomalies have occurred, and transmits the axle information to the interface aggregation unit 221. Here, if the vehicle 6 has a towing vehicle, the number of axles of the vehicle 6 changes. Since a change in the number of axles changes the vehicle type accordingly, the processor 101 of the central processing unit 1 that receives the information on the number of axles estimates the vehicle type by referring to the received number of axles. It should be noted that the axle sensor 225 is not limited to a contact sensor, and the number of axles of the vehicle 6 may of course be measured by a non-contact sensor such as a laser sensor.

[0028] The license plate reading camera 226 reads the license plate attached to the vehicle 6 passing through the toll gate, and transmits license plate reading information including information about the read license plate to the interface aggregation unit 221.

[0029] The first antenna 227 and the second antenna 228 communicate with the on-board device 61 of the vehicle 6, receive various information such as vehicle identification information transmitted from the on-board device 61, and transmit the various information to the on-board device 61. The second antenna also functions, for example, as an antenna for recovery of the first antenna. The first antenna 227 receives various information from the interface aggregation unit 221 and transmits the various information to the on-board device 61. The first antenna 227 and the second antenna 228 can also detect the vehicle 6 by periodically transmitting a signal such as a beacon and receiving a response to the signal from the on-board device 61. In this case, the two-antenna distance-based toll booth 2 does not need to be equipped with the vehicle detector 222.

[0030] 4 is a block diagram showing an example of a two-antenna flat rate toll booth 3 that constitutes the ETC toll collection system according to this embodiment. The two-antenna flat rate toll booth 3 includes a lane server 31 and lane equipment 32.

[0031] The lane server 31 includes a processor 311, a storage unit 312, a display unit 314, an interface 313, and an operation unit 315. The processor 311, the storage unit 312, the display unit 314, the interface 313, and the operation unit 315 have the same configurations as the processor 211, the storage unit 212, the interface 213, the display unit 214, and the operation unit 215 described above with reference to Fig. 3, respectively, and therefore will not be described here.

[0032] The lane device 32 includes an interface aggregation unit 321, a vehicle detector 322, a roadside indicator 323, a departure controller 224, an axle sensor 325, a first antenna 326, and a second antenna 327. Comparing the lane device 22 shown in FIG. 3 with the lane device 32 shown in FIG. 4, they are identical except that the lane device 32 does not include the license plate reading camera 226. The interface aggregation unit 321, the vehicle detector 322, the roadside indicator 323, the departure controller 324, the axle sensor 325, the first antenna 326, and the second antenna 327 of the two-antenna flat rate toll booth 3 have the same configurations as the interface aggregation unit 221, the vehicle detector 222, the roadside indicator 223, the departure controller 224, the axle sensor 225, the first antenna 227, and the second antenna 228 described with reference to FIG. 3, respectively, and therefore description thereof will be omitted here. In other words, the lane equipment 32 at the two-antenna flat rate toll gate 3 does not read the license plate of the vehicle 6 when the vehicle 6 enters the two-antenna flat rate toll gate 3, and therefore the lane equipment 32 does not transmit the license plate reading information to the lane server 31.

[0033] 5 is a block diagram showing an example of a single-antenna toll booth 4 that constitutes the ETC toll collection system according to this embodiment. The single-antenna toll booth 4 has the same configuration whether it is a distance-based toll system or a flat rate system.

[0034] The lane server 41 includes a processor 411, a storage unit 412, a display unit 414, an interface 413, and an operation unit 415. The processor 411, the storage unit 412, the display unit 414, the interface 413, and the operation unit 415 have the same configurations as the processor 211, the storage unit 212, the interface 213, the display unit 214, and the operation unit 215 described above with reference to Fig. 3, respectively, and therefore will not be described here.

[0035] The lane equipment 42 includes an interface aggregation unit 421 , a vehicle detector 422 , a roadside indicator 423 , a departure controller 424 , and an antenna 425 . Comparing the lane device 22 shown in Figure 3 with the lane device 42 shown in Figure 5, they are identical except that the lane device 42 does not include the axle sensor 225, the license plate reading camera 226, and the second antenna 228. The interface aggregation unit 421, the vehicle detector 422, the roadside display 423, the departure controller 424, and the antenna 425 of the one-antenna toll gate 4 have the same configurations as the interface aggregation unit 221, the vehicle detector 222, the roadside display 223, the departure controller 224, and the first antenna 227 described with reference to Figure 3, respectively, and therefore their description will be omitted here. In other words, the lane device 42 of the one-antenna toll gate 4 does not detect the number of axles of the vehicle 6 or read the license plate of the vehicle 6 even if the vehicle 6 enters the one-antenna toll gate. Therefore, the lane equipment 42 at the one-antenna toll booth 4 does not transmit axle information and license plate reading information to the lane server 41. Furthermore, since the one-antenna toll booth 4 does not have the second antenna 228, it does not perform recovery of the antenna 425. Note that the antenna 425 can also detect a vehicle 6 by periodically transmitting a signal such as a beacon and receiving a response to the signal from the on-board device 61. In this case, the one-antenna toll booth 4 does not need to have the vehicle detector 422. Furthermore, if a method is adopted in which the start control information is transmitted to the vehicle onboard device 61 of the vehicle 6 and the information is notified to the driver of the vehicle 6 as audio, the one-antenna toll booth 4 does not need to be equipped with a roadside controller 423.

[0036] 6 is a block diagram showing an example of the FF toll gate 5 constituting the ETC toll collection system according to this embodiment. The FF toll gate 5 has the same configuration whether it is a distance-based toll system or a flat rate system.

[0037] The lane server 51 includes a processor 511, a storage unit 512, a display unit 514, an interface 513, and an operation unit 515. The processor 511, the storage unit 512, the display unit 514, the interface 513, and the operation unit 515 have the same configurations as the processor 211, the storage unit 212, the interface 213, the display unit 214, and the operation unit 215 described above with reference to Fig. 3, respectively, and therefore will not be described here.

[0038] The lane equipment 52 includes an interface aggregation unit 521 , a vehicle detector 522 , a roadside display 523 , and an antenna 524 .

[0039] 3 and the lane device 52 shown in FIG. 6, the interface aggregation unit 521, the vehicle detector 522, the roadside indicator 523, and the antenna 524 are the same except that the lane device 52 does not include the start controller 224, the axle sensor 225, the license plate reading camera 226, and the second antenna 228. The interface aggregation unit 521, the vehicle detector 522, the roadside indicator 523, and the antenna 524 of the FF toll gate 5 have the same configurations as the interface aggregation unit 221, the vehicle detector 222, the roadside indicator 223, and the first antenna 227 described with reference to FIG. 3, respectively, and therefore description thereof will be omitted here. In other words, the lane device 52 of the FF toll gate 5 does not detect the number of axles of the vehicle 6 or read the license plate of the vehicle 6 even when the vehicle 6 enters the FF toll gate. Therefore, the lane equipment 52 at the FF toll gate does not transmit axle information and license plate read information to the lane server 51. In addition, the FF toll gate 5 does not have the second antenna 228, so it does not recover the antenna 425. Furthermore, since the FF toll gate 5 does not have the start controller 224, even if it receives start control information indicating a temporary stop from the lane server 51, it will allow the vehicle 6 to pass without blocking its passage. The antenna 524 can also detect the vehicle 6 by periodically transmitting a signal such as a beacon and receiving a response to the signal from the on-board device 61. In this case, the FF antenna toll booth 5 does not need to be equipped with the vehicle detector 522. Furthermore, if a method is adopted in which the start control information is transmitted to the vehicle-mounted device 61 of the vehicle 6 and the information is notified to the driver of the vehicle 6 as audio, the FF toll gate 5 does not need to be equipped with a roadside controller 523.

[0040] (operation) Next, a process for determining the vehicle type when the vehicle 6 travels along the three routes according to this embodiment will be described. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of three routes taken by a vehicle 6 according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 7, the first route is a route in which the vehicle enters the toll road at IC7, passes through IC5 and IC3, and exits the toll road at IC1. The second route is a route in which the vehicle enters the toll road at IC13, passes through IC10, and exits the toll road at IC8. Furthermore, the third route is a route in which the vehicle enters at IC4, passes through IC3, and exits at IC2.

[0041] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of what each toll gate at the IC shown in FIG. 7 is like. As shown in Figure 8, IC7 and IC9 are two-antenna distance-based toll booths 2, IC3, IC5, IC10, IC12, and IC13 are two-antenna flat-rate toll booths 3, IC6 and IC8 are one-antenna distance-based toll booths 4, IC1 and IC2 are FF distance-based toll booths 5, and IC4 and IC11 are flat-rate FF toll booths 5. Although Figure 8 does not show one-antenna flat-rate toll booths 4, it goes without saying that one-antenna flat-rate toll booths 4 may exist.

[0042] Referring to Figures 7 and 8, when vehicle 6 travels along the first route, IC7 where vehicle 6 enters the toll road is a two-antenna flat rate toll gate 2, IC3 and IC5 where vehicle 6 passes are a two-antenna flat rate toll gate 3, and IC1 where vehicle 6 exits is FF toll gate 5 with a distance-based toll system. That is, when vehicle 6 travels along the first route, vehicle 6 travels on a toll road with a distance-based toll system from IC1 to IC3 and from IC5 to IC7, and on a toll road with a flat rate system from IC3 to IC5. Similarly, when vehicle 6 travels on the second route, IC13 that vehicle 6 enters and IC10 that vehicle 6 passes through are two-antenna flat-rate toll gates 3, and IC8 that vehicle 6 exits is one-antenna toll gate 4 with a distance-based toll system. Furthermore, when vehicle 6 travels on the third route, IC 4 that vehicle 6 enters is FF toll gate 5 with a flat rate system, IC 3 that vehicle 6 passes through is 2-antenna flat rate system toll gate 3, and IC 2 that vehicle 6 exits is FF toll gate 5 with a distance-based toll system. In this embodiment, the first route, the second route, and the third route must pass through the two-antenna distance-based toll gate 2 or the two-antenna flat rate toll gate 3 at least once in order to detect the number of axles of the vehicle 6.

[0043] FIG. 9 is a sequence diagram showing an example of transmission and reception of information between the vehicle 6, an IC (toll gate), and the central processing unit 1 when the vehicle 6 travels along the first route shown in FIG. First, a vehicle 6 enters a two-antenna distance-based toll booth 2, which is an entrance IC 7. The processor 211 of the two-antenna distance toll system toll booth 2 executes various processes based on the detection of the vehicle 6 by the vehicle detector 222 (step ST901). When a vehicle 6 is detected, the axle sensor 225 of the two-antenna distance-based toll booth 2 detects the number of axles of the vehicle 6 and any detection abnormalities (sensor skipping and / or incorrect sensor order), generates axle information based on the detection, and transmits the axle information to the interface aggregation unit 221. Furthermore, the license plate reading camera 226 reads the license plate of the vehicle 6, generates license plate reading information, and transmits the license plate reading information to the interface aggregation unit 221. The first antenna 227 also transmits a vehicle identification request to the vehicle 6, and receives vehicle identification information from the on-board unit 61 of the vehicle 6, including card information of the ETC card 62 and on-board unit specific information. Furthermore, the first antenna 227 transmits the received vehicle identification information to the interface aggregation unit 221. The interface aggregation unit 221 transmits the received various information to the lane server 21. Here, the vehicle-mounted device specific information includes the vehicle model code of the vehicle 6, information about the license plate of the vehicle 6, and towing information indicating whether the vehicle 6 can tow a towing vehicle. Note that the detection of the number of axles, reading of the license plate, and communication with the vehicle-mounted device 61 of the vehicle 6 may be processed in a predetermined order or may be processed simultaneously.

[0044] The lane server 21 transmits the various information received from the interface aggregation unit 221 and an IC number that uniquely indicates that the toll gate is a two-antenna distance-based toll gate 2 to the central processing unit 1 via the interface 213 (step ST902). Here, the various information includes axle information, license plate reading information, and vehicle identification information.

[0045] Processor 101, which is a vehicle type estimation unit and score determination unit of central processing unit 1, estimates the vehicle type of vehicle 6 and determines the score of the toll booth for determining the vehicle type of vehicle 6 (step ST903). Processor 101, which is a vehicle type estimation unit, estimates the vehicle type based on the number of axles included in the axle information and the vehicle type code included in the vehicle identification information. For example, processor 101 estimates the vehicle type by referring to the vehicle type code and a vehicle type correspondence table stored in memory unit 102. Furthermore, processor 101 compares the number of axles with the axles of the estimated vehicle type, and if they match, the estimated vehicle type is the estimated vehicle type, and if they do not match (for example, the axle information has a large number of axles), processor 101 estimates the estimated vehicle type to be a larger vehicle type (for example, a vehicle type one class larger). Furthermore, processor 101, which is a score determination unit, determines the score of the toll booth. For example, processor 101 determines whether the toll booth has a two-antenna structure based on the IC number received from lane server 21 via interface 103, which is a central communication unit. Furthermore, processor 101 determines whether vehicle 6 can be towed based on the towing information included in the vehicle identification information. If vehicle 6 cannot be towed, processor 101 compares the number of axles included in the axle information with the number of axles determined based on the vehicle model code included in the vehicle identification information, and determines whether they match. Even if vehicle 6 can be towed, processor 101 may compare the number of axles contained in the axle information with the determined number of axles. Processor 101 also compares the license plate read information with the information about the license plate contained in the vehicle identification information, and determines whether these pieces of information match. From these determination results, processor 101 determines a score for the toll gate to determine the type of vehicle 6. Here, the score is a value that represents the reliability of the estimated type of vehicle, and for example, the toll gate that transmitted the most reliable information will have the highest score. Thereafter, the processor 101 stores the determination result, the estimated vehicle type, the determined score, etc. in the storage unit 102. Here, if the processor 101 determines that the score is the highest value, the processor 101 may determine the vehicle type based on the estimated vehicle type. In other words, the processor 101 may determine that the estimated vehicle type is the vehicle type of the vehicle 6.

[0046] Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in the memory unit 102 of the central processing unit 1 when the vehicle 6 passes through the IC 7 shown in Fig. 9. As shown in Fig. 10, the memory unit 102 of the central processing unit 1 stores the IC number (IC 7), the number of antennas at the toll booth, the determination result (match or mismatch) regarding the axle when the vehicle 6 does not have a towing vehicle, the detection information included in the axle information, the determination result (match or mismatch) regarding the license plate, the towing information included in the vehicle identification information, the estimated vehicle type, and the score. Although FIG. 10 shows an example in which the number of axles is not determined (indicated as "-" in FIG. 10) when a towing vehicle is provided, the number of axles may be determined. In this case, the determination result may indicate the difference in the number of axles, such as "+1" or "+2." As shown in FIG. 10, the estimated vehicle type is represented by a number associated with a compact car, a standard car, etc. Furthermore, this information is associated with the card information of the ETC card and stored in the storage unit 102 as information that can be searched for using the card information. Also, IC7 shown in Figure 10 has the highest value because all of the judgments made by the processor 101 were good.

[0047] FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of a process in which the processor 101, which is the score determination unit of the central processing unit 1, determines a score.

[0048] The processor 101 determines whether the toll gate is a two-antenna toll gate based on the received IC number (step ST1101). For example, the processor 101 determines the number of antennas of the toll gate by referring to the IC toll gate configuration stored in the memory unit 102 of the central processing unit 1 based on the IC number. For example, if the IC toll gate is a single-antenna toll gate 4 or a single-flyer toll gate 5, these single-antenna toll gates do not acquire information about the number of axles or license plate when a vehicle 6 passes through. Therefore, the vehicle type determined by the information received from the toll gate has the lowest probability. Therefore, the central processing unit 1 sets the score to the minimum value, for example, "1" (step ST1102), and ends the process. On the other hand, for example, if it is determined from the IC number that the IC is the two-antenna distance-based toll gate 2 or the two-antenna flat rate toll gate 3, the process proceeds to step ST1103.

[0049] The processor 101 determines whether the vehicle 6 can be towed based on the towing information included in the vehicle identification information (step ST1103). If the vehicle 6 cannot be towed, the process proceeds to step ST1104 to determine whether the number of axles detected by the axle sensor 225 matches the number of axles determined based on the vehicle type code included in the vehicle identification information. On the other hand, if the vehicle 6 can be towed, the number of axles detected by the axle sensor 225 may not match the number of axles determined based on the vehicle model code included in the vehicle identification information. Therefore, the process skips step ST1104 and proceeds to step ST1106. If the vehicle 6 has a towing vehicle, the vehicle type estimated by the processor 101 differs from the vehicle type identified by the vehicle type code included in the vehicle identification information. For example, if the vehicle type identified by the vehicle type code is a large vehicle, the vehicle type estimated by the processor 101 will be an extra-large vehicle.

[0050] The processor 101 determines whether the number of axles included in the axle information matches the number of axles determined based on the vehicle model code included in the vehicle identification information (step ST1104). If the numbers of axles do not match, that is, if the number of axles is not correctly detected by the axle sensor 225 or the vehicle model code included in the vehicle identification information is incorrect, the vehicle model determined by the central processing unit 1 becomes less likely to be correct. Therefore, in this case, processor 101 sets the score to a first value higher than the minimum value, for example, "2" obtained by adding 1 to the minimum value (step ST1105), and ends the process. On the other hand, if the numbers of axles match, the process proceeds to step ST1106.

[0051] The processor 101 determines whether the axle sensor 225 has detected a detection abnormality based on the detection information (step ST1106). If the detection information indicates a detection abnormality, the number of axles included in the axle information may not have been detected correctly, and the likelihood of the number estimated by the processor 101 is low. Therefore, in this case, the central processing unit 1 sets the score to a second value higher than the first value, for example, "3" obtained by adding 2 to the minimum value (step ST1107), and ends the process. On the other hand, if there is no detection abnormality, that is, if the axle is detected properly, the process proceeds to step ST1108.

[0052] The processor 101 compares the license plate read information with the information about the license plate of the vehicle 6 included in the vehicle identification information, and determines whether or not these pieces of information match (step ST1108). If the license plate read information does not match the information about the license plate of the vehicle 6, there is a possibility that the license plate read by the license plate reading camera 226 is incorrect, or that the information about the license plate registered in the vehicle-mounted device 61 is incorrect. Therefore, the vehicle type determined by the processor 101 has a low probability of being correct. Therefore, in this case, processor 101 sets the score to a third value higher than the second value, for example, "4" obtained by adding 3 to the lowest value (step ST1109), and ends the process. On the other hand, if the license plate read information matches the information about the license plate of vehicle 6, that is, if all the judgments are good, processor 101 determines that the score of the toll booth is the highest (step ST1110). In this case, the vehicle type estimated by processor 101 is the most reliable vehicle type. Therefore, processor 101 determines the vehicle type based on this estimated vehicle type. In other words, processor 101 determines that the estimated vehicle type is the vehicle type of vehicle 6, and can omit vehicle type estimation at subsequent ICs.

[0053] For example, according to the information stored in the memory unit 102 shown in Fig. 10, all results are good, so the processor 101 determines that the estimated vehicle type "3" is the vehicle type of the vehicle 6. That is, by the processing of ST903 in Fig. 9, the processor 101 can determine the vehicle type.

[0054] Returning to Fig. 9, the processor 101 transmits the entrance toll gate identification information and the departure control information to the lane server 21 of the two-antenna distance toll gate 2 (step ST904). The processor 101 determines whether the vehicle 6 is permitted to pass based on the received vehicle identification information, and generates the departure control information based on the determination. The processor 101 further generates the entrance toll gate identification information including the entry record into the IC 7, and transmits the entrance toll gate identification information and the departure control information to the lane server 21 via the interface 103.

[0055] The lane server 21 of the two-antenna distance-based toll gate 2 transmits the entrance toll gate identification information received from the central processing unit 1 to the on-board unit 61 of the vehicle 6 via the interface 213 and the first antenna 227, and receives a completion notification from the on-board unit 61 of the vehicle 6 (step ST905). Furthermore, the lane server 21 transmits the start control information received from the central processing unit 1 to the start controller 224 and the roadside display 223. The start controller 224 controls the start control bar based on the start control information to allow the vehicle 6 to pass or stop temporarily, and the roadside display 223 displays information based on the start control. Furthermore, the vehicle-mounted device 61 of the vehicle 6 receives the entrance toll gate identification information from the first antenna 227 and writes the entry record into the ETC card 62. Furthermore, the lane server 21 may transmit the start control information to the vehicle-mounted device 6 of the vehicle 6. In this case, the vehicle-mounted device 6 notifies the driver of the vehicle 6 of information based on the start control information by voice or the like.

[0056] Thereafter, the vehicle 6 passes through an IC 5 which is a two-antenna flat rate toll booth 3 . The lane server 31 executes various processes based on the vehicle detection by the vehicle detector 322 (step ST906). When the vehicle 6 is detected, the axle sensor 325 detects the number of axles of the vehicle 6 and any detection abnormalities, generates axle information based on the detection, and transmits the axle information to the interface aggregation unit 321. Furthermore, the first antenna 326 of the two-antenna flat rate toll booth 3 transmits a vehicle identification request to the vehicle and receives vehicle identification information including card information of the ETC card 62 and on-board device specific information from the on-board device 61 of the vehicle 6. Furthermore, the first antenna 227 transmits the received vehicle identification information to the interface aggregation unit 221. Since the vehicle type has been determined in step ST903, the processor 101 can omit estimating the vehicle type and determining the score.

[0057] The lane server 31 transmits the information acquired in step ST906 and the IC number (IC5) that uniquely identifies the two-antenna flat rate toll gate 3 to the central processing unit 1 via the interface 313 (step ST907).

[0058] The processor 101 stores the IC number in the memory unit 102 in association with the card information of the ETC card 62, determines whether or not passage is permitted based on the received vehicle identification information, generates departure control information based on the determination, and transmits the departure control information to the two-antenna flat rate toll gate 3 (step ST908).

[0059] The two-antenna flat rate toll booth 3 transmits the start control information received from the central processing unit 1 to the start controller 324 and the roadside display 323. The start controller 324 controls the start control bar based on the start control information to allow the vehicle 6 to pass or stop temporarily, and the roadside display 323 displays information based on the start control (step ST909).

[0060] Thereafter, the vehicle 6 passes through an IC 3 which is a two-antenna flat rate toll booth 3 . The operations of steps ST910 to ST913 shown in FIG. 9 are similar to those of steps ST906 to ST909, respectively, and therefore will not be described here.

[0061] Thereafter, the vehicle 6 passes through IC1, which is the FF toll gate 5, and exits the toll road. The lane server 31 of the FF toll gate 5 executes various processes based on the vehicle detection by the vehicle detector 522 (step ST914). The antenna 524 of the FF toll gate 5 transmits a vehicle identification request to the vehicle 6 and receives vehicle identification information from the on-board device 61 of the vehicle 6. Furthermore, the antenna 524 transmits the received vehicle identification information to the interface aggregation unit 521.

[0062] The FF toll gate 5 transmits the vehicle identification information and the IC number (IC3) that uniquely identifies the FF toll gate 5 to the central processing unit 1 (step ST915).

[0063] The processor 101, which is the toll determination unit of the central processing unit 1, determines the travel section of the vehicle 6 from the received IC number and the stored IC number, and determines the toll (step ST916). The processor 101 determines from the received IC number that the vehicle 6 is about to exit the toll road. Therefore, the processor 101 determines the travel section of the vehicle 6 from the IC number stored in the memory unit 102. Then, the processor 101 calculates the toll based on the vehicle type determined in step ST903, the toll table stored in the memory unit 102, and the travel section. Furthermore, the processor 101 generates toll information indicating the calculated toll and exit toll gate identification information including an exit record. The processor 101 also generates start control information and transmits the start control information to the on-board device 61 of the vehicle 6 via the lane equipment. The vehicle-mounted device 61 notifies the driver of the vehicle 6 of information based on the start control information by voice or the like.

[0064] The processor 101 transmits the exit toll gate identification information to the FF toll gate 5 via the interface 103 (step ST917).

[0065] The lane server 51 of the FF toll gate 5 transmits the exit toll gate identification information to the on-board unit 61 of the vehicle 6 via the interface aggregation unit 521 and the antenna 524, and receives a completion notification from the on-board unit 61 (step ST918). Furthermore, upon receiving the exit toll gate identification information, the on-board unit 61 of the vehicle 6 writes the exit record and toll information into the ETC card 62, and transmits a completion notification to the antenna 524.

[0066] FIG. 12 is a sequence diagram showing an example of transmission and reception of information between the vehicle 6, an IC (toll gate), and the central processing unit 1 when the vehicle 6 travels along the second route shown in FIG. First, a vehicle 6 enters a two-antenna flat rate toll booth 3, which is an entrance IC 13. Step ST1201 shown in Fig. 10 is the same as step ST901 shown in Fig. 9, except that the antenna flat rate toll booth 3 does not read the license plate. And step ST1202 is the same as step ST902 except that the license plate read information is not sent to the central processing unit 1, so a description of these operations will be omitted here.

[0067] Processor 101, which is a vehicle type estimation unit and score determination unit of central processing unit 1, estimates the vehicle type and determines the score of the toll gate (step ST1203). As explained with reference to Fig. 11, processor 101, which is a vehicle type estimation unit, estimates the vehicle type based on the number of axles included in the axle information and the vehicle type code included in the vehicle identification information. The processor 101, which is the score determination unit, determines whether the toll gate has a two-antenna structure based on the received IC number. Furthermore, the processor 101 determines whether the vehicle 6 can be towed based on the towing information included in the vehicle identification information. If the vehicle 6 cannot be towed, the processor 101 compares the number of axles with the number of axles determined based on the vehicle type code included in the vehicle identification information, and determines whether they match. From these determination results, processor 101 determines the score of the toll gate for determining the vehicle type of vehicle 6. After that, processor 101 stores the determination results, the estimated vehicle type, the determined score, etc. in memory unit 102. 11, processor 101, which is the score determination unit, does not receive the license plate read information and therefore cannot compare it with the information about the license plate. Therefore, processor 101 determines a mismatch in step ST1108. In other words, even if vehicle 6 passes through two-antenna flat rate toll gate 3, which is IC 13, processor 101 does not determine the vehicle type of vehicle 6 because the vehicle toll gate score does not reach its maximum value.

[0068] Steps ST1204 and ST1205 are the same as steps ST904 and ST905 described with reference to FIG. 9, and therefore description thereof will be omitted.

[0069] Thereafter, the vehicle 6 passes through an IC 10 which is a two-antenna flat rate toll booth 3 . The operations of steps ST1206 and ST1207 are similar to those of steps ST906 and ST907, respectively, described with reference to Fig. 9, and therefore will not be described here. Also, the operations of step ST1208 are similar to those of step ST1203, and therefore will not be described here. Furthermore, the operations of steps ST1209 and ST1210 are similar to those of steps ST908 and ST909, respectively, described with reference to Fig. 9, and therefore will not be described here.

[0070] Thereafter, the vehicle 6 passes through the IC 8, which is a single-antenna toll booth 4, and exits the toll road.

[0071] The one-antenna toll booth 4 executes various processes based on the vehicle detection by the vehicle detector 422 (step ST1211). The antenna 425 of the one-antenna toll booth 4 transmits a vehicle identification request to the vehicle, and receives vehicle identification information including card information of the ETC card 62 and on-board device specific information from the on-board device 61 of the vehicle 6. Furthermore, the antenna 425 transmits the received vehicle identification information to the interface aggregation unit 421.

[0072] The one-antenna toll booth 4 transmits the information acquired in step ST1211 and the IC number (IC8) that uniquely identifies it as the one-antenna toll booth 4 to the central processing unit 1 via the interface 413 (step ST1212).

[0073] Processor 101 determines the vehicle type and determines the toll (step ST1213). Processor 101, which is a vehicle type estimation unit, estimates the vehicle type based on the vehicle type code included in the vehicle identification information. That is, processor 101 estimates the vehicle type by referring to the vehicle type code and a vehicle type correspondence table stored in memory unit 102. Processor 101, which is a score determination unit, determines whether the toll gate is a two-antenna toll gate based on the received IC number. Because processor 101 determines that the one-antenna toll gate has a one-antenna structure, the score of the toll gate is set to the minimum value of "1." Processor 101 then stores the determination result, the estimated vehicle type, the determined score, etc. in memory unit 102. The processor 101 also determines from the received IC number that the vehicle 6 is about to exit the toll road. Therefore, the processor 101 determines the vehicle type of the vehicle 6 based on the information stored in the memory unit 102 in steps ST1203, ST1208, and ST1213. In other words, the processor 101 determines that the vehicle type of the vehicle 6 is the vehicle type estimated when passing through the toll gate with the highest score of the determined toll gate.

[0074] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in the storage unit 102 of the central processing unit 1 by the processes of step ST1203, step ST1208, and step ST1213 in FIG. As shown in Figure 13, when vehicle 6 passed through IC10, the axle sensor 325 at the two-antenna flat rate toll booth 3 detected a sensor skip and a sensor order error detection anomaly. Therefore, the score for the toll booth at IC10 is 2. Referring to Figure 13, the toll booth with the highest score is IC13, so processor 101 determines that the vehicle type of vehicle 6 is "2" estimated by IC13.

[0075] Processor 101, which is a toll determination unit, determines the travel section from the IC number stored in memory unit 102. Processor 101 then calculates the toll based on the determined vehicle type, the toll table stored in memory unit 102, and the travel section. Processor 101 generates toll information indicating the calculated toll, exit toll gate identification information including an exit record, and start control information. The departure control information indicates permission to pass if the exit tollgate identification information can be generated, and indicates a temporary stop if the exit tollgate identification information cannot be generated.

[0076] The processor 101 transmits the exit toll gate identification information and the departure control information to the one-antenna toll gate 4 via the interface 103 (step ST1214).

[0077] The lane server 41 transmits the exit tollgate identification information to the on-board device 61 of the vehicle 6 via the interface aggregation unit 421 and the antenna 425, and receives a completion notification from the on-board device 61 (step ST1215). Furthermore, when the on-board device 61 of the vehicle 6 receives the exit toll gate identification information, it writes the exit record and toll information into the ETC card 62 and transmits a completion notification to the first antenna 227. Furthermore, the one-antenna toll gate 4 transmits the departure control information to the departure controller 424 and the roadside display 423 via the interface aggregation unit 421. The departure controller 424 controls the opening and closing of the departure control bar based on the received departure control, and the roadside display 423 displays information based on the departure controller 424 .

[0078] FIG. 14 is a sequence diagram showing an example of transmission and reception of information between the vehicle 6, an IC (toll gate), and the central processing unit 1 when the vehicle 6 travels along the third route shown in FIG. First, a vehicle 6 enters the FF toll booth 5, which is the entrance to the IC 4. The FF tollgate 5 lane server 51 executes various processes based on the vehicle detection by the vehicle detector 522 (step ST1401). The antenna 524 of the FF tollgate 5 transmits a vehicle identification request to the vehicle 6. Then, it receives vehicle identification information including card information of the ETC card 62 and on-board device unique information from the on-board device 61 of the vehicle 6. Furthermore, the antenna 524 transmits the received vehicle identification information to the interface aggregation unit 521.

[0079] The lane server 51 transmits the information acquired in step ST1401 and the IC number (IC5) that uniquely identifies the toll gate as the FF toll gate 5 to the central processing unit 1 (step ST1402).

[0080] Processor 101, which is a vehicle type estimation unit and score determination unit of central processing unit 1, estimates the vehicle type and determines the score of the toll gate (step ST1403). Processor 101, which is a vehicle type estimation unit, estimates the vehicle type based on the vehicle type code included in the vehicle identification information. Thereafter, processor 101, which is a score determination unit, determines the score of the toll gate. For example, processor 101 determines whether the toll gate is a two-antenna toll gate from the received IC number. Here, since FF toll gate 5 is a one-antenna toll gate, processor 101 determines the score of the toll gate to be the minimum value, for example, 1. After that, processor 101 stores the result of the determination, the estimated vehicle type, the determined score, etc. in memory unit 102.

[0081] The processor 101 transmits the entrance toll gate identification information to the lane server 51 of the FF toll gate 5 (step ST1404). The processor 101 generates the entrance toll gate identification information including the entry record to the IC 7, and transmits the entrance toll gate identification information to the lane server 21.

[0082] The lane server 51 of the FF toll gate 5 transmits the entrance toll gate identification information to the on-board unit 61 of the vehicle 6 via the interface aggregation unit 521 and the antenna 524, and receives a completion notification from the on-board unit 61 (step ST1405). Furthermore, upon receiving the entrance toll gate identification information, the on-board unit 61 of the vehicle 6 writes an entry record into the ETC card 62, and transmits a completion notification to the antenna 524.

[0083] Thereafter, the vehicle 6 passes through an IC 3 which is a two-antenna flat rate toll booth 3 .

[0084] The operations of steps ST1406 and ST1407 are similar to those of steps ST906 and ST907 described with reference to Fig. 9, and therefore their explanations will be omitted. Also, the operations of step ST1408 are similar to those of step ST1203 described with reference to Fig. 12, and therefore their explanations will be omitted. Furthermore, the operations of steps ST1409 and ST1410 are similar to those of steps ST908 and ST909 described with reference to Fig. 9, and therefore their explanations will be omitted.

[0085] Thereafter, the vehicle 6 passes through IC2, which is the FF toll gate 5, and exits the toll road. The operations of steps ST1411 and ST1412 are the same as those of steps ST914 and ST915, respectively, which have been described with reference to FIG. 9, and therefore will not be described here.

[0086] The processor 101 determines the vehicle type and determines the toll (step ST1413). The processor 101, which is a vehicle type estimation unit, estimates the vehicle type based on the vehicle type code included in the vehicle identification information. That is, the processor 101 estimates the vehicle type by referring to the vehicle type code and a vehicle type correspondence table stored in the storage unit 102. Processor 101, which is the score determination unit, determines whether the toll gate is a two-antenna toll gate from the received IC number. Because processor 101 determines that FF toll gate 5 has a one-antenna structure, the score of the toll gate is set to the minimum value of "1." Processor 101 then stores the determination result, the estimated vehicle type, the determined score, etc. in memory unit 102. The processor 101 also determines from the received IC number that the vehicle 6 is about to exit the toll road. Therefore, the processor 101 determines the vehicle type of the vehicle 6 based on the information stored in the memory unit 102 in steps ST1403, ST1408, and ST1413. In other words, the processor 101 determines that the vehicle type of the vehicle 6 is the vehicle type estimated when passing through the toll gate with the highest score of the determined toll gate.

[0087] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in the storage unit 102 of the central processing unit 1 by the processes of step ST1403, step ST1408, and step ST1413 in FIG. As shown in Figure 15, when vehicle 6 passed through IC3, axle sensor 325 at two-antenna flat rate toll booth 3 detected a sensor skip and an incorrect sensor order detection anomaly. Therefore, IC3 received a score of 2. However, referring to Figure 15, it is clear that IC3 has the highest score. Therefore, processor 101 determines that the vehicle type estimated when passing through IC3 is the vehicle type of vehicle 6. However, in this case, it indicates that there is a detection abnormality in the axle sensor 325 of the two-antenna flat rate toll booth 3, which is IC3, and there is a possibility that the axle sensor 325 is not correctly detecting the number of axles. Therefore, even after vehicle 6 passes through IC2 and exits the toll road, central processing unit 1 does not discard the results stored in memory unit 102 shown in Figure 15, but stores them as a doubt inquiry detail. That is, if the score of the toll gate where the detection abnormality occurred is the highest, the processor 101 stores the various information stored in the memory unit 102 as a doubt inquiry detail. By storing the doubt inquiry detail, it becomes possible to present detailed information to the driver of the vehicle 6 when the driver inquires about the toll.

[0088] The processor 101, which is a toll determination unit, calculates the toll based on the determined vehicle type, the toll table stored in the memory unit 102, and the travel section. The processor 101 generates toll information indicating the calculated toll and exit toll gate identification information including an exit record. The processor 101 may also generate start control information to display the information on the roadside display 523 and transmit the information to the lane server 51. The roadside display 523 displays information based on the start control information.

[0089] Steps ST1414 and ST1415 are the same as steps ST917 and ST918 described with reference to FIG. 9, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0090] (Action and effect) According to the present embodiment described above, the vehicle type can be appropriately determined based on the number of axles and vehicle type code detected by the axle sensor when all results are good at the two-antenna distance toll gate 2, which is the most reliable toll gate. In addition, if the judgment result at the two-antenna toll gate is not good, or if vehicle 6 does not pass through a two-antenna distance toll gate, the vehicle type can be appropriately determined by determining the vehicle type estimated at the toll gate with the highest score as the vehicle type of vehicle 6. In addition, if the score of the toll gate where a detection abnormality occurred becomes the highest, the information stored in the memory unit 102 of the central processing unit 1 can be stored as a detailed inquiry about a doubt, making it possible to respond to inquiries from drivers of vehicles 6 who have doubts about the toll. In this embodiment, the highest score representing the likelihood of the vehicle type is assigned to the toll gate that transmitted the most reliable information, but conversely, the lowest score may be assigned to the toll gate that transmitted the most reliable information. In this case, the vehicle type determination unit determines the vehicle type of vehicle 6 to be the vehicle type estimated at the toll gate with the smallest score determined by the score determination unit.

[0091] Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be embodied 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 within the scope and spirit of the invention, and are also included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents as defined in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0092] 1...Central processing unit 2...2 antenna distance toll booth 3...2-antenna flat rate toll booth 4...1 antenna toll booth 5...FF toll gate 6...Vehicle 61...Onboard equipment 62...ETC card 101...Processor 102...Storage section 103...Interface 104...Display section 105...Operation unit 21...Lane Server 211...processor 212...Storage section 213...Interface 214...Display section 215...Operation unit 22...Lane equipment 221...Interface aggregation unit 222...Vehicle detector 223…Roadside indicator 224...Launch controller 225...Axle sensor 226...License plate reading camera 227...First antenna 228...Second antenna 31...Lane Server 311...Processor 312...Storage section 313...Interface 314...Display section 315...Operation unit 32...Lane equipment 321...Interface aggregation unit 322...Vehicle detector 323…Roadside indicator 324...Launch controller 325...Axle sensor 326...Antenna 327...Antenna 41...Lane Server 411...Processor 412...Storage section 413...Interface 414...Display section 415...Operation unit 42...Lane equipment 421...Interface aggregation unit 422...Vehicle detector 423…Roadside indicator 424...Launch controller 425...Antenna 51...Lane Server 511...processor 512...Storage section 513...Interface 514...Display section 515...Operation unit 52...Lane equipment 521...Interface aggregation unit 522...Vehicle detector 523…Roadside indicator 524...Antenna

Claims

1. A vehicle type determination system comprising: a plurality of toll booths installed at a plurality of interchanges and communicating with passing vehicles; and a central processing unit communicating with the plurality of toll booths, At least one toll booth among the plurality of toll booths a lane device including an antenna for receiving, from an on-board device of a passing vehicle, on-board device-specific information including a vehicle model code of the vehicle and towing information indicating whether the vehicle can tow a towing vehicle, and an axle sensor for generating axle information including information on the number of axles of the vehicle; a lane server that transmits the on-board device specific information, the axle information, and an interchange number that uniquely identifies each of the at least one toll gate received from the lane device to the central processing unit; Equipped with The central processing unit a vehicle type estimation unit that estimates the vehicle type of a vehicle passing through each of the at least one toll gate based on the number of axles of the vehicle and the vehicle type code received from the lane server; a score determination unit that determines a score for each of the at least one toll gate based on the number of antennas of the at least one toll gate identified from the interchange number, the in-vehicle device specific information, and the axle information; a vehicle type determination unit that determines the vehicle type based on the vehicle type estimated at the toll gate that has the highest score determined by the score determination unit among the toll gates that the vehicle has passed through; Equipped with When the score determination unit determines that the at least one toll gate does not have a two-antenna structure, the score determination unit determines the score of the at least one toll gate to be the lowest score, If it is determined that the at least one toll booth has a two-antenna structure, and if it is determined from the towing information that the vehicle cannot be towed, and if it is determined that the information on the number of axles of the vehicle does not match the number of axles of the estimated vehicle type, determine a score of a first value higher than the minimum value. Vehicle selection system.

2. A first toll gate of the plurality of toll gates includes: a first lane device including a first antenna for receiving the vehicle-mounted device-specific information; a first lane server that receives the on-board device specific information of the passing vehicle from the first lane device and transmits the on-board device specific information and a first interchange number that uniquely identifies the first toll gate to the central processing unit; Equipped with the vehicle type estimation unit estimates the vehicle type at the first toll gate based on the vehicle type code included in the vehicle-mounted device unique information received from the lane server, The score determination unit determines the score of the first toll gate to be the lowest score when it determines that the first toll gate is a toll gate with a one-antenna structure based on the first interchange number. The vehicle type determination system according to claim 1 .

3. the axle information includes detection information indicating whether a detection abnormality has occurred when detecting the number of axles; the score determination unit determines the score of the at least one toll gate to a second value higher than the first value when the at least one toll gate is determined to be a two-antenna toll gate from the interchange number, the vehicle is determined to be able to be towed from the towing information, and the detection abnormality is determined to have occurred from the detection information; The vehicle type determination system according to claim 1 .

4. the lane equipment further comprises a license plate reading camera that reads a license plate from the vehicle and generates license plate reading information; The vehicle-mounted device specific information further includes information about the license plate of the vehicle, The lane server transmits the license plate reading information to the central processing unit; the score determination unit determines the score of the at least one toll gate to a third value higher than the second value when it determines that the at least one toll gate is a two-antenna toll gate from the interchange number, determines that the vehicle can be towed from the towing information, determines that the detection abnormality has not occurred from the detection information, and determines that the information about the license plate and the license plate reading information do not match; The vehicle type determination system according to claim 3 .

5. The score determination unit determines the score of the at least one toll gate to be the highest value when it determines that the at least one toll gate is a toll gate with a two-antenna structure from the interchange number, determines that the vehicle can be towed from the towing information, determines that no detection abnormality has occurred from the detection information, and determines that information about the license plate and information about the license plate read information match. The vehicle type determination system according to claim 4.

6. The score determination unit determines the score of the at least one toll gate to be the highest value if it determines from the interchange number that the at least one toll gate is a toll gate with a two-antenna structure, determines from the towing information that the vehicle cannot be towed, determines that the information on the number of axles matches the number of axles determined based on the vehicle model code, determines from the detection information that no detection abnormality has occurred, and determines that the information on the license plate matches the license plate reading information. The vehicle type determination system according to claim 4.

7. when the score determination unit determines that the score of the at least one toll gate is the highest value, the vehicle type estimation unit omits estimating the vehicle type based on the number of axles and the vehicle type code received after determining that the score is the highest value.

7. The vehicle type determination system according to claim 5 or 6.

8. The central processing unit The toll gate that the score determination unit determines to have a detection abnormality from the detection information has the highest score, the score determination unit further includes a storage unit that stores the interchange number, the on-board device specific information, and the axle information as details of the doubtful inquiry. The vehicle type determination system according to claim 3 .

9. a central processing unit that communicates with a plurality of toll booths installed at each of a plurality of interchanges through which a vehicle passes, a central communication unit that receives, from a lane server of at least one toll booth of the plurality of toll booths, on-board device specific information including a vehicle model code of the vehicle and towing information indicating whether the vehicle can tow a towing vehicle, axle information including information about the number of axles of the vehicle, and an interchange number that uniquely identifies each of the at least one toll booth; a vehicle type estimation unit that estimates the vehicle type for each of the at least one toll gate based on the number of axles of the vehicle and the vehicle type code; a score determination unit that determines a score for each of the at least one toll gate based on the number of antennas of the at least one toll gate identified from the interchange number, the in-vehicle device specific information, and the axle information; a vehicle type determination unit that determines the vehicle type based on the vehicle type estimated at the toll gate that has the highest score determined by the score determination unit among the toll gates that the vehicle has passed through; Equipped with The score determination unit When it is determined from the interchange number that the at least one toll gate does not have a two-antenna structure, the score determination unit determines the score of the at least one toll gate to be the lowest value, determining, from the interchange number, that the at least one toll booth is a toll booth with a two-antenna structure; determining, from the towing information, that the vehicle cannot be towed; and, if it is determined that the information on the number of axles of the vehicle does not match the number of axles of the estimated vehicle type, determining the score of the at least one toll booth to a first value higher than the minimum value; Central processing unit.

10. the central communication unit receives, via a first lane server of a first toll gate among the plurality of toll gates, the in-vehicle device specific information and a first interchange number that uniquely identifies the first toll gate; the vehicle type estimation unit estimates the vehicle type at the first toll gate based on a vehicle type code included in the vehicle-mounted device specific information from the first lane server, The score determination unit determines the score of the first toll gate to be the lowest value when it is determined from the first interchange number that the first toll gate is a toll gate with a single antenna structure. The central processing unit according to claim 9.

11. the axle information includes detection information indicating whether a detection abnormality has occurred when detecting the number of axles; the score determination unit determines the score of the at least one toll gate to a second value higher than the first value when the score determination unit determines from the interchange number that the at least one toll gate has a two-antenna structure, determines from the towing information that the vehicle can be towed, and determines from the detection information that the detection abnormality has occurred; The central processing unit according to claim 10.

12. The central communication unit further comprises receiving license plate read information from the lane server, the license plate read information including information about a license plate read from the vehicle; The vehicle-mounted device specific information further includes information about the license plate of the vehicle, the score determination unit determines the score of the at least one toll gate to a third value higher than the second value when it determines from the interchange number that the at least one toll gate has a two-antenna structure, determines from the towing information that the vehicle can be towed, determines from the detection information that the detection abnormality has not occurred, and determines that the information about the license plate and the license plate read information do not match; The central processing unit according to claim 11.

13. The score determination unit determines the score of the at least one toll gate to be the highest value when the score determination unit determines from the interchange number that the at least one toll gate has a two-antenna structure, determines from the towing information that the vehicle can be towed, determines from the detection information that no detection abnormality has occurred, and determines that the information about the license plate and the information about the license plate read information match. The central processing unit according to claim 12.

14. The score determination unit determines the score of the at least one toll gate to be the highest value if the score determination unit determines from the interchange number that the at least one toll gate has a two-antenna structure, determines from the towing information that the vehicle cannot be towed, determines that the information on the number of axles matches the number of axles determined based on the vehicle model code, determines from the detection information that no detection abnormality has occurred, and determines that the information on the license plate matches the license plate reading information. The central processing unit according to claim 12.

15. When the score determination unit determines that the score of the at least one toll gate is the highest value, the vehicle type estimation unit omits estimating the vehicle type based on the number of axles and the vehicle type code received after determining that the score is the highest value. The central processing unit according to claim 13 or 14.

16. The central processing unit The toll gate that the score determination unit determines to have a detection abnormality from the detection information has the highest score, the score determination unit further includes a storage unit that stores the interchange number, the on-board device specific information, and the axle information as details of the doubtful inquiry. The central processing unit according to claim 11.

17. A vehicle type determination method by a central processing unit that communicates with a plurality of toll booths installed at each of a plurality of interchanges through which a vehicle passes, comprising: the central processing unit receives, from a lane server of at least one toll booth of the plurality of toll booths, on-board device specific information transmitted from the vehicle, including a vehicle model code of the vehicle and towing information indicating whether the vehicle can tow a towing vehicle, and axle information including information on the number of axles of the vehicle, and an interchange number uniquely identifying each of the at least one toll booth; a vehicle type estimation unit estimating the vehicle type for each of the at least one toll gate based on the number of axles of the vehicle and the vehicle type code; When the score determination unit determines the score of each of the at least one toll gate based on the number of antennas of the at least one toll gate identified from the interchange number, the in-vehicle device specific information, and the axle information, If it is determined from the interchange number that the at least one toll booth does not have a two-antenna structure, determining that the value is the lowest; determining, from the interchange number, that the at least one toll booth has a two-antenna structure; determining, from the towing information, that the vehicle cannot be towed; and determining, when it is determined that the information on the number of axles of the vehicle does not match the number of axles of the estimated vehicle type, that the first value is higher than the minimum value; a vehicle type determination unit determining the vehicle type based on the vehicle type estimated at the toll gate having the highest score among the toll gates that the vehicle has passed through; A vehicle type determination method comprising:

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