Anonymous Position Data Filtering for Off-Board Toll Collection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Off-board truck toll collection methods face data protection issues due to the transmission and storage of vehicle positions linked to toll IDs, potentially allowing tracking of vehicles on non-toll routes.
Innovation Solution
The method separates position data filtering and toll data transmission, with the OBU sending anonymous position data to a central filter unit for toll relevance determination, using different connections and deleting data after confirmation, ensuring that the entire route is not combined with non-toll segments or linked to a toll payer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If off-board toll collection is implemented with centralized server processing, then the OBU becomes simple and inexpensive, but data protection is compromised due to transmission and storage of all position data linked to toll ID
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the toll collection process into two independent parts: (1) anonymous position data transmission from OBU to server, and (2) toll-relevant data filtering and return. This segmentation allows the OBU to remain simple while the server processes only anonymized data, eliminating the risk of tracking vehicles on non-toll roads.
Solution Approach 2:
The server acts as an intermediary that receives anonymous position data, filters it against the digital map to identify toll-relevant segments, and returns only the toll-relevant position data to the OBU. This intermediary process ensures that the OBU never receives or stores complete route information, protecting data privacy while enabling accurate toll calculation.
2Measurement precision
If all position data is transmitted to the server for evaluation, then accurate toll calculation is possible, but communication volume and data storage requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The server extracts only the toll-relevant position data from the complete route information by comparing anonymous position data against the digital map of toll roads. Only these extracted toll-relevant segments are transmitted back to the OBU, significantly reducing the data volume that needs to be stored and processed by the OBU while maintaining accurate toll calculation.
3Reliability
If the OBU stores and updates digital maps internally, then toll road validation is possible, but the system becomes expensive and inflexible
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of the OBU storing and validating positions against a digital map (traditional approach), the invention inverts the process: the OBU transmits anonymous position data to the server, and the server performs the map comparison and validation. This inversion transfers the computational burden and map storage requirements from the OBU to the server, simplifying the OBU while maintaining validation reliability.
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for determining toll roads, with a filter unit and an OBU which can communicate with one another, wherein the filter unit has map material, with the result that position data can be used to determine toll roads, comprising the following steps: - the OBU transmits position data of route sections to the filter unit, wherein the position data are transmitted in such a manner that the position data can be checked for relevance to tolls without knowledge of the identity of the OBU; - the position data transmitted are checked for relevance to tolls and toll levying data for charging and settlement are transmitted to the OBU; - the OBU stores the route sections which are subject to a toll in order to then form an overall route which is transmitted to a toll settlement point at the end of the journey.