Bluetooth Toll Transponder Reprogramming Across Toll Agencies
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle tracking systems for tolling face issues with incompatibility across different toll agencies, requiring multiple tags and lack of user-friendly, secure, and efficient methods for reprogramming and managing toll transponders, leading to user inconvenience and potential fraud.
Innovation Solution
A Bluetooth Low-Energy Enabled Transponder (BLEET) with multi-protocol capabilities, allowing reprogramming and management via a smartphone, secure public-key cryptography, and motion-sensing to prevent distracted driving, enabling features like occupancy setting and secure data transmission.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If traditional toll transponders are used, then toll collection function is provided, but compatibility across different toll agencies is poor requiring multiple tags
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal transponder system that supports multiple toll agency protocols simultaneously. The transponder contains programmable memory and processing circuitry that can be configured to communicate with different toll agency readers, allowing a single device to replace multiple agency-specific tags.
Solution Approach 2:
The transponder employs dynamic reconfiguration capability where the communication protocol and identification parameters can be changed in real-time based on which toll agency is detected. This allows the same physical tag to adapt its behavior to match different agency requirements during operation.
2Ease of operation
If transponders are made reprogrammable, then user convenience is improved, but security risks and potential fraud increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a secure intermediary processing system that mediates between the user and the transponder reprogramming function. This intermediary verifies user credentials, authenticates reprogramming requests, and logs all changes, allowing convenient user access while maintaining security through layered authentication and audit trails.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements comprehensive feedback mechanisms including real-time authentication verification, change logging, and anomaly detection. When reprogramming occurs, the system provides feedback to the user about the change status and monitors for suspicious patterns, enabling convenient operation while detecting and preventing fraudulent activities.
3Reliability
If motion sensing is added to prevent distracted driving, then safety is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The transponder utilizes the vehicle's existing motion characteristics and the smartphone's built-in sensors to implement safety monitoring. Rather than adding dedicated complex sensing hardware, the system repurposes available sensors and uses the transponder's processing to analyze motion patterns, achieving safety functionality with minimal additional complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables seamless toll management across agencies, reduces the need for multiple tags, enhances security, and minimizes driver distraction by allowing remote control and secure, motion-sensitive operations.
Implementation Method 1
A Bluetooth Low-Energy Enabled Transponder (BLEET) with multi-protocol capabilities
Implementation Method 2
motion-sensing to prevent distracted driving
Data Source
AI summary
An RFID transponder including a Bluetooth® compatible transceiver (BLEET) is described. The Bluetooth® compatible transceiver may be configured to set data that is transmitted via one or more RFID transceivers in the transponder and to return data received by the RFID transceiver(s) to a client application running, for example, on a user's smart phone. The BLEET may be used for electronic vehicle tracking or tolling. Vehicle occupancy data may be set by the user with the client application via a Bluetooth® connection in connection with high occupancy vehicle tolling and express lane incentive programs. The BLEET may be used in a congestion pricing (CP) toll area, wherein the smart phone determines a toll rate based on the location, when triggered by the BLEET, that the BLEET was read by an RFID reader located on a boundary of the CP toll area.