ETCS Terminal Dual Payment Interface
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electronic toll collection systems (ETCS) face challenges in seamlessly integrating both physical and virtual payment methods, leading to user inconvenience and potential payment errors due to the limitations of physical credit cards, such as structural restrictions and theft risks, as well as the need for efficient card management and issuance processes.
Innovation Solution
An ETCS terminal equipped with a card socket for physical card insertion and a card integrated circuit (IC) chip for over-the-air (OTA) card issuance, allowing users to selectively activate either the card socket or IC chip for payment processing, along with a controller that manages card issuance, deletion, and status through a communication interface, enabling secure and convenient toll payments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a physical credit card is used in the ETCS terminal, then payment functionality is provided, but structural restrictions and theft risks occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a card IC chip that stores card information as a digital copy of the physical credit card. This virtual card information can be read and transmitted electronically through the communication interface, eliminating the need for the physical card while maintaining payment functionality. The card IC chip acts as a secure repository for the card data, preventing theft and structural restrictions associated with physical cards.
2Device complexity
If only a card socket for physical cards is provided, then simple payment processing is achieved, but user convenience and security are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The ETCS terminal is designed with dual functionality: it can process payments using both physical credit cards inserted into the card socket and virtual card information stored in the card IC chip. The controller automatically detects and selects the appropriate payment method, making the terminal universally applicable to both payment types without requiring separate systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The card IC chip serves as an intermediary between the physical card and the payment processing system. It stores card information and can transmit it electronically through the communication interface, bridging the gap between physical card data and electronic payment processing. This intermediary enables seamless switching between physical and virtual payment methods.
3Reliability
If a card IC chip for OTA card issuance is implemented, then card management security is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The card IC chip is integrated directly into the ETCS terminal, merging the card storage and communication functions into a single component. This integration reduces the overall system complexity compared to having separate external card readers and storage devices. The controller manages both the card socket and card IC chip through unified control logic, further simplifying the system architecture.
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic toll collection system (ETCS) terminal may include a communication interface connected to a vehicle network of a vehicle, a card socket configured to accommodate insertion of a payment card, a card integrated circuit (IC) chip configured to store card information of an issued card, and a controller configured to activate, based on a user input received via the communication interface, at least one of the card IC chip or the card socket.