Toll Calculation Server Anonymizing Position Data
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing road toll systems face challenges in protecting user data privacy while maintaining system efficiency, as 'thin client' on-board units send raw position-fix data to control centers, leading to increased data traffic and power consumption.
Innovation Solution
Storing unit and mobile telecommunications identifiers in the control center, using the mobile telecommunications identifier for anonymous map matching in the toll calculation server, and charging user accounts without revealing the movement profile, ensuring data protection and reducing data traffic.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If thin client OBUs send raw position-fix data to control centre, then data protection is compromised, but device complexity is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary server that receives position-fix data from thin client OBUs using only mobile telecommunications identifiers, performs map-matching calculations, and returns location-anonymised toll data. This intermediary protects user data by preventing the control centre from accessing raw position-fix data, while allowing thin client OBUs to maintain their simple design without onboard processing capabilities.
2Loss of information
If known data protection solutions are implemented, then data protection is improved, but data traffic increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the mobile telecommunications identifier from the OBU for transmission to the intermediary server, leaving the raw position-fix data to be processed anonymously. This extraction approach minimizes data traffic by transmitting only essential identification information while still enabling toll calculation and data protection.
3Loss of information
If known data protection solutions are implemented, then data protection is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The mobile telecommunications network infrastructure provides self-service by utilizing its existing identifier system and control centre capabilities to handle the anonymisation and toll calculation process. The OBU simply transmits its mobile telecommunications identifier without requiring additional processing power or energy-intensive onboard calculations, leveraging the network's existing resources for data protection.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for collecting tolls for location usages of an on-board unit, which has a unit identifier in a road toll system and a mobile telecommunications identifier in a mobile telecommunications network. The method includes storing the unit identifier and the mobile telecommunications identifier of the on-board unit in a control centre of the road toll system, sending the position-fix data from the on-board unit, under the mobile telecommunications identifier as sole identification, to a toll calculation server, calculating location-anonymised toll data in the toll calculation server, and sending said toll data under the mobile telecommunications identifier to a control centre of the mobile telecommunications network, charging a user account assigned to the mobile telecommunications identifier in the control centre of the mobile telecommunications network, sending a confirmation to the control centre of the road toll system under the mobile telecommunications identifier, and retrieving the unit identifier associated with the mobile telecommunications identifier and providing the confirmation in the control centre of the road toll system.