Vehicle Toll Collection via Event-Based Communication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current toll systems face challenges in efficiently collecting traffic-related tolls without a roadside infrastructure, leading to high communication volume and legal concerns, as they often charge vehicles before the traffic congestion has cleared, and fail to accurately identify vehicles involved in extraordinary traffic events.
Innovation Solution
A method and device that allow vehicles to determine and communicate extraordinary traffic events, grouping vehicles based on similar data to assess and collect tolls only when they are involved in the same traffic situation, reducing communication volume and ensuring fair toll collection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traffic density parameters are continuously monitored by roadside devices and centrally evaluated, then toll fees can be adjusted based on traffic conditions, but the infrastructural complexity increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
Vehicles autonomously determine whether they are involved in extraordinary traffic events using onboard sensors and communication systems, eliminating the need for roadside monitoring devices. Each vehicle independently assesses traffic conditions and communicates only relevant event data to the central system, reducing infrastructure complexity while maintaining monitoring reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The monitoring function is extracted from roadside infrastructure and transferred to the vehicles themselves. Instead of roadside devices continuously measuring traffic parameters, vehicles use their own sensors to detect and report extraordinary traffic events, significantly reducing the need for physical roadside infrastructure.
2Productivity
If toll fees are increased for vehicles on preceding road sections to prevent congestion, then traffic flow can be managed, but it creates legal concerns about charging vehicles not yet involved in congestion
Solution Approach 1:
Vehicles receive preliminary information about potential extraordinary traffic events through communication with other vehicles, allowing them to be prepared for toll charging before actually entering congested sections. However, the actual toll is only charged when the vehicle is confirmed to be involved in the event, ensuring fairness while maintaining traffic management effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from multiple vehicles to confirm the existence and location of extraordinary traffic events before charging tolls. Vehicles communicate their detected traffic conditions to each other and to the central system, which validates the event before imposing toll charges, ensuring that only vehicles actually involved in congestion are charged.
3Measurement precision
If vehicles communicate traffic event data frequently to ensure accurate toll assessment, then toll charging accuracy improves, but communication volume increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of continuous communication, vehicles communicate traffic event data periodically or event-triggered. When an extraordinary traffic event is detected, vehicles send data packets at specific intervals or when event conditions change, reducing overall communication volume while maintaining sufficient detection accuracy for toll assessment.
Solution Approach 2:
Communication data is segmented into essential event parameters only (location, time, event type, vehicle involvement confirmation) rather than transmitting all sensor data. This selective data transmission maintains the precision needed for accurate toll assessment while significantly reducing the total communication volume across the network.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a method for collecting a traffic-related toll fee in a tolling system for at least one vehicle engaged in traffic. The method has the steps of wirelessly receiving and data-processing at least one first message from a group of multiple vehicles, said message being generated and wirelessly transmitted by a first vehicle as a result of an extraordinary traffic event detected by the first vehicle, and collecting a traffic-related toll fee for a second vehicle, which has likewise detected the extraordinary traffic event, depending on the result of the data-processing of the first message. The invention also relates to a vehicle device and to a central data-processing device with which at least sub-steps of such a method can be carried out.