DE4344433A1 - Computational system for allocating motorway toll charges - Google Patents

Abstract

A computational system for allocating motorway toll charges employs an electronic location recorder for installation in a vehicle which contains a receiver oriented on the Global Positioning System (GPS) for determining the vehicle's positional co-ordinates. A digital network transmitter/receiver unit provides data communication between the vehicle and a central administration/accounting station which allocates the relevant charges accordingly. The linking element of the vehicle's on-board equipment comprises a data processing/storage module which relates its instantaneous co-ordinates to stored motorway co-ordinates and at coincidence notifies the central station.

Description

The invention relates to a detection system for cars train fees by electronic vignette for the Use in vehicles.

The charging of freeway tolls is already in many European countries practiced and should also German roads introduced in the near future become.

There are various options for fees survey, as they have been in various years European countries. In France, as in Italy, there are so-called payment stations (Peage) on motorway exits, each for a section of the route covered the fee must be judged. The billing is done via a ticket system, with the ticket on ascent the highway is distributed at appropriate ticket stations becomes.

The disadvantage of such a system is that it is large  Effort to provide the required infrastructure, i.e. setting up ticket stations and paying agents, which of course also entails high costs is. Of course, the costs incurred here apportioned to the motorway tolls.

Another system exists in Switzerland, namely is a vignette system, the Motorway users have to buy a vignette annually, which must then be attached to the car. In Switzerland the purchase of such a vignette is still relative inexpensive, which of course also with the small size of this country.

It was under discussion, such a vignette system too to introduce in Germany, but the acquisition the vignette would be much more expensive than e.g. B. in the Switzerland. This makes such a system unfair, since vehicle users who drive a lot, in proportion to pay little for mileage, taking traffic Participants who drive little disproportionately have to pay per kilometer.

The present invention is therefore based on the object to avoid the disadvantages mentioned above, by pre-registering a toll system will see that with very little infrastructure gets along, while maintaining an accurate and individual Allows toll settlement for each road user.

The object is achieved by the in the kenn drawing part of claims 1 and 2 mentioned Features resolved.

The advantages of such a registration system  devoted are obvious.

There is no need to set up a complex infrastructure structure, such as B. in France and Italy is necessary to control the use of the motorway and settle the fee. This eliminates them associated significant cost away what of course also benefits road users.

Furthermore, those of the vehicle on highways covered kilometers accurately and individually calculates, and thus an unfair distribution of fees, as they e.g. B. has an adhesive vignette system, avoided.

The heart of the acquisition system described here for highway tolls is a so-called electronic Vignette. This vignette is an electronic one Communication system built into the vehicles is and with a fee accounting system over one mobile communication network communicates. The Data on entry and exit of fees to be charged Zones on highways are determined online and on transfer the accounting center.

Determining the geographic coordinates of the moving vehicle is powered by a GPS receiver (Global Positioning System), which one is aimed at the GPS satellite system and from the information transmitted by the GPS satellite parameters, the geographic coordinates are calculated. The electronic vignette correlates the obtained ones geographic location coordinates of the vehicle with permanently stored entry and exit coordinates Vectors of the motorway nodes to be charged.  

The moving vehicle is in one Correlation range (GPS coordinates agree with the internally stored entry and exit coordinates match), the determined coordinates are displayed the billing center using a mobile digital network.

For data exchange between electronic vignette and billing center can be any bidirectional mobile digital networks are used, such as B. UMTS, Datacom, GSM 900/1800 networks etc. Im here described embodiment is from a GSM network out. There are the inputs and Exit information of the vehicle in a fee loaded route from the electronic vignette to the Transfer accounting center, taking necessary Configuration data and billing information can be transmitted in the reverse direction.

All data accumulates in the accounting center, and at the same time the acquired coordinate data in Autobahnbe converted usage fees. This information will saved in the accounting center, as well as on again the electronic vignette returned to the Ver road users a constant control of fees enable. For every participant in this period used a toll section of the motorway has, for. B. the trips are charged monthly and create an invoice.

The subject of the present invention arises not only from the subject of individual claims, but also from the Combination of the individual claims.  

All in the documentation - including the Summary - disclosed information and characteristics, especially the one shown in the drawings spatial training are essential to the invention claimed as far as they are individually or in combination are new compared to the prior art.

In the following, the invention is based on a a drawing illustrating the execution path closer explained. Here go from the drawing and their Description of further features essential to the invention and advantages of the invention.

The drawing shows a functional overview of the electronic vignette as in the vehicle is provided.

You can see the three main basic components. First the mobile digital communication system, which here for example according to the GSM standard is working. You can see the transmitter, here with MN transmitter (Mobile network transmitter) is referred to, as well the receiver, which is shown here as an MN receiver. Furthermore, the drawing shows the GPS receiver and the largest block is the actual electronic vignette.

Now the location determined by the GPS receiver Coordinates of the moving vehicle in front of it seen location coordinate memory saved.

A coordination processor in which the entrance and exit coordinates of the motorway junctions stored, processed by the GPS receiver supplied location coordinates and compares them with the entry and exit coordinates.  

If the vehicle now traverses a correlation area, d. H. the GPS coordinate vectors agree with the internally stored entry and exit vectors match, the coordinates determined are determined using of the mobile digital network to a central one Charge accounting center (not shown).

The data format used internally must be in the Telecommunications network data format used here as an example GSM format, can be converted and then sent by the MN transmitter.

Conversely, those coming from the accounting center Configuration data and / or billing information for individual sections of the freeway using the MN Are received and after conversion into the internal data format directly in the coordination processor and then brought to the display or in the memory for the location coordinates be cached.

A switchover control provides for optional Read in or read out the in the location coordinate memory information contained by the coordination processor, or reading in from the MN receiver received data in the location coordinate memory.

For the electrical supply of the entire system a separate power supply is provided.

So with the invention described here Freeway fees simple and accurate, for all traffic participants can be collected individually and billed. Because here is a powerful communication system  Is used, it is also conceivable, not only Carry out billing via this system, but also traffic information, weather information and other information useful on the road to transmit to the road user.

Claims (2)

1. Registration system for motorway tolls by means of an electronic vignette for use in vehicles, characterized by the following system components

• a) GPS receiver ( 1 ) (Global Positioning System) for determining the current location coordinates of the vehicle,
• b) Mobile digital network ( 2 ) (MN), for bi-directional data transmission between the vehicle and the accounting center,
• c) electronic vignette ( 3 ), for data acquisition and storage as well as for communication control,
• d) Vehicle external accounting and administration center for billing the recorded data in highway tolls.

2. Method for operating the registration system for motorway tolls by means of an electronic vignette, characterized in that

• a) The current location coordinates recorded by the GPS receiver ( 1 ), and compared with the entry / exit coordinates of the motorway route stored internally in the electronic vignette ( 3 ), and
• b) if the coordinates match, these are transmitted to a vehicle external accounting center by means of the digital mobile network ( 2 ), and
• c) In the billing center, the distance traveled along the motorway and the associated motorway tolls are calculated from the transmitted data.