DE29515736U1 - Device for recording vehicle fees and / or data - Google Patents

Description

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DESCRIPTION

Device for collecting vehicle fees and/or data

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TECHNICAL AREA

The present invention relates to a device for recording due vehicle fees or data, such as parking fees, toll fees, vehicle or engine data, energy consumption data and the like by means of a chip card or magnetic card.

STATE OF THE ART

It is known that a magnetic card can be taken from a machine at the entrance to a parking garage and then inserted into the corresponding machine after paying for it when leaving. It is also known that a chip card/magnetic card, designed as a check card, can be inserted into a machine installed at the parking facility to collect parking fees when entering and exiting, whereby the fees are calculated based on the actual parking time and are debited externally from the account holder.

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A common system for collecting parking fees is that there is a central machine for several parking spaces, from which a parking ticket with the final parking time printed on it can be obtained by paying cash. The final parking time is set every half hour, for example. This "payment" process, which is quite cumbersome for the driver, also has the disadvantage that the printed parking time is not used in full in many cases, so that the user of the parking facility actually pays too much.

KRAU-I7gDE

02 October 1995

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DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Based on the above-mentioned prior art, the present invention is based on the technical problem or task of specifying an improved device for recording vehicle fees due, which ensures reliable recording, is user-friendly, can be used in a variety of ways, enables precise calculation and is overall easy to handle.

The device according to the invention is given by the features of the independent claim 1. Advantageous embodiments and further developments are the subject of the dependent claims.

The device according to the invention for recording vehicle fees due is characterized by the following units present within the vehicle: a reading unit with an insertion slot for inserting the chip card/magnetic card, a transmitting unit and a receiving unit for sending and receiving signals, an evaluation unit for evaluating the data stored on the chip card/magnetic card and/or for evaluating data that is sent by an external transmitting unit and received by the receiving unit, and a counting unit that calculates the fee due depending on the data stored on the chip card/magnetic card and/or the data received by the external transmitting unit and sends a corresponding signal to the evaluation unit, which then either devalues the amount of the fee due internally on the chip card/magnetic card or sends a signal via the transmitting unit, which causes the external debit of the fee due.

The device according to the invention enables, for example,

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It is possible to record parking fees, toll fees, energy taxes and other taxes in a simple manner. There are basically two ways of "paying". Either a chip card/magnetic card is purchased for a fixed fee and validated accordingly during use, or the fees due are debited from the owner's external account when the chip card/magnetic card is used.

A preferred embodiment of the device according to the invention is characterized in that a transmission unit is present in the vehicle, which transmits individual basic data to the evaluation unit: information about the operating status of the vehicle, kilometers driven, speed and fuel consumption or the like. According to a particularly advantageous development, a storage unit can be present that stores the data transmitted by the transmission unit, so that the device can be used as a tachograph.

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According to a particularly preferred embodiment, the device has a display unit for displaying the fee-relevant data or the data transmitted by the transmission unit.

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A further design variant is characterized by the fact that the device has a keyboard for entering individual data, whereby this data can be evaluated by the evaluation unit.

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With regard to space-saving accommodation in the vehicle, according to a particularly preferred embodiment, the device according to the invention is integrated in the interior rear-view mirror of the vehicle.

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The rearview mirror has, among other things, an insertion

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Slot for the chip card/magnetic card, which is preferably located on the side front wall or lower front wall. This allows for easy operation.

For example, to record parking fees, the chip card/magnetic card is simply inserted into the slot on the interior rear-view mirror and makes contact with a central machine for the respective parking facility via the transmitter unit, for example, whereby the parking start time is initially recorded. In addition, the respective parking fee per time unit is evaluated so that after the parking process has ended, the fee actually due for the respective parking time can be calculated. This fee is then either debited internally from the chip card/magnetic card by the evaluation unit, so that the chip card/magnetic card has a correspondingly reduced residual value, or debited externally from the owner's account. The parking start time, the fees per time unit and the parking end time can be displayed via the display units.

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The device according to the invention can also be used without any problems to record toll fees.

&psgr; A vehicle according to the invention has a device of the type mentioned above. In addition, there is a transmitting unit that sends out individual identification data and is activated by inserting the chip card/magnetic card into the chip/magnetic card reader unit. Outside on the roads, there are receiving units either underground or above ground that receive the signal sent out by the transmitting unit and can therefore identify the respective vehicle in a person-specific manner. This makes it possible to calculate the kilometers driven with the vehicle based on the signals from the transmitting unit of the vehicle received by the receiving units and from this to calculate the respective toll fee, which in turn is debited to the toll card via an automatic external debit process.

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the determined values can be debited.

The system is designed in such a way that the vehicle is always recognized, regardless of whether the chip card/magnetic card is inserted. This means that the transmitting unit always sends out signals that enable the vehicle to be recognized. Overall, this enables a toll system that is based on the actual number of kilometers driven, which enables users to pay the fees conveniently and reliably.

Since it is still possible to record fuel consumption, there is also the possibility of charging fees based on the amount of fuel consumed.

According to the invention, an inexpensive and economical system for recording vehicle fees due is thus possible.

Further embodiments and advantages of the invention result from the features further listed in the claims and from the exemplary embodiments given below. The features of the claims can be combined with one another in any way, provided they do not obviously exclude one another.

SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The invention and advantageous embodiments and further developments thereof are described and explained in more detail below using the examples shown in the drawing. The features shown in the description and the drawing can be used individually or in groups in any combination according to the invention. They show:

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02 October 1995 · · ···· * · · *

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Fig. 1 shows a device for collecting vehicle tolls in a schematic block diagram,

Fig. 2 schematic representation of a device for collecting toll fees for vehicles,

Fig. 3 Perspective view of an interior rearview mirror of a vehicle with an integrated device for recording vehicle tolls, seen from the passenger side and

Fig. 4 Schematic view of an interior rear-view mirror seen from the outside of the vehicle.

WAYS TO CARRY OUT THE INVENTION

Fig. 1 shows schematically in a block diagram the individual processes within an embodiment of an inventive device for recording vehicle fees due. A chip card 12 is inserted into a chip card reader unit 14, which transmits its data to a central evaluation unit 22. The evaluation unit 22 receives certain signals via an external transmitter unit 26 with an interposition of a receiver unit 20 and evaluates them. The evaluation takes place in cooperation with the counting unit 24.

The evaluation unit 22 receives information signals about the current operating status of the vehicle, the kilometers driven, the current speed and/or the fuel consumption via a transmission unit 28. In addition, data can be fed to the evaluation unit 22 via a keyboard unit 32, which evaluates these signals as a whole. The transmission unit 28 can be connected to an engine management unit 34, which is present in vehicles to control the internal combustion engine.

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and stores the current operating data of the vehicle.

It is possible that the evaluation unit 22 itself influences the engine management unit 34 based on the selected signals.

After the received data has been evaluated by the evaluation unit 22 in conjunction with the counting unit 24, the evaluation unit controls a transmitting unit 18, which in turn initiates the debiting of the fees due via an external connection based on the signals from the evaluation unit 22. Alternatively, the evaluation unit 22 can send its signals to a debiting unit 3 6, which internally initiates a devaluation on the chip card based on the fee calculated by the evaluation unit 22 in conjunction with the counting unit 24 (dashed arrows 3 8 in Fig. 1). The debit can be made until the amount paid for the chip card 12 is reached.

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Finally, there is a display unit 30 that can be controlled by the evaluation unit 22 to display data relevant to the fee payment. In addition, vehicle-specific data can be displayed.

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A specific embodiment of the use of the device according to the invention for recording vehicle fees due is shown schematically in Fig. 2. The device is arranged for the most part in the inner rear-view mirror 50 of a vehicle 52. The rear-view mirror 50 has an insertion slot 16 on its lateral front wall 40 into which the chip card 12 is inserted. The evaluation mechanism described above then runs.

The rearview mirror 50 has a mirror surface 54 in its area facing the viewer and below it, as shown in Fig. 3

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shown schematically, a display unit 30 and a keyboard unit 32. The required holding units for attaching the rear-view mirror 50 to the vehicle 52 are not shown in Fig. 3.

The device is activated by inserting the chip card 12 into the insertion slot 16. It is conceivable that the device with its transmitting unit 18 works together with an above-ground receiving and transmitting unit 26 or by means of an underground receiving or transmitting unit 42.

According to Fig. 2, there is also a transmission unit 28 inside the vehicle 52, which is activated when the chip card 12 is inserted into the insertion slot 16 of the rear-view mirror 50 and sends vehicle- or person-specific data to the respective receiving station 26 or 42. The transmission of the respective signals is shown schematically in Fig. 2 by wavy lines. The insertion slot can also be present on the opposite end of the rear-view mirror.

The receiving units 26 and 42 convert the received data and forward them to external receiving points (not shown in the figures), which then initiate an external debiting process for the respective toll fee. The amount of the fee can be determined by the distance traveled, the speed driven (average) and/or the actual fuel consumption, since these values can also be transmitted by the device or the transmitting unit 18 or transmission unit 28 and thus evaluated.

The schematic view of an interior rearview mirror 60 shown in Figure 4 as seen from the outside of the vehicle also shows a display unit 30 which is visible from both the outside and the inside, so that, for example, the

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Drivers can read the required parking fees on the inside and possible inspectors can read the remaining parking time on the outside

The transmitting unit 18 and the receiving unit 20 are arranged on both sides of the display unit 30. Above this there is a receiving unit 62 for mounting the rearview mirror 60 on the vehicle roof or on the windshield. Overall, the rearview mirror 60 has a compact structure.

With the device according to the invention it is possible to provide a fee recording system that can be implemented inexpensively and economically from an economic point of view, can offer the user a high level of convenience and, in addition, enables precise fee recording.

Claims (1)

KRAU-17gDE 2 &idigr;&iacgr; 02 October 1995 · ⁴ ··" ········ -1-CLAIMS 01) Device for recording vehicle fees due, such as parking fees, toll fees and the like, using a chip card (12) or magnetic card, characterized by the following units present within the vehicle: - a chip card, magnetic card reading unit (14) with insertion slot (16) for inserting the chip card (12)/magnetic card, - a transmitting unit (18) and a receiving unit (20) for sending and receiving signals, - an evaluation unit (22) for evaluating the data stored on the chip card (12)/magnetic card and/or for evaluating data that is sent by an external transmitting unit (26) and received by the receiving unit (20), and - a counting unit (24) which calculates the fee due depending on the data stored on the chip card (12) / magnetic card and/or the data received from the external transmitting unit (26) and sends a corresponding signal to the evaluation unit (22), which then either devalues the amount of the fee due internally on the chip card (12) / magnetic card or sends a signal via the transmitting unit (18), which causes the external debit of the fee due. 02) Device according to claim 1, characterized in that - a transmission unit (28) is present in the vehicle which transmits individual basic data or information about the operating status of the vehicle, kilometers driven, speed and fuel consumption or the like to the evaluation unit (22). 35 · KRAU-I7gDE 02 October 1995 «■· -2- 05 03) Device according to claim 2, characterized in that - a storage unit is present which stores the data transmitted by the transmission unit. 04) Device according to one or more of the preceding claims , characterized in that - the device has a display unit (3 0) for displaying fee-relevant data. 05) Device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that - the device has a keyboard (32) for entering individual data, these data being evaluated by the evaluation unit (22). 20 06) Device according to one or more of the preceding claims , characterized in that - the device is integrated in the interior rear-view mirror (50) of a vehicle (52). 30 07) Device according to claim 6, characterized in that - the insertion slot (16) is arranged on a front side wall of the interior rearview mirror (50). 08) Device according to claim 6, characterized in that - the insertion slot is arranged on the lower front wall of the interior rear-view mirror. -3- KRAU-17gDE 1995 &iacgr;&idgr;"V' II &iacgr; 02 October 1995 &iacgr;&idgr;"V' II &iacgr; * -3- 09) Vehicle, characterized in that 05 - it has a device according to claims 1 to 8. 10) Vehicle according to claim 9, characterized in that 10 - a transmitting unit for transmitting individual basic data is additionally arranged in the vehicle, which is activated by inserting the chip card/magnetic card into the chip card magnetic card reading unit.