JP7651368B2 - Traffic Management System - Google Patents

Description

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a traffic management system, a traffic management method, and a traffic management device.

Electronic Toll Collection Systems (ETC systems), which use wireless communication, are widely used as a method of collecting tolls on toll roads. However, there are a certain number of vehicles that do not use the ETC system (hereafter, non-ETC-compatible vehicles), so at the entrance and exit toll gates of toll roads, both ETC lanes and lanes for toll collectors are provided, and gates that open and close depending on whether or not the vehicle can pass through are installed in each lane. This makes it possible to process charges for both vehicles equipped with on-board units compatible with the wireless communication of the ETC system (hereafter, ETC-compatible vehicles) and non-ETC-compatible vehicles.

Toll roads that charge a fixed toll have lanes for ETC vehicles and lanes manned by toll collectors at the entrance toll booths to collect tolls, and sometimes use a type of exit called a free-flow exit. Toll roads that charge a fixed amount for cash vehicles and a distance-based fee system for ETC-compatible vehicles do not have gates at free-flow exits, and the information necessary for toll collection is sent and received through communication between the roadside device of a gantry installed at the exit and the onboard device of the ETC-compatible vehicle, and appropriate charging processing is performed for ETC-compatible vehicles according to the distance-based fee system.

In addition, toll booths that handle non-ETC-compatible vehicles require the identification of the section of road and vehicle type based on the toll ticket, making it difficult to make them completely unmanned, and therefore the deployment of toll collectors is essential, which inevitably increases costs. As a result of the increasing penetration rate of ETC, road operators are feeling a growing burden of the costs of dealing with non-ETC vehicles, which are being used relatively less frequently.

JP 2018-36817 A JP 2019-117519 A JP 2019-139299 A

As mentioned above, toll roads are being considered for ETC-only use, due to reasons such as reducing the costs of non-ETC-compatible vehicles. When ETC-only use is implemented, it is expected that lanes for toll collectors will be abolished, but in this case, the issue of how to collect tolls from non-ETC-compatible vehicles at toll booths for ETC vehicles is an issue. To do this, it is necessary to identify non-ETC-compatible vehicles in situations where ETC-compatible and non-ETC-compatible vehicles are mixed.

The object of the present invention is to provide a traffic management system, a traffic management method, and a traffic management device that are excellent at identifying the traffic conditions of non-ETC compatible vehicles in a scene where ETC compatible vehicles and non-ETC compatible vehicles are mixed.

The traffic management system according to the embodiment includes a roadside device arranged on a lane on which a vehicle travels, and a traffic management device that manages the passage of vehicles based on information from the roadside device. The roadside device includes a camera that photographs the lane and outputs the photographed image, and a first communication unit that receives wireless communication compatible vehicle information from an on-board device of a wireless communication compatible vehicle that is equipped with an on-board device and travels on the lane by wireless communication with the on-board device. The traffic management device includes a second communication unit that receives the photographed image and the wireless communication compatible vehicle information, an image vehicle information detection unit that detects license plate information from the photographed image, a wireless communication compatible vehicle information detection unit that detects wireless compatible vehicle license plate information from the wireless communication compatible vehicle information, a wireless communication non-compatible vehicle identification unit that compares the license plate information detected from the photographed image with the wireless compatible vehicle license plate information detected from the wireless communication compatible vehicle information and identifies a wireless communication non-compatible vehicle based on the comparison result, and a traffic history output unit that outputs a wireless communication non-compatible vehicle traffic history regarding the wireless communication non-compatible vehicle.

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of toll collection by the ETC system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the ETC system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of the central server according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a roadside device provided at an entrance toll gate or an exit toll gate according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an example of application of the roadside device at the entrance or exit according to the first embodiment to a traffic lane. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of the vehicle-mounted device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of acquisition of passing vehicle information by a roadside device. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of a process for identifying ETC-compatible vehicles/non-ETC-compatible vehicles by the central server. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of a central server and a lane server according to a modified example of the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a roadside device provided at a free flow, a check barrier, or the like on a main line according to the third embodiment. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing an example of application of the roadside device according to the third embodiment to a main road. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a communication area and a photographing area on a toll road. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining an example of detection of a vehicle image included in a communication area on a toll road. FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining an example of detection of ETC-compatible vehicles and non-ETC-compatible vehicles from vehicle images included in a communication area on a toll road. FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing an example of a license plate information reading process according to the first embodiment. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a dynamic map management server that improves the accuracy of vehicle position information according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 17 is an image of the mapping process by the mapping processing unit of the dynamic map management server. FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an image of the association between a vehicle image detected from a captured image and a vehicle on a road. FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing an example of association between vehicle images detected from a captured image and vehicles on a toll road. FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating an example of updating a travel history according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating an example of travel distance estimation based on traffic volume according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing an example of a travel history search according to the fourth embodiment.

First Embodiment
Hereinafter, an example of an ETC system according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The ETC system described here is an example of a vehicle management system.

[composition]
FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of toll collection by the ETC system according to the first embodiment.
As shown in Fig. 1, the ETC system includes a toll central unit 1 managed by a road operator, a toll gate server 2 that manages all toll gates, a lane server 3 provided for each lane, and a roadside unit 4 that is installed on the roadside of a road on which vehicles 5 travel or at toll gates. Vehicles 5 traveling on a toll road include ETC vehicles 5a (hereinafter simply referred to as ETC vehicles 5a) that are compatible with wireless communication of the ETC system, and non-ETC vehicles 5b (hereinafter simply referred to as non-ETC vehicles 5b) that are not compatible with wireless communication of the ETC system. In other words, it is assumed that ETC vehicles 5a and non-ETC vehicles 5b travel together on the toll road.

First, charging methods can be broadly divided into distance-based methods, in which the toll is determined according to the distance between the entrance and exit toll gates and the type of vehicle, and flat-rate methods, in which a fixed amount is charged regardless of whether the toll gate is an entrance or exit toll gate.

Roadside device 4 refers to all devices that communicate with ETC vehicles, and includes roadside devices installed at entrance and exit toll booths that have control bars that control the passage of passing vehicles, as well as roadside devices installed on main lines called free flows and check barriers, and roadside devices for road-to-vehicle communication devices that detect the driving route of vehicles.

The installation location of the roadside device 4 varies depending on the toll method, but it is placed in at least one location on the lane at the entrance to the toll road (or at each entrance if there are multiple entrances), the lane at the exit from the toll road (or at each exit if there are multiple exits), and the main lane of the toll road (while traveling).

On a route where tolls are charged according to a travel section determined by an entrance and an exit (distance-based charging), the roadside device 4 is installed at least in the lane of the entrance toll gate and the lane of the exit toll gate. On a route where a fixed toll is charged regardless of a travel section (flat-rate charging), the roadside device 4 is installed at least in the entrance toll gate, the exit toll gate, or a main line toll gate located midway along the main line.
When the roadside device 4 receives the ETC vehicle information C1 etc. via the communication device, it transmits it to the lane server.

The roadside device 4 is also equipped with a video camera (hereinafter, camera), which continuously captures images of the lanes (photographing area) throughout the period when the toll road is open, and outputs to the lane server 3 photo information V, which includes the captured image, photo-taking position information, and photo-taking date and time information.

The lane server creates a traffic record (toll details) R including the received ETC vehicle information C1, and transmits it together with the vehicle image to the central server of the toll central unit 1 via the toll gate server.

The central server of the toll central unit 1 is a server that calculates the tolls of passing vehicles. The toll central unit 1 is made up of multiple servers that transmit and receive information between each server.

When the route is charged by distance, the central server of the toll central unit 1 compares the toll details created at the entrance toll gate with the usage details created at the exit toll gate using vehicle information, and calculates the basic toll using a predetermined toll table for each traveling vehicle in a toll table determined for each vehicle type. Then, if there is an applicable discount, it is applied to calculate the toll to be charged. In addition, when the route is charged by a flat rate system, the central server determines a predetermined fixed amount determined for each vehicle type based on the usage details from the entrance toll gate or the exit toll gate, and applies if there is an applicable discount to determine the toll.

The central server then sends the calculated toll details to a server such as a credit card company. The credit card company bills the user for the toll based on the details.

In addition, the user's communication terminal can inquire about usage status from the fee central unit 1.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the ETC system according to the first embodiment.
As shown in Fig. 2, the ETC system comprises a toll central unit 1 at the center, and further comprises a toll gate server 2, a lane server 3, and a roadside unit 4 at the roadside (toll gate). The toll central unit 1 is composed of multiple servers including a central server 11. The roadside (toll gate) includes an entrance toll gate and an exit toll gate, and further includes a free flow and a check barrier installed on the main line. The toll central unit 1 and the roadside toll gate server 2, lane server 3, and roadside unit 4 are collectively referred to as information processing facility S.

The central server 11 is an example of a traffic management device that manages vehicle traffic based on information from roadside devices. The central server 11 is connected to the toll gate servers 2 installed at each toll gate, and exchanges various information with the toll gate servers 2 at each toll gate.

A toll gate server 2 is provided for each toll gate and functions as a server that manages all toll gates. The toll gate server 2 of a given toll gate is connected to the lane server 3 of the same given toll gate. The toll gate server 2 exchanges various information with each lane server 3 provided within the toll gate.

A lane server 3 is provided for each lane at the toll gate. In other words, there are as many lane servers 3 as there are lanes. The lane servers 3 control the roadside devices 4 based on sensor data and other data transmitted from the roadside devices 4 for the lane. The sensor data includes detection of passing vehicles (vehicle presence/absence).

The roadside device 4 is provided at both the entrance toll booth and the exit toll booth.
Among these, the roadside device 4 installed in the entrance lane transmits a passage record R including ETC vehicle information C1 and entrance information to the lane server 3. The entrance information includes position information (or identification information) that specifies the entrance, and entry date and time information that indicates the date and time of passing through the entrance (or the date and time of communication).

The roadside device 4 also includes a camera that captures video. This camera continuously captures the lanes (photographing area) for the duration of the toll road's opening period. The roadside device 4 outputs to the lane server 3 the photographing information V, which includes the captured image, photographing position information, and photographing date and time information.

The roadside device 4 installed in the exit lane transmits a traffic record R including ETC vehicle information C1 and exit information to the lane server 3. The exit information includes location information (or identification information) that identifies the exit, and exit date and time information that indicates the date and time of passing through the exit (or the date and time of communication). The lane server 3 transmits the received traffic record R to the toll gate server 2, and the toll gate server 2 transmits the received traffic record R to the central server 11.

The roadside device 4 at the exit toll gate is also equipped with a camera that shoots video, just like the roadside device at the entrance toll gate. This camera also continuously shoots the lanes (photographing area) over the period the toll road is open. It then transmits a traffic record R, which includes ETC vehicle information C1 and exit information, to the lane server 3. It also outputs photography information V, which includes the captured image, photography location information, and photography date and time information.

The ETC vehicle 5a is a vehicle equipped with an on-board unit 51. The on-board unit 51 accepts an ETC card 52, which is a type of IC (integrated circuit) card for paying tolls, reads data from the ETC card 52, and writes data to the ETC card 52. The on-board unit 51 wirelessly communicates with a communication device of the roadside device 4 to send and receive various information.

The onboard unit 51 of the ETC vehicle 5a stores onboard unit specific information. The ETC card 52 stores card information including card specific information. For example, when the ETC vehicle 5a passes through a roadside device 4, the onboard unit 51 of the ETC vehicle 5a communicates with a communication device of the roadside device 4 via wireless communication and transmits ETC vehicle information C1 including onboard unit specific information and card information, etc.

For example, when an ETC vehicle 5a passes a roadside device 4, the vehicle-mounted unit 51 of the ETC vehicle 5a communicates with the communication unit of the roadside device 4 via wireless communication and transmits ETC vehicle information C1 including vehicle-mounted unit identification information (hereinafter, vehicle-mounted unit ID) and card information. The ETC vehicle information C1 may also include license plate information, vehicle model, vehicle classification, GPS (Global Positioning System) location information, and communication date and time information.

For example, while traveling between the entrance, main line, and exit of a toll road, an ETC vehicle 5a communicates with a roadside device 4 at the entrance toll gate, communicates with a roadside device 4 on the main line, and communicates with a roadside device 4 at the exit toll gate.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of the central server according to the first embodiment.
The central server 11 is one or more computers, and includes an information processing unit 111 , a storage unit 112 , and a communication unit 113 .

The information processing unit 111 corresponds to the core of the computer. The information processing unit 111 has a processor such as a CPU, a memory, an interface, etc. The CPU is a processor that realizes various processing functions by executing programs. The CPU is connected to each part that constitutes the central server 11 via an interface, etc. The memory includes a non-volatile memory that stores the programs executed by the CPU, and a volatile memory that temporarily stores data, etc.

The information processing unit 111 has an image vehicle information detection unit 1111, a wireless communication compatible vehicle information detection unit 1112, a wireless communication compatible vehicle identification unit 1113, a wireless communication incompatible vehicle identification unit 1114, and a traffic history output unit 1115.

The memory unit 112 includes a storage medium that allows high-speed reading and writing, such as a main memory, and also includes a large-capacity storage device, such as an HDD or SSD. The memory unit 112 stores programs executed by the CPU of the information processing unit 111. The memory unit 112 stores a fare table that varies depending on the travel section and vehicle type, or a fare table that varies depending on the vehicle type.

The memory unit 112 also stores ETC registration information for the ETC vehicle 5a. The ETC registration information includes information that associates vehicle-mounted unit specific information, license plate information, vehicle type (standard-sized vehicle/medium-sized vehicle/large vehicle/extra-large vehicle, etc.), and vehicle classification (standard-sized vehicle/bus/truck, etc.). The license plate information includes the local transport bureau code, classification number, usage code, and serial number (four digits).

The communication unit 113 is a communication interface that communicates with the toll gate server 2 etc. via the network. The communication unit 113 functions as a second communication unit and receives the photographing information V including the photographed image etc., and the ETC vehicle information C1.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a roadside device provided at an entrance toll gate or an exit toll gate according to the first embodiment.
Among the roadside devices 4, a roadside device 41 installed at an entrance or an exit will be described.

As shown in FIG. 4, the roadside device 41 installed at the entrance or exit includes an interface aggregation unit 4101, a first antenna 4111, a second antenna 4112, a recovery antenna 4113, vehicle detectors 4121, 4122, 4123, cameras 4131, 4135, a roadside indicator 4132, a lane indicator board 4133, and a gantry 4136.

Of these, the roadside device 4 installed in the entrance lane transmits a traffic record R including ETC vehicle information C1 and entrance information to the lane server 3. The entrance information includes location information (or identification information) that identifies the entrance, and entry date and time information that indicates the date and time of passing through the entrance (or the date and time of communication).

The images captured by the cameras 4131 and 4135 contain image information in addition to the images themselves. The capture location information may be any information that identifies the location, and may be identification information unique to each roadside device 4 or GPS (Global Positioning System) location information.

When an ETC vehicle 5a passes through the shooting area, the captured image includes a vehicle image of the ETC vehicle 5a, and when a non-ETC vehicle 5b passes through the shooting area, the captured image includes a vehicle image of the non-ETC vehicle 5b. When an ETC vehicle 5a and a non-ETC vehicle 5b pass through the shooting area at the same time, the captured image includes vehicle images of the ETC vehicle 5a and the non-ETC vehicle 5b.

The roadside device 4 installed on the main road transmits ETC vehicle information C1 and a traffic record R including passing information to the lane server 3. The passing information includes location information (or identification information) that specifies the passing point, and passing date and time information that indicates the passing date and time (or communication date and time).

The roadside device 4 installed in the exit lane transmits a traffic record R including ETC vehicle information C1 and exit information to the lane server 3. The exit information includes location information (or identification information) that identifies the exit, and exit date and time information that indicates the date and time of passing through the exit (or the date and time of communication). The lane server 3 transmits the received traffic record R to the toll gate server 2, and the toll gate server 2 transmits the received traffic record R to the central server 11.

Figure 5 is a perspective view showing an example of application of the roadside device at the entrance or exit of the first embodiment to a lane.

As shown in FIG. 5, two islands 80 are provided, a lane 81 is formed between these two islands 80, and a gantry 4136 is provided to straddle the lane 81. The ETC vehicle 5a travels on the lane 81 in the direction of the arrow a. The non-ETC vehicle 5b travels in the same way.

If we consider the lane 81 at the entrance toll gate, the downstream side of the arrow a is outside the toll road, and the upstream side of the arrow a is inside the toll road. Also, if we consider the lane 81 at the exit, the downstream side of the arrow a is inside the toll road, and the upstream side of the arrow a is outside the toll road.

As shown in FIG. 5, an interface aggregation unit 4101 is provided on the island 80. The interface aggregation unit 4101 aggregates information from each unit and outputs it to the lane server 3. In addition, regarding the sensors, sensors such as vehicle detectors 4121, 4122, and 4123 are provided on the island 80 in order from upstream to downstream.

The sensors of these vehicle detectors 4121, 4122, and 4123 detect a passing ETC vehicle 5a and output a vehicle detection signal to the interface aggregation unit 4101.

The interface aggregation unit 4101 outputs a vehicle detection signal to the lane server 3. The lane server 3 detects the position of the ETC vehicle 5a on the lane 81 based on the vehicle detection signal, and controls the operation of each device of the roadside device 4. The same applies when a non-ETC vehicle 5b enters the lane 81.

Next, a first antenna 4111, a recovery antenna 4112, and a second antenna 4113 are provided on the island 80 in this order from upstream to downstream as antennas. The first antenna 4111 and the recovery antenna 4113 communicate with the vehicle-mounted unit 51 of the ETC vehicle 5a and receive various information transmitted from the vehicle-mounted unit 51. The second antenna 4112 also transmits to the vehicle-mounted unit 51 various information that needs to be written to the ETC card inserted in the vehicle-mounted unit.

For example, in the roadside device 41 at the entrance, the first antenna 4111, the second antenna 4112, and the recovery antenna 4113 function as a first communication unit, receive ETC vehicle information C1 transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device 51, and transmit the ETC vehicle information C1 to the interface aggregation unit 4101. The roadside device 41 may also transmit entrance information to the vehicle-mounted device 51, which may store the entrance information. The roadside device 41 transmits a passage record R including the ETC vehicle information C1 and the entrance information to the lane server 3, and also transmits the photographing information V to the lane server 3.

In addition, in the roadside device 41 at the exit, the first antenna 4111, the second antenna 4112, and the recovery antenna 4113 function as a first communication unit, receive ETC vehicle information C1 transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device 51, and transmit the ETC vehicle information C1 to the interface aggregation unit 4101. In addition, the roadside device 41 transmits exit information to the vehicle-mounted device 51, and the vehicle-mounted device 51 may store the exit information. The roadside device 41 transmits a passage record R including the ETC vehicle information C1 and the exit information to the lane server 3, and also transmits the photographing information V to the lane server 3.

When non-ETC vehicle 5b enters lane 81, the first antenna 4111, the second antenna 4112, and the recovery antenna 4113 do not receive information from vehicle 5b.

Also, on the island 80, an ETC lane display board 4133, a roadside indicator 4132, a starting control device 4124, and a camera 4135 are provided in this order from upstream to downstream.

The ETC lane display board 4133 is installed above the lane so that the driver of an ETC vehicle 5a approaching the toll gate can check the displayed information, and displays the lane operation status (passable/not passable, etc.).

The roadside display 4132 outputs (displays) driving guidance such as slowing down, stopping, and starting to the driver of the ETC vehicle 5a.

The departure control device 4124 controls the opening and closing of the departure control bar 4124a based on the departure control information from the interface aggregation unit 4101. When the departure control bar 4124a is closed, it physically blocks the passage of a vehicle (exiting a lane), and when it is open, it allows the vehicle to pass. For example, when a vehicle is detected by the vehicle detector 4121 or 4122 and ETC vehicle information C1 is received by the first antenna 4111, it determines that an ETC vehicle 5a is passing, and opens the closed departure control bar 4124a to allow the vehicle to pass.

If a vehicle is detected by the vehicle detector 4121 or 4122 and the ETC vehicle information C1 is not received by the first antenna 4111, it is determined that a non-ETC vehicle 5b is passing, and the closed start control bar 4124a is opened to allow the vehicle to pass.

By closing the start control bar 4124a before the ETC vehicle 5a or non-ETC vehicle 5b enters, the vehicle is visually prompted to slow down, so that the camera 4131 or the like can reliably capture an image (including the license plate) of the ETC vehicle 5a or non-ETC vehicle 5b. The start control device 4124 may be omitted.

In addition, the roadside display 4132 outputs (displays) information such as toll information to the driver of the ETC vehicle 5a or non-ETC vehicle 5b.

The camera 4135 photographs the lane when an ETC vehicle 5a or a non-ETC vehicle 5b enters or exits, and outputs photographing information V including the photographed image, the photographing date and time, and photographing location information to the interface aggregation unit 4101. The photographed image photographed when an ETC vehicle 5a or a non-ETC vehicle 5b passes includes the ETC vehicle 5a or the non-ETC vehicle 5b.

A camera 4131 is also provided on the island 80, and the camera 4131 captures the travel lane and outputs image capture information V, including the captured image, image capture date and time, and image capture location information, to the interface aggregation unit 4101. The captured image captured when an ETC vehicle 5a or a non-ETC vehicle 5b is passing includes the ETC vehicle 5a or the non-ETC vehicle 5b.

The interface aggregation unit 4101 transmits the passage record R and the photographed information V to the lane server 3. The lane server 3 transmits the passage record R and the photographed information V to the toll gate server 2. The toll gate server 2 transmits the passage record R and the photographed information V to the central server 11.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of the vehicle-mounted device according to the first embodiment.
The vehicle-mounted device 51 includes a device communication unit 511, a control unit 512, a storage unit 513, and a card processing unit 514. The vehicle-mounted device 51 also includes a display and a speaker that output various types of information.

The device communication unit 511 is a communication interface that wirelessly communicates with the roadside device 4. The device communication unit 511 transmits ETC vehicle information C1, including vehicle-mounted device identification information (hereinafter, vehicle-mounted device ID) and card information, to the roadside device 4, and receives entrance information from a roadside device 4 installed at an entrance, passing information from a roadside device 4 installed on a main line, and exit information from a roadside device 4 installed at an exit.

The control unit 512 is a control unit that is responsible for communication control and also for processing the ETC card 52. The control unit 512 has a processor such as a CPU, a memory, an interface, etc. The CPU is a processor that realizes various processing functions by executing programs. The CPU is connected to each part that constitutes the vehicle-mounted device 51 via an interface, etc. The memory includes a non-volatile memory that stores the programs executed by the CPU, and a volatile memory that temporarily stores data, etc. In other words, the control unit 512 performs data processing by the CPU executing the programs stored in the memory.

The storage unit 513 stores the vehicle-mounted device ID and the programs executed by the CPU of the control unit 512.
The card processing unit 514 accepts an ETC card and reads out card information from the ETC card to be transmitted to the roadside devices 4 at the entrance, main line, and exit. The card processing unit 514 also writes entrance information transmitted from the roadside device 4 at the entrance into the ETC card.

[Getting information on ETC-compatible/non-ETC-compatible vehicles]
The operation of the first embodiment will now be described.
The toll road in question allows mixed travel of ETC vehicles 5a and non-ETC vehicles 5b. In the first embodiment, an example of acquisition of passing vehicle information by the roadside device 4 at the entrance toll gate and the exit toll gate will be described. The entrance toll gate and the exit toll gate are divided into lanes, and a start control bar 4124a is arranged for each lane. When passing through the entrance toll gate or the exit toll gate, the ETC vehicle 5a or the non-ETC vehicle 5b is decelerated by opening and closing the start control bar 4124a. This allows the license plate of the ETC vehicle 5a or the non-ETC vehicle 5b to be read with high accuracy.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of acquisition of passing vehicle information by a roadside device.
As shown in FIG. 7, in ST101, when the roadside device 4 detects the intrusion of a vehicle, it outputs photographing information V obtained by continuously photographing the lane (photographing area), and also outputs a passage record R obtained by wireless communication with the vehicle-mounted unit 51 of the ETC vehicle 5a.

The shooting information V includes the captured image, shooting location information, and shooting date and time information.

Next, in ST102, when an ETC vehicle 5a enters, it is detected, and the antenna and the in-vehicle device 51 communicate to obtain ETC vehicle information C1 of the passing ETC vehicle 5a. Furthermore, when an ETC vehicle 5a passes, photographic information V including an image of the passing ETC vehicle 5a can be obtained. A passage record R is created based on this acquired ETC vehicle information C1. In this way, the passage record R output from the roadside device 4 installed in the lane of the entrance toll gate includes the ETC vehicle information C1 and the entrance information.

The traffic record R output from the roadside device 4 installed in the lane of the exit toll gate includes ETC vehicle information C1 and exit information.

On the other hand, in ST103, when a non-ETC vehicle 5b passes, communication with the antenna of the roadside device 4 does not take place because the vehicle does not have an on-board device 51. Therefore, ETC vehicle information C1 cannot be obtained. However, photographic information V including an image of the passing non-ETC vehicle 5b is obtained.

That is, the photographing information V includes information about ETC vehicles 5a and non-ETC vehicles 5b, and the traffic record R includes information about only ETC vehicles 5a.

[Identifying ETC-compatible/non-ETC-compatible vehicles]
Next, the identification of ETC-compatible vehicles/non-ETC-compatible vehicles will be described. In this embodiment, the identification process of ETC-compatible vehicles/non-ETC-compatible vehicles will be described as being performed by the central server, but this function may be provided on the toll gate side. A configuration in which the identification process of ETC-compatible vehicles/non-ETC-compatible vehicles is performed on the toll gate side will be described later as another embodiment.

Figure 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the process for identifying ETC/non-ETC vehicles by the central server.

In ST201, the communication unit 113 of the central server 11 receives the photographing information V and the passage record R output from the roadside device 4 via the lane server 3 and the toll gate server 2. Here, the passage record R includes the ETC vehicle information C1 and the entrance information, or the ETC vehicle information C1 and the exit information, acquired from the vehicle-mounted device 51 of the ETC vehicle. In contrast, the photographing information V is photographing information related to both ETC vehicles and non-ETC vehicles. The photographing information V includes the photographed image, photographing position information, and photographing date and time information.

In ST202, the information processing unit 111 of the central server 11 identifies the ETC vehicle 5a based on the photographing information V and the passage record R. Since the photographing information V includes information related to the ETC vehicle 5a and the non-ETC vehicle 5b, and the passage record R is information related only to the ETC vehicle 5a, the information processing unit 111 identifies information related to the ETC vehicle 5a included in the photographing information V based on information related to the ETC vehicle 5a identified from the passage record R.

The information processing unit 111 functions as a license plate extraction unit 1111, detects a vehicle image from the captured image included in the shooting information V, detects a rectangular license plate image from the vehicle image, and detects at least a portion of the license plate information from the license plate image.

In addition, the information processing unit 111 determines at least a portion of the vehicle model, vehicle classification, vehicle name (name designated by the vehicle manufacturer), and vehicle body color from the vehicle image.

The information processing unit 111 generates image-extracted vehicle information C2 based on the captured image. The image-extracted vehicle information C2 includes a vehicle image, license plate information, vehicle model, vehicle classification, vehicle name, vehicle color, capture position information, and capture date and time.

Depending on the information detection results and discrimination results by the information processing unit 111, the image-extracted vehicle information C2 may not be complete, and some information may be missing or incorrect. The image-extracted vehicle information C2 generated here includes information about ETC vehicles 5a and non-ETC vehicles 5b.

Next, we will explain how to identify ETC vehicle information C2a of ETC vehicles 5a and non-ETC vehicle information C2b of non-ETC vehicles 5b from the image-extracted vehicle information C2.

The passage record R includes ETC vehicle information C1, location information, and passage date and time. The ETC vehicle information C1 included in the passage record R is information about the ETC vehicle 5a. The ETC vehicle information C1 is information transmitted from the onboard unit 51 and includes at least onboard unit specific information. The information processing unit 111 uses the onboard unit specific information as a search key to search for license plate information, vehicle type, and vehicle classification based on the ETC registration information stored in the memory unit 112, and generates ETC vehicle information C1 including license plate information, vehicle type, and vehicle classification. If the ETC vehicle information C1 included in the passage record R includes license plate information, vehicle type, and vehicle classification, the ETC vehicle information C1 included in the passage record R is used as is.

The information processing unit 111 functions as a wireless communication compatible vehicle information detection unit 1112, and detects the license plate information, vehicle type, vehicle classification, location information, and passing date and time of the ETC vehicle 5a based on the passage record R including the ETC vehicle information C1, etc.

In this way, in ST202, the information processing unit 111 functions as a wireless communication compatible vehicle identification unit 1113, and uses information about the ETC vehicle 5a based on the passage record R to identify the ETC vehicle information C2a of the ETC vehicle 5a from the image extraction vehicle information C2.

Next, in ST203, the information processing unit 111 functions as a wireless communication non-compatible vehicle identification unit 1114 and identifies non-ETC vehicle information C2b of the non-ETC vehicle 5b from the image extraction vehicle information C2.

In other words, the wireless communication non-compatible vehicle identification unit 1114 excludes the ETC vehicle information C2a of the ETC vehicle 5a from the image extraction vehicle information C2, and identifies the non-ETC vehicle information C2b of the non-ETC vehicle 5b. For example, when the image extraction license plate information detected from the captured image does not match any of the wireless compatible vehicle license plate information detected from the ETC vehicle information C1, the wireless communication non-compatible vehicle identification unit 1114 identifies the vehicle corresponding to the image extraction license plate information as a non-ETC compatible vehicle.

The wireless communication non-compatible vehicle identification unit 1114 may also identify the vehicle based on the shooting date and time information and the passing date and time information. The communication area of the roadside device 4 includes the shooting area of the camera 4231. In this case, the information processing unit 111 compares the license plate information detected from the image captured in the first shooting time period with the license plate information detected from the ETC vehicle information C1 in the first communication time period corresponding to the first shooting time period. The first shooting time period and the first communication time period may be the same time period, or there may be a slight difference. In this way, by narrowing down the information by time period, the computational load for vehicle identification can be reduced and vehicle identification can be accelerated.

In ST204, the information processing unit 111 functions as a traffic history output unit 1115, and generates a traffic history H of the ETC vehicle 5a and the non-ETC vehicle 5b based on the identification results of the ETC vehicle 5a and the non-ETC vehicle 5b. The wireless communication compatible vehicle traffic history Ha of the ETC vehicle 5a (hereinafter, ETC traffic history Ha) includes the vehicle image, license plate information, vehicle type, vehicle classification, vehicle name, vehicle color, location information, and passing date and time of the ETC vehicle 5a. The wireless communication non-compatible vehicle traffic history Hb of the non-ETC vehicle 5b (hereinafter, non-ETC traffic history Hb) includes the vehicle image, license plate information, vehicle type, vehicle classification, vehicle name, vehicle color, location information, and passing date and time of the non-ETC vehicle 5b.

The traffic history output unit 1115 may identify the travel section (traffic section determined by the entrance and exit) of the non-ETC vehicle 5b based on information from the roadside device 41 installed at the entrance toll gate and the exit toll gate, and create the non-ETC vehicle traffic history Hb of the non-ETC vehicle 5b, or may identify the travel section (traffic section determined by the entrance or the exit) of the non-ETC vehicle 5b based on information from the roadside device 41 installed at at least one of the roadside devices 41 at the entrance toll gate and the exit toll gate, and create the traffic history of the non-ETC vehicle 5b.

Next, in ST205, the storage unit 112 stores the generated ETC travel history Ha and non-ETC travel history Hb.
Also, in ST205, the travel history output section 1115 outputs the ETC travel history Ha and the non-ETC travel history Hb, and the communication section 113 transmits the ETC travel history Ha and the non-ETC travel history Hb to an external server or the like.
<Modifications of the first embodiment>
In the following, a modified example of the first embodiment will be described. In the first embodiment, an example has been described in which the functions of the image vehicle information detection unit 1111 and the like are implemented in the information processing unit 111 of the central server 11. However, it is also possible to implement them on the lane server side.

In a variation of the first embodiment, some of the functions of the image vehicle information detection unit 1111 and the like are implemented in the lane server 3 on the toll gate side.

Figure 9 shows an example of the schematic configuration of a central server and a lane server in a modified example of the first embodiment.

In the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the information processing unit 111 of the central server 11 includes an image vehicle information detection unit 1111, a wireless communication compatible vehicle information detection unit 1112, a wireless communication compatible vehicle identification unit 1113, a wireless communication incompatible vehicle identification unit 1114, and a traffic history output unit 1115.

In contrast, in the modified sequence of the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, the information processing unit 111 of the central server 11 includes a passage history output unit 1115, and the information processing unit 311 of the lane server 3 provided for each lane of the toll gate includes an image vehicle information detection unit 3111, a wireless communication compatible vehicle information detection unit 3112, a wireless communication compatible vehicle identification unit 3113, and a wireless communication incompatible vehicle identification unit 3114.

The toll gate lane server compares vehicle information and image information for each lane to identify non-ETC vehicles. It then creates separate toll details for ETC and non-ETC vehicles. The toll gate server then aggregates the toll details from each lane and transmits them to the central server 11. This reduces the processing burden on the central server 11.

This function may also be provided by the tollgate server rather than the lane server. In this case, the tollgate server will match the vehicle information and image information of ETC vehicles from each lane server to identify non-ETC vehicles and create usage details divided into ETC and non-ETC vehicles. This will then be sent to the central server.

In this way, functions such as the image vehicle information detection unit 1111 may be consolidated in the central server 11 as in the first embodiment, or may be distributed to the lane servers 3 provided for each lane on the toll gate side as in a modified example of the first embodiment, or may be distributed to the toll gate servers of each toll gate.

Second Embodiment
The second embodiment will be described below. In the second embodiment, at least one of the roadside devices 4 at the entrance and exit is of the free-flow type. This embodiment is often used on urban expressways in urban areas, and is applied to routes where non-ETC vehicles are charged a flat rate and only ETC vehicles are charged according to distance.

In the first embodiment, an example of acquiring passing vehicle information by the roadside device 4 at the entrance toll gate and the exit toll gate was described, but in the second embodiment, the roadside device 4 at the exit (or entrance) is of a free-flow type, and the other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment.

The free-flow type roadside device 4 does not have a starting control device or starting control bar, and ETC vehicles 5a or non-ETC vehicles 5b can pass through the exit freely. Therefore, the cameras 4131, 4135 of the roadside device 4 continuously capture images to obtain images (including license plates) of ETC vehicles 5a or non-ETC vehicles 5b. The images captured continuously in this way are compared with the vehicle information of ETC vehicles to identify non-ETC vehicles.

Here, the control to identify non-ETC vehicles may be performed by a central server, as in the first embodiment, or by a toll booth server installed in the free flow area, as in the modified version of the first embodiment.

This makes it possible to identify ETC vehicles 5a and non-ETC vehicles 5b, similar to the first embodiment.

Third Embodiment
A third embodiment will now be described, which is an embodiment in which roadside devices are provided on the main line in addition to the entrance and exit in order to realize route-based charging.

Tolls are charged by distance, with the toll determined for the section between the entrance and exit toll gates, but some routes use a toll system that sets different tolls depending on the route along the way. In sections with such a toll system, in order to keep track of the travel route, the roadside device 4 needs to have a main line toll gate installed along the main line in addition to the entrance and exit toll gates.

In the third embodiment, an embodiment will be described in which, in addition to the roadside device 4 at at least one of the entrance toll gate and the exit toll gate, a roadside device 4 on the free-flow main line is used to obtain information for identifying a vehicle.

The travel history output unit 1115 adds information from a roadside device 4 installed at at least one of the entrance toll gate and the exit toll gate to information from a roadside device 4 on the main line to determine the travel route of the non-ETC vehicle 5b, and outputs a travel history including the travel route.

By using the roadside device 4 on the main line, it is possible to obtain the travel route, which is expected to improve the detection accuracy of non-ETC vehicles 5b.

In addition, when an entrance or exit is free-flowing, vehicles passing through the entrance or exit may not slow down sufficiently, and license plate information may not be correctly obtained from an image of such a vehicle. In such cases, images obtained by roadside device 4 on the main line can be used to supplement the information for identifying the vehicle.

The roadside device 4 on the main line that is applied in the third embodiment will be described below.

The roadside device 4 installed on the main road transmits ETC vehicle information C1 and a traffic record R including passing information to the lane server 3. The passing information includes location information (or identification information) that specifies the passing point, and passing date and time information that indicates the passing date and time (or communication date and time).

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a roadside device provided at a free flow, a check barrier, or the like on a main line according to the third embodiment.
10, the roadside unit 42 installed on the main line includes an interface aggregation unit 4201, an antenna 4211, and a plurality of cameras 4231. For example, the roadside unit 42 installed across three lanes includes three cameras 4231 corresponding to the three lanes.

Figure 11 is a perspective view showing an example of application of a roadside device according to the third embodiment to a main road. As shown in Figure 11, the roadside device 42 is provided with a gantry 4233, an antenna 4211, and three cameras 4231.

The antenna 4211 is an antenna that communicates with the on-board device 51 of the ETC vehicle 5a traveling on the main line. The antenna 4211 functions as a first communication unit, receives ETC vehicle information C1 from the on-board device 51, and outputs the ETC vehicle information C1 to the interface aggregation unit 4201.

The three cameras 4231 capture images of the shooting areas on each lane and output shooting information V, including the captured image, shooting position, and shooting date and time, to the interface aggregation unit 4101.

The interface aggregation unit 4201 transmits the ETC vehicle information C1 and the passage record R including the passage information transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device 51 to the lane server 3, and also transmits the photographed information V output from the three cameras 4231 to the lane server 3. The lane server 3 transmits the passage record R and the photographed information V to the toll gate server 2, and the toll gate server 2 transmits the passage record R and the photographed information V to the central server 11.

The photographing information V includes the photographed image, photographing location information, and photographing date and time information. The traffic record R output from the roadside device 42 installed on the main road includes ETC vehicle information C1 and passing information.

A supplementary explanation will be given of the identification of ETC vehicles 5a and non-ETC vehicles 5b based on images taken on the main line with reference to FIG. 12 to FIG.
FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a communication area and a photographing area on a toll road.
12, the antenna 4211 of the roadside device 42 communicates with the on-board device 51 of an ETC vehicle 5a traveling through a communication area E of an upbound or downbound lane of a toll road. The communication area E includes all upbound or downbound lanes, and an ETC vehicle 5a traveling on the upbound or downbound lane passes through the communication area E. A non-ETC vehicle 5b traveling on the upbound or downbound lane also passes through the communication area E, but the antenna 4211 does not communicate with the non-ETC vehicle 5b. The communication area E includes the shooting area of the camera 4231.

FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining an example of detection of a vehicle image included in a communication area on a toll road.
As described above, the image vehicle information detection unit 1111 detects a vehicle image from a captured image, detects a rectangular license plate image from the vehicle image, and detects license plate information from the license plate image. The image vehicle information detection unit 1111 also determines the vehicle type, vehicle classification, vehicle name, and vehicle color from the vehicle image.

FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining an example of detection of ETC-compatible vehicles and non-ETC-compatible vehicles from vehicle images included in a communication area on a toll road.
Since ETC vehicles 5a and non-ETC vehicles 5b travel together without distinction on the toll road, the captured image includes ETC vehicles 5a and non-ETC vehicles 5b.

As described above, the wireless communication compatible vehicle identification unit 1113 identifies the ETC vehicle 5a (number plate information, etc.) based on the traffic record R obtained by wireless communication. The image vehicle information detection unit 1111 detects the number plate information of the ETC vehicle 5a and the non-ETC vehicle 5b from the captured image, and the wireless communication non-compatible vehicle identification unit 1114 uses the identification result of the ETC vehicle 5a (number plate information, etc.) based on the traffic record R to identify the ETC vehicle 5a and the non-ETC vehicle 5b included in the captured image.

Figure 15 is a flow chart showing an example of a license plate information reading process. Here, an example is described in which, in addition to directly reading license plate information based on a captured image, the reading of license plate information is supplemented based on the ETC traffic history Ha and non-ETC traffic history Hb stored in memory unit 112. The ETC traffic history Ha and non-ETC traffic history Hb are as described in ST204 of Figure 8.

In ST301, the image vehicle information detection unit 1111 detects a vehicle image from the captured image included in the shooting information V, and identifies the vehicle type based on the vehicle image.

In addition, in ST302, the image vehicle information detection unit 1111 detects a rectangular license plate image from the vehicle image and reads the letters and numbers that make up the license plate from the license plate image.

In ST303, depending on the image quality of the license plate image, the accuracy of reading the license plate information may decrease. Therefore, the wireless communication compatible vehicle identification unit 1113 and the wireless communication non-compatible vehicle identification unit 1114 identify the corresponding vehicle from the shooting location information and shooting date and time information included in the shooting information V and the location information and date and time information included in the travel history H.

Then, in ST304, the wireless communication compatible vehicle identification unit 1113 and the wireless communication non-compatible vehicle identification unit 1114 identify the license plate information.

For example, the wireless communication compatible vehicle identification unit 1113 and the wireless communication non-compatible vehicle identification unit 1114 may predict the travel time of a vehicle, identify the corresponding vehicle, and identify the license plate information based on the shooting location information and shooting date and time information included in the shooting information V, the location information and date and time information included in the traffic history H, and traffic volume.

Fourth Embodiment
The fourth embodiment will be described below. The hardware configuration of the ETC system is the same as that of the first embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted. In the first to third embodiments, a case where a non-ETC vehicle 5b is identified based on a captured image is described, but depending on the image quality, a decrease in detection accuracy or a detection miss may occur. Therefore, the decrease in detection accuracy or a detection miss is compensated for by using vehicle position information.

[Improved accuracy of vehicle position information]
The following describes how to improve the accuracy of vehicle position information.
FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a dynamic map management server that improves the accuracy of vehicle position information according to the fourth embodiment.
The dynamic map management server 6 communicates with the roadside device 42 and receives information from the roadside device 42. The roadside device 42 includes an interface aggregation unit 4201, an antenna 4211, and a plurality of cameras 4231, as well as a road-to-vehicle communication device (Dedicated Short Range Communications) 4241. A plurality of road-to-vehicle communication devices 4241 are arranged along the main line, communicate with the car navigation systems of the ETC vehicles 5a and non-ETC vehicles 5b traveling on the main line, and receive GPS position information transmitted from the car navigation systems.

The dynamic map management server 6 includes an information processing unit 61, a storage unit 62, and a communication unit 63. The information processing unit 61 includes a mapping processing unit 611. The communication unit 61 receives images captured by the camera 4231 and GPS position information acquired by the road-to-vehicle communication device 4241. The storage unit 62 stores a dynamic map (digital map).

The mapping processing unit 611 maps the vehicle position included in the image captured by the camera 4231 and the GPS position information acquired by the road-to-vehicle communication device 4241 onto a digital map, identifies the vehicle position with high accuracy, and provides the identified vehicle position information.

The toll central device 1 receives the location information of the identified vehicle, and the traffic history output unit 1115 identifies the travel route of the non-ETC vehicle 5b based on the vehicle's location, and outputs the non-wireless communication compatible vehicle traffic history including the travel route.

The dynamic map management server 6 provides highly accurate location information for vehicle images contained in captured images using the following three elements:

Figure 17 shows an image of the mapping process performed by the mapping processing unit of the dynamic map management server 6.

(1) Fixed camera (Local coordinates)
The mapping processing unit 611 detects a vehicle image from the captured image and generates position information (local coordinates) of the vehicle image. The mapping processing unit 611 maps the position information of the detected vehicle image on a digital map. The mapping processing unit 611 obtains highly accurate position information for the vehicle image corresponding to a point on the digital map. The mapping processing unit 611 associates the vehicle image with a vehicle traveling on a toll road.

(2) Vehicle (Local coordinates)
The mapping processing unit 611 maps GPS position information from the car navigation system of the ETC vehicle 5a or the non-ETC vehicle 5b on a digital map. For the ETC vehicle 5a, the GPS position information received by the on-board device 51 may be used.

(3) Digital map (World coordinates)
The digital map is composed of highly accurate position information (World coordinates). The mapping processing unit 611 maps the position information of the vehicle image and the GPS position information on the digital map, thereby managing the position information of the vehicle image and the GPS position information in association with each other.

Figure 18 shows an example of how vehicle images detected from captured images are matched to vehicles on the road.

By improving the accuracy of the vehicle position information described above, highly accurate position information of the vehicle image can be obtained. On the other hand, GPS position information with a certain degree of error is obtained from vehicles traveling on toll roads. The mapping processing unit 611 matches the vehicle image with the vehicle on the toll road based on two types of position information related to vehicles traveling on toll roads.

For example, FIG. 18(a) is an example of a captured image output from camera 4131.

As shown in FIG. 18(a), the mapping processing unit 611 detects a vehicle image from the captured image.

Figure 18 (b) shows an example of a rectangular display of a detected vehicle image. The mapping processing unit 611 identifies the position information of the vehicle image.

Figure 18 (c) is a diagram showing an example of the center of a vehicle image. The mapping processing unit 611 detects the intersection of the diagonals of a rectangle that surrounds the vehicle image as the center of the vehicle image, and regards the center coordinates as the position information of the vehicle image.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing an example of association between vehicle images detected from a captured image and vehicles on a toll road.
In ST501, the mapping processing unit 611 associates the vehicle image with the vehicle on the toll road based on the position information of the map coordinate system (latitude, longitude). Here, the degree of difficulty of the association varies depending on conditions such as poor accuracy of GPS position information from the vehicle and the presence of multiple vehicles within a certain range.

Therefore, in ST502, the mapping processing unit 611 generates attribute information (direction of travel/speed/existence range, etc.) for each vehicle based on the time-series position information.

Next, in ST503, the mapping processing unit 611 detects the target vehicle from the captured image using the position information and attribute information of the traveling vehicle as search keys.

[Update Traffic History]
The travel history update will now be described.
In the above explanation, a case has been described in which images captured by a camera of a roadside device 4 installed at at least one of the entrance, main road, and exit are used. However, in order to increase the amount of information and improve the accuracy of the traffic history H, roadside devices 4 may be installed at JCTs (junctions), SAs (service areas), and PAs (parking areas), and the traffic history H may be updated based on images captured by the camera of the roadside device 4.

FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating an example of updating a travel history according to the fourth embodiment.
The information processing unit 111 associates and updates the travel history H of the corresponding vehicle based on the multiple travel histories H. For example, when conditions are satisfied based on the license plate information, the position information (P1 and P2), and the passing date and time included in the two travel histories H, the information processing unit 111 associates these two travel histories H as the travel histories H of the same vehicle.

FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating an example of travel distance estimation based on traffic volume according to the fourth embodiment.
Vehicle detectors (ultrasonic type/image type, etc.) are installed at regular intervals on toll roads, and the road management server calculates the traffic volume for each road section and detects the congestion/congestion status of the road. The information processing unit 111 estimates the travel distance (travel time) of a given vehicle based on the theory of traffic engineering and the congestion/congestion status of the road. Based on this travel distance estimation, the information processing unit 111 associates the travel history H that satisfies the conditions.

[Traffic history search]
The travel history search will now be described.
FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing an example of a travel history search according to the fourth embodiment.
In ST601, the information processing unit 111 searches for travel histories H that satisfy conditions from the travel histories H of ETC vehicles 5a and non-ETC vehicles 5b based on a search key input by an operator, etc. The search key is a combination of a travel date and time range, a travel section, a vehicle color, a vehicle model, and a vehicle name.

Next, in ST602, the information processing unit 111 outputs the travel history H that satisfies the conditions. By using this search function, it is possible to find a specific vehicle and charge a toll.

According to the first to fourth embodiments described above, it is possible to provide a traffic management system, a traffic management method, and a traffic management device that are excellent at identifying the traffic status of non-ETC-compatible vehicles in a scene where ETC-compatible vehicles and non-ETC-compatible vehicles are mixed. As a result, according to this system, it is possible to generate a traffic history H of non-ETC-compatible vehicles, so that it is possible to reliably identify non-ETC-compatible vehicles and then charge tolls to non-ETC-compatible vehicles.

In addition, this system can identify vehicles not only directly from the photographic information V and traffic history R from the roadside device 4, but also indirectly by using travel distance estimates based on the direction of travel and traffic volume. By combining these, it is possible to identify vehicles without omission.

Although some embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents described in the claims.
The invention as described in the claims of the present application as originally filed is set forth below.
[C1]
A traffic management system including a roadside device arranged on a lane on which a vehicle travels, and a traffic management device that manages the traffic of vehicles based on information from the roadside device,
The roadside device includes:
A camera that captures an image of the lane and outputs the captured image;
a first communication unit that receives wireless communication compatible vehicle information from an on-board device of a wireless communication compatible vehicle that is equipped with an on-board device and travels on the lane through wireless communication with the on-board device,
The traffic management device includes:
a second communication unit that receives the captured image and the wireless communication compatible vehicle information;
an image vehicle information detection unit that detects license plate information from the captured image;
a wireless communication compatible vehicle information detection unit that detects wireless communication compatible vehicle license plate information from the wireless communication compatible vehicle information;
a wireless communication incompatible vehicle identification unit that compares the license plate information detected from the captured image with the wireless compatible vehicle license plate information detected from the wireless communication compatible vehicle information, and identifies a wireless communication incompatible vehicle based on a comparison result;
a travel history output unit that outputs a travel history of the non-wireless communication compatible vehicle regarding the non-wireless communication compatible vehicle;
A traffic control system equipped with the above.
[C2]
the wireless communication non-compatible vehicle identification unit, when the image extracted license plate information detected by the image vehicle information detection unit does not match the wireless compatible vehicle license plate information detected by the wireless communication compatible vehicle information detection unit, identifies the vehicle corresponding to the image extracted license plate information as the wireless communication non-compatible vehicle;
A traffic management system according to [C1].
[C3]
a communication area of the first communication unit includes a photographing area of the camera,
The traffic management system described in [C2], wherein the wireless communication non-compatible vehicle identification unit compares image extracted license plate information detected from the captured image in a first shooting time period with wireless communication compatible license plate information detected from the wireless communication compatible vehicle information in a first communication time period corresponding to the first shooting time period.
[C4]
A traffic management system as described in [C2] or [C3], wherein the non-wireless communication compatible vehicle traffic history includes the image-extracted license plate information of the non-wireless communication compatible vehicle.
[C5]
The image vehicle information detection unit detects an image of the non-wireless communication compatible vehicle from the captured image,
The non-wireless communication compatible vehicle travel history includes at least one of an image of the non-wireless communication compatible vehicle, a shooting date and time of the image of the non-wireless communication compatible vehicle, and a shooting position of the image of the non-wireless communication compatible vehicle.
A traffic management system according to [C4].
[C6]
The roadside device is a roadside device installed at an entrance toll booth and an exit toll booth,
the travel history output unit specifies a travel section of the vehicle that does not support wireless communication based on information from both or at least one of the entrance toll gate and the exit toll gate, and creates a travel history of the vehicle that does not support wireless communication;
A traffic management system according to [C1].
[C7]
The roadside device is a roadside device provided at at least one of an entrance toll booth and an exit toll booth, and a roadside device on a free-flow main line,
the travel history output unit adds information from a roadside device installed at at least one of the entrance toll gate and the exit toll gate to information from a roadside device on the main line to determine a travel route of the vehicle that does not support wireless communication, and outputs a travel history including the travel route.
A traffic management system according to [C1].
[C8]
In addition, it is equipped with a map management server,
the map management server has a digital map, and identifies a position of a vehicle included in the captured image output from the roadside device based on the digital map;
the travel history output unit specifies a travel route of the non-wireless communication compatible vehicle based on a position of the vehicle, and outputs the non-wireless communication compatible vehicle travel history including the travel route.
A traffic management system according to [C1].
[C9]
a second communication unit that receives captured images of the lane output from a camera disposed along the lane along which the vehicle travels, and wireless communication compatible vehicle information transmitted from a first communication unit that is equipped with an on-board device and communicates with the on-board device of a wireless communication compatible vehicle traveling along the lane;
an image vehicle information detection unit that detects license plate information from the captured image;
a wireless communication compatible vehicle information detection unit that detects wireless communication compatible vehicle license plate information from the wireless communication compatible vehicle information;
a wireless communication incompatible vehicle identification unit that compares the license plate information detected from the captured image with the wireless compatible vehicle license plate information detected from the wireless communication compatible vehicle information, and identifies a wireless communication incompatible vehicle based on a comparison result;
a travel history output unit that outputs a travel history of the non-wireless communication compatible vehicle regarding the non-wireless communication compatible vehicle;
A traffic management device comprising:
[C10]
Roadside devices arranged along lanes on which vehicles travel include:
a traffic management device that photographs the lane, outputs the photographed image, receives wireless communication compatible vehicle information from an on-board device of a wireless communication compatible vehicle that is equipped with an on-board device and travels on the lane by wireless communication with the on-board device, and manages the passage of vehicles based on the information from the roadside device;
receiving the captured image and the wireless communication compatible vehicle information;
Detecting license plate information from the captured image;
Detecting license plate information from the wireless communication compatible vehicle information;
comparing the license plate information detected from the captured image with the license plate information detected from the wireless communication compatible vehicle information, and identifying vehicles that do not support wireless communication based on the comparison result;
outputting a vehicle passage history of the non-wireless communication compatible vehicle;
Traffic management methods.

1... central server, 2... toll booth server, 3... lane server, 4... roadside device,
5, vehicle, 5a, ETC vehicle, 5b, non-ETC vehicle, 111, information processing unit, 112, storage unit, 113, communication unit,
41, 42... roadside equipment,
51 ... vehicle-mounted device, 52 ... ETC card,
80...Island, 81...Lane,
511: device communication unit, 512: control unit, 513: storage unit,
514: card processing unit,
4101...Interface aggregation unit,
4111...first antenna,
4112...second antenna,
4113...Recovery antenna,
4121...vehicle detector,
4122...vehicle detector,
4123...vehicle detector,
4124... launch controller 4131... camera,
4132...Roadside indicator,
4133... lane sign,
4135...camera,
4136... Gantry,
4201...Interface aggregation unit,
4211...antenna,
4231...camera,
4233...gantry.

Claims (2)

A traffic management system comprising: a roadside device provided at at least one of an entrance toll gate and an exit toll gate ; a traffic management device that manages vehicle traffic based on information from the roadside device ; and a map management server ,
The roadside device includes:
a vehicle detector for detecting the vehicle;
A camera that captures images of lanes and outputs the captured images;
a first communication unit that receives wireless communication compatible vehicle information from an on-board device of a wireless communication compatible vehicle that is equipped with an on-board device and traveling on the lane through wireless communication with the on-board device;
a start control device that opens a start control bar to permit passage of the vehicle when the vehicle detector detects the vehicle and receives the wireless communication compatible vehicle information, and when the wireless communication compatible vehicle information is not received and a wireless communication non-compatible vehicle can be identified from license plate information detected from the captured image,
The map management server includes:
Digital maps and
a mapping processing unit that identifies a position of a vehicle included in the captured image output from the roadside device based on the digital map;
The traffic management device includes:
A second communication unit that receives vehicle information from the roadside device;
a travel history output unit that determines a travel route of a vehicle that does not support wireless communication based on information from a roadside device provided at at least one of an entrance toll gate and an exit toll gate and a mapping processing unit of the map management server, and outputs a travel history including the travel route;
Either the roadside device or the traffic management device,
an image vehicle information detection unit that detects license plate information from the captured image;
a wireless communication compatible vehicle information detection unit that detects wireless communication compatible vehicle license plate information from the wireless communication compatible vehicle information;
a wireless communication incompatible vehicle identification unit that compares the license plate information detected from the captured image with the wireless compatible vehicle license plate information detected from the wireless communication compatible vehicle information, and identifies a wireless communication incompatible vehicle based on a comparison result;
Equipped
Traffic management system. A traffic management system including a roadside device that is installed on a main line and configured to be free-flowing, a traffic management device that manages the traffic of vehicles based on information from the roadside device , and a map management server ,
The roadside device includes:
a vehicle detector for detecting the vehicle;
A camera that captures images of lanes and outputs the captured images;
a first communication unit that receives wireless communication compatible vehicle information from an on-board device of a wireless communication compatible vehicle that is equipped with an on-board device and traveling on the lane through wireless communication with the on-board device;
an information processing unit that identifies a vehicle that is not compatible with wireless communication from license plate information detected from the captured image when the vehicle is detected by the vehicle detector and the wireless communication compatible vehicle information is received and when the wireless communication compatible vehicle information is not received,
The map management server includes:
Digital maps and
a mapping processing unit that identifies a position of a vehicle included in the captured image output from the roadside device based on the digital map;
The traffic management device includes:
A second communication unit that receives vehicle information from the roadside device;
a travel history output unit that determines a travel route of a vehicle that does not support wireless communication based on information from a roadside device that is installed on the main line and configured to be free flowing, and outputs a travel history including the travel route,
Either the roadside device or the traffic management device,
an image vehicle information detection unit that detects license plate information from the captured image;
a wireless communication compatible vehicle information detection unit that detects wireless communication compatible vehicle license plate information from the wireless communication compatible vehicle information;
a wireless communication incompatible vehicle identification unit that compares the license plate information detected from the captured image with the wireless compatible vehicle license plate information detected from the wireless communication compatible vehicle information, and identifies a wireless communication incompatible vehicle based on a comparison result;
Equipped
Traffic management system.