Universal tolling system and method

摘要

System, arrangement and method for tolling includes a location determining system arranged at least partly in a vehicle to determine the vehicle location during vehicular travel, a memory device that stores data about predetermined locations, and a processor coupled to the location determining system and that compares the determined vehicle location to data in the memory device to determine whether a transmission of the location is necessary and if so, directs the transmission to a remote site via the Internet. The memory device and/or processor may also be arranged on the vehicle, i.e., to provide a completely vehicle-resident system that may be installed on the vehicle during manufacture or retrofit to the vehicle.

主权项

1. A system for tolling vehicles capable of travelling in multiple lanes of a multi-lane roadway, comprising:
a location determining system arranged partly on each vehicle to determine vehicle location at a plurality of different times during vehicular travel such that multiple locations are provided by said location determining system, said location determining system having an accuracy to be able to determine a specific one of a plurality of possible lanes of the multi-lane roadway in which the vehicle is located to thereby provide lane-specific location of the vehicle; at least one memory device that stores map data including geographic points at which tolls are charged for use of the multi-lane roadway; a toll database including data about tolls for use of the plurality of possible lanes of the multi-lane roadway at a plurality of different geographic points, the toll data being different for different lanes of the multi-lane roadway at at least one of the plurality of geographic points; a communications device arranged on each vehicle; and a processor coupled to said location determining system and said at least one memory device and that analyzes each of the determined vehicle locations relative to the geographic points at which tolls are charged that are stored in said at least one memory device, said processor being coupled to said communications device and configured to, based on the analysis of each of the determined vehicle locations relative to the geographic points at which tolls are charged that are stored in said at least one memory device, direct a transmission of the determined vehicle location by said communications device to a remote site separate and apart from the vehicle when the determined vehicle location coincides with or is a threshold distance of one of the geographic points at which tolls are charged, whereby a toll is determined at the remote site based on said toll database and the determined vehicle location transmitted by said communications device to the remote site which is the lane-specific location of the vehicle or based on at least two determined vehicle locations transmitted by said communications device to the remote site each of which is a lane-specific location of the vehicle, wherein said communications device is configured to send an identification of the vehicle or said communications device to the remote site in or with each transmission of the determined vehicle location such that payment of the determined toll is chargeable to an entity associated with said communications device.