GB2583229A

GB2583229A - Terminal device, transponder, billing system, billing method, and billing program

Info

Publication number: GB2583229A
Application number: GB2008868.8A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Masumoto Shinichi; Higuchi Tatsuya
Original assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Machinery Systems Co Ltd
Current assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Machinery Systems Co Ltd
Priority date: 2017-12-21
Filing date: 2017-12-21
Publication date: 2020-10-21
Anticipated expiration: 2037-12-21
Also published as: GB202008868D0; WO2019123590A1; GB2583229B; JPWO2019123590A1; JP6916904B2

Abstract

This terminal device is owned by a vehicle user, and is provided with: an identification ID reception unit which receives an identification ID that can uniquely identify a transponder mounted in a vehicle for which the terminal device is to be used; a charge determination information acquisition unit which acquires charge determination information for determining a charge relating to the vehicle; a charge determination unit which determines the charge on the basis of the acquired charge determination information; and a billing information transmission processing unit which associates and transmits the determined charge and a payment account ID, which is pre-recorded in the terminal device, to a service system management server.

Description

DESCRIPTION

Title of Invention

TERMINAL DEVICE, TRANSPONDER, BILLING SYSTEM, BILLING METHOD, AND BILLING PROGRAM

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a terminal device, a transponder, a billing system, a billing method, and a billing program.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, a technique has been developed in which a user of a vehicle uses a terminal device such as a mobile phone when paying a charge relating to the vehicle. For example, PTL 1 discloses a technique in which that a mobile phone owned by a user of a vehicle communicates with a server connected to a system of a mobile phone company via a dedicated gate provided on a toll road such as a highway, and a usage charge for the toll road is collected from the user via the mobile phone company. Citation List Patent Literature [0003] [Pit 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-187281

Summary of Invention

Technical Problem [0004] However, in the related art in which the user of the vehicle uses the terminal device such as the mobile phone owned by the user of the vehicle to pay the charge relating to the vehicle, even in a case where the vehicle actually used by the user is different from a vehicle registered in advance, it cannot be recognized that the vehicles are different from each other. For that reason, there is a possibility that an erroneous charge relating to the vehicle different from the actually used vehicle is collected from the user. Therefore, there is a desire for a technique capable of correctly associating the vehicle with the terminal device owned by the user of the vehicle and accurately collect the charge relating to the vehicle from the user of the vehicle.

[0005] In view of the above problems, the present invention provides a terminal device, a transponder, a billing system, a billing method, and a billing program that can correctly associate a vehicle with a terminal device owned by a user of the vehicle and can accurately collect a -2 -charge relating to the vehicle from the user of the vehicle.

Solution to problem [0006] According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a terminal device (20) owned by a user (U) of a vehicle (2), the.erminal device including an identification ID reception unit (201) that receives an identification ID for uniquely identifying a transponder (10) mounted in a vehicle to be used; a charge determination information acquisition unit (202) that acquires charge determination information for determining a charge relating to the vehicle; a charge determination unit (203) that determines the charge on the basis of the acquired charge determination information; and a billing information transmission processing unit (204) that associates the determined charge and a payment account ID pre-recorded in the terminal device to transmit the associated determined charge and payment account ID to a service system management server (3).

In this way, the transponder can be identified by receiving the identification ID for uniquely identifying the transponder mounted in the vehicle used by the user, and thereby, the vehicle associated with the transponder on a one-to-one basis can be identified. Therefore, after the vehicle used by the user is identified, the charge relating to the vehicle is determined and the determined charge is associated with the payment account ID of the use. Thus, the vehicle can be correctly associated with the terminal device owned by the user of the vehicle, and the charge relating to the vehicle can be accurately collected from the user of the vehicle.

[0007] Additionally, according to a second aspect of the present invention, in the terminal device (20) according to the first aspect of the present invention, the charge determination information includes at least one of a traveling route, a traveling distance, a vehicle type, license plate information, and vehicle inspection information of the vehicle (2) being used by the user (U).

By doing so, since the charge relating to the vehicle is determined on the basis of the detailed information of the vehicle, the charge relating to the vehicle can be accurately determined.

[0008] Additionally, according to a third aspect of the present invention, in the terminal device (20) according to the first aspect or the second aspect of the present invention, the charge determination information acquisition unit (202) communicates with the identified -4 -transponder (10) to acquire the charge determination information.

By doing so, In this way, by acquiring the charge determination information from the transponder, the processing for preparing the charge determination information, such as calculation, data conversion, and determination of the charge determination information is not performed in the terminal device, the transponder can be caused to perform the processing, and the load on the terminal device can be distributed to the transponder.

[0009] Additionally, according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the terminal device (20) according to any one of the first aspect to the third aspect of the present invention, the charge determination information acquisition unit communicates with the service system management server (3) to acquire the charge determination information.

By doing so, since the terminal device acquires the charge determination information from the service system management server instead of the transponder, the transponder does not need to have the function of storing the charge determination information, and the cost of the transponder can be reduced.

[0010] -5 -Additionally, according to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a transponder (10) mounted in a vehicle (2), the transponder including an identification ID storage unit (101) that scores an identification ID for uniquely identifying the transponder mounted in the vehicle; and an identification ID transmission processing unit (102) that transmits the identification ID to a terminal device (20) owned by a user(U) of the vehicle.

By doing so, by storing the identification ID allowing the transponder mounted in the vehicle to be uniquely identified in the transponder and transmitting the stored identification to the terminal device owned by the user of the vehicle, the terminal device can identify the transponder and can identify the vehicle associated with the transponder on a one-to-one basis. Accordingly, the terminal device can correctly specify the vehicle.

[0011] Additionally, according to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the transponder (10) according to the fifth aspect of the present invention further includes a charge determination information storage unit (103) that stores charge determination information for determining a charge relating to the vehicle (2); and a charge determination information transmission processing unit -6 - (104) that transmits the charge determination information to the terminal device (20).

By doing so, since the transponder stores the charge determination information and transmits the charge determination information to the terminal device, the processing of determining and storing the traveling route and the traveling speed of the vehicle included in the charge determination information is not performed in the terminal device, the transponder can be made to perform the processing, and the load on the terminal device can be distributed to the transponder.

[0012] Additionally, according to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the transponder (10) according to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the charge determination information includes at least one of a traveling route, a traveling distance, a vehicle type, license plate information, and vehicle inspection information of the vehicle (2) being used by the user (U).

[0013] Additionally, according to an eighth aspect of the -7 -present invention, the terminal device (20) according to any one of the first aspect to the fourth aspect of the present invention; and the transponder (10) according to any one of the fifth aspect to the seventh aspect of the present invention are included.

[0014] Additionally, according to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a billing method using a terminal device owned by a user of a vehicle, the method including an identification ID receiving step of receiving an identification ID for uniquely identifying a transponder mounted in a vehicle to be used; a charge determination information acquiring step of acquiring charge determination information for determining a charge relating to the vehicle; a charge determining step of determining the charge on the basis of the acquired charge determination information; and a billing information transmission processing step of associating and transmitting the determined charge and a payment account ID pre-recorded in the terminal device to a service system management server.

[0015] Additionally, according to the tenth aspect of the present invention, a billing program for making a computer a terminal device owned by a user of a vehicle function as, -8 -an identification ID reception unit that receives an identification ID for uniquely identifying a transponder mounted in a vehicle to be used; a charge determination information acquisition unit that acquires charge determination information for determining a charge relating to the vehicle; a charge determination unit that determines the charge on the basis of the acquired charge determination information; and a billing information transmission processing unit that associates the determined charge and a payment account ID pre-recorded in the terminal device to transmit the associated determined charge and payment account ID to a service system management server.

Advantageous Effects of Invention [0016] According to the above-described terminal device, transponder, billing system, billing method, and billing program, the vehicle and the terminal device owned by the user of the vehicle can be correctly associated with each other, and the charge relating to the vehicle can be accurately collected from the user of the vehicle.

Brief Description of Drawings

[0017] Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an entire configuration of a billing system according to a first embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the billing system according to the first embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a transponder and a terminal device according to the first embodiment.

Fig. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a billing system according to a second embodiment.

Fig. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a transponder and a terminal device according to the second embodiment.

Fig. 6 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a configuration of a computer according to at least one embodiment.

Description of Embodiments

[0018] <First Embodiment> Hereinafter, a first embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In all the drawings, the same or equivalent components will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and common description thereof will be omitted.

[0019] -10 - (Entire Configuration of Billing System According to First Embodiment) Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an entire configuration of a billing system 1 according to a first embodiment. The entire configuration of the billing system 1 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1.

[0020] As illustrated in Fig. 1, the billing system 1 includes a transponder 10 mounted in a vehicle 2, a terminal device 20 owned by a user U who uses the vehicle 2, a service system management server 3, and a payment account management server 4. In the first embodiment, a case will be described in which the expression "the user U uses the vehicle 2" means "the user U gets on and drives the vehicle 2 and drives". However, the expression "uses the vehicle 2" means all other situations in which the user U uses the vehicle 2, for example, "the user U receives provision of the taxi service of the vehicle 2 that is a taxi", "the user U receives provision of the service of a vehicle dispatch application system of the vehicle 2 relating to a vehicle dispatch application system", "the user U receives provision of the rental car service of the vehicle 2 that is a rental car", and "the user U receives provision of the autonomous driving service of the vehicle 2 that is an autonomous driving car". Additionally, in the first embodiment, a case will be described in which the expression "user U" means a human, but the "user U" means, for example, "autonomous driving device" or the like other than the "human".

[0021] The service system management server 3 is a management server that manages a service system that provides a specific service to the user U who uses the vehicle 2 as will be described below. Additionally, the payment account management server 4 is connected to the service system management server 3, and is a management server that manages a payment account of the user U as will be described below. In addition, although only one service system management server 3 is illustrated in Fig. 1 for simplification of description, a plurality of the service system management servers 3 that are different service systems that provide different services may be provided.

[0022] In the first embodiment, the transponder 10 mounted in the vehicle 2 may be configured to receive radio waves from a plurality of satellites 5 of a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and calculates and determines the position of the vehicle 2. The transponder 10 is integral -12 -with the vehicle 2 and is configured so that the transponder cannot be removed or replaced. For example, the transponder 10 may be fixed with a fixture such as a Kensington wire so that the transponder cannot be physically removed from the vehicle 2. Additionally, for example, the transponder 10 may be configured to be authenticated using radio frequency identification (RFID) technique and to be able to detect removal from the vehicle 2 by software using a tamper function and the like of RFID technology.

[0023] The terminal device 20 may be a smartphone, a mobile phone, a PDA terminal, another communicable mobile electronic device, or the like owned by the user U of the vehicle 2, and may be able to execute, store, and operate a program so that an application can be installed and started as will be described below. In the first embodiment, a case where the terminal device 20 is a smartphone will be described. The terminal device 20 may include a user interface for display of lights, images, marks, and the like, voice recognition, sound functions, and the like. The terminal device 20 is configured to be able to communicate with the transponder 10 mounted in the vehicle 2 as will be described below. Additionally, as will be described below, the terminal device 20 is -13 -configured to be able to communicate with the service system management server 3 via the communication network N such as a 3G network, a 4G network, and an LTE network.

[0024] The service system management server 3 is a management server that manages a service system that provides a specific service used by the user U using the vehicle 2. In the first embodiment, a case will be described in which the service system management server 3 is an ETC system integrated server that manages a highway service system that provides a highway service such as payment of a highway toll. However, the service system management server 3 may be a service system management server that manages service systems other than the highway. For example, the service system management server 3 may be a system integrated server for a parking lot, a system integrated server for an ERP, a system integrated server for a taxi, a system integrated server for a vehicle dispatch application system, a system integrated server for an autonomous driving car, or the like.

[0025] The service system management server 3 is configured to communicates with the terminal device 20 owned by the user U of the vehicle 2, and as will be described below, receive, from the terminal device 20, billing information -14 -in which a charge relating to the vehicle 2 used by the user U for a predetermined service and a payment account ID stored in advance in the terminal device 20 are associated with each other. In the first embodiment, a case will be described in which the predetermined service is a highway service, and the charge relating to the vehicle 2 used by the user U is a highway toll. However, the predetermined service may be, for example, a usage charge for a parking lot, a billing charge for an ERP, a usage charge for a taxi, a usage charge for a vehicle dispatch application system, a usage charge for an autonomous driving car, or the like depending on a service to be used. The service system management server 3 is configured to transmit the received billing information to the payment account management server 4.

[0026] Upon receiving the billing information of the user U from the service system management server 3, the payment account management server 4 is configured to transmit the billing information to a system (not illustrated) of a financial institution such as a bank or credit card company with which the user U has contracted. Accordingly, payment processing of the charge relating to for the vehicle 2 used by the user U for the predetermined service is performed on the side of the system of the financial -15 -institution. The payment account management server 4 is configured to notify the user of the usage statement of the charge relating to the vehicle 2 used by the user U after the billing information is transmitted to the system of the financial institution.

[0027] (Functional Configuration of Billing System According to First Embodiment) Fig. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the billing system 1 according to the first embodiment. Fig. 2 illustrates a detailed functional configuration of the transponder 10, the terminal device 20, and the service system management server 3 included in the billing system 1. The functional configuration of the transponder 10, the terminal device 20, and the service system management server 3 included in the billing system 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 2.

[0028] <Functional Configuration of Transponder> The transponder 10 includes an identification ID storage unit 101, an identification ID transmission processing unit 102, a charge determination information storage unit 103, a charge determination information transmission processing unit 104, a vehicle information -16 -management unit 105, a radio wave reception interface 110, and a communication interface 120.

[0029] The identification ID storage unit 101 is configured to store an identification ID for uniquely identifying the transponder 10 mounted in the vehicle 2. For example, the identification ID may be a unique character string including at least one of numbers, alphabets, and symbols uniquely assigned to the transponder 10 in one-to-one correspondence with the serial number of the vehicle 2 on which the transponder 10 is mounted. Accordingly, it is possible to identify the vehicle 2 on which the transponder 10 is mounted from the identification ID of the transponder 10. In addition, the information indicating the association between the transponder 10 and the serial number of the vehicle 2 may be held by a specific institution such as a manufacturer of the transponder 10.

[0030] The identification ID transmission processing unit 102 is configured to perform the transmission processing of acquiring the identification ID stored in the identification ID storage unit 101 and transmitting the acquired identification ID to the terminal device 20 owned by the user U of the vehicle 2 via the communication -17 -interface 120.

[0031] The charge determination information storage unit 103 is configured to store charge determination information for determining the charge relating to the vehicle 2. In the first embodiment, a case will be described in which the charge determination information includes the traveling route, the traveling distance, the vehicle type, the license plate information, the vehicle inspection information, and the like of the vehicle 2 used by the user U. However, the charge determination information may be other information for determining the charge relating to the vehicle 2. The traveling route and the traveling distance of the vehicle 2 are determined by the vehicle information management unit 105 to be described below, and may be regularly stored in, for example, the charge determination information storage unit 103. Additionally, the vehicle type, the license plate information, and the vehicle inspection information of the vehicle 2 may be stored in, for example, the charge determination information storage unit 103 in advance before the transponder 10 is mounted in the vehicle 2.

[0032] The charge determination information transmission processing unit 104 is configured to acquire the charge -18 -determination information stored in the charge determination information storage unit 103 and perform the transmission processing of transmitting the acquired charge determination information to the terminal device 20 owned by the user U of the vehicle 2 via the communication interface 120 while the terminal device 20 and the transponder 10 cooperate with each other. Specifically, in the first embodiment, upon receiving a reception notification signal indicating that the transponder 10 has been received from the identification ID reception unit 201 of the terminal device 20 via the communication interface 120, the charge determination information transmission processing unit104 is configured such that the cooperation between the transponder 10 and the terminal device 20 is started and so as to perform the acquisition of the charge determination information and the transmission of the charge determination information to the terminal device 20. Thereafter, until the transponder 10 and the terminal device 20 are disconnected from each other, the acquisition of the charge determination information and the transmission of the charge determination information to the terminal device 20 by the charge determination information transmission processing unit 104 may be regularly performed. In addition, the acquisition of the charge determination -19 -information and the transmission of the charge determination information to the terminal device 20 by the charge determination information transmission processing unit 104 may be irregularly performed.

[0033] The vehicle information management unit 105 is configured to manage the vehicle information of the vehicle 2. For example, the vehicle information management unit 105 may regularly calculate the current position of the vehicle 2 on the basis of the information of the radio waves from the GNSS satellite 5 received via the radio wave reception interface 110, and determine the traveling route and the traveling speed of the vehicle 2 from the amount of change in the calculated current position of the vehicle 2. The vehicle information management unit 105 may store the determined traveling route and traveling speed of the vehicle 2 in the charge determination information storage unit 103 as the charge determination information.

[0034] The radio wave reception interface 110 is configured to be able to receive the radio waves from the GNSS satellite 5.

[0035] The communication interface 120 is an interface that -20 -enables the communication between the transponder 10 and the terminal device 20. In the first embodiment, a case will be described in which the communication interface 120 is configured to perform, for example, wireless communication conforming to the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard between the transponder 10 and the terminal device 20. However, the wireless communication according to other standards such as infrared communication and WiFi communication may be performed. Additionally, the communication interface 120 may be configured to perform, for example, a wired communication between the transponder 10 and the terminal device 20.

[0036] <Functional Configuration of Terminal Device> The terminal device 20 includes an identification ID reception unit 201, a charge determination information acquisition unit 202, a charge determination unit 203, a billing information transmission processing unit 204, a setting information storage unit 205, a first communication interface 210, and a second communication interface 220. In the first embodiment, an application that cooperates with the service system management server 3 may be installed in the terminal device 20 that is a smartphone, and the application may function as the identification ID reception unit 201, the charge -21 -determination information acquisition unit 202, the charge determination unit 203, and the billing information transmission processing unit 204. In addition, the identification ID reception unit 201, the charge determination information acquisition unit 202, the charge determination unit 203, and the billing information transmission processing unit 204 may be included in the terminal device 20 from the beginning without being introduced as the application.

[0037] In the first embodiment, a case will be described in which the application installed in the terminal device 20 is an application that provides the highway service.

However, the application installed in the terminal device 20 may be other applications according to specific services used by the user U. The application is started when the user U operates the terminal device 20 that is a smartphone and inputs a start command for the application to the terminal device 20. Similarly, the service of the application is started when the user U inputs a service start command for the terminal device 20, and the service of the application is ended when the user U inputs the service end command.

[0038] The identification ID reception unit 201 is -22 -configured to receive the identification ID that is transmitted from the transponder 10 mounted in the vehicle 2 for which the terminal device is to be used by the user U and received via the first communication interface 210. When the identification ID reception unit 201 receives the identification ID, the transponder 10 mounted in the vehicle 2 used by the user U is identified. Therefore, the vehicle 2 associated with the transponder 10 on a one-to-one basis is identified. The identification ID reception unit 201 is configured to transmit the reception notification signal, indicating that the identification ID of the transponder 10 mounted in the vehicle 2 used by the user U has been received, to the transponder 10 via the first communication interface 210.

[0039] The charge determination information acquisition unit 202 is configured to acquire charge determination information for determining the charge relating to the vehicle 2 while the terminal device 20 and the transponder cooperate with each other. In the first embodiment, the charge determination information acquisition unit 202 may receive the charge determination information transmitted from the transponder 10 mounted in the vehicle 2 via the first communication interface 210, thereby determining the charge determination information. The -23 -charge determination information acquisition unit 202 is configured to input the acquired charge determination information to the charge determination unit 203. In the first embodiment, a case will be described in which the charge determination information acquisition unit 202 regularly acquires the charge determination information regularly transmitted from the charge determination information transmission processing unit 104 of the transponder 10. However, the acquisition of the charge determination information by the charge determination information acquisition unit 202 may be irregularly performed.

[0040] The charge determination unit 203 is configured to determine the charge for the vehicle 2 on the basis of the charge determination information acquired by the charge determination information acquisition unit 202. In the first embodiment, a case will be described in which the charge determination unit 203 determines the charge for the vehicle 2 on the basis of the charge determination information at the timing when the service end command of the application is input from the user U to the terminal device 20. However, the charge determination unit 203 may determine the charge for the vehicle 2 at other timings. For example, the charge determination unit 203 regularly -24 -determines the charge for the vehicle 2 at the timing when the charge determination information acquisition unit 202 regularly acquires the charge determination information to input the charge determination information to the charge determination unit 203. The charge determination unit 203 is configured to input the information on the determined charge to the billing information transmission processing unit 204.

[0041] When the information of the charge determined by the charge determination unit 203 is input, the billing information transmission processing unit 204 may be configured to acquire the payment account ID of the user U stored in advance in the setting information storage unit 205 and associate and transmit the payment account ID and the payment system ID to the service system management server 3 as the billing information.

[0042] The setting information storage unit 205 is configured to store the payment account ID of the user U that holds the terminal device 20. In the first embodiment, for example, when the application is installed in the terminal device 20, the payment account ID of the user U may be stored in the setting information storage unit 205 as the user U inputs his/her own payment account -25 -ID to the terminal device 20.

[0043] The first communication interface 210 is an interface that enables the communication between the transponder 10 and the terminal device 20. The first communication interface 210 is configured to perform communication conforming to the same standard as the communication interface 120 of the above-described transponder 10. In the first embodiment, for example, the transponder 10 and the terminal device 20 are configured to perform the wireless communication conforming to the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard. However, wireless communication in other standards such as infrared communication and WiFi communication, may be oerformed similarly to the communication interface 120.

Additionally, the first communication interface 210 may be configured to perform, for example, the wired communication between the transponder 10 and the terminal device 20.

[0044] The second communication interface 220 is an interface that enables communication between the terminal device 20 and the service system management server 3. In the first embodiment, the second communication interface 220 is connected to the communication network N such as a -26 - 3G network, a 4G network, and an LTE network, and is configured to be able to communicate with the service system management server 3 via the communication network N. [0045] (Processing Flow of Operation of Transponder and Terminal Device According to First Embodiment) Fig. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the transponder 10 and the terminal device 20 according to the first embodiment. The operation of the transponder 10 and the terminal device 20 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 3. In Fig. 3, the processing performed by the transponder 10 and the terminal device 20 is illustrated together with the processing of the user U, the service system management server 3, and the payment account management server 4.

[0046] The user U in the vehicle 2 or in the vicinity of the vehicle 2 operates his/her own smartphone (terminal device 20) to input the start command for the application that provides the highway service before entering a highway in order to pay the toll for the highway on which the vehicle 2 travels, using the terminal device 20 (Step 5101). Accordingly, the application installed in the terminal device 20 is started (Step S102). Next, when the user U operates the terminal device 20 and inputs the -27 -service start command for the application (Step S103), the service of the application is started (Step S104). In the first embodiment, since the user U uses the terminal device 20 to input the service start command for the service for paying the toll for the highway on which the vehicle 2 travels, the service for paying the highway toll started.

[0047] Next, connection processing of the wireless communication conforming to the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard is performed between the first communication interface 210 of the terminal device 20 and the communication interface 120 of the transponder 10 mounted in the vehicle 2 (Step S105), and the terminal device 20 and the transponder 10 are connected to each other and are brought into a communicable state. Here, for example, in a case where a vehicle capable of the wireless communication conforming to the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard with the terminal device 20 is present nearby in addition to the vehicle 2 used by the user U, a configuration may be adopted in which the application of the terminal device 20 requests the user U to perform the operation of selecting the vehicle 2 to be used, and the application issues an instruction to the first communication interface 210 such that the -28 -transponder 10 of the selected vehicle 2 and the terminal device 20 are connected to each other.

[0048] The identification ID transmission processing unit 102 of the transponder 10 acquires the identification ID of the transponder 10 from the identification ID storage unit 101, and transmits the acquired identification ID to the terminal device 20 via the communication interface 120 (Step S106).

[0049] The identification ID reception unit 201 of the terminal device 20 receives the identification ID transmitted from the transponder 10 and received via the first communication interface 210 (Step S107).

Accordingly, the transponder 10 mounted in the vehicle 2 on which the user U gets is identified. After receiving the identification ID of the transponder 10, the identification ID reception unit 201 transmits the reception notification signal to the transponder 10 via the first communication interface 210 (Step S108).

[0050] When the charge determination information transmission processing unit 104 of the transponder 10 receives the reception notification signal from the identification ID reception unit 201 of the terminal -29 -device 20 via the communication interface 120 (Step S109), the cooperation between the transponder 10 and the terminal device 20 is started. In addition, the cooperation between the transponder 10 and the terminal device 20 may be started, for example, by the user U reading a QR code (registered trademark) using the terminal device 20 after mutual authentication is performed between the transponder 10 and the terminal device 20 by the wireless communication conforming to the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard. Next, the charge determination information transmission processing unit 104 acquires the charge determination information stored in the charge determination information storage unit 103, and transmits the acquired charge determination information to the terminal device 20 via the communication interface 120 (Step S110). Additionally, in the first embodiment, specifically, the charge determination information includes the traveling route, the traveling distance, the vehicle type, the license plate information, and the vehicle inspection information of the vehicle 2 being used by the user U as information necessary for determining the usage charge for the highway on which the vehicle U of the user U travels as will be described below.

[0051] -30 -The charge determination information acquisition unit 202 acquires the charge determination information by communicating with the transponder 10 (Step S111). More specifically, the charge determination information acquisition unit 202 receives the charge determination information transmitted from the charge determination information transmission processing unit 104 of the transponder 10 via the first communication interface 210, thereby determining the charge determination information. As illustrated in Fig. 3, in the first embodiment, while the transponder 10 and the terminal device 20 cooperate with each other, the above Steps S110 and S111 may be regularly performed.

[0052] In addition, in the charge determination information stored in the charge determination information storage unit 103 of the transponder 10, the vehicle type, the license plate information, and the vehicle inspection information of the vehicle 2 are stored in advance in the charge determination information storage unit 103, and the contents thereof do not change. Meanwhile, the traveling route and the traveling distance of the vehicle 2 in the charge determination information stored in the charge determination information storage unit 103 of the transponder 10 may be regularly determined by the vehicle -31 -information management unit 105 on the basis of the information of the radio waves from the GNSS satellite 5 received via the radio wave reception interface 110 and may be stored in the charge determination information storage unit 103, and the contents thereof may be updated.

[0053] In the first embodiment, while the vehicle enters and travels on the highway after the user U operates the terminal device 20 to start the service for paying the highway toll as described above (Step S104), the vehicle 2 used by the user U is started, the traveling route and the traveling distance of the vehicle 2 in the charge determination information stored in the charge determination information storage unit 103 of the transponder 10 may be regularly updated. Therefore, as described above, the charge determination information acquired by the charge determination information acquisition unit 202 of the terminal device 20 from the charge determination information storage unit 103 of the transponder 10 may have regularly updated contents.

[0054] The user U operates the terminal device 20 at the timing when the highway toll is paid, for example, at a timing after the vehicle 2 used by the user U has left the highway, or the like and inputs the service end command -32 -for the service of the application for paying the highway toll (Step S112). When the service end command for the application is input from the user U, the charge determination unit 203 of the terminal device 20 determines the charge for the vehicle 2 on the basis of the charge determination information acquired by the charge determination information acquisition unit 202 ( Step S113).

[0055] In the first embodiment, the charge determination unit 203 may calculate the toll for the highway on which the vehicle 2 used by the user U travel for example, on the basis of the traveling route and the traveling distance of the vehicle 2 in the charge determination information input most recently by the charge determination information acquisition unit 202.

Additionally, the vehicle type, the license plate information, and the vehicle inspection information of the vehicle 2 in the charge determination information input by the charge determination information acquisition unit 202 may be used to calculate the highway toll as necessary. For example, in the charge determination unit 203, in a case where the "vehicle type" included in the charge determination information is an "ordinary car" and the "traveling route" and the "traveling distance" included in -33 -the charge determination information indicates "the vehicle 2 travels a distance of 100 km from a predetermined entrance to a predetermined outlet", the toll determining unit 203 may determine a toll applied in a case where the ordinary car travels a distance of 100 km on the highway, as the toll for the highway on which the vehicle 2 travels. The charge determination unit 203 inputs information on the determined charge to the billing information transmission processing unit 204.

[0056] When the information on the charge determined from the charge determination unit 203 is input, the billing information transmission processing unit 204 of the terminal device 20 acquires the payment account ID of the user U stored in advance in the setting information storage unit 205 and associates the charge information and the payment account ID to transmit the associated charge information and payment account ID to the service system management server 3 as the charge information (Step S114).

In addition, as illustrated in Fig. 5, the transmission of the billing information from the billing information transmission processing unit 204 of the terminal device 20 to the service system management server 3 may be performed via the second communication interface 220.

[0057] -34 -On the other hand, wireless communication disconnection processing is performed between the first communication interface 210 of the terminal device 20 and the communication interface 120 of the transponder 10 mounted in the vehicle 2 (Step S115), and the terminal device 20 and the transponder 10 are disconnected from each other. Accordingly, the cooperation between the transponder 10 and the terminal device 20 ends. Additionally, processing for the service of the application of the terminal device 20 is completed and ended (Step 5116). In addition, in the first embodiment, a case has been described in which, when the service end command for the application is input from the user U (Step 5112), the processing of the charge determination (Step 5113) and the processing of the billing information transmission (Step 5114) are performed. However, for example, in a case where the user U is a certain distance or more away from the vehicle 2 used by the user U and the wireless communication between the transponder 10 and the terminal device 20 are disconnected from each other, and the disconnection processing (Step 5115) is performed, the processing of the charge determination (Step 5113) and the processing of the billing information transmission (Step S114) may be performed.

[0058] -35 -The service system management server 3 receives, from the terminal device 20, information on the highway toll associated with the payment account ID of the user U as the billing information (Step S117). Next, the service system management server 3 transmits the received billing information to the payment account management server 4 (Step S118).

[0059] Upon receiving the billing information from the service system management server 3 (Step S119), the payment account management server 4 transmits the billing information to, for example, the system (not illustrated) of the financial institution with which the user U has contracted on the basis of the payment account ID included in the billing information (Step S120). Accordingly, in the system of the financial institution (not illustrated), payment processing of the highway toll of the user U is performed on the basis of the billing information. Next, the payment account management server 4 notifies the user U of a usage statement in which the details of the payment of the highway toll of the user U are described (Step 5121). The notification may be performed, for example, by transmitting an e-mail to the user U, or may be -Performed by another method such as posting on a specific WEB site.

[0060] -36 - (Operation and Effects) As described above, the terminal device 20 included in the billing system 1 according to the first embodiment includes the identification ID reception unit 201 that receives the identification ID for uniquely identifying the transponder 10 mounted in the vehicle 2 to be used, the charge determination information acquisition unit 202 that acquires the charge determination information for determining the charge relating to the vehicle 2, the charge determination unit 203 that determines the charge on the basis of the acquired charge determination information, and the billing information transmission processing unit 204 that associates the determined charge and the payment account ID pre-recorded in the terminal device to transmit the associated determined charge and payment account ID to the service system management server.

In this way, the transponder 10 can be identified by receiving the identification ID for uniquely identifying the transponder 10 mounted in the vehicle 2 used by the user U, and thereby, the vehicle 2 associated with the transponder 10 on a one-to-one basis can be identified. Therefore, after the vehicle 2 used by the user U is identified, the charge relating to the vehicle 2 is determined and the determined charge is associated with the payment account ID of the user U. Thus, the vehicle 2 -37 -can be correctly associated with the terminal device 20 owned by the user U of the vehicle 2, and the charge relating to the vehicle 2 can be accurately collected from the user U of the vehicle 2.

[0061] Additionally, by linking and cooperating the transponder 10 to the terminal device 20 owned by the user U of the vehicle 2 using the identification ID for uniquely identifying the transponder 10, the function of the charge determination unit or the like that determines the charge relating to the vehicle 2 can be provided not in the transponder 10 but in the terminal device 20. Accordingly the cost of the transponder 10 can be reduced as compared to a case where the transponder 10 is provided with the functions of the charge determination unit 203 or the like. Additionally, for example, in a case where the terminal device 20 is a smartphone or the like, the cost of the terminal device 20 can be reduced by the application installed in the terminal device 20 including the functions of the charge determination unit or the like.

[0062] Moreover, in the terminal device 20 included in the billing system 1 according to the first embodiment, the charge determination information includes at least one of the traveling route, the traveling distance, the vehicle -38 -type, the license plate information, and the vehicle inspection information of the vehicle 2 used by the user U. In this way, since the charge relating to the vehicle 2 is determined on the basis of the detailed information of the vehicle 2, the charge relating to the vehicle 2 can be accurately determined.

[0063] Moreover, in the billing system 1 according to the first embodiment, the charge determination information acquisition unit 202 communicates with the identified transponder 10 to acquire the charge determination information.

In this way, by acquiring the charge determination information from the transponder 10, the processing for preparing the charge determination information, such as calculation, data conversion, and determination of the charge determination information is not performed in the terminal device 20, the transponder 10 can be caused to perform the processing, and the load on the terminal device 20 can be distributed to the transponder 10.

[0064] Additionally, the transponder 10 included in the billing system 1 according to the first embodiment includes the identification ID storage unit 101 that stores the identification ID for uniquely identifying the -39 -transponder 10 mounted in the vehicle 2, and the identification ID transmission processing unit 102 that transmits the identification ID to the terminal device 20.

In this way, by storing the identification ID allowing the transponder 10 mounted in the vehicle 2 to be uniquely identified in the transponder 10 and transmitting the stored identification ID to the terminal device 20 owned by the user U of the vehicle 2, the terminal device 20 can identify the transponder 10 and can identify the vehicle 2 associated with the transponder 10 on a one-to-one basis. Accordingly, the terminal device 20 can correctly specify the vehicle 2.

[0065] Additionally, the transponder 10 included in the billing system 1 according to the first embodime= further includes the charge determination information storage unit 103 that stores the charge determination information for determining the charge relating to the vehicle 2, and the charge determination information transmission processing unit 104 that transmits the charge determination information to the terminal device 20.

In this way, since the transponder 10 stores the charge determination information and transmits the charge determination information to the terminal device 20, the processing of determining and storing the traveling route -40 -and the traveling speed of the vehicle 2 included in the charge determination information is not performed in the terminal device 20, the transponder 10 can be made to perform the processing, and the load on the terminal device 20 can be distributed to the transponder 10.

[0066] <Second Embodiment> Fig. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a billing system 1 according to the second embodiment. Fig. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a transponder 10 and a terminal device 20 according to the second embodiment. The billing system 1 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 4 and 5. In addition, since respective components included in the billing system 1 according to the second embodiment have the same configuration and the same functions as the respective components included in the billing system 1 according to the first embodiment unless otherwise specified, duplicate description thereof will be omitted.

[0067] (Functional Configuration of Billing System According to Second Embodiment) As illustrated in Fig. 5, the transponder 10 according to the second embodiment is different from the -41 -transponder 10 according to the first embodiment in not including the charge determination information storage unit 103, the charge determination information transmission processing unit 104, the vehicle information management unit 105, and the radio wave reception interface 110.

[0068] As illustrated in Fig. 5, a smartphone that is the terminal device 20 according to the second embodiment is different from the terminal device 20 according to the first embodiment in further including a vehicle information management unit 206 and a radio wave reception interface 230.

[0069] The vehicle information management unit 206 included in the terminal device 20 according to the second embodiment functions similarly to the vehicle information management unit 105 included in the transponder 10 according to the first embodiment. That is, for example, the vehicle information management unit 206 may regularly set the current position of the user U getting on the vehicle 2 as the current position of the vehicle 2 on the basis of the information of the radio waves from the GNSS satellite 5 received via the radio wave reception interface 230 and determine the traveling route and the -42 -traveling speed of the vehicle 2 on the basis of the calculated amount of change in the current position of the vehicle 2. The vehicle information management unit 206 may store the determined traveling route and traveling speed of the vehicle 2 as charge determination information in the setting information storage unit 205.

[0070] The radio wave reception interface 230 included in the terminal device 20 according to the second embodiment functions similarly to the radio wave reception interface 110 included in the transponder 10 according to the first embodiment. That is, the radio wave reception interface 230 is configured to be able to receive the radio waves from the GNSS satellite 5.

[0071] As illustrated in Fig. 5, the service system management server 3 according to the second embodiment is different from the service system management server 3 according to the first embodiment in further including a charge determination information storage unit 301 and a charge determination information transmission processing unit 304.

[0072] The charge determination information storage unit 301 included in the service system management server 3 -43 -according to the second embodiment functions similarly to the charge determination information storage unit 103 included in the transponder 10 according to the first embodiment. That is, the charge determination information storage unit 301 is configured to store the charge determination information for determining the charge relating to the vehicle 2. Specifically, the charge determination information storage unit 301 may store the vehicle type, the license plate information, and the vehicle inspection information of the vehicle 2 as the charge determination information in advance. In addition, in the charge determination information storage unit 301 according to the second embodiment, the vehicle type, the license plate information, and the vehicle inspection information of the vehicle 2 as the charge determination information are associated with the identification ID of the transponder 10 mounted in the vehicle 2 and are stored.

[0073] The charge determination information transmission processing unit 304 included in the service system management server 3 according to the second embodiment functions similarly to the charge determination information transmission processing unit 104 provided in the transponder 10 according to the first embodiment. That is, the charge determination information transmission -44 -processing unit 304 is configured to acquire the charge determination information stored in the charge determination information storage unit 301 and perform the transmission processing of transmitting the acquired charge determination information to the terminal device 20 while the terminal device 20 and the transponder 10 cooperate with each other. In addition, upon receiving a charge determination information request for requesting the charge determination information transmitted from the charge determination information acquisition unit 202 of the terminal device 20 to the service system management server 3, the charge determination information transmission processing unit 304 according to the second embodiment is configured to perform acquisition of the charge determination information from the charge determination information storage unit 301 and transmission of the acquired charge determination information to the terminal device 20.

[0074] (Processing Flow of Operation of Transponder and Terminal Device According to Second Embodiment) The differences between the processing in the billing system 1 according to the second embodiment illustrated in Fig. 5 and the processing in the billing system 1 according to the first embodiment illustrated in -45 -Fig. 3 are the processing in Step 5110 is eliminated, the processing in Steps S131 to S133 is added, and the processing in Step S111 is changed to Steps Slila and Slllb. Since the other processing is the same as the processing flow of the billing system 1 according to the first embodiment illustrated in Fig. 3, the description thereof will be omitted.

[0075] In the second embodiment, after the identification ID reception unit 201 of the terminal device 20 transmits the reception notification signal, indicating that the identification ID of the transponder 10 has been received, to the transponder 10 via the first communication interface 210 (Step S108), the charge determination information acquisition unit 202 of the terminal device 20 transmits the charge determination information request for requesting the charge determination information to the service system management server 3 (Step S131). The charge determination information request may include the identification ID for identifying the transponder 10 mounted in the vehicle 2 used by the user 2.

[0076] Upon receiving the charge determination information request from the charge determination information acquisition unit 202 of the terminal device 20 (Step S132), -46 -the charge determination information transmission processing unit 304 of the service system management server 3 acquires the charge determination information (the vehicle type, the license plate information, and the vehicle inspection information of the vehicle 2) associated with the identification ID from the charge determination information storage unit 301 to transmit the acquired charge determination information to the terminal device 20 on the basis of the identification ID included in the charge determination information request (Step S133).

[0077] The charge determination information acquisition unit 202 acquires the charge determination information (the vehicle type, the license plate information, and the vehicle inspection information of the vehicle 2) by communicating with the service system management server 3 (Step S110a). More specifically, the charge determination information acquisition unit 202 receives the charge determination information transmitted from the charge determination information transmission processing unit 304 of the service system management server 3 via the second communication interface 220, thereby acquiring the charge determination information (Step S110a).

[0078] -47 -Moreover, the charge determination information acquisition unit 202 regularly acquires the charge determination information (the traveling route and the traveling distance of the vehicle 2) stored in the setting information storage unit 205 (Step S110b). For example, the charge determination information acquisition unit 202 may regularly acquire the stored charge determination information (the traveling route and the traveling distance of the vehicle 2) from the setting information storage unit 205 at the timing when the vehicle information management unit 206 regularly stores the traveling route and the traveling speed of the vehicle 2 as the charge determination information in the setting information storage unit 205 or may regularly or irregularly acquire the charge determination information at other timings.

[0079] (Operation and Effects) As described above, in the terminal device 20 included in the billing system 1 according to the second embodiment, the charge determination information acquisition unit 202 communicates with the service system management server 3 to acquire the charge determination information.

In this way, since the terminal device 20 acquires -48 -the charge determination information from the service system management server 3 instead of the transponder 10, the transponder 10 does not need to have the function of storing the charge determination information, and the cost of the transponder 10 can be reduced.

Moreover, as illustrated in Fig. 4, the cost of the transponder 10 can be further reduced by providing the vehicle information management unit 206 that determines the traveling route and the traveling distance of the vehicle 2 in the terminal device 20 instead of the transponder 10.

[0080] Fig. 6 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a configuration of a computer according to at least one embodiment.

A computer 9 includes a CPU 91, a main storage unit 92, an auxiliary storage unit 93, and an interface 94.

The above-described terminal device 20 includes the computer 9. Also, the operation of the above-described respective processing units is stored in the auxiliary storage unit 93 in the form of a program. The CPU 91 reads out the program from the auxiliary storage unit 93 to develop the program in the main storage unit 92, and executes the above processing according to the program. For example, the above-described identification ID -49 -reception unit 201, charge determination information acquisition unit 202, charge determination unit 203, and billing information transmission processing unit 204 may be the CPU 91.

Additionally, the CPU 91 secures a storage area corresponding to the above-described database in the main storage unit 92 or the auxiliary storage unit 93 according to the program. For example, the setting information storage unit 205 of the above-described terminal device 20 may be secured in the auxiliary storage unit 93.

[0081] Moreover, the above-described transponder 10 may include the same computer as the computer 9, and the identification ID transmission processing unit 102, the charge determination information transmission processing unit 104, and the vehicle information management unit 105 of the transponder 10 may be the same CPU as the CPU 91. Moreover, the identification ID storage unit 101 and the charge determination information storage unit 103 of the transponder 10 may be secured in the same auxiliary storage unit as the auxiliary storage unit 93.

[0082] Moreover, the above-described service system management server 3 may include the same computer as the computer 9, and the charge determination information -50 -transmission processing unit 304 of the service system management server 3 may be the same CPU as the CPU 91. Moreover, the charge determination information storage unit 301 of the service system management server 3 may be secured in the same auxiliary storage unit as the auxiliary storage unit 93.

[0083] Examples of the auxiliary storage unit 93 include a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), a magnetic disk, a magneto-optical disk, a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), and a digital versatile disc read-only memory (DVD-ROM), a semiconductor memory, and the like. The auxiliary storage unit 93 may be internal media directly connected to the bus of the computer 9 or external media connected to the computer 9 via the interface 94 or a communication line. Additionally, in a case where the program is distributed to the computer 9 via the communication line, the computer 9 that has received the distribution may develop the program into the main storage unit 92 and execute the above processing. In at least one embodiment, the auxiliary storage unit 93 is a non-transitory tangible storage medium.

[0084] Additionally, the program may be for realizing some of the aforementioned functions. Moreover, the program -51 -may be a so-called differential file (differential program) that realizes the aforementioned function in combination with another program already stored in the auxiliary storage unit 93.

[0085] While some embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the embodiments have been °resented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The embodiments can be implemented in other various forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and alterations can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. The embodiments and the modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are also included in the invention described in the claims and equivalents thereof.

Industrial Applicability

[00861 According to the above-described terminal device, transponder, billing system, billing method, and billing program, the vehicle and the terminal device owned by the user of the vehicle can be correctly associated with each other, and the charge relating to the vehicle can be accurately collected from the user of the vehicle. Reference Signs List -52 -[0087] 1: billing system 2: vehicle 3: service system management server 4: payment account management server 5: satellite 9: computer 10: transponder 20: terminal device 91: CPU 92: main storage unit 93: auxiliary storage unit 94: interface 101: identification ID storage unit 102: identification ID transmission processing unit 103: charge determination information storage unit 104: charge determination information transmission processing unit 105: vehicle information management unit 110: radio wave reception interface 120: communication interface 201: identification ID reception unit 202: charge determination information acquisition unit 203: charge determination unit -53 - 204: billing information transmission processing unit 205: setting information storage unit 206: vehicle information management unit 210: first communication interface 220: second communication interface 301: charge determination information storage unit 304: charge determination information transmission processing unit N: communication network U: user -54 -

Claims

Claims [Claim 1] A terminal device owned by a user of a vehicle, the terminal device comprising: an identification ID reception unit that receives an identification ID for uniquely identifying a transponder mounted in a vehicle to be used; a charge determination information acquisition unit that acquires charge determination information for determining a charge relating to the vehicle; a charge determination unit that determines the charge on the basis of the acquired charge determination information; and a billing information transmission processing unit that associates the determined charge and a payment account ID pre-recorded in the terminal device to transmit the associated determined charge and payment account ID to a service system management server.[Claim 2] The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the charge determination information includes at least one of a traveling route, a traveling distance, a vehicle type, license plate information, and vehicle inspection information of the vehicle being used -55 -by the user.[Claim 3] The terminal device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the charge determination information acquisition unit communicates with the identified transponder to acquire the charge determination information.[Claim 4] The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the charge determination information acquisition unit communicates with the service system management server to acquire the charge determination information.[Claim 5] A transponder mounted in a vehicle, comprising: an identification ID storage unit that stores an identification ID for uniquely identifying the transponder mounted in the vehicle; and an identification ID transmission processing unit that transmits the identification ID to a terminal device owned by a user of the vehicle.[Claim 6] The transponder according to claim 5, further comprising: -56 -a charge determination information storage unit that stores charge determination information for determining a charge relating to the vehicle; and a charge determination information transmission processing unit that transmits the charge determination information to the terminal device.[Claim 7] The transponder according to claim 6, wherein the charge determination information includes at least one of a traveling route, a traveling distance, a vehicle type, license plate information, and vehicle inspection information of the vehicle being used by the user.[Claim 8] A billing system comprising: the terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 4; and the transponder according to any one of claims 5 to 7.[Claim 9] A billing method using a terminal device owned by a user of a vehicle, the billing method comprising: an identification ID receiving step of receiving an identification ID for uniquely identifying a transponder mounted in a vehicle to be used; -57 -a charge determination information acquiring step of acquiring charge determination information for determining a charge relating to the vehicle; a charge determining step of determining the charge on the basis of the acquired charge determination information; and a billing information transmission processing step of associating and transmitting the determined charge and a payment account ID pre-recorded in the terminal device to a service system management server.[Claim 10] A billing program for causing a computer as a terminal device owned by a user of a vehicle function as, an identification ID reception unit that receives an identification ID for uniquely identifying a transponder mounted in a vehicle to be used; a charge determination information acquisition unit that acquires charge determination information for determining a charge relating to the vehicle; a charge determination unit that determines the charge on the basis of the acquired charge determination information; and a billing information transmission processing unit that associates the determined charge and a payment account ID pre-recorded in the terminal device to transmit -58 -the associated determined charge and payment account ID to a service system management server.-59 -