Importance

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Abstract

An automatic system is for collection of expressway tolls uses prepaid cards to pay toll while a vehicle is moving at a normal driving speed through a toll booth where computer network is not required. A tollroad with plurality of entrances and exits is provided toll booths one at each entrance and one at each exit. Each toll booth has a toll-collecting device having a support booth and a main booth. An in-vehicle unit is installed in the moving vehicle. Infrared radiation is used as communication apparatus between toll-collecting device and in-vehicle unit to make the system most cost-effective with very low cost of installation, versatile, accurate and virtually error-free compared with those systems using radio frequency for communication. Toll is collected as fixed or variable rates according to the type of vehicles classified by their height and the distance the vehicle travels, the longer the higher is the toll. A data processing means of in-vehicle device records data signals received and calculates toll from the two different modulation frequencies of infrared signals received one from the entrance and the other from the exit and reduces the calculated toll from the cash balance in the prepaid card. The card reader/writer rewrites new cash balance onto the card. Details on the number of each category of vehicles and the entrance they entered including total tolls collected are reported on display screen at each exit toll booth. The system can be used for interstate or international tollroads.

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First Claim