Automatic real-time highway toll collection from moving vehicles

A roadside collection station for use in an automatic highway toll collection system, said roadside collection station comprising:

• an rf antenna having a radiation pattern disposed in proximity to an associated highway lane at a toll collection zone and for communicating with an in-vehicle moving therepast;
• rf circuits connected to said antenna for generating either a first mode wherein a CW rf signal enables an uplink communication of data from a passing in-vehicle unit via modulated reflections of the CW rf signal or a second mode wherein a modulated rf signal provides downlink communication of data to a passing in-vehicle unit;
• and
• a link controller connected to said rf circuits and including means for maintaining said rf circuits in said first mode until first data is successfully received from an in-vehicle unit and thereafter switching to said second mode until second data, based at least in part on said first data, is transmitted to the in-vehicle unit in question whereupon operation is switched back to said first mode for receipt of third data, based at least in part on said second data, said first and third data together collectively comprising an encrypted electronic money transfer.

An automatic highway toll collection system comprising:

• a roadside collection station disposed in proximity to at least one respectively corresponding highway lane and having a bi-directional electromagnetic data communication link coupled to a predetermined toll collection zone disposed in proximity to said at least, one respectively corresponding highway lane;
• an in-vehicle unit disposed in each of plural vehicles passing along the highway and having a bi-directional electromagnetic data communication link coupled to a predetermined vehicular communication zone that moves with the vehicle and intersects said toll collection zone of the roadside collection station for a limited time period as the vehicle passes along said at least one highway lane;
• said in-vehicle units each including a smart card containing encrypted data representing pre-stored increments of money;
• and
• each said roadside collection station and in-vehicle unit including respective data processing circuits connected to its electromagnetic data communication link for effecting at least the following real-time communication and data processing operations during said limited time period:
• (a) passing first data from an in-vehicle unit to a roadside collection station to initiate payment of a toll;
• (b) calculating toll data at the roadside collection station which is based on said first data and passing from the roadside collection station to the in-vehicle unit second data, including said toll data and unique linkage data linking said second data to said first data;
• and
• (c) debiting the toll from the smart card at the in-vehicle unit and thereafter passing third data from the in-vehicle unit to the roadside collection station including verification data verifying said debiting and unique linkage data linking said third data to said first and second data.

An in-vehicle unit for use in an automatic highway toll collection system, said in-vehicle unit comprising:

• data communication circuits for transmitting first data to a roadside collection station while passing thereby;
• crytographic data processing circuits for encrypting at least a portion of said first data with a cryptosystem key also present in an authentic roadside collection station;
• data communication circuits for receiving second data from a roadside collection station;
• authentication means for comparing at least a portion of said second data with an encrypted portion of said first data to the communicating roadside collection station;
• and
• toll charging means for paying a highway toll as requested by said roadside collection station only if its authenticity has been successfully ascertained.

An in-vehicle unit for use in an automatic highway toll collection system having toll account memory means and toll data processor means, said in-vehicle unit having toll account memory means and toll data processor means comprising:

• data communications circuits for sending first data to a roadside collection station while passing thereby;
• thereafter receiving second data from said roadside collection station;
• and still later sending third data to the roadside collection station;
• said third data including plural packets of data;
• and
• said data communications circuits including means for including in each said packet of data predetermined linkage data uniquely linked to said first and second data.

An in-vehicle unit for use in an automatic highway toll collection system, said in-vehicle unit comprising:

• data communications circuits for transceiving data with a roadside collection station while passing thereby;
• a data store of encrypted data representing monetary funds;
• and
• means for sending a portion of the data representing said monetary funds in an initial data communication with a roadside collection station to also serve as a unique toll collection transaction identity code.

An in-vehicle unit for use in an automatic highway toll collection system having toll account memory means and toll data processor means, said in-vehicle unit comprising:

• data communications circuits for sending first data to a roadside collection station while passing thereby;
• thereafter receiving second data from said roadside collection station;
• and still later sending third data to the roadside collection station;
• and
• means for automatically initiating operation of said data communications circuits in a first mode upon detecting an in-vehicle unit passing in proximity to a roadside collection station.

A roadside collection station for use in an automatic highway toll collection system having toll account memory means and toll data processor means, said roadside collection station comprising:

• data communications circuits adapted for receiving first data from an in-vehicle unit moving therepast;
• thereafter transmitting second data to said in-vehicle unit;
• and still later receiving third data from said in-vehicle unit;
• and
• means for encrypting at least a portion of said first data and for including at least some of the result as part of said second data to authenticate the roadside collection station to the in-vehicle unit.

A roadside collection station for use in an automatic highway toll collection system having toll account memory means and toll data processor means, said roadside collection station comprising:

• data communications circuits for receiving first data from an in-vehicle unit moving therepast;
• thereafter transmitting second data to said in-vehicle unit;
• and still later receiving third data from said in-vehicle unit;
• and
• means for including in said second data unique linkage data to said first data and for detecting and using similar unique linkage data in said third data to associate same with the correct in-vehicle unit and first data even in the presence of multiple communicating in-vehicle units within a closely spaced time duration.