Vehicle-mounted apparatus for road-to-vehicle communications and road-to-vehicle communication system

#1. Field of the Invention

#The present invention relates to a vehicle-mounted apparatus suitable for use in road-to-vehicle communications, and particularly, for communicating with each of apparatuses installed on a road to automatically receive a toll on a toll road such as a highway or the like and to a road-to-vehicle communication system comprising on-road apparatuses and a vehicle-mounted apparatus for road-to-vehicle communications.

#2. Description of the Related Art

#The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

#FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a vehicle-mounted apparatus to which the present invention is applicable;

#FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an automatic toll receiving system to which the present invention is applicable;

#Preferred embodiments of the present invention will hereinafter be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present embodiment shows to an automatic toll receiving system for automatically receiving a toll from each of the vehicles which run on a toll road or the like. In the automatic toll collecting or receiving system, information is transferred between an apparatus mounted on a vehicle and an on-road apparatus having flat antennas provided at ground portions such as an entrance gate, an exit gate, etc. through radio communications to thereby determine a traffic section (route) over which the vehicle has been driven and the type of vehicle and automatically accept a traffic toll or the like without stopping the vehicle at the entrance and exit gates.

#As shown in FIG. 2, an IC card read/write device from which an IC card 62 is detachable, is installed on an apparatus 30 mounted on a vehicle 90.

#A general pre-paid card and a general post-paid card are used as the IC card. A card number, balance information, information about utilization details (entrance gate number, exit gate number, toll, date of application, etc.), information about the time at which information is stored in the pre-paid card, and information about the type of card can be stored in the pre-paid card. On the other hand, a card number, information about utilization details, information about the time at which information is stored in the post-paid card, and information about the type of card can be stored in the post-paid card. A certified key code for associating a card with a vehicle-mounted apparatus has been stored in the general cards.