US 11,715,335 B2
Automated computational method and tolling system for the determination of the validity of the passage of a vehicle in a toll
André Amaral Costa, São Domingos de Rana (PT); Jerónimo Francisco Pérez Regidor, São Domingos de Rana (PT); and João Nuno Andrade Ribeiro, São Domingos de Rana (PT)
Assigned to ATOBE—MOBILITY TECHNOLOGY, S.A., São Domingos de Rana (PT)
Filed by Atobe—Mobility Technology, S.A., São Domingos de Rana (PT)
Filed on Mar. 21, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/207,681.
Claims priority of application No. 117056 (PT), filed on Feb. 9, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0254195 A1, Aug. 11, 2022
Int. Cl. G07B 15/00 (2011.01); H04W 4/44 (2018.01); G07B 15/06 (2011.01); H04W 4/80 (2018.01); G06V 20/54 (2022.01); G06V 20/62 (2022.01); G06V 30/10 (2022.01)
CPC G07B 15/063 (2013.01) [G06V 20/54 (2022.01); H04W 4/44 (2018.02); H04W 4/80 (2018.02); G06V 20/625 (2022.01); G06V 30/10 (2022.01)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A tolling system for the determination of the validity of the passage of a vehicle in a toll characterised in that it comprises:
a fixed wireless device associated with the toll configured to periodically issuing a wireless beacon, the wireless beacon comprising a unique information associated with the toll,
a remote backend server configured to receive a validation message from a mobile device associated with a vehicle, the validation message comprising a unique information associated with a toll and a unique information associated with the respective vehicle,
optical means associated with the toll configured to obtain at least one image of the vehicle upon the passage of a vehicle through a toll, the optical means being positioned in proximity with the fixed wireless device, and
the system comprising computational means which are further configured to, based on the at least one image of the vehicle, determine if such vehicle corresponds to a vehicle associated with the unique information received by the remote backend server and thereby determine if a passage of a vehicle through a toll is valid;
wherein the validation message is issued to the remote backend by means of a cellular wireless network or, where the mobile device has no access to a cellular wireless network when of the passage of the associated vehicle in a toll, the validation message is issued when the mobile device regains access to a cellular wireless network or to a wireless local area network;
wherein the computational means are further configured to i) determine a first license plate number of the vehicle from the obtained at least one image of the vehicle, and to ii) determine a second license plate number from the unique information associated with the respective vehicle received by the remote backend server,
the computational means being further configured to compare the first license number plate with the second license plate number and thereby determine if a passage of a vehicle through a toll is valid; and
wherein the computational means are further configured such that the comparison between the first license plate number and the second license plate number comprises determining a similarity between the first license plate number and the second license plate number, the similarity comprising determining differences between alphanumeric characters in a same position of the first license plate number and the second license plate number and/or the computational means are further configured to, where the first license plate number and the second license plate number are different and the similarity is above a predefined threshold, alter a value of the second license plate number to be equal to a value of the first license plate number.