US 12,141,802 B2
Method for paying a fee for allowing a vehicle to use a road network that is subject to toll charges, and toll system for performing the method
Sebastian Althen, Munich (DE)
Assigned to Yunex GmbH, Munich (DE)
Appl. No. 17/771,604
Filed by Yunex GmbH, Munich (DE)
PCT Filed Sep. 24, 2020, PCT No. PCT/EP2020/076718
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Apr. 25, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/078465, PCT Pub. Date Apr. 29, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. 10 2019 216 337.8 (DE), filed on Oct. 23, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0374890 A1, Nov. 24, 2022
Int. Cl. G06Q 20/40 (2012.01); G06Q 20/38 (2012.01); G06Q 30/04 (2012.01); G07B 15/06 (2011.01)
CPC G06Q 20/40 (2013.01) [G06Q 20/3827 (2013.01); G06Q 30/04 (2013.01); G07B 15/06 (2013.01); G06Q 2240/00 (2013.01)] 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for paying a fee for the use of a road network subject to a toll by a vehicle, the method comprising:
generating a random character string by a random generator and transmitting the random character string to an electronic payment system to transact a fee payment and to a monitoring device for a road-side checking of a usage authorization of vehicles using the road network;
in order to acquire a usage authorization, logging on by a user to the payment system and entering a registration number of the vehicle intended for the use of the road network;
generating a hash value by a processor of the payment system from the registration number and a currently valid character string by way of a hash algorithm;
transferring the hash value generated by the payment system to an electronic operator system of a toll operator, and keeping the transferred hash value available for monitoring purposes;
detecting by the monitoring device, from a video recording and an evaluation of a passing vehicle, a registration number of the vehicle, generating the hash value from the detected registration number and the currently valid character string by way of the hash algorithm and transferring the hash value generated by the monitoring device to the operator system;
checking by the operator system whether the hash value transferred from the monitoring device matches one of the hash values that have been transferred from the payment system and kept available for the monitoring purposes;
in order to acquire a route-dependent usage authorization, logging by a user on to the payment system via a mobile terminal that is also carried in the vehicle being used, and entering the registration number of the vehicle;
transferring the generated hash value from the payment system to the operator system and to the terminal;
keeping the transferred hash value available by the operator system until the user logs out of the payment system via the terminal when exiting the road network subject to the toll;
determining with the terminal a geographical position on an ongoing basis and transmitting a currently determined position in each case with determination time point and hash value to the operator system at predefinable time intervals; and
determining in the operator system for a hash value, a route length of a route covered by the assigned vehicle from the transmitted positions;
transacting the fee payment by the payment system for the use of the road network determined for the vehicle; and
automatically transmitting an electronic invoice for the fee payment from the payment system to the user.