DEVELOPMENT OF THE ON-BOARD EQUIPMENT FOR ELECTRONIC TOLL COLLECTION SYSTEM IN JAPAN

摘要

Electronic Toll Collection system (hereinafter, ETC), one of the services of ITS, based on radio communication technology allows vehicles travelling along the toll road to follow the toll payment procedure automatically without stopping when they pass through the toll gate. ETC can be utilized in reducing traffic congestion, creating a cashless system, decreasing administration costs, and so on. Japanese ETC has been put in operation at the toll road (mainly in the Tokyo metropolitan area) since April 2000. Based on the achievements from several years of our research and development activities, the On-Board Equipment for ETC (hereinafter, OBE) have been developed and produced in time for the ETC deployment started in April 2000. This paper describes the OBE, especially on its original functions and features.