Nippondenso Co., Ltd.

Denso Corporation

Osamu Eguchi

Tomonori Fukui

Mitsutoshi Hattori

Yoshiyuki Kago

Michinaga Nagura

Shouichirou Hanai

Akinori Ido

Toshiharu Kamiya

Fumito Tsuzuki

Kazuyori Kawai

Yoshihide Kayo

Takatsugu Hanaoka

Kouzi Kawasaki

In an electronic toll collection system, card data of a payment card is stored in an on-board unit mounted in a vehicle. Toll data necessary for a toll collection transaction including the card data is copied from the on-board unit to a cellular phone. A user passes the cellular phone to a tollgate attendant, and the toll data is moved to a toll collection unit installed at a tollgate. The toll collection unit calculates a toll fee based on the toll data and generates a delete command and road use data. When the tollgate attendant passes a portable terminal of the toll collection unit to the user, the delete command and the road use data are copied to the on-board unit. The toll data is deleted from the on-board unit by the delete command, and the road use data is reported to the user.

Electronic toll collection system, on-board unit, and terminal unit

The present invention provides an automobile toll system which may determine accurately whether a device mounted on a vehicle has a mismatch even when a small automobile is running just behind a large automobile and therefore blocked from communicating with the toll system. In the system, a vehicle type discriminator determines the type of a vehicle passing therethrough based on its shape and weight and transmits determination data to a lane controller. A controller for a reading antenna continuously transmits vehicle type data retrieved from a response signal from the vehicle-mounted device when vehicles stay in the antenna communication area. The lane controller compares type discrimination data and vehicle type data for each vehicle in the order of vehicles leaving the communication area to recognize a mismatch if the data are different.

Toll collection system

A method of fingerprint verification in which an input fingerprint is compared with a previously registered fingerprint, wherein the degree of correlation between a first section of the registered fingerprint and the input fingerprint is first determined by first-stage verification processing. If the correlation is higher than a first threshold value the input fingerprint is accepted, if lower than a second threshold value it is rejected, and if between these values, second-stage verification processing is executed in which a different section of the registered fingerprint is compared with the input fingerprint, and a final judgement made accordingly.

Fingerprint verification method employing plural correlation judgement

A gas sensor is provided to detect the concentration of a gas component included in external air which may be led into the compartment of a motor vehicle. When the level of an output signal from the sensor exceeds a first predetermined value, the air-conditioning system is switched to internal air recirculation mode so that unclean external air is not led into the vehicle compartment. When the level of the gas sensor output is continuously kept below a second predetermined value, which is smaller than the first predetermined value, for a predetermined period of time, the system is switched to external air introduction mode. Instead of directly comparing the level of the gas sensor output with the first and second predetermined levels, a relative value of the gas sensor output may be compared therewith. In one embodiment, it is detected whether the motor vehicle travels in a city area or suburb from the varying state of the gas sensor output or its relative value so that the first predetermined value may be set to either higher or lower value.

Air-conditioning control for a motor vehicle

In an air conditioner control system for vehicles, a first control signal generator is responsive to a first switch to energize an actuator to place the system in its inside air recirculation mode of operation, and a second control signal generator is responsive to a second switch to deenergize the actuator to place the system back into its outside air supply mode of operation. A third control signal generator is responsive to a third switch whereby when the output value of an outside air sensor exceeds a given value within a given time period, the actuator is energized for a given time interval to place the system in the inside air recirculation mode and after the expiration of the given time interval the actuator is deenergized to place the system back in the outside air supply mode.

Air conditioner control system for automotive vehicles

In an air conditioning system for an automobile the indoor-outdoor air change-over door is controlled by a noxious gas sensor in the outdoor air. The output signal of the gas sensor is compared by a microcomputer to a reference signal which is determined by the minimum value of the output signal of the gas sensor produced from the time when the gas sensor is energized to the time when it is deenergized. The microcomputer outputs a signal causing an actuator to move the change-over door from the outdoor air introduction mode to the indoor air recirculation mode when the difference between the output signal of the gas sensor and the reference level exceeds a predetermined amount.

Air condition control apparatus with indoor and outdoor air selection

A rotational angle detecting apparatus includes a rotating member secured to one end of the rotating shaft of an object to be detected for rotation along with the rotating shaft which is rotatable in response to a change in a physical quantity. The apparatus further includes a non-rotating member fixedly positioned opposite to the rotating member, a magnetic field generating source disposed on one of the rotating member and the non-rotating member to generate a magnetic field, and a magnetic sensing element disposed on the other of the rotating member and the non-rotating member to generate an output signal which varies in dependence on the direction of the magnetic field.

Rotational angle detecting apparatus

A rotational angle detecting apparatus employs a bridge circuit of four magneto-resistance elements arranged in a plane and placed in a fixed magnetic field so that the plane of the bridge circuit is parallel to the direction of the magnetic field and is rotatable around the axis perpendicular to the plane. One pair of diagonally disposed magneto-resistance elements further includes resistors respectively such that the direction of the potential difference obtained at one pair of opposite junctions of the bridge circuit is always constant although the magnitude thereof is varied depending on the direction of the magnetic field. The output potential difference from the bridge circuit is amplified by a D.C. amplifier including an operational amplifier and a transistor to deliver an output voltage across a collector resistor of the transistor.

Magneto-resistance type contactless rotational angle detecting apparatus

In an electronic method and apparatus for an air conditioning system, an electrically operated switch door and an electrically operated air purifier are selectively activated in response to the respective degrees of pollution in the air within a passenger compartment and pollution of the outside air flowing into the compartment in consideration with the position of the switch door, thereby to enhance the elimination effect of the polluted air in the compartment and to avoid frequent operation of the air purifier.

Growing community of inventors

Kuwana, Japan

Osamu Eguchi