Road toll system
A road toll system comprises a vehicle-mounted unit having a satellite navigation receiver. A first data processing means determines a route taken 5 based on satellite navigation data provided from the receiver, and the satellite navigation data is associated with a variable identity. A road toll level is derived. A second data processing means receives the road toll level provided by the first data processing means, and the satellite navigation obtains the determined road toll level from the second data processing means using the 10 variable identity. This provides a thin client scenario (the receiver does not implement the map calculations), but with data security corresponding to a thick client solution. Thus, the map matching and trip cost computation steps are delegated by the on-board unit to an external unit, but this delegation is performed anonymously, so that no data sent for external processing 15 compromises the privacy of the data.
1. A road toll system comprising:
a satellite navigation receiver implementing a position tracking function, the satellite navigation receiver providing satellite navigation data;
a first data processor that determines a route taken based on satellite navigation data provided from the satellite navigation receiver, the satellite navigation data being associated with a variable identity, and that determines a road toll level, the first data processor then outputting the determined road toll level; and
a second data processor that receives, from the first data processor, the determined road toll level output by the first data processor, the second data processor outputting the determined road toll level, wherein the satellite navigation receiver obtains the determined road toll level from the second data processor using the variable identity.
2. The system as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
a mobile telephony receiver that enables communication between the satellite navigation receiver and the first and second data processors.
3. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein satellite navigation data is provided by the satellite navigation receiver as periodic blocks of samples, and wherein the variable identity is varied each time a block of samples of satellite navigation data is provided to the first data processor.
4. The system as claimed in claim 3 , wherein each block of samples corresponds to a predetermined time duration.
5. The system as claimed in claim 3 , wherein each block of samples relates to a part of a journey within a predetermined area, and a new block of samples is started when the journey crosses area boundaries.
6. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the satellite navigation data provided to the first data processor by the satellite navigation receiver includes timing information which is no more accurate than 10 minutes.
7. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the satellite navigation data from the satellite navigation receiver is encrypted with an encryption key.
8. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein data is provided by the satellite navigation receiver to the first data processor via a proxy.
9. The system as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the proxy comprises a plurality of other satellite navigation receivers.
10. The system as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the second data processor is implemented by the proxy.
11. A method of calculating a road toll within a road toll system, the method comprising:
implementing a position tracking function of a satellite navigation receiver which provides satellite navigation data;
providing the satellite navigation data from the satellite navigation receiver to a first data processor;
determining, using the first data processor, a route taken, based on the satellite navigation data provided by the satellite navigation receiver to the first data processor, the satellite navigation data being associated with a variable identity;
determining, using the first data processor, a road toll level, the first data processor providing the road toll level;
receiving, at a second data processor, the road toll level from the first data processor; and
obtaining, at the satellite navigation receiver from the second data processor, the determined road toll level by using the variable identity.
12. The method as claimed in claim 11 , further comprising:
providing satellite navigation data by the satellite navigation receiver as periodic blocks of samples; and
varying the variable identity each time a block of samples of satellite navigation data is provided to the first data processor.
13. The method as claimed in claim 12 , further comprising:
preparing each block of samples for a predetermined time duration.
14. The method as claimed in claim 12 , further comprising:
preparing each block of samples for a part of a journey within a predetermined area; and
starting a new block of samples when the journey crosses area boundaries.
15. The method as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the satellite navigation data provided to the first data processor by the receiver includes timing information which is no more accurate than 10 minutes.
16. The method as claimed in claim 11 , further comprising:
encrypting the satellite navigation data from the satellite navigation receiver with an encryption key.
17. The method as claimed in claim 11 , further comprising:
providing data from the satellite navigation receiver to the first data processor via a proxy.
18. The method as claimed in claim 17 , wherein the proxy comprises a plurality of other satellite navigation receivers.
19. The method as claimed in claim 18 , further comprising:
implementing the second data processor by the proxy.