Patent Publication Number: US-2020294007-A1

Title: Information relay device, information relay method, and program

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to an information relay device, an information relay method, and a program. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     As a system for collecting a usage fee of a toll road, an electronic toll collection system (ETC) (registered trademark) (also referred to as an “automated toll collection system”) in which a toll collection process is performed by performing wireless communication between an on-board unit mounted on a vehicle and a roadside device installed in a toll booth on the toll road has become widespread. 
     In the electronic toll collection system, the roadside device installed in the toll booth acquires various types of information necessary for the toll collection process such as card information (a card number, an expiration date, and the like) recorded in an IC card (such as an “ETC card”) issued to the user in advance, passage history information (a number of the toll booth through which a user has passed, a passage time, and the like) and performs a process of collecting a usage fee for a vehicle on the basis of the card information and the usage fee according to the passage history information. At this time, in the electronic toll collection system, a card issuer (a credit card company or the like) issuing an IC card pays a usage fee to a business operator of a toll road on behalf of the user and the usage fee is collected according to deferred payment in which the usage fee is later deducted from a bank account associated with the card by the card issuer (for example, see Non-Patent Document 1). 
     CITATION LIST 
     Non-Patent Literature 
     Non-Patent Document 1 
     “ 2016  Edition ETC Handbook,” [online], General Foundation Corporation, ITS Technology Enhancement Association, p. 24, Internet &lt;URL:https://www.its-tea.or.jp/library/pdf/h28_ETC_binran_web.pdf&gt; 
     SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     Technical Problem 
     In recent years, a financial service mechanism called FinTech that uses technologies such as information and communication technology (ICT) and blockchain has attracted attention. As an aspect of the service of FinTech, for example, a payment service in which various types of payment means such as electronic money, vouchers, points, virtual currency, a debit card (a payment card associated with a deposit account), and a credit card are available is considered. 
     As described above, in the conventional electronic toll collection system, the user cannot pay the usage fee using a payment means other than a payment means designated by the card issuer (deferred payment such as credit card payment). Thus, there has been a demand for the introduction of a payment service in which various types of payment means are available in a toll collection system for a toll road. 
     Solution to Problem 
     In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention adopts the following means. 
     According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information relay device ( 30 ) for relaying information related to a payment process from and to a service provider for performing the payment process of paying a usage fee of a toll road, the information relay device ( 30 ) including: a reception unit ( 300 ) configured to receive information including identification information for identifying a user of the toll road and the usage fee of the toll road for the user; a storage medium ( 310 ) storing a registration table in which the identification information and account information for identifying a payment means of the user are pre-registered in association; a security communication unit ( 302 ) provided from the service provider and configured to generate encrypted information in which the account information associated with the identification information and the usage fee are encrypted; and a transmission unit ( 303 ) configured to transmit the encrypted information to the service provider. 
     Thereby, the information relay device can request payment according to the account information by transmitting the encrypted information including the account information and the usage fee to the service provider even if a different payment means is designated for each user. Thereby, the information relay device can be compatible with a payment service using various types of payment means as well as a credit card. 
     According to a second aspect of the present invention, the information relay device ( 30 ) according to the first aspect further includes a notification unit ( 305 ) configured to notify that a balance is insufficient when the balance in the payment means is less than the usage fee. 
     Thereby, the information relay device can immediately notify the user that the balance in the payment means is insufficient. 
     According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information relay device ( 30 ) provided in a service provider for performing a payment process of paying a usage fee of a toll road, the information relay device ( 30 ) including: a reception unit ( 300 ) configured to receive information including identification information for identifying a user of the toll road and the usage fee of the toll road for the user; a storage medium ( 310 ) storing a registration table in which the identification information and account information for identifying a payment means of the user are pre-registered in association; and a payment request unit ( 306 ) configured to identify a payer for providing the payment means on the basis of the account information associated with the identification information and transmit payment request information including the account information and the usage fee to the payer. 
     Thereby, the information relay device can appropriately transmit a payment request to each of the payers providing the payment means on the basis of the account information even if a different payment means is designated for each user. Thereby, the information relay device can provide the user with a payment service using various types of payment means as well as a credit card. 
     According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the information relay device ( 30 ) according to the third aspect further includes a notification unit ( 305 ) configured to notify that a balance is insufficient when the balance in the payment means is less than the usage fee. 
     Thereby, the information relay device can immediately notify the user that the balance in the payment means is insufficient. 
     According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information relay method of relaying information related to a payment process from and to a service provider for performing the payment process of paying a usage fee of a toll road, the information relay method including the steps of: receiving information including identification information for identifying a user of the toll road and the usage fee of the toll road for the user; generating encrypted information in which account information associated with the identification information and the usage fee are encrypted by a security communication unit provided from the service provider; and transmitting the encrypted information to the service provider. 
     According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information relay method of relaying information related to a payment process of paying a usage fee of a toll road, the information relay method including the steps of: receiving information including identification information for identifying a user of the toll road and the usage fee of the toll road for the user; and identifying a payer for providing a payment means on the basis of account information associated with the identification information and transmitting payment request information including the account information and the usage fee to the payer. 
     According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a program for causing a computer of an information relay device ( 30 ) for relaying information related to a payment process from and to a service provider for performing the payment process of paying a usage fee of a toll road to function and execute the steps of: receiving information including identification information for identifying a user of the toll road and the usage fee of the toll road for the user; generating encrypted information in which account information associated with the identification information and the usage fee are encrypted by a security communication unit provided from the service provider; and transmitting the encrypted information to the service provider. 
     According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a program for causing a computer of an information relay device ( 30 ) provided in a service provider for relaying information related to a payment process of paying a usage fee of a toll road to function and execute the steps of: receiving information including identification information for identifying a user of the toll road and the usage fee of the toll road for the user; and identifying a payer for providing a payment means on the basis of account information associated with the identification information and transmitting payment request information including the account information and the usage fee to the payer. 
     Advantageous Effects of Invention 
     According to the information relay device, the information relay method, and the program described above, it is possible to provide a payment service in which a plurality of types of payment means are available. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a diagram schematically showing a toll collection system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a diagram showing a functional configuration of the toll collection system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a diagram showing an example of fee information according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a diagram showing an example of a registration table according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a diagram showing an example of bill information according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  is a diagram showing an example of payment information according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 7  is a diagram showing an example of payment request information according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 8  is a flowchart showing an example of a process of an information relay device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 9  is a flowchart showing an example of a process of a processing device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 10  is a diagram showing a functional configuration of a toll collection system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 11  is a diagram schematically showing a toll collection system according to a third embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 12  is a diagram showing a functional configuration of the toll collection system according to the third embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 13  is a flowchart showing an example of a process of an information relay device according to the third embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 14  is a schematic block diagram showing a configuration of a computer according to at least one embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
     First Embodiment 
     Hereinafter, a toll collection system  1  according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to  FIGS. 1 to 9 . 
     (Overall Configuration of Toll Collection System) 
       FIG. 1  is a diagram schematically showing the toll collection system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the toll collection system  1  includes a vehicle A that travels on a toll road, a toll booth TB on the toll road, a toll booth center TC, and a service provider P for providing a payment service for a usage fee of the toll road. 
     The toll booth TB is, for example, an exit toll booth provided at an exit of the toll road and includes various types of facilities for collecting a usage fee of the toll road from the vehicle A that travels on the toll road. Also, in another embodiment, the toll booth TB may be an entrance toll booth provided at an entrance of the toll road. 
     For example, the toll booth TB includes a roadside device  20  as the facility for collecting the usage fee from the vehicle A. 
     The roadside device  20  performs wireless communication with an on-board unit  10  mounted on the vehicle A and therefore performs a process of collecting the usage fee for the vehicle A entering a communication area (also referred to as a “toll collection process”). 
     The toll booth center TC has an information relay device  30  configured to collect information related to the usage fee for the vehicle A via a network (NW) such as the Internet and transmit the information to the service provider P to be described below. 
     The service provider P is a company that performs a payment process (a payment service) in which a usage fee of the toll road is paid using the FinTech mechanism without the use of cash. 
     The service provider P has a processing device  40  configured to perform a payment process of paying the usage fee on the basis of information received from the information relay device  30  of the toll booth center TC. The processing device  40  identifies a payer that provides a payment means on the basis of the information received from the information relay device  30  and requests the payer to pay the usage fee. The payment means is, for example, payment (remittance) using an account (hereinafter, referred to as a “bank account”) of a financial institution that handles savings and deposits such as a bank, a credit card, or a social networking service (SNS). The account information is information such as a “bank account ID and a PIN,” a “credit card number and an expiration date,” and an “SNS account ID and a PIN” for identifying these payment means. The payer is a company that performs payment of the usage fee on behalf of the user from the user&#39;s payment means, and is, for example, a bank, a credit card company, an SNS operating company, or the like. In the present embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 1 , an aspect in which the payer is a bank (a bank B 1 , a bank B 2 , or the like) will be described as an example. In response to a request from the service provider P, the bank that is the payer pays the usage fee from the user&#39;s payment means (for example, a bank account in the bank B 1 ). Also, the payer and the service provider P (the processing device  40 ) are connected so that they can perform communication via a dedicated network (NW) to which high security is applied. 
     Also, although an example in which the toll collection system  1  has only one service provider P is shown in  FIG. 1 , the present invention is not limited thereto. In another embodiment, the toll collection system  1  may have a plurality of service providers P. Also, although an aspect in which the service provider P is a company different from the payer will be described as an example in the present embodiment, the present invention is not limited thereto. In another embodiment, the service provider P and the payer may be the same company. 
     (Functional Configuration of Toll Collection System) 
       FIG. 2  is a diagram showing a functional configuration of the toll collection system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , the on-board unit  10  according to the present embodiment includes a wireless communication unit  100  and a fee information transmission unit  101 . 
     The wireless communication unit  100  transmits and receives various types of information related to the toll collection process by performing wireless communication based on, for example, dedicated short-range communication (DSRC) technology, with the roadside device  20 . Specifically, the wireless communication unit  100  transmits identification information of the vehicle A, a vehicle type classification, and information for identifying a travel distance of the toll road (for example, entrance information including a number of an entrance toll booth through which the vehicle A has entered the toll road and an entry time when the vehicle A has entered the toll road) to the roadside device  20  and receives information related to the usage fee of the user (a driver of the vehicle A or the like) from the roadside device  20 . Also, the wireless communication unit  100  may transmit a type of discount applied to the user (for example, a discount for the disabled or the like) and a discount classification for identifying an amount of discount to the roadside device  20 . 
     The fee information transmission unit  101  transmits “fee information D 1  ( FIG. 3 )” to the information relay device  30  via a network (NW) such as the Internet. 
       FIG. 3  is a diagram showing an example of fee information according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the fee information D 1  includes “identification information” for identifying a user of the toll road and a “usage fee” of the toll road for the user. The identification information is a unique ID such as an on-board unit ID or a user ID. 
     Also, as shown in  FIG. 2 , the roadside device  20  according to the present embodiment includes a wireless communication unit  200  and a usage fee calculation unit  201 . 
     The wireless communication unit  200  transmits and receives various types of information related to the toll collection process by performing wireless communication with the on-board unit  10 . 
     The usage fee calculation unit  201  calculates the usage fee for the user on the basis of various types of information (a vehicle type classification, a discount classification, and a travel distance) related to the toll collection process received by the wireless communication unit  200 . Also, the usage fee calculated by the usage fee calculation unit  201  is transmitted from the wireless communication unit  200  to the on-board unit  10 . 
     Also, as shown in  FIG. 2 , the information relay device  30  according to the present embodiment includes a reception unit  300 , an account information acquisition unit  301 , a security communication application programming interface (API)  302  (a security communication unit), a transmission unit  303 , a payment information reception unit  304 , a notification unit  305 , and a storage medium  310 . 
     The reception unit  300  receives the “fee information D 1  ( FIG. 3 )” from the on-board unit  10  via a network such as the Internet. 
     The account information acquisition unit  301  acquires “account information” associated with “identification information” of the user from the storage medium  310 . 
       FIG. 4  is a diagram showing an example of a registration table according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 
     As shown in  FIG. 4 , in the storage medium  310 , a “registration table D 2 ” in which “identification information” for identifying the user and “account information” for identifying a payment means of the user are pre-registered in association is stored. 
     The account information acquisition unit  301  retrieves and acquires the account information from the registration table D 2  using the identification information received by the reception unit  300  as a key. 
     The security communication API  302  is an API provided from the service provider P and is a functional unit having a connection function related to a connection to the processing device  40  provided in the service provider P and a security function of encrypting and decrypting information transmitted and received between the information relay device  30  and the processing device  40 . 
       FIG. 5  is a diagram showing an example of bill information according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 
     As shown in  FIG. 5 , the security communication API  302  according to the present embodiment generates encrypted information (“bill information D 3 ”) by encrypting the “usage fee” included in the fee information D 1  received by the reception unit  300  and the “account information” acquired by the account information acquisition unit  301  from the registration table D 2  using the encryption key information of the service provider P incorporated in the API in advance. Also, the bill information D 3  may further include “identification information.” 
     Also, the security communication API  302  performs a process of establishing a connection for transmitting and receiving information to and from the processing device  40  on the basis of connection information (information indicating a connection destination and a connection method) for connecting to the processing device  40  incorporated in the API in advance. 
     When the security communication API  302  establishes a connection with the processing device  40 , the transmission unit  303  transmits the “bill information D 3 ” generated by the security communication API  302  to the processing device  40 . 
     The payment information reception unit  304  receives “payment information D 4  ( FIG. 6 )” indicating whether or not the payment from the user&#39;s payment means (bank account) has succeeded from the processing device  40 . 
       FIG. 6  is a diagram showing an example of payment information according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 
     As shown in  FIG. 6 , the payment information D 4  includes the “account information” of the user and a “processing result” indicating whether or not the payment of the usage fee has succeeded. 
     When the processing result indicates that the payer has paid the usage fee normally, information indicating “payment completion” is input. When the balance in the bank account is less than the usage fee and payment has not been made, information indicating an “insufficient balance” is input. 
     Also, the payment information D 4  may include the “identification information” of the user so that the user can be easily identified. 
     When the payment information D 4  received by the payment information reception unit  304  includes information indicating that the balance in the payment means of the user is insufficient, the notification unit  305  notifies the roadside device  20  of the information. When the payer is a bank, the balance is the balance in the bank account. The balance is, for example, an available balance, when the payer is a credit card company and the balance is, for example, a charge balance in an SNS account, when the payer is an SNS operating company. 
     Also, as shown in  FIG. 2 , the processing device  40  according to the present embodiment includes a reception unit  400 , a security communication API  401  (a security communication unit), a payment request unit  402 , a processing result acquisition unit  403 , and a payment information notification unit  404 . 
     The reception unit  400  receives the “bill information D 3  ( FIG. 5 )” including the account information and the usage fee from the information relay device  30 . 
     The security communication API  401  is a functional unit having a security function of encrypting and decrypting information transmitted and received between the information relay device  30  and the processing device  40 . 
     The security communication API  401  decrypts the “bill information D 3 ” using the encryption key information of the service provider P incorporated in the API in advance. 
     The payment request unit  402  transmits “payment request information D 5  ( FIG. 7 )” including the “account information” and the “usage fee” to the payer (the bank B 1 ) providing the payment means identified from the “account information” included in the bill information D 3  that has been decrypted. Thereby, the payment request unit  402  requests the payer to pay the usage fee. 
       FIG. 7  is a diagram showing an example of the payment request information according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 
     As shown in  FIG. 7 , the payment request information DS includes the “account information” for identifying the payment means of the user, the “usage fee,” and “payee information” indicating a payee of the usage fee. Also, the payment request information D 5  may include information for enabling the user to be easily identified such as “identification information.” 
     When the payer (the bank B 1 ) receives the payment request from the information relay device  30 , the payer (the bank B 1 ) executes a process of paying (transmitting) the “usage fee” from the bank account of the user identified from the “account information” to the account of the payee (for example, the bank account of the toll booth center TC) with reference to the payment request information D 5 . 
     The processing result acquisition unit  403  acquires the processing result related to the payment of the usage fee by the payer. The processing result acquisition unit  403  acquires a processing result indicating “payment completion” when the payer has paid the usage fee from the user&#39;s bank account normally. Also, the processing result acquisition unit  403  acquires a processing result indicating an “insufficient balance” when the payment of the usage fee has failed because the balance in the bank account of the user is insufficient. 
     The payment information notification unit  404  generates “payment information D 4  ( FIG. 6 )” including the “processing result” acquired by the processing result acquisition unit  403  and transmits the generated information to the information relay device  30 . 
     (Process Flow of Information Relay Device) 
       FIG. 8  is a flowchart showing an example of a process of the information relay device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 
     Hereinafter, an example of a process in which the information relay device  30  relays various types of information related to the toll collection process will be described with reference to  FIG. 8 . 
     When the vehicle A reaches the toll booth TB, wireless communication is performed between the on-board unit  10  mounted on the vehicle A and the roadside device  20  and the usage fee according to the travel distance of the vehicle A, the vehicle type classification, and the like is calculated. At this time, the on-board unit  10  transmits the “fee information D 1  ( FIG. 3 )” including the “identification information” of the user and the calculated “usage fee” to the information relay device  30  via a network such as the Internet. 
     Then, as shown in  FIG. 8 , the reception unit  300  receives the “fee information D 1 ” from the on-board unit  10  (step S 10 ). 
     Next, the account information acquisition unit  301  retrieves and acquires “account information” associated with the “identification information” of the user from the registration table D 2  ( FIG. 4 ) pre-stored in the storage medium  310  ( FIG. 4 ) (step S 11 ). 
     Next, the security communication API  302  generates encrypted information (the “bill information D 3  ( FIG. 5 )”) in which the “usage fee” received by the reception unit  300  in step S 10  and the “account information” acquired by the account information acquisition unit  301  in step S 11  are encrypted using the encryption key information of the service provider P incorporated in the API in advance (step S 12 ). 
     Next, the security communication API  302  performs a process of establishing a connection for transmitting and receiving information to and from the processing device  40  on the basis of connection information (information indicating a connection destination and a connection method) for connecting to the processing device  40  incorporated in the API in advance (step S 13 ). 
     Next, when the security communication API  302  establishes a connection with the processing device  40 , the transmission unit  303  transmits the “bill information D 3 ” (the encrypted information) generated by the security communication API  302  to the processing device  40  (step S 14 ). 
     Then, the processing device  40  performs the payment process of paying the usage fee on the basis of the bill information D 3 . 
     Next, the payment information reception unit  304  receives the “payment information D 4  ( FIG. 6 )” indicating whether or not the payment from the user&#39;s payment means (bank account) has succeeded from the processing device  40  (step S 15 ). 
     The payment information reception unit  304  can ascertain whether the usage fee for the user has been paid normally, or whether the balance is insufficient, with reference to the “processing result” of the payment information D 4 . 
     Next, the notification unit  305  determines whether or not the balance in the user&#39;s payment means (the bank account of the bank B 1 ) is insufficient (step S 16 ). 
     When the “processing result” included in the payment information D 4  is an “insufficient balance” (step S 16 : YES), the notification unit  305  notifies the roadside device  20  that the balance in the user&#39;s payment means (bank account) is insufficient with respect to the usage fee (step S 17 ). Then, the roadside device  20  provides a notification (an output) indicating that the balance is insufficient to the user via an output device (a display device, a speaker, or the like) (not shown). 
     On the other hand, when the “processing result” included in the payment information D 4  is “payment completion” (step S 16 : NO), the notification unit  305  notifies the roadside device  20  that the payment of the usage fee from the payment means (the bank account) has been completed normally (step S 18 ). 
     Also, the payment information D 4  received by the payment information reception unit  304  is encrypted and the notification unit  305  can refer to various types of information included in the payment information D 4  by decrypting the payment information D 4  using the security communication API  302 . 
     (Process Flow of Processing Device) 
       FIG. 9  is a flowchart showing an example of a process of the processing device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 
     Hereinafter, an example of the payment process in the processing device  40  will be described with reference to  FIG. 9 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 9 , first, the reception unit  400  receives the “bill information D 3  ( FIG. 5 )” from the information relay device  30  (step S 20 ). 
     Next, the security communication API  401  decrypts the “bill information D 3 ” using encryption key information of the service provider P incorporated in the API in advance (step S 21 ). 
     Next, the payment request unit  402  extracts “account information” and a “usage fee” from the bill information D 3  that has been decrypted. Then, the payment request unit  402  transmits the payment request information “D 5  ( FIG. 7 )” to the payer (bank B 1 ) providing a payment means (a bank account in the bank B 1 ) identified from the “account information” via the dedicated network (step S 22 ). 
     Specifically, as shown in  FIG. 7 , the payment request unit  402  generates the payment request information D 5  including “identification information” and the “account information” of the user, the “usage fee,” and “payee information.” At this time, the payment request unit  402  includes information (for example, an account ID of the toll booth center TC) indicating a bank account or the like pre-designated by the toll booth center TC which is a transmission source of the bill information D 3  as the “payee information” in the payment request information D 5 . 
     When such payment request information D 5  is received, the payer executes a process of paying (transmitting) the “usage fee” from the user&#39;s bank account identified from the “account information” to the bank account of the toll booth center TC identified by the “payee information.” 
     Next, the processing result acquisition unit  403  acquires the processing result related to the payment of the usage fee by the payer (step S 23 ). 
     The processing result acquisition unit  403  acquires a processing result indicating “payment completion” when the payer has paid the usage fee from the user&#39;s bank account normally. Also, the processing result acquisition unit  403  acquires a processing result indicating an “insufficient balance” when the payment of the usage fee has failed because the balance in the user&#39;s bank account is insufficient. 
     Next, the payment information notification unit  404  generates “payment information D 4  ( FIG. 6 )” including the “processing result” acquired by the processing result acquisition unit  403  and transmits the payment information D 4  to the information relay device  30  (step S 24 ). 
     At this time, the payment information notification unit  404  encrypts the payment information D 4  using the security communication API  401  and transmits the encrypted information to the information relay device  30 . 
     The processing device  40  executes the above-described process every time the bill information D 3  is received from the information relay device  30 . 
     (Operation and Effect) 
     As described above, according to the present embodiment, the information relay device  30  for relaying information related to a payment process from and to the service provider P for performing the payment process of paying a usage fee of a toll road includes the reception unit  300  configured to receive the fee information D 1  including identification information for identifying a user of the toll road and the usage fee of the toll road for the user; the storage medium  310  storing the registration table D 2  in which the identification information and account information for identifying a payment means of the user are pre-registered in association; the security communication API  302  (a security communication unit) provided from the service provider P and configured to generate encrypted information (the bill information D 3 ) in which the account information associated with the identification information and the usage fee are encrypted; and the transmission unit  303  configured to transmit the encrypted information to the service provider P. 
     Thereby, the information relay device  30  can request payment according to the account information by transmitting the encrypted information including the account information and the usage fee to the service provider P even if a different payment means is designated for each user. Thereby, the information relay device can be compatible with a payment service using various types of payment means as well as a credit card. 
     Also, the information relay device  30  further includes the notification unit  305  configured to notify that a balance is insufficient when the balance in the payment means is less than the usage fee. 
     Thereby, the information relay device  30  can immediately notify the user that the balance in the payment means (for example, a bank account) is insufficient. 
     In the present embodiment, the payer may be a bank and the payment means may be a bank account. 
     Because high-level security is required for a dedicated network for accessing a bank account, a conventional system does not have a mechanism for performing payment by making a direct connection from the toll booth center TC on the toll road to the bank account. 
     However, in the toll collection system  1  according to the present embodiment, the information relay device  30  of the toll booth center TC and the processing device  40  of the service provider P relay information to and from the bank and therefore a payment request for the usage fee of the toll road can be issued to the bank that is the payer without lowering the security level of the dedicated network for accessing the bank account. Thereby, the toll collection system  1  can provide the user of the toll road with a payment service for immediately paying a usage fee from the bank account of the user. 
     Also, the security communication API  302  is an API provided from the service provider P and performs a process of establishing a connection for transmitting and receiving information to and from the processing device  40  on the basis of connection information (information indicating a connection destination and a connection method) for connecting to the processing device  40  incorporated in the API in advance. Also, the security communication API  302  generates encrypted information (the “bill information D 3 ”) by performing encryption using the encryption key information of the service provider P incorporated in the API in advance. 
     Thereby, the connection information and the encryption key information can be incorporated in the information relay device  30  in a state in which the connection information and the encryption key information are confidentially kept within the API without being disclosed to the public. Thereby, the information relay device  30  can be connected to the processing device  40  provided in the service provider P in a state in which the security level required by the payer (the bank) is maintained. Also, the information relay device  30  can transmit and receive account information and the like for identifying a bank account in a state in which high confidentiality is maintained. 
     Second Embodiment 
       FIG. 10  is a diagram showing a functional configuration of a toll collection system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. 
     Hereinafter, a toll collection system  1  according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to  FIG. 10 . Components common to the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference signs and a detailed description thereof will be omitted. 
     The present embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that a roadside device  20  transmits “fee information D 1 ” to an information relay device  30  instead of an on-board unit  10 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the on-board unit  10  according to the present embodiment has a wireless communication unit  100 . 
     The wireless communication unit  100  transmits and receives various types of information related to a toll collection process by performing wireless communication with the roadside device  20  as in the first embodiment. 
     The wireless communication unit  100  according to the present embodiment may perform wireless communication based on DSRC technology or may perform wireless communication based on radio frequency identification (RFID) technology. 
     Also, as shown in  FIG. 3 , the roadside device  20  according to the present embodiment includes a wireless communication unit  200 , a usage fee calculation unit  201 , and a fee information transmission unit  202 . 
     The wireless communication unit  200  transmits and receives various types of information related to the toll collection process by performing wireless communication with the on-board unit  10  as in the first embodiment. 
     As in the first embodiment, the usage fee calculation unit  201  calculates the usage fee for the user on the basis of various types of information (a vehicle type classification, a discount classification, and a travel distance) related to the toll collection process received by the wireless communication unit  200 . Also, the usage fee calculated by the usage fee calculation unit  201  may be transmitted from the wireless communication unit  200  to the on-board unit  10 . 
     The fee information transmission unit  202  transmits “fee information D 1  ( FIG. 3 )” including “identification information” received by the wireless communication unit  200  and a “usage fee” calculated by the usage fee calculation unit  201  to the information relay device  30  via a network (NW) such as the Internet. 
     Also, as shown in  FIG. 3 , the information relay device  30  according to the present embodiment includes a reception unit  300 , an account information acquisition unit  301 , a security communication application programming interface (API)  302  (a security communication unit), a transmission unit  303 , a payment information reception unit  304 , a notification unit  305 , and a storage medium  310 . 
     The reception unit  300  receives the “fee information D 1  ( FIG. 3 )” from the roadside device  20  via a network such as the Internet. 
     Also, because functional components of the account information acquisition unit  301 , the security communication API  302 , the transmission unit  303 , the payment information reception unit  304 , the notification unit  305 , and the storage medium  310  are similar to those of the first embodiment, a description thereof will be omitted. 
     Also, as shown in  FIG. 10 , the processing device  40  according to the present embodiment includes a reception unit  400 , a security communication API  401  (a security communication unit), a payment request unit  402 , a processing result acquisition unit  403 , and a payment information notification unit  404 . 
     Because these functional components are similar to those of the first embodiment, a description thereof will be omitted. 
     The toll collection system  1  according to the present embodiment has the above-described configuration, so that effects similar to those of the first embodiment can be obtained. 
     Further, in the toll collection system  1  according to the present embodiment, information to be transmitted and received between the on-board unit  10  and the roadside device  20  (“identification information” such as the on-board unit ID, a “vehicle type classification,” “entrance information,” a “usage fee,” and the like) is similar to information to be transmitted and received in the conventional toll collection system. Also, information to be transmitted and received between the roadside device  20  and the information relay device  30  (the “fee information D 1 ” including the “identification information” and the “usage fee”) is similar to information to be transmitted and received in the conventional toll collection system. Therefore, because the toll collection system  1  according to the present embodiment can use the on-board unit  10  and the roadside device  20  used in the conventional toll collection system, it is possible to reduce the cost for newly developing and replacing a plurality of on-board units  10  and a plurality of roadside devices  20 . 
     Third Embodiment 
       FIG. 11  is a diagram schematically showing a toll collection system according to a third embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIG. 12  is a diagram showing a functional configuration of the toll collection system according to the third embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIG. 13  is a flowchart showing an example of a process of an information relay device according to the third embodiment of the present invention. 
     Hereinafter, a toll collection system  1  according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to  FIGS. 11 to 13 . Components common to the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference signs and a detailed description thereof will be omitted. 
     As shown in  FIG. 11 , the toll collection system  1  according to the present embodiment is different from the first and second embodiments in that a service provider P has an information relay device  30 . 
     Also, functional components of an on-board unit  10  and a roadside device  20  are similar to those of the first or second embodiment. Although an aspect in which the on-board unit  10  transmits various types of information related to a toll collection process to the information relay device  30  is shown in the example of  FIG. 12 , as in the first embodiment, the present invention is not limited thereto. As in the second embodiment, an aspect in which the roadside device  20  transmits various types of information related to the toll collection process to the information relay device  30  may be used. 
     As shown in  FIG. 12 , the information relay device  30  according to the present embodiment includes a reception unit  300 , an account information acquisition unit  301 , a notification unit  305 , a payment request unit  306 , a processing result acquisition unit  307 , and a storage medium  310 . 
     Hereinafter, an example of a function and a process of the information relay device  30  according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to  FIG. 13 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 13 , first, the reception unit  300  receives the “fee information D 1  ( FIG. 3 )” including “identification information” of the user and a “usage fee” for the user from the on-board unit  10  (or the roadside device  20 ) (step S 30 ). 
     Next, the account information acquisition unit  301  retrieves and acquires “account information” associated with the “identification information” of the user from the registration table D 2  ( FIG. 4 ) pre-stored in the storage medium  310  (step S 31 ). 
     Next, the payment request unit  306  identifies a payer (a bank B 1 ) providing a payment means (a bank account in the bank B 1 ) on the basis of the “account information” acquired by the account information acquisition unit  301  in step S 31 . The payment request unit  306  transmits the “payment request information D 5  ( FIG. 7 )” to the payer (the bank B 1 ) via a dedicated network (step S 32 ). 
     When the payment request information D 5  is received, the payer executes a process of paying (transmitting) the “usage fee” from the user&#39;s bank account identified from the “account information” to a bank account of a toll booth center TC identified from “payee information.” 
     Next, the processing result acquisition unit  307  acquires a processing result related to the payment of the usage fee by the payer (step S 33 ). 
     The processing result acquisition unit  307  acquires a processing result indicating “payment completion” when the payment of the usage fee has been performed by the payer from the user&#39;s bank account normally. Also, the processing result acquisition unit  403  acquires a processing result indicating an “insufficient balance” when the payment of the usage fee has failed because the balance in the user&#39;s bank account is insufficient. 
     Next, the notification unit  305  determines whether or not the balance in the payment means (the bank account in the bank B 1 ) of the user is insufficient (step S 34 ). 
     When the processing result obtained by the processing result acquisition unit  307  in step S 33  is the “insufficient balance” (step S 34 : YES), the notification unit  305  notifies the roadside device  20  that the balance in the user&#39;s payment means (bank account) is insufficient with respect to the usage fee (step S 35 ). Then, the roadside device  20  provides a notification (an output) indicating that the balance is insufficient to the user via an output device (a display device, a speaker, or the like) (not shown). 
     On the other hand, when the processing result obtained by the processing result acquisition unit  307  in step S 33  is “payment completion” (step S 34 : NO), the notification unit  305  notifies the roadside device  20  that payment of the usage fee from the payment means (the bank account) has been completed normally (step S 36 ). 
     As described above, according to the present embodiment, the information relay device  30  provided in the service provider P for performing a payment process of paying a usage fee of a toll road includes the reception unit  300  configured to receive the fee information D 1  including identification information for identifying a user of the toll road and the usage fee of the toll road for a user; the storage medium  310  storing the registration table D 2  in which the identification information and account information for identifying a payment means of the user are pre-registered in association; and the payment request unit  306  configured to identify a payer for providing the payment means on the basis of the account information associated with the identification information and transmit the payment request information D 5  including the account information and the usage fee to the payer. 
     Thereby, the information relay device  30  can appropriately transmit a payment request to each of the payers providing the payment means on the basis of the account information even if a different payment means is designated for each user. Thereby, the information relay device can provide the user with a payment service using various types of payment means as well as a credit card. 
     Also, because the account information of the user is stored only in the information relay device  30  provided in the service provider P, the information relay device  30  can sufficiently maintain the confidentiality of the account information for identifying the bank account. 
     Also, the information relay device  30  further includes the notification unit  305  configured to notify that a balance is insufficient when the balance in the payment means is less than the usage fee. 
     Thereby, the information relay device  30  can immediately notify the user that the balance in the payment means is insufficient. 
       FIG. 14  is a schematic block diagram showing a configuration of a computer according to at least one embodiment. 
     A computer  900  includes a CPU  901 , a main storage device  902 , an auxiliary storage device  903 , and an interface  904 . 
     The information relay device  30  and the processing device  40  according to each of the above-described embodiments are installed in the computer  900 . The operation of each processing unit described above is stored in the auxiliary storage device  903  in the form of a program. The CPU  901  reads the program from the auxiliary storage device  903 , loads the program into the main storage device  902 , and executes the above process according to the program. Also, the CPU  901  secures a storage area corresponding to the above-described storage medium  310  in the main storage device  902  in accordance with the program. 
     Examples of the auxiliary storage device  903  include a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid-state drive (SSD), a magnetic disk, a magneto-optical disc, a compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM), and a digital versatile disc read only memory (DVD-ROM), a semiconductor memory, and the like. The auxiliary storage device  903  may be an internal medium directly connected to the bus of the computer  900  or may be an external medium connected to the computer  900  via the interface  904  or a communication circuit. Also, when the program is distributed to the computer  900  via the communication circuit, the computer  900  receiving the distributed program may load the program into the main storage device  902  and execute the above process. In at least one embodiment, the auxiliary storage device  903  is a non-transitory tangible storage medium. 
     Also, the above-described program may be a program for implementing some of the above-described functions. Further, the above-described program may be a program capable of implementing the above-described function in combination with another program already stored in the auxiliary storage device  903 , i.e., a so-called differential file (differential program). 
     Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited thereto and some design changes are possible without departing from the technical idea of the present invention. 
     For example, although an aspect in which the identification information and the account information are associated one-to-one in the registration table D 2  has been described in the above-described embodiment, the present invention is not limited thereto. In another embodiment, when the user has a plurality of different payment means, a plurality of pieces of account information may be associated with one piece of identification information in the registration table D 2 . Specifically, it is assumed that the user has bank accounts in a plurality of countries (a country A and a country B). In this case, in the registration table D 2 , account information indicating a bank account of the country A and account information indicating a bank account of the country B are associated with identification information of the user. In this case, the account information acquisition unit  301  of the information relay device  30  may acquire account information corresponding to the currency of the usage fee included in the fee information D 1  from the registration table D 2 . That is, when the usage fee of the fee information D 1  is input in the currency of the country A (for example, yen), the account information acquisition unit  301  acquires account information indicating the bank account of the country A. 
     Also, in still another embodiment, the account information acquisition unit  301  may acquire a plurality of pieces of account information registered in the registration table D 2  and transmit the acquired information to the processing device  40 . In this case, the payment request unit  402  of the processing device  40  may make a payment request while selecting account information corresponding to the currency of the usage fee included in the bill information D 3  from among the plurality of pieces of account information. 
     Thereby, the information relay device  30  and the processing device  40  can automatically select an appropriate payment means according to the usage fee from the plurality of pieces of account information associated with the identification information of the user and perform the payment process. 
     Also, although an aspect in which the on-board unit  10  and the roadside device  20  perform wireless communication at the toll booth TB to perform the toll collection process has been described in the above-described embodiment, the present invention is not limited thereto. 
     In another embodiment, the on-board unit  10  may be configured to measure a traveling position of the vehicle A using, for example, the technology of a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) and calculate a usage fee of a toll road on which the vehicle A has traveled with reference to road map data pre-stored in the on-board unit  10 . In this case, the roadside device  20  may be omitted from the toll collection system  1 . 
     INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY 
     According to the information relay device, the information relay method, and the program described above, it is possible to provide a payment service in which a plurality of types of payment means are available. 
     REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 
       1  Toll collection system 
       10  On-board unit 
       100  Wireless communication unit 
       101  Fee information transmission unit 
       20  Roadside device 
       200  Wireless communication unit 
       201  Usage fee calculation unit 
       202  Fee information transmission unit 
       30  Information relay device 
       300  Reception unit 
       301  Account information acquisition unit 
       302  Security communication API (security communication unit) 
       303  Transmission unit 
       304  Payment information reception unit 
       305  Notification unit 
       306  Payment request unit 
       307  Processing result acquisition unit 
       310  Storage medium 
       40  Processing device 
       400  Reception unit 
       401  Security communication API (security communication unit) 
       402  Payment request unit 
       403  Processing result acquisition unit 
       404  Payment information notification unit