APPARATUS FOR MONITORING INDIVIDUAL PARKING POSITIONS

• US 20080266138A1
• Filed: 04/25/2008
• Published: 10/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SKIDATA AG (Thales SA)
• Original Assignee: SKIDATA AG (Thales SA)
• Inventors: PONERT, Gregor
• Granted Patent: US 7,855,661 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/932.2
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/04 using optical or ultrasonic detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/14 indicating individual free spaces in parking areas

Abstract

Apparatus for the individual monitoring of parking positions of a parking facility comprises a sensor (9) for vehicle detection and optical indicator means (5) for indicating the occupied/free status of a parking position (4). Sensor (9) has a transmit aerial (10) to radio the occupied/free status of parking position (4) to the parking facility control center. The optical indicator means (5) comprises a bistable indicating element.

Claims

1-12. -12. (canceled)

13. An apparatus for monitoring individual parking positions of a parking area, the apparatus comprising:

a sensor (9) for vehicle detection, and

optical indicator means (5) for indicating an occupied/free status, the sensor (9) comprising a transmit aerial (10, 21) for transmitting the occupied/free status of an individual parking position (14), by radio, to a parking facility control center, and

the optical indicator means (5) including at least one bistable indicator element.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the sensor (9) and the optical indicating means (5) are disposed in a casing (1) adapted to be mounted on one of a roadway pavement and at an overhead location.

15. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein at least one of a dry-cell battery (7), a chargeable battery and a photovoltaic module supplies power to the sensor (9) and the optical indicator means (5).

16. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the sensor (9) is intermittently activatable for at least one of vehicle detection and radio transmission.

17. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the bistable indicator element comprises an indicator platelet (6) which has optically differing side surfaces and is mounted for rotation.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein at least one side surface of the indicator platelet (6) is formed to fluoresce and reflect light.

19. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the sensor (9) comprises a receive aerial (13a) and detects movement of a vehicle (12) from differences of a signal picked up by receive aerial (13) from the signal transmitted by a transmit aerial (10, 21) to monitor the vehicle.

20. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein for the sensor is configured to detect reflexion of a signal thereby monitoring a vehicle.

21. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the sensor (9) comprises a mixer (14), a transceiver (18) and a micro-controller (19).

22. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein at least one of the transmit aerial (10) and the receive aerial (13a) are directional and an additional non-directional aerial (21, 13b) is provided, the directional aerial (10) and the additional non-directional aerial (21, 13b) are switched to operate alternatively.

23. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein that transmit aerial (10, 21) transmits the occupied/free status of the individual parking position, by radio, to at least one base station (24, 26) connected to the parking lot control center.

24. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the sensor (9) comprises one of a geomagnetic field sensor, an ultrasonic sensor and an infrared sensor.

25. An apparatus for monitoring a plurality of individual parking spots of a parking area, the apparatus comprising:

a sensor (9) for vehicle detection, and

optical indicator (5) for indicating an occupied/free status, the sensor (9) comprising a transmit aerial (10, 21) for transmitting the occupied/free status of an individual parking spot (14), by a radio transmission, to a parking facility control center, and

the optical indicator (5) including at least one bistable indicator element.