CONTROL SYSTEM FOR WIRELESS COMMUNICATION PARKING METER

• US 20120286036A1
• Filed: 05/10/2012
• Published: 11/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Duncan Parking Technologies, Inc. (Navient Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Duncan Solutions, Inc. (Navient Corp.)
• Inventors: Jones, Gavin, Subramanya, Balu, Nickolaus, Mike
• Granted Patent: US 9,524,498 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/380
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/145 Payments according to the detected use or quantity
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0284 Time or distance, e.g. usage of parking meters or taximeters
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/00 Arrangements or apparatus for collecting fares, tolls or entrance fees at one or more control points handling coins or valuable papers, e.g. banknotes, G07D; apparatus for vending or hiring articles or services activated by coins, credit cards, paper currency or the like G07F7/00, G07F17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/02 taking into account a variable factor such as distance or time, e.g. for passenger transport, parking systems or car rental systems G07B15/06 takes precedence; taximeters G07B13/00; parking meters per se G07F17/24; car rental systems per se G07B15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 1/30 Parking meters registering or indicating waiting time of vehicles by means driven by the vehicle G07C5/02; coin-freed parking meters G07F17/24
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/02 Registering or indicating driving, working, idle, or waiting time only apparatus forming part of taximeters G07B13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/24 for parking meters
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/248 Housing construction casings for coin-freed apparatus G07F9/10
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/141 with means giving the indication of available parking spaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/14 Marketing, i.e. market research and analysis, surveying, promotions, advertising, buyer profiling, customer management or rewards

Abstract

An electronic parking meter mechanism is provided. The electronic meter mechanism includes an inner housing, an electronic display screen and a wireless communication subsystem configured to wirelessly communicate with a parking management system. The electronic meter mechanism includes a first processor configured to control the electronic display screen, and a second processor configured to control communication of data by the wireless communication subsystem.

Claims

1. An electronic parking meter mechanism comprising:

an inner housing including a front side and a rear side;

an electronic display screen supported by the inner housing;

a first processor configured to control the electronic display screen;

a wireless communication subsystem supported by the inner housing configured to wirelessly communicate with a parking management system; and

a second processor configured to control communication of data by the wireless communication subsystem.

2. The electronic parking meter mechanism of claim 1 wherein the first processor is configured to perform parking meter time keeping functions.

3. The electronic parking meter mechanism of claim 2 wherein the first processor is communicably coupled to the second processor and configured to communicate meter time data to the second processor, and the second processor is configured to control the wireless communication subsystem to communicate the meter time data to the parking management system.

4. The electronic parking meter mechanism of claim 2 further comprising a vehicle sensor communicably coupled to the second processor, the vehicle sensor configured to detect a vehicle located within a parking space, to generate a signal indicative of the presence of the vehicle within the parking space and to communicate the signal to the second processor.

5. The electronic parking meter mechanism of claim 4 wherein the second processor is configured to process the signal indicative of the presence of the vehicle within the parking space to determine whether a vehicle is parked in the parking space when the meter is expired, and further wherein the second processor is configured to control the wireless communication subsystem to transmit data indicative of a vehicle parked at an expired meter to the parking management system.

6. The electronic parking meter mechanism of claim 2 further comprising a user input device located on the front side of the inner housing, wherein the first processor is configured to receive input signals from the user input device.

7. The electronic parking meter mechanism of claim 6 further comprising:

a currency reader supported by the inner housing and including a slot for receiving currency, the currency reader communicably coupled to the first processor and configured to generate a signal indicating that currency has been received by the slot, wherein the first processor is configured to receive and to process the signal from the currency reader and to add time to the meter based upon the signal from the currency reader; and

a credit card mag-strip reader supported by the inner housing and communicably coupled to the second processor and configured to generate a signal indicative of credit card data, wherein the second processor is configured to receive and process credit card data received from the credit card mag-strip reader.

8. The electronic parking meter mechanism of claim 7 wherein the second processor is configured to control the wireless communication subsystem to communicate credit card data to the parking management system.

9. The electronic parking meter mechanism of claim 8 wherein the second processor communicates data related to the receipt of credit card payment to the first processor and the first processor is configured to add time to the meter based upon the data related to the receipt of credit card payment.

10. The electronic parking meter mechanism of claim 7 wherein the first processor is communicably coupled to the second processor, wherein first processor communicates data related to the receipt of currency to the second processor and the second processor communicates data related to the receipt of currency to the parking management system via the wireless communication subsystem.

11. The electronic parking meter mechanism of claim 1 wherein the first processor is the processor of an existing single space parking meter, and the second processor is a component of a retrofit unit configured to provide wireless communication to the existing single space parking meter.

12. The electronic parking meter mechanism of claim 1 further comprising a battery and a solar panel, wherein both the first and second processors are powered by the battery and the solar panel.

13. An electronic parking meter control system configured to communicate with a single space meter processor that controls the display and time keeping functions of a single space parking meter, the control system comprising:

a processor configured to be communicably coupled to the single space meter processor;

wireless communication hardware communicably coupled to the processor;

wherein the processor is configured to receive data from the single space meter processor and is configured to control the wireless communications hardware to transmit the received data to the parking management system.

14. The electronic parking meter control system of claim 13 further comprising:

an interface coupled to the processor; and

a wired communication link coupled between the interface and the single space meter processor.

15. The electronic parking meter control system of claim 14 wherein the single space meter processor is the processor of an existing single space parking meter, and the electronic parking meter control system is a retrofit unit configured to provide wireless communication to the existing single space parking meter.

16. The electronic parking meter control system of claim 15 configured to communicate with a second single space meter processor that controls the display and time keeping functions of a second single space parking meter, the system further comprising:

a second interface coupled to the processor; and

a second wired communication link coupled between the second interface and the second single space meter processor.

17. The electronic parking meter control system of claim 13 further comprising a vehicle sensor communicably coupled to the processor, the vehicle sensor configured to detect a vehicle located within a parking space, to generate a signal indicative of the presence of the vehicle within the parking space and to communicate the signal to the processor, wherein the processor is configured to control the wireless communications hardware to communicate data regarding the presence of a vehicle in the parking space to the parking management system.

18. The electronic parking meter control system of claim 17, wherein the processor is configured to process the signal indicative of the presence of the vehicle within the parking space to determine whether a vehicle is parked in the parking space when the meter is expired, and further wherein the processor is configured to control the wireless communication subsystem to transmit data indicative of a vehicle parked at an expired meter to the parking management system.

19. An electronic parking meter device comprising:

an inner housing including a front side and a rear side;

wireless communications hardware supported by the inner housing configured to wirelessly communicate with a parking management system;

a credit card mag-strip reader supported by the inner housing;

a currency reader including a slot for receiving currency located on the front side of the inner housing;

an electronic display screen supported by the inner housing including both front and rear displays;

a keypad located below the slot of the currency reader;

a vehicle sensor configured to detect a vehicle located within a parking space associated with the electronic meter mechanism and to generate a signal indicative of the presence of the vehicle within the parking space a first processor configured to perform parking meter time keeping functions; and

a second processor configured to receive signals from the credit card mag-strip reader and the vehicle sensor and to control communications via the wireless communications hardware.

20. The electronic parking meter device of claim 19 wherein the second processor is also configured to receive signals from the currency reader and the keypad and configured to control the electronic display.

21. The electronic parking meter device of claim 19 wherein the first processor is also configured to receive signals from the currency reader and the keypad and configured to control the electronic display.

22. The electronic parking meter device of claim 21 wherein the first processor is communicably coupled to the second processor, wherein first processor is configured to communicate data related to the receipt of currency to the second processor and the second processor is configured to communicate data related to the receipt of currency to the parking management system via the wireless communication hardware and wherein the second processor communicates data related to the receipt of credit card payment to the first processor and the first processor is configured to add time to the meter based upon the data related to the receipt of credit card payment.