GEN II METER SYSTEM WITH MULTIPLE PROCESSORS, MULTIPLE DETECTION SENSOR TYPES, FAULT TOLERANCE METHODS, POWER SHARING AND MULTIPLE USER INTERFACE METHODS

• US 20150213717A1
• Filed: 04/06/2015
• Published: 07/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fybr LLC
• Original Assignee: Fybr LLC
• Inventors: Keller, Scott, Krstanovic, Chris, Swiedler, Tom, Fasciano, David, Groft, Eric
• Granted Patent: US 10,839,687 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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: G07F 17/246 provided with vehicle proximity-detectors detecting hidden masses, e.g. metal detectors, G01V, e.g. G01V3/00; proximity switches per se H03K17/00; traffic control systems G08G1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/144 on portable or mobile units, e.g. personal digital assistant [PDA]

Abstract

A parking space monitoring system, with multiple microprocessors for handling various parking space management conditions, including at least one of the following conditions: (1) Space Occupancy (vehicle detection); (2) Parking Meter Status; (3) Display of Parking Policy to Motorists; (3) Motorist User Interactions; (4) Maintenance User Interactions; (5) Radio Communications with a Central management system and Network; and (6) Coordination of the operation between various ones of the microprocessors.

Claims

1. A parking space monitoring system for handling various parking space management conditions, comprising:

a parking space monitoring device for a parking space;

a piece of electronic equipment having a plurality of microprocessors located within the parking space monitoring device, wherein the microprocessors are configured to monitor and respond to the various parking space management conditions of the parking space monitoring system;

a power control mechanism configured to provide power to the piece of electronic equipment and the plurality of microprocessors;

a mobile computer having a Global Positioning System (GPS) wherein the (GPS) reports a current geographical location of the mobile computer;

a remote processing center and communication network, wherein the mobile computer and the parking space monitoring device are communicably connected to the remote processing center by the communication network; and

wherein the remote processing center and the parking space monitoring device are configured for defining and weighing information related to an urgency of a response to the various parking space management conditions formed to different pre-determined parking space management characteristics of the parking space and to the current geographical location of the mobile computer for determining a highest degree of effective response by a field personnel using the mobile computer.

2. The parking space monitoring system as in claim 1, further comprising a power supply and solar cells for supplementing additional power shared with at least one external device including parking meters, digital signage and other types of related user interfacing devices.

3. The parking space monitoring system as in claim 1 wherein the response to the various parking space management conditions comprises current violations, maintenance issues or meter collection requirements.

4. The parking space monitoring system as in claim 1 wherein the (GPS) of the mobile computer reports the current geographical location of the mobile computer in order to receive instructions from the remote processing center with respect to current violations, maintenance issues or meter collection requirements that are most proximate to the field personnel using the mobile computer.

5. The parking space monitoring system as in claim 1 wherein the (GPS) of the mobile computer reports the current geographical location of the mobile computer in order to receive instructions from the remote processing center with respect to current violations, maintenance issues or meter collection requirements that are highest ranked.

6. The parking space monitoring system as in claim 1 wherein the highest degree of effective response includes at least one of a citation fine amount, violation type, type of equipment failure, historical usage rates in a location being monitored, meter rates, time in violation, current duration of equipment failure, and type of residential or commercial parking location.

7. The parking space monitoring system as in claim 1 wherein the mobile computers and remote processing center are arranged so that remote access is provided for observation of a location of each worker in a monitored parking space, based on at least part of aggregate data, and identification of an emergent condition at a different location and for direction of a worker to the different location in response to identification of the emergent condition.

8. The parking space monitoring system as in claim 1, further comprising a separate device employing at least one of an induction loop, magnetometer, RADAR, ultrasonic, infrared viable means, and a radio, said separate device monitoring a parking space'"'"'s occupancy and communicates the parking space'"'"'s occupancy status either directly through at least one of the radio, the communication network to which the separate device is connected, and by the remote processing center.

9. The parking space monitoring system as in claim 8, further comprising a connected detection unit including said induction loop and installed below grade in the parking spaces of said parking space monitoring system.

10. The parking space monitoring system as in claim 1, wherein the various parking space management conditions include at least one of the following conditions:

Space Occupancy;

Parking Meter Status;

Display of Parking Policy to Motorists;

Motorist User Interactions;

Maintenance User Interactions;

Radio Communications with a Central Management System and Network; and

coordination of the operation between the plurality of microprocessors.

11. The parking space monitoring system as in claim 1 wherein the networked mobile computers and remote processing center are arranged so that remote access is provided for observation of a location of each worker in a monitored parking space, based at least in part on the last transmission of GPS data, and identification of an emergent condition at different locations and for direction of a worker to the different location in response to identification of the emergent condition.