APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING THE TOTAL DURATION OF TRANSITORY PHENOMENA

• US 3,867,615 A
• Filed: 07/27/1972
• Issued: 02/18/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/1969
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Amedee Sioufi
• Original Assignee: Amedee Sioufi
• Inventors: Sioufi, Amedee
• Primary Examiner(s): Springborn, Harvey E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gnuse, Robert F.
• Application Number:
  US05/275,861
• Time in Patent Office: 936 Days
• Field of Search: 235/92TC,92T 340/51
• US Class Current: 377/20
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/065 by counting the vehicles in a section of the road or in a parking area, i.e. comparing incoming count with outgoing count
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/14 indicating individual free spaces in parking areas

Abstract

An apparatus for determining the parking time of vehicles in a car park, comprising a flat detecting device for supplying a signal when a vehicle enters the park, and a second detecting device for supplying a signal when a vehicle departs from the park. A timer to calibrate the signals from the first and second detecting devices in time and for attributing different algebraic signs to the calibrated times of the signals depending upon which of the detectors they come from, and a device for summing the calibrated times of the signals in an algebraic sum, for obtaining by the summing device information corresponding to the result of the operation Sigma Tsi - Sigma Tei, in which Tsi and Tei are, respectively, the departure times and the entry times of the vehicles, in an order to determine the total parking time of the vehicles in the park.

Claims

1. An apparatus for determining the parking time of vehicles in a car park, comprising:

a first detecting means for supplying a signal when a vehicle enters the park, a second detecting means for supplying a signal when a vehicle departs from the park, timing means for assigning said signals from said first and second detecting means in time and for attributing different algebraic signs to the assigned times of said signals depending upon which of said detecting means they come from, computing means for summing the assigned times of said signals in an algebraic sum, for obtaining by the computing means information corresponding to the result of the operation Sigma Tsi - Sigma Tei, in which Tsi and Tei are, respectively, the departure times and the entry times of the vehicles in order to determine the total parking time of the vehicles in the park, said apparatus being for determining the total time spent in the car park by cars in a time interval between an initial time and a final time, wherein the park is empty at the initial time and cars can remain in the park at the final time, counter means operatively responsive to said first and second detecting means for determining the number of cars still in the park at the final time, and a relay means for transmitting to said computing means at the final time a correction term equal to the product of said final time multiplied by the number of cars left in the park.

2. An apparatus for determining the parking time of vehicles in a car park, comprising:

a first detecting means for supplying a signal when a vehicle enters the park, a second detecting means for supplying a signal when a vehicle departs from the park, timing means for assigning said signals from said first and second detecting means in time and jfor attributing different algebraic signs to the assigned times of said signals depending upon which of said detecting means they come from, computing means for summing the assigned times of said signals in an algebraic sum, for obtaining by the computing means information corresponding to the result of the operation Sigma Tsi - Sigma Tei, in which Tsi and Tei are, respectively, the departure times and the entry times of the vehicles in order to determine the total parking time of the vehicles in the park, said apparatus being for determining the total time spent in the car park by cars in a time interval between an initial time and a final time, wherein cars can already be in the park at the initial time and can remain in the park at the final time, counter means operatively responsive to said first and second detecting means for determining the number of cars in the park at the initial time and at the final time, respectively, and a relay means for transmitting to said computing means with different algebraic signs, two correction terms, one of said correction terms is equal to the product of said final time multiplied by the number of the cars left in the park, and the other of said correction terms is equal to the product of said initial time multiplied by the number of the cars already in the park.

3. An apparatus for determining the parking time of vehicles in a car park, comprising:

timing means continuously operable to provide a time base;

first detecting means connected to said timing means for generating a series of signals representing entry times Tei upon each entry of a vehicle into said park;

second detecting means connected to said timing means for generating a series of signals representing exit times Tsi upon each exit of a vehicle from said park;

counting means connected to said first and second detecting means for registering the number R1 of vehicles parked in said park prior to a Time T1 and the number R2 of vehicles remaining parked at a later time T2; and

computing means responsive to said signals and connected to said counting means for algebraically combining the sum