System for the control and monitoring of light vehicle transit in public car parks

• US 6,084,532 A
• Filed: 10/13/1998
• Issued: 07/04/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Quality Informatoins System SA
• Original Assignee: Quality Informatoins System SA
• Inventors: Prieto, Javier Riesco, Prieto, Pablo Riesco
• Primary Examiner(s): POPE, DARYL C
• Application Number:
  US09/170,113
• Time in Patent Office: 630 Days
• Field of Search: 340/933, 340/932.2, 340/937, 235/382, 235/384
• US Class Current: 340/933
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/04 comprising devices to free a barrier, turnstile, or the like turnstiles with registering means G07C9/10; coin-freed aspects G07F17/00

Abstract

TRANSIT IN PUBLIC CAR PARKS, including the installation of software and hardware that processes and records, after automatic or manual capturing, the registration number of the vehicles, associating it by computer with the ticket code or number. It is applicable in public car parks for light vehicles.

Claims

1. A method for controlling vehicular access to and egress from a parking facility comprising the steps of:

providing an automatically controllable entrance gate;

providing a ticket dispenser proximate to said entrance gate;

sensing for the presence of an entering vehicle at said entrance gate;

reading the license number of the entering vehicle;

providing a data processor including first memory means for storing a collection of prohibited vehicle license numbers and second memory means;

determining in said data processor whether said license number of said entering vehicle is included in said collection;

storing said license number of said entering vehicle in said second memory means;

associating a ticket identifier with said license number of said entering vehicle in said second memory means;

dispensing a ticket having said ticket identifier and opening said entrance gate when said ticket is removed from said ticket dispenser;

providing an automatically controllable exit gate;

providing a ticket reader proximate to said exit gate;

sensing for the presence of an exiting vehicle at said exit gate;

reading the license number of the exiting vehicle;

sensing for the presence of a ticket in said ticket reader and reading the ticket identifier when the presence of a ticket is sensed;

determining in said data processor whether the ticket identifier of the ticket read at the exit gate corresponds to the ticket identifier associated with the license number read at the exit gate and opening said exit gate if a correspondence is found.

2. The method of claim 1 including the additional steps of:

capturing an image of the driver of the entering vehicle;

associating in said second memory means said captured image with the license number of the entering vehicle; and

displaying said captured image to an attendant at said exit gate when the license number associated with said captured image is read at the exit gate.

3. The method of claim 1 including the additional step of:

calculating the length of time between the reading of said license number at the entrance gate and the reading of said license number at the exit gate and calculating a parking charge based on said calculated length of time.

4. The method of claim 1 including the additional step of:

calculating a parking charge based on the length of time between the reading of said license number at the entrance gate and the reading of said license number at the exit gate.

5. A system for controlling vehicular access to and egress from a parking facility comprising:

an automatically controllable entrance gate;

a ticket dispenser proximate to said entrance gate;

a first sensor for sensing the presence of an entering vehicle at said entrance gate;

a first reader for reading the license number of the entering vehicle;

a data processor including first memory means for storing a collection of prohibited vehicle license numbers and second memory means for storing the license number of the entering vehicle, wherein said data processor determines whether said license number of said entering vehicle is included in said collection, associates a ticket identifier with said license number in said second memory means, and dispenses a ticket having said ticket identifier and opens said entrance gate when said ticket is removed from said ticket dispenser;

an automatically controllable exit gate;

a ticket reader proximate to said exit gate for reading the ticket identifier from a ticket inserted thereinto;

a second sensor for sensing the presence of an exiting vehicle at said exit gate; and

,

a second reader for reading the license number of the exiting vehicle sensed at the exit gate;

wherein said data processor determines whether the ticket identifier of the ticket read at the exit gate corresponds to the ticket identifier associated with the license number of the exiting vehicle in said second memory means and causes said exit gate to open if a correspondence is found.

6. The system of claim 5 further including a camera for capturing an image of the driver of the entering vehicle, said data processor storing said image and associating said image with said entering vehicle license number, and a display for displaying said image when the license number associated with said image is read at said exit gate.

7. The system of claim 5 wherein said data processor calculates a parking charge based on the length of time between the reading of said license number at the entrance gate and the reading of said license number at the exit gate.

8. The system of claim 5 wherein said data processor calculates the length of time between the reading of said license number at the entrance gate and the reading of said license number at the exit gate and calculates a parking charge based on said length of time.