Method for total intelligent parking/pollution and surveillance control system

• US 7,071,839 B2
• Filed: 11/18/2003
• Issued: 07/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nattel Group Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Nattel Group Incorporated
• Inventors: Patel, Rajesh, Nath, Sanjeev
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Benjamin C.
• Application Number:
  US10/716,023
• Publication Number:
  US 20050104746A1
• Time in Patent Office: 959 Days
• Field of Search: 340/932.2, 340/539.11, 340/539.26, 340/933
• US Class Current: 340/933
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0284 Time or distance, e.g. usage of parking meters or taximeters
• 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 1/14 indicating individual free spaces in parking areas
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental

Abstract

The invention relates to systems to manage parking meters using mechanical, electrical and electromechanicals monitoring and transmitting devices. Such intelligent parking meters may be used for example to monitor pollution by idling vehicles, survey the area about the meters to identify events such as vandalism, accident or any other designated emergency situation, and to monitor volume and flow of traffic to help coordinate traffic light sequencing for facilitating optimum traffic movement. The meters may be coin, bill or card operated and are useful for monitoring individual parking spaces designed to monitor conditions ambient to the parking meter and issue summons to vehicles violating the preset requirements.

Claims

1. A system for an automatic enforcement of parking regulations without human intervention, comprising:

an intelligent wireless device operatively configured and programmed to monitor a vehicle within a defined space, to receive signals from a vehicle control system, mounted in said vehicle, which is operatively configured to generate a signal containing information associated with said vehicle, said device being capable of determining privileges or violations of a legal requirement regarding said vehicle, and being capable of automatically issuing a summons to said vehicle control system, without human intervention, the at least one violation being wirelessly assessed due to the vehicle idling in said defined space for a time exceeding a defined limit, and a parking fee is assessed for the exact time period of occupying said defined space with consideration of the violations and privileges.

2. The method system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is selected from the group consisting of:

an automobile, a truck, a bus, tractor, crane, and a 2- or 3-wheel conveyance.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the signal generated by the vehicle control system is generated in the form of:

Radio frequency;

WLAN IEEE 802.11x &

802.16x standards;

Blue tooth means; and

Infrared means.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the intelligent wireless device comprises at least one surveillance camera.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein a plurality of surveillance cameras are mounted facing in all four directions.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the information defining said vehicle includes at least one of:

vehicle identification number;

vehicle registration information;

pollution emission information; and

past violation summons information.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the system further comprises means for the device to transmit a unique identifier to the vehicle control system.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the device further comprises a means to transmit information to the vehicle control system, so as to inform the operator of the vehicle that the vehicle is stationary/parked/idling in a metered zone.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the system further comprises in the intelligent wireless device:

a time-lapse recorder with sufficient amount of recording disk space; and

a shock/vibration/sound/impact sensor.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless device detects at least one of:

a vibration;

or

a sound.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless monitoring device detects at least one of:

a shock;

or

a collision.

12. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

monitoring pollution produced by an identified idling vehicle, said system comprising;

an intelligent wireless device operatively configured and programmed to monitor emissions from a vehicle idling within a defined space, said device being capable to receive signals from a vehicle control system mounted in a vehicle operatively configured to generate automatically a signal defining information associated with said vehicle;

the intelligent wireless device being capable of timing the idling vehicle;

the intelligent wireless device being capable of automatically determining violations of a legal requirement regarding said vehicle emissions and being capable automatically issuing a summons to said vehicle control system in said defined space, without human intervention.

13. A system for obviating or at least reducing the utilization of human resources in monitoring a vehicle in a defined space, comprising deployment of the system according to claim 12.

14. A system for obviating or at least reducing the utilization of human resources in monitoring a vehicle in a defined space, comprising deployment of the system according to claim 1.

15. A method for reducing or obviating the utilization of human resources comprising:

installing the system according to claim 14, in a parking meter;

said system being operatively configured to function without human intervention.

16. A system for an automatic regulation of vehicular traffic, comprising:

an intelligent wireless device operatively configured and programmed to monitor and communicate to a plurality of vehicles within a defined space, to receive signals from vehicle control systems, mounted in the vehicles, which are operatively configured to generate signals containing information associated with the vehicles, said device being capable of automatically alerting and controlling vehicle speed as well as determining violations of a legal requirement regarding any of the vehicles, and automatically issuing a summons to a respective vehicle control system, without human intervention, of such a vehicle that has been monitored in a space defined as a speed controlled zone in violation of a legal requirement with respect to vehicles in said speed controlled zone.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the wireless device automatically monitors the volume and flow of traffic in said speed zone to help co-ordinate traffic light sequencing for facilitating optimum traffic movement, without requiring human intervention.

18. A system for obviating or at least reducing the utilization of human resources in monitoring a vehicle in a defined space, comprising deployment of the system according to claim 16.