Parking information sensing device and providing method thereof

• US 7,701,361 B2
• Filed: 07/23/2007
• Issued: 04/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology Armaments Bureau Ministry of National Defense
• Original Assignee: Chung-Shan Institute of Science & Technology Armaments Bureau MND (Government of The Republic of China)
• Inventors: Suen, Tain-Wen, Bau, Chuen-Lin, Lee, Ming-Town, Hsu, Tung-Jung
• Primary Examiner(s): TWEEL JR, JOHN ALEXANDER
• Application Number:
  US11/781,556
• Publication Number:
  US 20090027231A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,002 Days
• Field of Search: 340/932.2, 340/942, 705/13
• US Class Current: 340/932.2
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/14 indicating individual free spaces in parking areas

Abstract

A parking information sensing device is disclosed. Each parking space in a parking lot is disposed with a parking information sensing device, detecting whether a car on the parking space. By means of a driving control circuit, the sensing device drives a light emitting unit to emit a light and a reflecting element of the parking space is on a pathway of the light. Light is reflected by the reflecting element and then passes light sensing unit that detects the reflected light and generates a first sensing signal sent to the driving control circuit. Thus the driving control circuit judges if there is no vehicle on the parking space. On the other hand, it judges if there is a car on the parking space according to another sensing signal. The sensing device further includes a first transmitting/receiving unit that forms a wireless mesh network among parking information sensing devices.

Claims

1. A parking information sensing device for judging whether there is a car on a parking space comprising:

a light emitting unit that emits a light passes the parking space;

a reflecting element for reflecting the light arranged on the parking space and located on a path of the light;

an light sensing unit located on a path of the light reflected by the reflecting element and receiving the reflected light reflected by the reflecting element so as to generate a first sensing signal; and

a driving control circuit coupled to the light emitting unit as well as the light sensing unit and driving the light emitting unit to emit the light;

the driving control circuit receiving the first sensing signal to judge there is no car on the parking space;

wherein light emitted from the light emitting unit, reflected by the reflecting element and received by the light sensing unit within a circle area π

r² whose radius is length of the wire harness of the light-gathering member is collected and the light-gathering member is a parabolic surface that concentrates and receives the light reflected by the reflecting element.

2. The parking information sensing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the parking information sensing device further comprising:

an indicating light unit coupled to the driving control circuit and showing a signal of available or occupied parking space according to judging results of the driving control circuit.

3. The parking information sensing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the driving control circuit further coupled to a first transmitting/receiving unit while the first transmitting/receiving unit of each of a plurality of parking information sensing devices forms a wireless mesh network and the first transmitting/receiving unit correspond to a second transmitting/receiving unit as well as a third transmitting/receiving unit;

the first transmitting/receiving unit sends judging results of the driving control circuit to the second transmitting/receiving unit or the third transmitting/receiving unit.

4. The parking information sensing device as claimed in claim 3, wherein second transmitting/receiving unit is coupled to a monitoring device that receives and displays a sensing result of the parking information sensing device by the first transmitting/receiving unit and the second transmitting/receiving unit while the monitoring device sends a command signal to the driving control circuit through the first transmitting/receiving unit and the second transmitting/receiving unit so that the driving control circuit sends status of the parking information sensing device to the monitoring device for display through the first transmitting/receiving unit and the second transmitting/receiving unit according to the command signal.

5. The parking information sensing device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the third transmitting/receiving unit is coupled to a parking information display panel that receives a judging result of the driving control circuit by the first transmitting/receiving unit and the third transmitting/receiving unit while the parking information display panel shows the judging result by means of a parking map.

6. The parking information sensing device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the first transmitting/receiving unit, the second transmitting/receiving unit and the third transmitting/receiving unit all support Zigbee or IEEE802.15.4 communication protocol while the first transmitting/receiving unit, the second transmitting/receiving unit and the third transmitting/receiving unit form a wireless mesh network.

7. The parking information sensing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the driving control circuit judges that the car is on the parking space when the light emitted from the light emitting unit is not arriving at the reflecting element due to the car on the parking space and the light sensing unit doesn'"'"'t generate the first sensing signal correspondingly.

8. The parking information sensing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the light sensing unit detects intensity of the light received according to a threshold value;

when intensity of the light received by the light sensing unit is no less than the threshold value, the light sensing unit generates the first sensing signal.

9. The parking information sensing device as claimed in claim 8, wherein when the light emitted from the light emitting unit is not arriving at the reflecting element and is scattered to the light sensing unit due to the car on the parking space, the intensity of the light received by the light sensing unit is less than the threshold value so that the light sensing unit generates a second sensing signal;

the driving control circuit receives the second sensing signal and judges that the car is on the parking space.

10. The parking information sensing device as claimed in claim 8, wherein when the light emitted from the light emitting unit is not arriving at the reflecting element due to the car on the parking space, the light is reflected by the car and the light sensing unit doesn'"'"'t receive the light, the intensity of the light is less than the threshold value and the light sensing unit generates a second sensing signal or no signal;

the driving control circuit judges the car is on the parking space according to the sensing result of the light sensing unit.

11. The parking information sensing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the light sensing unit is disposed with a light-gathering member with wire harness so as to receive the light reflected by the reflecting element.

12. The parking information sensing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the reflecting element having a mirror that reflects light emitted from the light emitting unit.

13. A method for providing parking information that is applied to judge whether a car is on a parking space comprising the steps of:

emitting a light and a path of the light passing the parking space;

arranging a reflecting element for reflecting the light on the parking space and the reflecting element located the path of the light;

receiving and sensing the light reflected by the reflecting element and generating a first sensing signal; and

judging there is no car on the parking space according to the first sensing signal;

wherein light emitted from the light emitting unit, reflected by the reflecting element and received by the light sensing unit within a circle area π

r² whose radius is length of the wire harness of the light-gathering member is collected and the light-gathering member is a parabolic surface that concentrates and receives the light reflected by the reflecting element.

14. The method for providing parking information as claimed in claim 13, wherein after the step of judging there is no car on the parking space according to the first sensing signal, the method further comprising a step of displaying status of no car on the parking space.

15. The method for providing parking information as claimed in claim 14, wherein before the step of displaying status of no car on the parking space, the method further comprising a step of transmitting the judging result by a wireless way.

16. The method for providing parking information as claimed in claim 13, wherein when the car is on the parking space and the light emitted to the reflecting element is blocked, the first sensing signal is not generated correspondingly and it is judged that the car is on the parking space.

17. The method for providing parking information as claimed in claim 13, wherein on the step of receiving and sensing the light reflected by the reflecting element and generating a first sensing signal, intensity of the light received is checked according to a threshold value;

when intensity of the light received is no less than the threshold value, the first sensing signal is generated so as to judge there is no car on the parking space.

18. The method for providing parking information as claimed in claim 17, wherein when the car is on the parking space, the light emitted to the reflecting element is blocked and reflected by the roof of car and intensity of the light reflected is less than the threshold value, a second sensing signal is generated so as to judge there is a car on the parking space.