Apparatus for monitoring individual parking positions

• US 7,855,661 B2
• Filed: 04/25/2008
• Issued: 12/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: SKIDATA AG (Thales SA)
• Original Assignee: SKIDATA AG (Thales SA)
• Inventors: Ponert, Gregor
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tang, Son M
• Application Number:
  US12/109,514
• Publication Number:
  US 20080266138A1
• Time in Patent Office: 970 Days
• Field of Search: 3409322-935, 340941-943, 455/63.4, 455/552.1, 455/553.1
• US Class Current: 340/932.2
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/04 using optical or ultrasonic detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/14 indicating individual free spaces in parking areas

Abstract

Apparatus for the individual monitoring of parking positions of a parking facility comprises a sensor (9) for vehicle detection and optical indicator means (5) for indicating the occupied/free status of a parking position (4). Sensor (9) has a transmit aerial (10) to radio the occupied/free status of parking position (4) to the parking facility control center. The optical indicator means (5) comprises a bistable indicating element.

Claims

1. An apparatus for monitoring individual parking positions of a parking area, the apparatus comprising:

a sensor (9) for vehicle detection,

optical indicator means (5) for indicating an occupied/free status, the sensor (9) comprising a transmit aerial (10, 21) for radio transmitting the occupied/free status of an individual parking position (14) to a parking facility control center,

the optical indicator means (5) including at least one bistable indicator element, and

at least one of the transmit aerial (10) and a receive aerial (13a) are directional and an additional non-directional aerial (21, 13b) is provided, and the at least one transmit aerial (10) which is directional and the additional non-directional aerial (21, 13b) are switched to operate alternatively.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sensor (9) and the optical indicating means (5) are disposed in a casing (1) adapted to be mounted on one of a roadway pavement and at an overhead location.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of a dry-cell battery (7), a chargeable battery and a photovoltaic module supplies power to the sensor (9) and the optical indicator means (5).

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sensor (9) is intermittently activatable for at least one of vehicle detection and radio transmission.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the bistable indicator element comprises an indicator platelet (6) which has optically differing side surfaces and is mounted for rotation.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein at least one side surface of the indicator platelet (6) is formed to fluoresce and reflect light.

7. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the sensor (9) comprises the receive aerial (13a) and detects movement of a vehicle (12) from differences of a signal picked up by the receive aerial (13) from the signal transmitted by the transmit aerial (10, 21).

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the sensor (9) comprises a mixer (14), a transceiver (18) and a micro-controller (19).

9. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the transmit aerial (10, 21) transmits the occupied/free status of the individual parking position, by radio, to at least one base station (24, 26) connected to the parking lot control center.

10. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the sensor is configured to detect reflexion of a signal thereby monitoring a vehicle.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sensor (9) comprises one of a geomagnetic field sensor, an ultrasonic sensor and an infrared sensor.

12. An apparatus for monitoring individual parking positions of a parking area, the apparatus comprising

a sensor (9) for vehicle detection;

optical indicator means 5 for indicating occupied/free status the sensor (9) comprising a transmit aerial (10, 21) for radio transmitting the occupied/free status of an individual parking position (14) to a parking facility control center;

the optical indicator means (5) including at least one bistable indicator element;

the bistable indicator element comprising an indicator platelet (6) havings optically differing side surfaces and being mounted for rotation;

the sensor (9), comprises a receive aerial (13a), for detecting movement of a vehicle (12) from differences of a signal picked up by the receive aerial (13) from the signal transmitted by the transmit aerial (10, 21); and

at least one of the transmit aerial (10) and the receive aerial (13a) are directional and an additional non-directional aerial (21, 13b) is provided, and the at least one transmit aerial OM, which is directional, and the additional non-directional aerial (21, 13b) are switched to operate alternatively.