System and method for disabled parking spot enforcement

• US 8,957,787 B1
• Filed: 09/30/2014
• Issued: 02/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Al-Jouharah A. S. A. Al-Hmalan, Manar S.F. Al-Mutairi
• Original Assignee: Al-Jouharah A. S. A. Al-Hmalan, Manar S.F. Al-Mutairi
• Inventors: Al-Hmalan, Al-Jouharah A. S. A., Al-Mutairi, Manar S. F.
• Primary Examiner(s): MULLEN, THOMAS J
• Application Number:
  US14/503,361
• Time in Patent Office: 140 Days
• Field of Search: 340/932.2, 340/933, 340/937, 348/148, 367/93, 705/13
• US Class Current: 340/932.2
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10415 the interrogation device being fixed in its position, such as an access control device for reading wireless access cards, or a wireless ATM banking machines in general G07F19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/52 Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/149 coupled to means for restricting the access to the parking space, e.g. authorization, access barriers, indicative lights
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/188 Capturing isolated or intermittent images triggered by the occurrence of a predetermined event, e.g. an object reaching a predetermined position signal generation from motion picture films H04N5/253

Abstract

A system for disabled parking spot enforcement uses a proximity sensor for detecting entry of a vehicle within a parking spot designated for use by disabled people. A radiofrequency identification (RFID) tag reader is positioned adjacent the parking spot for polling for the presence of an RFID tag associated with the vehicle. An alarm is also positioned adjacent the parking spot, and the alarm is actuated for a pre-set period of time if an RFID tag associated with the vehicle is not detected. A camera is further positioned adjacent the parking spot for capturing a photographic image of a license plate associated with the vehicle if the RFID tag was not detected and if the vehicle did not exit the parking spot within the pre-set period of time. If the RFID tag was detected, identifying information therefrom is read and logged.

Claims

1. A method for disabled parking spot enforcement, comprising the steps of:

detecting entry of a vehicle within a parking spot designated for use by disabled people;

polling for the presence of a radiofrequency identification (RFID) tag associated with the vehicle;

if an RFID tag associated with the vehicle is not detected, then actuating an alarm for a pre-set period of time;

detecting whether the vehicle exited the parking spot within the pre-set period of time if the RFID tag was not detected;

capturing a photographic image of a license plate associated with the vehicle if the RFID tag was not detected and if the vehicle did not exit the parking spot within the pre-set period of time;

reading identifying information from the RFID tag if the RFID tag was detected; and

logging the identifying information in a database if the RFID tag was detected.

2. The method for disabled parking spot enforcement as recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of:

comparing the identifying information from the RFID tag with authenticating information stored in the database.

3. The method for disabled parking spot enforcement as recited in claim 2, further comprising the step of:

detecting whether the vehicle is parked outside of one or more designated boundaries of the parking spot if the RFID tag was detected.

4. The method for disabled parking spot enforcement as recited in claim 3, further comprising the step of:

actuating the alarm if the vehicle is parked outside of the one or more designated boundaries of the parking spot if the RFID tag was detected.

5. A method for disabled parking spot enforcement, comprising the steps of:

detecting entry of a vehicle within a parking spot designated for use by disabled people;

polling for the presence of a radiofrequency identification (RFID) tag associated with the vehicle;

if an RFID tag associated with the vehicle is not detected, then actuating an alarm for a pre-set period of time;

detecting whether the vehicle exited the parking spot within the pre-set period of time if the RFID tag was not detected;

capturing a photographic image of a license plate associated with the vehicle if the RFID tag was not detected and if the vehicle did not exit the parking spot within the pre-set period of time;

reading identifying information from the RFID tag if the RFID tag was detected;

logging the identifying information in a database if the RFID tag was detected;

detecting whether the vehicle is parked outside of one or more designated boundaries of the parking spot if the RFID tag was detected; and

actuating the alarm if the vehicle is parked outside of the one or more designated boundaries of the parking spot if the RFID tag was detected.

6. The method for disabled parking spot enforcement as recited in claim 5, further comprising the step of:

comparing the identifying information from the RFID tag with authenticating information stored in the database.

7. A system for disabled parking spot enforcement, comprising:

a proximity sensor for detecting entry of a vehicle within a parking spot designated for use by disabled people;

a radiofrequency identification (RFID) tag reader positioned adjacent the parking spot for polling for the presence of an RFID tag associated with the vehicle;

an alarm positioned adjacent the parking spot;

means for actuating the alarm for a pre-set period of time if an RFID tag associated with the vehicle is not detected;

a camera positioned adjacent the parking spot for capturing a photographic image of a license plate associated with the vehicle if the RFID tag was not detected and if the vehicle did not exit the parking spot within the pre-set period of time; and

means for reading and logging identifying information from the RFID tag if the RFID tag was detected.

8. The system for disabled parking spot enforcement as recited in claim 7, wherein the means for reading and logging identifying information from the RFID tag comprises

the RFID tag reader to read the identifying information from the RFID tag, and

a controller associated with a processor and a memory to log the identifying information read from the RFID tag.

9. The system for disabled parking spot enforcement as recited in claim 8, wherein the controller further compares the identifying information from the RFID tag with authenticating information stored in a database.

10. The system for disabled parking spot enforcement as recited in claim 9, wherein the means for actuating the alarm for a pre-set period of time if an RFID tag associated with the vehicle is not detected comprises

the controller associated with the processor to actuate the alarm for the pre-set period of time, and

wherein the pre-set period of time is counted by a timer associated with the controller and the expiration of the pre-set period of time is determined by the timer associated with the controller.

11. The system for disabled parking spot enforcement as recited in claim 10, wherein the controller associated with the processor further actuates the alarm when, if the RFID tag was detected, the controller determines the vehicle is parked outside of one or more designated boundaries of the parking spot based on at least one line sensor detecting that the vehicle is parked outside of the one or more designated boundaries of the parking spot.

12. The system for disabled parking spot enforcement as recited in claim 7, further comprising:

means for comparing the identifying information from the RFID tag with authenticating information stored in a database.

13. The system for disabled parking spot enforcement as recited in claim 12, wherein the means for comparing the identifying information from the RFID tag with authenticating information stored in a database comprises

a controller associated with a processor to compare the identifying information from the RFID tag with authenticating information stored in the database.

14. The system for disabled parking spot enforcement as recited in claim 7, further comprising:

means for actuating the alarm if the vehicle is parked outside of one or more designated boundaries of the parking spot if the RFID tag was detected.

15. The system for disabled parking spot enforcement as recited in claim 14, wherein the means for actuating the alarm if the vehicle is parked outside of one or more designated boundaries of the parking spot if the RFID tag was detected comprises

a controller associated with a processor to actuate the alarm when the controller determines the vehicle is parked outside of the one or more designated boundaries of the parking spot based on at least one line sensor detecting that the vehicle is parked outside of the one or more designated boundaries of the parking spot.

16. The system for disabled parking spot enforcement as recited in claim 15, wherein the means for actuating the alarm for the pre-set period of time if the RFID tag associated with the vehicle is not detected comprises

the controller associated with the processor, and

wherein the pre-set period of time is counted by a timer associated with the controller and the expiration of the pre-set period of time is determined by the timer associated with the controller.

17. The system for disabled parking spot enforcement as recited in claim 7, further comprising:

at least one line sensor for detecting whether the vehicle is parked outside of one or more designated boundaries of the parking spot if the RFID tag was detected.

18. The system for disabled parking spot enforcement as recited in claim 17, further comprising:

means for actuating the alarm if the vehicle is parked outside of the one or more designated boundaries of the parking spot if the RFID tag was detected.

19. The system for disabled parking spot enforcement as recited in claim 18, wherein the means for actuating the alarm if the vehicle is parked outside of the one or more designated boundaries of the parking spot if the RFID tag was detected comprises

a controller associated with a processor to actuate the alarm when the controller determines the vehicle is parked outside of the one or more designated boundaries of the parking spot based on the at least one line sensor detecting that the vehicle is parked outside of the one or more designated boundaries of the parking spot.