Parking lot control system

• US 5,745,052 A
• Filed: 06/18/1996
• Issued: 04/28/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Matsuyama, Yasuo, Kimoto, Michio, Iyama, Masaru
• Primary Examiner(s): Mullen, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): LIEU, JULIE BICHNGOC
• Application Number:
  US08/665,444
• Time in Patent Office: 679 Days
• Field of Search: 340/932.2, 340/928, 235/384, 235/380, 235/375, 348/148, 348/149, 348/150, 348/135, 364/467
• US Class Current: 340/932.2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0284 Time or distance, e.g. usage of parking meters or taximeters
• 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

When a car is to enter a parking lot, an image of a number plate of the car is picked up by an image pickup device, and a car number of the car is recognized. The recognized number and the entry time are stored in a central processing unit, and a parking ticket is dispensed for the car, and the car is allowed to enter the parking lot. If there is any service to be offered to customers at the time of parking, service information is inputted to the central processing unit directly from a service counter, and therefore the central processing unit effects a service processing such as a parking fee discount processing. The image of the number plate of the departing car is picked up, and the car number is recognized, and it is judged whether or not the car is entitled to the fee adjustment. If this judgment result is in the affirmative, the central processing unit determines the parking time in accordance with the parking ticket number, the recognized car number and the departure time, and determines the final parking fee, taking the above service into account. Then, when the parking fee is paid, the car is allowed to depart from the parking lot.

Claims

1. A parking lot control system comprising:

means provided at an entrance of a parking lot for picking an image of a number plate of a car to enter the parking lot;

means provided at the entrance of the parking lot for recognizing a car number of the entering car;

means provided at the entrance of the parking lot for dispensing a parking ticket;

a central processing unit provided in a control room for storing the car number of the entering car, the number of the parking ticket and a time of entry of the car into the parking lot;

a parking encoder provided at a service department of a parking lot-containing facility for reading the parking ticket and a shopping receipt to obtain data therefrom;

means provided at said service department of said parking lot-containing facility for effecting an intermediate fee adjustment processing or a discount processing in accordance with the data of the receipt obtained by said parking encoder, results of said fee adjustment processing and said discount processing being stored in said central processing unit;

means provided at an exit of the parking lot, for picking up the image of the number plate of the car to depart from the parking lot;

means provided at the exit of the parking lot, for recognizing the car number of the departing car; and

means provided at the exit of the parking lot, for automatically effecting a final parking fee adjustment in accordance with the data from said center processing unit.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein a time of departure of the car (whose number has been recognized) from the parking lot is stored in said central processing unit, and based on the car number and the parking ticket number, all parking information is stored as storage data in said central processing unit.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said intermediate fee adjustment processing includes a parking fee discount calculation processing for extending the effective parking time.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3, wherein data representing the car numbers of the contract cars and effective contract time limits thereof, are stored in said reference table.

5. Apparatus according to claim 3, wherein data representing the car numbers of the contract cars and effective contract time limits thereof, as well as data representing car numbers of other specified cars, are stored in said reference table.

6. Apparatus according to claim 3, wherein data representing the number of the parking ticket, the car number of each parked car, the entry time thereof, the effective parking time thereof, and the departure time thereof, are stored in said storage table.

7. Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein data representing the number of the parking ticket, the car number of each parked car, the entry time thereof, the effective parking time thereof, and the departure time thereof, are stored in said storage table.

8. Apparatus according to claim 5, wherein data representing the number of the parking ticket, the car number of each parked car, the entry time thereof, the effective parking time thereof, and the departure time thereof, are stored in said storage table.