PARKING SYSTEM
Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a parking system for facilitating parking of vehicles.
Background Art
Our co-pending International Application PCT/AUO1/00192 discloses parking systems and parking meters which can be used in a variety of different locations and environments. One specific application is street-side parking in which a parking meter controls one or more street-side parking bays . The contents of the aforesaid International application are incorporated into this specification by this reference.
Summary of the Invention
The object of the present invention is to provide a parking system which is specifically adapted for parking stations generally referred to as car parks, in which a plurality of vehicles can park after gaining access to the car park.
The invention, in a first aspect, may be said to reside in a parking system including: a control station for receiving a park signal from a user transmitter indicative of the desire to park at a parking station, and for receiving an exit signal from the user transmitter indicative of the desire to exit the parking station, and for producing a park entry signal and an exit code; controllable access means at the parking station for receiving the park entry signal from the control station to activate the controllable access means and allow entry into the car park; transmitter means for transmitting the exit code to the user transmitter; controllable exit means at the parking station for receiving input of the exit code from the user to activate the controllable exit means to allow exit from the parking station; and processing means for providing information indicative of a charge for time parked at the parking station, calculated from the time of receipt of the park signal and exit signal provided from the user transmitter.
Thus, in order to park at the parking station, a user merely need transmit a signal, such as making a telephone call to the park station to gain entry, and then making another telephone call to exit the car park. The park signal and exit signal may simply comprise the telephone call which may be supplemented by data provided by the user to identify the user, or which, if the telephone call automatically transmits the user telephone number, can merely comprise the user's telephone number to provide information for billing.
In one embodiment of the invention the park entry signal is supplied direct from the control station to the controllable access means to activate the controllable access means to allow entry into the car park without user intervention.
However, in another embodiment of the invention, the park entry signal comprises a signal transmitted by the transmitter means from the control station to the user transmitter, which contains an entry code for input by the user at the controllable access means to activate the controllable access means and allow entry into the car park.
Preferably the entry code is supplied from the control station to the controllable access means so that when the user inputs the entry code at the controllable access means, a match is made to thereby allow activation of the controllable access means and allow entry into the car park.
Preferably the controllable access means includes cancelling mans for cancelling the entry code from the controllable access means once a match has been registered, so the same entry code cannot again be used from the predetermined time period to allow entry into the car park.
Preferably the transmitting means is also for forwarding a message to the user transmitter for providing information as to the time of parking and/or charge for parking at the parking station.
In one embodiment the user transmitter is a mobile telephone, and the park signal comprises a telephone call from the mobile telephone to a telephone number associated with the parking station, which causes the telephone number of the mobile telephone to be transmitted to the control station.
In another embodiment the user transmitter is a mobile telephone, and the park signal comprises a telephone call from the mobile telephone to a telephone number associated with the parking station, which causes the telephone number of the mobile telephone to be transmitted to the control station, and the control station is for generating the park entry signal which includes an entry code and which is transmitted in the mobile telephone call back to the mobile telephone for the user to use when the user arrives at the controllable access means to gain entry into the car park.
The entry code can be transmitted in the telephone call as a voice message or as an SMS message. Preferably the exit signal is a second telephone call made to the telephone number associated with the control station, which causes the user's telephone number to be again transmitted to the control station.
Thus, when the user wishes to park at the station, the user makes a call to the parking station telephone number, and when the user wishes to exit, the user makes a second call to the parking station telephone number. However, in other embodiments, the user's mobile telephone number can be registered at the control station, either after an initial occurrence of parking at the parking station, or separately from an attempt to park at the parking station, and the mobile telephone can be used in a local transmitter mode by way of "blue tooth" technology to transmit an infrared signal to the control station which includes the user's telephone number. Thus, this technique merely allows the user, after registration of the telephone number, to simply approach the parking station and point the user's telephone at the parking station and activate the telephone by depression of a suitable button to output an infrared signal which transmits data to the control station including the user's telephone number. Exit from the parking station is obtained in the same manner. Thus, the user's telephone number is transmitted to the control station to identify the user and enable billing for the time for parking, which is calculated by the difference between the time of receipt of the initial telephone call or transmission and the time of receipt of the subsequent telephone call or transmission.
Preferably billing of the user takes place by a charge for parking being rendered on the user's mobile telephone account . Preferably the control station is located at the parking station, and the processing means forms part of the control station. However, in other embodiments, the parking station may include a first control station section including the processing means, at a remote location from the parking station, and a second control station section at the parking station in communication with the first section and for activating the controllable access and exit means.
This embodiment enables one first control section to be used to control a number of different parking stations at different locations, and for billing information relating to all of those parking stations to be compiled at a central facility for dispatch to mobile telephone providers for inclusion on the user's telephone bill. Thus, in this embodiment the first section would transmit a signal to an appropriate one of the second sections at the car park to open the car park to allow entry and to open the car park to allow exit. The communication may be by way of a fixed land line telephone call or any other suitable communication link from the first control station section to the second control station section at the car park.
Preferably the code and message transmitted from the transmitting means is an SMS message transmitted to the user's mobile telephone.
The invention may also be said to reside in a method of providing parking at a parking station including: receiving a park signal from a user transmitter indicative of the desire to park at the parking station, receiving an exit signal indicative of the desire to exit the parking station from the user transmitter; controlling access to the parking station in response to receipt of the parking signal to enable entry to the parking station; transmitting a signal to the user transmitter containing a user code to enable exit from the car park; comparing an input user code with the transmitted code and, in the event of a match, allowing exit from the car park; and determining a charge for time parked at the parking station calculated from the time of receipt of the entry signal and exit signals .
Preferably the method includes transmitting a message to the user transmitter for providing information as to the time of parking and/or charge for parking at the parking station.
Preferably the charge for parking is rendered on the user's mobile telephone account.
Preferably the transmitted code and message is an SMS message transmitted to the user's mobile telephone.
A further aspect of the invention may be said to reside in a parking system including: a control station for receiving a park signal from a user transmitter indicative of the desire to park at the parking station; controllable access means at the parking station for receiving a signal to activate the controllable access means and allow entry into the car park; ticket producing means for producing a ticket for collection by the user upon entry into the car park; controllable exit means at the parking station for receiving an exit input to activate the controllable exit means to allow exit from the parking station; and processing means for providing information indicative of a charge for time parked at the parking station, calculated from the time of entry into the car park and time of exit from the car park.
In one embodiment, the user transmits the signal from the user transmitter upon arriving at the controllable access means, and the control station automatically activates the controllable access means to allow entry into the car park without further user intervention and causes the ticket producing means to produce the ticket for collection by the user.
In a further embodiment the user transmitter can be used to contact the control station remote from the controllable access means, and the control station in response to the park signal transmitted by the user transmitter, can transmit a code to the user for input into an input means at the parking station, and wherein the processing means compares that code with a generated code, and upon a match, activates the controllable access means to allow entry into the car park and activates the ticket producing means for producing the ticket for collection by the user.
In one embodiment the signal supplied to the controllable exit means for activating the exit to allow exit from the car park may be a further transmission from the transmitter means which automatically controls the controllable exit means to open the controllable exit means and allow exit from the car park.
In a still further embodiment the ticket produced by the ticket producing means includes an exit code and the signal is provided by input of the exit code into an input means associated with the controllable exit means, which activates the controllable exit means to open the exit means and allow exit from the parking station.
In a still further embodiment the exit code, rather than be provided on the ticket, can be transmitted to the user transmitter from the control station in response to a second telephone call indicative of the desire to exit the car park, by way of a voice message or an SMS message to the user transmitter.
In still further embodiments of the invention the parking station may be provided with cameras for monitoring entry and/or exit into the car park so that data relating to vehicles which enter the car park and exit the car park can be captured and identified with the user transmitter to verify that the user has in fact parked a vehicle at the parking station and/or the vehicle has exited the parking station.
Brief Description of the Drawings
Preferred embodiments of the invention will be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating a first embodiment of the invention; and
Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating a second embodiment of the invention.
Description of the Preferred Embodiments
With reference to Figure 1, a parking system and method is illustrated. In the embodiment of Figure 1, a control station 10 is provided at the car park for providing paperless entry and exit, as well as billing in relation to time parked at the car park. The control station 10 is located at a car park and identified by a telephone number which can be provided on the car park or otherwise made known to possible users by way of advertisements, or the like.
When a person wishes to park at the car park, the person approaches the car park and, by way of mobile telephone 12 belonging to the user, makes a telephone call to the number associated with the control station 10. The control station 10 receives the telephone call which, if made from a mobile telephone, will also include information indicative of the telephone number of the mobile telephone. The control station 10 includes a processing section 14 in which the telephone number is stored, together with the time the call was made indicative of the time the user entered the car park. The control station 10 controls an entry barrier 16 (which may be a boom gate) into the car park, and an exit barrier 18 (which may also be a boom gate) from the car park. When the mobile telephone call is received from the telephone 12, the control station 10 controls the boom gate 16 so as to open the boom gate, so that the vehicle belonging to the user of the telephone 12 can enter the car park and park.
When it is desired to leave the car park, the user makes a further telephone call from the mobile telephone 12. This is received by the station and the processing section 14 so that the call can be associated with the previously made call. If the number is associated with the previously made call, then the second call is regarded as a call indicative of the desire to leave the car park.
Upon receipt of the second call indicative of the desire to exit the car park, the processing section 14 calculates the time of parking by the difference between the time the second telephone call was made, and the time the initial telephone call was made, and therefore determines a charge for parking based on the length of time between those telephone calls. The processing section 14 also generates a random 4-digit code. The control station 10 generates an SMS message which contains the 4-digit code and also an indication of the length of time of parking and the charge for that parking, and transmits the code and the parking time and charge by transmitter 19 as an SMS message to the user' s mobile telephone 12. The code is valid for a predetermined time after receipt of the call from the telephone 12, for example 5 minutes, to enable the user to drive from a parking bay within the car park to the exit. The boom gate 18 is provided with a keypad 21, so that when the driver arrives at the boom gate 18, the driver can key the 4-digit code into the keypad 21. The 4-digit code is supplied to the processing section 14 via a suitable communication link between the keypad 21 and the processing station 14, which may simply be a circuit connection or lead wire, and in the processing section 14, the code is compared with a generated code and if there is a match, the control station 10 controls the boom gate 18 to open the boom gate 18 and allow the vehicle to exit the car park.
If the mobile telephone 12 is equipped with blue tooth technology which enables an infrared signal to be transmitted over short distances from the telephone to a receiver, rather than make the communication between the telephone 12 and control station 10 by way of a mobile telephone call over the telephone network, the communication can simply be by way of a transmitted infrared signal from the telephone 12 to the station 10 when the user arrives at the car park. The transmitted signal may include the user's mobile telephone number or some other code which identifies the user. If another code is used to identify the user, then the central station 10 is previously alerted of the user's mobile telephone number so that billing can take place on the user's mobile telephone account, and so the code transmitted from the telephone 12 can be associated with the user's telephone number to enable that billing to take place.
Periodically, the control station 10 will download to a mobile telephone provider 20, information relating to billing for parking at the parking station. The information provided will comprise the telephone number for the users of the parking systems, as well as a charge applicable for parking. That charge is then rendered to the user on the user's mobile telephone account.
The communication between the control station 10 and the telephone provider 20 may be by a fixed land line 22 or by way of an over-the-air mobile telephone network.
Figure 2 shows a second embodiment of the invention in which like components indicate like parts to those previously described. However, in this embodiment, the central control station 10 comprises a first section 10 ' which is located remote from the car park, and a second section 10' • which is located at the car park. The first section 10■ communicates with a second section 10 ' • by a suitable communication link 22 which again may be a fixed land line, over-the-air network, or any other suitable communication link. The second section 10' ' controls the boom gates 16 and 18 as in the earlier embodiment. Thus, in this embodiment, when a signal is received indicating the desire to park, the station 10 ' processes the signal to ascertain whether that signal is a first receipt of a signal indicating a desire to park, or whether the telephone number associated with the telephone 12 has already been logged in the system, and thereby indicating that the further call is a desire to leave the car park. If the station 10' decides that the call wishes to initiate park, a signal is output over link 22 to second section 10 ' ' to open boom gate 16. If the signal is indicative of a desire to exit the car park, then the station 10 ' forwards the SMS message previously mentioned with the 4-digit code, to the telephone 12 and the user enters that code into a keypad 21 at the boom gate 18. The central section 10 ' also transmit the code over the link 22 to the second section 10' ', so that when the code is entered at the boom gate 18, the code can be compared in the section 10' ' to enable the boom gate 18 to be opened. Alternative, rather than transmit the code over the link 22 to the second section 10 ' • , the section 10 ' ' may receive the input code from the keypad 21 and transmit the code over the link 22 to the first station 10', where the comparison is made and an authorisation signal retransmitted to the section 10 * ' for opening the boom gate 18.
This embodiment enables a single first section 10 ' to control a number of different car parks, as indicated by the second sections 10 • • shown in dotted lines in Figure 2.
Billing for parking time is determined in exactly the same manner as the embodiment of Figure 1. If the central station 10" is at the user telephone location, then the billing information is compiled at that location, and therefore need not be further transmitted. If the first section 10■ is remote from the telephone provider, then the information can be transmitted to the telephone provider in the same manner as described with reference to Figure 1.
In still a further modification to the embodiment of Figure 2, the entire control station 10 may be remote from the car park, and the communication with the car park may simply be by way of a communication link to the boom gates 16 and 18 for opening the boom gates 16 and 18, and for receiving the code from the keypad 21 for comparison at the central station 10.
In the embodiments referred to above, the boom gate 16 is opened automatically in response to the initial mobile telephone call from the user without any user intervention. Thus, these embodiments, in order to operate most efficiently, require the user to be present or in very close proximity to the boom gate 16 at the time of making the initial mobile telephone call, so that when the boom gate 16 is opened, the user who made the call is able to gain access to the car park.
In a still further embodiment of the invention, rather than the control station 10 automatically activating the boom gate 16 in response to the mobile telephone call, the control station 10 can generate an entry code in the form of a random 4-digit code which is transmitted by the transmitter 19 back to the mobile telephone 12 in the same telephone call which initiated parking and which was made by the user or, alternatively, in a second transmission back to the mobile telephone 12 after the initial call is completed.
The transmitted entry code can be in the form of a voice message which can be computer generated or, alternatively, an SMS message which is transmitted back to the mobile telephone 12.
Thus, this enables the user to make the telephone call to arrange for parking at some distance from the car park and does not require the user to be in close proximity to the boom gate 16 at the time of initiating parking. When the user arrives at the boom gate 16, the 4-digit code is entered into a keypad 35 at the boom gate 16 (see Figure 1) . The code which is input into the keypad 35 is conveyed to the control station 10 by circuit line 37, and the processor 14 makes a comparison of the entered code with the generated random code, and if there is a match, the boom gate 16 is opened to enable the vehicle to gain access to the car park. At the time of making the comparison (ie. at the time the code is entered into the keypad 35) , the time at which parking commenced is also initiated and this time is associated with the mobile telephone number of the telephone 12 which causes a generation of the entry code for transmission back to the phone 12. Thus, the time of entry of the vehicle is associated with the relevant telephone number for billing purposes .
Exit from the car park takes place in the same manner as in the earlier embodiments, and the charge for parking also takes place in the same manner as previously described.
In the embodiment of Figure 2 in which the station 10 is in the form of a central station section 10" and a remote section 10 '■ , the entry code which is generated by the station 10 ' is transmitted to the station 10 • ' associated with the relevant car park via the communication link 22 so that the entry code is retained in the section 10" ' for comparison purposes when an entry code is entered into the keypad 35 associated with the boom gate 16. Alternatively, the comparison could be done in the central station 10 ' by transmitting the entered code into the keypad 35 to the central station 10" via the circuit 37, the second section 10■ ' and the communication link 22. However, this embodiment necessitates a further signal being generated via the central station 10" and transmitted back to the section 10" ' and then to the boom gate 16 for opening the boom gate 16. If the comparison is performed in the section 10 ' ' , this additional communication between the section 10' and the section 10■ • is not needed.
The processor 14 associated with the station 10 or the station 10 ' erases the random entry code once a match has been made so that the same entry code cannot again be used within a predetermined time limit to gain access into the car park. This prevents an unauthorised person observing the entered key code and using the same code to gain access to the car park themselves without payment. The processor 14 also ensures that a code which has been generated to allow entry is not again randomly generated within that predetermined time period to gain access into the car park.
In a still further embodiment of the invention a ticket is produced for collection by a user parking at the car park when the user enters the car park. The purpose of the ticket is to provide some form of receipt to show that the owner has actually parked a vehicle at the car park. This basic form of identification may be useful or desirable in the unfortunate event that the user's vehicle is stolen from the car park, to provide some verification that the user has actually parked the vehicle at the car park.
In this embodiment, if the system is configured such that the user makes the initial telephone call when the user presents at the boom gate 16 so that the boom gate 16 is automatically opened without user intervention, the ticket is produced by ticket printer 39 at the boom gate 16 for collection by the user. The ticket can include data identifying the user, such as the mobile telephone number of the user which was transmitted to the control station 10 from the user's mobile telephone 12, time of entry, date, etc.
In the embodiment of the invention in which the user makes the telephone call 12 at a remote location from the car park and is provided with a text message or voice message from the central station 10 providing an entry code for use in the keypad 35 when the user arrives at the boom gate 16, the ticket can be printed at the time of entry of the code into the keypad 35. Thus, the user collects the ticket which includes the same information as is mentioned above . Exit from the car park can be achieved in the manner previously described. However, in this embodiment, since a ticket is printed by the ticket printer 39, the processor 14 can cause the exit code to be printed on the ticket which is collected by the user from the ticket printer 39 at the time of entry into the car park. Thus, when the user wishes to exit the car park, the user can input that code into the keypad 21 at the exit boom gate 18 without the need to make a further telephone call to indicate that parking is to terminate. Upon entry of the code into the keypad 21, the processor 14 compares the code with the pre-stored codes, and if a match is provided, opens the boom gate 18 to allow exit of the vehicle. The time of entry into the keypad 21 is recorded so that billing information can be generated in the manner described above from the time the boom gate 16 was opened to allow entry into the car park and the time the code was input into the keypad 21 to provide for exit from the car park.
To further provide evidence of the identity of vehicles parked in the car park, a camera 43 can be provided which can monitor both the entrance and exit, so that images of vehicles entering the car park and exiting the car park can be captured. Since data indicating the identity of the vehicle is available upon opening of the boom gate 16 to allow entry (ie. the user's mobile telephone number), and the input code into the keypad 21 enables the exit vehicle to also be associated with the mobile telephone number of the owner of the vehicle, an image of the vehicle together with identifying indication, such as the mobile telephone number of the user, can be recorded to identify vehicles which have entered and left the car park. Obviously, recognition of the vehicles can also be by way of the licence plate number of the vehicle which is captured in the image obtained by the camera 43. Since modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention may readily be effected by persons skilled within the art, it is to be understood that this invention is not limited to the particular embodiment described by way of example hereinabove.