AU681101B2 - Parking card for the charge-related actuation of a parking barrier - Google Patents

Description

Parking card for the charge-related actuation of a parking barrier The invention relates to a parking card which is intended for the charge-related actuation of a parking barrier and is in the form of a sheet-like plastic piece having a front side and a rear side and having a machinereadable data carrier for storing car-park information and user information and, if appropriate, the entrance time and departure time.

Parking cards of this type are issued to the user on passing entrance-control stations of a multi-storey car park or open-air car park, the data necessary for calculation .of parking charges being stored on the parking card. The use of paying machines with a computer- 15 controlled method of proceeding with the parking operations makes it necessary to rtore the various items of parking information or identification codings in a machine-readable manner. Use is thus made of, on the one hand, so-called magnetic-card tickets which consist of 20 paper and have a magnetic strip for storing the individ- S. ual items of parking data and, on the other hand, plastic tickets with an individuallzing identification coding, e.g. a bar code, or an integrated, programmable chip.

Whereas the magnetic-card ticket which consists of paper can only be used once, the parking cards which consist of plastic and of a programmable chip or an identification coding can be used for successive parking operations, to be precise as a single parking card for different users, as a debit parking card or as an access card for long-stay parkers. Repeated collection and issuing of the plastic parking cards requires entrancecontrol and departure-control stations which store the parking cards to be issued, feed them to a read/write station and deliver them in issuing openings which are accessible to the car-park user. For the calculation of the parking times and parking charges to proceed in a problem-free manner, the parking cards consequently have to cover a plurality of transport paths, for which purpose conveying belts or conveying rollers are generally provided. Owing to the frequent buckling of the parking cards durirg their transport to the read/write stations, the likelihood of disruption is great, with the result that a smooth issuing operation and/or collection of the parking cards is not ensured. The likelihood of disruption is increased to an even greater extent by the fact that it is possible to read the machinereadable data carriers from only one direction.

The object of the invention is to provide an improved method for operating a parking concession.

There is disclosed herein a method for operating a parking concession comprising the steps of: storing at a first location a plurality of parking cards, each comprising a round, flat piece of material with a front and reverse side, containing a non-contact machinereadable data medium for storing parking data; determining when a parking customer is present at an entrance to a parking area; selecting one of said plurality of parking cards or inserting a selected parking card of a past use into first location by a parking customer; :eading a card code from said selected parking card independent of the position of said parking card and electronically storing parking data within said parking card; S 20 issuing said selected parking card to said parking customer; opening an entrance barrier to said parking area allowing said parking customer to enter; when said parking customer desires to exit said parking area, receiving from said parking customer said selected parking card into a payment location; and reading said parking data from said selected card in order to determine the associated parking fee.

There is further disclosed herein a method for operating a parking concession, comprising the steps of: storing at a first location a plurality of parking cards, each comprising a round, Eat piece of material with a front and reverse side containing a non-contact machinereadable data medium for storing a card code; determining when a parking customer is present at an entrance to a parking area; selecting one of said plurality of parking cards or inserting a selected parking card into said first location by a parking customer; reading said card code from said selected parking card independent of the vAN position of said parking card and electronically storing parking data within said parking card; LLissuing said selected parking card to said parking customer; [N:\LIBLL]00967:TCW opening an entrance barrier to said parking area allowing said parking customer to enter; when said parking customer desires to exit said parking area, receiving from said parking customer said selected parking card into a controlling device at an exit location; reading said parking data from said selected card in order to determine the associated parking fee; checking validity of said selected parking card; and returning said selected parking card to said parking customer and in response thereto opening an exit barrier allowing said parking customer to exit said parking area if said parking card is valid.

A parking card for use with the method of the preferred embodiment, for a parking service system, which, owing to its rolling capacity, can move without complex transport devices and, due to its position-independent readability, if appropriate also its capacity for receiving recordings, can be moved in various positions to a read/write station or communication device. Owing to the combination, according to the preferred embodiment, of parking-card configuration and the type of design of the machinereadable data carrier, the handling advantages of a round shape can be exploited to the full. In addition, said parking card can be re-used, is stable and can be inexpensively 20 produced. The electronic component, which operates in a contactless manner and can be at least stored, but may also be programmable, permits use without wear due to repeated scanning.

The preferred parking card can thus be used for a plurality of successive o parking operations, as a result of which the operating costs are kept low. Each parking card obtains an individual identification coding or identification number, with the result that, by means of said parking card, the parking charges can be calculated, in dependence on entrance time and parking duration, by an associated computer unit of a parking system.

9900** [N:\LIBLL]00967:TCW -3- A parking card with programmable chip further makes it possible to acquire and store the items of parking data themselves, with the result that the entrance and departure stations can form isolated communication stations and linking the entrance and departure stations to the computer unit by cabling is thus no longer necessary.

The thickness of the parking card preferably lies between 2 and 4 mm. Such a thickness ensures a good stability which assists the rolling capacity of the parking card. The diameter of the parking card may lie between 20 and 70 mm and is preferably from 35 to 50 mm.

This diameter makes the parking card particularly easy to handle for the user of a multi-storey car park or open- 15 air car park.

oeoo For a visual display of the ongoing parking time after entry into a car park, the front side of the parking card may have a digital time display which is •provided with a clockwork which is set in operation when a parking card is issued. The ongoing parking time is then constantly displayed to the user via the parking oo .0 card which he/she has taken away.

In order to improve the sorting and/or stacking properties for stor:.ng in the collection and issuing 25 locations, the round parking card may have a central through-passage, in particular a round central hole.

The identification and/or communication component can operate passively and without a battery or actively.

The passively operating identification and/or communication component can operate in accordance with inductive energy-transmission and data-transmission technology which is distinguished by low energy consumption and a high data-transmission rate. In addition, said components are robust, unsusceptible to soiling and, owing to the lack of their own energy source, can be used on a permanent basis.

The actively operating identification and/or communication components simplify the construction of the communication stations, but only have a limited service 4 life due to the integrated batteries.

For an optimum design of the position-independent data transmission, preferably omnidirectional waves are produced and emitted by the data-transmission devices.

Finally, said parking card makes it possible to construct a simple and inexpensive parking service system which runs in accordance with the method steps of Claim 1 in order to register parking times and parking charges.

Further configurations of the invention can be gathered from the following description and the subclaims.

The invention is illustrated in more detail hereinbelow with reference to the exemplary embodiments represented in the accompanying figures, in which: Figure 1 shows, schematically, a plan view of a Sfirst exemplary embodiment of the parking card, parkin Figure 2 shows, schematically, a side view of the o°0° parking card according to Figure 1, Figure 3 shows, schematically, a plan view of a second exemplary embodiment of the parking card, Figure 4 shows, schematically, a side view of the ,eeo parking card accordinr to Figure 3, and Figure 5 shows, schematically, a plan view of a third exemplary embodiment of the parking card.

25 Figures 1 and 2 show a first exemplary embodiment of a parking card which is intended for the chargerelated actuation of a parking barrier and is in the form of a sheet-like plastic piece 1 having a front side 2 and a rear side 3 which are arranged at a distance from, and parallel to, each other. The front side 2 and the rear side 3 delimit a plastic piece 1 which is designed such that it is round. The parking card is thus in the form of a round coin which can roll away via a border 4 forming the circumferential surface. The space between the front side 2 and the rear side 3 is filled entirely with plastic material, with the result that the plastic piece 1 is designed to be solid. The space between front side 2 and rear side 3 may also, however, be only partially filled, with the result that the plastic piece has a hollow inner structure in order, if appropriate, to be able to adjust the rolling properties in dependence on the weight of the parking card.

A machine-readable data carrier is, furthermore, inserted into the front side 2, said data carrier being an electronic identification and/cr communication component 5 which responds or operates in a contactless and position-independent manner and is designed for storing and/or reading various items of parking information. For details, you are referred to the following description.

Said data-carrier component 5 may terminate flush with the front side 2 or be located, beneath or behind the front side 2, in a cutout in the plastic piece 1, with the result that the data-carrier component 5 is enveloped 15 by the plastic piece 1. The data-carrier component 5 may eeo* be arranged, on or in the parking card, in the centre or at the sides or off-centre.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the round coin may o* o be designed in a number of pieces rather than in one piece. Here, the round coin comprises two discs 8, 9 which can be fixedly connected to each other, can be placed flush against each other and receive the datacarrier component 5 in the inner space inclosed by them.

A configuration of this type simplifies the mounting of the data-carrier component 5 in the plastic piece 1 if it is intended for the integration of the data-carrier component 5 not to be visible, in particular from the outside. In addition, the plastic piece 1 has a throughpassage 10 which, here, is in the form of a centrally located round hole. Said through-passage 10 may, of course, also be provided in the round parking coin according to Figures 1 and 2.

The thickness of the plastic piece 1 according to Figures 1 to 4 is 3 mm, but it may, however, vary between 0.5 and 6 mm, and preferably lies between 2 and 4 mm. The diameter of the plastic piece 1 is 40 mm, but it may vary between 20 and 70 mm, and preferably lies between 35 and mm.

Figure 5 shows a third exemplary embodiment of -6the parking card which, in terms of the form of the plastic piece 1 and of the identification and/or communication component 5, is designed in the same way as the first and second exemplary embodiments, but it is further provided with a display section 7 for the visual display of the address of the car park and of the parking-card number in clear lettering and/or of the ongoing parking time. In the case of a display of the ongoing parking time, the front side 2 may have a digital time display which is provided with a clockwork which is set in operation when the parking card is issued.

The identificatio and/or communication component which operates in a contactless and position-indepen- S* dent manner, comprises a chip and a data-transmission 15 device which emits electromagnetic waves. Said component stores at least one once-only and thus unique code number which can be read out in a contactless and position-independent manner. In addition to its storing capacity, the component 5 may also be capable of processing and, for this purpose, be loaded with individual menus in order to be used as a decentralized data carrier which can not only be read out but may also be capable of receiving recordings of items of parking information.

Consequently, the chip can be re-programmed for each parking operation in order to permit additional processing of the items of parking information. The items of parking information are then contained in the round parking coin and are newly registered for each parking operation, it being possible to erase or overwrite the preceding items of parking information. Consequently, a repeated issuing of the parking card with fixed code or reprogrammable component 5 for short-stay parkers is possible. The same applies for the use of the parking card as a debit parking card or a long-stay parking card.

The identification and/or communication component preferably operates passively and without batteries, to be precise with an inductive transmission of energy and data. The component 5 then comprises a chip and an aerial in the form of a coil, which is used for energy trans- 7 mission and data transmission. On the chip there are located a storage region, in which the code or an identification number is stored as a fixed value, and an electronic circuit. Chip and coil form an oscillating circuit, the coil being a receiving coil for the inductive energy transmission and a transmitting coil for the data transmission by means of natural resonance of the oscillating circuit in communication with a read/write station. The frequencies of the oscillations produced may lie in the range between 100 and 300 kHz.

A parking card passing into the region of a read/write station of entrance/departure or paying stations consequently receives pulses via its aerial, as *a result of which the chip receives a triggering signal 15 and, thereupon, transmits the identification number to the read/write station via the coil. Said data transmission is not subject to direction and is generally carried out via omnidirectional waves and thus in a contactless and position-independent manner. If the storage region on a chip which is capable of processing is formed, for example, by an EEPROM (electrically erasable programmable read-only memory), then the component is also programmable in a contactless and position-independent manner.

25 The identification and/or communication component may also operate actively and, in this case, has, in I addition to a chip which is capable of storing and, if appropriate, is programmable, a transmitter which is activated and sends out its identification number when it passes into the signal range of a read/write station. The energy supply if effected via a battery integrated into the component 5. For the remainder, the preceding embodiments apply.

The described parking card can be used, as shown in the following, in a parking service system for registering parking times and/or parking charges.

The parking cards in the form of round parking coins are issued, at the entrance of a multi-storey car park or open-air car park, from a supply container, 8 having a vertical shaft, via a dispenser. Before issuing, the respective identification code is read in a contactless and position-independent manner in a read/write station, which the parking card is to pass, and fed to a computer, which adds the entrance time, the date and the station number, and stores these collected items of information. If the parking card is designed as a decentralized data carrier, the entrance time can be stored directly in the parking card, with the result that external data transmission to the computer is dispensed with. By removing the parking card from an ejection slot, an entrance barrier is opened.

At the end of the parking duration, the user introduces the parking card into a paying machine. If the 15 parking card passes into the signal range of a read/write *'c0 station, the identification is read out again in a "contactless and position-independent manner, the entrance time is compared to the actual time by computer and, as a result, the parking charge is established and displayed. After paying the parking charge due, the parking card is released. The computer adopts the new (paying) time and adds an allowance time in which the car-park user has to drive out of the car park. Alternatively, the new (paying) time may be written into the 25 parking card in a contactless and position-independent manner.

Still with the same parking card, the user drives to the exit and introduces the card into a corresponding introduction slot, where it is read once again. If it is valid, the departure barrier is opened and the parking card falls into a collecting container for re-use. In the case of the programmable parking card, the read-in items of parking information are erased, apart from the fixed code.

The parking service system can be used not only by short-stay parkers, but also for long-stay parkers.

Although the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but rather, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

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Claims (11)

1. A method for operating a parking concession comprising the steps of: storing at a first location a plurality of parking cards, each comprising a round, flat piece of material with a front and reverse side, containing a non-contact machine- readable data medium for storing parking data; determining when a parking customer is present at an entrance to a parking area; selecting one of said plurality of parking cards or inserting a selected parking card of a past use into first location by a parking customer; reading a card code from said selected parking card independent of the position of said parking card and electronically storing parking data within k parkini. card; issuing said selected parking card to said parking customer opening an entrance barrier to said parking area allow.,, said parking customer to enter; when said parking customer desires to exit said parking area, receiving from said parking customer said selected parking card into a payment location; and reading said parking data from said selected card in order to determine the associated parking fee.

2. A method as in claim 1 wherein said selected parking card is retained 20 at an exit location and is returned for storing at said first location.

3 A method as in claim 1 wherein said selected parking card is returned to said parking customer upon his exit for future use during a subsequent parking period, and is retained after a certain subsequent parking period at an exit location and 5 is returned for storing at said first location.

4. A method as in claim 1 which further comprises the steps of: after said selected parking card is received at said payment location, determining whether an excessive period of time has lapsed sincc, the payment of said •parking fee.

5. A method as in claim 1 which further comprises the steps of: after receipt of said selected parking card by said payment location, reading said card code and determining if said parking fee has been paid and, if so, causing an exit barrier to open.

6. A method as in claim 1 which further comprises the steps of, after determining said associated parking fee: accepting payment of said parking fee from said customer and returning said S selected parking card to said parking customer; and receiving at an exit location said selected parking card from said parking CO customer and in response thereto opening an exit barrier allowing said parking 0 customer to exit said parking area. [N-\LIBLL]00967:TCW

7. A method as in claim 1 which firther comprises the steps of, after determining said associated parking fee: accepting payment of said parking fee from said customer and in response thereto opening an exit barrier allowing said parking customer to exit said parking area.

8. A method for operating a parking concession, comprising the steps of: storing at a first location a plurality of parking cards, each comprising a round, flat piece of material with a front and reverse side containing a non-contact machine- readable data medium for storing a card code; determining when a parking customer is present at an entrance to a parking area; selecting one of said plurality of parking cards or inserting a selected parking card into said first location by a parking customer; reading said card code from said selected parking card independent of the position of said parking card and electronically storing parking data within said parking card; issuing said selected parking card to said parking customer; opening an entrance barrier to said parking area allowing said parking customer to enter; when said parking customer desires to exit said parking area, receiving from 20 said parking customer said selected parking card into a controlling device at an exit o location; reading said parking data from said selected card in order to determine the associated parking fee; checking validity of said selected parking card; and returning said selected parking card to said parking customer and in response thereto opening an exit barrier allowing said parking customer to exit said parking area if said parking card is valid.

9. A method as in claim 8 wherein said selected parking card is retained at said exit location if non-valid and is returned for storing at said first location.

10. A method as in claim 8 wherein said selected parking card is returned to said parking customer upon his exit for future use during a subsequent parking period and is retained if determined as non-valid and is returned for storing at said first location.

11. A method for operating a parking concession, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. %Dated 10 June, 1997 A ~Farmont Technik GmbH Co. KG C Patent Attorneys for the Applicant/Nominated Person Ax^ SPRUSON FERGUSON [NALIBLL.]00967TCW Parking Card for the Charge-Related Actuation of a Parking Barrier ABSTRACT The invention relates to a parking card which is intended for the charge-related actuation of a parking barrier and is in the form of a sheet-like plastic piece having a front side and rear side and having a machine- readable data carrier for storing car-park information and user information and, if appropriate, the entrance time and departure time. In order to provide a parking card which is easily constructed and can be handled with ease and permits the installation of an inexpensive parking service system, the invention provides that the plastic piece is in the form of a round coin, on or in which there is mounted an identification and/or communication component which operates in a contact- less manner and comprises a chip and a data-transmission device which emits electromagnetic waves. Figure 1 ur *9 f 0 s I