EP0377700A1

EP0377700A1 - Method and device for the surveillance of warehouses and goods depots

Info

Publication number: EP0377700A1
Application number: EP19890906379
Authority: EP
Inventors: Jean Fourteau; Bernard Cloup
Original assignee: CHAMBRE DE COMMERCE ET D'INDUSTRIE DE BORDEAUX
Current assignee: CHAMBRE DE COMMERCE ET D'INDUSTRIE DE BORDEAUX
Priority date: 1988-05-26
Filing date: 1989-05-24
Publication date: 1990-07-18
Also published as: FR2632104A1; FR2632104B1; WO1989011711A1

Abstract

Le procédé de surveillance d'emplacements affectés au dépôt d'objets accessibles à d'autres personnes que les usagers est caractérisé en ce qu'il consiste au moment de la mise en place par un usager d'un objet en un emplacement déterminé (101-104), à générer un signal de présence (19) dudit objet audit emplacement, lequel signal sera maintenu durant toute la durée de ladite présence et, à faire assurer par l'usager un dispositif de veille permanente activé par ledit signal de présence, à l'aide d'un moyen personnel à l'usager (16), et, au moment du retrait de l'objet dudit emplacement, à faire déclencher par le dispositif de veille une alarme et/ou une ou plusieurs mesures de sauvegarde si la disparition dudit signal de présence n'est pas suivie ou précédée, à l'intérieur d'un intervalle de temps prédéterminé, du désarmement dudit dispositif de veille à l'aide dudit moyen personnel à l'usager. Application au gardiennage de tous objets.The method of monitoring locations assigned to the deposit of objects accessible to people other than the users is characterized in that it consists in the moment when a user places an object in a determined location (101 -104), to generate a presence signal (19) of said object at said location, which signal will be maintained throughout the duration of said presence and, to provide the user with a permanent watch device activated by said presence signal, by means of a personal means to the user (16), and, when the object is removed from said location, to cause the standby device to trigger an alarm and / or one or more backup measures if the disappearance of said presence signal is not followed or preceded, within a predetermined time interval, by disarming said standby device using said personal means to the user. Application to the guarding of all objects.

Description

METHOD FOR MONITORING SITES ASSIGNED TO THE DEPOSIT OF OBJECTS AND DEVICE FOR IMPLEMENTING SAME

The present invention relates to a method for monitoring locations assigned to the deposit of objects.

More specifically, the invention aims to monitor a plurality of locations, the number of which is arbitrary and which can even be reduced to one, and each of which is accessible to other persons than that, known as a user, who uses it to leave in deposit, store, or other, an object which will be recovered later after a variable time. By object, we generally mean any movable material body which can cover an extremely wide range of things such as, for example, a package, a suitcase, a vehicle. It is moreover in this application to the guarding of motor vehicles that the method of the invention will be described later.

By location is meant an open, semi-open, or enclosed space while being accessible either to the public or to a restricted category of people which can be made up only by authorized users of the locations.

These locations may be spaces delimited on the ground, for example the case of the application of the invention to the guarding of vehicles or of cells, compartments or other spaces, delimited by any structure and of dimensions and shapes which vary according to the nature of the objects to deposit in particular. The object of the invention is to signal and possibly trigger procedures for safeguarding, in the event of the removal, from a determined location, of the object which is deposited there, by a person who is not the one who has deposited said object or who is not empowered to do so by the holder of the object or by the person who deposited it.

To this end, the subject of the invention is a method for monitoring locations assigned to the deposit of objects and accessible to persons other than users, characterized in that it consists:

- at the time of the installation by an user of an object in a determined location: i) to generate a signal of presence of said object at said location, which signal will be maintained throughout the duration of said presence and, ii) to make arm the user with a permanent watch device activated by said presence signal, using a personal means for the user,

- and, at the time of removal of the object from said location, to cause the watch device to trigger an alarm and / or one or more safeguard measures if the disappearance of said presence signal is not followed or preceded, within a predetermined time interval, disarming said standby device using said personal means to the user.

The average personal to the user may be of any kind of shapes and be formed for example by a hardware key or, more preferably, a light such as a key code that preferably _r the user will choose when it will arm the watch device and it will therefore be the only one to know, this code possibly being easily transmitted to another person responsible for recovering

1. Object.

Such a monitoring method is particularly effective because any person not provided with said key will not be able to disarm the watch device which, as soon as it is informed of the absence of an object at any location, insofar as the person who deposited the object has actually armed the device, will trigger appropriate signaling and backup processes. Such a method also allows better management of the locations by permanent control that it authorizes the occupation or not of each of the locations.

Other characteristics and advantages will emerge from the description which follows of an application of the invention to the guarding of vehicles. automobiles, description given by way of example only and with reference to the appended drawings in which:

FIG. 1 represents the schematic diagram of the equipping of a car park for motor vehicles using a monitoring device according to the invention, and

- Figure 2 is a block diagram of the monitoring device.

FIG. 1 diagrammatically shows in plan a vehicle security park comprising four islands 1 to 4 delimited by a low fence system 5 of the protective rail type, served by a central aisle 6 serving itself, by four spans, the four islets.

The park has a double entry 7 equipped with movable barriers 8 and non-return valves 9 and a double exit 10 with movable barriers 11 and stop harrows 12.

A low fence 13, for example also of the protective rail type, physically delimits the islands which are provided, on the central aisle side 6, with an entrance equipped with a movable alarm barrier 14.

Each block has, opposite the entrance, a pedestrian crossing 15 near which are placed electronic key terminals 16. Two surveillance cameras 17 are arranged, one, in the axis of the spans of the blocks 1 and 2 and, the other, in the axis of the spans of the other two islands.

Each island has two rows of parking spaces, delimited by rectangles 18, all provided with a sensor-detector 19 for the presence of a vehicle and nude erotic (101 to 104 for example, Figure 2).

The sensor-detectors 19 signaling the presence or absence of a vehicle can be of any type. It can be a magnetic proximity sensor, capacitive, ultrasonic, infrared radar or DOPPLER hyper-frequency, or other, or a contact detector of the ILS sensor type or other.

The sensor-detectors 19 are of course arranged so as not to be located, manipulated or neutralized. Preferably, for outdoor parks, underground magnetic detectors will be used and for indoor parks detectors of the ultrasonic type.

In the embodiment shown, the sensor-detectors 19 are connected, via a system called management peripheral 20, to a central processing unit 21 to which the electronic key terminals 16 are also connected.

The central unit 21 is further connected to a control and display console 22. Furthermore, the sensor-detector assembly 19 as well as the central unit 21 are connected to a circuit or housing 23 for monitoring, even connected to a logical alarm unit 24.

The latter is of course connected to the central unit 21 and to a series of peripheral members, namely, the exit barriers 11 from the park, the alarm barriers 14 for isolating the islands 1 to 4, a transmitting device 25 radio or telephone to which portable transceiver stations 26 or telephone stations of the park wardens are connected, and a video and voice control unit 27.

The exit barriers 11 are connected to the harrows 12 and control them under the control of the central unit 21.

The central unit 21 is finally connected, as an option, to a synoptic device 28 indicating the state of the fleet. In FIG. 2, the block diagram is divided into two parts, one, called alarms, grouping the active organs and circuits generating signals and / or activating alarms and backup processes and, the other, called management, where the signals are processed for control purposes and of information.

The organs and devices of the management part are physically separate from those of the alarm part which are on the monitored and protected site, these so-called management organs being for example at the park control and surveillance station.

The operation of the installation shown and described above is as follows.

A vehicle enters the park through entrance 7 using the existing access control (barrier 8). The driver parks his vehicle on a free space 18 of any of the islands 1 to 4. The occupation of this space is, from this instant, detected by the device 19 and memorized by the central unit 21. This information is displayed on screen 28 which thus makes it possible to assess the occupancy rate of the fleet and the distribution of occupied locations.

The monitoring of the site which has just been occupied is not compulsory in the sense that the user is not obliged to arm the standby system, that is to say to validate the taking under constant surveillance by the central unit 21 of the location where his vehicle is parked. If the user does not carry out this arming, it is of course at his own risk, because the withdrawal without his authorization (just like the withdrawal by himself) of his vehicle from the location where he has it parked, will of course be displayed on the screen 28 or the console 22, but will not trigger any alarm or any saving process, that is to say blocking of exits from the park. If therefore the user wants to put his vehicle under active surveillance, he must go to terminal 16 assigned to the block where his vehicle is parked. This terminal includes one or more microprocessors provided with one or more video displays and screens and one or more digital or alphanumeric keyboards allowing commands to put into or out of surveillance, display commands and coding-decoding.

The user types on the keyboard, or one of the keyboards, the number of the space occupied by his vehicle as well as a code made up of any numbers and / or letters chosen at will by the user and therefore known only to him.

_T hese arm or validate the constant supervision formatting operations by the CPU 21 of the site considered. The unit 21 consists for example of a microcomputer or a mini-computer equipped with a communication interface with the devices 16, 20 and 22.

Said arming or validation consists for the unit 21 in giving the connection order, via the management peripheral 20, which has a storage and dispatching function, of the sensor-detector 19 concerned to the logic unit d alarms 24.

Before validating this request for surveillance, the unit 21 performs a certain number of tests making it possible to ensure that the site is well occupied (and that the surveillance is carried out within a period of a few minutes after the occupancy of this location), that the location is not already under surveillance, that the code is not already used, that there have not been three false operations of the type code already used, place already under surveillance and unoccupied space, the occurrence of three of these false maneuvers generating an alarm at the park control post. The implementation of video means (camera

17) and voice then makes it possible either to help the user or to detect a malicious attempt.

From this monitoring, the vehicle can no longer be recovered without disarming the standby system by an identical intervention process on the terminal 16 concerned, namely the introduction by the alphanumeric keyboard of the code used at the time of monitoring.

This process can be carried out either by the user who has parked his vehicle, or by any person authorized by said user and who has received the code from him. The disarming consists for the unit 21 in prohibiting the sending by the housing 23 of a signal for triggering the alarm unit 24 on the reception of a signal coming from the sensor-detector 19 of the location concerned and following the release of this location. In the absence of this disarming, as soon as the vehicle is removed from its location, the location sensor-detector generates a signal which is not stopped by the unit 23 and triggers the alarm unit 24. This unit 24 is for example a programmable automaton which will trigger the lowering of the barrier 14 of the island concerned, then, if this barrier is forced or unfastened, the locking, lowered position, of the barriers 11 leaving the park, the transmitter alert 25 and a video recording via the control room 27 and the camera 17 concerned.

If one of the exit barriers 11 is forced or unhooked, the harrow 12 located downstream is then pulled out automatically. The control console 22 makes it possible, from the park control station, to dialogue with the central unit 21 and optionally to control the barriers 11, 14, the harrows 12, the cameras 17, the screen 28, the transmitter 25, control room 27. The console 22 provides for example the following operating and management functions: identification of locations, possibility of access to the "combination" of the electronic key in the event of forgetting by the driver of the vehicle, search for '' history, occupancy time (suction cup vehicle), locking remote controls.

In addition, this console makes it possible to envisage a tariff management of the fleet, the surveillance of each occupied location being, in this case, compulsory for the user. The box 23 is for example a multi-channel relay controlled by the management peripheral 20.

The screen 28 can be used for park users and / or for the park manager.

Help for the user can consist of help in finding a free location, for example by signboards piloted by the management peripheral 20 guiding the user, either by prohibiting access to certain islands, or by advising the use of certain places.

Help for the user can also be help with recovery of the vehicle. During the disarming operation, the block diagram 28 then indicates for a few seconds the position of the vehicle in the park.

For these user aids, the screen can be made up of panels of the classic type (with light-emitting diodes) or with optical fibers for outdoor parks.

To help the fleet manager, the synoptic 28 can give a global and precise vision of the parked vehicles, the monitored vehicles, the vacant places, the location of the alarms.

The cameras 17 are for example of the CCD type or of the infrared type (interesting for its performances in poor visibility (fog) and in fire detection for closed parks).

The installation shown in the drawings and described above is relatively sophisticated and can be stripped of a certain number of options or of additional alarm or intervention systems such as the screen 28, the control room 27, the cameras 17, the transmitter 25, the console 22 and even the barriers and harrows 11,12,14 according to the envisaged applications. The only elements essential in any configuration are the sensor-detectors 19, the terminals 16, the central processing unit 21, the box 23 which acts as an activatable standby device (by the terminal 16 and via the central unit 21) , the alarm circuit 24 and the peripheral 20 which acts as an interface between the unit 21 and the elements 19,23,24.

The arming / disarming key at terminal 16 is an electronic key but could be a hardware key engaged in a terminal with lock and kept by the user. One could also use a voice key, that is to say a spoken code and no longer entered using a keyboard.

Instead of a public park, it could be a private park, in a building for example and which would be accessible, in principle, only to the occupants of the building or to visitors.

The distribution or spatial distribution of the locations 18 can be arbitrary. In the case of objects other than vehicles, the arrangement of locations as well as the nature and arrangement of alarm and backup systems, in particular the prohibition of the exit of objects from the enclosure or space under control, can take many forms without departing from the scope of the invention.

One could also conceive, according to the envisaged application, to precede the occupation of a site by arming the watch or surveillance device for the chosen site, while in the example of the security park given above above arming at terminal 16 is done after occupying a location. On the other hand, in all applications, at the time of removal of the object, at least one alarm will be triggered if the disappearance of the presence signal of the object is not preceded or followed, within an interval of predetermined (and adjustable) time, from disarming the standby device.

Of course, in the case of the vehicle guarding fleet, it is out of the question to allow the withdrawal of the vehicle under surveillance before the disarming of the watch device, this disarming having to occur before the resumption of the vehicle.

Finally, in the general definition of the method of the invention, the maintenance of the presence signal takes place both continuously and intermittently by periodic verification of the persistence of the occupation of the location in question.

Claims

1. Method for monitoring locations assigned to the deposit of objects and accessible to people other than the users, characterized in that it consists:

- at the time of the installation by an user of an object in a determined location: i) to generate a signal of presence of said object at said location, which signal will be maintained throughout the duration of said presence and, ii) to make ensure by the user a permanent watch device activated by said presence signal, using a means personal to the user,

- and, when the object is removed from said location, have the watch device trigger an alarm and / or one or more backup measures if the disappearance of said presence signal is not followed or preceded, on within a predetermined time interval, disarming said standby device using said personal means to the user.

2. Device for implementing the method according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises:

- a presence detection means (19) disposed at each location to be monitored (18), - a standby device (20 to 23) connected to said presence detection means (19),

- at least one terminal (16) for introducing an arming authorization linked to said standby device, and - a device (24) for alarm and / or triggering of appropriate backup means, connected to the standby device.

3. Device according to claim 2, caractéri¬ se in that the standby device consists of a circuit (23) for monitoring and a central unit processing (21), connected to the presence detection means (19), the terminal (16) and the alarm device and / or triggering of backup means (24).

4. Device according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the terminal (16) is a lock receiving a personal key for the user of the location in question.

5. Device according to claim 2 or 3, ca¬ characterized in that the terminal (16) is an electronic key terminal comprising a microprocessor provided with a digital or alphanumeric keyboard allowing the user to enter a personal code.

6. Device according to one of claims 2 to 5, more particularly applied to the surveillance of a car park for guarding motor vehicles, characterized in that the alarm device (24) is connected to movable barriers (11, 14) arranged at the exit of the park and possibly at the exit of separate parking zones (1 to 4) inside the park.

7. Device according to claim 6, characterized in that the standby device comprises a central processing unit (21) connected to cameras (17) for monitoring the aisles serving the parking spaces (18) and to a management of video recording (27).

8. Device according to claims 6 and 7, characterized in that the central processing unit is connected to a synoptic device (28) for assisting users and / or assisting in the management of the fleet.

9. Device according to one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that the sensor-detectors (19) are magnetic proximity detectors embedded in the ground of the parking spaces (18).