EP2259228A2

EP2259228A2 - Electronic system to handle automatic payment and its verification of the parking spaces

Info

Publication number: EP2259228A2
Application number: EP10005414A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Domenico Fabio Restivo; Annamaria Immacolata Rinascente
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: RESTIVO, DOMENICO FABIO; RINASCENTE, ANNAMARIA IMMACOLATA
Priority date: 2009-05-28
Filing date: 2010-05-25
Publication date: 2010-12-08
Also published as: IT1396090B1; ITVA20090032A1; EP2259228A3

Abstract

The invention is an electronic system to handle automatic payment and its verification, of the parking spaces, without installation of any additional equipment in the parking area. It's made up of two electronic devices, one of them connected to a remote server-web, to perform check of user's account, to solve the relative parking payment, to check totale time elapsed and the total charge payed.

Description

This is an electronic system to handle automatic payment, and its verification, of the parking spaces, without installation of any additional equipment in the parking area.
It's known systems for handling and control of the time of the parking areas.
It's known payment parking systems through paper ticket, that is the indication of time and hours is done with manual marking; payments with coins to insert in the parking meter and/or with ticket or card to exhibit from the car-body. It's known systems where user uses his cell-phone and systems with sensors installed in the parking areas. Futher systems show the start and end parking time on a display of some device; It's known system that use PDA (personal digital assistant) to verify the payment time. Inconvenients of these kind of systems are: activation and validation procedure are slow; high costs of installation and handling tickets, cards, parking meters need to be available; it is uncomfortable in case of bad weather; the possibility of alteration of the tickets and cards; missing history and registration of the money transfer. Moreover systems known suffer also of so-called "minimum time of payment", for which final payment does not fully match with the time really elapsed and generally the payment exceeds parking made; Systems known, in addition, are characterized of wastes and environmental pollution, due to conspicuous use of paper materials (tickets, cards) as well as of metal equipments; where it is allowed, sytems known do not facilitate parking of duration longer than maximum time permitted of traditional systems (tickets or cards to scratch with a fixed time preprinted). Further inconvenients of systems known, with particolar reference to those are using the so-called pay by SMS and/or call from user's cell-phone, is the possibility of a fraudolent start time and/or end parking time, depending on the possible visibility of the controll staff; in others words, the user that have the option of monitor own vehicle parked, could activate SMS or call to start parking payment only when control staff appear, with serious loss of money for public corporation or private owner of parking spaces. With reference to systems the use so-called parking sensors it's evident that drawback consist of environmental pollution caused from them, as well as of high cost of installation, utilization, maintenance and replacement. With further reference to systems that use display for visualization as electronic parking disc or similar, there is an high probability of counterfait and of fraudulent use of the them. Finally, further disadvantage of systems that use PDA or PC-handheld, apart from handling cost due to internet connection, there is also the slowlness of verification of payment. A PC-handheld infact, not only needs to be connected to internet, but also need to be inserted the car's number to search in the remote database each car's data, operation that on a PC-handheld appear to be not easy at all, especially for an agent that is staying-up on a road.
The system invented allow use and handle of parking payment in real-time, rapidity of verification of payment, trasparency of them, security of data transmission among the electronic components, time, installation, maintenance and collection cost saving.
It eliminate, as well as, the need of print, usage and storage of the tickets and card, provided from the current parking meters, with evident cost saving. The invention simplify both payment procedure of the amount due, without utilization of user's cellular-phone system, and the verification of payment in the area subject to, without utilization of external systems of sensor or additional equipments in the parking space. Moreover the invention constant store all money transactions and keep them verifiable on the server-web. The last goal of the invention is to obtain a simple and economic handling of the parking spaces without having qualified personal or complex and expensive technical equipments; further, crittografy mechanism, developed to prevent possible abuses and frauds, makes communications secure and not modifiable, penalty is the not possibility of working of the system; again the system allows, where widely used, a percentage valuation of vacant places of a parking space.
The invention is made of two electronic devices, interconnect each others, by a autentication mechanism, and a server-web.
The system then made of three total elements as indicated in demand 1., is characterized by following operation: the car-device have to send to the server-web, the start time of parking payment, referred to the car where the car-device is installed. In particular, when the user stops on the parking place, pressing the start-button Fig.1(1c), the car-device sends to the server-web Fig.(1a) the SIM number, present in the GSM module, and the position coordinates of the car, calculated by GPS module Fig.5(17). This communication is based on TCP-IP protocol. The server-web recognizes the number of the SIM and accessing to its internal database, where user's data has been previously registered, retrieves information such as: user name, car's number (plate), car's model. The server-web in addition, using internal maps, can obtain the name of the street at the time the car is stopped in the park. At this point the server-web replays to the car-device sending it the following strings Fig.(1b): car's number, car's model, the name of the street and the start parking time. Then the start parking time is shown to the user on the LCD display of the car-device Fig.(1c) while remaining information are not displayed on the LCD but are stored inside the internal RAM of the car-device Fig.5 (10a) until next power off. The car-device is also characterized from the fact that when the user requires to stop the payment pressing stop-button Fig.3, the server-web sends back to the car-device the end payment time and total of payment charge Fig.3c. After the payment is stop, the car-device will not answer to any request from electronic-key, as user is already leaving the parking place. The user can check at any time the history of his payments, with relative data and time, connecting to the server-web through his personal account.
The invention is protected with authentication and anti-cloning mechanism, so it cannot be falsified or altered by anybody.
The invention does not allow to cheaters o malicious persons the usage of false free-pass (for example, not authentic copy of pass for person with physical disabilities) as the car-device is registered to only one car's number, so it cannot be used on other vehicle.
Further characteristics are highlighted in the attached drawings.
The invention is susceptible of large variations, all beyond this inventive concept, moreover, all components and details are replaceable with other technically equivalent.
Materials and dimensions of the invention, as above described and shown in the drawings and claimed ahead, can be any depending on requirements.
All details, moreover, are replaceable with others technically equivalent, without quit from the area of protection of present patent.

Claims

An electronic system to handle automatic payment and its verification, of the parking spaces, without installation of any additional equipment in the parking area. The system composed of three main elements, having mutual connections each others, and an encrypting mechanism to protect exchange of data among them, is made up of a car-device, installed inside the car (Fig.5, Fig.5a), an electronic-key used by the control staff to check the parking payment for each car (Fig.4, Fig.4a), a server-web (Fig.3a, Fig.3b) with an internal database, an account for each user to access to the history of its payments, geographical maps and connection with a bank.
The car-device, covered by a plastic box, supplied by the battery of the car Fig.5(13a) where it's installed or by an internal battery, is internally made up of a GSM/GPRS/GPS module with a SIM inside Fig.5(17), a 16 bit microcontroller Fig.5(0a), a receiver and a transmit diodes Fig.5(6a,7a), an transmit infrared amplifier Fig.5(8a), a sun-lamp filter and demodulator circuit Fig.5(16), an electronic accelerometer Fig.5(15), a LCD TFT display Fig.5(5a), a button to turn on and off the device Fig.5a(20a), a button to start the park payment Fig.5a(1c), a button to stop park payment Fig.5a(2c), a button for disc parking for free-pay Fig.5a(3c), a button to enter in a sub-menu' with further functions Fig.5a(4c), a buzzer as acoustic warning Fig.5(14a).
The electronic-key is internally made up of an infrared receiver/transmitter diodes Fig.4(6-7), a transmit infrared amplifier Fig.4(8), a 16 bit microcontroller Fig.4(0), a LCD TFT Fig.4(5), a button to turn on and off the device Fig.4a(20), a buzzer for acoustic warning Fig.4(14).
The electronic-key is covered also by a plastic box and supplied only by internal battery pack Fig.4(13); externally it's made up of a button for the verification of the payment Fig.4a(1b).
On the LCD display can also be indicated if the connection, when it's required, between electronic-key and the car-device occurs with success or not.
The system of three elements as indicated in demand 1., is characterized by following operation: the car-device have to send to the server-web, the start time of parking payment, referred to the car where the car-device is installed. In particular, when the user stops on the parking place, pressing the start-button Fig.1(1c), the car-device sends to the server-web (FIG. 1a) the SIM number, present in the GSM module, and the position coordinates of the car, calculated by GPS module Fig.5(17). This communication is based on TCP-IP protocol. The server-web recognizes the number of the SIM and accessing to its internal database, where user's data has been previously registered, retrieves information such as: user name, car's number (plate), car's model. The server web in addition, using internal road maps, can obtain the name of the street
where the car is stopped in parking. At this point the server web replays to the car-device (Fig.1b) sending it the following strings: car's number (plate), car's model, the name of the street and the start parking time. Then the start parking time is shown to the user on the LCD display of the car-device (Fig1c) while remaining information are not displayed on the LCD but are stored inside the internal RAM of the car-device Fig.5(10a) until next power off. The car-device is also characterized from the fact that when the user requires to stop the payment pressing stop-button Fig.3(2c), the server web sends back to the car-device the end payment time and total of payment charge (Fig.3c). Finally the user can also check at any time the history of his payments, with relative data and time, connecting to the server-web through his personal account.
the GPS, as claimed in 1. and 2., is also used to alert the users when he forget to stop payment before he leaves the parking place. In this case the microcontroller, that periodically is polling the GPS module and compare the current coordinates with former ones read at start parking, can detects if the position of the car is changed and drives a buzzer to emit an acoustic signal to advice the user to stop the payment. Anyway payment is automatically stopped after some seconds if user does not it. After the payment is stop, the car-device will not answer to any request from electronic-key, as user is already leaving the parking place.
Additional characteristic of the system, such as in demand 1., is the optical connection, by infrared diodes, between electronic-key and the car-device.
Pressing a button Fig.2(1b) on the electronic-key and pointing it to the device-car (Fig.2a), the last one, receives a request of payment verification and send to the electronic-key (Fig.2b) the information previously received from the server web (car's number, car's model, the name of the street) and stored in the RAM of the car-device Fig.5(10a), The electronic-key will show these received information on his LCD display LCD (Fig.2c).
In this way, if whole information is consistent with that car and the road where it is, the control staff can be sure that the car-device has been before connected to the server-web and the user is correctly paying. This is because the program-memory of microcontroller of the device-car cannot contain inside any road maps, mainly for size reason. So the car-device always needs to connect to the server web to obtain the name of the street where car is currently park. More in general any microcontroller cannot contain road map, so it's not possible for a malicious person to replace the genuine microcontroller with another with road map inside in order to counterfeit the car-device and avoiding the connection with the server-web to not pay the park. It's not possible. Moreover whole information (car's number, car's model, name of the street) is encrypted, not accessible by the user, as claimed ahead, and only the electronic-key can decrypt and read it. Hence only the control-staff can verify the payment of the cars by the electronic-key and without connecting it to the server-web(internet), and without any additional sensors, so the verification is simple and quick, but at the same time protected and secure.
The microcontrollers Fig.4(0) - Fig.5(0a), as claimed in 1., 3. and 4., are both protected from internal code being read and/or modify. It's not possible to read or modify internal code programmed in the program memory in order to prevent any malicious intents of counterfeit or cloning of the electronic-key or the car-device.
Further detail of the system is the hardware circuit for optical infrared communication that has been designed to avoid the overlap of transmissions among adjacent cars. The system such as in claims 1. e 4., is characterized by an infrared communication between the electronic-key and the car-device, using photodiodes Fig.4(6-7) - Fig.5(6a-7a) and a proper electronic circuit Fig.5(16) that perform following task: to filter the input signal by two fixed voltage thresholds (one low and one higher) and by a band-pass frequency filter. This avoids that weak signals or sun or fluorescent lamp can interfere with the useful transmission. To make uniform the sensitivity of photodiodes
(without AGC) that generally is much different even if they belong to the same production lot. To demodulate the signal coming from the electronic-key. Classic electronic infrared system always use receivers photodiodes with AGC (Automatic Gain Control) to amplifier a receiving signal of any voltage amplitude (low or high) to obtain a signal with a fixed voltage amplitude. But in the proposed system we want the signal transmitted from the electronic-key has to be received only by the car pointed to, and not by the others possible near cars. In this case photodiodes with AGC could not work properly has it tries to amplify signals of any amplitude, near or far. So a car near to the pointed one from electronic-key could also receive the transmitted signal and replay to it. The result would be more cars could answer at same time to the electronic key resulting in overlapping of different signals. To solve this issue it has been designed a proper infrared circuit that uses a receiver photodiode without AGC inside. Then the circuit amplifies signals that are within a fixed amplitude range and frequency. In this way signals too weak or strong are cutoff.
Eventual noise, generated by the sun or fluorescent lamps, is canceled also by pass-band frequency filter that accept in input only the modulated frequency by the electronic key. Moreover the circuit has been designed to be independent from the sensitivity of the photodiode, such that with this feature it is like having all photodiodes with almost the same sensitivity. This circuit cannot be found on classic electronic literature, but it has been properly developed for the purpose of the system. In conclusion using this circuit the signal transmitted from the electronic-key is received only by the pointed car and not by the possible near cars.
The SIM inside the GSM/GPRS/GPS module, as claimed in 1., is registered to only one user and one car. It's not possible use the car-device in a different car from which one has been registered in the database of the server-web. The control-staff can easy check if the car's number read on the display of the electronic-key does not match with the car under verify. This feature prevents the possibility that a car-device registered, for example, to a person with disability, is used by an other person on a different car with the goal to not pay the parking.
If the people in a town that use our system is higher than other people are using meter-park or others traditional systems, then it's possible to estimate how many parking places are vacant or occupied in a parking area of that town. This is to direct the users to the parking areas where it's estimated to be a good number of vacant parking places. In this way it's possible to have a reduction of the traffic in a town too.
The information of parking area with a vacant parking place can be obtained either by the user connecting on the server web from remote or it can be button by the user on his car-device from the server web pressing a button. This functionality of estimation of vacant places in a parking area, it is performed without use of any sensors, against other systems.
the system can works also as electronic parking disc. Pressing a button on car device designed for pay-free Fig.1(3c), it is shown on the display the start time of parking, but the device-car does not perform any connection to the server-web. When the control staff checks the car, this start time will be send encrypted to the electronic-key of the control staff and only the electronic-key can decrypt it. This is to avoid counterfeit of the car-device that a malicious person, for example, could think to replace the genuine microcontroller of the car-device with another one in order to show on the display a counterfeit time that can elapse in a not correct mode. In this case it's not possible for a malicious person replace the original microcontroller with another as he does not know how the start time is encrypted when it is transmitted to the electronic-key, as the microcontroller of the car-device is protected from read and write as described in claim 5. Many others system simply showing the time on the display without take in account safety measures against possible counterfeit of the device.
The system, as in claim 1., is also characterized from an electronic accelerometer that can detect acceleration and deceleration of the car where it is installed. It's useful for future accident detection functionality.