ES2595703A1 - Mobile system for automatically collecting the fee for the use of regulated parking spaces - Google Patents

Abstract

The system is based on the reading of tags or licence plates, carried out by a moving remote reader (1) arranged on a vehicle (2) or carried by control staff (3), used to read the tag (4) or licence plate of a vehicle (5) parked in a regulated parking space above ground (6), geographically located by the GPS (14), in such a way that a camera (15) records the image corresponding to the vehicle (5) such that the combination of the data corresponding to the processing of the position captured by the GPS (14) and the identification captured by the reader (1) allows the computer system to not only establish the type of parking space, but also to calculate and collect automatically the fee corresponding to the parked vehicle (5), without requiring the user to use other forms of payment.

Description

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MOBILE SYSTEM OF AUTOMATIC COLLECTION OF THE RATE OF USE OF SPACES OF

REGULATED PARKING

D E S C R I P C I O N

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a system that has been specially designed to automatically carry out the collection of the fee for the use of regulated parking spaces, in order that this task is carried out comfortably for the user, without having have to have loose money, or have to invest some time in locating and moving to the corresponding parking meters.

Thus, it is the object of the invention to provide a system that allows the use of identification systems installed in vehicles parked in a regulated parking space, and more specifically to a mobile system on board or personal laptop that allows remote reading of the electronic elements TAGs or RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) assets or liabilities located in vehicles parked on public or private roads in regulated parking areas, or where applicable the license plates of said vehicles, previously registered in the system, so that the system controls location and automatic collection of the rate associated with the time used by the vehicles parked in that space.

The on-board or portable reader system is accompanied by GPS or similar location systems, cameras or videos that show the position of the element associated with the TAG lefdo, or identify user data through its registration, and computer techniques centralized that calculate the guidance so that the vehicles and people carrying said TAG reader system travel the geographical routes optimally to where vehicles are parked with these TAGs to make the payment as often as necessary.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

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In the field of practical application of the invention, that of regulated parking areas, it is known to use parking meters to carry out the payment of said regulated parking.

These types of devices sometimes suffer vandal acts, being inoperative, to which we must add that they only allow payment with coins, so that drivers do not always have change, with the problems that this entails.

To a greater abundance, the cost of this type of parking meters is quite high, so, they are usually provided every certain distance, in some cases excessive, which makes them, sometimes not become visible by the user, having to walking long distances to carry out the payment, with the consequent and negative impact that this implies in a current society in which "time is money".

In other areas it is known to use arches equipped with cameras and TAG readers located in places of passage as toll roads reading these devices located in vehicles that pass through the arch, as well as for charging for access to underground parking areas.

Likewise, in other areas, portable or embarked systems for reading TAGs or RFID are known for the control of goods in warehouses in the field of Logistics, Garbage Collection, shops and others.

However, there are no known systems of on-board or portable readers of TAGs or with any other means of vehicle identification complemented by an information system that help to realize the automatic collection of the time of use of the surface regulated parking.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The system that is recommended comes to fill the void mentioned above, and is based on the combined operability of using a ship or portable device equipped with a TAG reader equipped with a signal emitting antenna that when directed at a distance of few meters reaches a TAG tag or other electronic identification system with

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of an electromagnetic coil that incorporates a chip that is excited and responds with a unique identification in the form of a return electromagnetic signal that is analyzed and processed by the reading device and of a GPS or similar positioning system also shipped or portable that adds the coordinates Geographical identification and a system of cameras or photo or video also on board or portable that show the vehicle or object carrying the TAG and an information system that communicates, analyzes and uses the data received from identification, position, date, time and images to optimally manage a regulated parking environment on public roads.

The TAG reader is of the standard type that can have different shapes that allow it to be installed in fixed or mobile places such as in vehicles even of portable size to be transported by a person. The readers of RFID TAGs emit an electromagnetic signal at a certain frequency and for a distance of approximately 10 meters and with the specific coding that excites the TAG which, in the form of a label, will respond immediately by identifying the element to be controlled.

The TAG can be passive or active and will be associated with data that identifies the vehicle or object that carries it jointly in any place, whether visible or not visible, attached, magnetized, placed or embedded.

The GPS or other satellite or location triangulation systems can provide the standard geographic coordinates of the vehicle with greater or lesser precision and use this information to mathematically estimate the position where the legacy TAG really is.

The camera or cameras of photos or video are used in the system to obtain the evidence of the presence of the vehicle in this place and to be able to compare the visible data of the license plate and brand and model and color of the vehicle crossing it with the information related to the identification supplied by the TAG.

At the same time, this equipment can also be used to identify the payment data of the user, registered in the system, through the vehicle's own license plate, which will be registered in the corresponding system database.

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The central computer system has the information to cross the data of the identification number of the TAG or registration, with the registered data of the vehicle made at the time of the user's registration in the system and its delivery and installation in the vehicle to be controlled. It also receives the information of the identifiers read by the TAGs along with the GPS positions and photographs from the reading systems. It also has the necessary logic to apply and collect the value of any formula defined in the rate of use of this regulated parking area with the data received from identification and location or other parameters related to pollution values, occupancy levels or others. It also has sufficient capacity to perform calculation processes of route optimization, detection of areas with less or greater control, and analysis of the necessary frequency of control, sending signals to the bearers of reader systems to optimize their function.

The combination of these control devices: TAG reader / license plate reader, geographical positioning, image capture and computer system, together with the identification elements associated with a fleet of vehicles for private or public, personal or merchandise transport, of a professional or security group or of citizens or of a whole country, or visitors, even carried by people, bicycles, motorcycles, cars, vans, trucks or boats, but also by other static elements such as containers and urban furniture, allows of a computerized record of the time and space used by the object associated with said element.

This unified system of the control devices together with those of identification, are combined in this invention to realize the automatic collection of the time used in the public spaces. This charge can be made each time the control devices successfully identify an item, automatically applying the official rates that regulate the use of the custom space for that item and space. These rates may charge minimum stay values complemented with the rest of the times that the element is identified in that space, being able to follow curves that relate the price to the calculated time of total stay, penalizing or bonus depending on different regulatory parameters.

Once the amount to be collected is known, the service must be charged using a payment system or established payment gateways or through other external services

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that share the same identification of the user, so that the system does not necessarily handle the amounts charged but uses the computer services associated with the issuing entity of the system.

The system is also used to know the approximate occupation of public spaces, as well as accurate billing, all in real time. Likewise, the information received in the system sent by the other real-time reader systems can be used to inform drivers to derive traffic to areas with less congested occupancy in terms of parking occupancy and even display this information in panels.

By solving the system automatic charging, this invention cancels the need that obliges the user to locate a parking meter or have an alternative payment system such as mobile or similar and use it every time he makes use of public space. Being an activity whose government regulation requires payment, the automatic payment is plausible.

The system proposed in this invention can send the registered user and install the corresponding application, the information of the time of use, location and price paid, together with alerts of excess time if any. The system is complemented by a software application that allows the user to receive these notifications and alerts, even the user can interact indicating the end of the use of the space to cut the price of the time charged by the automatic system. If the automatic system identifies the element in the same space after the termination communication notified manually by the user, a penalty or charge of a higher amount will be issued due to the offense committed. The user can always notify the system of the location and beginning or end of the use of the space.

The processing of the data collected together with the identification, in combination, allows to solve the problem of the automatic charging of the parking space, as well as the type of vehicle that occupies that space and in a general way the measurement of the occupation of the public space.

That is, through the system of the invention the problem of how to automate is solved

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the collection of municipal fees with the advantage of avoiding the direct intervention of the citizen, since the different current systems are based on the installation of vending machines or parameters and different mobile applications that citizens usually use, so that through the invention It will be possible to automatically detect the elements that occupy each space, according to the type of parking space and the identification of the vehicle that occupies it, simply consulting the centralized computer system that contains the information of these rights by applying the corresponding fee and making the payment of the service, where the municipal or government regulation so permits.

As an example, the system of the invention makes it possible to check if a vehicle belongs to a disabled user, or if it is a resident in the area, or is parked in a ford, or at a loading and unloading site, or if it has the corresponding permit necessary for this type of space and automatically apply the price according to the rate, or the sanction associated with the type of irregularity detected and notify the information to perform other complementary procedures.

In addition, with the same identification it is possible to consult and send the data to other public or private computer systems that carry out other validations or studies, such as circulation permits, stolen vehicle in search, mandatory insurance status, technical inspections, register, university cards , companies, rental, taxi drivers, merchants, market research and analysis, etc ...

The complete identification and collection system described in this invention is based on the premise that all vehicles with the possibility of parking in regulated public spaces or the large mayonnaise, have an electronic TAG that identifies them, for which there should be a specific procedure for delivery and activation of said TAG. During the delivery process the vehicle must be related to a payment method. Payment methods can relate to companies or individuals responsible for the identified good.

This system can benefit from the synergies of using identification systems using existing TAGs and deployed for other uses, by other public or private organizations. As an example, you can use TAGs issued for the collection of highways to

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Automatic parking payment as described in this invention.

In the event that the reading elements do not satisfactorily perform the identification of the GAD, for different reasons, for example, that it does not exist or is damaged or there is interference or any other reason, the system proposed in the present invention will send the photograph together with the Error notification to be analyzed manually or automatically and appropriate measures are taken.

The existence of the images of the vehicle or element together with the identification of the TAG allows the subsequent corroboration, for security reasons, that both systems are consistent with each other, analyzing the images with procedures that read the license plates, make and model of the vehicle or others. Characteristics of the element. This analysis can be done manually or programmatically, locally or remotely.

Obviously, through the system of the invention it is possible to make different uses with the identification of new TAGs in the future, to determine new groups of users or objects, in parking spaces that currently may or may not be regulated or for specific systems of identification of the same place having a TAG that identifies it, so that its fixed identification will be another parameter in the integration of the system and that will serve to determine more precisely the location and use of the space, and that will be definable for each city or zone by configuring its usage parameters. The same use can be given to identify and position other static urban elements such as street lamps, benches, panels, canopies, signs, sewer entrances, as well as moving dynamic elements such as garbage containers, construction containers, fences, etc ... without more that adhere or integrate the TAG in said element and that the combined system of this invention uses to locate and regulate the use of public space.

By means of the software processing of the system of the invention it is possible to know the position of one or several vehicles or persons carrying the elements of the reading part to, in real time or preprogrammed, direct them towards the places where to carry out identifications. This directed orientation process is carried out taking into account the position of each reading device combined with the necessary frequencies of passage through each zone or section so that the payment is optimal. The system is able to calculate the number of vehicles needed to perform the control functions, according to the state of the

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traffic, weather and the characteristics of each of the vehicles carrying the reader system, whether personal, bicycles, motorcycles or any other vehicle.

Obviously, the described system is not exclusive of being used in parallel with other payment systems, depending on the preferences of each user.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To complement the description that will then be made and in order to help a better understanding of the features of the invention, according to a preferred example of practical implementation thereof, a set of drawings is accompanied as an integral part of said description. where, with an illustrative and non-limiting nature, the following has been represented:

Figure 1 shows a schematic block diagram of the mobile or on-board device that participates in the system object of the present invention.

Figure 2.- Corresponds to a perspective view of the application of the system, in which a parked vehicle is represented, whose parking is automatically managed either by a portable portable device, or by a control vehicle equipped with said device, when said vehicle has been registered in the system of the invention.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

As can be seen in the aforementioned figures, the system of the invention comprises a reader (1) embarked on a control (2) or portable vehicle, carried by a control person (3) both with movement capability, so that In a preferred embodiment of the invention, vehicles that are registered in the system are provided with a radio frequency identification card or TAG (4), which is installed in said vehicle (5), which is capable of Park in a parking space or parking space (6), so that from said reader (1) it is possible to identify the user and carry out the payment of the corresponding service.

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To do this, and according to Figure 1, the reader (1) has an RFID reader module (7), associated with a microprocessor (8), with its corresponding internal memory (9), power supply / battery (10 ), and the usual electronic control, being able to have removable memory storage media (11), as well as connection ports (12) for data dump and software update.

In any case, the reader (1) additionally includes a communications module (13) with the server and main computer system, a GPS module (14), and a camera or camcorder (15).

From this structure, the reader (1) identifies the TAG (4), and associates said reading with the geographical location through the GPS (14), while the camera (15) will record the image corresponding to the vehicle (5 ), so that the combination of the data corresponding to the processing of the position captured by the GPS (14) and the identification captured by the reader (1), allow the computer system to establish not only the type of space or parking space, but automatically calculate and make the payment of the rate corresponding to the parked vehicle (5), without the need for the user to use other means of payment, for which, the reader (1) connects to said system through the communications module ( 13).

The parking space (6) can also have a TAG label installed so that, when read with the same reader system (1) and simultaneously, the location of the TAG (4) of the vehicle (5) is associated precisely use the fixed and known position of the square (6), in order to increase the accuracy that could be obtained using the GPS module (14).

Obviously, the camera (15) can be used to perform the identification functions of the license plate of the vehicle (5) whose identification can also be done automatically if there is a known and informative relationship between the license plate and the managed payment method. This is done by the central computer system, so that it is not strictly necessary to have a radiofrequency identifier or TAG (4).

Consequently, it is the simultaneous use of the data corresponding to the identification of the parked vehicle (5) with that of the place or place (6) where it is located, data used by the central computer system together with other external parameters, to

Perform the calculation of the price to be charged.

From the data that arrive at the central computer system, it allows controlling the position of all the elements identified in the system itself, whether they are located or 5 identified as locatable, using that position to specify the paths and times that facilitate make the payment optimally.

Claims (1)

5 10 fifteen twenty 25 30 R E I V I N D I C A C I O N E S 1a.- Mobile system for automatic collection of the tariff for the use of regulated parking spaces, applicable in regulated parking spaces established on the public highway, characterized in that a server or central system participates in it, communicating with a plurality of readers (1), whether manual or shipped in a control vehicle (2), readers (1) in which a microprocessor (8) is established, with its corresponding internal memory (9), power supply / battery (10 ), and the control electronics, said reader (1) including a communications module (13) with the main computer system, as well as means of identification of the vehicle previously registered in the system, the main system having software for automatic charging to users based on the data received by readers (1); with the particularity that the means of identification of the vehicle (5) registered in the system are materialized in an RFID reader module (7) installed in the readers (1), complementary to a label or TAG (4) installable in the vehicle (5) of the user, having provided that the means of identification of the vehicle (5) registered in the system materialize in a camera or camcorder (15). 2a.- Automatic mobile charging system for the rate of use of regulated parking spaces, according to claim 1a, characterized in that the readers (1) incorporate a GPS module (14). 3a.- Automatic mobile charging system for the use rate of regulated parking spaces, according to claim 1a, characterized in that the readers (1) incorporate removable memory storage means (11), as well as connection ports (12) for data dump and software update. 4a.- Mobile automatic charging system for the rate of use of regulated parking spaces, according to claim 1, characterized in that the parking spaces (6) have a TAG label installed that can be read in parallel with the TAG (4) of the vehicle stationed there, identifier of the exact geographical location in which said place is located.