FR2553549A1 - AUTOMATIC PARKING MACHINE - Google Patents

Abstract

THE INVENTION CONCERNS AN AUTOMATIC PARKING MACHINE, MORE PARTICULARLY A MACHINE IN WHICH A VEHICLE IS IDENTIFIED BY ITS REGISTRATION NUMBER, AND IN WHICH, IN ADDITION, THE TIME OF EXIT OF A PARTICULAR VEHICLE IS REGISTERED ELECTRICALLY. THE MACHINE INCLUDES A KEYBOARD WITH THE NUMBERS 0 TO 9 AND THE ALPHABET, WITH ASSOCIATED SIGNS, THAT IS TO SAY AN ALPHA-NUMERIC KEYBOARD. THE MACHINE DISTRIBUTES A TICKET ON WHICH IS NOTED THE REGISTRATION NUMBER OF THE CAR AND THE END TIME OF PAID PARKING TIME. BY USING A SPECIFIC CODE THAT HE DIES ON THE KEYPAD, A PARKING EMPLOYEE CAN OBTAIN A STATEMENT BY INCREASING ORDER OF THE REGISTRATION NUMBERS FOR WHICH PAID PARKING TIME IS IN PROGRESS.

Description

1 2553549

  The present invention relates to an automatic parking machine in which a vehicle is identified by its registration number, that is to say the number of its license plates, and in which the exit time for each vehicle is electronically recorded. Automatic parking machines are known in which

  the payment made corresponds to a particular parking place.

  However, systems of this type have to date some

  disadvantages which the present invention proposes to remedy.

  Thus, the invention provides the following advantages: there is no need to number the parking spaces, as in some current systems; moreover, on the one hand, the parking time is allocated to a private car and not to a parking space; on the other hand, the remaining time can not go back to the next user using the same parking space; finally, the user does not have to remember the number associated with a place, but only

  registration number of his car.

  Compared with automatic parking machines of the type in which a ticket must be placed behind the windshield of the auto20 mobile, the present invention provides the advantages that the user can make an additional payment anytime, payment which is carried to his credit, that, moreover, he does not have to return to his automobile with a ticket in order to place it so that it can be clearly seen from the outside, that a receipt obtained at the 25 parking provides a guarantee against any inaccurate opinion of a person of service, that is to say eliminates the human factor, because the registration number of the automobile is noted on the receipt according to the invention, this which also eliminates the possibility of transmitting the ticket to someone else without also transferring the car, that the receipt may be smaller and cheaper than at present, and that the job of the parking manager is simplified, particularly in winter, would not what-because the machine can, for example, edit a list in alphabetical order of all numbers

  number for which payment has been made.

  The means to reach these objects are mentioned

in the appended claims.

  The invention will be described in detail hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. 1 is a front view of an embodiment of an automatic parking machine according to the invention, and FIG. is a block diagram of the electronic units included

  in said automatic parking machine.

  Whenever possible, the same references were used

in both figures.

  In Fig. 1, the automatic parking machine comprises a box or casing 1, a panel 2 with a display window 3 for displaying the registration number, for example HDK 808, and display windows 4, 5 and 6, the number of the week being displayed in the window 4, the number of the day in the window 5 and the time of day or the exit time in the window 6 It also comprises a means of payment 7 with coins, tickets and / or cards, a keyboard 8 to dial the registration number of the automobile concerned, 15 a push button 9 which cancels a registered registration number

  if, by chance, it is not good, a push button 10 to complete the payment procedure, a push button 11 to interrupt the payment procedure, that is to say what is called a button change of mind, a coin return door or unsuitable coin 12, and a receipt door 13.

  The same elements as in FIG. 1 are partially found in FIG. 2 which shows the electronic structure, in which said

  units have the following functions.

  The payment means 7 receives the payment in the form of coins, notes or cards, and delivers pulses to a coin recorder 14 consisting of a binary counter actuated by the payment means A control unit 15 can read or count the content The keypad 8 is composed of keys with specific numbers, letters, and signs. When a keypad key is pressed, a binary signal is output to a keypad recorder 16 Such a binary signal is also delivered to the recorder 16 when the cancellation key 9 is pressed, the start key 10, that is to say the end key of the payment procedure, or the change of notification key 11 The recorder As mentioned above, the cancel key connected to the keypad recorder is used to cancel a registration number which has been dialed, if the keypad 16 is readable by the control unit. user decides so if, and, in addition, the start button has the function of terminating the payment procedure In this case, the coins that have been introduced are cashed and a receipt is edited and delivered to the user The change of opinion key 11 interrupts the payment procedure and returns any coins or notes that may

  have been introduced into the machine.

  The machine of the invention comprises an address register 17 which, by means of a binary counter ranging from 1 to N, designates one of the N accumulators A marked A1, A2, A 3 AN Each accumulator consists of two parts. , namely a first part 18 which serves as a memory space for a registration number and a second part 19 which stores the exit time for the corresponding registration number If the registration number of the registration number

  18 is reset, the accumulator is vacant.

  Reference numeral 20 designates a registration number register which, in use, contains a registration number (number of license plate) which has been dialed, said recorder being connected to an automobile number display device 3 which displays the registration number that was dialed.

  A time recorder 22 contains information concerning the time displayed in windows 4, 5 and 6. In this respect, Fig 2 shows the display register 4 of the week number, the day display register 5 and the register. 6 display in hours and 25 minutes, the present time and the output time A printer 23, Fig 2, edit a regu 24 with the present time, the number

  number, the time of exit and the amount paid.

  Reference numeral 25 denotes a mechanical coin money collector in which coins and bills which have been inserted into the slots are stored. Following an order at the control unit 15, the coins may be returned to the If a user presses the change of notification key 11 or enter a cash register (not shown) in the machine If the start key 10 is pressed A clock recorder 26 contains the current time and is continuously set. on time by pulses delivered by an oscillator

27 at constant frequency.

  In addition to the functions mentioned above that the control unit 15 performs, it controls the transmission of data on a data bus 28 The control unit 15 can also perform arithmetic and logic operations, it contains a fixed program 5 stored and registers to temporarily store digital values The bus consists of a plurality of wires that can transmit binary digits in parallel It is connected to all

the recorders.

  The parking machine according to the invention operates in the following manner. In the initial position, the display window 3 provided for the registration number is erased or empty. The display windows 4, 5 and 6, respectively, display the If you try to pay by inserting a coin or a note into slot 7,

  said coin or ticket, respectively, is immediately returned.

  The purchase time begins when the user has dialed the number of his car with the keypad 8 An arbitrary number of digits and letters can be registered When the user registers the registration number on the keypad, the one It is displayed simultaneously in the window 3 If, by chance, the user records a wrong number, he can cancel it with the cancel key 9 When the payment has started, the machine decides that the registered number is correct, and so this is

considered valid.

  When the payment has been made, the windows 4, 5 and 6, respectively 25, display the new exit time for the registration number that is displayed in the window 3 The coins and / or banknotes are temporarily stored in a collector currency

intermediate 25.

  The payment may be interrupted at any time by the user by pressing the change of notification key 11, in order to be able to recover the coins and / or bills in the intermediate collector 25, after which the machine returns to its initial position. When the payment is completed, the user presses the key 10 35 to complete the payment procedure The exit time which is then displayed in the windows 4, 5 and 6 is recorded from this moment as well as the number of registration in the memory of the machine The coins and / or banknotes which are in the intermediate money collector 25 pass into the cash register of the machine, and a receipt is issued, including information on the time of purchase, the

  registration number, exit time and amount paid.

  When a parking attendant wants to check the registration numbers that have been registered in the device, it dials a specific code on the keypad 8 The printer then edits a "status" with all registration numbers in order

alphabetic or ascending.

  We will now describe in more detail some parts of

  electronic units of the machine.

  Like a timer or a clock, the oscillator 27 delivers

  continuously, signals to the clock recorder 26 which continuously contains the present time Every minute, the contents of the clock recorder 26 are transmitted to the time recorder 22.

  The time is then displayed in windows 4, 5 and 6, respectively.

  In addition, every minute, the control unit 15 tests the accumulators A1, A2, A3, NA as follows: 1) the address of the first accumulator A1 is entered in the address register 17 by the control unit, 2) the memory 18 of the accumulator A 1 is tested by the address register 17. If there is no number, then the next accumulator is passed, 3) the time given by the memory 19 is compared to the time of the clock recorder 26 by the control unit If the time of the clock recorder 26 is smaller than or equal to the time of the accumulator 19, it Nothing happens, but if it becomes larger, an erasure occurs in the memory 18, so that the machine is informed that the payment corresponding to the registration number is no longer valid. The registration number can not be used. no longer be

displayed in window 3.

  Registration of the registration number is done in such a way that when a key of the keyboard 8 is pressed, a coded signal is delivered to the keyboard recorder 16 The control unit reads this coded signal If it is found that this coded signal refers to a digit or a letter, the signal is transferred to the recorder

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  of registration number 20 to be displayed in window 3.

  The payment transaction proceeds as follows: For each coin or note introduced into the slots 7a or

  7b, the corresponding room recorder 14a or 14b is incremented.

  When the contents of one of the two coin recorders become non-zero, the payment begins.

then more in function.

  The control unit 15 starts the address register 17 so as to connect it to the first accumulator A 1 The registration number 10 of the memory 18 is compared to the contents of the number recorder. 20, and if there are differences, the contents of the address recorder 17 increases, so that the latter is connected to the memory 18 of the next battery If the control unit finds a battery with 15 the registration number corresponds to the registration number that was registered,

additional must take place.

  If no accumulator has the contents of its memory in accordance with the registered registration number, the address register 20 is advanced to an unoccupied accumulator after which the contents of the registration number recorder 20 is transferred into the memory 18 of said accumulator and the time of the clock recorder

  26 is transferred into the time memory 19 of the accumulator.

  Taking as starting point information the recording by the recorders 14a or 14b of the coins or notes that were

  introduced into the slots 7a and 7b, respectively, the control unit 15 calculates the time purchased Information time is purchased added to the time in the accumulator and is transferred to the time recorder 22 , the output time being, furthermore, displayed in windows 4, 5 and 6, respectively.

  As mentioned above, the payment is interrupted when the change of notification key 11 is pressed, which provides a signal to the keypad recorder 16 The control unit 15 reads the contents of the keyboard recorder 16 and then discovers the signal of the change of notice key The contents of the registration number recorder 20 are then canceled, and all the recorders are reset to zero The contents of the recorder 26 is transferred to the time recorder 22, so that the time is then displayed in the windows 4, 5 and 6, respectively A signal is transmitted to the intermediate money collector 25 so that the

  coins or banknotes can return to the refund gate 12.

  When the payment is completed, the user triggers the automatic parking machine by pressing the start key 10 which delivers a signal to the keypad recorder 16 The control unit reads the contents of the keypad recorder 16 and discovers that the start command has been pressed The time information in the time recorder 22 is then transferred to one of the

  accumulators AI to AN which is chosen by the address register 17.

  A signal is transmitted to the intermediate money collector 25 so that the coins and bills therein pass through the

  machine cashier Receipt printer 23 issues a receipt 24.

  The machine then returns to its original state according to the same

  process only for an interruption of payment.

  The invention is not limited to the embodiment described above and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which is only an example of the invention and its application. Thus, multiple modifications can be made. Electronic circuits

  may be structured in any arbitrary manner appropriate using the currently available electronic technology Although payment by coins or notes has been mentioned, the machine described above may also be adapted to operate with credit cards.

Claims (3)

  1) An automatic parking machine for identifying a vehicle by its registration number (number of its license plate), characterized in that it comprises an alpha-numeric keypad (8) with all the digits (0 to 9), a part of the alphabet or the entire alphabet and, possibly, punctuation, in that a device (20) is provided for recording the registration number of a vehicle when it is composed on the keyboard, in that a display window (3) is provided to simultaneously display said number, in that a device (22) is provided to record the payment corresponding to the parking time paid, in that a display device (4, 5, 6) is provided to then display the end time of paid parking time, in that a device (23) is provided for editing, after a start key (10). ) has been depressed, for example the registration number and the time of day up to 15 e the parking time has been paid, on a receipt or paper ribbon, and in that the memory capacity of the machine is intended to register a larger number of registration numbers than   the total number of parking places.   2) Machine according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a number of accumulators (A 1 to AN) each corresponding to   a particular address of an address register (17).   3) Machine according to claim 2, characterized in that each accumulator (for example A 1) comprises a memory (18) for recording the registration number of the vehicle from the moment said number has been dialed on the keypad ( 8) and a time memory (19) for comparison with the time in a recorder   clock (26) having defined time intervals.