GB2071380A

GB2071380A - Automatic Parking System

Info

Publication number: GB2071380A
Application number: GB8106632A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Omron Tateisi Electronics Co
Current assignee: Omron Corp
Priority date: 1980-03-05
Filing date: 1981-03-03
Publication date: 1981-09-16
Also published as: GB2071380B; JPS56124985A

Abstract

An automatic parking system comprising a parking ticket dispenser disposed at an entrance of a parking area for issuing a parking ticket carrying a record of a time based on the time of entry of each incoming vehicle, a ticket processor for reading said recorded time, determining whether or not the read time is within a free parking time limit, computing and displaying a parking fee due for any time in excess of the free period, and a parking ticket reading means disposed at an exit of said parking area for reading out the time recorded on the parking ticket, comparing the read time with the current clock time and permitting exit of the vehicle if a fee is not due or a fee due is paid, the or another fee computing means can be located in a public facility, e.g. a supermarket, to which the parking area is annexed.

Description

SPECIFICATION Automatic Parking System This invention relates to parking systems, and more particularly to an automatic parking system having a free parking period with a parking overtime fee determining unit. The parking system may be annexed to a public facility such as a municipal shopping centre, a sports centre, a supermarket, a department store or a bank. Often only people attending the facility are supposed to use the annexed parking system.

For example, a driver may be permitted access to the parking system if he displays a ticket, certifying authorisation or he may only be able to drive out of the parking system when he tenders a token, card or similar. Such systems often do not have an attendant, supervising vehicles entering and leaving the parking area.

This kind of system is disadvantageous because someone using the parking area can usually leave his vehicle there all day, thereby reducing the turnover of vehicles When the parking area is not sufficiently capacious, it soon becomes full and further vehicles may not be accommodated, which is unsatisfactory.

An object of this invention is to overcome the above-mentioned disadvantages and to provide an automatic parking system which is adapted to limit the parking time allowed for each vehicle in order to maintain a reasonable vehicle turnover.

It is another object of this invention to provide an automatic parking system which collects a parking fee commensurate with overtime, i.e. the time in excess of a predetermined free parking period, to enable the owner of the parking area to afford the initial operation and maintenance costs of the system.

According to the present invention, we propose an automatic vehicle parking system comprising a ticket dispenser for location at the or each entry to a parking area for issuing a ticket to each incoming vehicle and recording a time on the ticket, a ticket processor for reading off said recorded time, determining whether an allocated free parking time has been exceeded and computing and dispiaying a fee due for any time in excess of said recorded time, and ticket reading means for allowing each vehicle to leave the parking area if no fee is due or if any fee due is paid.

Preferably, the ticket processor is for location at the or each exit of the parking area or for installation in a public facility such as a supermarket, a department store, a bank, municipal shopping centre or sports centre.

An embodiment according to the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing a facility and a parking area annexed thereto; Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing a fee determining unit to be installed in the facility; Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing a parking ticket reader to be installed at the exit of the parking area; Figure 4 is a flow diagram showing the mechanism of the free determining station; and Figure 5 is a flow diagram showing the mechanism of the parking ticket reader.

Referring to Figure 1, a parking area 1 is provided with an entry control 2 and an exit control 3. Near the parking area 1 is a public facility 4 such as a supermarket, a department store, a municipal shopping centre or a sports centre. The entrance control 2 comprises a ticket dispenser adapted to detect each incoming vehicle and issue a parking ticket having a time recorded thereon, and a gate adapted to open after the driver has taken a ticket, allowing him to drive his vehicle into the parking area, and close on detecting the entry of a vehicle. Such mechanisms for controlling the entry of vehicles are well known and thus not described. The time recorded on the ticket may be the actual time of day of the entry to the vehicle or it may be the time of entry plus an allocated maximum parking period e.g. 2 hours, i.e. a time limit for parking.

A ticket processor unit 10 located in the facility 4 for people to check their tickets whilst still in the facility is now described with reference to Figure 2. Such a unit may be supervised.

The ticket processor 10 consists of a control device 11 and a plurality of terminal devices 12.

Each of the terminal devices 1 2 comprises a magnetic card reader-writer 1 3 for reading and recording a time on each ticket, a display 14 for indicating parking fees and other information, and an interface 1 5 for inter-connecting the terminal devices with the control device for reception and transmission of signal. These terminals can be disposed at strategical positions in the facility depending on the size of the facility and the number of exits. It may be necessary to provide only one terminal unit in which case, said interface 1 5 for the terminal device 12 is not required.

As regards the control device 11, a computer 1 6 serves as an operational control unit and is connected to a memory 20 and said interface 21 via-a data bus 17, an address pass 18 and a control line 19, and said memory 20 stores the necessary data and programs for operation of the system. The interface 21 is connected to a plurality of terminal devices 12 and a clock 22 indicating the current time of day.

The exit control 3 comprises a ticket reading means 23 and/or a ticket processor for computing whether or not a fee is due and a gate which opens when'the ticket has satisfied a requirement, usually the current time or if a fee has been paid (which will be described hereinafter) and closes upon detection of the exit of the vehicle. The construction of such a gate is well known and, therefore, is not described.

The ticket reading means 23 is shown in Figure 3. Its construction is essentially similar to that of the ticket processor unit 10, except that the data and program stored in its memory 28 are different from those stored in the memory 20 of the processor unit 10 and a magnetic card reader 31 and a display 32 are directly connected to an interface 29.

The operation of an automatic parking system is now described.

On entering the parking area 1, each vehicle driver receives a parking ticket having recorded thereon a time of entry to the area. A driver using a facility such as a supermarket, on leaving tenders the ticket to a ticket processor unit 10 himself or via a cashier. The processing of the ticket will now be described, with reference to Figure 4.

As the cashier, for example, inserts the parking ticket in the magnetic card reader 13 of the terminal device 12, the card reader 13 reads off the time of entry of a vehicle to the parking area from the parking ticket (step 42) and whether a "scheduled" time of exit (as described hereinafter) is recorded on the ticket (step 43) and then transmits the data to the computer 1 6 via the interfaces 15 and 21. If a scheduled time is not recorded the sequence flows from step 43 to step 44. In step 44, the computer 1 6 reads the current time from a clock 22 via the interface 21 and computes the parking time. The computer 16 reads out the allocated parking period stored in the memory 20 and computes whether the total time taken is within the free period (step 45).The computer adds the free period to the time of entry to calculate the scheduied time of exit (step 46).

This data is transmitted to the magnetic card reader-writer 31 via interfaces 21 and 15, where it is on the parking ticket (step 47), with the display 14 indicating to the cashier, for example, "Free (no fee)" (steps 48 and 49). The cashier then returns the parking ticket to the ticket holder completing the operation (step 50).

If the parking time taken exceeds the specified free period (step 45), the excess time is calculated (step 51), the parking fee corresponding to the overtime is computed (step 52) and a scheduled time of exit corresponding to the fee is computed (step 53). Once the scheduled time of exit is computed, it can be entered on the parking ticket (step 54) and the fee due is displayed (step 49).

The cashier should collect the indicated fee and return the parking ticket to the driver, as a receipt, thus completing the operation (step 50).

If the scheduled time of exit is recorded on the parking ticket, the ticket can again be checked at a unit in the facility 4 itself. Finally, the holder inserts the parking ticket into a parking ticket reader 23 at the exit of the parking area. The flow of processing of the parking ticket in this case (shown in Figure 5) is now described.

The parking ticket reader 23, with the magnetic card reader 31, reads off the scheduled exit time recorded on the parking ticket (step 61) and transmits the data to the computer 24 via the interface 29. The computer 24 reads the current time from the clock 30 via the interface 29 (step 62) and computes whether the current time is later than the scheduled time of exit (step 63). If not, the exit gate is opened to allow the driver to leave the parking area (step a 64) and closed on detection of the exit of the car (Steps 65 and 66).

If the current time has passed the scheduled time of exit, The computer 24 reads out a message stored in the memory 28, for example, "Please pay for excess parking time" (step 67), and transmits it to the display 32 via the interface and the display 32 indicates the message (step 68).

The message need not be visually displayed but can be in the form of a voice or an alarm.

There may be instances in which the ticket holder, after checking his parking ticket at the unit in the facility, continues to stay in the facility past the scheduled time of exit and. consequently, the data on his parking ticket will fail to pass the check at the parking ticket reader 23 and a fee will be due.

The flow of processing such a parking ticket is now described with reference to Figure 4 again.

On tendering the parking ticket to, e.g. the cashier, the cashier inserts the ticket into the magnetic card reader-writer 13 (steps 41 and 42). The scheduled time of exit recorded on the parking ticket is detected (step 43), read (step 55) and transmitted to the computer 1 6. Then, as described hereinbefore, the current time is read from the clock 22 (step 56) and transmitted to the computer 1 6 and a comparison is made as to whether it is past the scheduled time of exit (step 57). The provision of this step 57 is for instances in which the ticket holder shows the ticket to the cashier again without receiving a check at the parking ticket reading means 23.

Any overtime is computed (step 51), a new scheduled exit time computed (step 53) and recorded on the parking ticket (step 54), the displayed fee due is collected, and the parking ticket is returned, all as described hereinbefore (step 50).

Claims

1. An automatic vehicle parking system comprising a ticket dispenser for location at the or each entry to a parking area, for issuing a ticket to each incoming vehicle and including means for recording a time on the ticket, a ticket processor for reading off said recorded time, determining whether an allocated free parking time has been exceeded and computing and displaying a fee due for any time in excess of said recorded time, and ticket reading means for allowing each vehicle to leave the parking area if no fee is due or if any fee due is paid.

2. An automatic vehicle parking system according to claim 1, wherein the recorded time is a time limit for parking based on the time of entry of the vehicle to the parking area plus a free parking period.

3. An automatic vehicle parking system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the said ticket processor is adapted to calculate and record on the ticket a time limit for parking.

4. An automatic vehicle parking system according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein said ticket processor is for location at the or each exit of the parking area.

5. An automatic vehicle parking system according to claim 1, 2, 3 or 4, wherein the said or a second ticket processor is for installation in a public facity.

6. An automatic vehicle parking system according to claim 5, wherein the said or second ticket processor is for installation in a supermarket, a department store, a bank, a municipal shopping centre or a sports centre.

7. An automatic parking system according to claim 5 or 6 claim wherein said ticket processor comprises a plurality of terminal devices each consisting of a magnetic card reader and a display unit and a control device adapted to receive information on the time read at each terminal device, determine a comparison of the recorded time and current time and whether any fee is due for the time in excess of the recorded time, and transmit the result of computation to the display unit.

8. An automatic parking system according to any preceding claim, wherein said parking ticket reading means is provided with an alarm for instructing payment of a fee due.

9. A method of using an automatic vehicle parking system, comprising taking a ticket from a ticket dispenser at the entry to a parking area, a time being recorded on the ticket, checking the ticket in a ticket processing unit which reads off said recorded time, determines whether an allocated free parking time has been exceeded and computes and displays a fee due for any time in excess of said recorded time, making a payment for any excess fee due and means for allowing exit from the parking area if no fee is due or if any fee due has been paid.

10. A method according to claim 9, wherein the time recorded is a time limit for parking based on the time of entry of the vehicle to the parking area plus a free parking period.

11. A method according to claim 9 or 10, wherein said ticket processor is at the exit of the parking area.

12. A method according to claim 9, 10 or 11 wherein the said or a second ticket processor is installed in a public facility.

1 3. An automatic parking system constructed and arranged as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the drawings.