GB2158628A - Micro computer parking meter - Google Patents

Abstract

A microprocesser based automobile parking meter operating on a rechargeable or dry cell and/or in conjunction with the motorcar accumulator which is to be displayed from inside a car, for payment of parking fees from credit (in time units or monetary units) as stored on an electronic memory 'coupon'. LED/LCE Displays are provided to display time, periodic security number, credit balance, parking fees rate/s. Programming buttons are provided to programme the parking fees rate/s and to programme parking fees rate/s in conjuction with the time of the day. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Invention of microcomputer parking meter The invention is for the utilisation of electronic signals for the management of parking fees payment collection employing digital means.

The continuous updating and technological advances in manufacturing technology and the application of robotics has reduced the cost of the cars in relative terms. This coupled with the general increase in living standsards of the people has brought about a situation whereby the car is within the means of an increasing number of the ordinary people resulting in an ever increasing population of cars.

In providing the pubiic parking space, collection of parking fees and management of errant paying owners of these cars, most often paper parking coupon, mechanical parking meters or parking attendants are employed. The management and utilisation of public car parks presents unique problems in identification of errant car owners, collection and payment of parking fees for the actual time the car park is used.

In the collection and payment of parking fees, it is most desirable to pay receive fees for the actual time used of these parking space. In the parking attendant system, the payment is usually charged in blocks of hour or 1 hour and part thereof - and commences when the parking attendant writes a parking notice for the individual cars which may not necessarily reflect the actual time the car has commenced utilisation of the parking space.

Termination of parking in the semi-automatic collection system using electronic timer at car park entry-exit point, mechanical meters, paper coupon and parking attendant system usually results in parking time charged but not fully utilised by the motorists, or in the coupon or attendant system, parking time exceeded the parking time initially charged prepaid arefrequently not noticed by the parking attendent. In the case of prepaid parking by the prepaid paper coupon or mechanical meter, it is very often difficult to estimate the parking time.

In the exit-entry car park management system, employing attendent or even with the aid of electronic timers, collection of parking fees at the exit point presents traffic flow bottle necks.

One prior art solution to these problems has been to install a microcomputer parking meter (MPM) in each individual car and prepaid parking fees stored in an electronic memory as an electronic parking (EPC) coupon forming an integral part of the MPM or as a detachable coupon in the form of a card and payment of the parking fees to be on a real time basis electronically.

As will be described with the invented microcomputer parking meter, the collection/payment of parking fees, will be on a real time basis and errant parking payment motorists will be conspicously identified to the parking supervisor through the use of a digital signal reader & writer reading & BR< writing on the electronic parking coupon, Aklectronic timer and microprocessor.

According to the present invention, the system consists of essentially a Real Time Calendar Clock (RTCC), microcomputer main unit and works in conjuunction with an integral detachable electronic memory coupon. The heart of the main unit is a MC68705U3 microcomputer which drives a set of segmented LED LEC and or alphanumeric display and discrete LED LCD indicators, senses control switches and programs the electronic memory coupon. The electronic memory coupon can be an Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EPROM), Random Access Memory (RAM) or other commercial programmable memory and includes a digital counter.

Information on the integral'detachable electronic memory coupon includes an identification and verification header, a set of alpha and;or numeric electronic-memory-coupon-code and programmable 'bits'.

All the 'bits' are set to '1' in a new or unused electronic memory coupon. They are programmed to '0' by the main unit during normal operation.

The number of unused bits as well as the electronic-memory-coupon-code can be read by the main unit and displayed on its Light Emitting Diode (LED) Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) panel.

While a variety and plurality of operational and display features can be programmed by one skilled in the art, in the present preferred embodiment, the microcomputer parking meter is programmed with the following operational and display features: (il Display for CREDIT BALANCE in TIME UNITS (hours) or MONETARY UNITS.

(ii) OPERATIONAL POWER ON OFF SWITCH.

(iii) START push button.

(iv) Push & preprogrammed buttons programming for FIRST RATE and its displays.

(v) Push button programming for SECOND RATE and its displays.

(vi) Three-way selection switch to select 5.00 P.M. STOP 10.30 P.M. STOP 5.00 P.M. - 10.30 P.M. : RATE (vii) Overparked indicating display (viii) Battery low indicating display (ix) Send meter back indicating display (x) Display for electronic-memory-coupon-code time of day security code parking area authority code.

(xi) Engraved serial Number (xii) Parking authority logos andor trade mark logos.

In its present preferred embodiment, the microcomputer main unit displays the electronic-memory-coupon-code of the electronic-memory-coupon, time of day, random security code, updates the remaining or unconsumed number of 'bits' and the number of cumulative 'bits' used in the current session, the rates as preset by motorist.

A quartz crystal-based clock is provided by the main microcomputer unit for keeping time. When updating is in progress, the time elapsed after the START switch was first depressed may be shown on the code-display LEDs LCDs, by depressing the CLOCK switch.

The present invention will be described further, by the accompanying, diagram in which: Figure 1 is an illustration of the physical display of the invented microcomputer parking meter.

Figure 2 is a general block diagram illustrating the invented micro- computer parking meter in its presently preferred embodiment.

Figures 3 & 4 are the detail system diagrams of the invented microcomputer parking meter.

Figure 5 is the detail system diagram of the electronic coupon.

Figure 6 is the power supply of the microcomputer parking meter system.

In the following description, numerous well known circuits are shown in block diagram form in order not to obscure the described inventive concepts in unnecessary detail. In other instances, very specific details such as frequencies, number of bits, specific codes, etc, are provided in order that these concepts may be clearly understood. It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the described concepts may be employed without use of these specific details.

Referring now to Fig 1, the Microcomputer Parking Meter (MPM) includes a Real Time Calender Clock and Central Processing Unit (CPU). While any one of the plurality of commercially available microprocessors such as M6800 or 8080 or Z80, and Real Time Calendar Clerk such as MC146818 may be employed, in the presently preferred embodiment, a commercially available part No. 6805 as the MPU and part No. 6818 as the RTCC is employed. The microprocessor unit controls the various InputxOutput (I "0) devices by means of its four peripheral ports. The timing signals for the MCU are provided by the Real Time Calendar Clock. The Real Time Calendar Clock is communicates with the MCP through the External Timer Input Port of the MCP, and keeps the calendar and time.The processor memory and real time calendar clock are powered continously for 24 hours a day.

An overall block diagram of the system is shown in Fig 2. consists of a MC68705U3 microcomputer unit controlling the various iiO devices by means of its four peripheral ports. A programmable timer in the MCU allows a real time clock to be set up for keeping time. Output devices in the system are a set of 7-segment LEDs andior alphanumeric and the discrete LEDstLCDs. Input devices are a set push-to-make switches and a set of push- to-make exclusive switch. A special peripheral device is an EPROM electronic coupon which requires both sensing and writing the MCU.

Port B and one half of Port A of the MCU are used in conjuction with decoder and drivers for controlling the 7-segment LED andlor alphanumeric display. Port D, being an input port, is used to sense the various switch of the system.The remaining of port A is used for the discrete LEDs/ LCDs. Port C is used forreading and programming the EPROM electronic-coupon memory.

External power supply to the system is 12 Vdc at a load current of about less than 200 MA. A continous standby power for the Micro-processor Unit, Real Time Calendar Clock and memory contents are provided by a 5V Dry Cell (NCRDC) and a further continous standby power source for the memory content is provided by another 5V dry cell.

The circuit diagrams of the main unit are shown in Fig 3 and Fig 4. The 8-bit MCU (U1) operates at a clock frequency of 1.000 MHz with a quartz crystal of 4.000 MHz (Y1) using the one-chip clock circuit together with C2. R16 and C1 provide sufficient delay for auto-reset upon power up.

The LEDILCD segment drives are provided by transistor source followers such as Q1, R18 and R28 driven by Port B of the MCU (pins 25 through 32). The emitter of each driving transistor is connected to the corresponding segment anode of all the LEDs/LCDs. Digit selection of individual 7-segment LED is done by sinking the common cathode of the LED by means of a SN7406 TTL inverting buffer (U2, U4 or U5). These buffers are controlled by a MC14514B four-to-sixteen decoder (U3) which is connected to PAO through PA3 of the MCU.

Seven lines of Port D (pins 17, 19 through 24) are used as input lines to sense the closure of the switches. These lines are pulled low by resistors R5 through R12 when the switches are open.

Seven lines of Port C (pins 11 through 16) are used for the EPROM electronic coupon. PC2 (pin 11) switches the Vpp of the EPROM between 5 V and 25 V depending on whether the EPROM is being read or programmed. This is done by U2, R15, Q9 and D1. PC7 (pin 16) is connected a bit 0 of the EPROM data bus. This line is programmed as an input line for reading the code and remaining bits in the EPROM and programmed as output line during writing operation. The insertion of the EPROM electronic coupon is sensed via PC3 (pin 12) with R13, R14 and C3 acting as contact debouncing circuit.

Claims (6)

1. An electronic microprocessor-based automobile parking meter operated by a direct current source, comprising an alpha!numeric and programmable digital displays, means for deducting parking feels credit electronically on a real time basis parking fees credit of the parking area authority stored in an integral or detachable electronic memory coupon.

2. The apparatus defined by Claim 1 where said alpha/numeric means to display parking area authority code or its abbreviation, and.or the system security code.

3. The apparatus defined by Claim 2 where said programmable digital display means to display programmed payment rate either on a flat rate basis, single-rate basis or progressive rate basis, payment at at rate programmed on the displays and on a real time basis, parking fees units available on the electronic parking coupon, cummulative parking fees unit paid during each parking session.

4. The apparatus defined by Claim 3, where said electronic coupon means comprises digital bits stored in an erasable programmable read only memory or programmable memory as credit and parking area authority code information.

5. The apparatus defined by Claim 4 where said programmable display input and microprocessor means determines period and updates digital bits stored on the electronic coupon.

6. A microcomputer for use as an automobile parking meter as in Claim 5 and substantially as berein before described, with references to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.