EP0354829B1 - Automatic recording and parking mode system for vehicles, particularly in the urban area. - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to an automatic recording and parking management system, particularly above ground, in urban areas. On parking areas connected to this system, the corresponding spaces (3) are each equipped with a retractable locking device (17) for the positioning of the parked vehicles, this device (17) being controlled, during operation, by the monitoring of a conventional detection device (9) of the parked vehicles by a centralised control unit (7) recording and validating the parking instructions of clients on each identified space (3). <IMAGE>

Description

The present invention relates to an automatic system for recording and managing the parking of vehicles, in particular in urban areas, according to the preamble of claim 1.

All city officials are faced with the difficult problems of parking vehicles in ever-increasing numbers. It is important that individuals find their vehicle parked near the place where they want to go, for example on existing roads, along the tracks or on the adjoining back alleys or possibly on other available locations.

• existence de "voitures ventouses" bloquant la rotation de stationnement lorsque les emplacements correspondants ne sont pas équipés de parcmètres payants et, dans le cas contraire,
• nécessité d'un personnel important de surveillance et de gestion pour notamment, d'une part, contrôler le paiement effectif du stationnement par les automobilistes et verbaliser si nécessaire, et d'autre part, relever fréquemment les recettes et assurer la maintenance inévitable et coûteuse des postes de parcmètre dûe notamment au vandalisme.

Parking vehicles on these available spaces has the following disadvantages in its current state:

• existence of "suction-cup cars" blocking parking rotation when the corresponding spaces are not equipped with paid parking meters and, if not,
• need for a large supervisory and management staff, in particular, on the one hand, to monitor the actual payment for parking by motorists and to pay charges if necessary, and, on the other hand, to collect revenue frequently and ensure inevitable and costly maintenance parking meter posts due in particular to vandalism.

FR-A-2 220 838 already discloses a mechanism for retaining a vehicle in a parking space, comprising a set of two posts respectively placed at each end of the vehicle and movable on a trolley to approach and move apart. 'from each other in a direction parallel to the length of the parking space. These posts approach the vehicle to trap it in the active position and move away from it for access or exit. An additional vertically retractable post can be added laterally at the edge of the square. Such a mechanism involving mobile end posts with their longitudinal movement path and possibly lateral delimitation posts is of complex construction.

FR-A-2 580 417 also discloses a paid parking lot for vehicles comprising closed garages, the parking of which is managed by a central unit connected to each garage, opening or closing the door of the garages.

The invention aims to remedy these drawbacks by simplifying the vehicle restraint system, while avoiding the use of closed garages and by providing operating convenience which improves the occupancy of parking spaces while providing great safety to motorists, against theft of parked vehicles.

This object is achieved by the characterizing part of claim 1.

The validation of the parking is preferably carried out directly by means of payment cards in a parking meter, which eliminates the attempts of vandalism known on the conventional parking meters.

It follows from this provision that motorists users are not tempted to defraud since they cannot withdraw their vehicle from the parking spaces without the authorization of said centralized unit controlling the locking and therefore the unlocking of positioning of the parked vehicles.

The corresponding revenues will therefore be greater.

In addition, due to the positioning lock of vehicles parked without customer authorization, the vehicles are better protected against theft.

Finally, because the system is fully automatic, the monitoring load is reduced.

Said vehicle detection element may be a magnetic loop detection device for vehicles located in the floor covering of each location, or a pressure detecting device such as a cord or flexible hose of compressed air, a radar detector. proximity etc.

Said locking control unit is advantageously an automaton suitably connected to the parking and registration time stamping station of customers attached to the concerned parking area, to circuits or devices for detecting vehicles on the sites and to the driving elements. telescopic bollards which can be simple hydraulic or pneumatic cylinders.

Each automated system in each of the parking space areas may be under the control of a central monitoring station by cable or wireless link, which will be warned of any false maneuver and may remedy it remotely.

• La figure 1 est une vue de dessus d'une aire de stationnement équipée du système automatique de gestion et d'enregistrement selon l'invention ;
• Les figures 2_a et 2_b représentent la borne télescopique respectivement en position abaissée et élevée,
• La figure 3 montre une aire de stationnement avec des emplacements configurés en épis, et
• La figure 4 montre une aire de stationnement plus spécialement disposée en contre-allée d'une voie avec des emplacements alignés.

The invention is now described with the aid of exemplary embodiments and with reference to the appended drawings in which:

• Figure 1 is a top view of a parking area equipped with the automatic management and recording system according to the invention;
• FIGS. 2 _a and 2 _{b show} the telescopic bollard respectively in the lowered and raised position,
• Figure 3 shows a parking area with locations configured as spikes, and
• FIG. 4 shows a parking area more specially arranged in counter-aisle of a lane with aligned locations.

With reference to FIG. 1, there is shown a parking area 1 comprising locations 3 on either side of an access road 5, these locations 3 being arranged adjacent to each other and perpendicular to the access road 5. There is a charge for parking on these sites and a parking and parking meter 7 has been shown for 14 sites. Payment is made by conventional payment card to be inserted into a slot in the parking meter 7. The locations are each provided with a magnetic circuit 9 for detecting vehicles installed in the surface coating of the locations.

The locations also include, on each of their length sides, an edge element 11 disposed close to the access opening 13 of the location, these edge elements 11 guiding the vehicle with a view to its correct positioning in the location. A low wall 15 disposed at the rear all along the side opposite the access opening limits the advance of the vehicles. At the access opening 13 of the locations and at a relatively central level of this access opening is arranged a telescopic terminal 17 which disappears on the ground surface (FIG. 2a) for vehicle access to the locations and amounting (Figure 2b) to the validation of parking registration to protect the vehicle in the locked position in its location.

The terminal is made up of a female part or casing 19 buried in the ground and of a male part or body 21 designed to resist shocks and slidably mounted in this casing, the body being moved in a conventional manner by a pneumatic cylinder 23 arranged axially in the body. The cylinder is articulated at its two ends so as not to be damaged by the inevitable impacts against the telescopic body. The upper part of the terminal may also include a protective cap (not shown) calibrated at a given pressure (1000 N for example), sufficient to control the withdrawal of the terminal in the event of a false maneuver of the vehicle so as not to damage it too much, and so that the bollard is not operated inadvertently. The cylinders 23 of the locations are selectively controlled in action via an air center and the appropriate distribution network (not shown).

The bollard can possibly receive a lighting element and carry the identification number of the location.

As shown in Figure 3, the configuration of the locations can also be on the spur oriented according to the direction of access to the locations (arrow). It can also be of the linear type on a counter-alley of the roadway as shown in FIG. 4, access to the locations being by a slot maneuver between the edge elements at the ends.

In all these configurations the use of the system remains the same.

The free spaces have their terminal 17 erased on the surface of the ground allowing vehicle access. The user wishing to park his vehicle introduces it into the location using the border elements 11 as a guide. A flexible buffer can be provided at the front (on the wall) serving as a travel stop for the vehicle in the location. The vehicle being perfectly parked in its location, the user locates the location number (terminal number) and goes to the parking meter 7 to introduce his automatic billing payment card; it records the number of the location used and validates the recording with a push button. The vehicle in the desired location having been detected correctly, the card being well credited, validation of the registration takes place and the terminal emerges from the ground under the control of the automaton from a height of approximately 35 cm. The vehicle can no longer leave without the user's authorization.

If the user does not complete the registration and validation procedure, the machine will order the exit of the terminal after a delay of a few minutes, thus leaving a very short "grace period".

This grace period is previously defined by the parking managers.

On return, the user inserts his magnetic card into the reader which indicates the amount debited from the card. Then, the user validates the amount debited, which commands the machine to erase the terminal. This terminal will remain erased long enough to allow the user to free his vehicle. The terminal will remain erased until the parking of another vehicle.

If after this validation of the amount debited the user does not release his vehicle quickly enough, the terminal will go up after a few minutes. The user must then repeat the validation procedure by which an additional amount corresponding to the additional parking will be debited.

It is also possible that the driver in a hurry or believing to park less than the grace period granted does not go to the parking meter to record his location with his card. So he goes away immediately. If he returns before the end of this grace period, he can take back his vehicle freely, the guard terminal having remained in the erased position.

If he returns beyond this time interval, he will not be able to take back his vehicle which will be protected by the terminal automatically removed from the ground.

In this case, finding the number of the location where his vehicle is located, he will go to the parking meter, put his magnetic card in the slot provided for this purpose (if he does not have a card he will have to nearest place to get one), will key on the keyboard the number of its location. The screen will indicate to him that this place has not been registered normally and will specify the maneuver to be made (press the key reserved for this purpose) and will indicate that his payment is increased. This maneuver being carried out, the sum thus increased will be debited from its magnetic card for non-compliance with normal procedure.

The increase in pricing in this case will encourage discipline in the use of this device and thus, will provide additional protection against theft of the vehicle, in the interest of the user.

Furthermore, only the magnetic card that was used for parking registration can erase the terminal and therefore release the vehicle.

In case of loss of his magnetic card, the user must call the central station which will indicate the procedure to follow.

It will also be noted that the control of the telescopic bollard can be operated automatically and remotely by means of a box or a key emitting a selective beam on a suitable receiver of the bollard. The key can be the same as that which allows remote opening and closing of the car doors. This use may in particular be provided for private use, thereby protecting the user from any theft or intrusion attempt on his site.

Claims (11)

1. An automatic system for recording and managing parking, in particular surface parking in urban areas, providing available parking areas (1) with the corresponding spaces (3), said parking spaces (3) each being provided with a device for securing the positioning of parked vehicles, the operation of this device being controlled under the supervision of a conventional detection device (9) for parked vehicles by way of a centralised control unit which records and validates customers' parking instructions in each identified space (3), said securing device consisting, on the one hand, of a retractable telescopic boundary element (17) on the access side to the space, movement of which telescopic boundary element is controlled by said control unit, the boundary element withdrawing to the level of the ground for the vehicle to enter the space and rising by a sufficient height under the supervision of said detection device (9), characterised in that said securing device consists, on the one hand, of the assembly of associated fixed bordering elements (11) laterally delimiting each of the parking spaces (3) on at least one of their sides depending on the civil engineering elements (15) already existing (wall, low wall, slope, barrier), the vehicle being imprisoned in the parked position by the telescopic boundary element in cooperation with said bordering elements (11) and the civil engineering elements (15) and in that in order not to cause too much damage to the vehicle if the latter is incorrectly manoeuvered, the boundary element comprises a cap regulated to a pressure for controlling the lowering of the boundary element in this case.
2. An automatic system according to Claim 1, characterised in that said retractable boundary element is a telescopic boundary element (17) arranged in a central position at the access side (13) of the space.
3. An automatic system according to one of Claims 1 and 2, characterised in that the boundary element (17) carries a lighting element and the identification number of the space.
4. An automatic system according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the parking is validated by the intermediary of payment cards given to the users and read in a time and date station (7) provided in the parking area.
5. An automatic system according to one of the preceding claims characterised in that said detection element is a device with magnetic detection loop(s) (9) for the vehicles parked on the floor surface of each space (3), or a pressure detecting device such as a cord or a soft tubing of compressed air, or a proximity radar detection means.
6. An automatic system according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that said control unit is a machine appropriately connected to the time and date station (7) for recording and validating the customers' parking cards and which is attached to the parking area concerned, to the circuits or devices (9) for detecting vehicles in the spaces and to the motor elements (23) of the telescopic boundary elements (17).
7. An automatic system according to Claim 6, characterised in that each machine for the parking areas (1) is dependent on a central supervision station (by way of a radio link or a cable link).
8. An automatic system according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the configuration of the spaces (3) on the parking area (1) is variable, for example a herring-bone configuration or linear configuration along the lateral avenues of a path.
9. An automatic system according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the boundary elements (17) of the free spaces (3) are withdrawn to provide for access by vehicles, the boundary element rising to validate parking by the user after the vehicle has been parked, under the supervision of said detection element via the control unit.
10. An automatic system according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the boundary element (17) remains in a withdrawn condition for a given time after a vehicle has been parked, without parking being validated, under the supervision of said detection element via the control unit.
11. An automatic system according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the telescopic boundary element (17) is operated automatically and by remote-control by the intermediary of a box or key with a selective beam received by suitable receiver of the boundary element.

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