Abstract:
A method and relative system for controlling the use of predetermined vehicle parking areas and/or the transit in predetermined vehicle circulation areas, wherein in a control unit ( 4 ) communicated with a telephone network ( 3 ) a database is stored comprising an electronic mapping of said one or more areas. When the unit ( 4 ) receives from a user ( 1 ), via network ( 3 ), a SMS message requesting the access to one of the areas at a certain time, the message is compared to the database in order to assess the possibility of complying with the request. In the affirmative, the database is updated with the indication of an access reservation and, in reply, the control unit ( 4 ) sends the user a SMS message confirming the reservation or denying the availability of the access.

Description:
DESCRIPTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    The present invention concerns a method for controlling the urban vehicle circulation, and namely a method thanks to which a user can reserve the use of predetermined parking places and possibly the passage through and/or the access to predetermined circulation areas, all the above with a high level of simplicity and reliability. The present invention also concerns a system for carrying out such method.  
           [0003]    2. Description of the Prior Art  
           [0004]    In recent years, the control of the vehicle circulation in urban areas has put forward some problems that are very difficult to solve. In fact, the urban areas, namely in the city centers, have proved to be unable to accept the progressively increasing number of circulating vehicles, both in connection with short stop and/or parking needs, and to those of protecting the population and the constructions from atmospheric and acoustic pollution.  
           [0005]    The above mentioned problems have not been solved by the extensive classification of the parking areas (division into free parkings, payment ones, zones reserved to dwellers etc) and by the institution of limited traffic areas, primarily owing to the difficulty of effectively assuring the observation of the various established regulations.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0006]    The object of the present invention is to provide a method and a system for controlling the urban vehicle circulation, especially but not exclusively intended for the control of stop/parking areas, said method and system being capable of attaining substantial advantages, both for users and for the administration and surveillance authorities.  
           [0007]    More specifically, the object is to provide a method and a system of the above mentioned kind which offer to a user the possibility of retrieving a parking place in the location required, in a quick and reliable way, so as to reduce, and possibly eliminate, annoying and distressing waiting times.  
           [0008]    Furthermore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method and a system of the above mentioned kind which, thanks to an effective improvement in the procedures for the search and the allocation of the available parking places and—more generally speaking—of the access permissions to limited traffic areas, assist in restraining the atmospheric and acoustic pollution, bring about significant energy savings and more generally—reduce management costs, especially as a result of the decrease of surveillance costs.  
           [0009]    Such objects are accomplished with the method and system according to the present invention, of which the essential features are specified in the annexed claims 1 and 16, respectively. Other advantageous features are displayed by the specific embodiments which the remaining claims refer to.  
           [0010]    Thanks to the method according to the invention a user, following a very simple request procedure, can reserve the use of a parking place, getting rid of long and sometimes vain searches. In the absence of a confirmation, that is when no places are available in the required area or in neighboring ones, the user may—as far as possible—avoid to start his trip or to resort to public transport services. The resulting reduction of the traffic originating right from the search of a free parking place assures remarkable energy savings and a significant drop in the degree of atmospheric and acoustic pollution. In brief, the traffic is transferred from a real scenario (i.e. where an actual vehicle circulation takes place) to a virtual one (i.e. with a circulation of messages/information), with all the evident advantages that from this may derive.  
           [0011]    The system according to the invention makes it possible to implement a number of specific procedures for a highly efficient exploitation of parkings and of admissions to limited traffic areas, all with minimum management cost and above all in real time. In particular, it is possible to obtain relevant information in connection with present and forthcoming traffic flows, on the basis of which a series of supplementary functions may be carried out, both for analysis and check purposes and for a better organization of the transport (e.g. management of services of lift offer/request between users), and for public security. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0012]    The characteristics and advantages of the method and system for controlling urban traffic via a telephone network according to the invention will be brought out more clearly by the description given hereinbelow of particular embodiments thereof, which are to be considered as examples and not limitative in any way, said description making reference to the attached drawings in which:  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a first embodiment of the system according to the invention;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 2 shows a flowchart representing a method carried out with the system of FIG. 1;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of a second embodiment of the system according to the invention; and  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 4 is shows a flowchart representing a method carried out with the system of FIG. 3. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0017]    Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, in a first embodiment of the system according to the invention, employed in this particular case for controlling specific parking areas, a user  1  having a telephone  2 , for instance and typically a mobile but even a fixed appliance if capable of sending SMS messages, can communicate with a control unit  4  via a telephone network  3 , possibly integrated with—or associated to—a distributed communication network, namely the Internet. To such purpose, the control unit  4  uses a so-called “messaging platform” for the treatment and the delivery of SMS messages, the platform being associated to computer means  5  provided with a suitable software. In such software, an electronic mapping of the relevant parking areas has been previously entered and stored. That is to say, all the available parking places are identified and numbered.  
         [0018]    As shown in the flowchart of FIG. 1, wherein the steps accomplished by the user and by the control unit are indicated by squares with sharp and round angles respectively, a user  1  carries out a preliminary registration step in which, possibly but not necessarily further to a payment, an access password is assigned.  
         [0019]    Before starting a trip, the user sends the control unit a SMS message containing, according to a predetermined format, a reservation request of a parking place in the controlled area which is the nearest to the destination of the trip, for a certain period (defined by the starting and end hours of the parking). The reservation, which must be sent with a preset time advance (e.g. one hour), may contain also the indication of one or more further areas, in which an available place should be searched in case of a complete booking of the first one.  
         [0020]    The control unit  4  receives the request SMS message, identifying the user at least from the relevant phone number. After considering the actual availability of a place in the one or more areas specified by the request, the control unit sends a confirmation SMS message (should a place be available) or a negative one (if the request cannot be satisfied). In this respect, it has to be noticed that a characteristic of the SMS messages is that they can be directly accepted in a digital format by an information system, and in particular they can be entered as fields in commercially available database software (ODBC and JDBC standards). This makes the receipt/treatment of the users&#39; requests particularly simple.  
         [0021]    The confirmation SMS message contains a precise indication of the booked parking place. The user, upon receipt of the message, is certain that a parking can be found as soon as the destination of the trip is reached. If a user wishes to cancel the reservation, he should do so by sending a further SMS message, suitably earlier than the beginning of the established parking time, otherwise a fine may be levied.  
         [0022]    Outstandingly unreliable users, that is those suffering a number of fines in a pre-determined period, may be expelled (temporarily or permanently) from the system. The same applies to users who, at the end of the booked parking time, do not let the place available, or do so much earlier than the due hour without warning the control unit accordingly.  
         [0023]    In fact, as the booked time lapses, the control unit considers the place available again, and therefore bookable—if not already booked—by other users. The system may offer a right of option for continuing the occupation of the place after the lapse of the initial parking time. However, this option should be exercised only if a timely notice is sent.  
         [0024]    If a user has not let the booked place available upon arrival of the user who had booked the same place for the subsequent period, this second user will notify the surveillance authorities, by sending the control unit a SMS message. The control unit will assign the user a substitute place, selected among an emergency reserve, and warn the local police—provided with towing-away means—of the transgressing vehicle. It will be appreciated that, thanks to the involvement of the users themselves, the surveillance costs are remarkably decreased. Nevertheless, the police may directly carry out said surveillance, identifying the transgressors before and/or independently from the users&#39; warnings. In this case, the control unit will be notified by the police of the omitted communication of cancellation, or of an earlier exit form the parking. Accordingly, in this first embodiment, a surveillance work may be carried out by operators constantly in contact with control unit  4 .  
         [0025]    With reference now to FIGS. 3 and 4, in a second and more complex embodiment of the method according to the invention the areas the areas which are controlled for parking or access restriction (limited traffic areas) are equipped with means  6  for blocking the vehicles, e.g. of the type making use of a movable gate. Above and beyond the steps already described for the first embodiment, in this case the SMS message sent to the user for confirming the reservation also contains a code for opening the blocking means  6 . More precisely, the control unit  4  transmits said code to the user and to the blocking means  6 , so that the latter can recognize the incoming user and let him pass. In fact, the user will use the code for opening the gate, for instance by entering it on a keyboard. The same code will be used also for getting out of the controlled area at the end of the booked period. The code may also coincide with the license plate number of the user&#39;s vehicle, and in this case the transmission thereof to the blocking means  6  will suffice. The transit may then be allowed simply as a result of a reading operation, carried out via video camera means.  
         [0026]    According to the second embodiment, the blocking means  6  can preferably transmit to the control unit real-time information concerning the actual state of the controlled area. In this way, the control unit  4  can compare said information to the reservation timetable, promptly detect a user&#39;s transgression and communicate the same to a police station entrusted with the sending of towing-away means.  
         [0027]    In both the embodiments there may be advantageously put into practice management procedures which are different for different kinds of users (assigning a right of option to handicapped, dwellers and/or authorized users, customers of a shop), for different times (i.e. regulations that vary according to the time of the day and/or the day of the week) and for different kinds of parking (unrestricted duration or obligation to short stops). Namely, the offer of parking places may be varied, distributing the same among different areas so as to avoid concentrations of incoming and/or outgoing traffic.  
         [0028]    The possibility of obtaining an actual control of the traffic flows, by analyzing the database of SMS messages received and sent, can be also exploited for check and survey purposes. The data stored in the database, constantly and automatically updated, permit to forecast the outgoing traffic flows and to estimate the effect of the various management options. As the database grows it will be possible to refine such forecasts which will allow, among other things, to optimize interventions such as traffic lights programming, distribution of police patrols and information to users.  
         [0029]    The method and system according to the invention may also be the basis for further supplementary functions, for which reference can be made especially to the second embodiment (FIGS. 3 and 4). According to one of such functions, the reservation request of a user  1  may specify the will to offer lifts, on the way to his own destination, to other users  11  having respective telephones  12 . Such users  11  have previously sent the control unit  4  respective SMS messages asking for a lift.  
         [0030]    The control unit  4  tries then to combine the lift offer and demand and informs, still via SMS messages, the two or more users involved of the time and place of the meeting. To such aim, a network of meeting points may be set beforehand. In this case, a specific meeting point is chosen by the user in his offer SMS message, and afterwards communicated to the lift-demanding user. A user may be motivated to offer lifts by the institution of prizes, e.g. rights of option in the assignment of parking places. This just described function. requires that, for safety reasons, not only user  1  but also lift-demanding users  11  are registered by the system, and thus perfectly identifiable.  
         [0031]    The identification the users and the related vehicle movements, possibly associating the user to a license plate number, offers the further possibility of exploiting the method and the system for public security purposes. In fact, the control unit  4  may make available its database and the relevant information on SMS messages sent and received, to a central station  8  of a police or public security department. Said information can clearly be exploited as a means for preventing or punishing criminal deeds such as thefts, robberies or terrorist acts. Namely, the check of the license plate number can be a very strong deterrent against the use of stolen cars.  
         [0032]    A further possibility offered by the method and system according to the invention is that of carrying out auctions of the available parking places. For instance, a user  1  may specify the tariff range he can afford, so that the control unit  4  automatically assigns him the cheaper place among those available in the specified tariff range. The reservation request SMS message may also include a request of information on how to reach the destination parking or circulation area. This information will be given through the SMS message confirming the reservation.  
         [0033]    In any case, the system and the method according to the invention, always on the basis of the same concept of interaction between users and a control unit via a telephone network, is fit for a number of different reductions to practice, carried out by means of specific management software and hardware. In fact, variations and/or modifications can be brought to the method and system for controlling urban traffic via a telephone network in accordance with the present invention without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the attached claims.