Parking guide for use with a garage door opener

An optical parking guide includes a container, a mounting element, either a laser diode or a light emitting diode and a control circuit. The mounting element is pivotally coupled to the container. The laser diode is disposed within the mounting element. The control circuit couples the laser diode to the garage door opener. The control circuit turns on the laser diode in response to the presence of a car with a front window and a dashboard so that the laser diode generates an output light. The mounting element directs the output light through the front window onto the dashboard of the car so that a driver of the car can guide the car into the car's parking place.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
 The field of the invention is parking guide for use with a garage door
 opener.
 U.S. Pat. No. 4,808,997 a photoelectric vehicle position indicating device
 which is for use in parking and otherwise positioning vehicles and is
 employed to assist in parking and otherwise positioning a vehicle on a
 supporting surface. A photoelectric control unit is mounted on an overhead
 structure spaced above the supporting surface and has a beam emitting
 device for directing a light beam downwardly for interception by the
 vehicle, while minimizing the likelihood of interception by pedestrians,
 pet animals and other moving things. The light beam is initially reflected
 back to a photoelectric transducer on the control unit by a reflective
 device or mirror. The light beam is pulsed so that the transducer supplies
 electrical pulses to an amplifier that is correspondingly gated. When the
 vehicle interrupts the light beam, the amplifier produces a beam
 interruption output signal which causes a one-shot timer to energize an
 alarm device, through an output relay. The operator then stops the vehicle
 in the desired position. The one-shot timer de-energizes the alarm device
 after a brief interval. Alternatively, the mirror is not employed, and the
 light beam is not significantly reflected back to the transducer until the
 light beam is intercepted by the vehicle, whereupon reflection from the
 vehicle produces a reflected light beam to the transducer. The
 corresponding pulsed signals from the transducer operate the amplifier,
 which is modified so that it actuates the timer, whereby it energizes the
 alarm device for a timed interval.
 U.S. Pat. No. 5,841,368 teaches a parking assist device which is removably
 affixed in relation to a surface and is adapted to engage the on coming
 wheels of a vehicle and provide upon being engaged by the wheels of a
 vehicle a signal to the operator to stop the vehicle. The signal may be
 produced by either a mechanical mechanism or an electrical apparatus.
 U.S. Pat. No. 5,945,907 teaches a sensing and indicating device. The device
 is mounted at a fixed location to determine the distance between the
 sensor and an approaching vehicle. The sensor provides visual and/or
 audible indication of the distance between the vehicle and the sensor. The
 driver of the vehicle uses that displayed or audible information to locate
 the vehicle within a defined space or envelope, e.g., within a garage. The
 sensor and indicator may also be located laterally with respect to the
 vehicle so that the distance between the vehicle side and the sensor can
 be determined whereby the vehicle can be located laterally within the
 defined space or envelope.
 U.S. Pat. No. 4,218,157 teaches a visual vehicular parking aid which
 includes a plurality of vertically suspended position indicators to direct
 a person driving an automobile into a parking space when the normal
 pavement markings are not visible or present.
 U.S. Pat. No. 4,965,571 a motor vehicle driver-indicator guide-device for
 signifying when it is safe to advance which includes a support structure
 mounting a light signaling structure and mechanism therefor, that displays
 a signal light viewable by a driver of a motor vehicle with an actuating
 lever which the bumper actuates. A green light of the light signaling
 structure has an electrical circuitry and an electrical switch that is
 normally closed providing a go signal evidencing that further advancement
 of the motor vehicle may be continued, actuation of the actuating lever
 serving to open the normally closed electrical switch when the actuation
 switch is pressed beyond a predetermined position indicative of maximum
 allowable forward advancement permissible for the advancing motor vehicle,
 the support structure having a tape mounted thereon carrying an adhesive
 backing for mounting the mounting structure on an upright surface of a
 wall or the like, the green light carrying a symbol viewable when the
 switch is closed indicative of permissive further advancement.
 U.S. Pat. No. 3,874,322 teaches a movable vehicle parking position
 indicator. The indicator moves in conjunction with a garage door used to
 close off the parking area. As the garage door is opened, a ball-like
 indicator is lowered into a position clearly visible from the driver
 position of a vehicle entering or properly parked in the garage. As the
 door is closed, the indicator is retracted.
 U.S. Pat. No. 5,285,205 teaches a vehicle-guidance and positioning system.
 The system utilizes a laser. The emitted beam from the laser is directed
 over the path along which a vehicle is to be guided. The laser beam
 impinges on a target area located on the vehicle in such a manner that the
 impingement of the laser beam on the target is continuously observable by
 the vehicle's operator. The operator steers the vehicle so that the laser
 beam continuously impinges on the target area until the vehicle reaches a
 pre-selected position in a confined space such as a garage, a
 drive-through service lane and a loading dock.
 U.S. Pat. No. 5,343,376 teaches a laser pointer which includes a laser
 module fitted into a conductive cylindrical casing and attached with a
 laser firing lens assembly and connected to a battery set and controlled
 by a switch to fire a laser beam for pointing. The laser module includes a
 focus adjusting element threaded into the inner thread on the cylindrical
 shell thereof whereby rotating the focus adjusting element on the
 cylindrical shell in either direction causes change of distance between
 the lens of the laser firing lens assembly and the laser diode of the
 laser module so that the focus is adjusted. The switch has a switching
 control press rod for switch control and for fastening to the pocket as
 the laser pointer is not in use.
 U.S. Pat. No. 5,406,395 teaches an optical parking alignment system which
 includes at least one projector located on a vehicle for projecting a
 respective image forwardly of the vehicle. The alignment of the vehicle is
 indicated when each respective image is in focus on a screen disposed in
 front of the vehicle. The projector includes either a transparency and an
 imaging lens or a hologram and a narrow-band light source.
 U.S. Pat. No. 5,127,357 teaches a garage parking guide which assists a
 driver to park very conveniently in the same desired location of an
 enclosure, such as, a garage. The guide consists of an adjustable mirror
 and housing affixed adjacent to the garage door opening for the purpose of
 reflecting the vehicle's brake lights and/or view of rear bumper to the
 driver via the vehicle's side view mirror. The guide, properly positioned,
 will direct a visual image, to the driver, indicating the vehicle's
 relative position to the garage opening. As the vehicle enters the garage,
 the brake lights, will reach a predetermined alignment with that of the
 parking guide, so as to transmit the glow of the brake lights to the
 driver signifying that the vehicle has reached the final predetermined
 position. The vehicle guide will function with any vehicle and/or driver,
 once properly mounted, for any space equipped with a parking guide. The
 guide is capable of providing three images to the driver: normal for most
 occasions, magnified if driver wishes a larger brake light image, and wide
 angle for use when different with varying heights of brake lights from the
 floor use the same parking space. One parking guide must be used for each
 parking space. For example, a two car garage would require two parking
 guides, one for each side of the garage.
 U.S. Pat. No. 5,617,087 teaches a parking device for vehicles entering a
 ceiling-covered parking garage which includes a housing. The housing
 substantially encloses an electrical circuit. The electrical circuit
 includes a light-emitting bulb and a switch. The switch opens and closes
 the electrical circuit to light and unlight the bulb. A power supply and a
 cord suspend the housing from the ceiling of the parking garage so that
 the housing may intercept the vehicle to be parked, close the switch of
 the circuit, thereby emitting a light signal to the driver of the vehicle
 to let the driver know that the vehicle has reached the predetermined
 parking position.
 U.S. Pat. No. 5,227,785 teaches a vehicle parking assist apparatus which
 includes a hollow mounting base, an elongated signaling device, such as an
 upright pole having a signal light mounted thereto, supported on the base
 for pivotal movement from a normal upright non-signaling position to a
 tilted signaling position upon being contacted by an advancing vehicle,
 and an electrical circuit connected to the signal light of the elongated
 signaling device and capable of being switched from an open circuit
 condition to a closed circuit condition for electrically actuating the
 signal light to provide a visible alerting signal for a driver of the
 advancing vehicle. A coupling device supports the pole upright on the base
 and also couples the signal light to the electrical circuit. The coupling
 device is capable of retaining the electrical circuit in an open circuit
 condition so long as the signaling device is disposed in the upright
 non-signaling position. The coupling device is further capable of
 switching the electrical circuit to the closed circuit condition in
 response to the elongated signaling device being contacted and tilted by
 the advancing vehicle to the tilted signaling position.
 U.S. Pat. No. 4,145,681 a parking guide and signaling device for cars and
 trucks to assist the driver parking a vehicle in a designated parking area
 which includes a housing section having a window in the front wall thereof
 which is closed by a pane of translucent sheet material through which
 indicia can be seen clearly when the indicia are illuminated from the rear
 surface of the pane by an electric light with electrical apparatus within
 the housing for illuminating the pane and the housing section having
 pivotally mounted thereon an actuating lever biased so that the electrical
 apparatus is normally "off" but when the vehicle moves into a designated
 parking area the electrical apparatus is turned "on" and an intense beam
 of light illuminates the inner surface of the pane.
 U.S. Pat. No. 3,998,285 a vehicle indicating mechanism, in the form of a
 parking guide, which gauges the back clearance of an automobile or similar
 vehicle. The parking guide includes a hollow, translucent guide rod, which
 is movable responsive to a motor within a control box, from a
 substantially horizontal position, adjacent to the back bumper of the
 vehicle, to a substantially vertical position, extending upwardly from the
 corner of the bumper. The guide rod is illuminated by a light within the
 control box when the rod is in the vertical position thereby also enabling
 the rod to be viewed by the driver and used as a guide for parking the
 automobile at night.
 U.S. Pat. No. 5,177,479 teaches a garage parking position indicator which
 is operable on principles of wave energy. A wave energy detector such as
 an infrared receiver is mounted to one side of the garage access door at a
 point displaced from the rear wall of the garage by a distance greater
 than the length of the vehicle. A wave energy source, such as an infrared
 transmitter, is mounted on the opposite side of the garage access door
 from the receiver. The transmitter and the receiver are mounted at a
 height suitable for cross-secting the traveling vehicle from his leading
 edge to its trailing edge, preferably from bumper to bumper. The
 transmitter constantly transmits and directs wave energy toward the
 receiver so that the presence of any portion of the vehicle between the
 transmitter and the receiver will interrupt reception of the wave energy
 by the receiver.
 U.S. Pat. No. 5,882,106 teaches a thin profile laser pointer assembly which
 includes a thin profile laser head, a constant voltage laser diode driver
 circuit and a coin cell power source all packaged within a thin-profile
 rectangular housing having a thickness between about 2.0 mm and about 6.0
 mm. The laser head includes a thin, rectangular heat sink and a laser
 diode mounted on a recessed shelf on a front edge of the heat sink. The
 laser head is slidably received in a mounting channel in a front portion
 of the housing. The arrangement of the laser head and mounting channel
 rigidly fixes the laser diode in the X and Z axes while permitting sliding
 linear movement of the laser diode along a "Y" axis, which defines the
 optical axis of the laser diode. A lens is mounted in the mounting channel
 along the optical axis, and a projecting aperture is formed in the front
 edge of the housing in front of the lens for allowing the laser beam to
 exit through the front of the housing. The laser beam is focused by
 sliding the laser head within the channel. The laser diode driver circuit
 and a contact switch are mounted on a circuit board received and secured
 over the housing. Contact pads on the circuit board engage corresponding
 contacts on the battery and laser head assembly to complete the circuit.
 The constant voltage power regulating circuit utilizes a simple shunt
 regulator circuit which monitors voltage drain as the battery decays and
 draws appropriate current levels to provide constant power to the laser
 diode.
 U.S. Pat. No. 4,638,433 teaches a micro-processor controlled garage door
 operator which eliminates lower and upper limit switches on the garage
 door in that the upper and lower limits are set in a program mode of the
 microprocessor with up and down control switches by the operator. The
 settings of the door are stored in the memory of the microprocessor. The
 microprocessor also sets the force limits by establishing them slightly
 above the actual force required to move the door up and down and this
 prevents the forces to be set greater than required which could result in
 a dangerous condition. An external security switch is also connected to
 the microprocessor of the garage door operator to allow the door to be
 opened by those knowing the code. In program mode, the user enters in the
 four digit code and the four numbers are stored.
 U.S. Pat. No. 5,697,700 teaches a handy laser pointer which includes a
 cylindrical cassing coated with a layer of phosphorescent substance and
 having a transverse through hole, a laser firing cap fastened to the front
 end of the casing by plugging, a rear end cap fastened to the rear end of
 the casing by a screw joint and having a hanging hole for hanging, an
 insulative sleeve mounted inside the casing, a laser module holder mounted
 inside the casing and abutted against the insulative sleeve, a battery set
 mounted in the insulative sleeve and connected to the rear end cap and a
 laser module mounted inside the casing and fastened to the laser module
 holder, the laser module including a circuit board fastened to the laser
 module holder and having a switch, a laser generator connected to the
 circuit board and controlled by the switch to emit a laser beam through
 the laser firing cap, a button mounted in the transverse through hole of
 the casing and adapted for switching the switch, a metal spring connected
 between the circuit board and the battery set.
 U.S. Pat. No. 5,656,900 teaches a garage door operator which has an
 electric motor controlled by a control unit. A transmission is connected
 to the motor to be driven thereby to open and close a garage door. An
 infrared obstacle detector is connected to the control unit and includes a
 unitary infrared pulse emitter and an infrared detector. A missing pulse
 detector is coupled to the infrared detector to generate a door opening
 signal if the door is closing when the pulses are absent due to the
 infrared being interrupted by an obstacle or not having been generated.
 The control unit receives the door opening signal and causes the electric
 motor to open the garage door.
 U.S. Pat. No. 5,633,778 teaches an infrared signal interface which enables
 an infrared detector module to communicate with the door edge signal input
 of a garage door operator. The infrared signal interface has a power
 supply for driving the pulsed infrared detector. Pulsed signals are
 received by a missing pulse detector that controls a relay. The relay may
 be coupled to the door edge signal of the garage door operator.
 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
 The present invention is generally directed to an optical parking guide for
 use with a garage door opener.
 In a first separate aspect of the invention the optical parking guide
 includes a mounting element with a laser diode and a control circuit which
 couples the laser diode to the garage door opener.
 Other aspects and many of the attendant advantages will be more readily
 appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the
 following detailed description.
 The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel are
 set forth with particularity in the appended claims.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
 Referring to FIG. 1 in conjunction with FIG. 2 a garage door opener 10
 includes a head unit 12 mounted within a garage 14 on a ceiling 16. A
 transmission includes a screw drive 18 which extends from the control head
 12 and has a disconnectable trolley 20 connected thereto. An arm 22 is
 connected to the trolley and is connected to a multi-panel garage door 24
 for opening and closing the garage door. The garage door is carried on a
 pair of L-shaped channels 26 and 28 as is conventional for multi-panel
 garage doors. A radio transmitter 30 may communicate by radio frequency
 energy with an antenna 32 extending from the head unit 12 to cause the
 head unit 12 to open and close the garage door. An inside control panel 31
 may communicate over a wire 31a with the head unit 12. A permanently
 mounted keypad radio transmitter 34 may also communicate with antenna 32
 of the head unit to command the head unit to open and close the door. A
 combination photo-emitter and detector 42 is connected by leads 44 to the
 head unit to receive electrical energy therefrom. An infrared reflector 46
 is positioned at the opposite door edge to receive and reflect back
 infrared energy to the photo-emitter and detector 42.
 Referring to FIG. 2 in conjunction with FIG. 1 and FIG. 3 a car 100 has a
 front window 101 and a dashboard 102. An optical parking guide 110 is
 optically coupled to the dashboard 102 through the front window 101.
 Referring to FIG. 4 in conjunction with FIG. 2 and FIG. 5 the optical
 parking guide includes a container 111, a board 112 with a control circuit
 113 and a light mounting element 114.
 Referring to FIG. 5 in conjunction with FIG. 3 and FIG. 6 the light
 mounting element 114 has either a laser diode 115 or a light emitting
 diode. The dashboard 102 is optically coupled to the laser diode 115.
 Again referring to FIG. 2 in conjunction with FIG. 3 and FIG. 6 the control
 circuit 113 couples the laser diode 115 to the garage door opener 10. The
 control circuit 113 turns on the laser diode 115 in response to the
 presence of a car so that the light emitting diode generates an output
 light. The mounting element 114 directs the output light through the front
 window 101 onto the dashboard 102 of the car 100 so that a driver of the
 car 100 can guide the car 100 into the car's proper parking place.
 Referring to FIG. 7 a schematic diagram of the control circuit 112 of the
 optical parking guide 110 includes a timer 120.
 From the foregoing it can be seen that an optical parking guide for use
 with a garage door opener has been described.
 Accordingly it is intended that the foregoing disclosure shall be
 considered only as an illustration of the principle of the present
 process.