Abstract:
A quick pass exit/entrance installation and method is particularly adaptable for controlling and monitoring the exit and return of vehicles to and from a secured area. The identification of the driver and the vehicle is automatically determined and the exiting transaction is undertaken while the driver remains seated in the vehicle. The vehicle VIN and the image of the license plate may be automatically obtained at both the exit and entrance lanes. An image of substantially all four sides of the vehicle may be automatically obtained on both exiting and entering the facility. The information is processed and receipts are issued while the driver remains seated in the vehicle.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims the priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/283,233 filed Dec. 1, 2009, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    This disclosure relates generally to installations which provide for the controlled exit and entrance of vehicles. More particularly, this disclosure relates generally to automated systems which provide controlled exit and entrance to a facility for a fleet of vehicles. 
         [0003]    In applications to which the present disclosure relates, such as vehicle leasing facilities, installations are provided to control the exit of the vehicle from the facility and also to control the entrance of the vehicle when it is returned to the facility. Numerous systems have been implemented for automatically controlling gates under various conditions. One of the recurring goals is to facilitate transactions for the leasing and return of the vehicle in an efficient and cost-effective manner with a minimal interaction with personnel of the leasing facility. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    Briefly stated, a quick pass exit/entrance installation comprises an exit lane with opposed exit sides and an exit gate and tail gate. An exit camera system comprises a front camera and a rear camera at each of the opposed exit sides. The camera system has a field of view which covers substantially the entirety of a vehicle disposed in the exit lane between the tail gate and the exit gate. An exit terminal is disposed at one exit side and has a video display, a driver image camera and a driver license reader. An exit reader electronically identifies the vehicle in the exit lane. The entrance lane has opposed entrance sides and a one-way gate. An entrance reader electronically identifies the vehicle in the entrance lane. An entrance camera system comprises a front camera and a rear camera at each of the opposed entrance sides and has a field of view which covers substantially the entirety of the vehicle disposed in the entrance lane between the entrance sides and the one-way gate. 
         [0005]    The reader for reading the vehicle VIN is an RFID reader. A processor compares images from the exit and entrance camera systems. The exit terminal further comprises an intercom and a receipt printer. The exit reader comprises a reader for reading the vehicle VIN. The exit reader comprises a license plate reader. The entrance reader comprises a reader for reading the vehicle VIN. The entrance reader comprises a license plate reader. A processor processes information received from the exit terminal, the exit reader, the exit camera system, the entrance reader and the entrance camera system. 
         [0006]    A method for monitoring vehicle egress from a secured area comprises reading a driver ID card at an electronic module adjacent an exit lane while the driver is seated in the vehicle. An image of the driver is recorded while the driver is seated in the vehicle. The information is displayed to the driver at the electronic module. The identification of the vehicle is automatically determined. 
         [0007]    The method also comprises communicating via voice between an electronic module and the driver of the vehicle while the driver remains seated in the vehicle. The VIN of the vehicle is also read and an image of the vehicle license plate is obtained while the driver remains in the vehicle. An image of the vehicle is acquired from substantially all four sides while the vehicle is adjacent the electronic module. The information obtained is employed to determine whether egress from the facility is allowed and a signal is generated for opening at least an exit gate. 
         [0008]    A method for monitoring the exit of a vehicle from a controlled facility and the return of the vehicle to the controlled facility comprises reading the ID of a driver in the vehicle while the vehicle is in an exit lane adjacent electronic module. An image of the driver is obtained while the driver is in the vehicle. The identification of the vehicle is automatically determined. An image of the vehicle is acquired while the vehicle is in the exit lane. The driver ID is read at an electronic module adjacent an entrance lane to the facility. The identification of the vehicle is automatically determined while the vehicle is in the entrance lane. An image of the driver is acquired while the vehicle is in the entrance lane. Information is processed to correlate the data upon exiting the secured facility to data acquired upon entering the secured facility. 
         [0009]    The VIN of the vehicle is automatically read at the exit lane and at the entrance lane of the secured facility. An image of the vehicle license plate is automatically acquired while the vehicle is in the exit lane and at the entrance lane of the secured facility. Information is displayed at an electronic module adjacent the exit lane. Information is also displayed at an electronic module adjacent the entrance lane. A receipt is issued to the driver from an electronic module adjacent the exit lane. A receipt is also issued to the driver from an electronic module adjacent the entrance lane. Acquiring the image of the vehicle comprises acquiring an image from substantially all four sides of the vehicle. Information is processed to determine whether egress from the facility is allowed and to generate a signal for opening a gate across the exit lane. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]      FIG. 1  is a top plan view, partly in diagram form and partly in schematic, of a quick pass exit/entrance installation; 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  is a side elevational view, partly in schematic, of a vehicle in an exit lane at an exit station of the facility of  FIG. 1  with portions further being shown superimposed; and 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  is an enlarged elevational view of an exit terminal, for the exit station of  FIG. 2 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0013]    With reference to the drawings wherein like numerals represent like parts throughout the figures, a quick pass exit/entrance installation is generally designated by the numeral  10 . The installation comprises an exit station designated generally by the numeral  100 , and an entrance station designated generally by the numeral  200 . Various conventional stations such as stations  300  and  310  may also be provided. 
         [0014]    The installation  10  functions to control the exit from and the entrance to a leasing facility in a highly automated, reliable and efficient manner without requiring interaction at the exit and entrance stations with personnel of the leasing facility. The installation  10  is also designed to reduce the transaction time and effort required of the operator/driver of the vehicle. 
         [0015]    Exit station  100  includes an exit lane  102  which is interposed between two raised traffic medians  110  and  112 . A motorized exit gate  120 , which is automatically controlled, is disposed at the exit end of the exit lane. A motorized tail gate  122 , which is automatically operated, is disposed at the rear of the exit lane  102 . The exit station  100  is configured so that an operator may interact with a quick pass exit terminal  124  comprising a transaction module  130  which is mounted to a stanchion  126 . The stanchion  126  is bolted or otherwise fixed to the median  110  approximately at the median middle adjacent the exit lane  102 . 
         [0016]    With additional reference to  FIGS. 2 and 5 , the module  130  is adapted to provide a user friendly transactional interface with the operator/driver of the vehicle while the driver remains seated within the vehicle. The module  130  includes a video display  132  and an intercom  134 . The video display is configured for easy visual access by the driver. The intercom  134  provides two-way voice communication between the driver of the vehicle, while stopped at the exit station  100 , and a person associated with the facility but located remotely from the exit station  100  and/or a computer which receives, responds to and transmits audio messages. 
         [0017]    A driver image camera  136  is located at a medial height of the vehicle window so that as the vehicle stops to permit driver interaction with the module, the image of the driver of the vehicle may be automatically recorded. A driver&#39;s license reader having an access slot  138  is located so that the driver may insert his driver&#39;s license for scanning. A receipt printer  140  is disposed at a lower location so that it may be manually accessed by the driver to obtain a paper receipt. 
         [0018]    The camera  136 , license reader  138 , receipt printer  140  and display  132  all communicate with a microprocessor  144 . The microprocessor also communicates with an RF antenna  146 . Data is communicated between the module  130  and a local server (not illustrated). An RFID reader module  148  is also mounted to the top of the stanchion  126  for reading the vehicle identification number (“VIN”) from the vehicle and also ultimately communicating the VIN for processing. 
         [0019]    A camera system  150  automatically obtains an image of all four sides of the vehicle as it is located in the exit lane. A front camera  152  is mounted at the front of the median  110 . A rear camera  154  is mounted at the rear of median  110 . The cameras are each mounted on posts  153  and  155 , respectively, and are oriented to obtain a maximum field of view (schematically illustrated by the broken lines). In addition, a camera  156  is mounted to the front of median  112  and a rear camera  158  is mounted at the rear of median  112  so that simultaneous or synchronous images of the vehicle may be recorded and ultimately sent to the remote server. 
         [0020]    A license plate camera  159  is preferably mounted to the motorized tail gate and angled so that the rear license plate of the vehicle may be automatically recorded. An anti-tail gate module  160  is mounted to the rear camera post  155 . 
         [0021]    It will be appreciated that the booth  128  on the median  110  may, essentially, be unattended when the exit station  100  is fully functional. A communication power cabinet  149  may be mounted to the median. 
         [0022]    It will be appreciated that the foregoing described exit station  100  functions to allow a vehicle to be driven into the exit lane  102 . The motorized tail gate  122  is initially raised and then lowered. The exit gate  120  is initially lowered to prevent egress. The driver of the vehicle then inserts the driver&#39;s license and observes the contract terms and other information on the display  132 . A paper receipt of the transaction is available at the printer  140 . 
         [0023]    A significant portion of information and data is derived without driver or personnel action. The image of the driver is automatically recorded. In addition, the camera system  150  records a pre-travel image on all four sides of the vehicle which is correlated with the driver ID and the VIN for the vehicle which is obtained from the RFID reader module  148 . The vehicle license plate is recorded by the license plate camera. All of the data and information is also transmitted by RF to a local server for processing and return communication. Upon completion of the transaction, the exit gate  120  is raised and the operator is free to drive the vehicle from the exit lane. 
         [0024]    With reference to  FIG. 1 , the entrance station  200  includes a return lane  202  which is interposed between two raised traffic medians  210  and  212 . A booth  228  is mounted to the median  110 . Under fully functioning conditions, the booth  228  is normally unattended. A rhino-gate  220  is typically interposed in the return lane  202  to provide a one way gate to prevent a vehicle having once entered into the return or entrance station  200  from backing out from the entrance station. 
         [0025]    A camera system  250  comprises a front camera  252  and a rear camera  254  mounted to the median  210 . In addition, a front camera  256  and a rear camera  258  are mounted to median  212 . As schematically indicated by the broken lines, the cameras are angled and oriented to provide a comprehensive four-side image of the returned vehicle upon entry of the vehicle into the entrance station. In addition an RFID reader  248  is mounted on a stanchion to read the VIN number of the vehicle. A license plate camera  259  is mounted to the median  210  to provide an image of the rear license plate of the vehicle. 
         [0026]    It will be appreciated, that upon return of the vehicle, the camera system  250  takes an image of the returned vehicle that is compared to the original pre-travel image taken by camera system  150 . The images are compared for purposes of assessing and documenting whether there has been any damage to the vehicle during the period the vehicle has been away from the installation. The return image is correlated with the VIN number read by the RFID reader  248 , the license plate camera image  259  and the driver ID. The latter information and data is in turn processed and forwarded to the local server. 
         [0027]    It will also be appreciated that numerous other conventional booths or additional exit stations  300 ,  310  and/or entrance stations may be provided as required for a given facility. The foregoing described installation  10  provides an efficient installation in which the transaction between the vehicle driver may essentially be completed and processed in a highly efficient process both upon initial leasing and upon return of the vehicle without direct interaction with personnel of the vehicle fleet agency.