Abstract:
A parking control surveillance system is provided for monitoring vehicles within parking spaces for providing parking enforcement personnel information concerning authorized and unauthorized vehicles within the parking space. The parking control surveillance system includes a parking stop having dimensions substantially the same as traditional cement parking stops located at the rear of a parking space. The parking stop includes a video recorder for obtaining images of vehicles entering or exiting the designated parking space. The parking stop further includes a transmitter for transmitting images and information such as the time of parking transgression to vehicle enforcement personnel.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to a parking violation recording system. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system for quickly recording violations which occur when a person parks illegally, such as parking within a handicapped parking spot without authorization or parking beyond an authorized time period. 
   Parking spaces are frequently in short supply and high in demand. Accordingly, cities and towns will often provide metered parking spaces and handicapped parking spaces. Handicapped spaces are designated only for authorized handicapped persons. The parking meters accept coins or dollar bills in return for time on the meter, which represents the amount of authorized time that the vehicle may remain within the parking space. If the vehicle remains within the parking space after the meter expires, the owner of the parked vehicle is subject to citation or towing. 
   The standard practice of issuing parking violations involves the use of officials, commonly referred to as “meter-maids”. These officials scour the streets in search of violators. Once a violation is located, the official exits their vehicle, if not traveling on foot, and records important vehicle information. The officer then writes out a written acknowledgment of the violation, referred to as a parking citation or ticket. 
   Unfortunately, this process requires considerable time to search for and record violations. This time is costly and could be more productively used. In addition, parking violation officials frequently find numerous vehicles which are simultaneously violating parking laws. While the official is preparing one written citation, owners of other vehicles exit the scene before a violation can be issued. This also results in loss of money to the city. 
   Private parking spaces are also available in areas where parking is in short supply. These parking spaces typically come at some expense to the vehicle owner, but usually offer the convenience of not requiring that the owner pay money throughout the day. Moreover, private parking spaces often offer greater security and a convenient location. Many private garages issue a fixed number of monthly parking passes sometimes costing $200.00–$300.00 or more. Unfortunately, unauthorized persons often park in the assigned spaces resulting in significant inconvenience to both the owner of the private parking lot and the owner of the vehicle which is entitled to the parking space. In order to reduce the unauthorized parking within the assigned spaces, the parking lot owners will often employ expensive attendants to monitor the parking lot. 
   Various attempts have been made to overcome the problems associated with monitoring and recording the violations within a parking lot. U.S. Pat. No. 6,459,386 describes a parking violation monitoring system wherein a police vehicle drives down the street to record violations. The police vehicle includes cameras mounted on both sides of the vehicle which view parking meters and vehicle license plates to determine whether a violation has occurred. If the parking meter registers a lack of payment, the person&#39;s license plate is recorded and a ticket is mailed to the vehicle&#39;s owner. Meanwhile, U.S. Pat. No. 6,559,776 describes a parking control system which detects the presence of vehicles within a parking spot. This system further includes processors to determine whether the vehicle is authorized, and if a violation has occurred, the occurrence is communicated to a central processing office which takes corrective action. U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 2003/0128136 illustrates a parking meter which includes audio/visual communications with the central station. The parking meter transmits information regarding whether money has been accepted. 
   Unfortunately, the various automated systems suffer from various drawbacks. For example, the constructions are expensive to manufacture, difficult to use and/or require additional housings placed in the vicinity of the parking spaces. 
   Thus, there is a significant need for an improved parking surveillance system for recording parking violations. 
   There is an additional need for a parking surveillance system which is inexpensive to manufacture, unobtrusive and simple to install in the vicinity of a monitored parking space. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention addresses the aforementioned problems associated with parking space surveillance systems by providing a substantially self-contained surveillance system located within the traditional parking stop typically found at the end of a parking space. 
   In a preferred embodiment, the parking stop is an elongate raised structure usually made of concrete which is positioned at the end of a parking spot for engaging a vehicle&#39;s tires so as to impede further movement of the vehicle. The parking stop is typically 4″–8″ high, approximately 4″–8″ deep, and extends substantially the width of a parking space, typically 6′–8′. In an alternative preferred embodiment, the parking stop is constructed as a traditional sidewalk curb for preventing further movement of a vehicle within the parking space. 
   The parking stop of the present invention includes a housing constructed of any of various materials as can be selected by those skilled in the art. For example, the housing can be constructed of cement, cement reinforced by steel rods, plastic, ceramic materials, composites, or mixtures thereof. The parking stop further includes a video recorder located within the housing for recording video images of vehicles entering, exiting or parked within a parking space. The video recorder may record using traditional analog tape. However, preferably the video recorder include a CCD type camera for recording images in digital format onto various memory devices as can be selected by those skilled in the art. For example, the memory device may be RAM, ROM, a simple hard drive, CD-ROM or a removable disk. 
   The parking surveillance system of the present invention further includes a vehicle presence detector for detecting whether a vehicle is present within a parking space. The vehicle presence detector may be a pressure sensor located underneath the parking space which is triggered by the weight of a vehicle entering the parking space. Alternatively, ultrasonic, laser or movement sensors may be utilized to determine the entry, exit or presence of a vehicle within the designated parking space. 
   The vehicle presence detector does not need to be located within the parking stop&#39;s housing, such would be the case where the vehicle presence detector is a pressure sensor located under the parking space. However, in a preferred embodiment, the vehicle presence detector is a motion sensor located within the parking stop which is positioned so as to detect the entry, exit or presence of vehicles within the parking space. Information concerning the presence of vehicles within the space, such as the time of occurrence and duration, is preferably stored within memory. 
   The parking surveillance system of the present invention may include a clock or similar time keeping mechanism for recording the time periods for which vehicles are parked within a parking space. The presence of vehicles may then be “time stamped” and recorded for later retrieval. 
   To this end, the parking surveillance system of the present invention further includes a transmitter for transmitting video images and data concerning time of parking to parking enforcement personnel. The transmission may be a removable disc or a simple output connector located upon the exterior of the parking stop for allowing persons to download information to a mobile computer for later processing. Alternatively, the transmitter may be a wireless transmitter for transmitting information to parking enforcement personnel. The wireless transmission may be by a short range transmission protocol such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. Alternatively, traditional cellular telephone systems may be utilized for transmitting information over the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to a parking enforcement headquarters. 
   In operation, the parking surveillance system records the presence and transmits information concerning the unauthorized parking of vehicles. The vehicle presence detector of the parking surveillance system determines when a vehicle has entered and exits a parking space. Again, this can be accomplished using ultrasonic, laser, pressure, or motion sensors or other known apparatus for detecting presence of a vehicle. This information is transmitted to a processor for determining the time and duration of vehicle presence. All vehicles may be photographed by the video recorder of the present invention, for example when entering or exiting the parking space. Alternatively, the parking surveillance system may record video images of the vehicle only if it has been determined that the vehicle has parked longer than a predetermined allotment of time, or after it has been determined that the vehicle has committed some other infraction. 
   Where the parking surveillance system is being used to monitor a handicapped parking space, preferably, the system records images of all vehicles which have parked within the parking space. Images are transmitted to parking surveillance personnel where it is determined whether the vehicle has proper authorization to park. The determination of whether the vehicle is authorized can be done in various ways such as by reviewing license plate records to determine whether the recorded license plate of the vehicle has been identified for use by a handicapped person. Alternatively, the recorded image can be analyzed, such as by using image processing software, to determine whether a handicap placard is being properly displayed. 
   It is thus an object of the present invention to provide an inconspicuous and inexpensive parking surveillance system for monitoring parking spaces for the presence of unauthorized vehicles. 
   In still an additional object of the present invention to provide a surveillance system which reduces the amount of persons required for monitoring parking spaces. 
   It is still an additional object of the present invention to provide a substantially self-contained surveillance system which can utilize existing structures typically found within a parking lot. 
   These and other more specific objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a flowchart illustrating operation of the parking status surveillance system of the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is a flowchart illustrating operation of the individual components of the parking violation surveillance system of the present invention; 
       FIG. 3  is a side cutaway view illustrating a preferred embodiment of the parking status surveillance system of the present invention; 
       FIG. 4  is a cutaway view illustrating a parking violation recording stop of the present invention; and 
       FIG. 5  is a top plan view illustrating a plurality of parking violation recording stops for use in detecting the presence of unauthorized persons within a parking space. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   While the present invention is susceptible of embodiments in various forms, as shown in the drawings, hereinafter be described the presently preferred embodiments of the invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the invention and it is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated. 
   As shown in the figures, the parking status control system  1  of the present invention includes a parking stop  3 . Preferably, the parking stop is elongate and has dimensions substantially similar to parking stops ubiquitously found in parking lots around the world. More specifically, preferably the parking stop has dimensions of 4″–8″ high, approximately 4″–8″ deep, and extends substantially the width of the parking space. Alternatively, the parking stop may be a curb (not shown) which extends the length of the back or “stop” side  25  of numerous parking spaces. 
   The parking stop  3  of the present invention includes a housing  4  for storing various electronic components. Located within the housing, the parking stop includes a video recorder  5  for recording images, a power supply  7 , a processor  9 , memory  11  and a transmitter  13 . The video recorder may be any construction for recording images of the vehicle, which preferably provides sufficiently high quality so as to obtain and record images of a vehicle&#39;s license plate. Where the parking space is designated for handicapped persons, preferably the camera provides sufficient quality of images and is positioned so as to record images of the vehicle&#39;s license plate and front windshield to determine whether a handicap placard is hanging from the vehicle&#39;s rearview mirror. To this end, the video recorder may be a traditional camera using film, an analog video recorder, or digital camera using a charge coupled device (CCD) imaging receptor. 
   The parking status control system further includes a vehicle presence detector  29 . The vehicle presence detector may be an ultrasonic, laser or motion sensor for detecting the entry, exit or presence of a vehicle within the parking space  21 . Alternatively, the vehicle presence detector may utilize the electronics of the camera to determine changes of imagery, thereby suggesting motion within the camera&#39;s field of view. The vehicle presence detector may be located within the parking stop  3 , such as where a vehicle presence detector is a laser, ultrasonic or motion sensor or utilizes the video recorder electronics. Alternatively, the vehicle presence detector may be located exterior to the parking stop  3 . For example, as shown in  FIGS. 3 and 5 , the vehicle presence detector  29  may be a pressure sensor located under the concrete or asphalt of the parking space  21  which sends a signal upon being triggered by the weight of a vehicle entering or exiting the parking space. 
   The processor  9  is also preferably located within the parking stop  3 . The processor  9  is connected to both the vehicle presence detector  17  and video recorder  5  so that based on predetermined criteria, the triggering of the vehicle presence detector is transmitted to the processor  9  which determines when the camera is to initiate recording of the designated parking space  21 . 
   The parking status control system of the present invention further includes a power supply for supplying electrical power to the processor  9 , vehicle presence detector  29 , and video recorder  5 . The power supply may be of numerous constructions known to those skilled in the art such as 120V cabling to a nearby power grid. However, preferably the power supply consists of one or more solar panels  8  and rechargeable batteries  7 . 
   Finally, the parking status control system  1  of the present invention includes a transmitter for transmitting video images of an unauthorized vehicle and information concerning the time of parking of an unauthorized vehicle to parking enforcement personnel. The transmission equipment  13  may be cabling for transmitting information to parking enforcement personnel. Alternatively, the parking stop may include electrical connectors for allowing a person to connect a computer, such as a mobile laptop computer, for downloading information concerning the vehicles that have parked in the designated parking space. Alternatively, as shown in  FIG. 4 , the transmitter may comprise a wireless transmitter, such as a patch antenna, for transmitting the designated information by RF transmission. The wireless transmitter may transmit using a short range protocol such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth or other short range transmission protocols. Alternatively, the transmitter  13  may comprise a cellular telephone transmitter for allowing the information to be transmitted directly to a local cellular network or a satellite network to thereafter be communicated over the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) for ultimate receipt by the parking enforcement personnel. 
   With reference to  FIG. 3 , the parking status control system  1 , including parking stop  3  and presence detector  17 , may be connected to a parking meter  29 . The parking meter  29  receives coins or dollar bills and preferably includes a digital display indicating the amount of time in which a person is authorized to park within the parking space. Preferably, the processor  9  is connected to the parking meter  29  so that when a vehicle is parked within the parking space beyond its authorized time, this determination can be made by the processor in cooperation with the vehicle presence detector which will determine whether the vehicle continues to be present within the parking space beyond the allotted time. If an unauthorized vehicle is present, the occurrence and period of infraction is preferably stored within memory for transmission to parking enforcement personnel. Moreover, preferably the processor includes a central clock so that the occurrence can be time and date stamped for further validating the unauthorized parking. In addition to the occurrence, time and period of infraction, preferably the memory retains a picture of the unauthorized vehicle which is preferably obtained as the vehicle enters or exits the parking space so as to provide the best view of the vehicle&#39;s license plate and windshield. 
   With reference to  FIG. 1 , in a preferred embodiment the vehicle presence detector  17 , which may be a pressure strip located under the parking space, triggers the video recorder  5  to obtain an image of the vehicle when it enters the parking space. The image is then processed by the processor  9  and date and time stamped. The image and time and date stamp are recorded in memory. Any and all parking occurrences may be transmitted to a central office  33 . Alternatively, the processor may selectively determine whether an unauthorized parking has occurred and designate only infractions for transmission by the transmitter  13  to the central office. 
   With reference to  FIGS. 2 and 4 , the parking status control system may include various components which may be constructed in various manners as can be determined by one skilled in the art. In a preferred construction, the parking stop  3  includes a pair of solar panels  8  which transmit electrical power through a charge controller to be stored within batteries  7 . The batteries are then used to provide power to the video recorder  5  and the vehicle presence detector  17 , as well as the additional system components such as the processor and transmitter. 
   Although the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments, workers skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, the present invention is intended to be limited only to the following claims.