Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02595309 2007-07-19
WO 2006/076773 1 PCT/AU2006/000071
--
AN INTEGRATED PARKING, ENFORCEMENT
AND DETECTION ARRANGEMENT
Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to the field of parking meters, and in
particular, to enforcement issues which arise in the administration of such
systems.
Background
The constant increase in the number of motor vehicles flowing into cities
around the
world has forced city planners and authorities to find ways of rationing and
controlling scarce
on-street parking spaces. Typically, measures taken comprise use of parking
meter systems,
at which a motorist is able to pay an appropriate amount, for which in
exchange, the motorist
obtains a corresponding measure of time during which the motorists vehicle may
remain
parlced in a designated parking spot.
In order to ensure that motorists adhere to the legislative requirements of
time, price
and parking restrictions, which are typically pre-defined in such parking
meter systems,
authorities usually implement an enforcement regime. Enforcement is typically
legislatively
supported, and is typically carried out by teams of authorised officers who
inspect the parked
vehicles, ensure that appropriate payment has been made, and ensure that the
time that has
been purchased by motorists has not been exceeded. Exainples of the scope of
the parking
regulations considered by the officers include "No Parking", "No standing",
"Sanitation",
"Paid parking becomes a clearway at 16:30" and so on. The intention of the
enforceinent
regime is to ensure that there is compliance with parlcing regulations, thus
ensuring a constant
turnover of vehicles moving in and out of available parking spaces, so that
businesses in the
area may prosper, and so that motorists have an opportunity to carry out their
business. There
are also safety issues relating to blockage of areas such as fire hydrants or
driveways that are
enforced.
CA 02595309 2007-07-19
WO 2006/076773 - 2 - PCT/AU2006/000071
When payment is not made, or when the vehicle remains in the parking space
longer
than the time which has been purchased, or the vehicle is in violation of
other parking
restrictions as noted above, the enforcement agent, or officer, is typically
legally empowered
to take enforcement measures. In most modem cities, a parking ticket, or
notice of violation
(typically called called a "citation" or an "infringeinent") is issued in the
forn of a ticket
which often is generated by a hand-held computer used by the enforcement
officer. It is noted
that parking meters that are presently used are typically electronic devices.
However, unless an enforcement officer is on hand to serve a citation to a
motorist
whose vehicle is in violation, the citation will not be se2ved. Since parking
fines are often
issued for considerable amounts of money, and given that cities typically
issue thousands of
parking citations, a significant amount of revenue is at stake.
There are considerable difficulties associated with efficiently deploying
enforcement
officers to the locations where they are needed. Statistics can be gathered on
the compliance
behaviour of motorists, however this information is typically gathered only in
certain areas
and at certain times using limited manpower resources. The resultant
statistics are incomplete
and inaccurate, resulting in inefficient deployment of enforcement resources,
and consequent
inefficient use of parking resources and loss of parking revenues.
Summary of the Invention
It is an object of the present invention to substantially overcome, or at
least
ameliorate, one or more disadvantages of existing arrangements.
Disclosed are arrangements, referred to as "real-time compliance mapping and
enforcement" arrangements, which seek to address the above problems by
integrating vehicle
sensors, portable enforcement terminals used by enforcement officers, and a
central system so
that (i) real-time and historic "compliance maps" of the enforcement region
can be generated
and maintained, and (ii) enforcement officers can be deployed across the
enforcement region
CA 02595309 2007-07-19
WO 2006/076773 - 3 - PCT/AU2006/000071
based upon these compliance maps. The disclosed system also can generate real-
time
occupancy maps of the region of interest, enabling parking and traffic policy
to be
implemented by changing contextual parameters associated with some or each
parking meter,
and if desired, by providing corresponding information on the display of some
or eacli parking
meter. In other words, enforcement officers are deployed to attend to vehicles
which are non-
compliant (ie whose parking space status is "expired - see Fig. 13). This
approach puts the
human enforcement resources where they are most needed thus (a) increasing
legitimate
access to the scarce parking resource for the driving public at large, (b)
increasing the
efficiency of the parking enforcement function, and (c) decreasing lost
parking violation
revenues.
The term "real-time" has at least two related but distinct meanings in this
description
for the disclosed "real-time compliance mapping and enforcement" arrangements.
In one
context, the disclosed "real-time compliance mapping and enforceznent"
arrangements can,
using the vehicle sensors, obtain a snapshot of the actual compliance status
of a particular
parking space, and enables an enforcement officer to be dispatched in real-
time to that space
to enforce compliance. This is a real-time control loop enabling the actual
compliance
situation at a given instant of time to be dealt with at that time or shortly
afterwards. Clearly
other enforcement regimes consistent with the disclosed arrangements can also
be operated in
real-time. Thus, for example, if compliance is detected directly by the
central system using the
vehicle sensors at a parking space, and if a resultant citation is issued by
mail ratlier than by an
enforceinent officer, the citation can be generated as soon as the appropriate
compliance
violation is detected by the central system. Citations can also be notified to
owners of non-
compliant vehicles by email, facsimile, Short Message Service (SMS) or
telephone.
In another context, the disclosed "real-time compliance mapping and
enforcement"
arrangements have the capability of interrogating the vehicle sensors across
the entire region
CA 02595309 2007-07-19
WO 2006/076773 - 4 - PCT/AU2006/000071
of interest in a concurrent and effectively simultaneous manner, thus
generating a snapshot of
the compliance status of all the parlcing spaces across an entire city, an
entire region or sub-
regions thereof at the same instant of time. Consequently, the occupancy or
compliance
distribution map that is generated at the time instant in question is an
accurate representation
of occupancy and/or compliance distribution over the region in question at the
time instant in
question. This provides a significant improvement in accuracy over other
current methods of
generating parking statistics. The other current methods are unable to provide
an instantaneous
snapshot over an arbitrary region, and thus the resultant statistics have to
be approximated by
aggregating local statistics talcen at different times into an approximate
overall picture. Since
the manpower resources allocated to collecting these statistics in other
current systems are
typically very limited, the other current systems provide an inaccurate
picture at best. The
disclosed "real-time compliance mapping and enforcemeilt" arrangements enable
accurate
statistics at any instant of tiine to be generated, and these snapshots can be
taken at any
desired frequency, thus generating accurate statistics of compliance and
occupancy over the
entire region of interest.
This information can then be used to accurately portray when, where and how
often
certain parking related events such as parking, and/or paying and/or re-paying
and/or reuse of
iiiherited time and/or over staying occur. This information can then be used
to accurately
determine suminary measures such as site/area/meter efficiency (defined by
compliance *
occupancy) and or enforcement efficiency (defined by the number of vehicles in
violation
compared to actual number of violations issued).
According to a first aspect of the iilvention, there is provided a method of
deploying
enforcement officers across an enforcement region, the method comprising the
steps of:
interrogating vehicle sensors across the enforcement region;
CA 02595309 2007-07-19
WO 2006/076773 , 5 r PCT/AU2006/000071
determining depending upon the interrogating step the compliance status of
parking
spaces in the enforcement region; and
deploying enforcement officers across the enforcement region dependent upon
the
determined compliance status.
According to another aspect of the iiivention, there is provided a method of
enforcing
compliance with parking regulations across an enforceinent region, the method
comprising the
steps of:
interrogating vehicle sensors across the enforcement region;
determining depending upon the interrogating step the compliance status of
parking
spaces in the enforcement region; and
issuing citations in regard to vehicles that are not complying with the
parking
regulations.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of
preventing a motorist from extending their stay in a parking space beyond a
specified time
period, the method comprising the steps of:
detecting occupancy of the parking space by a vehicle;
detecting payment of a fee associated with the specified time period; and
if attempted payment of a further fee associated with a further time period is
detected
before the space is vacated by the vehicle; performing one of at least:
refusing the attempted further payment;
modifying the parlcing tariff for the further time period; and
dispatching an enforcement officer to the parking space to issue a citation.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of
implementing traffic policy for parking spaces in a region, the method
comprising the steps of
determining the compliance status of the parking spaces; and
CA 02595309 2007-07-19
WO 2006/076773 PCT/AU2006/000071
setting parlcing tariffs for the parlcing spaces dependent upon the determined
compliance status.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of
implementing traffic policy for parking meters in a region, the method
comprising the steps
of:
determining the occupancy status of parking spaces in the region; and
setting parlcing tariffs for the parlcing spaces dependent upon the determined
occupancy status.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of
implementing traffic policy for a parking space in a region, the method
comprising the steps
of:
determining at least one of compliance status and occupancy status of the
parking
space; and
setting a contextual paraineter for the parking space dependent upon the one
of
compliance status and occupancy status.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of
charging
for use of a parking space, the method comprising the steps of:
determining, using a vehicle sensor associated with the parking space, the
time
during which a vehicle has occupied the space; and
charging for use of the space dependent upon the determining step.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a system for
deploying enforcement officers across an enforcement region, the system
comprising:
a plurality of parking spaces in the enforcement region;
a plurality of vehicle sensors, adapted to detect vehicles using the parking
spaces;
CA 02595309 2007-07-19
WO 2006/076773 PCT/AU2006/000071
means for determining the compliance status of the parking spaces dependent
upon
the detection of the vehicles; and
means for deploying enforcement officers across the enforcement region
dependent
upon the determined compliance status.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a system
enforcing
compliance with parking regulations across an enforcement region, the system
comprising:
a plurality of parking spaces in the enforcement region;
a plurality of vehicle sensors, adapted to detect vehicles using the parking
spaces;
means for determining the compliance status of the parking spaces dependent
upon
the detection of the vehicles; and
means for issuing citations in regard to vehicles that are not complying with
the
parking regulations.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a system for
preventing a motorist from extending their stay in a parking space beyond a
specified time
period, the system comprising:
means for detecting occupancy of the parking space by a vehicle;
means for detecting payment of a fee associated with the specified time
period; and
means, if attempted payment of a further fee associated with a further time
period is
detected before the space is vacated by the vehicle, for performing one of at
least:
refusing the attempted further payment;
modifying the parking tariff for the further time period; and
dispatching a.n enforcement officer to the parlcing space to issue a citation.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a system for
implementing traffic policy for parking spaces in a region, the system
comprising:
means for detennining the compliance status of the parlcing spaces; and
CA 02595309 2007-07-19
WO 2006/076773 PCT/AU2006/000071
means for setting parking tariffs for the parking spaces dependent upon the
determined compliance status.
According to another aspect of the iilvention, there is provided a system for
implementing traffic policy for parking meters in a region, the systein
comprising:
means for detennining the occupancy status of parking spaces in the region;
and
means for setting parking tariffs for the parking spaces dependent upon the
determined occupancy status.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a system for
implementing traffic policy for a parking space in a region, the system
comprising:
means for determining at least one of compliance status and occupancy status
of the
parking space; and
means for setting a contextual parameter for the parking space dependent upon
the
one of compliance status and occupancy status.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of
issuing a
parlcing citation against a vehicle that has been parked in a parking space
associated with a
parking meter, said method comprising the steps of:
communicating by said parking meter operational status for the parking meter
and
parking status data for the vehicle during a relevant time period to a central
system;
downloading (i) said operational status and said parking status data and (ii)
contextual data for the parking meter to a portable enforcement terminal from
the central
system;
detennining parking citation data for the vehicle depending upon the
downloaded
information; and
issuing, depending upon the determined citation data, the citation including
the
parking citation data and the operational status.
CA 02595309 2007-07-19
WO 2006/076773 PCT/AU2006/000071
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a system for
issuing a
paxking citation against a vehicle that has been parked in a parking space
associated with a
parlcing meter, said system comprising:
said parking meter;
a central system adapted to communicate with the parking meter and a portable
enforcement terminal;
said portable enforcement tenninal;
means for communicating operational status for the parking meter and parking
status
data for the vehicle during a relevant time period from the parking meter to
the central system;
means for downloading (i) said operational status and said parking status data
and (ii)
contextual data for the parlcing meter from the central system to the portable
enforcement
terminal;
means for detennining, by the portable enforcement terminal, parking citation
data
for the vehicle depending upon the downloaded inforlnation; and
means for issuing, by the portable enforcement terminal, depending upon the
determined citation data, the citation including the parking citation data and
the operational
status.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a computer
prograin
coinprising at least one program element, said at least one computer program
element
comprising computer program code means to make at least one computer execute a
procedure
for issuing a parlcing meter citation against a vehicle that has been parked
in a parking space
associated with a parking meter, said at least one computer program element
comprising:
code for communicating by said parking meter operational status for the
parlcing
meter and parking status data for the vehicle during a relevant time period to
a central system;
CA 02595309 2007-07-19
WO 2006/076773 _ 10 _ PCT/AU2006/000071
code for downloading (i) said operational status and said parking status data
and (ii)
corntextual data for the parking meter to a portable enforcement terminal from
the central
system;
code for determining parking citation data for the vehicle depending upon the
downloaded information; and
issuing, depending upon the deterniined citation data, the citation including
the
parking citation data and the operational status.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a computer
program
product including a computer readable medium having recorded thereon a
computer program
for directing a processor to execute a method for deploying enforceinent
officers across an
enforcement region, the program comprising:
code for interrogating vehicle sensors across the enforcemeilt region;
code for determining depending upon the interrogating step the compliance
status of
parking spaces in the enforcement region; and
code for deploying enforcement officers across the enforceinent region
dependent
upon the determined compliance status.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a computer
program
product including a computer readable medium having recorded thereon a
computer program
for enforcing compliance with parking regulations across an enforcement
region, the program
comprising:
code for interrogating vehicle sensors across the enforcement region;
code for determining depending upon the interrogating step the compliance
status of
parking spaces in the enforcement region; and
code for issuing citations in regard to vehicles that are not complying with
the
parking regulations.
CA 02595309 2007-07-19
WO 2006/076773 _ i 1_ PCT/AU2006/000071
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a computer
program
product including a computer readable medium having recorded thereon a
computer program
for directing a processor to execute a method for preventing a motorist from
extending their
stay in a parking space beyond a specified time period, the program
comprising:
code for detecting occupancy of the parking space by a vehicle;
code for detecting payrnent of a fee associated with the specified time
period; and
if attempted payment of a further fee associated with a further time period is
detected
before the space is vacated by the vehicle; one of at least:
code for refusing the attempted further payinent;
code for modifying the parlcing tariff for the further time period; and
code for dispatching an enforcement officer to the parking space to issue a
citation.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a computer
program
product including a computer readable medium having recorded thereon a
computer program
for directing a processor to execute a method for implementing traffic policy
for parking
spaces in a region, the program comprising:
code for determining the compliance status of the parking spaces; and
code for setting parking tariffs for the parking spaces dependent upon the
deterinined
compliance status.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a computer
program
product including a computer readable meditun having recorded thereon a
computer program
for directing a processor to execute a method for inlplementing traffic policy
for parking
meters in a region, the program comprising:
code for determining the occupancy status of parking spaces in the region; and
code for setting parking tariffs for the parking spaces dependent upon the
determined
occupancy status.
CA 02595309 2007-07-19
WO 2006/076773 - 12 - PCT/AU2006/000071
According to another aspect of the inveiition, there is provided a computer
program
product including a computer readable medium having recorded thereon a
computer program
for directing a processor to execute a method for iinplementing traffic policy
for a parking
space in a region, the program comprising:
code for determining at least one of compliance status and occupancy status of
the
parking space; and
code for setting a contextual parameter for the parlcing space dependent upon
the one
of compliance status and occupancy status.
Other aspects of the invention are also disclosed.
Brief Description of the Drawings
One or more embodiments of the present invention will now be described with
reference to the drawings, in which:
Fig. 1 is a system block diagrain representation of one arrangement of a
parking
meter enforcement system;
Fig. 2 is a flow chart of steps taken by an enforcement officer in the context
of the
system of Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 depicts functional sub-systeins within a parking meter and a portable
terminal
shown in Fig. 1;
Fig. 4 depicts functional sub-system blocks within the central system shown in
Fig.
1;
Fig. 5 shows an exemplary health or operational status report, and citations
which
typically issue in the system of Fig. 1;
Fig. 6 is a flow chart of method steps wherein the parking meter health or
operational
status report of Fig. 5 is used to substantiate a parking citation;
CA 02595309 2007-07-19
WO 2006/076773 - 13 - PCT/AU2006/000071
Fig. 7 is a schematic block diagram of a general purpose computer upon which
arrangements described can be practiced;
Fig. 8 shows the system depicted in Fig. 1 emphasising the communication
infrastructure;
Fig. 9 shows a flowchart of a process by which the system detects and logs
compliance of parking spaces;
Fig. 10 shows a flow chart for a process by which the central system uses
compliance
maps in order to deploy and control Parking Enforcement Officers;
Fig. 11 shows the officer guidance sub-process of Fig. 10 in more detail;
Fig. 12 shows a city-wide compliance map representation showing, for example,
the
five city blocks having the highest non-compliance status in the enforcement
region; and
Fig. 13 shows a parlcing-space-specific compliance map representation of one
of the
city blocks in Fig. 1.
Detailed Description including Best Mode
Where reference is made in any one or more of the accompanying drawings to
steps
and/or features, which have the same reference nuinerals, those steps and/or
features have for
the purposes of this description the same function(s) or operation(s), unless
the contrary
intention appears.
It is to be noted that the discussions contained in the "Background" section
above
relating to prior art arrangements relate to discussions of devices which form
public
knowledge through their use. Such discussions should not be interpreted as a
representation
by the present inventor(s) or patent applicant that such documents or devices
in any way form
part of the common general knowledge in the art.
Some portions of the description which follows are explicitly or implicitly
presented
in terms of algorithms and symbolic representations of operations on data
within a computer
CA 02595309 2007-07-19
WO 2006/076773 - 14 - PCT/AU2006/000071
memory. These algorithmic descriptions and representations are the means used
by those
slcilled in the data processing arts to most effectively convey the substance
of their work to
others skilled in the art. An algorithm is here, and generally, conceived to
be a self-consistent
sequence of steps leading to a desired result. The steps are those requiring
physical
manipulations of physical quantities. Usually, though not necessarily, these
qua.n.tities take the
fonn of electrical or magnetic signals capable of being stored, transferred,
combined,
compared, and otlierwise manipulated. It has proven convenient at times,
principally for
reasons of common usage, to refer to these signals as bits, values, elements,
symbols,
characters, terms, numbers, or the like.
It should be borne in mind, however, that the above and similar terms are to
be
associated with the appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient
labels applied to
these quantities. Unless specifically stated otherwise, and as apparent from
the following, it
will be appreciated that throughout the present specification, discussions
utilizing terms such
as "detecting", "preventing", "determining", "increasing", "dispatching"
"setting",
"communicating", or the like, refer to the action and processes of a computer
system, or
similar electronic device, that mani.pulates and transforms data represented
as physical
(electronic) quantities within the registers and memories of the computer
system into other
data siinilarly represented as physical quantities within the computer system
memories or
registers or other such information storage, transmission or display devices.
The present specification also discloses apparatus for performing the
operations of
the real-time compliance mapping and enforcement methods. Such apparatus may
be
specially constructed for the required puiposes, or may comprise a general
purpose computer
or other device selectively activated or reconfigured by a computer program
stored in the
computer. The algorithnls and displays presented herein are not necessarily
inherently related
to any particular computer or other apparatus. Various general purpose
machines may be used
CA 02595309 2007-07-19
WO 2006/076773 - 15 - PCT/AU2006/000071
with programs in accordance with the teachings herein. Alternatively, the
construction of
more specialized apparatus to perform the required real-time compliance
mapping and
enforcement method steps may be appropriate. The structure of a conventional
general
purpose computer will appear from the description below.
In addition, the present specification also discloses a computer readable
medium
comprising a computer program for perfomling the operations of the real-time
compliance
mapping and enforcement methods. The computer readable medium is taken herein
to include
any transmission medium for communicating the computer program between a
source and a
designation. The transinission medium may include storage devices such as
magnetic or
optical disks, memory chips, flash meinory or other storage devices suitable
for interfacing
with a general or special purpose coinputer. The transmission medium may also
include, but
are not limited to, infra red or a hard-wired medium such as exemplified in
the Internet
system, or wireless medium such as exemplified in the GSM mobile telephone
system or the
GPRS radio system. The computer program is not intended to be liinited to any
particular
programming language and iinplementation thereof. It will be appreciated that
a variety of
programming languages and coding thereof may be used to implement the
teachings of the
disclosure contained herein.
Fig. 1 depicts a system block diagram representation of one arrangement of a
parking
meter enforcement system. A nuinber of parking meters 104, ..., 110 constitute
a parking
meter group, as denoted by a dashed line 124. Each of the aforementioned
parking meters, for
example I 10, may control a single space, or in the context of MultiBay
meters, controls a set
of N parking bays denoted by reference numerals 112, ..., 114, the set being
depicted by a
dashed bi-lateral arrow 138. For ease of reference, the present description
covers MultiBay
equipment, but could equally provide the required data for other meter types.
A central
system 102 performs administrative and other functions for the parking meter
group 124,
CA 02595309 2007-07-19
WO 2006/076773 - 16 - PCT/AU2006/000071
including storage of contextual data for each parlcing meter 104, ..., 110.
This contextual data
relates to fixed information associated with each parlcing meter, such as a
street address at
which the parking meter is located, details of the nearest cross street
intersection, applicable
legislative conditions for the parking meter (such as the maximum parking
period which might
apply on a per-parking meter basis, ), and so on. The contextual information
can also extend
to time varying information associated with each parking space. Thus, for
example, a
particular parking space may be subject to different parking rates at
different times, or the
maximum parking duration for the parking space may vary with time.
Furthermore, parking
may only be permissible at certain times, these being dictated by requirements
for bus-stop
use at the location of the parking spot, or for clearway use when no parking
is permitted in
certain streets at certain times of the day. Furthermore, the parking space
may be reserved for
particular purposes at certain times, such as disabled parking or special
"bagged" ie reserved
parking. The association between the central system 102 and the parking meters
104, ..., 110
is depicted by arrows 120 and 122.
In operation, an enforcement officer 118 uses, as a tool of his or her trade,
a portable
enforcement terminal 116. The portable enforcement terminal 116 can be a hand
held device
as depicted in Fig. 5, or alternately, the portable enforcement terminal 116
can be a laptop
computer with appropriate communications capabilities. Typically, the
enforceinent officer
118 establishes a communication connection 132 between the enforcement
terminal 116 and
the central system 102, between shifts of duty.
In an alternate arrangement, communication can be established between the
terminal
116 and the central system 102 over a networlc 801 (see Fig. 8) at various
times throughout
the enforcement officer's shift of duty, and information can be communicated
from the
terminal 116 to the central system 102, and/or caii be communicated from the
central system
102 to the terminal 116. This communication can be established periodically,
under control of
CA 02595309 2007-07-19
WO 2006/076773 - 17- PCT/AU2006/000071
the computer system 724 in the terminal 116 (see Fig. 7). Alternately, the
communication can
be established each time the enforcement officer interrogates their terminal
116, and/or each
time the officer issues a citation.
This enables the central system to download the aforementioned contextual data
to
the enforcement terminal 116. As described below, in another arrangement this
also enables
the central system 102 to download parking status and operational data to the
enforcement
terminal 116, this information having previously been uploaded to the central
systein 102 by
the parking meters or via the enforcement terminal. Coinmunication between the
terminal 116
and the central system 102 is typically established by various means which may
include
docking the terminal 116 in a docking station (not shown) provided for the
purpose and
communicating with the central system 102, or alternately using a radio
connection, cellular
mobile connection, wireless connection, or any other cominunication technology
as may be
appropriate to establish communication between the terminal 116 and the
central system 102
(eg see Fig. 8). It is accordingly clear that the connection 132 can also be
established by
means of an optical connection or another equivalent connection or
communication means.
Once the aforementioned data has been downloaded from the central system 102
to
the enforcement tenninal 116, this taking place, for example, at the beginning
of the day or at
the beginning of a work shift, the enforcement officer 118 takes the terminal
116 to the area
of operation for the day. Upon arriving at the designated geographic area, the
enforcement
officer 118 approaches a particular parking meter 104 and establishes
communication 130
between the parking meter 104 and the terminal 116. The connection 130 between
the
terminal 116 and the parking meter 104 can be established by plugging the
terminal 116 into a
corresponding socket (not shown) in the parking meter 104, or alternately, by
establishing a
wireless or infra-red or other equivalent link between the terminal 116 and
the parking meter
104.
CA 02595309 2007-07-19
WO 2006/076773 - 18 - PCT/AU2006/000071
Alternately, the enforcement officer can acquire the meter data from the
central system
by selecting the meter from a pick-list provided by the central system and
displayed on the
enforcement terminal display. Alternately, the officer can scan a serial
number on the meter or
on a signpost at the start of the street using a scanner built into the
enforcement terminal, or
type in a meter-ID or a street name and provide this to the central system
which will download
the relevant meter infonnation. Alteniately, the officer can coinmunicate the
meter location
using a location based service (eg GPS and map) to the central system.
While the comlection 130 is established, the parking meter 104 downloads
parking
status data and health or operational status status data for either a single
meter being
interrogated, or for the meter group 124. The group 124 may be provided with
meter to meter
communications (eg see Fig. 8), such that each meter in the group 124 stores
all the contextual
and parking information for the group. The group 124 may, alternately or in
addition, be
provided with individual or group communications to the central system 102
parking
computer. The various types of information downloaded will be described in
more detail with
respect to Fig. 3.
In another arrangement, the parking meter 104 uploads parking status data and
operational status data for either the single parking meter 104 or for the
meter group 124 to the
central system 102. This upload is usually performed over a network (see 720,
801 in Figs. 7,
8). The uploads can be performed on a regular basis, or on an event driven
basis dependent
upon events occurring in the central system 102 and/or in the parking meter
104 or in other
parlcing ineters in the meter group 124. Since the parking status and
operational data is
uploaded to the central system 102 in this alternate arrangement, the
enforcement terminal 116
is able to download appropriate parking status data and operational data from
the central
system without establishing the communication connection 130 between the
enforcement
terminal 116 and the parking meter 104.
CA 02595309 2007-07-19
WO 2006/076773 - 19 - PCT/AU2006/000071
Once the required information has been downloaded from the parking meter 104
to
the terminal 116, (or alternately from the central system 102 to the terminal
116), the
enforcement officer 118 proceeds to physically inspect the various parking
bays 106, ..., 108
and 112, ..., 114 of the meter group 124. Iil a particular instance, the
enforcement officer 118
inspects a particular vehicle, denoted by an "X" having a reference numeral
136, which is
parlced in the parking spot 108, the action of inspection being depicted by a
dashed arrow 134.
The officer 118 is able to establish whether the vehicle 136 is parked legally
or not by reading
the requisite information, as depicted by a dashed arrow 140, from the
terminal 116. In simple
terms, the officer 118 is able to interrogate the terminal 116 in order to
establish whether the
vehicle 136 is parked during a legally purchased time period, or in contrast,
whether the
vehicle has overstayed the paid period, or moved into a penalty period, or the
driver has failed
to pay for parking. Other compliance violations relating to time varying
contextual data,
including parking regulations, (such as parking not being permitted to allow
for a clearway)
can also be identified in the same manner.
If the officer 118 determines that the vehicle 136 is, indeed, illegally
parked, then the
officer is able to issue, as indicated by an arrow 142, an on-the-spot
citation 144 which
contains details of the parking violation. The details contained in the
citation 144 will be
described in more detail with reference to Fig. 5. In order to produce the
citation 144, the
officer 118 malces use of the contextual information for the particular
parking meter 104
which was downloaded into the tenuinal 116 prior to the beginning of the work
shift from the
central system 102. The officer 118 also makes use of the parking meter status
for the space
108 which was downloaded from the parking meter 104 when the communication 130
was
established between the terminal 116 and the parking meter 104. The parking
status data
indicates when the paid period expired, and also indicates a current time,
thereby establishing
an aiuount of time during which the vehicle 136 has overstayed the paid-for
period.
CA 02595309 2007-07-19
WO 2006/076773 _ 20 _ PCT/AU2006/000071
Alternately, by indicating the amount of time negatively, the parking status
data can show
how long it has been since any payment was received relevant to the parking
space in which
vehicle 136 is currently parlced.
In addition to the above contextual and meter status information, the officer
118
manually enters, as depicted by a dashed arrow 140, information relating to
the vehicle 136 as
well as required manual entry information such as the officers' badge number
or other data
that acts as an electronic signature that all information is true and correct.
Information about
the vehicle would typically include the registration number of the vehicle,
and could also
include information such as the vehicle make, colour and year of manufacture.
The local
statutes determine the actual information required relative to the parked
vehicle. Once all the
aforementioned information has been input by the officer 118 into the terminal
116, the
citation 144 can be produced, and it is typically then placed on the vehicle
under the
windscreen wiper for the motorist to find upon their return to the vehicle
136. Actual
placement of the citation may vary fiom jurisdiction to jurisdiction.
Other mechanisms for data entry can also be incorporated into the disclosed
system.
Thus for example the enforcement office can enter a scanned image of the
vehicle into a
suitably modified enforcement terminal, and can identify him or herself to the
system via a
fingerprint scanner integrated into a suitably modified enforcement terminal.
In an alternate arrangement, enforcement is performed by the central system,
and
does not require an enforceinent officer using a portable enforcement
terminal. Since the
compliance of a vehicle and the location of the parking space occupied by the
vehicle is
lcnown to the central system, if the vehicle ownership can be determined, then
the central
system can simply dispatch the citation to the vehicle owner by post. This
avoids the need for
enforcement officers to a significant degree. One method for determining
ownership of a
vehicle is to integrate a ca.inera into the parking meter associated with the
space, and
CA 02595309 2007-07-19
WO 2006/076773 -21 PCT/AU2006/000071
-
photograph the vehicle registration information. The camera can also be
mounted in other
convenient places having a view of the relevant parking space. This photograph
can then be
processed to extract the vehicle registration, which can then be used to look
up the Road and
Traffic Authority/Department of Motor Vehicle (RTA/DMV) database to identify
the owner's
name and address. Alternately, vehicles having in-built location based service
(such as Global
Positioning System or GPS) and/or in-built Internet capability can be used to
identify the
vehicle details remotely.
Fig. 2 shows a flow chart of steps taken by the enforcement officer 118 in the
context
of the system of Fig. 1. In a first step 202, the system downloads contextual
data for relevant
meter groups from the central systein 102 to the portable terminal 116.
Thereafter, in a step
204, the officer 118 makes his, or her way to the location in which the meter
group is situated.
Thereafter, in a step 206, the officer 118 establishes a communication between
the terminal
116 and one of the parking meters in the meter group 124. The communication
may be
between one meter in the group and the officer's terminal 116, or if the group
of meters
establish group coinmunication, the download may constitute data for the
entire meter group,
this being received from the meter with which the connection 130 has been
established.
Alternately, communications between the officer's terminal 116 and each meter,
or
between the officer's terminal 116 and one meter that is acting on behalf of
the meter group,
can be performed over the network 801 in Fig. 8. It is noted that the
coinmunication 130 can
generally be established with any meter individually, or when there is
communication between
meters in the ineter group, a single communication may provide a download of
information
for the entire group. Dependent upon the communication medium, the officer 118
may not
need to interrogate a meter for the aforementioned information, but may
instead receive it via
a radio or other broadcast method directly to the terminal 116. Furthermore,
it is possible to
download data for more than one meter group while the communication 130 is
established.
CA 02595309 2007-07-19
WO 2006/076773 - 22- PCT/AU2006/000071
Alternately, in the step 206, the officer 118 establishes communication
between the
terminal 116 and the central system 102 to download parking status and
operational data for
the entire group of parlcing meters..
Returning to Fig. 2, in a following step 208, the officer 118 inspects all
vehicles
parlced in bays of the meter group under consideration. In the course of that
inspection, the
officer 118 identifies vehicles which are parked without authorisation, or
payment, or
sufficient payment for the time the vehicle has been parked, as depicted in a
step 210.
Thereafter, in a step 212, the officer 118 issues citations for vehicles which
are illegally
parked.
If the officer 118 has not yet completed their work day, the officer proceeds
to the
next meter group as depicted by an arrow 214. Alternatively, if the officer
118 has completed
his or her workday shift, the officer can return to the location where the
central system 102 is
located, establish the communication 132 as shown in Fig. 1, and upload
citation and otller
data including operational status data of each meter to the central system 102
as shown in a
step 216. Alternately, the officer can upload the citation and other data from
a remote site
(such as their home) by establishing a suitable connection between the
enforcement terminal
and their own PC, establishing a suitable connection to the central system
102, and uploading
the aforeinentioned date. Furthennore, if the enforcement terminal has the
appropriate
communications capabilities, the officer can upload the citation and other
data directly from
the terminal to the central system 102.
Fig. 3 shows functional sub-systems within the parking meter 104, and within
the
portable terminal 116 shown in Fig. 1. The parking meter 104 is seen to
contain a number of
functional sub-systems, a first sub-system 302 being concerned with issues of
payment and
authorisation status for the parking bays 106 to 108 in the set of parking
bays associated with
the parking meter 104. Accordingly, this sub-system 302 monitors and
correlates payment
CA 02595309 2007-07-19
WO 2006/076773 - 23 - PCT/AU2006/000071
provided by motorists in respect of the parking bays 106 to 108, and provides
this information
to the officer 118 when a download coiunection 130 is established.
This sub-system 302 also provides payment and other information to the
motorist
using the meter, by displaying the information, in one arrangement, on a
display unit (not
shown) on the parking meter in question. This display unit on the parking
meter can also serve
to provide useful information to the motorist, both in regard to the specific
payment and
parking duration details relating to the motorists current desire to park, and
also to indicate
special contextual conditions prevailing for the meter in question.
Thus, for example, the particular parking space niay be subject to different
parking
rates at different times, or the maximum parlcing duration for the parking
spot may vary with
time. Furthermore, parking may only be pennissible at certain times, these
being dictated by
requirements for bus-stop use at the location of the parking spot, or for
clearway use when no
parking is permitted in certain streets at certain times of the day.
Furtherinore, the parking
space may be reserved for particular purposes at certain times, such as
disabled parking or
special "bagged" ie reserved parking.
Furthermore, the above-noted variables may be adjusted in real tiine by the
central
system 102 in order to maintain required parking policy goals, traffic flow
requirements,
parking occupancy, payment compliance levels and so on.
A sub-system 306 is concerned with a different aspect of the parking meter
104. This
sub-system 306 monitors the health or operational status of the meter 104 and
stores health or
operational status information for the meter in an internal memory (not
shown). The term
"health or operational status" when applied to the parking meter 104 extends
to operational
status of the meter 104 as well as other events such as opening of access
panels and so on.
In a first arrangement, the sub-system 306 is concerned with establishing a
time-
stamped record of the health or operational status of the meter 104, so that
the operational
CA 02595309 2007-07-19
WO 2006/076773 - 24 - PCT/AU2006/000071
health or operational status of the meter 104 at a particular time can be
easily established.
This first arrangement is used for establishing a meter performance and health
or operational
status history, which can be used for establishing service and maintenance
schedules for
preventive and remedial maintenance of the parking meter system. In a second
arrangement,
the sub-system 306 is concerned with providing a health or operational status
record for the
parking meter 104, for the specific purpose of providing a simple and rapid
source of
information by which a citation can be substantiated in regard to the health
or operational
status of the meter 104 when the citation was issued and for a relevant prior
period. A
rationale for the second arrangement is provided in more detail in relation to
Fig. 6. The
aforementioned sub-systems 302 and 306 may be connected to a communication sub-
system
310 as depicted by connections 320 and 318 respectively.
The aforementioned sub-systems 302 and 306 relate to the parking meter 104
itself.
In contrast, a sub-system 304 deals with payment and autliorisation status for
other parking
bays in the meter group 124. This arrangement requires that the parking meter
104 downloads
information from other meters in the meter group 124. This information cail be
obtained, for
example, by means of a communication network connecting the various meters in
the meter
group 124. This allows the officer to get a breakdowil of the number of
vehicles in an area for
which parking time has expired. This allows for more efficient enforcement of
the parking
regulations. The officer is able to access information from a single meter in
the group, and
thereby obtain all the information for all the velucles parked at all the
meters in a street or in
an area controlled by meters that are communicating relevant information to
each other.
Alternately, the officer is able to access the desired information directly
from the central
system. Thereafter, the officer can go directly to the expired vehicles and
exercise the duty
placed upon him.
CA 02595309 2007-07-19
WO 2006/076773 - 25 - PCT/AU2006/000071
Accordingly, the sub-system 304 deals with the same type of information as the
sub-
system 302, however the sub-system 304 is concerned with other parking meters
in the meter
group 124. A sub-system 308 is concerned with health or operational status of
other meters in
the meter group 124, in contrast to the sub-system 306 which is concerned with
health or
operational status of the present parlcing meter 104. The sub-systems 304 and
308 are
connected to the communication sub-systein 310 by means of connections 324 and
322
respectively.
The portable enforcement terminal 116 contains a number of sub-systems 312,
314
and 316 which depict a coinmunication sub-system, a processing and data
storage sub-system,
and a user interface respectively. When the enforceinent officer 118
establishes the
communication 130 between the terminal 116 and the parking meter 104, as
depicted by the
arrow 130, the parking meter 104 is able to transfer inforination from the
various sub-systems
302 to 308, by means of the connection 130 to the terminal 116.
Fig. 4 shows sub-system blocks within the central system 102 shown in Fig. 1.
The
central system 102 is seen to have at least three sub-systems 402 to 406. The
sub-system 402
is a service and maintenance system which typically comprises a computer and
associated
storage devices and other peripherals. This service and maintenance system 402
is concerned
with maintaining and organising data for the various parking meter groups (for
example the
group 124) within the scope of control exercised by the central system 102.
Information
contained in the system 402 would include, but not be limited to, performance
data for the
parking meters including Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF) for each meter, up-
time of
each meter, types of faults recorded for each meter, times and duration of
full operational
health or operational status, and so on. Additional information might include
times of service
technician visits, expenses incurred for repairs, parts used and so on. The
service and
maintenance system 402 contaiuls a large amount of data for the purposes of
statistical analysis
CA 02595309 2007-07-19
WO 2006/076773 - 26 - PCT/AU2006/000071
of system performance in order to establish, for example, system wide
maintenance schedules.
Accordingly, the database associated with the service and maintenance system
402 stores a
great deal of data which is not required in order to substantiate a citation.
The sub-system 404 is concerned with accounting and citation information.
Accordingly, this system 404 contains, in the form of an electronic citation
file on a per
citation basis, contextual and status information relating to each issued
citation, for example
the citation 144 in Fig. 1, including health or operational status data as
will be explained in
more detail with reference to Fig. 5. Furthermore, each citation file contains
the information
manually entered by the officer 118 for the citation 144 such as the make and
registration
number of a vehicle 136 which was illegally parked in a space 108, details
about the
infringement and substantiation thereof as required by relevant statutes, plus
any comments
the officer thought pertinent at the time. The arrangement and organisation of
data in the
accounting and citation system 404 malces it pai-ticularly simple to access
health or operational
status information to support, and substantiate, any particular citation which
is contested. This
ease of data arrangement and access provides a particular advantage when
dealing with a
motorist contesting a citation. This will be explained in more detail with
reference to Fig. 6.
The service and maintenance system 402 and the accounting and citation system
404
are connected by respective connections 408 and 410 to a communication sub-
system 406
which is capable, by means of a connection 132, of exchanging information with
the terminal
116 (see Fig. 1).
Fig. 5 shows an exemplary health or operational status report 502, and a
citation 144
as would typically be issued in the systein of Fig. 1. When the enforceinent
officer 118 (see
Fig. 1) establishes the communication depicted by the arrow 130 between the
parking meter
104 and the portable terminal 116, part of the meter group status information
which is
downloaded from the parking meter 104 to the terminal 116 is the health or
operational status
CA 02595309 2007-07-19
WO 2006/076773 -27 PCT/AU2006/000071
-
report 502 for the parking meter 104. This report 502 is provided by the meter
health or
operational status sub-system 306 as described in relation to Fig. 3.
As noted, the health or operational status sub-system 306 in the meter 104 is
capable
of operating in two alternative ways. In the first arrangement the health or
operational status
sub-system can download a historic health or operational status record for the
meter covering
a historic period of some predetermined length. This type of record can take
the form of a
nuniber of historic records, information on when the last fault was recorded,
information on
when the last service was recorded and so on. This type of record is useful
for incorporation
into the maintenance and service central sub-system 402. In the second
arrangement, the
health or operational status sub-system 306 can download a health or
operational status
snapshot at the time that the enforcement officer conducts the download 130
from the parking
meter 104. In this case, it is the health or operational status of the meter
for a period prior to
the citation being issued which is of interest, rather than long term historic
health or
operational status data. In the second arrangement, the meter can download a
health or
operational status report for the meter which extends backwards in time, for
example, from the
time at which the download during the connection 130 occurs, back to the last
time when
money was inserted into the parking meter in question. It is noted that the
health or
operational status report in this case takes account of the fact that the
meter may have become
faulty during the period in question. Under these circumstances, the meter
fault diagnostic
system would determine that a fault has taken place and log it accordingly,
after which a
repair/service call would have been made. This inforination can also be
provided in the
operational status report that is filed at the end of each shift, when the
officer's citation
computer downloads the shift data to the computer 102 via the connection 132.
Typically, this
report is forwarded to a maintenance section for attention.
CA 02595309 2007-07-19
WO 2006/076773 - 28 - PCT/AU2006/000071
The printed citation 144 produced by the terminal 116 has, typically,
infonnation as
shown in the representation 144 in Fig. 5. When the citation 144 is issued by
the officer 118
using the terminal 116, an electronic copy 506 of the citation is also
produced by the terminal
116, as depicted by an arrow 504, and is stored in the terminal 116 when the
citation 144 is
issued. At a later stage, when the officer 118 establishes the communication
132 between the
terminal 116 and the central system 102 (see Fig. 1), then the electronic copy
506 of the
citation is communicated, as depicted by an arrow 508, to the central system
102. In
particular, the electronic copy of the citation 506 is stored in the
accounting and citation sub-
system 404 (see Fig. 4). Accordingly, as can be seen from both the printed
citation 144 and
the electronic copy thereof 506, citation details 510 and 512 are incorporated
together in a
cominon data structure with their associated health or operational status
reports 514 and 516
respectively, noting that the health or operational status reports are
provided substantially at
the time that the citation is issued, and not extracted from stored historic
healtli or operational
status data at a later time.
Fig. 6 shows a flow chart of method steps wllerein the parking meter health or
operational status report 502 of Fig. 5 is used to substantiate a contested
parking citation. In a
first step 602 the enforcement officer 118 issues a parlcing citation in paper
form (see 144 in
Fig. 5) to the motorist. In a next step 604, the "contested status" of the
citation is tested, and
in the event that the citation is not contested, then the process 600 is
directed in accordance
with a "no" arrow to the step 606 in which the motorist pays the fine
associated with the
citation, and the process 600 terminates. If, however, at the step 604, the
motorist does
contest the citation, then the process 600 is directed in accordance with a
"yes" arrow to a step
608. The step 608 pictorially represents a process in which the motorist
contesting the citation
puts his or her case, typically to a magistrate in a local court. In
traditional systems, if the
motorist maintains that the parking meter 104 was inoperative at the time when
he or she
CA 02595309 2007-07-19
WO 2006/076773 - 29 - PCT/AU2006/000071
arrived at the parking meter and attempted to pay the necessary parking
charge, it would be
necessary for the magistrate to call a number of witnesses to establish the
facts. These
witnesses would include the enforcement officer 118, and it would be necessary
for the court
to decide whether the motorist was telling the truth or not.
In accordance with one arrangement described in the present specification, the
motorist has been issued with a printed citation 144 having printed thereon a
copy of the meter
health or operational status report 514 (see Fig. 5). In this event, it is
difficult for the motorist
to allege that the parlcing meter 104 was inoperative at the time when the
citation was issued.
In another arrangement, the health or operational status report 514 is not
directly
printed on the citation 144. In this case, the judge in the local court is
able to directly access
the electronic citation file 506 by means of a terminal in the court.
Alternately, the judge can
obtain a relevant printout from the accounting and citation systein 404 (see
Fig. 4). The
aforementioned printout constitutes physical evidence for use by the court,
and can be used to
create a profile for the meter in question. Therefore, various options are
available for
accessing the associated health or operational status report 516 which has
been stored together
with the electronic copy of the citation 506 in the accounting and citation
sub-system 404 of
the central system 102.
The technique of storing the health or operational status report 516 for a
citation 506
directly with the electronic file 506 associated with the citation 144 allows
for a significant
reduction in operational complexity, and in the processing time needed to
retrieve health or
operational status details for the parking nieter 104 relating to the
particular citation 144 in
question. The historic health or operational status and operational status for
puking meters
which is stored in the service and maintenance sub-system 402 need not be
accessed for this
purpose, and instead the specific health or operational status report 516 for
each citation 506 is
stored directly with the electronic file for the citation 506 in the
accounting and citation sub-
CA 02595309 2007-07-19
WO 2006/076773 - 30 - PCT/AU2006/000071
system 404. This makes for particularly easy and rapid retrieval of
information in the event
that a court officer is required to do so by means of a terminal.
Fig. 7 shows how the real-time compliance mapping and enforcement method can
be
practiced using a computer system 700, to implement the Accounting and
Citation System
404, which operates in conjunction with processing modules in the parking
meter 104, and
with a special purpose computer systein 724 in the terminal 116, wherein at
least some of the
processes of Figs. 2, 6 and 9-11 may be implemented as software, such as an
application
program executing within the computer system 700. The application program can
comprise
one or more program elements suitably distributed between the accounting and
citation system
404, the special purpose computer system 724 and the computer system (not
shown) in the
parking meters such as 104. The special purpose computer system 724 in the
terminal 116
includes the cominunication, processing and data storage, and user interface
sub-systems 312-
316 respectively as described in relation to Fig. 3. The Service and
Maintenance sub-system
402 is also shown in Fig. 7 for completeness. In particular, the real-time
compliance mapping
and enforcement method are effected by instructions in the software that are
carried out by the
computers 404, 724 and the computing modules in the parking meters such as
104. The
instructions may be formed as one or more code modules, each for perfonning
one or more
particular tasks. The software may also be divided into two separate parts, in
which a first
part performs the real-time compliance mapping and enforcement methods, and a
second part
manages a user interface between the first part and the user. The software may
be stored in a
computer readable medium, including the storage devices described below, for
example. The
software is loaded into the computers from the computer readable medium, and
then executed
by the coinputers. A computer readable medium having such software or computer
program
recorded on it is a computer program product. The use of the computer program
product in
CA 02595309 2007-07-19
WO 2006/076773 - 31 - PCT/AU2006/000071
the computers preferably effects an advantageous apparatus for real-time
compliance mapping
and enforcement.
The computer system 404 comprises a computer module 701, input devices such as
a
keyboard 702 and mouse 703, output devices including a printer 715 and a
display device 714.
A Modulator-Demodulator (Modem) transceiver device 716 is used by the computer
module 701 for communicating to and from a communications network 720, for
example
connectable via a telephone line 721 or other functional medium. The modem 716
can be
used to obtain access to the enforcement terminal 116, the Internet, and other
network
systems, such as a Local Area Network (LAN) or a Wide Area Network (WAN).
Although the
description refers to the modem 716 as one example of a communications module,
this is
intended to encompass other types of communication modules (such as optical
etc.) as well,
which are used to establish communication over a communications network.
The enforcement terminal 116 communicates, using a connection 722 to the
network
720, and thereafter, wit11 the computer systems 402 and 404. The parking meter
104
communicates, using a connection 803 to the network 720, and thereafter, with
the computer
systems 402 and 404.
The computer module 701 typically includes at least one processor unit 705, a
memory unit 706, for example formed from semiconductor random access memory
(RAM)
and read only memory (ROM), input/output (1/0) interfaces including a video
interface 707,
2o and an I/O interface 713 for the keyboard 702 and mouse 703 and optionally
a joystick (not
illustrated), and an interface 708 for the modem 716. A storage device 709 is
provided and
typically includes a hard disk drive 710 and a floppy disk drive 711. A
magnetic tape drive
(not illustrated) may also be used. A CD-ROM drive 712 is typically provided
as a non-
volatile source of data. The components 705 to 713 of the computer module 701,
typically
communicate via an interconnected bus 704 and in a manner which results in a
conventional
CA 02595309 2007-07-19
WO 2006/076773 - 32 - PCT/AU2006/000071
mode of operation of the computer system 700 known to those in the relevant
art. Examples
of computers on which the described arrangements can be practised include IBM-
PC's and
compatibles, Apple systems, Sun Sparcstations or alike computer systems
evolved therefrom.
Typically, the application program for the citation system 404 is resident on
the hard
disk drive 710 and read and controlled in its execution by the processor 705.
Intermediate
storage of the program and any data fetched from the network 720 may be
accomplished using
the semiconductor memory 706, possibly in concert with the hard disk drive
710. In some
instances, the application program may be supplied to the user encoded on a CD-
ROM or
floppy disk and read via the corresponding drive 712 or 711, or alternatively
may be read by
the user from the network 720 via the modem device 716. Still further, the
software can also
be loaded into the computer system 700 from other computer readable media. The
term
"computer readable medium" as used herein refers to any storage or
transmission medium that
participates in providing instructions and/or data to the computer system 700
for execution
and/or processing. Examples of storage media include floppy disks, magnetic
tape, CD-ROM,
a hard disk drive, a ROM or integrated circuit, a magneto-optical disk, or a
computer readable
card such as a PCMCIA card and the like, whether or not such devices are
internal or external
of the computer module 701. Examples of transmission media include radio or
infra-red
transmission channels as well as a network connection to another computer or
networked
device, and the Internet or Intranets including email transmissions and
information recorded
on websites and the like.
The real-time compliance mapping and enforcement method may alternatively be
implemented in dedicated hardware such as one or more integrated circuits
performing the
functions or sub functions of real-time coinpliance mapping and enforcement.
Such dedicated
hardware may include graphic processors, digital signal processors, or one or
more
microprocessors and associated memories.
CA 02595309 2007-07-19
WO 2006/076773 _ 33 - PCT/AU2006/000071
Fig. 8 shows a block diagram of the system depicted in Fig. 1, however in Fig.
8 a
communication infrastructure has been shown explicitly. Thus, a network 801 is
shown, to
which the central system 102 is connected by a connection 802. The parking
meter 104 can
be connected to the other parking meters such as 110 by a connection 810, and
the parking
meter 104 can also be connected by a connection 803 to the network 801. Other
parking
meters such as the parking meter 110 can also be connected, as depicted by a
connection 811,
to the network 801. The enforcement terminal 116 can establish connection, as
depicted by
the connection 722, to the network 801. Therefore, the central system 810, the
parking meters
104 ... 110, and the portable enforcement terminal 116 can all communicate
over the network
801.
The system 800 in Fig. 8 also includes a vehicle sensor associated with each
parking
space. Thus, for example, the parking space 112 is associated, as depicted by
a dashed line
805, with a vehicle sensor 806 that cominunicates, as depicted by a coimection
809, with the
associated parking meter 110. Siinilarly, the parking space 114 is associated,
as depicted by a
dashed line 807, with a vehicle sensor 808 that can cominunicate, as depicted
by a connection
809, witli the parking meter 110. In one arrangement, the vehicle sensor 806
is implemented
using an inductive loop buried under the road surface in the parking space
114, this loop
cominunicating with the parking meter 110 associated with the parking space
114 by wired or
wireless communication technology. Other types of vehicle detecting sensors
can also be
used, these being situated on or under the surface of the road, or in
proximity to the parking
space. The parlcing meter 110 can then cominunicate the signals detected by
the vehicle sensor
806 to the central system 102. In another arrangement, the vehicle sensor 806
can
communicate directly with the central system 102.
In yet anotlier arrangement, the vehicle sensor 806 can be implemented by a
camera
(not shown) that can capture the occupancy status of the parking space 114.
The camera can in
CA 02595309 2007-07-19
WO 2006/076773 _ 34 - PCT/AU2006/000071
some cases capture the occupancy of a number of parking spaces, and the
occupancy of any
space can be determined by pattern recognition techniques applied to the
captured image data.
In yet another arrangement, the vehicle sensor 806 can be implemented by
enabling
position sensors (based on GPS for example) installed in vehicles to
communicate their
position directly to the central system 102. The central system 102 can then
correlate the
incoming position data for the vehicles with the known positions of the
parking spaces such as
114 and thus detennine the occupancy of the space 114.
By means of the aforementioned communication infrastructure the vehicle
sensors
806 and 808 can, upon detecting vehicles entering, remaining, and/or leaving
their associated
parking bays 112 and 114, communicate this information to the parking meter
110. The
parking meter 110 can, in turn, communicate this information to other elements
in the systein
800, such as the central system 102, or to the enforcement terminal 116.
The disclosed arrangement enables enforceinent system management to determine
exactly when a vehicle first arrives in a parking space and when that same
vehicle departs the
parking space. This insight into the movement of specific vehicles in and out
of spaces allows
the system 800 to "zero-out" remaining time on a specific meter. This prevents
a motorist
entering a parking space before the payment previously entered into the meter
has been fully
consumed, from deriving benefit from the remaining time on the meter.
Furthermore, with information pertaining to the arrival and departure time of
a
specific vehicle, the system 800 can eliminate "meter feeding", therefore
ensuring turnover of
vehicles occurs. The term "meter feeding" relates to the habit of motorists
who are parked, for
example, in a"1 hour parking only!" zone, from feeding additional money into
the meter
near the end of each hour, thus hogging the meter and preventing other
motorists from gaining
access thereto. This type of violation is particularly prevalent in shopping
malls, for example.
Meter feeding, this relating to the situation in which a vehicle remains in a
parking space
CA 02595309 2007-07-19
WO 2006/076773 _ 35 _ PCT/AU2006/000071
beyond the initial period, can be discouraged by, for example, setting
differential tariffs in
which parking costs $1/hour for the initial period, $2/hour for the subsequent
period and so
on.
The disclosed arrangeinents can also be used to provide guidance to the
motorist in
regard to payment of the parking fee and other useful information. Thus for
example, when a
vehicle enters a parking space, the associated vehicle sensor can detect the
presence of the
vehicle, and can trigger activation of a visual indicator (such as a flashing
arrow for instance),
on the road or near the parking space. This visual indicator can point the
motorist towards the
nearest parking meter.
Furthermore, when the motorist reaches the parking meter, the meter can
display useful
contextual information such as a reference number for the parking space in
which the motorist
has parlced. If the vehicle in question has positional capability, such as a
GPS locator, the
vehicle can communicate it's identity to the parking meter system, either
directly to the central
system or to the central system via the parking meter. In this arrangement,
when the motorist
arrives at the parking meter, the display can infonn the motorist of the
parking space
identification number in association with the vehicle registration number.
This feature is
useful in crowded environments where several motorists can approach the
parking meter at the
same time. Furthermore, the disclosed arrangement allows a parking regime in
which motorists only
pay for the time they are parked in a regulated parking space. Since the
vehicle sensors
provide an accurate picture of how long the vehicle is in the parking space,
the motorist can
leave the parking space, drive to a booth manned by a parking attendant, and
pay for the time
the vehicle was in the space as the attendant can access this information from
the central
system and exact payment only for the time used.
CA 02595309 2007-07-19
WO 2006/076773 PCT/AU2006/000071
-36-
In another arrangement, if the parking meter has facilities for accepting
payment by
credit card, the motorist can park, go to the parking meter, and swipe his or
her credit card
through a credit card reader to "start the clock". When the motorist returns
to the vehicle, he
need not go to the parking meter to signal his departure, since the vellicle
sensor in the space
in which his car is parked will detect his departure, notify the system, and
"stop the clock",
thus accumulating only the payment associated with the actual time the vehicle
occupied the
space.
In another arrangement, after the motorist parks in the spot, she can make an
e-
commerce telephone call to the central system 102, and start the clock in this
manner. In this
arrangeinent there is no need for a parking meter, since the vehicle sensor in
the space in
which her car is parked will detect her departure, notify the central systein,
and "stop the
clock", thus accumulating only the payment associated with the actual time the
vehicle
occupied the space.
The term "compliance" is used to define the extent to which a particular motor
vehicle
meets all the conditions associated witli a particular parking space at a
specific point in time.
Thus, for example, if meter-feeding has been used at a particular parking
space where this is
forbidden, then although the required payment has been made, the vehicle is
not compliant
because the meter-feeding prohibition has not been observed.
An additional benefit provided by the real-time compliance mapping and
enforcement
arrangement is in the value of the significant data intelligence automatically
captured
regarding the dynamic usage of individual parking space. The information
available, such as
overall and dynamic usage and compliance data, allows the city to improve the
management
of its parking asset and make policy decisions based on complete facts. This
improved
visibility and the ability to respond to the changing deinands and usage of
the city's parking
asset allows the city to derive additional revenue.
CA 02595309 2007-07-19
WO 2006/076773 - 37- PCT/AU2006/000071
An additional benefit of the compliance mapping and enforcement arrangement is
the
ability to gain insight into the utilization of parking spaces outside
regulated parking hours.
Data can be captured on the use of spaces even when the spaces are not being
being enforced.
This enables parlcing management to analyze data for parking spaces and
determine whether it
is appropriate to extend operating hours, increase or otherwise modify rates,
and so on.
The real-time compliance mapping and enforcement arrangement also enables the
real-time information regarding the compliance status of individual parking
spaces (e.g
whether they are occupied or vacant), to be provided to in-car communication
and navigation
systems, tliereby providing drivers with the ability to identify and locate
vacant parking spaces
in a given street, area or location.
When used in a multi-bay parking arrangement, the real-time compliance mapping
and enforcement arrangement enables the system to inform the motorist, who has
parked their
car and then walked over to the multi-bay meter to pay for the space, what the
identification
number of their parking space is.
The real-time compliance mapping and enforcement arrangement operates in a
number
of modes. One mode provides the ability to deploy parking enforcement officers
based upon a
compliance map of the parking region. In other words, based upon a knowledge
of which
spaces are "compliant" (meaning occupied in an authorised manner) and which
spaces are
"non-compliant" (meaning spaces that are occupied without the appropriate
amount of money
having been paid, for example) enables the system operators to despatch
parking enforcement
officers on a needs-basis. This type of deployment would be performed, for
example, on a
daily basis
Another mode of operation relates to when a parking enforcement officer
reaches his
or her designated region of operation. The officer can then be presented, in a
"pull" or a
"push" manner on his enforcement terminal, with information about compliant
and non-
CA 02595309 2007-07-19
WO 2006/076773 - 38 - PCT/AU2006/000071
compliant parking spaces in his area. Using this information in the simplest
"pull" case, the
enforcement officer can, based upon his own methodology, attend to the non-
compliant spaces
by serving the necessary citations. In this approach, the enforcement officer
is unaware of the
decisions or actions of otlier enforcement officers, and it can happen that
two officers decide
to deal wit11 the same non-compliant parking space. The information for pull-
type operation
can be presented in the fonn of a compliance map of a particular region which
shows the
enforcement officer the non-compliant spaces in his designated area.
In a "push" arrangement, best-route algorithms can be used by the central
system to
directly point the enforcement officer to non-compliance places one after the
other in an
optimal fasliion so that a maximum number of non-compliance places are
attended to in the
least time. This approach coordinates the work of each officer in the full
knowledge of the
other officers, and so the double-handling of parking spaces such as can occur
in the "pull"
case does not occur.
In yet another mode of operation, the aspect of "traffic management policy"
can be
implemented based upon the real-time "map" of compliant and non-compliant
parking spaces
and the statistical infornnation that is available in this regard. This mode
of operation relates
to the fact that based upon parlcing space occupancy, compliance and time of
day, parking
authorities typically have legislative freedom to adjust parking rates in
order, for example, to
achieve a figure of merit of 20% of parking places being vacant on average.
This is a typical
objective of parking meter authorities. Operation in this mode involves
setting parking tariffs
in an area depending upon the compliance trends in the area. Typically, the
higher the tariffs,
the less people will be inclined to park in the area.
Another mode of operation combines use of the real-time compliance mapping
information with the ability to vary the contextual conditions as displayed on
the parking
meter display. Thus, for example, if (a) the real-time compliance information
provided by the
CA 02595309 2007-07-19
WO 2006/076773 _ 39 _ PCT/AU2006/000071
disclosed system shows that the parking area in a particular area is heavily
occupied, and (b)
the central system is advised that a public event in that area is planned to
commence in two
hours, then the central system can raise the tariffs and reduce the
permissible maximum stay
parameters for that area in order to prevent undesirable lack of parking
spaces for the public
event.
Fig. 9 shows a flowchart 900 of a process by which the system 800 in Fig. 8
detects
and notifies the central system 102 about occupancy of parking spaces.
Considering the
vehicle sensor 806 and the associated parking spot 112 in Fig. 8, the process
900 commences
with a step 901 in which the vehicle sensor 806 determines if a change of
occupancy has
occurred in the parking space 112. If this is not the case, then the process
900 follows a NO
arrow back to the step 901. If, on the other hand, a change of occupancy has
been detected by
the vehicle sensor 806, then the process 900 follows a YES arrow to a step
902. In the step
902, the vehicle sensor 806 determines if the occupancy change is such that a
vehicle has
entered the parking space 112. If this is the case, then the process 900
follows a YES arrow to
a step 903 in which the vehicle sensor 806 notifies the associated parking
meter 110 about the
details of the occupancy change detected, namely that a vehicle has entered
the parking space
112. In a subsequent step 904 the parking meter 110 notifies the central
system 102 about the
occupancy change. The process 900 then follows an arrow 905 back to the step
901.
Returning to the step 902, if the vehicle sensor 806 does not detect that a
vehicle has
entered the parking space 112, this meaning that the vehicle sensor 806 has
detected a vehicle
departing from the parking space 112, then the process 900 follows a NO arrow
to a step 906.
In the step 906 the vehicle sensor 806 notifies the parking meter 110 via the
connection 809
that a vehicle has departed from the parking spot 112. In a subsequent step
907 the parking
meter 110 notifies the central system 102 via the communication infrastructure
described in
relation to Fig. 8 of the vehicle departure from the parking spot 805.
CA 02595309 2007-07-19
WO 2006/076773 -40 PCT/AU2006/000071
-
In an alternate arrangement, the vehicle sensor 806 has an associated
communication
sub-system, and can communicate directly with the central system 102 over the
network 801,
without needing to communicate via the associated parking meter 110. This type
of
arrangement is useful in "virtual parking systems" in which (i) parking spaces
are marked
with identification numbers, (ii) parking meters are not present, and (iii)
payment for parking
is made directly to the central system 102 using mobile devices such as
cellular telephones,
PDA's, mobile laptop computers, in car devices and so on. This mode of
payment, in the case
of mobile phones, typically requires the user to dial a pre-detemlined
telephone number, and
then to enter a series of keystrokes via the mobile telephone keypad in order
to (i) identify the
parking space, and (ii) define the amount of time for which parking is to be
requested.
Fig. 10 shows a flow chart for process 1000 by which the central system 102 in
Fig. 8
uses compliance maps in order to deploy and control Parking Enforcement
Officers. The
process 1000 commences with a start step 1001 after which in a step 1002 the
central system
determines current and expected compliance distributions for the enforcement
region. The
enforcement region is the area presently being considered by the central
system in deploying
the Enforcement Officers. It is noted that the entire enforcement region
within the scope of
the central system can be dealt with either in an integrated overall fashion,
wherein
deployinent is detennined for the entire region in a single process, or
alteniately, the entire
region can be subdivided into sub-regions and deployment can be performed on a
per-sub-
region basis.
The current compliance distribution in the step 1002 is merely the compliance
map of
the enforcement region being considered at the present time. The "expected"
compliance
distribution is that compliance distribution that is predicted using historic
compliance maps
for the region being considered. This approach can be useful, for example, to
take account of
unusual circumstances in the region being considered which may, if used as the
sole basis for
CA 02595309 2007-07-19
WO 2006/076773 - 41 - PCT/AU2006/000071
deploying Enforcement Officers, lead to inappropriately deployed resources.
Thus, for
example, if a particular sub-region has been temporarily closed for a sports
event, then the
current compliance distribution may indicate a very low incidence of parked
vehicles. This
would lead the central system to deploy a small number of Enforcement Officers
to that region
if considering only the current compliance distribution. If, however, historic
compliance
distributions for the region being considered show a much higher level of
activity, then the
central system can talce this into account when making the deployment.
In a following step 1003 the central system 102 determines a target deployment
distribution for Enforceinent Officers, this being the deployment distribution
that is
determined on the basis of the various compliance distributions referred to in
regard to the
step 1002. The step 1003 can also, in an alternate arrangement, display
information on the
individual displays of the parking meters in the region of interest that is
intended to effect the
occupancy of the parking spaces in the region. Thus for example, as noted
previously, if (a)
the real-time compliance information provided by the disclosed system shows
that the parking
area in a particular area is heavily occupied, and (b) the central system is
advised that a public
event in that area is planned to cornmence in two hours, then the central
systenl can raise the
tariffs and reduce the permissible maximum stay parameters for that area in
order to prevent
undesirable lack of parlcing spaces for the public event.
In a following step 1004, the central system implements the target deployment,
typically by communicating deployment instructions to the various Enforcement
Officers via
their portable enforcement terininals 116. This target deployment would
typically be
conzmunicated to the officers' enforcement terminal 116 in the evening prior
to the day to
which the target deployment applies.
On the day following receipt of the target deployment from the step 1004, the
Enforcement Officers would travel to their designated deployment areas, and
commence
CA 02595309 2007-07-19
WO 2006/076773 - 42 - PCT/AU2006/000071
worlc. In a following step 1005, the central system determines if officer-
specific guidance is
required. This step would be implemented if, for example, the enforcement
terminals 116
incorporate global positioning system (GPS) tracking devices which enable the
central system
112 to accurately correlate the location of the Enforcement Officers wit11 the
compliance
distributions received in real-time from the field. If officer-specific
guidance is desired, then
the process 1000 follows a YES arrow to a step 1006 in which the central
system implements
the officer guidance routine on a per-officer basis for at least some of the
enforcement
officers. Thereafter, the process 1000 follows an arrow 1007 to amend step
1008. Returning
to the step 1005, if officer-specific guidance is not desired, then the
process 1000 follows the
NO arrow to the END step 1008.
The arrangement of Fig. 10 can be extended to deployment of "enforcement
personnel" (rather than enforcement officers) who enforce compliance with
relevant
contextual parameters, but not necessarily by issuing parking citations. Thus
for example, if a
vehicle is non-compliant by being parlced in a space during a time interval
for which the space
is designated as a clearway by a suitable contextual parameter displayed on
the display
associated with the parking space, a tow truck belonging to the roads
authority can be
dispatched to tow away the non-compliant vehicle. The tow truck is one type of
enforcement
personnel.
Fig. 11 shows the process 1006 in more detail. The process commences witll the
start step 1100 after which in the step 1101 the central system 102 determines
whether there
are any more officers to guide. If this is not the case, then the process 1006
follows a NO
arrow to an END step 1102. If, on the other hand, there are further officers
to guide, then the
process 1006 followings a YES arrow to a step 1103. In the step 1103, the
central system 102
establishes the compliance issues to be addressed by the officer in question,
by considering the
coinpliance map of the region in question. In the following step 1104, the
central system 102
CA 02595309 2007-07-19
WO 2006/076773 - 43 - PCT/AU2006/000071
determines a least-cost route that the officer should follow in order to
attend to the non-
compliant parking spaces in his or her region. This least-cost route takes
into account both the
location of the officer, the location of the non-compliant spaces, and the
guided actions of
other officers. Thereafter, in a step 1105, the central system 102 notifies
the officer in question
of the desired route by communicating this information over the network 801 to
the officer's
enforcement terminal 116. Thereafter, the process 1006 follows an arrow 1106
back to the
step 1101.
Fig. 12 shows a city-wide coinpliance map representation 1200 showing, for
example, the five city blocks having the highest non-compliance status in the
enforcement
region. A city block having a "non-compliance status" is a block in which the
percentage of
the available parking spaces occupied by vehicles which do not comply with the
requisite
requirements exceeds a pre-determined threshold. The aforementioned requisite
requirements
of parking spaces include payment of the correct fee, parking in the spot only
during certain
hours, and so on. The view 1200 shows a coast line 1203 upon which the city is
situated, and a
main highway 1201 running through the city. A region 1204 of the city is
depicted by a grid,
upon which are displayed, in relation to city blocks such as 1205, shaded
blocks such as 1202
indicating that the Northern end of the bloclc 1205 is one of the five blocks
in the region 1204
having the highest non-compliance rates. The other four blocks meeting this
criterion are also
shown.
Fig. 13 shows a parking-space-specific compliance map representation 1300 of
one of
the city blocks in Fig. 12, showing how the real-time compliance mapping and
enforcement
arrangeinent can "drill down" into the block 1205 in Fig. 12, in order to view
specific "space
by space" activity. The city bloclc 1205 is shown in enlarged format, as
depicted by a dashed
line 1301. Individual car spaces 1303 are shown, and the compliance status of
each space,
CA 02595309 2007-07-19
WO 2006/076773 - 44 - PCT/AU2006/000071
such as 1302 can be indicated, for instance, by displaying the space 1302 in a
particular colour
(not shown). Types of compliance status can include the following:
= Expired Spaces (Red) - spaces which are occupied, but time has expired;
= Paid Spaces (Green) - Spaces which are occupied and paid;
= Vacant Spaces (Blue) - Spaces which are vacant;
= Out of Order Spaces (Yellow) - Spaces which are controlled by a meter which
is
out of service; and
= Bagged / Reserved Spaces - Spaces which are "bagged" or reserved due to a
special event or permit.
The real-time compliance mapping and enforcement arrangement enables a variety
of
customizable views and reports to be generated, including the following:
Occupancy Analysis
Through data collected from the vehicle sensors 806, real-time visibility of
the
coiupliance status of every parking space is possible. Customizable views
(such as occupancy
maps) and queries can be generated to display real-time occupancy information
such as:
= Overall real-time visibility of citywide parking space occupancy;
= Analysis of historical trend of percentage of occupied versus non-occupied
spaces
(for definable time and/or date range);
= Top 10 blocks of non-compliant spaces (ie where meters have expired);
= Top 10 blocks of occupied spaces
= Top 10 blocks of non-occupied spaces
= Trend analysis of specific areas, zones, streets or blocks regarding
occupancy level
CA 02595309 2007-07-19
WO 2006/076773 -45 PCT/AU2006/000071
-
Historical trend analysis lends substantial support to the ongoing
optimisation of a
parking installation.
Occupancy rates for a specific area can be reviewed to help detennine what
parking
rates would better manage supply and demand. Thus, for example, allowable
parking time in
some areas can be reduced, or the daily length of regulated parking time can
be increased.
Coinpliance levels and attendant lost revenues can underpin a business case
for more
enforcement resources.
Compliance Analysis
The following type of compliance related information can be generated:
= Overall citywide compliance
= Compliance by area, zone, street, block, meter or space
= Total revenue lost due to non-compliant vehicles (for definable date/time
range)
= Real-time view of Top five (or ten or fifteen etc.) blocks with non-
coinpliant
veliicles
= Trend analysis of specific areas, zones, streets or blocks regarding
compliance
level
Enforcement Analysis
Through intelligent reporting, analysis and real-time monitoring and response
of the data
created through the real-time compliance mapping and enforcement arrangements,
enforcement managers have the ability to do the following:
= Perform real-time dispatch of enforcement personnel to specific areas of the
city.
(e.g. direct enforcement officers to the "Top 10 blocks with non-compliant
vehicles" at any specific time);
CA 02595309 2007-07-19
WO 2006/076773 - 46 - PCT/AU2006/000071
= Enforcement officers can view Geographic Information System (GIS) maps (such
as those depicted in Figs. 12 and 13) on their own terminals such as 116, and
identify which streets and bloclcs they need to be enforcing.
Industrial Applicability
It is apparent from the above that the arrangements described are applicable
to the on-
street parking industry.
The foregoing describes only some embodiments of the present invention, and
modifications and/or changes can be made thereto without departing from the
scope and spirit
of the invention, the embodiments being illustrative and not restrictive.
