Pole-mounted vehicle sensor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10491972-B2
Application number	US-201916373328-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 2, 2019
Priority date	Feb 29, 2016
Publication date	Nov 26, 2019
Grant date	Nov 26, 2019

Abstract

Devices and meters comprising: a housing configured to mount to a pole supporting an existing meter, the housing defining an interior; a sensor within the interior of the housing, the sensor configured to collect environmental information pertaining to the local external environment of the existing meter; a wireless radio within the interior of the housing, the wireless radio configured to transmit the environmental information to the existing meter or to a remote server in communication with the existing meter; a power unit within the interior of the housing, the power unit supplying power to the sensor and the wireless radio.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A device for upgrading an existing meter by retrofit, the device comprising:
a) a first sensor configured to detect arrival of an object to a local external environment of the existing meter or departure of an object from the local external environment of the existing meter;
b) a second sensor configured to collect enforcement information pertaining to the local external environment of the existing meter;
c) a wireless radio configured to:
i) obtain an identifier from the existing meter, the identifier associated with a unique physical location;
ii) transmit the identifier to a remote server or to the existing meter to obtain configuration information; and
iii) transmit the enforcement information to one or more of: the existing meter, the remote server, and a handheld parking enforcement device; and

d) a power system supplying power to the first sensor, the second sensor, and the wireless radio, the power system comprising at least one rechargeable battery and a solar cell configured to recharge the at least one rechargeable battery;
wherein the device is configured to retrofit the existing meter by physically mounting to a pole supporting the existing meter to upgrade the existing meter without mechanically altering or replacing the existing meter.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the existing meter is a parking meter.

3. The device of claim 2 , wherein the parking meter is a single space parking meter.

4. The device of claim 2 , wherein the parking meter is a multi-space parking meter.

5. The device of claim 2 , wherein the object is a vehicle, and wherein the enforcement information comprises one or more images of one or more parking spaces associated with the existing meter.

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein the first sensor comprises: a camera, a radar, a time of flight sensor, a ranging sensor, a magnetic sensor, a magnetic-flux sensor, a capacitance sensor, a proximity sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, an infrared sensor, a microwave sensor, a RF sensor, or a combination thereof.

7. The device of claim 1 , wherein the second sensor comprises: a camera, a radar, a time of flight sensor, a ranging sensor, a magnetic sensor, a magnetic-flux sensor, a capacitance sensor, a proximity sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, an infrared sensor, a microwave sensor, a RF sensor, or a combination thereof.

8. The device of claim 1 , wherein the wireless radio utilizes ISM-band, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or ZigBee.

9. The device of claim 1 , wherein the identifier comprises a meter identification associated with the existing meter.

10. The device of claim 9 , wherein the wireless radio is further configured to transmit the meter identification in association with the enforcement information.

11. The device of claim 1 , wherein the wireless radio is further configured to transmit one or more of: the identifier, the configuration information, a meter identification, a meter location, a vehicle identification, a license plate information, a vehicle registration information, and a citation history to one or more of: the existing meter, the remote server, and the handheld parking enforcement device.

12. The device of claim 1 , wherein the detection of the arrival or the departure triggers the power system to power up the second sensor.

13. The device of claim 1 , wherein the device is operationally self-sufficient, the first sensor, the second sensor, the wireless radio, and the power system being not electrically connected to the existing meter.

14. The device of claim 1 , further comprising a housing defining an interior, the first sensor, the second sensor, and the wireless radio within the interior of the housing.

15. A meter comprising:
a) a pole;
b) an existing meter supported by the pole; and
c) a device for upgrading the existing meter by retrofit, the device configured to physically mount to the pole to upgrade the existing meter without mechanically altering or replacing the existing meter, the device comprising:
i) a first sensor configured to detect arrival of an object to a local external environment of the existing meter or departure of an object from the local external environment of the existing meter;
ii) a second sensor configured to collect enforcement information pertaining to the local external environment of the existing meter;
iii) a wireless radio configured to: obtain an identifier from the existing meter, the identifier associated with a unique physical location; transmit the identifier to a remote server or to the existing meter to obtain configuration information; and transmit the enforcement information to one or more of: the existing meter, the remote server, and a handheld parking enforcement device; and
iv) a power system supplying power to the first sensor, the second sensor, and the wireless radio, the power system comprising at least one rechargeable battery and a solar cell configured to recharge the at least one rechargeable battery.

16. The meter of claim 15 , wherein the existing meter is a parking meter, wherein the object is a vehicle, and wherein the enforcement information comprises one or more images of one or more parking spaces associated with the existing meter.

17. The meter of claim 15 , wherein the first sensor or the second sensor comprises: a radar, a time of flight sensor, a ranging sensor, a magnetic sensor, a magnetic-flux sensor, a capacitance sensor, a proximity sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, an infrared sensor, a microwave sensor, a RF sensor, or a combination thereof.

18. The meter of claim 15 , wherein the detection of the arrival or the departure triggers the power system to power up the second sensor.

19. The meter of claim 15 , wherein the device is operationally self-sufficient, the first sensor, the second sensor, the wireless radio, and the power system being not electrically connected to the existing meter.

20. A method of upgrading a meter comprising: physically affixing a device for upgrading an existing meter by retrofit to a pole supporting the existing meter;
wherein the device comprises:
a) a first sensor configured to detect arrival of an object to a local external environment of the existing meter or departure of an object from the local external environment of the existing meter;
b) a second sensor configured to collect enforcement information pertaining to the local external environment of the existing meter;
c) a wireless radio configured to:
i) obtain an identifier from the existing meter, the identifier associated with a unique physical location;
ii) transmit the identifier to a remote server or to the existing meter to obtain configuration information; and
iii) transmit the enforcement information to one or more of: the existing meter, the remote server, and a handheld parking enforcement device; and

d) a power system supplying power to the first sensor, the second sensor, and the wireless radio, the power system comprising at least one rechargeable battery and a solar cell configured to recharge the at least one rechargeable battery;
wherein the existing meter is not mechanically altered or replaced;
whereby the meter is upgraded to collect and transmit the enforcement information.

Assignees

• Ips Group Inc

Inventors

• King David William
• Schwarz Alexander
• Hunter Stephen John
• Randall Chad P

Classifications

• H04Q2209/88

  Providing power supply at the sub-station · CPC title

• H04Q2209/40

  using a wireless architecture · CPC title

• H04W84/12

  WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks] · CPC title

• G06K7/10415

  the interrogation device being fixed in its position, such as an access control device for reading wireless access cards, or a wireless ATM (banking machines in general G07F19/00) · CPC title

• H04W4/80

  Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication · CPC title