Method for operating a vehicle barrier

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9666002-B2
Application number	US-201514639243-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 5, 2015
Priority date	Mar 6, 2014
Publication date	May 30, 2017
Grant date	May 30, 2017

Abstract

In a method for operating a vehicle barrier ( 1 ) having a barrier column ( 2 ), a barrier arm ( 4 ) and a drive mechanism for pivoting the barrier arm ( 4 ) between a blocking position and an open position, a camera ( 7 ) is used for vehicle recognition, for the license plate recognition, for recognizing a following vehicle and for monitoring for vandalism, and the images thereof are evaluated by an electronic evaluation logic that is coupled to control of the vehicle barrier ( 1 ).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for operating a vehicle barrier having a barrier column, a barrier arm and a drive mechanism for pivoting the barrier arm between a blocking position and an open position, said method comprising the steps of obtaining digital images using a first camera and evaluating the images using an electronic evaluation logic, that is coupled to the camera and to a control for the vehicle barrier, for vehicle recognition, license plate recognition, recognition of a following vehicle and an occurrence of vandalism.

2. The method for operating a vehicle barrier as defined in claim 1 , wherein the vehicle barrier has a idle mode in which the barrier arm is in the blocking position and the control for vehicle barrier waits for an input from the evaluation logic; wherein in the idle mode the camera monitors the entry or exit area and the barrier arm; wherein, if based on the evaluation of the images provided by the camera, a barrier arm movement is detected and no barrier arm movement is expected at this time in the control of the vehicle barrier, the barrier arm movement is recognized as an “undefined barrier movement” and a vandalism alarm is issued, whereby the vehicle barrier thereafter transitions into the idle mode;
wherein, when in the idle mode of the vehicle barrier a vehicle in the entry or exit area is recognized by images provided by the camera, a license plate recognition of the vehicle is carried out based on the images provided by the camera; wherein, in the event of a successful license plate recognition, the vehicle is identified and the data is stored in a database or compared with data in a database, the barrier arm of the vehicle barrier is moved to the open position for entry or exit, depending on the application, such that the vehicle can pass; wherein in the case of exiting the barrier arm is opened when the parking fee has been paid;
wherein, if the vehicle barrier is moved to the open position for entry or exit depending on the application, a recognition of a following vehicle is activated based on the evaluation of images provided by the camera; and wherein, if no vehicle following the identified vehicle is recognized, the barrier arm is moved to the blocking position and the vehicle barrier transitions to the idle mode.

3. The method for operating a vehicle barrier as defined in claim 2 , wherein, in the event of exiting after successful license plate recognition, a payment process is initiated to enable the driver of the vehicle to pay the parking fee by means of a payment device in the barrier column.

4. The method for operating a vehicle barrier as defined in claim 2 , wherein a ticket is issued prior to actuating the barrier arm to the open position.

5. The method for operating a vehicle barrier as defined in claim 2 , wherein, if no vehicle is detected within a specified time after a vehicle recognition and before the license plate recognition is carried out, or the barrier arm is actuated to the open position, the vehicle barrier transitions into the idle mode.

6. The method for operating a vehicle barrier as defined in claim 2 , wherein, in the event that a vehicle is recognized in the entry or exit area and a movement of the barrier arm is detected upon evaluation of the images provided by the camera without a respective signal of the vehicle barrier control, issuing a vandalism alarm for unauthorized entry or exit if an interaction between vehicle and barrier arm is registered using the camera, and wherein if no interaction between vehicle and barrier arm is registered, issuing an “undefined barrier arm movement” vandalism alarm.

7. The method for operating a vehicle barrier as defined in claim 2 , wherein, if after recognition of a vehicle in the entry or exit area, a successful license plate recognition cannot be carried out, an intercom system at the barrier column can be activated from a control room and the images of the camera can be transferred to the control room.

8. The method for operating a vehicle barrier as in claim 1 , wherein at least one additional second camera is provided at another suitable location, the images of which are evaluated independently of the images of the first camera, thereby to increase the reliability and reduce the error rates for vehicle recognition and license plate recognition.

9. The method for operating a vehicle barrier as defined in claim 1 , wherein the first camera is one of a conventional digital camera, a camera for close-range photogrammetry and a camera that can be synchronized with an infrared source, the sensor thereof being responsive to visible light and infrared light.

10. The method for operating a vehicle barrier as defined in claim 9 , wherein, using the camera that can be synchronized with an infrared source, selectively generating images in the visible or infrared range, images in the visible range and a 3D reconstruction of a detected object based on a runtime measurement in synchronization with the infrared source, or a 3D reconstruction of a detected object based on a runtime measurement in synchronization with the infrared source.

11. The method for operating a vehicle barrier as defined in claim 10 , wherein, in the event of a camera that can be synchronized with an infrared source, the license plate recognition, recognition of a following vehicle and monitoring for vandalism are carried out based on the images generated in the visible range or based on the images generated in the infrared range, whereby, through the parallel evaluation of the images of both ranges, the robustness of the results is increased and wherein a 3D reconstruction is carried out for vehicle recognition.

12. The method for operating a vehicle barrier as defined in claim 11 , wherein additionally a parallel evaluation of the images is carried out.

13. Method for operating a vehicle barrier as defined in claim 11 , wherein, for license plate recognition, recognition of a following vehicle and monitoring for vandalism, switching is carried out automatically from the mode “images in the visible light” to the mode “images in the infrared range” or “images in the visible and the infrared range” when the ambient brightness drops below a prescribed threshold value.

Assignees

• Skidata Ag

Inventors

• Harucksteiner Guido
• Schlechter Thomas
• Surkau Reinhard

Classifications

• G07C9/30 Primary

  not involving the use of a pass · CPC title

• E05Y2900/402

  for cantilever gates · CPC title

• G07B15/04

  comprising devices to free a barrier, turnstile, or the like {(turnstiles with registering means G07C9/10; coin-freed aspects G07F17/00)} · CPC title

• G06T2207/30261

  Obstacle · CPC title

• G06Q30/0284

  Time or distance, e.g. usage of parking meters or taximeters · CPC title