AU2009101341A4 - Car Park Reserving Apparatus - Google Patents

Description

I CAR PARK RESERVING APPARATUS Field of the Invention. The present invention relates to a car park reserving apparatus. More particularly, the invention concerns an apparatus for reserving parking places in car 5 parks for vehicles authorised to park in a designated parking place. Background of the Invention. Mere reference to background art herein should not be construed as an admission that such art constitutes common general knowledge in relation to the invention. 10 Sometimes it is desirable or necessary in car parks that parking places be reserved for particular or authorised vehicles only. An attempt at achieving this has involved the use of signs denoting that a space is reserved for a particular person or organisation only. Sometimes the sign may denote that the space is reserved for a vehicle or vehicles having particular registration numbers. 15 Such signs require drivers of vehicles to heed the signs and not park in spaces that are allocated to others. These signs are often ignored. An alternative to such signs has been a mechanism like that disclosed in French patent specification FR 2747411. The mechanism has a base mountable to the floor of a parking space and a U shaped bar is pivotally mounted to the base. The 20 mechanism is operable to move the bar between a first position where it is horizontal with the floor and a second position where it extends substantially at rights angles to the base and the floor. In the first position, the bar allows access to the parking space and a vehicle may drive over the mechanism facilitating parking in the space. The 25 mechanism is located beneath the vehicle authorised to park in the space. When the vehicle vacates the space the bar may be moved into the second position mentioned above. The bar, when in its second position, prevents vehicles from entering the parking space. The movement of the bar between its two positions may be achieved 30 manually or in an automatic way. The mechanism functioned such that the bar was lockable into the first and the second positions so that unauthorised movement of the bar was prevented. These mechanisms formed an obstruction on the floor of a parking 2 space and formed an impediment to ready cleaning of parking spaces and presented an obstacle to pedestrian traffic through the parking space. Mechanisms of this type were prone to damage, as vehicles often drove over them if care was not exercised when positioning vehicles in car parks. 5 An improved car park reserving apparatus is desired. Summary of the Invention. It is an object of the invention to overcome or at least ameliorate the deficiencies of the mechanism mentioned above or to provide a useful or commercial choice. 10 Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein, by way of example, a preferred embodiment of the invention is disclosed. According to a first broad aspect of the invention, there is provided a car park reserving apparatus. The apparatus has a housing. The housing contains a 15 drive and a controller for operating the drive. An arm is coupled to the drive and carries a sign. The housing is mountable above a parking space and the arm is movable by the drive between a first position where it extends from above and into the space and a second position where the arm extends clear of the parking space to allow vehicle access. 20 The arm may be in the form of a boom. The boom may have a first boom portion coupled to a second boom portion by a spring. Preferably, the first portion is shorter than the second portion. The first boom portion may be coupled to the drive. The sign may consist of a flag bearing suitable indicia to denote that 25 the parking space is reserved. For example, the flag may identify the registration number of the vehicle authorised to park in the space or may bear the name of the authorised person or organisation. When the housing is mounted to a ceiling above the parking space, the arm, when in its first position, extends downwardly from the ceiling and may extend 30 vertically downwards from the ceiling, although other orientations are not excluded. The sign may be presented at a height corresponding to the height of the bonnet of a vehicle. When the housing is mounted to a ceiling above the parking space, the arm, 3 when in its second position, may extend along the ceiling. Preferably, the arm extends parallel to and close to the ceiling when in its second position. The drive preferably includes a motor coupled to a gear or gearbox. The gear or gearbox may include a worm drive and high gearing to render the motor 5 self parking. The controller may be connected to mains power supply and may have a back-up power source to power the controller and motor in the event of failure of the mains supply. The controller may include circuitry responsive to a remote signal to 10 activate movement of the arm by operating the motor. The circuitry may provide for remote radio or infrared control. Preferably remote radio control is provided by the controller. The controller may include limit sensors to provide for limits to which the arm may move when moving between the first and second positions. Mechanical 15 limit switches may be used however, non-contact limit switches are preferred. In one embodiment, Hall Effect devices are employed to facilitate accurate stopping of the arm at the limits of the first and second positions. The controller may include protection circuitry and components to provide for over current and overload protection for the motor. Thus, if the progress 20 of the arm when it moves between its two positions is impeded or obstructed by accidental contact with a vehicle or person, the continued movement of the arm is prevented and the motor and other components are not accidentally damaged. As mentioned, the arm may have two boom portions with a spring located in between the portions. The first boom portion may be shorter than the other 25 boom portion and be about 300 mm in length, although other lengths are not excluded. The first boom portion may have one end remote from the spring coupled to the drive. Brief Description of the Drawings. 30 In order that the invention may be more fully understood and put into practice, a preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is an elevational view of the apparatus with the arm in its first 4 position; Figure 2 is a rear elevational view of the apparatus of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a front perspective view of the apparatus of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a perspective view of the housing which forms part of the 5 apparatus of Figures I to 3; Figure 5 is an elevational view of the housing of Figure 4; Figure 6 is a side elevational view of the housing of Figures 4 & 5. Figure 7 is a perspective view of the apparatus shown with the arm in its second position; and 10 Figure 8 is a plan view of the apparatus of Figure 7. Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment The apparatus 9 of Figures 1, 2 and 3 has a housing 10 from which a drive shaft 11 projects. An arm 12 has a first boom portion 13 and a second boom portion 14 connected to each other by a spring 15. One end of portion 13 is connected 15 to the shaft 11. The housing 10, in use, is mounted to a ceiling over a parking space (not shown). In Figures 1, 2 and 3, the apparatus 9 is shown with the arm in its first position extending vertically down from the housing and, in use, would project down from the ceiling and into the parking space from above. A sign 19 is mounted adjacent one end of the second boom portion. 20 The sign may carry suitable indicia identifying the authorised person or organisation who may park in the space associated with the apparatus 9. Alternatively, the sign may bear the registration number of the vehicle authorised to park in the space. Figures 4, 5 and 6 show various views of the housing 10 with a cover of the housing removed to reveal interior components normally located within the 25 housing 10. The housing 10 contains a drive motor 20, a controller 21, a gearbox 22 and a backup power source such as a battery 23. As shown in Figure 5 the gearbox 22 drives a drive gear 27 which in turn drives drive shaft 11 via a further gear 28 extending through a bearing 26. Shaft 11 normally has the first boom portion 13 connected to it. Gear 28 may include and angle sensor which, together with the 30 controller, limits the extent of movement of the arm 12. The housing 10 contains a controller 21 which is response to an RF remote (not shown) to control operation of the motor 20 to move the arm 12 between its two positions. The housing10 contains the gearbox 22 and operates a drive gear 27 5 which in turn rotates gear 28 for rotation of shaft 11. The gear 28 has limit sensors such as Hall Effect sensors or angle sensors associated with it to control the extent of the movement of the arm 12. A back-up power source is provided by battery 30 located within the housing. The cover for the housing 10 may be held in place by 5 tamper resistant fasteners or screws. In use, the housing of the apparatus is secured to the ceiling over a parking space. Power for the apparatus may be obtained from the power circuit normally used to power lighting in the parking area. An RF remote may be used to move the arm between its positions and 10 the controller includes an RF receiver. The spring 15 provides some measure of protection should the arm 12 or sign 19 inadvertently touch an obstruction. Over current protection associated with the motor ensures that operation of the motor is discontinued in case of an obstruction. The motor 20 is self parking due to the presence of drive gear 27 which may be a worm drive and high gearing. The 15 controller 21 provides electrical braking to the motor 20 to prevent any over-run. When the arm 12 is in its first position it protects the parking space from unauthorised access. When the arm 12 is moved to its second position as shown in Figures 7 & 8, the arm 12 is parallel to the ceiling above the parking space and about 75mm from the ceiling. The arm 12 is of a length such that the sign 19 is at 20 approximately vehicle bonnet height when the arm is in its first position. It is preferred that the housing be mounted such that the sign and arm move in a direction away from a vehicle which enters the parking space. The mounting of the apparatus to the ceiling ensures the park floor is free of obstructions. 25 In the present specification and claims (if any), the word "comprising" and its derivatives including "comprises" and "comprise" include each of the stated integers but does not exclude the inclusion of one or more further integers. Reference throughout this specification to "one embodiment" or "an 30 embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, the appearance of the phrases "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all 6 referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more combinations. In compliance with the statute, the invention has been described in language more or less specific to structural or methodical features. It is to be 5 understood that the invention is not limited to specific features shown or described since the means herein described comprises preferred forms of putting the invention into effect. The invention is, therefore, claimed in any of its forms or modifications within the proper scope of the appended claims (if any) appropriately interpreted by those skilled in the art. 10

Claims (10)

1. A car park reserving apparatus having: a housing; 5 a drive within the housing; a controller within the housing; an arm coupled to the drive; a sign carried by the arm; the drive being operable to move the arm between a first position and a second 10 position whereby, when the housing is mounted above a parking space, the drive may move the arm between the first position to inhibit parking of a vehicle in the parking space and the second position to allow the vehicle to access the parking space.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the arm has a first boom portion and a 15 second boom portion with the first boom portion being coupled to the drive and a spring extending between and connecting the boom portions to one another.

3. The apparatus of claim I or 2 wherein the controller includes a receiver for receiving an operating signal from a remote to allow for remote operation and 20 movement of the arm between its two positions.

4. The apparatus of any one of claims I to 3 wherein the drive includes a motor, gearbox and drive gears and the arm is coupled to the drive gears. 25

5. The apparatus of claim 4 including over current protection associated with the motor.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the controller applies electric braking to the motor. 30

7. The apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 6 including a battery for providing back-up power. 8

8. The apparatus of claim 4, 5 or 6 including limit switches for controlling the movement of the arm.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the limited switches are Hall Effect dev ices. 5

10. A car park reserving apparatus substantially as herein described with reference to the drawings.