Importance

Loading Importance Indicators...

Abstract

The electronic parking meter includes a microcontroller, an input interface, an output interface, communications devices and a power supply. The microcontroller receives instructions through the input interface from a user wishing to purchase parking time, controls the output interface to provide parking related messages or indications, and controls the electronic parking meter's communications with other devices through the communications devices for transmitting and receiving information and data. The power supply, which converts a battery pack voltage up to the operating voltage, may include an isolation transformer and a flyback switcher. The parking meter is maintained in a sleep mode as a default state, is placed in a schedule wake-up mode at a predetermined frequency for a predetermined short period of time to carry-out maintenance functions, and is only placed in an event wake-up mode for the time required to process major events, such as coin chute, card reader or communications port interrupts. The maintenance-free life of the parking meter is extended by using more of the energy that is available in standard battery packs and by decreasing energy consumed in the parking meter to carry out its functions through the three operating modes including the periodic schedule wake-up mode.

Loading the Abstract Image...

First Claim