PARKING DISSUADER WHICH INDICATES THE STATE OF CHARGE OF THE POWER SOURCE, AND RELATIVE INDICATING METHOD

The present invention relates to a parking dissuader with indicator of the state of charge of its power source, for example a battery, in accordance with the introduction to the main claims.

Parking dissuaders, in particular those operable by remote control, are known to be generally battery powered. These devices comprise a support base which is mounted in front of a parking area, a barrier element being hinged to the support base and can be raised or lowered to enable or prevent passage of an automobile. The support base generally contains an electric motor powered by a battery and mechanically coupled to the barrier element to drive it. Control means, operable by a remote control, are coupled to the electric motor to determine the raising or lowering of the barrier element connected to the support base.

Generally these control means are also battery powered. A drawback of these devices is that the user using the dissuader is unable to evaluate the state of charge of the battery before this is completely depleted and the dissuader has to be released manually. Certain known dissuaders are provided with optical elements such as LEDs indicating the battery state of charge, however these elements consume a considerable quantity of energy, so reducing the life of the batteries powering these parking dissuaders. An object of the present invention is therefore to provide a parking dissuader able to indicate to the user when the battery charge falls below a predetermined level, without this indication resulting in further energy consumption.

This object is attained by a parking dissuader and the relative indicating method, the inventive characteristics of which are defined in the accompanying claims.

The invention will be more apparent from the ensuing detailed description of one embodiment thereof provided by way of non-limiting example and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a parking dissuader in a position preventing parking;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the parking dissuader in a position enabling parking;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the parking dissuader in an indicating position;

Figure 4 shows a circuit block diagram of a portion of the parking dissuader.

These figures show a parking dissuader 1 comprising a barrier element 2 hinged, for example, to a support base 3. The barrier element 2 moves between a first vehicle parking enabling position

A, shown in Figure 2, and a second vehicle parking prevention position B, shown in Figure 1.

For example, in the first position, the barrier element 2 substantially rests on the support base 3, whereas on the second position B, the barrier element 2 lies in a plane substantially perpendicular to the resting plane of the support base 3.

An electric motor 6 drives the barrier element 2 in known manner.

The dissuader 1 comprises at least one power source 5, for example a battery, to power for example at least the electric motor 6.

The battery 5 is for example of rechargeable type. The parking dissuader 1 of the invention comprises control means 4 to indicate the charge of the power source and to dispose the barrier element 2 in a

indicating third position C, different from the first two positions, when the charge of said power source 5 is below a predetermined value.

Advantageously, the indicating third position C lies between the first and second position, and is shown in Figure 3 For example, when in this indicating third position C, the barrier element 2 lies in a plane forming an angle α between 5 and 85° with the resting plane of the support base 3.

The angle α is preferably 45°.

Advantageously, the indicating third position C also prevents vehicle parking. For example, the support base 3 is provided with a cavity closed by a cover and housing the control device 4, the power source 5 and the electric motor 6.

Advantageously, the control device 4 comprises measurement means 4a which verify the state of charge of the battery powering the electric motor 6.

Advantageously, the parking dissuader 1 comprises a comparator device 4b to compare said measured charge value of the power source with the predetermined value.

Again advantageously, the parking dissuader 1 comprises a governing device

4c for governing the electric motor 6 such that the barrier element 2 becomes disposed in one of the three said positions A, B or C. In known manner, the parking dissuader 1 also comprises a reception device 7 able to receive a signal for activating the dissuader 1 by a user, to cause the electric motor 6 to rotate in order to raise or lower the barrier element 2.

Advantageously, according to the invention, the power source 5 powers both the control device 4 and the reception device 7. A description will now be given of the method for indicating a particular state of charge of a power source 5, for example a battery, powering a parking dissuader 1 comprising a barrier element 2 arranged to move between a first

position A enabling parking of a vehicle, and a second position B preventing parking of a vehicle, and an electric motor 6 for driving the barrier element 2. The method of the invention comprises the steps of:

- measuring the state of charge of said power source 5, - comparing the measured state of charge with a predetermined value,

- disposing the barrier element 2 in a indicating third position C different from the first position and second position A and B, when the measured state of charge is below the predetermined value.

These steps are carried out by a control device 4 included in the dissuader 1 of the invention.

For example, with the barrier element 2 in the first position A, the dissuader 1 receives an activation signal from a user.

The dissuader 1 also comprises a reception element 7 which receives the activation signal. Advantageously, the control device 4 comprises measurement means 4b verifying the state of charge of the battery 5.

If the measured state of charge is above a predetermined value, the barrier element 2 is disposed in the second position B.

If instead the measured state of charge is below a predetermined value, according to the invention the barrier element 2 is positioned in the indicating third position C.

Advantageously, the control device 4 comprises a comparator device 4b which effects the step of comparing said measured value with the predetermined value and governing means 4c which govern the electric motor 6 such that the barrier element 2 lies in the second position or the indicating third position C on the basis of the measured state of charge.

For example, the indicating position C is an intermediate position between the first position A and the second position B.

By the barrier element 2 lying in the indicating position C, the user is warned that the battery 5 is approaching depletion so that it can be replaced before it is completely depleted.

Again advantageously according to the invention, a subsequent activation signal by the user returns the barrier element 2 into its first position A.

Advantageously according to the invention, on successive activation signals, the barrier element 2 moves between the first position and the indicating third position, until the power source 5 is replaced or until complete depletion of the power source 5 so preventing correct operation of the dissuader 1.

Advantageously according to the invention, it is not necessary to introduce any further indicating element, such as a LED or a siren, to indicate that the battery state of charge is below a predetermined value. In this respect, the solution of the invention ensures that the battery state of charge is displayed without the need for adding indicating components with a high energy consumption, hence considerably reducing the life of the battery 5 and compelling the user to carry out frequent annoying replacement of the power source for the parking dissuader 1 of the invention. In a variant of the parking dissuader 1 of the invention, a considerable reduction in the energy consumption of the used power source can be achieved by modifying the on-off state of the reception device 7 which receives the activation signal for rotation of the electric motor 6.

In known manner, the reception device 7 receives the activation signal emitted by a transmitter 8. The activation signal is for example a radio signal.

For example, the transmitter 8 is included in a transmission device, for example a remote control operable by the user.

According to the invention, the dissuader 1 comprises a switching device 9 arranged to repetitively interrupt and restore power to the reception device 7, with a predetermined periodic cycle.

On other words, the reception device 7 is fed with a periodic high/low signal with for example a duty cycle of 0.5.

For example, the reception device 7 remains activated for 0.5 seconds and deactivated for the next 0.5 seconds.

Hence when the user activates the transmitter 8, the activation signal emitted by the transmitter 8 remains active for a period sufficient to be received by the activated reception device 7.

For example, the activation signal remains active for one second and inactive for the next second.

Hence when the user activates the transmitter 8, the activation signal remains active for a time TS greater than a time TA in which it remains active within the individual predetermined cycle period.

According to the invention, the reception device 7 is therefore not necessarily always active to receive the activation signal emitted by the transmitter 8, so resulting in a considerable power saving for said device 7.