Method and system for monitoring a vehicle in a parking facility

• US 10,008,120 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2015
• Issued: 06/26/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Nordbruch, Stefan
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Kevin
• Application Number:
  US15/516,945
• Publication Number:
  US 20170309184A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,001 Days
• Field of Search: 340937, 340993
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0866 the electronic data carrier being a digital video recorder in combination with video camera
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/04 using optical or ultrasonic detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/146 where the parking area is a limited parking space, e.g. parking garage, restricted space
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles

Abstract

A method for monitoring a vehicle in a parking facility, the vehicle being transferred by its driver to a parking facility operator in a transfer zone, and subsequently being parked a parking space and, after unparking, being transferred to the driver again in a pick-up zone, the vehicle being at least visually monitored during the entire stay in the parking facility with the aid of a monitoring infrastructure assigned to the parking facility, the data being recorded, and the data being provided to the driver. A computer program and a system, which are configured to carry out the method, are also described.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring a vehicle in a parking facility, the vehicle being transferred by a driver of the vehicle, to a parking facility operator in a transfer zone, and subsequently being parked in a parking space, and, after unparking, being transferred to the driver again in a pick-up zone, the method comprising:

at least visually monitoring the vehicle during the entire stay in the parking facility with the aid of a monitoring infrastructure assigned to the parking facility;

recording data based on the visual monitoring; and

providing the recorded data to the driver;

wherein the data include a path of the vehicle from the transfer zone to the parking space, a path of the vehicle from the parking space to the pick-up zone, and a stay of the vehicle in the parking space, an assignment of the data to the vehicle taking place.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the vehicle is configured to drive autonomously, and the vehicle, when parking in a parking space, independently navigates to a parking space with the aid of pieces of information provided by an infrastructure of the parking facility and, when unparking, drives independently from the parking space to the pick-up zone.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the parking and the unparking of the vehicle is carried out either by human staff or by loading the vehicle onto a carrier and subsequently moving the carrier.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the driver is provided with live access to the data.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the data are provided via a data network.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the data are provided via the Internet.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the data are provided in such a way that these are retrievable via at least one of:

i) a terminal provided in the parking facility, ii) a PC, iii) a mobile device, and vi) a smart phone.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the data are deleted after at least one of:

i) a predefined storage duration, and ii) a confirmation by the driver.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium on which is stored a computer program for monitoring a vehicle in a parking facility, the vehicle being transferred by a driver of the vehicle, to a parking facility operator in a transfer zone, and subsequently being parked in a parking space, and, after unparking, being transferred to the driver again in a pick-up zone, the computer program, when executed by a computer, causing the computer to perform:

at least visually monitoring the vehicle during the entire stay in the parking facility with the aid of a monitoring infrastructure assigned to the parking facility;

recording data based on the visual monitoring; and

providing the recorded data to the driver;

wherein the data include a path of the vehicle from the transfer zone to the parking space, a path of the vehicle from the parking space to the pick-up zone, and a stay of the vehicle in the parking space, an assignment of the data to the vehicle taking place.

10. A system for monitoring a vehicle in a parking facility, the system comprising:

a transfer zone;

a pick-up zone;

a plurality of parking spaces;

a memory unit;

a plurality of cameras configured to at least visually monitor the vehicle during the entire stay in the parking facility, the system being configured to record, in the memory unit, data based on the visual monitoring, and to provide the data to the driver;

wherein the data include a path of the vehicle from the transfer zone to the parking space, a path of the vehicle from the parking space to the pick-up zone, and a stay of the vehicle in the parking space, an assignment of the data to the vehicle taking place.