Predicting that a parking space is about to be vacated

• US 10,152,889 B2
• Filed: 04/20/2017
• Issued: 12/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Anagog Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Anagog Ltd.
• Inventors: Levy, Gil, Aizenbud, Yaron
• Primary Examiner(s): Feild, Joseph H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mahase, Pameshanand
• Application Number:
  US15/492,645
• Publication Number:
  US 20170243487A1
• Time in Patent Office: 600 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/49 whereby the further system is an inertial position system, e.g. loosely-coupled
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/02 taking into account a variable factor such as distance or time, e.g. for passenger transport, parking systems or car rental systems G07B15/06 takes precedence; taximeters G07B13/00; parking meters per se G07F17/24; car rental systems per se G07B15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/012 from other sources than vehicle or roadside beacons, e.g. mobile networks
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0141 for traffic information dissemination
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/144 on portable or mobile units, e.g. personal digital assistant [PDA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds

Abstract

A method implementable in a mobile device includes determining a driving or walking motion state of the mobile device associated with a user from at least a motion type of sensor on the mobile device and storing a parking location for a vehicle associated with the mobile device, received from a location type of sensor on the mobile device, when the mobile device changes from a driving state to a walking state.

Claims

1. A method implementable in a computing device, the method comprising:

obtaining an approach event, wherein the approach event is automatically generated based on sensor readings from a mobile device of a user, wherein the sensor readings are indicative of the user heading back towards a parking location of a car of the user; and

transmitting to a second mobile device of a second user an indication indicating that the car is estimated to vacate the parking spot, wherein said transmitting is performed prior to the car vacating the parking spot.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the approach event is generated based on a mobility status determined using a motion sensor of the first mobile device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensor readings are accelerometer readings which are indicative of a walking mobility state.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensor readings indicate a reduction in a distance between a location of the mobile device and the parking location.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the approach event is generated in response to an automatic estimation that the user is potentially approaching the parking location.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the approach event is generated after an automatic detection of the car being parked in the parking location, wherein the automatic detection of the car being parked is based on sensor readings from the mobile device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the automatic detection is based on a mobility status determination derived from accelerometer readings of an accelerometer comprised by the mobile device, wherein the mobility status determination indicates either a walking mobility status or a driving mobility status.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein in response to a change between a driving mobility status to a potentially walking mobility status, obtaining, using a location sensor of the mobile device, a location;

and wherein in response to a determination that the car was parked, using the location as the parking location.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprises:

finding members of a community that are driving in an area in proximity to the parking location, wherein the second user is comprises by the members.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprises in response to a determination that a number of members found in said finding is above a threshold, removing a portion of the members to obtain a reduced list of members, wherein the reduced list of members comprises a number of members not exceeding the threshold.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said removing is based on a service level associated with each member of the members.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein said removing is based on a direction of driving of each member of the members.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein said removing is based on an estimated driving time of each member from a current location thereof to the parking location, wherein the estimated driving time is determined based on a path computation from a current location of the member to the parking location.

14. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium retaining program instructions, which program instructions when read by a processor, cause the processor to automatically generate an approach event, wherein the approach event is generated automatically based on sensor readings from a mobile device of a user, wherein the sensor readings are indicative of a user heading back towards a parking location of a car of the user, wherein based on the approach event one or more indications are transmitted to mobile devices of other users, wherein the one or more indications indicate that the car is estimated to vacate the parking spot, wherein said transmitting is performed prior to the car vacating the parking spot.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the computer readable product is loaded on to the mobile device, wherein the mobile device comprising a motion sensor and a location sensor.

16. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the computer readable product is loaded on to a server connectable to the mobile device.

17. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the program instructions are configured to cause the processor to transmit the approach event to a server, wherein the server is configured to transmit the one or more indications.

18. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the program instructions are configured to cause the processor to obtain the sensor readings from the mobile device;

and to transmit the one or more indications.

19. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the approach event is generated in response to an automatic estimation that the user is potentially approaching the parking location.

20. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the sensor readings indicate a reduction in a distance between a location of the mobile device and the parking location, wherein the program instructions are configured to cause the processor to generate the approach event in response to identifying the reduction in the distance between the location of the mobile device and the parking location.

21. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the approach event is generated based on a mobility status determined using a motion sensor of the mobile device.

22. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the sensor readings are accelerometer readings which are indicative of a walking mobility state.

23. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the sensor readings indicate a reduction in a distance between a location of the mobile device and the parking location.

24. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the approach. event is generated in response to an automatic estimation that the user is potentially approaching the parking location.

25. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the approach event is generated after an automatic detection of the car being parked in the parking location, wherein the automatic detection of the car being parked is based on sensor readings from the mobile device.

26. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein the automatic detection is based on a mobility status determination derived from accelerometer readings of an accelerometer comprised by the mobile device, wherein the mobility status determination indicates a walking mobility status or a driving mobility status.

27. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the program instructions when read by a processor, cause the processor to find members of a community that are driving in an area in proximity to the parking location, wherein the members comprise the other users.