Parking Control System and Method

• US 20080258935A1
• Filed: 12/01/2006
• Published: 10/23/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seevider Inc.
• Original Assignee: Visionride Inc.
• Inventors: Lee, Bang-Hoon
• Granted Patent: US 7,821,423 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/932.2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0284 Time or distance, e.g. usage of parking meters or taximeters
• 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 1/0175 by photographing vehicles, e.g. when violating traffic rules
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/14 indicating individual free spaces in parking areas

Abstract

Provided are a parking control system and method. In particularly, the present invention provides a total parking control system and method which are capable of automatically managing and controlling a whole process from a time when a vehicle enters a parking lot to a time when it goes out of there by using a server incorporating therein a program for a very high speed image recognition technique and parking management. For this, the present invention provides a parking location search unit which manages a parking location of an individual vehicle by recognizing vehicle numbers by photographing vehicles entering a parking space and going out of there as well as parked vehicles, and provides related information upon search. The present invention further provides a parking guiding unit guiding a driver of a vehicle entering the parking lot to an empty place for parking.

Claims

1. A parking control system comprising:

a photographing unit installed at an entrance of a parking lot for photographing vehicles entering the parking lot for identification thereof;

a photographing unit installed at an exit of the parking lot for photographing vehicles getting out of the parking lot for identification thereof;

an inner photographing unit disposed to photograph at least a current parking status for each unit compartment within the parking lot and identification information of parked vehicles;

a server unit incorporating a database including at least an overall layout of the parking lot and a parking management program therein, wherein the server unit receives and stores the photographed information provided by the photographing units for photographing vehicles entering the parking lot and getting out of there, receives and stores the information photographed by the inner photographing, settles a parking fee, stores at least the number of vehicles entering the parking lot and getting out of there, parking time and parking position based on the received photographed information, and derives information on individual unit compartments available for parking and information on a total number of currently parked vehicles;

a management terminal connected to the server unit;

a parking guidance screen installed at a place where a driver of vehicle entering the parking lot can identify for displaying the layout of the parking lot, wherein a unit compartment currently available for parking and a path for going to the unit compartment are displayed;

a search terminal connected to the server unit for providing a display screen for displaying parking information having a parking position to be searched and a path for going thereto upon input of information of the parked vehicle and/or for providing the parking information as voice; and

a guidance screen for exit of the parked vehicle for photographing congestion status of a center for settlement of a parking fee and conditions of outside road upon exit of the vehicle to display the photographed information for a driver of the vehicle.

2. The parking control system according to claim 1, wherein each of the photographing units for photographing vehicles entering the parking lot and getting out of there and the inner photographing unit comprises:

a camera for photographing vehicles entering the parking lot and getting out of there and parked vehicles; and

a vehicle number identifying module.

3. The parking control system according to claim 1, wherein the photographing units for photographing vehicles entering the parking lot and getting out of there are provided with a plurality of appearance photographing cameras for photographing the appearances of the vehicles to identify a change in the appearances of the vehicles during the parking.

4. The parking control system according to claim 1, wherein the parking management program stored in the server unit includes a program code for multi-window function so that the management terminal enables at least multi-display and/or multi-tasking with respect to a plurality of parking zones.

5. The parking control system according to claim 4, wherein the management terminal displays vehicles parked for a long period of term in different colors upon displaying a whole or part of the parking zones, the different colors being displayed depending on a parking period of each vehicle parked for a long term.

6. The parking control system according to claim 4, wherein the server unit, the management terminal and the search terminal are connected over the network, which is connected to the Internet.

7. The parking control system according to claim 6, further comprising a fixed and/or mobile terminal which is connected to the network by wire/wireless or to the network over the Internet for searching parking information including parking position of each vehicle and/or monitoring parking status thereof, and for remotely operating the system and repairing a trouble therein by remote operation.

8. The parking control system according to claim 1, wherein the inner photographing unit photographs a vehicle being parked and stored the photographed information.

9. A method employing the parking control system of the preceding claims, comprising the steps of:

photographing at least the number of a vehicle entering a parking lot and storing photographed information for identification thereof;

guiding a unit compartment currently available for parking and a parking path on a layout of the parking guidance screen installed at a place where a driver of the vehicle entering the parking lot can identify;

photographing the parked vehicle through the inner photographing unit and storing a parking position by identifying the vehicle number;

when a signal for search is inputted by the management terminal and/or search terminal, providing from the terminal parking information including the parking position information of vehicle to be searched;

notifying a driver of a vehicle getting out of the parking lot of congestion status of the center for settlement of the parking fee and congestions of outside road through the guidance screen;

photographing at least the number of vehicle getting out of the parking lot for identification thereof;

deriving a parking time and fee information with respect to the vehicle getting out of the parking lot, and performing settlement; and

upon receipt of instruction allowing the parked vehicle to get out of the parking lot, permitting the vehicle to get out of there.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising the step of updating, after the step of photographing the vehicle entering the parking lot, the step of permitting the vehicle to get out of the parking lot and the step of storing the parking position, a portion of the parking information including the total number of parked vehicles, parking time information and parking position in real times.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the photographing steps for photographing vehicles entering the parking lot and getting out of there photograph the appearances of the vehicles by using the plurality of appearance photographing cameras to identify a change in the appearances of the vehicles during the parking.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein the parking guidance step is performed by providing a driver of the vehicle entering the parking lot with a unit compartment available for parking and a parking path through a display screen and/or a voice thereon.

13. The method according to claim 9, wherein the parking information providing step, upon input of the information of the parked vehicle to be searched, provides the parking position of the vehicle and the path for going to the parking position via the display screen and/or a voice thereon.

14. The method according to claim 9, wherein vehicles parked for a long period of term are displayed in different colors through the management terminal upon displaying a whole or part of the parking zones, the different colors being displayed depending on a parking period of each vehicle parked for a long term.