METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR EFFICIENTLY MONITORING PARKING OCCUPANCY

• US 20140368652A1
• Filed: 06/18/2013
• Published: 12/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Conduent Business Services, LLC (Conduent, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Wang, Yao Rong
• Application Number:
  US13/920,361
• Publication Number:
  US 20140368652A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/148
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/52 Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69

Abstract

A system and method for determining parking occupancy and maintaining a database of parking occupancy data by receiving video data for a parking area from multiple video cameras, determining parking occupancy data for the parking area using the video data for the parking area, generating textual data corresponding to the parking occupancy data for the parking area, and transmitting the textual data corresponding to the parking occupancy data for the parking area to a central server. The central server can receive textual data from multiple devices and maintain and update a database of parking occupancy data based on the textual data received.

Claims

1. A system for determining parking occupancy, the system comprising:

a plurality of video cameras;

a processing system comprising one or more processors capable of receiving data from the plurality of video cameras; and

a memory system comprising one or more computer-readable media, wherein the one or more computer-readable media contain instructions that, when executed by the processing system, cause the processing system to perform operations comprising;

receiving video data for a parking area from the plurality of video cameras;

determining parking occupancy data for the parking area using the video data for the parking area;

generating textual data corresponding to the parking occupancy data for the parking area; and

transmitting the textual data corresponding to the parking occupancy data for the parking area to a central server.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the textual data comprises an estimated number of available parking spaces for the parking area.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the textual data comprises vehicle identifications.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the textual data comprises identified parking violations.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the textual data comprises parking space availability information for each parking space in the parking area.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein:

transmitting the textual data comprises transmitting the textual data from a computing device comprising the processing system; and

the central server receives textual data from a plurality of computing devices.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the central server:

maintains a database of parking occupancy data; and

is configured to respond to requests for parking occupancy information based on the parking occupancy data.

8. A method for determining parking occupancy, the method comprising:

receiving video data for a parking area from a plurality of video cameras;

determining, using one or more processors, parking occupancy data for the parking area using the video data for the parking area;

generating textual data corresponding to the parking occupancy data for the parking area; and

transmitting the textual data corresponding to the parking occupancy data for the parking area to a central server.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the textual data comprises a number of available parking spaces in the parking area.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the textual data comprises vehicle identifications.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the textual data comprises identified parking violations.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the textual data comprises parking space occupancy status information for each parking space in the parking area.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein:

transmitting the textual data comprises transmitting the textual data from a computing device comprising the one or more processors; and

the central server receives textual data from a plurality of computing devices.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the central server:

maintains a database of parking occupancy data; and

is configured to respond to requests for parking occupancy information based on the parking occupancy data.

15. A method of maintaining a database of parking occupancy data, the method comprising:

receiving, from a plurality of computing devices, textual data corresponding to parking occupancy data, wherein;

each of the plurality of computing devices receives video data from a plurality of video cameras; and

the textual data is generated by the plurality of computing devices based on the video data;

parsing the textual data to determine the parking occupancy data; and

updating the database of parking occupancy data based on the parking occupancy data using one or more processors.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the textual data comprises an estimated number of available parking spaces for the parking area.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the textual data comprises vehicle identifications.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the textual data comprises identified parking violations.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the textual data comprises parking space occupancy status information for each parking space in the parking area.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprises:

receiving a request for parking occupancy information related to one or ore parking areas;

searching the database of parking occupancy data for the parking occupancy information; and

transmitting a response to the request based on the parking occupancy information.