METHODS FOR IDENTIFYING PARKING SPOTS

• US 20150161890A1
• Filed: 12/05/2013
• Published: 06/11/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Huntzicker, Fred W.
• Application Number:
  US14/098,461
• Publication Number:
  US 20150161890A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/144 on portable or mobile units, e.g. personal digital assistant [PDA]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/147 where the parking area is within an open public zone, e.g. city centre

Abstract

In an example of a method for identifying parking spots, an update signal is recognized by an in-vehicle microprocessor of the participating vehicle running computer readable instructions stored on a non-transitory, computer readable medium. The updated signal includes an update of a status of a participating vehicle. The status is selected from the group consisting of a lock status, a trunk status, a door status, an ignition/power status, a transmission status, an odometer status, or combinations thereof. The in-vehicle microprocessor also recognizes a last activated time associated with the status. The in-vehicle microprocessor identifies a maximum probability of the participating vehicle leaving a parking space within a determined time period based on the status and the last activated time. The participating vehicle transmits a message including the maximum probability and geographic coordinates of the parking space.

Claims

1. A method for identifying parking spots, comprising:

recognizing i) an update signal including an update of a status of a participating vehicle and ii) a last activated time associated with the status, the status being selected from the group consisting of a lock status, a trunk status, a door status, an ignition/power status, a transmission status, an odometer status, or combinations thereof, the recognizing being accomplished by an in-vehicle microprocessor of the participating vehicle running computer readable instructions stored on a non-transitory, computer readable medium;

identifying, by the in-vehicle microprocessor, a maximum probability of the participating vehicle leaving a parking space within a determined time period based on the status and the last activated time; and

transmitting, from the participating vehicle, a message including the maximum probability and geographic coordinates of the parking space.

2. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein:

prior to the identifying step, the method further comprises retrieving, by the in-vehicle microprocessor, the last activated time for any of the statuses not included in the update signal; and

the maximum probability is further based on the retrieved last activated time for any of the statuses not included in the update signal.

3. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein:

the update signal includes respective updates for a plurality of the statuses;

the in-vehicle microprocessor recognizes an associated last activated time for each of the plurality of the statuses; and

the maximum probability is a function of all of the updates and the associated last activated times.

4. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the identifying of the maximum probability is accomplished by executing computer readable instructions that run a mathematical expression modeling a vehicle population, or by executing computer readable instructions that query a stored lookup table for the maximum probability associated with the status and the last activated time.

5. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the transmitting of the message includes sending a packet data message to a central server.

6. The method as defined in claim 5, further comprising:

receiving, at the central server, a request for parking spot information from a requesting vehicle;

determining that the requesting vehicle is located within a predetermined time or distance of the parking space or is en route to an area in proximity of the parking space; and

transmitting the maximum probability and geographic coordinates of the parking space to the requesting vehicle.

7. The method as defined in claim 5, further comprising receiving, at the central server, a plurality of messages from a plurality of different participating vehicles, each of the plurality of messages including a respective maximum probability of one of the different participating vehicles leaving a respective parking space within a determined time period, and respective geographic coordinates of the respective parking space.

8. The method as defined in claim 7, further comprising:

narrowing the received respective maximum probabilities using a geographic boundary and the respective geographic coordinates; and

electronically mapping the narrowed respective maximum probabilities.

9. The method as defined in claim 8, further comprising:

receiving, at the central server, a parking spot request from a requesting vehicle;

identifying, at the central server, a location of the requesting vehicle;

generating a geographic boundary around the location of the requesting vehicle;

identifying a probable parking space for the requesting vehicle from the respective parking spaces using the respective maximum probabilities, the determined time periods, the respective geographic coordinates, and the geographic boundary; and

transmitting the probable parking space to the requesting vehicle.

10. The method as defined in claim 7, further comprising:

receiving, at the central server, a navigation route request from a requesting vehicle;

identifying, at the central server, a geographic boundary around a destination of the navigation route and an estimated time at which the requesting vehicle will arrive at the destination;

identifying a probable parking space for the requesting vehicle from the respective parking spaces using the respective maximum probabilities, the determined time periods, the respective geographic coordinates, and the geographic boundary; and

transmitting the probable parking space to the requesting vehicle.

11. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein prior to recognizing the update signal, the method further includes:

recognizing that the participating vehicle is located within a predefined region; and

in response to the recognizing, initiating, by the in-vehicle microprocessor, a program having computer readable instructions that monitor for the update signal.

12. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the transmitting of the message includes broadcasting the message, and wherein the method further comprises receiving the message at a listening vehicle.

13. A method for identifying parking spots, comprising:

receiving, at a central server or an in-vehicle microprocessor of a listening vehicle, i) an update signal from a participating vehicle including an update of a status of the participating vehicle and ii) a last activated time associated with the status, the status being selected from the group consisting of a lock status, a trunk status, a door status, an ignition/power status, a transmission status, an odometer status, or combinations thereof; and

identifying, by the central server or the in-vehicle microprocessor, a maximum probability of the participating vehicle leaving a parking space within a determined time period based on the status and the last activated time.

14. The method as defined in claim 13 wherein the identifying is accomplished by the central server, and wherein the method further comprises:

receiving, at the central server, a parking spot request from a requesting vehicle;

determining, by the central server, whether the parking spot request is associated with a navigation request; and

i) when the parking spot request is not associated with the navigation request;

recognizing a current location of the requesting vehicle;

setting a geographic boundary around the current location;

identifying, by the central server, a probable parking space for the requesting vehicle using the geographic boundary and the maximum probability; and

transmitting the probable parking space to the requesting vehicle;

or

ii) when the parking spot request is associated with the navigation request;

generating, by the central server, a navigation route;

identifying a geographic boundary around a destination of the navigation route and an estimated time at which the requesting vehicle will arrive at the destination;

identifying, by the central server, a probable parking space for the requesting vehicle using the geographic boundary, the estimated time, and the maximum probability; and

transmitting the probable parking space to the requesting vehicle.

15. The method as defined in claim 13 wherein the identifying is accomplished by the central server, and wherein the method further comprises:

identifying, by the central server, geographic coordinates associated with the parking space;

categorizing the maximum probability based on the geographic coordinates; and

temporarily saving the maximum probability for a time.

16. The method as defined in claim 13 wherein the identifying is accomplished by the in-vehicle microprocessor of the listening vehicle, and wherein subsequent to receiving the update signal and prior to identifying the maximum probability, the method further comprises:

presenting, through an in-vehicle display or an in-vehicle audio system of the listening vehicle, a find parking inquiry; and

receiving, at the in-vehicle microprocessor, a positive user input in response to the find parking inquiry.

17. The method as defined in claim 13 wherein the in-vehicle microprocessor receives the message from the participating vehicle that is broadcasting the message from within a predetermined geographic proximity of the listening vehicle.

18. The method as defined in claim 13, further comprising:

recognizing, by an in-vehicle microprocessor of the participating vehicle, the update signal and the last activated time; and

broadcasting the update signal and the last activated time.

19. The method as defined in claim 13 wherein the identifying of the maximum probability is accomplished by executing computer readable instructions that run a mathematical expression modeling a vehicle population, or by executing computer readable instructions that query a stored lookup table for the maximum probability associated with the status and the last activated time.

20. A computer program for identifying parking spots, the computer program comprising computer readable instructions executable by a processor and embodied on a tangible, non-transitory computer readable medium, the computer readable instructions including:

computer readable instructions for receiving i) an update signal including an update of a status of a participating vehicle and ii) a last activated time associated with the status, the status being selected from the group consisting of a lock status, a trunk status, a door status, an ignition/power status, a transmission status, an odometer status, or combinations thereof; and

computer readable instructions for identifying a maximum probability of the participating vehicle leaving a parking space within a determined time period based on the status and the last activated time.