PARKING MANAGEMENT APPARATUS AND SYSTEM

• US 20160328970A1
• Filed: 10/28/2015
• Published: 11/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sengled Optoelectronics Co., Ltd. (SengLED USA, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Sengled Optoelectronics Co., Ltd. (SengLED USA, Inc.)
• Inventors: WANG, XIA, SUN, CHAOQUN, SHEN, JINXIANG
• Granted Patent: US 9,773,414 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/142 external to the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A parking management system is provided. The system includes a plurality of first parking management apparatuses configured to detect whether parking spaces are occupied and to adjust a brightness level of lights based on occupancy information of the parking spaces. The system also includes at least one second parking management apparatus configured to detect whether a vehicle passes through one of an entrance and an exit of a parking facility and perform corresponding operations based on a detection result. Further, the system includes a server, where the first parking management apparatuses are cascaded through a first Bluetooth module. The first parking management apparatus is connected to a wireless module of the second parking management apparatus through the first Bluetooth module; the second parking management apparatus communicates with the server through the wireless module; and the plurality of first parking management apparatuses communicate with the server through the second parking management apparatus.

Claims

1. A parking facility management system, comprising:

a plurality of first parking management apparatuses, installed above parking spaces, configured to detect whether parking spaces are occupied and adjust a brightness level of lights based on occupancy information of the parking spaces;

at least one second parking management apparatus configured to detect whether a vehicle is passing through one of an entrance or an exit of a parking facility and perform corresponding operations based on a detection result; and

a server, wherein;

the plurality of first parking management apparatuses are cascaded through a first Bluetooth module;

the first parking management apparatuses are connected to a wireless module of the second parking management apparatus through the first Bluetooth module;

the at least one second parking management apparatus communicates with the server through the wireless module; and

the plurality of first parking management apparatuses communicate with the server through the second parking management apparatus.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of first parking management apparatuses includes:

a first motion detection module configured to detect whether a parking space is occupied and send occupancy information of the parking space to the first Bluetooth module and a first lighting module;

the first Bluetooth module configured to send the occupancy information of the parking space received by the first motion detection module to the server; and

the first lighting module configured to, based on the received occupancy information of the parking space, adjust the brightness level of light.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the first lighting module further includes:

a first information receiving submodule configured to receive the occupancy information of the parking space;

a first lighting assembly;

a first light adjusting submodule configured to, based on the occupancy information of the parking space, adjust the brightness level of the first lighting assembly, wherein;

when the occupancy information of the parking space shows that the parking space is free, the brightness level of the first lighting assembly is maintained at a first predetermined brightness level;

when the occupancy information of the parking space shows that the parking space is occupied, the brightness level of the first lighting assembly is increased to a second predetermined brightness level and is maintained at the second predetermined brightness level for a preset time period; and

when time exceeds the preset time period, the brightness level of the first lighting assembly is decreased to the first predetermined brightness level.

4. The system according to claim 3, further including:

a map obtaining module configured to obtain a map of a parking facility from the server through the first Bluetooth module, and mark a position of a parking space on the map of the parking facility.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein:

the first Bluetooth module is further configured to, when the parking space is occupied, send the parking facility map with the marked parking space to a user device held by a driver whose vehicle occupies the parking space.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein:

the first Bluetooth module is a Bluetooth low energy (BLE) 4.1 module.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the second parking management apparatus includes:

a second motion detection module configured to detect whether the vehicle is entering into the entrance of the parking facility, and inform a wireless module and a second lighting module when it is detected that a vehicle is entering into the entrance of the parking facility;

a parking guidance module configured to obtain a map of the parking facility from the server through the wireless module, wherein the occupancy information of each parking space is marked on the map, and the occupancy information of the parking space is one of occupied and free;

the wireless module configured to, when the vehicle enters into the entrance of the parking facility, send the map including occupancy information of each parking space of the parking facility to a user device held by a driver who drives the vehicle; and

the second lighting module configured to, when the vehicle passes through an entrance or an exit of the parking facility, adjust the brightness level of light.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein:

the second parking management apparatus further includes a parking fee obtaining module;

the second motion detection module is also configured to detect whether the vehicle is exiting the parking facility, and inform the parking fee obtaining module when it is detected that the vehicle is exiting the parking facility; and

the parking fee obtaining module is configured to obtain the parking fee of the vehicle from the server through the wireless module, and send a request for the parking fee of the vehicle to the user device held by the driver who drives the vehicle through the wireless module.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein:

the wireless module is also configured to receive payment successful information from the user device held by the driver who drives the vehicle, wherein the payment successful information is information sent by a mobile online payment platform connected to the user device held by the driver who drives the vehicle after the payment is successfully made.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein:

the first Bluetooth module is a BLE 4.1 module.

11. The system according to claim 9, wherein:

the first Bluetooth module includes a BLE 4.1 module and a Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) module.

12. The system according to claim 7, wherein the second lighting module further includes:

a second information receiving submodule configured to receive vehicle entry and exit information at the entrance or exit of the parking facility;

a second light adjusting submodule configured to maintain the brightness level of a second lighting assembly at a first predetermined brightness level when no vehicle enters into the entrance of the parking facility or exits the exit of the parking facility;

the second light adjusting submodule also configured to adjust the brightness level of the second lighting assembly to a second predetermined brightness level when the vehicle passes through one of the entrance or the exit of the parking facility and maintain the second predetermined brightness level for a preset time period, wherein the brightness level of the second lighting assembly is decreased to the first predetermined brightness level when time exceeds the preset time period; and

the second lighting assembly configured to provide the first predetermined brightness level when no vehicle passes through one of the entrance or the exit of the parking facility, and provide the second predetermined brightness level for a preset time period when the vehicle passes through one of the entrance or the exit of the parking facility, wherein the brightness level of the second lighting assembly is decreased to the first predetermined brightness level when time exceeds the preset time period, and the first predetermined brightness is lower than the second predetermined brightness.

13. A parking facility management method, comprising:

detecting whether a parking space is occupied;

sending occupancy information of the parking space to a server via a first Bluetooth module, where the occupancy information shows that the parking space is occupied or free; and

based on the occupancy information of the parking space, intelligently adjusting a brightness level of light over the parking space.

14. The method according to claim 13, further including:

when the occupancy information of the parking space shows that the parking space is free, maintaining the brightness level of light at a first predetermined brightness level;

when the occupancy information of the parking space shows that the parking space is occupied, increasing the brightness level of light to a second predetermined brightness level and maintaining the brightness level of light at the second predetermined brightness level for a preset time period, wherein the first predetermined brightness level is lower than the second predetermined brightness level; and

when time exceeds the preset time period, decreasing the brightness level of light to the first predetermined brightness level.

15. The method according to claim 13, further including:

detecting whether a vehicle enters an entrance of a parking facility; and

when it is detected that the vehicle is entering the entrance of the parking facility, sending a map obtained from a server with the occupied parking spaces to a user device held by a driver and increasing the brightness level of light at the entrance.

16. The method according to claim 15, further including:

detecting whether a vehicle is exiting an exit of the parking facility;

when it is detected that a vehicle is exiting the exit of the parking facility, obtaining a parking fee of the vehicle from the server through a wireless module and increasing the brightness level of light at the exit;

sending the parking fee request to the user device held by the driver through the wireless module; and

receiving the parking fee payment notice and decreasing the brightness level of light when the vehicle leaves the parking facility.

17. A parking facility management system, comprising:

a server; and

a parking management apparatus configured to detect whether a vehicle is passing through an entrance or an exit of a parking facility and perform corresponding operations based on a detection result, wherein the parking management apparatus includes;

a motion detection module configured to detect whether the vehicle is entering into the entrance of the parking facility, and inform a wireless module and a lighting module when it is detected that a vehicle is entering into the entrance of the parking facility;

a parking guidance module configured to obtain a map of the parking facility from the server through the wireless module, wherein the occupancy information of each parking space is marked on the map, and the occupancy information of the parking space is one of occupied or free;

the wireless module configured to, when the vehicle enters into the entrance of the parking facility, send the map including occupancy information of each parking space of the parking facility to a user device associate with the vehicle; and

the lighting module configured to, when the vehicle passes through an entrance or an exit of the parking facility, adjust a brightness level of light.

18. The system according to claim 17, wherein:

the parking management apparatus further includes a parking fee obtaining module;

the motion detection module is configured to detect whether the vehicle is exiting the parking facility, and inform the parking fee obtaining module when it is detected that the vehicle is exiting the parking facility; and

the parking fee obtaining module is configured to obtain the parking fee of the vehicle from the server through the wireless module, and send a request for the parking fee of the vehicle to the user device associated with the vehicle through the wireless module.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein:

the wireless module is configured to receive payment successful information from the user device associated with the vehicle, wherein the payment successful information is information sent by a mobile online payment platform connected to the user device associated with the vehicle after the payment is successfully made.