PARKING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

• US 20170148230A1
• Filed: 05/05/2015
• Published: 05/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Circet Co.
• Original Assignee: Park24 Company Limited
• Inventors: RICHARD, Xavier
• Granted Patent: US 11,073,609 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/04 Systems determining presence of a target based on relative movement of target G01S13/56
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/26 wherein the transmitted pulses use a frequency- or phase-modulated carrier wave
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/325 using transmission of coded signals, e.g. P.S.K. signals
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/36 with phase comparison between the received signal and the contemporaneously transmitted signal
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/86 Combinations of radar systems with non-radar systems, e.g. sonar, direction finder
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/88 Radar or analogous systems specially adapted for specific applications electromagnetic prospecting or detecting of objects, e.g. near-field detection, G01V3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/2922 by using a controlled threshold
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 2240/00 Transportation facility access, e.g. fares, tolls or parking
• 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 1/042 using inductive or magnetic detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/14 indicating individual free spaces in parking areas
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70

Abstract

A method comprising, ascertaining and communicating, by a parking meter (102), presence of a vehicle in the parking space to a central server (104). Further, a session with a user device (112) of a user of the vehicle is established. Further, a parking validation message from the user device (112) is received. Further, a payment request message is transmitted to the user device (112). Further, the user device (112) transmits the payment request message to the central server (104) over a parking payment session. Further, an authorization status is received from the central server (104), where the authorization status indicates one of an authorized occupancy of the parking space and an unauthorized occupancy of the parking space. Further, a status indicator based on the authorization status is displayed, where the status indicator indicates one of the authorized occupancy of the parking space and the unauthorized occupancy of the parking space.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring a parking space by a parking meter (102), the method comprising:

ascertaining and communicating, by the parking meter (102), presence of a vehicle in the parking space to a central server (104), wherein the central server (104) is communicatively coupled to the parking meter (102);

establishing, by the parking meter (102), a session with a user device (112) of a user of the vehicle based on a session establishment request received from the user device (112);

receiving, by the parking meter (102), a parking validation message from the user device (112), wherein the parking validation message indicates a confirmation of occupancy of the parking space for parking by the vehicle;

transmitting, by the parking meter (102), a payment request message comprising an identity (ID) corresponding to the location of the parking space to the user device (112), and wherein the payment request message indicates a request for payment of parking charges corresponding to the parking space by the user, and wherein the parking charges are based on a predefined charging policy;

transmitting, by the user device (112), the payment request message to the central server (104) over a parking payment session for facilitating payment of the parking charges corresponding to the parking space, and wherein the parking payment session is established between the user device (112) and the central server (104),

receiving, by the parking meter (102), an authorization status from the central server (104), wherein the authorization status indicates one of an authorized occupancy of the parking space and an unauthorized occupancy of the parking space based on the presence of the vehicle as ascertained and one of compliance and non-compliance to the predefined charging policy by the user; and

displaying, by the parking meter (102), a status indicator based on the authorization status, wherein the status indicator indicates one of the authorized occupancy of the parking space and the unauthorized occupancy of the parking space.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the ascertaining further comprises detecting, by a magnetic field sensor (210) of the parking meter (102), a variation in a magnetic field arising due to presence of the vehicle in the parking space.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the ascertaining further comprises triggering a radar sensor (212) of the parking meter (102) to ascertain the presence of the vehicle in the parking space based on the detection of the variation in the magnetic field.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises receiving, by the parking meter (102), a user selection from the central server (104), wherein the user selection is at least one of a fixed time period option and a dynamic time period option, and wherein the fixed time period option indicates that the vehicle is to be parked for a predetermined time period, and wherein the dynamic time period option indicates that the vehicle is to be parked for a variable time period.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the method further comprises displaying, by a display unit of the parking meter (102), one of the predetermined time period and a session activated message based on the user selection.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the method further comprises,

computing a remaining time period by decrementing the predetermined time period by a predetermined time interval, wherein the predetermined time interval is computed from a time at which parking charges corresponding to the predetermined time period are received by the central server (104);

and

displaying the remaining time period.

7. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the method further comprises:

detecting, by the parking meter (102), a departure of the vehicle from the parking space using the magnetic field sensor and the radar sensor (212);

transmitting, by the parking meter (102), a time period for which the vehicle was parked at the parking space to the central server (104) for initiating payment of the parking charges corresponding to the time period; and

transmitting, by the central server (104), a confirmation request to the user device (112), wherein the confirmation request is a request to ascertain end of the occupancy of the parking space by the vehicle, and wherein the confirmation request further indicates the parking charges corresponding to the time period for which the vehicle was parked at the parking space, wherein the parking charges are based on the pre-defined charging policy.

8. A parking management system (100) for monitoring a parking space comprising:

a processor (202);

a detection system (210, 212) coupled to the processor (202), wherein the detection system (210, 212) is configured to ascertain presence of a vehicle in the parking space;

a session establishment unit (214) coupled to the processor (202), wherein the session establishment unit (214) is configured to,

establish a session with a user device (112) of a user of a vehicle based on a session establishment request received from the user device (112), wherein the vehicle is parked in the parking space;

receive a parking validation message from the user device (112), wherein the parking validation message indicates a confirmation of occupancy of the parking space for parking by the vehicle; and

transmit a payment request message comprising an identity (ID) corresponding to the location of the parking space to the user device (112), and wherein the payment request message indicates a request for payment of parking charges corresponding to the parking space by the user, and wherein the parking charges are based on a predefined charging policy;

a communication unit (216) coupled to the processor (202), wherein the communication unit (216) is configured to,

communicate the presence of the vehicle in the parking space to a central server (104);

receive an authorization status from the central server (104), wherein the authorization status indicates one of an authorized occupancy of the parking space and an unauthorized occupancy of the parking space based on the presence of the vehicle as detected and one of compliance and non-compliance to the predefined charging policy by the user; and

a display unit (218) coupled to the processor (202), wherein the display nit (218) is configured to display a status indicator based on the authorization status, wherein the status indicator indicates one of the authorized occupancy of the parking space and the unauthorized occupancy of the parking space.

9. The parking management system (100) as claimed in claim 8, wherein the detection system (210, 212) further comprises,

a magnetic field sensor (210) coupled to the processor (202), the magnetic field sensor (210) configured to detect a variation in a magnetic field arising due to presence of the vehicle in the parking space;

and

a radar sensor (212) coupled to the processor (202)), the radar sensor (212) configured to ascertain presence of the vehicle in the parking space.

10. The parking management system (100) as claimed in claim 8, wherein the session establishment unit (214) is further configured to provide an indicator to the user upon successful establishment of the session with the session establishment unit (214).

11. The parking management system (100) as claimed in claim 8, wherein the communication unit (216) is further configured to receive a user selection from the central server (104), wherein the user selection is at least one of a fixed time period option and a dynamic time period option, and wherein the fixed time period option indicates that the vehicle is to be parked for a predetermined time period, and wherein the dynamic time period option indicates that the vehicle is to be parked for a variable time period.

12. The parking management system (100) as claimed in claim 11, wherein the display unit (218) is further configured to display at least one of the predetermined time period and a session activated message based on the user selection.

13. The parking management system (100) as claimed in claim 12, wherein the processor (202) is configured to,

compute a remaining time period by decrementing the predetermined time period by a predetermined time interval, wherein the predetermined time interval is computed from a time at which parking charges corresponding to the predetermined time period are received by the central server (104);

and

wherein the display unit (218) is further configured to display the remaining time period.

14. The parking management system (100) as claimed in claim 9, wherein the radar sensor (212) is further configured to,

ascertain absence of a vehicle in response to detection of a departure of the vehicle from the parking space by the magnetic field sensor (210);

and

transmit a time period for which the vehicle was parked at the parking space to the central server (104) for initiating payment of the parking charges corresponding to the time period.

15. The parking management system (100) as claimed in claim 8, wherein the parking management system (100) further comprises a parking meter (102), wherein the parking meter (102) comprises the processor (202), the detection system, the session establishment unit (214), the communication unit (216) and the display unit (218).