SYSTEM FOR MANAGING PARKING SPACES USING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND COMPUTER VISION

• US 20170323227A1
• Filed: 05/05/2017
• Published: 11/09/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2016
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Arash Sadeghi
• Original Assignee: Arash Sadeghi
• Inventors: Sadeghi, Arash
• Application Number:
  US15/587,633
• Publication Number:
  US 20170323227A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/127 Shopping or accessing services according to a time-limitation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/145 Payments according to the detected use or quantity
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/18 involving self-service terminals [SST], vending machines, kiosks or multimedia terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3224 Transactions dependent on location of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 2240/00 Transportation facility access, e.g. fares, tolls or parking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0259 based on store location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• 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: G07F 17/246 provided with vehicle proximity-detectors detecting hidden masses, e.g. metal detectors, G01V, e.g. G01V3/00; proximity switches per se H03K17/00; traffic control systems G08G1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/14 indicating individual free spaces in parking areas
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/148 Management of a network of parking areas
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/20 Information technology specific aspects, e.g. CAD, simulation, modelling, system security

Abstract

A parking space management system comprising a plurality of parking meters and a backend server. Each of the parking meters includes a respective main body, processor, sensor and transceiver. The sensor is configured to sense visual information relating to one or more parking spaces associated with the respective parking meter and the transceiver is configured to externally transmit the sensed visual information. The backend server remotely controls the parking meters. The backend server receives the transmitted sensed visual information from the parking meters, processes the received sensed visual information via computer vision to determine an occupancy status of the parking spaces associated with the parking meters, and controls the parking meters to display a first status notification indicative of the determined occupancy status of the associated parking spaces. The backend server also establishes a reservation for selected parking spaces and controls each parking meter associated with each reserved parking space to display a second status notification indicative of the reservation. Additional features and capabilities also are provided.

Claims

1. A parking space management system, comprising:

a plurality of parking meters, each of the parking meters including a respective main body, processor, sensor and transceiver, the sensor of each said parking meter configured to sense visual information relating to one or more parking spaces associated with the respective parking meter, and the transceiver configured to externally transmit the sensed visual information; and

a backend server configured to remotely control a selected one or more of said plurality of parking meters, the backend server further configured to;

receive the transmitted sensed visual information from at least one of the parking meters;

process the received sensed visual information via computer vision to determine an occupancy status of the one or more parking spaces associated with said at least one of the parking meters;

control said at least one of the parking meters to display a first status notification indicative of the determined occupancy status of the one or more parking spaces associated with said at least one of the parking meters; and

establish a reservation for a selected parking space and control the parking meter associated with the reserved selected parking space to display a second status notification indicative of the reservation.

2. The parking space management system of claim 1, wherein the backend server is configured to establish the reservation upon receipt of a request for a reservation transmitted from an external device.

3. The parking space management system of claim 2, wherein the reservation includes at least one vehicle identification information.

4. The parking space management system of claim 3, wherein the backend server is configured to determine whether the vehicle identified by the vehicle identification information included in the reservation has entered the reserved selected parking spot;

and the backend server is configured to control the parking meter associated with the reserved selected parking space to display a third status notification indicative of a violation when it is determined that a vehicle different than the vehicle identified by the vehicle identification information has entered the reserved parking space.

5. The parking space management system of claim 4, wherein the backend server is configured to disable a processing of a payment for parking in the reserved parking space when it is determined that a vehicle different than the vehicle identified by the vehicle identification information has entered the reserved parking space.

6. The parking space management system of claim 4, wherein the backend server is configured to make the determination of whether the vehicle identified by the vehicle identification information included in the reservation has entered the reserved selected parking spot by ascertaining at least one of make, model and color of the vehicle in the reserved parking space from the received sensed visual information of the reserved parking space and comparing the ascertained information with the vehicle identification information included in the reservation.

7. The parking space management system of claim 4, wherein the backend server is configured to make the determination of whether the vehicle identified by the vehicle identification information included in the reservation has entered the reserved selected parking spot by utilizing location information of the vehicle identified by the vehicle identification information in the request for reservation.

8. The parking space management system of claim 1, wherein each of the parking meters includes a beacon disposed on or within the main body and configured to display a selected one of a plurality of different status notifications.

9. The parking space management system of claim 1, wherein each of the parking meters includes an infrared sensor to detect a heat map of the one or more parking spaces associated with the respective parking meter.

10. The parking space management system of claim 1, wherein each of the parking meters includes a plurality of solar cells and a power source configured to power the respective parking meter and configured to be rechargeable via the respective solar cells.

11. The parking space management system of claim 1, wherein each of the parking meters is configured to receive power from an external power source and further configured to operate as a charging station for one or more electric vehicles.

12. The parking space management system of claim 1, wherein the backend server is configured to initiate a timer having a predetermined amount of time when a parking space becomes occupied.

13. The parking space management system of claim 12, wherein the backend server is configured to control a parking meter associated with an occupied parking space to display a third status notification indicative of a violation when the timer expires and a payment for said occupied parking space has not been processed.

14. The parking space management system of claim 1, wherein the backend server is configured to process sensed visual information received from a predetermined plural number of said parking meters to generate a three-dimensional depth map of areas surrounding the predetermined plural number of said parking meters.

15. The parking space management system of claim 14, wherein the backend server is configured to provide the generated depth map to an autonomous vehicle both in communication with the backend server and disposed within a predetermined distance of the predetermined plural number of said parking meters.

16. The parking space management system of claim 1, further comprising storage having stored therein a database of advertisements from retailers located within a predetermined area in association with said plurality of parking meters,

wherein the backend server is configured to:

detect an arrival of a vehicle within a selected parking space;

select at least one of the advertisements within the database of advertisements stored in the storage, the selected advertisement being associated with a retailer having a physical location disposed within a predetermined walking distance from the selected parking space; and

transmit, at the arrival of the vehicle within the selected parking space, the selected advertisement to a mobile device associated with an operator of the vehicle.

17. A method of managing parking spaces, the method comprising:

obtaining visual information relating to one or more parking spaces associated with each of a plurality parking meters;

processing the obtained visual information via computer vision to determine an occupancy status of the one or more parking spaces;

controlling the plurality of parking meters to display a first status notification indicative of the determined occupancy status;

establishing a reservation of a parking space associated with at least one parking meter; and

controlling the at least one parking meter to display a second status notification indicative of the reservation.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

processing the obtained visual information to generate a three-dimensional depth map of areas surrounding said plurality of parking meters; and

providing the generated depth map to one or more autonomous vehicles within a predetermined radius of the plurality of parking meters.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

establishing a database of advertisements from retailers within a predetermined area of said plurality of parking meters;

detecting an arrival of a vehicle within a selected parking space;

selecting an advertisement from the database of advertisements, the selected advertisement being associated with a retailer having a physical location that is within a predetermined walking distance from the selected parking space; and

transmitting the selected advertisement to a mobile device associated with an operator of said vehicle at the time of arrival.

20. A parking meter, comprising:

a main body;

a sensor disposed on or within the main body, the sensor configured to continuously sense visual information relating to a parking space associated with the parking meter;

a beacon disposed on or within the main body and configured to emit at least one of a visual notification and auditory notification indicative of a status of the parking meter;

a processor configured to encrypt the sensed visual information to be externally transmitted; and

a transceiver configured to transmit the encrypted sensed visual information to an external backend server for computer vision processing.