System and method for parking time estimations

• US 7,936,284 B2
• Filed: 08/27/2008
• Issued: 05/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Waze Mobile Limited (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Levine, Uri, Shabtai, Ehud, Shinar, Amir
• Primary Examiner(s): Hunnings; Travis R
• Application Number:
  US12/199,212
• Publication Number:
  US 20100052946A1
• Time in Patent Office: 979 Days
• Field of Search: 340/932.2, 340/934, 340/928, 340/989, 340/994
• US Class Current: 340/932.2
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0112 from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0129 for creating historical data or processing based on historical data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0141 for traffic information dissemination
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/143 inside the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/144 on portable or mobile units, e.g. personal digital assistant [PDA]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/146 where the parking area is a limited parking space, e.g. parking garage, restricted space
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/147 where the parking area is within an open public zone, e.g. city centre

Abstract

The invention provides a system for parking time estimations, the system comprising at least one device able to sense at least momentary location and respective time; and an application server to receive from a plurality of the devices time series of location points and to calculate, based on the received time series of location points, duration of searches for parking spots. The invention provides a method for parking time estimations, the method comprising detecting beginning of searching for a parking spot by a user of a device able to sense at least momentary location and respective time; detecting time of parking; and calculating at least estimated duration of searching for a parking spot.

Claims

1. A system for parking time estimations, the system comprising:

at least one device able to sense at least momentary location and respective time; and

an application server to receive from a plurality of said devices time series of location points and to calculate, based on said received time series of location points, duration of searches for parking spots.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein said application server is configured to calculate said durations by identifying traveling patterns corresponding to searching for a parking spot.

3. A system according to claim 2, wherein said application server is configured to identifying traveling patterns corresponding to searching for a parking spot by performing statistical analysis of said time series.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein said application server is configured to provide at least an estimated expected duration of search for a parking spot in a certain area and/or time in a day and/or day in a week, by performing statistical analysis of said calculated durations.

5. A system according to claim 1, wherein said application server is configured to accumulate parking-related information including at least one of a list comprising time to find parking spots in an area, number and/or percentage of parking spots in an area, the occupancy of the parking spots in an area, rate of evacuation and/or time of occupation of parking spots, duration of parking queue, number of vehicles entering and/or going out of an area, costs of parking, proximity of parking spots to destination and other parking-related information which may facilitate parking time estimations and/or the potential time for acquiring a parking spot.

6. A system according to claim 5, wherein said application server is configured to provide the information to a user of said device.

7. A system according to claim 5, wherein said application server is configured to receive said information and/or calculate the information from data received from at least one of said devices, street parking meters, parking payment systems, street video cameras, satellite cameras, sensors and manual input.

8. A system according to claim 1, wherein said application server is configured to provide a preferred path of searching and/or location of a preferred parking spot according to preferences of a user.

9. A system according to claim 1, wherein said application server is configured to provide instructions to a user to guide the user in a searching path and/or to a location of a parking spot.

10. A method for parking time estimation, the method comprising:

detecting beginning of searching for a parking spot by a user of a device able to sense at least momentary location and respective time;

detecting time of parking; and

calculating at least estimated duration of searching for a parking spot.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein said detecting beginning of searching for a parking spot comprises detecting a pattern of traveling, the pattern identified as corresponding to searching for a parking spot.

12. A method according to claim 10, wherein said detecting parking comprising identifying parking when a user has velocity below a certain predefined threshold.

13. A method according to claim 10, wherein said detecting parking comprising recognizing when a user deviates from an identified road.

14. A method according to claim 10, wherein said detecting parking comprising receiving a notice from a user upon parking.

15. A method according to claim 10, wherein said calculating comprising extracting the period of time between said detected beginning and said detected parking.

16. A method according to claim 10, further comprising the steps of:

collecting data of durations of parking-spot searching;

analyzing said data; and

providing parking information acquired based on at least said analysis.

17. A method according to claim 16, wherein said analyzing comprising statistical analysis of said collected data according to the different areas and/or times in a day and/or day in a week corresponding to said durations.

18. A method according to claim 16, wherein said parking information comprising at least one of a list comprising estimated parking search durations, number of available and/or unoccupied parking spaces and preferred search paths and/or locations of parking spots.

19. A method for parking time estimations, the method comprising:

detecting parking;

back-tracing route to detect beginning of searching for a parking spot; and

calculating at least estimated duration of searching for a parking spot.

20. A method according to claim 19, wherein said back-tracing comprises detecting a pattern of traveling, the pattern identified as corresponding to searching for a parking spot.