Smartphone augmented video-based on-street parking management system

• US 9,367,966 B2
• Filed: 05/01/2012
• Issued: 06/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Conduent Business Services, LLC (Conduent, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Fan, Zhigang, Wang, Yao Rong
• Primary Examiner(s): Perungavoor, Sath V
• Assistant Examiner(s): Duley, Janese
• Application Number:
  US13/461,161
• Publication Number:
  US 20130265426A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,505 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/54 of traffic, e.g. cars on the road, trains or boats
• 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: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A method and a system for automating parking payment includes receiving video data in a sequence of frames provided by a video capture device observing a parking area. The method includes detecting a vehicle in the parking area using the video data. The method further includes receiving information of a vehicle in the parking area provided by a user device. The method includes comparing the characteristics of the detected vehicle with the information from the user device. In response to the characteristics of the detected vehicle being a match to the information sent from the user device, the method includes tracking the detected vehicle across the sequence of frames. The method includes computing a duration that the detected vehicle remains stationary using the tracking. The method includes computing an amount for charging the associated user device based on the duration.

Claims

1. A method for automating parking payment, the method comprising:

receiving video data in a sequence of frames provided by an associated video capture device observing an on-street parking area;

detecting a vehicle in an on-street parking area using the video data;

tracking the detected vehicle across the sequence of frames;

characterizing the detected vehicle in the video data;

computing a duration that the detected vehicle remains stationary in the parking area using the tracking;

receiving vehicle image data from an associated hand-held user device belonging to an occupant of a vehicle;

characterizing the vehicle image data;

comparing characteristics of the characterized vehicle with the characterized vehicle image data; and

,

in response to matching the characteristics of the characterized vehicle with those from the characterized vehicle image data, charging the associated hand-held user device a parking fee based on the duration.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

detecting a time instant when the detected vehicle leaves the parking area.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting is performed by one of background subtraction, temporal difference, optical flow and an initialization process.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the associated hand-held user device is a smartphone with camera capabilities.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

associating the associated hand-held user device with an account.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

deducting the charge amount from the account.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing the associated hand-held user device with a statement.

8. A computer program product comprising tangible media which encodes instructions for performing the method of claim 1.

9. A system for determining a parking violation comprising:

a detection device comprising memory which stores instructions for performing the method of claim 1 and a processor, in communication with the memory for executing the instructions.

10. A system for automating parking payment, the system comprising a processor and a non-transitory computer readable memory storing instructions that are executable by the processor for:

receiving video data in a sequence of frames provided by an associated video capture device observing an on-street parking area;

detecting a vehicle in the parking area using the video data;

tracking the detected vehicle across the sequence of frames;

characterizing the detected vehicle in the video data;

computing a duration that the detected vehicle remains stationary in the parking area using the tracking;

receiving vehicle image data from an associated hand-held user device belonging to an occupant of a vehicle;

characterizing the vehicle image data;

comparing characteristics of the characterized vehicle with the; and

, in response to matching the characteristics of the characterized vehicle with those from the characterized vehicle image data, charging the associated hand-held user device a parking fee based on the duration.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor further tracks the detected vehicle across the sequence of frames for detecting a time instant when the detected vehicle leaves the parking area.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein in response to the vehicle detection module detecting the vehicle, the processor further initiates a timer for measuring the duration.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor further performs one of background subtraction, temporal difference, optical flow and an initialization process.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the associated hand-held user device is a smartphone with camera capabilities.

15. The system of claim 10 wherein the processor further associates the associated hand-held user device with an account.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the processor further deducts the charge amount from the account.

17. The system of claim 10 wherein the processor further provides the associated hand-held user device with a statement.