Method of determining an attribute of a parking structure

• US 9,478,134 B2
• Filed: 10/10/2014
• Issued: 10/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Narayanan, Santhosh Kumar, Gupta, Mukesh, Carnevale, Marco T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Calvin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Martinez Borrero, Luis A
• Application Number:
  US14/512,141
• Publication Number:
  US 20160104378A1
• Time in Patent Office: 746 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/301, 701/408, 701/400, 701/517, 701/36, 701/410, 701/423, 701/465, 701/519, 701/118, 701/23, 701/119, 701/409, 701/438, 701/439, 701/450, 701/522, 701/527
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0112 from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/143 inside the vehicles
• 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 1/148 Management of a network of parking areas

Abstract

A method of determining an attribute of a parking structure includes monitoring vehicle status data (VSD) obtained by a first on-board processor operatively associated with a vehicle telematics unit. The first processor executes computer readable code encoded on a first non-transitory computer readable medium. The method includes recording, in a vehicle memory operatively associated with the first processor, the VSD based on an output of a vehicle on-board sensor. The method further includes communicating the recorded VSD to a data aggregator of a remote parking information system (RPIS) for storage as aggregated data in a computer memory associated with the RPIS. The method determines, via the data aggregator, whether the vehicle is in the parking structure based on the communicated recorded VSD. The method further includes determining the attribute via the RPIS based on the VSD stored in the computer memory, and storing the attribute in the computer memory.

Claims

1. A method of determining an attribute of a parking structure, comprising:

monitoring vehicle status data associated with a vehicle obtained by a first processor on-board the vehicle operatively associated with a telematics unit disposed in the vehicle, the first processor executing computer readable code encoded on a first non-transitory computer readable medium;

recording, in a vehicle memory operatively associated with the first processor, the vehicle status data based on an output of a vehicle on-board sensor;

determining elements of the vehicle status data including latitude, longitude, altitude, heading, and speed based on the on-board sensor output during an interruption of radio-based input to a location detection component of a navigation unit in the telematics unit;

communicating the recorded vehicle status data to a data aggregator of a remote parking information system for storage as aggregated data in a computer memory associated with the remote parking information system;

determining, via the data aggregator, whether the vehicle is in the parking structure based on the communicated recorded vehicle status data, the data aggregator, including a second processor, executing computer readable code encoded on a second non-transitory computer readable medium;

determining the attribute of the parking structure via the remote parking information system based on the vehicle status data stored in the computer memory; and

storing the attribute of the parking structure in the computer memory.

2. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the communicating the vehicle status data to the remote parking information system occurs during a vehicle data upload event.

3. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising communicating the attribute of the parking structure from the remote parking information system to the telematics unit in the vehicle or an other telematics unit in an other vehicle.

4. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the attribute of the parking structure includes a quantity of parking levels in the parking structure;

a size and shape of the parking structure;

a spacing between the parking levels;

a total height of the parking structure;

a ramp position and direction within the parking structure;

a location of a stairwell or elevator;

a location of a vehicle entrance, exit, or checkpoint;

an average parking duration of a vehicle in the parking structure;

a closure status of a popular entrance of the parking structure;

or combinations thereof.

5. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein determining the attribute of the parking structure includes determining a location of a deck or ramp of a multi-level parking structure based on the vehicle status data including latitude, longitude, and altitude data.

6. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

determining, via the data aggregator, that the vehicle is an electric vehicle based on the vehicle status data stored in the computer memory;

determining, via the data aggregator, that the vehicle is connected to a charging station based on the vehicle status data stored in the computer memory;

determining, via the data aggregator, the vehicle location at a time when the vehicle is connected to the charging station; and

inferring, via the data aggregator, a location of the electric vehicle charging station in the parking structure based on the determining that the vehicle is an electric vehicle, the determining that the vehicle is connected to a charging station, and the determining the vehicle location at the time when the vehicle is connected to the charging station wherein the attribute of the parking structure is the location of the electric vehicle charging station in the parking structure.

7. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

determining, via the data aggregator, parking altitudes of a plurality of instances of vehicles having a parked status in the parking structure based on the vehicle status data stored in the computer memory;

grouping into parking levels, via the data aggregator, parking altitudes that are within a predetermined altitude tolerance; and

determining, via the data aggregator, a quantity of the parking levels based on the grouping into parking levels wherein the attribute of the parking structure is the quantity of the parking levels.

8. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

determining, via the data aggregator, an envelope of locations including all locations of vehicles in a parking structure over a predetermined period of time based on the vehicle status data stored in the computer memory; and

inferring an outline map of the parking structure based on the envelope wherein the attribute of the parking structure is the outline map of the parking structure.

9. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

determining, via the data aggregator, a popularity of parking spots in the parking structure over a predetermined period of time based on the vehicle status data stored in the computer memory; and

inferring, via the data aggregator, a location of a stairwell of the parking structure based on applying behavioral heuristics to the popularity of the parking spots wherein the attribute of the parking structure is the location of the stairwell of the parking structure.

15. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

determining, via the data aggregator, a vehicles per hour norm for entrances of a parking structure; and

determining that the parking structure is full based on an absence of vehicle per hour data, or vehicle per hour data that varies from the norm.

10. A system for determining an attribute of a parking structure, comprising:

a telematics unit operatively disposed in a vehicle, the telematics unit including a first processor executing computer readable code encoded on a first non-transitory computer readable medium of the first processor for determining vehicle status data from on-board sensors;

the on-board sensors to determine elements of the vehicle status data including latitude, longitude, altitude, heading, and speed during an interruption of radio-based input to a location detection component of a navigation unit in the telematics unit;

a vehicle memory operatively associated with the first processor on the vehicle to store the vehicle status data;

the first processor, by executing the computer readable code, to;

monitor vehicle status data associated with the vehicle; and

record the vehicle status data in the vehicle memory; and

a telematics service center in selective communication with the telematics unit, the telematics service center including a data aggregator of a remote parking information system the data aggregator having a second processor for processing the vehicle status data or information based on the vehicle status data received from the telematics unit wherein the remote parking information system determines the attribute of the parking structure based on the vehicle status data or on information responsive to the recorded vehicle status data and wherein the data aggregator stores the attribute of the parking structure in a computer memory associated with the data aggregator.

11. The system as defined in claim 10, further comprising a vehicle data upload unit operatively associated with the telematics unit to initiate a vehicle data upload event to communicate the vehicle status data to the telematics service center.

12. The system as defined in claim 10 wherein the telematics service center communicates the attribute of the parking structure to the telematics unit or an other telematics unit.

13. The system as defined in claim 10 wherein the attribute of the parking structure includes a quantity of parking levels in the parking structure, a size and shape of the parking structure;

a spacing between the parking levels;

a total height of the parking structure;

a ramp position and direction within the parking structure;

a location of a stairwell or elevator;

a location of a vehicle entrance, exit, or checkpoint;

an average parking duration of a vehicle in the parking structure;

or combinations thereof.

14. The system as defined in claim 10 wherein if the parking structure is a multi-level parking structure, the attribute of the parking structure includes a location of a deck or ramp based on the vehicle status data including latitude, longitude, and altitude data.