Unauthorized vehicle detection

• US 10,019,682 B2
• Filed: 03/27/2015
• Issued: 07/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Farrelly, Will, Nicoll, Douglas, Scott, Jonathan, Skipp, David, Brown, Richard, Wingfield, Eric H., Ristivojevich, Nikola
• Primary Examiner(s): Fan, Hongmin
• Application Number:
  US14/670,731
• Publication Number:
  US 20150310744A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,201 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 Route searching; Route guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3438 Rendez-vous, i.e. searching a destination where several users can meet, and the routes to this destination for these users; Ride sharing, i.e. searching a route such that at least two users can share a vehicle for at least part of the route
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063114 Status monitoring or status determination for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/20 Administration of product repair or maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0203 Market surveys; Market polls
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0206 Price or cost determination based on market factors
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/005 including pedestrian guidance indicator
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/14 indicating individual free spaces in parking areas
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/202 Dispatching vehicles on the basis of a location, e.g. taxi dispatching
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental

Abstract

A request for a parking space is received from a requesting vehicle. Data is received from at least one data-collecting vehicle related to at least one parking space. Based at least in part on the received data, a parking availability map is generated indicating a parking space appropriate for the requesting vehicle. If the parking space is occupied by an unauthorized vehicle, a message is provided to a parking enforcement authority that the parking space is occupied by an unauthorized vehicle.

Claims

1. A system, comprising a computer, the computer comprising a processor and a memory, wherein the computer is programmed to:

receive a request for a parking space from a requesting vehicle, wherein the request is provided from a portable device in the requesting vehicle;

receive, from at least one data-collecting vehicle, data related to at least one parking space;

generate, based at least in part on the received data, a parking availability map indicating a parking space matched to the requesting vehicle; and

,

upon identifying the parking space matched to the requesting vehicle at least in part based on identifying that the request was provided from the portable device, and determining that the parking space matched to the requesting vehicle is occupied by an unauthorized vehicle at least in part based on sensor data from at least one of the requesting vehicle and the data-collecting vehicle driving near the parking space, provide a message to a parking enforcement authority that the parking space matched to the requesting vehicle is occupied by an unauthorized vehicle.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer is further programmed to provide a message to the requesting vehicle that the parking space is unavailable.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer is further programmed to provide a message to the requesting vehicle that the parking space is available.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the computer is further programmed to provide navigational guidance to the requesting vehicle to locate the parking space.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer is programmed to identify the parking space based on a location of the parking space and at least one of a size of the parking space and a cost of the parking space.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one data-collecting vehicle includes the requesting vehicle.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer is further programmed to identify the parking space in response to the request based at least in part on a time of day.

8. A method, comprising:

receiving a request for a parking space from a requesting vehicle, wherein the request is provided from a portable device in the requesting vehicle;

receiving, from at least one data-collecting vehicle, data related to at least one parking space;

generating, based at least in part on the received data, a parking availability map indicating a parking space matched to the requesting vehicle; and

,

upon identifying the parking space matched to the requesting vehicle at least in part based on identifying that the request was provided from the portable device, and determining that the parking space matched to the requesting vehicle is occupied by an unauthorized vehicle at least in part based on sensor data from at least one of the requesting vehicle and the data-collecting vehicle driving near the parking space, providing a message to a parking enforcement authority that the parking space matched to the requesting vehicle is occupied by an unauthorized vehicle.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising providing a message to the requesting vehicle that the parking space is unavailable.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising providing a message to the requesting vehicle that the parking space is available.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising providing navigational guidance to the requesting vehicle to locate the parking space.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising identifying the parking space based on a location of the parking space and at least one of a size of the parking space and a cost of the parking space.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the at least one data-collecting vehicle includes the requesting vehicle.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising identifying the parking space in response to the request based at least in part on a time of day.