System and method for selecting a parking space using a mobile device

• US 10,713,642 B2
• Filed: 08/05/2016
• Issued: 07/14/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Denso International America Incorporated (DENSO Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Denso International America Incorporated (DENSO Corporation)
• Inventors: Powell, Patrick
• Primary Examiner(s): Singh, Rupangini
• Application Number:
  US15/229,411
• Publication Number:
  US 20180039974A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,439 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/28 Pre-payment schemes, e.g. "pay before"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3223 Realising banking transactions through M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3224 Transactions dependent on location of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0284 Time or distance, e.g. usage of parking meters or taximeters
• 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 17/24 for parking meters
• 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

Abstract

A system and method are provided that include a communication system coupled to a vehicle, the communication system being configured to determine geospatial location data of the vehicle and transmit the geospatial location data to a server. At least one beacon communicates with the communication system and provides a reference location from which a part of the geospatial location data is determined. A mobile device is in communication with the server and is configured to receive geospatial location data of parked vehicles, compare the geospatial location data of the parked vehicles with geospatial reference location data of parking spaces in a parking lot to determine whether at least one parking space is available, and (communicate to the mobile device whether at least one parking space in the parking lot is available. The mobile device is configured to generate an output indicating whether at least one parking space is available.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a communication system in a vehicle, the communication system including a global positioning system (GPS) receiver configured to receive OPS signals from a plurality of OPS satellites and an ultra-wide band (UWB) transceiver system configured to receive UWB signals from a plurality of UWB beacons, each UWB beacon being located at a respective fixed reference location within a parking area, the communication system being configured to determine geospatial location data of the vehicle including a GPS position of the vehicle based on the GPS signals received from the plurality of GPS satellites and a UWB position of the vehicle based on the UWB signals received from the plurality of UWB beacons and to transmit the geospatial location data of the vehicle to a server, the server being configured to receive the geospatial location data for a plurality of other vehicles parked within the parking area and to compare the geospatial location data for each of the other vehicles with geospatial reference location data for a plurality of parking spaces in the parking area to determine at least one available parking space location corresponding to at least one available parking space within the parking area;

a mobile device in communication with the server and in communication with the communication system in the vehicle, the mobile device being configured to (i) receive the GPS signals from the plurality of GPS satellites, (ii) determine a GPS location of the mobile device based on the GPS signals, (iii) communicate the OPS location of the mobile device to the server, (iv) receive a response from the server, having received the geospatial location data of the vehicle, indicating whether the mobile device is located within the parking area equipped with the plurality of UWB beacons based on the GPS location of the mobile device and indicating the at least one available parking space location corresponding to the at least one available parking space within the parking area when the mobile device is located within the parking area equipped with the plurality of UWB beacons, (v) receive the UWB position of the vehicle from the communication system, and (vi) generate output to guide an operator of the vehicle to the at least one available parking space location based on the UWB position of the vehicle received from the communication system and based on the at least one available parking space location received from the server.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the UWB transceiver comprises a control module, an ultra-wide band radio, an antenna, and a receiver module.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of UWB beacons each include an ultra-wide band transceiver configured to transmit the respective fixed reference location.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile device is configured to, using a mobile application, reserve available parking spaces in the parking area through communication with the server.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the output includes turn-by-turn voice navigation instructions to guide the operator of the vehicle to the at least one available parking space.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile device receives payment information to pay a fee for the at least one available parking space and communicates the payment information to the server.

7. A method comprising:

determining, with a communication system in a vehicle, geospatial location data of the vehicle, the communication system including a global positioning system (GPS) receiver configured to receive GPS signals from a plurality of GPS satellites and an ultra-wide band (UWB) transceiver system configured to receive UWB signals from a plurality of UWB beacons, each UWB beacon being located at a respective fixed reference location within a parking area, the geospatial location data of the vehicle including a GPS position of the vehicle based on the GPS signals received from the plurality of GPS satellites and a UWB position of the vehicle based on the UWB signals received from the plurality of UWB beacons;

transmitting, with the communication system, the geospatial location data of the vehicle to a server, the server being configured to receive the geospatial location data for a plurality of other vehicles parked within the parking area and to compare the geospatial location data for each of the other vehicles with geospatial reference location data for a plurality of parking spaces in the parking area to determine at least one available parking space location corresponding to at least one available parking space within the parking area;

receiving, with a mobile device in communication with the server and in communication with the communication system in the vehicle, the GPS signals from the plurality of GPS satellites;

determining, with the mobile device, a GPS location of the mobile device based on the GPS signals;

communicating, with the mobile device, the GPS location of the mobile device to the server;

receiving, with the mobile device, a response from the server, having received the geospatial location data of the vehicle, indicating whether the mobile device is located within the parking area equipped with the plurality of UWB beacons based on the OPS location of the mobile device and indicating the at least one available parking space location corresponding to the at least one available parking space within the parking area when the mobile device is located within the parking area equipped with the plurality of UWB beacons;

receiving, with the mobile device, the UWB position of the vehicle from the communication system; and

generating, with the mobile device, output to guide an operator of the vehicle to the at least one available parking space location based on the UWB position of the vehicle received from the communication system and based on the at least one available parking space location received from the server.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the output includes turn-by-turn voice navigation instructions.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein determining the geospatial location data of the vehicle includes performing at least one of triangulation, trilateration, or triangulateration.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving, with the mobile device, input to reserve the at least one available parking space within the parking area; and

communicating, with the mobile device, data indicating that the at least one available parking space has been reserved.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving, with the mobile device, payment information to pay a fee for the at least one available parking space; and

communicating, with the mobile device, the payment information to the server.