System and method for distributed parking area map generation and parking area service using in-vehicle sensors

• US 10,839,686 B2
• Filed: 02/07/2019
• Issued: 11/17/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Wunder, Gregor, Brockmann, Frederik, Ramakrishnan, Naveen, Maier, Manuel, Kapoor, Rahul, Hagmeister, Alexander, Thalheimer, Karsten
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Mirza F
• Application Number:
  US16/270,413
• Publication Number:
  US 20190251842A1
• Time in Patent Office: 649 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/10 Services
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/586 of parking space
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096725 where the received information generates an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/143 inside the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/147 where the parking area is within an open public zone, e.g. city centre
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/007 using computer methods
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 Guidance services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/44 for communication between vehicles and infrastructures, e.g. vehicle-to-cloud [V2C] or vehicle-to-home [V2H]

Abstract

A method of operating a community parking system includes generating sensor data with a plurality of vehicles corresponding to vehicle parking spaces and parked vehicles located in a region, transmitting the sensor data to a parking data system, and generating parking map data with the parking data system based on the sensor data, the parking map data including a location of the vehicle parking spaces. The method also includes generating parking service data with the parking data system based on the sensor data, the parking service data identifying a status of each vehicle parking space as either occupied or unoccupied, and transmitting the parking service data to a particular vehicle of the plurality of vehicles to assist an operator of the particular vehicle in locating one of the vehicle parking spaces having an unoccupied status.

Claims

1. A method of operating a community parking system, comprising:

generating sensor data with a plurality of cameras, each camera of the plurality of cameras mounted on a corresponding vehicle of a plurality of vehicles;

transmitting the sensor data from the plurality of vehicles to a parking data system;

processing the transmitted sensor data with the parking data system to generate new parking spot data identifying locations of vehicle parking spaces and new no-parking area data identifying locations a vehicle should not park;

generating parking map data with the parking data system, the parking map data including a location of the vehicle parking spaces;

updating the parking map data (i) to include additional vehicle parking spaces based on the new parking spot data, and (ii) to remove vehicle parking spaces based on the new no-parking area data;

generating parking service data with the parking data system based on the sensor data and the updated parking map data, the parking service data identifying a status of each of the vehicle parking spaces as either occupied or unoccupied; and

transmitting the parking service data and the parking map data to a particular vehicle of the plurality of vehicles to assist an operator of the particular vehicle in locating one of the vehicle parking spaces having an unoccupied status.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

a first vehicle of the plurality of vehicles is manufactured by a first original equipment manufacturer and is configured to generate the sensor data;

the particular vehicle of the plurality of vehicles is manufactured by a second original equipment manufacturer; and

the first original equipment manufacturer is different than the second original equipment manufacturer.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the new no-parking area data includes image data corresponding to obstructions, driveways, and roadway intersections generated by the plurality of cameras.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the new parking spot data includes images of street-side parking spaces generated by the plurality of cameras.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein generating the sensor data further comprises:

generating radar data with a plurality of radar sensors, each radar sensor of the plurality of radar sensors mounted on a corresponding vehicle of the plurality of vehicles.

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

receiving a parking space location request from the particular vehicle; and

displaying the transmitted parking service data on a graphical user interface of a display device of the particular vehicle.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the parking map data is further generated based on a roadways map of a region in which the vehicle parking spaces are located.

2. A method of operating a community parking system, comprising:

generating sensor data with a plurality of vehicles corresponding to vehicle parking spaces and parked vehicles located in a region;

transmitting the sensor data to a parking data system;

generating parking map data with the parking data system based on the sensor data, the parking map data including a location of the vehicle parking spaces;

generating parking service data with the parking data system based on the sensor data, the parking service data identifying a status of each vehicle parking space as either occupied or unoccupied; and

transmitting the parking service data to a particular vehicle of the plurality of vehicles to assist an operator of the particular vehicle in locating one of the vehicle parking spaces having an unoccupied status,

wherein the parking map data includes a first percentage of the sensor data from a first original equipment manufacturer corresponding to a first plurality of the vehicle parking spaces;

wherein the parking map data includes a second percentage of the sensor data from a second original equipment manufacturer corresponding to a second plurality of the vehicle parking spaces; and

wherein revenue is divided amongst the first original equipment manufacturer and the second original equipment manufacturer based on the first percentage and the second percentage.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein:

the parking map data includes a third percentage of the sensor data from a third original equipment manufacturer corresponding to a third plurality of the vehicle parking spaces; and

revenue is divided amongst the first original equipment manufacturer, the second original equipment manufacturer, and the third original equipment manufacturer based on the first percentage, the second percentage, and the third percentage.

10. A parking data system, comprising:

a network adapter configured to receive sensor data generated by a plurality of cameras, each camera of the plurality of cameras mounted on a corresponding vehicle of a plurality of vehicles; and

a controller operably connected to the network adapter and configured to;

process the transmitted sensor data to generate new parking spot data identifying locations of vehicle parking spaces and new no-parking area data identifying locations a vehicle should not park;

generate parking map data, wherein the parking map data includes a location of the vehicle parking spaces;

updating the parking map data (i) to include additional vehicle parking spaces based on the new parking spot data, and (ii) to remove vehicle parking spaces based on the new no-parking area data;

generate parking service data with the parking data system based on the sensor data and the updated parking map data, wherein the parking service data identifies a status of each of the vehicle parking spaces as either occupied or unoccupied; and

transmit the parking service data and the parking map data to a particular vehicle of the plurality of vehicles to assist an operator of the particular vehicle in locating one of the vehicle parking spaces having an unoccupied status.

11. The parking data system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the operator is an electronic autonomous operator of the particular vehicle.

12. The parking data system as claimed in claim 10, wherein:

the new no-parking area data includes image data corresponding to obstructions, driveways and roadway intersections generated by the plurality of cameras.

13. The parking data system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the new parking spot data includes images of street-side parking spaces generated by the plurality of cameras.

14. The parking data system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the parking map data is further generated based on a roadways map of a region in which the vehicle parking spaces are located.

15. The parking data system as claimed in claim 10, wherein:

the parking map data includes a first percentage of data from a first original equipment manufacturer corresponding to a first plurality of the vehicle parking spaces;

the parking map data includes a second percentage of data from a second original equipment manufacturer corresponding to a second plurality of vehicle parking spaces; and

the controller is further configured to divide revenue amongst the first original equipment manufacturer and the second original equipment manufacturer based on the first percentage and the second percentage.

16. The parking data system as claimed in claim 15, wherein:

the parking map data includes a third percentage of data from a third original equipment manufacturer corresponding to a third plurality of vehicle parking spaces; and

the controller is further configured to divide the revenue amongst the first original equipment manufacturer, the second original equipment manufacturer, and the third original equipment manufacturer based on the first percentage, the second percentage, and the third percentage.