SYSTEM AND APPARATUS FOR PARKING MANAGEMENT

• US 20080165030A1
• Filed: 11/21/2007
• Published: 07/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Inventors: HUANG, Shih-I, WU, Chung-Yi, SHEN, Chung-Chou, KUO, Lun-Chia
• Granted Patent: US 7,868,784 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/932.2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/14 indicating individual free spaces in parking areas

Abstract

A system configured for parking management in a parking facility, the system comprising a plurality of parking spaces, and a plurality of sensor units corresponding to the plurality of parking spaces, each of the plurality of sensor units being configured to detect a parking status of a corresponding one of the plurality of parking spaces and transmit a first message including the parking status of the corresponding one parking space in a wireless communication network.

Claims

1. A system configured for parking management in a parking facility, the system comprising:

a plurality of parking spaces; and

a plurality of sensor units corresponding to the plurality of parking spaces, each of the plurality of sensor units being configured to detect a parking status of a corresponding one of the plurality of parking spaces and transmit a first message including the parking status of the corresponding one parking space in a wireless communication network.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of sensor units includes:

a sensor configured to detect the parking status of the corresponding one parking space; and

a first communicating device configured to transmit the first message in the wireless communication network.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first message including at least one of the parking status, an identity number of the first communicating device, a size of the corresponding one parking space or a geographical coordinate of the corresponding one parking space related to a global positioning system (GPS).

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the first communicating device is configured to communicate with a second communicating device aboard a vehicle.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the second communicating device is configured to transmit a second message including at least one of an identity number of the second communicating device or a size of the vehicle.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein one of the plurality of sensor units that is closest to a gate of the parking facility is configured to collect at least one message transmitted in the wireless communication network.

7. The system of claim 1 further comprising a gateway device configured to collect at least one message transmitted in the wireless communication network.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensor units include a first sensor unit and a second sensor unit, the first sensor unit being closer to a gate of the parking facility than the second sensor unit and being configured to receive a second message from the second sensor unit.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of sensor units includes a global positioning system (GPS) receiver.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of parking spaces include a first array of parking spaces and a second array of parking spaces, further comprising a first gateway device configured to collect at least one message from at least one sensor unit of the first array of parking spaces and a second gateway device configured to collect at least one message from at least one sensor unit of the second array of parking spaces.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein each of the first array of parking spaces has a first size and each of the second array of parking spaces has a second size, the first size and the second size being different from each other.

12. An apparatus configured for parking management in a parking facility, the apparatus comprising:

a first antenna; and

a first communicating device corresponding a first parking space in the parking facility, the first communicating device further comprising;

a first controller configured to receive a signal related to a parking status of the first parking space;

a first memory configured to store at least one of the parking status of the first parking space, a size of the first parking space, a geographical coordinate of the first parking space related to a global positioning system (GPS) or an identity number of the first communicating device; and

a first radio frequency (RF) module configured to transmit a first message including at least one of the parking status, the size, the geographical coordinate of the first parking space or the identity number of the first communicating device via the first antenna in a wireless communication network.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the parking facility includes a first array of parking spaces including the first parking space, and a second array of parking spaces, the first parking space being closer to a gate of the parking facility than a second parking space of the first array, and wherein the first communicating device is configured to receive a second message from a second communicating device corresponding to the second parking space and be prohibited from transmitting the first message to the second communicating device in the wireless communication network.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the first parking space is farther from the gate of the parking facility than a third parking space of the first array, and wherein the first communicating device is configured to transmit at least one of the first message or the second message to a third communicating device corresponding to the third parking space, and be prohibited from receiving a third message from the third communicating device in the wireless communication network.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the second message includes a count value related to a distance between the second parking space and the gate, and wherein the first communicating device is configured to remain the count value unchanged when the second message is received by the first communicating device.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein a fourth message from a fourth communicating device corresponding to a fourth parking space in the second array includes a count value related to a distance between the forth parking space and the gate, and wherein the first communicating device is configured to change the count value when the fourth message is received by the first communicating device.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the first communicating device is configured to communicate with a fifth communicating device aboard a vehicle in the wireless communicating network, the fifth communicating device comprising:

a controller configured to receive at least one of the first message or the second message; and

a memory configured to store at least one of the at least one of first message or the second message, a size of the vehicle or an identity number of the fifth communicating device.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the first communicating device is configured to operate at one of a first mode in response to the presence of the fifth communicating device at the first parking space and a second mode in response to the absence of the fifth communicating device from the first parking space.

19. An apparatus configured for parking management in a parking facility, the apparatus comprising:

a first antenna; and

a communicating device aboard a vehicle, the communicating device further comprising;

a first radio frequency (RF) module configured to receive at least one message each including at least one of a parking status of a parking space in the parking facility, a size of the parking space, a geographical coordinate of the parking space related to a global positioning system (GPS) or an identity number of a communicating device corresponding to the parking space via the first antenna in a wireless communication network;

a first memory configured to store at least one of the parking status, the size, the geographical coordinate of the parking space or an identity number of the first communicating device; and

a first controller configured to identify at least one available parking space in the parking facility based on the at least one message.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the parking facility includes a first array of parking spaces and a second array of parking spaces, a first parking space of the first array being closer to a gate of the parking facility than a second parking space of the first array, and wherein a first communicating device corresponding to the first parking space is configured to receive a second message from a second communicating device corresponding to the second parking space and be prohibited from transmitting a first message to the second communicating device in the wireless communication network.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the first parking space is farther from the gate of the parking facility than a third parking space of the first array, and wherein the first communicating device is configured to transmit at least one of the first message or the second message to a third communicating device corresponding to the third parking space, and be prohibited from receiving a third message from the third communicating device in the wireless communication network.

22. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the second message includes a count value related to a distance between the second parking space and the gate, and wherein the first communicating device is configured to remain the count value unchanged when the second message is received by the first communicating device.

23. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein a fourth message from a fourth communicating device corresponding to a fourth parking space in the second array includes a count value related to a distance between the forth parking space and the gate, and wherein the first communicating device is configured to change the count value when the fourth message is received by the first communicating device.

24. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the communicating device aboard the vehicle is configured to communicate with at least one the first communicating device or the second communicating device in the wireless communicating network, each of the first and second communicating devices comprising:

a controller configured to receive a signal related to a parking status of a corresponding one parking space; and

an RF module configured to transmit a message including at least one of a size of the corresponding one parking space, a geographical coordinate of the corresponding one parking space related to a global positioning system (GPS) or an identity number of a corresponding one communicating device.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the communicating device aboard the vehicle is configured to operate at one of a first mode in response to the presence of the vehicle at the first parking space and a second mode in response to the absence of the vehicle from the first parking space.