Imaging a Parking Display Ticket

• US 20160078299A1
• Filed: 11/17/2015
• Published: 03/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Cloudparc, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Cloudparc, Inc.
• Inventors: Nerayoff, Steven David, Wong, Thompson S.
• Application Number:
  US14/943,025
• Publication Number:
  US 20160078299A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/00 Pattern recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/22 Matching criteria, e.g. proximity measures
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/02 involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/145 Payments according to the detected use or quantity
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0284 Time or distance, e.g. usage of parking meters or taximeters
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/265 Personal security, identity or safety
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10004 Still image; Photographic image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30236 Traffic on road, railway or crossing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30264 Parking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/20 Analysis of motion motion estimation for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals H04N19/43, H04N19/51
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/292 Multi-camera tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/70 Determining position or orientation of objects or cameras camera calibration G06T7/80
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/73 using feature-based methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/90 Determination of colour characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/52 Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/54 of traffic, e.g. cars on the road, trains or boats
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/56 exterior to a vehicle by using sensors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/593 Recognising seat occupancy
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/62 : Text, e.g. of license plates, overlay texts or captions on TV images
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/625 : License plates
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/224 : of printed characters having additional code marks or containing code marks
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/23 : Recognition of whole body movements, e.g. for sport training
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/00 : Arrangements or apparatus for collecting fares, tolls or entrance fees at one or more control points handling coins or valuable papers, e.g. banknotes, G07D; apparatus for vending or hiring articles or services activated by coins, credit cards, paper currency or the like G07F7/00, G07F17/00
• 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 1/00 : Traffic control systems for road vehicles arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00 ; automatic vehicle control B62D
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/017 : identifying vehicles G08G1/015, G08G1/054 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0175 : by photographing vehicles, e.g. when violating traffic rules
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/052 : with provision for determining speed or overspeed speed measuring in general G01P
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/056 : with provision for distinguishing direction of travel
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/133 : within the vehicle ; Indicators inside the vehicles or at stops
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/14 : indicating individual free spaces in parking areas
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/142 : external to the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/143 : inside the vehicles
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/148 : Management of a network of parking areas
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/62 : Control of parameters via user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/66 : Remote control of cameras or camera parts, e.g. by remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/69 : Control of means for changing angle of the field of view, e.g. optical zoom objectives or electronic zooming
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/80 : Camera processing pipelines; Components thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/90 : Arrangement of cameras or camera modules, e.g. multiple cameras in TV studios or sports stadiums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 : Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 : for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

Tracking the use of at least one destination location is disclosed. Initially, one or more first images of a parking display ticket within a vehicle that is occupying a destination location are received from a first camera of an unmanned air vehicle that is configured to be autonomously operated. Parking information for the vehicle occupying the destination location is determined based on at least one of the one or more first images of the parking display ticket. A unique identifier of the vehicle occupying the destination location is also determined. The parking information for and the unique identifier of the vehicle occupying the destination location is then indicated.

Claims

1. A method of tracking use of at least one destination location, the method comprising:

receiving, from a first camera of an unmanned air vehicle that is configured to be autonomously operated, one or more first images of a parking display ticket within a vehicle that is occupying a destination location;

determining, based on at least one of the one or more first images of the parking display ticket, parking information for the vehicle occupying the destination location;

determining a unique identifier of the vehicle occupying the destination location; and

indicating the parking information for and the unique identifier of the vehicle occupying the destination location,

wherein the steps of receiving, determining and indicating are performed by one or more processors.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the parking information comprises one or more of a parking duration, a parking expiration time, an amount paid, a date of purchase of the parking display ticket, and time of purchase of the parking display ticket.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the parking display ticket is a Pay-and-Display parking ticket.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the parking display ticket is on a dashboard within the vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the parking information for the vehicle occupying the destination location based on the one or more first images of the parking display ticket comprises extracting parking information from a one-dimensional bar code, a matrix bar code, or printed characters on the parking display ticket.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the unique identifier of the vehicle occupying the destination location is a license plate number, a one-dimensional bar code, or a matrix bar code associated with the vehicle.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the parking display ticket comprises an RFID chip.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the one or more first images of the parking display ticket from the first camera of the unmanned air vehicle comprises zooming the first camera of the unmanned air vehicle.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the parking display ticket comprises the unique identifier of the vehicle occupying the destination location, and

determining the unique identifier of the vehicle occupying the destination location comprises determining, based on the one or more first images of the parking display ticket, the unique identifier of the vehicle occupying the destination location.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving one or more second images showing the vehicle occupying the destination location,

wherein determining the unique identifier of the vehicle occupying the destination location comprises determining, based on at least one of the one or more second images, the unique identifier of the vehicle occupying the destination location.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising determining, based on the one or more second images, a characteristic of the vehicle.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein receiving the one or more second images showing the vehicle occupying the destination location comprises receiving, from the first camera of the unmanned air vehicle, the one or more second images, the one or more second images showing a different field of view than the one or more first images.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein receiving the one or more second images showing the vehicle occupying the destination location comprises receiving, from another camera different than the first camera of the unmanned air vehicle, the one or more second images, the one or more second images showing a different field of view than the one or more first images.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the other camera is of another unmanned air vehicle that is configured to be autonomously operated.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the other camera is a fixed identification camera.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the other camera is an elevated destination camera.

17. The method of claim 1, determining the unique identifier of the vehicle occupying the destination location comprises receiving, from a third-party Pay-and-Display system, the unique identifier of the vehicle occupying the destination location.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the destination location is a single multi-vehicle destination location.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving two or more second images showing the vehicle and the destination location;

determining, based on at least one of the two or more second images, that the vehicle is stopped within the destination location at a first time;

determining, based on at least another of the two or more second images, that the vehicle has left the destination location at a second time that is after the first time; and

indicating the first time and the second time.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the parking information comprises a parking duration, the method further comprising:

comparing a difference between the first time and the second time to the parking duration.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

determining that the difference between the first time and the second time is greater than the parking duration;

determining, in response to the determination that the difference between the first time and the second time is greater than the parking duration, that the use of the destination location by the vehicle violates a restriction; and

indicating the restriction violated by the vehicle.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the parking information comprises a parking expiration time, the method further comprising:

comparing the second time to the parking expiration time.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

determining that the second time is after the parking expiration time;

determining, in response to the determination that the second time is after the parking expiration time, that the use of the destination location by the vehicle violates a restriction; and

indicating the restriction violated by the vehicle.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein determining parking information for the vehicle occupying the destination location based on the one or more first images of the parking display ticket comprises:

enabling presentation of at least part of the at least one of the one or more first images of the parking display ticket to a human operator; and

receiving, from the human operator in response to enablement of the presentation of the at least part of the at least one of the one or more first images of the parking display ticket, the parking information.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein enabling presentation of the at least part of the at least one of the one or more first images of the parking display ticket to the human operator comprises:

determining that the parking information is not automatically identified based on the at least part of the at least one of the one or more first images of the parking display ticket; and

enabling presentation, in response to the determination that the parking information is not automatically identified based on the at least part of the at least one of the one or more first images of the parking display ticket, of the at least part of the at least one of the one or more first images of the parking display ticket to the human operator.

26. The method of claim 24, further comprising receiving, from the human operator in response to enablement of the presentation of the at least part of the at least one of the one or more first images of the parking display ticket, a request to adjust the field of view of the first camera of the unmanned air vehicle by changing a pan, tilt, or zoom of the first camera.

27. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, from the first camera of the unmanned air vehicle that is configured to be autonomously operated, one or more second images of a handicap parking decal, a handicap parking mirror-hanger, a resident parking decal, or a vehicle registration decal.

28. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more first images includes a visual timestamp indicating a time at which the respective image was captured by the first camera of the unmanned air vehicle.

29. A system for tracking use of at least one destination location, the system comprising one or more processors connected to at least one storage device, the system being configured to:

receive, from a first camera of an unmanned air vehicle that is configured to be autonomously operated, one or more first images of a parking display ticket within or on a vehicle that is occupying a destination location;

determine, based on the one or more first images of the parking display ticket, parking information for the vehicle occupying the destination location;

determine a unique identifier of the vehicle occupying the destination location; and

indicate the parking information for and the unique identifier of the vehicle occupying the destination location.

30. A storage device storing a computer program for tracking use of at least one destination location, the computer program comprising one or more code segments that, when executed, cause one or more processors to:

receive, from a first camera of an unmanned air vehicle that is configured to be autonomously operated, one or more first images of a parking display ticket within or on a vehicle that is occupying a destination location;

determine, based on the one or more first images of the parking display ticket, parking information for the vehicle occupying the destination location;

determine a unique identifier of the vehicle occupying the destination location; and

indicate the parking information for and the unique identifier of the vehicle occupying the destination location.