Intelligent parking guidance apparatus and method

• US 7,825,827 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2007
• Issued: 11/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Kia Corp.
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: Kim, Kyeong Tae, Choi, Jeong-Dan, Kim, Mi-Jeong, Son, Myung Hee, Sung, Kyung Bok, Kim, Do Hyun, Park, Jong-Hyun, Jang, Byung Tae, Kim, Jung Sook, Yoo, Jae Jun, Lim, Jae Han
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Hung T.
• Application Number:
  US11/929,830
• Publication Number:
  US 20080136674A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,099 Days
• Field of Search: 340/932.2, 340/933, 340/988, 340/525, 340/528, 340/539.1, 340/539.11, 340/5.32, 340/5.33, 340/5.6, 701/202, 701/209, 705/13, 705/418, 705/1, 705/5, 705/6
• US Class Current: 340/932.2
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/017 identifying vehicles G08G1/015, G08G1/054 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/14 indicating individual free spaces in parking areas

Abstract

Provided are an intelligent parking guidance apparatus and method. The intelligent parking guidance apparatus includes: an image sensor node recognizing a vehicle number of a vehicle, sensor nodes determining whether the vehicle exists in their own positions, a parking management server generating information for guiding the vehicle to an available parking space, and a mobile communication terminal receiving the information. The intelligent parking guidance apparatus and method provide information regarding parking lots which are within a predetermined distance from a destination and available parking spaces of each parking lot, to a driver, as well as provide a road guidance service to the driver to guide his/her vehicle to the destination, so that the driver can select an optimal parking lot. Also, when the vehicle enters the parking lot, the intelligent parking guidance apparatus and method guide the driver to an available empty parking space, thereby reducing difficulties in finding a parking space in a place which is unfamiliar to the driver.

Claims

1. An intelligent parking guidance apparatus comprising:

an image sensor node configured to recognize a vehicle number of a vehicle which enters a parking lot, the parking lot having a plurality of parking spaces;

a plurality of sensor nodes determining whether the vehicle enters or leaves the parking lot and whether the vehicle is parked in the parking lot;

a parking management server configured to determine whether the vehicle is a vehicle which has made a request for parking reservation service using a sensing signal generated by the image sensor node, and generate information to guide the vehicle to the location of an available parking space within the parking lot after the vehicle enters the parking lot using a sensing signal generated by the sensor nodes if the vehicle is identified as having made the request for parking reservation service.

2. The intelligent parking guidance apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a mobile communication terminal configured to provide the parking reservation service and guide the vehicle to the available parking space in the parking lot,

wherein the mobile communication terminal provides a road guidance service while operating in association with a Global Positioning System (GPS), until the vehicle reaches the parking lot.

3. The intelligent parking guidance apparatus of claim 1, wherein the parking management server provides parking lot information including a total number of parking spaces and currently available empty parking spaces of the parking lot, in real time, to the mobile communication terminal.

4. The intelligent parking guidance apparatus of claim 1, wherein each parking space is assigned with one of the sensor nodes, wherein the parking management server includes location information for each of the sensor nodes that is assigned to the respective parking space, so that the location information can be used to guide the vehicle to the available parking space.

5. The intelligent parking guidance apparatus of claim 1, further comprising at least one sync node configured to amplify the sensing signal generated by the sensor nodes.

6. The intelligent parking guidance apparatus of claim 3, wherein the parking lot information is provided using the Internet.

7. An intelligent parking guidance method comprising:

identifying one or more empty parking spaces in a parking lot that are available for parking using sensors assigned to parking spaces, each parking space being assigned with a sensor and location information;

determining using a processor whether a vehicle entering the parking lot is a vehicle which has made a request to reserve a parking space;

generating location information for use in guiding the vehicle to the location of one of parking spaces identified as being available for parking; and

providing the location information to a terminal in the vehicle to guide the vehicle to the available parking space in the parking lot.

8. The intelligent parking guidance method of claim 7, wherein the location information is provided to the terminal in the vehicle after the vehicle enters the parking lot.

9. The intelligent parking guidance method of claim 7, further comprising:

amplifying signals transmitted by the sensors assigned to the parking spaces using a signal amplifier,

wherein the location information is provided to the terminal in the vehicle before the vehicle enters the parking lot.

10. The intelligent parking guidance method of claim 8, wherein the parking reservation service is performed using the Internet.

11. An intelligent parking guidance method comprising:

providing a road guidance service to guide a vehicle to a predetermined destination;

providing a parking reservation service, on the basis of location information of parking lots which are within a predetermined distance from the destination, and information of available empty parking spaces of each parking lot, while the road guidance service is provided; and

providing using a processor a parking guidance service for guiding the vehicle to an available empty parking space when the vehicle enters a parking lot in which a parking space for the vehicle is reserved by the parking reservation service,

wherein the parking guidance service includes providing location information of the available empty parking space within the parking lot to a terminal in the vehicle in order to assist a driver of the vehicle to find the available empty parking space in the parking lot.