U.S. patent application number 15/257244 was filed with the patent office on 2017-03-09 for parking application and management system.
The applicant listed for this patent is Honeywell International Inc.. Invention is credited to Himanshu Khurana.
Application Number | 20170069211 15/257244 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 58189836 |
Filed Date | 2017-03-09 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170069211 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Khurana; Himanshu |
March 9, 2017 |
PARKING APPLICATION AND MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
Abstract
Devices, methods, and systems for parking management are
described herein. One device includes instructions which, when
executed by a processor, cause the processor to receive a first
indication via a mobile device that a user intends to park a
vehicle in a parking spot of a parking area, display directions to
an available parking spot in the parking area via the mobile
device, receive a second indication via the mobile device that the
user has parked the vehicle in the available parking spot, and
provide a third indication via a different mobile device that the
available parking spot is no longer available.
Inventors: |
Khurana; Himanshu;
(Plymouth, MN) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Honeywell International Inc. |
Morris Plains |
NJ |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
58189836 |
Appl. No.: |
15/257244 |
Filed: |
September 6, 2016 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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62215490 |
Sep 8, 2015 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G08G 1/146 20130101;
G01C 21/3685 20130101; G08G 1/144 20130101; G08G 1/0175 20130101;
G07B 15/02 20130101; G06Q 10/06 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G08G 1/14 20060101
G08G001/14; G07B 15/02 20060101 G07B015/02 |
Claims
1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions
stored thereon which, when executed by a processor, cause the
processor to: receive a first indication via a mobile device that a
user intends to park a vehicle in a parking spot of a parking area;
display directions to an available parking spot in the parking area
via the mobile device; receive a second indication via the mobile
device that the user has parked the vehicle in the available
parking spot; and provide a third indication via a different mobile
device that the available parking spot is no longer available.
2. The medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions include
instructions to: display a rendering of the available parking spot
in a first color before the receipt of the first indication; and
display the rendering of the available parking spot in a second
color responsive to receiving the first indication.
3. The medium of claim 2, wherein the instructions include
instructions to display the rendering of the available parking spot
in a third color responsive to receiving the second indication.
4. The medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions include
instructions to prevent the different mobile device from indicating
that a user associated with the different mobile device has parked
a different vehicle in the parking spot responsive to receiving the
first indication.
5. The medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions include
instructions to prevent the reception of the first indication
responsive to a vehicle occupancy associated with the parking area
exceeding a particular threshold.
6. The medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions include
instructions to display a rendering of the parking area having a
plurality of zones.
7. The medium of claim 6, wherein the instructions include
instructions to display each of the plurality of zones using a
particular color based on a respective number of available parking
spots in each zone.
8. The medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions include
instructions to receive a payment corresponding to an amount of
time the vehicle was parked in the parking area.
9. The medium of claim 8, wherein the instructions include
instructions to process the payment without any user input.
10. The medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions include
instructions to: receive a fourth indication from the mobile device
that the vehicle is no longer parked in the parking spot; and
provide a fifth indication via the different mobile device that the
unavailable parking spot is now available.
11. A system for parking management, comprising: a first reader
associated with an entrance of a parking area and configured to
determine that a vehicle has entered the parking area; a second
reader associated with an exit of the parking area and configured
to determine that the vehicle has exited the parking area; a
plurality of beacons located in the parking area; and a computing
device, configured to: receive an indication of the vehicle
entering the parking area from the first reader; determine an
available parking spot a zone of the parking area; track a movement
of the vehicle in the parking area based on communications between
the plurality of beacons and a mobile device associated with the
vehicle; receive an indication from the mobile device associated
with the vehicle that the vehicle is parked in the available spot;
receive an indication of the vehicle exiting the parking area from
the second reader; and determine a length of time the vehicle spent
in the parking area based on the indications from the first reader
and the second reader.
12. The system of claim 11, wherein the first reader and second
reader are license plate readers, and wherein the first and second
indications are indications of the license plate number of the
vehicle entering and exiting the parking area, respectively.
13. The system of claim 11, wherein each of the plurality of
beacons is associated with a respective zone of the parking
area.
14. The system of claim 11, wherein the computing device is
configured to determine a payment to be made by a user associated
with the mobile device based, at least in part, on the length of
time the vehicle spent in the parking area.
15. The system of claim 14, wherein the computing device is
configured to process the payment based on user information pre-
registered with an entity managing the parking area.
16. A method for parking management, comprising: displaying a
rendering of a parking area via a user interface of a mobile
device, wherein the rendering includes a plurality of parking
spots, and wherein each of the parking spots is designated as
available, held, or reserved; receiving an indication via the user
interface that a user intends to park a vehicle in a particular
parking spot, wherein the particular parking spot is designated as
available before the indication is received; designating the
particular parking spot as held responsive to receiving the
indication; receiving a subsequent indication via the user
interface that the user has parked the vehicle in the particular
parking spot; designating the particular parking spot as reserved
responsive to receiving the subsequent indication; and
re-designating the particular parking spot as available responsive
to determining that the vehicle has exited the parking area based
on information received from a reader associated with an exit of
the parking area.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein the method includes guiding the
mobile device to the vehicle subsequent to designating the
particular parking spot as reserved.
18. The method of claim 16, wherein the method includes predicting
a number of the plurality of parking spots designated as available,
held, or reserved based, at least in part, on information received
from an outside source.
19. The method of claim 16, wherein the method includes determining
a license plate number of the vehicle and storing the determined
license plate number in memory.
20. The method of claim 16, wherein the method includes providing
occupancy information associated with the parking area to an entity
managing the parking area.
Description
PRIORITY INFORMATION
[0001] This application is a Non-Provisional of U.S. Provisional
Application No. 62/215,490, filed Sep. 8, 2015, the contents of
which are incorporated herein by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present disclosure relates to devices, methods, and
systems for parking management.
BACKGROUND
[0003] People may park their vehicle in a managed parking area,
such as a lot or ramp, for instance. These areas may be found at
locations such as airports, hotels, downtown areas, sporting
venues, events, and/or shopping malls, for example. In some
instances, people may contract with an entity (e.g., an individual
and/or company) managing a managed parking area on a monthly and/or
yearly basis. In some instances, the management entity may charge
for parking on a per-use basis. For example, parking may be paid
for on an hourly and/or daily basis.
[0004] Previous approaches to parking management may use expensive
infrastructure for managing access and/or revenue. That
infrastructure can include pay stations, credit card readers,
and/or gates, among others. In previous approaches, that
infrastructure may undergo frequent updates to adjust to changing
revenue methods, changing usage patterns, and/or changing size of
the area. Moreover, infrastructure used in previous approaches may
require capital investments for their installation, maintenance,
and updating.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0005] FIG. 1 illustrates a system for parking management in
accordance with one or more embodiments of the present
disclosure.
[0006] FIG. 2 illustrates an example display for parking management
in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present
disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0007] Devices, methods, and systems for parking management are
described herein. Parking management in accordance with one or more
embodiments of the present disclosure can reduce (e.g., eliminate)
the need for expensive infrastructure relied upon in previous
approaches. Instead of expensive infrastructure, embodiments of the
present disclosure can allow parking management to be carried out
by device(s), such as smart phones, carried by users.
[0008] In some embodiments, users can enter a parking area without
waiting for a pay station and/or gate to allow them access. An app
(computer-executed instructions) on their device can communicate
with one or more devices of the parking area, thereby providing a
variety of functionalities. In some embodiments, a display can be
provided that shows available parking spots (e.g., designated
spaces, areas, etc. for parking a vehicle) and/or guides the user
to an available parking spot. In some embodiments, users can "hold"
a parking spot such that the spot is shown as held and not
available to other users. In some embodiments, users can "reserve"
the spot upon reaching it and indicate that they have parked in the
held spot.
[0009] According to one or more embodiments of the present
disclosure, upon returning to the parking area, users can be guided
to their vehicle and payment can be made automatically (e.g., based
on the amount of time the vehicle was parked in the parking area).
Payment can be made upon leaving the parking area; payment can be
made upon entering the parking area. In some embodiments, payment
can be made on a regular basis (e.g., weekly, monthly, yearly,
etc.). Users can exit the parking area without waiting for a pay
station and/or gate to allow them to exit.
[0010] Parking management in accordance with one or more
embodiments of the present disclosure can utilize one or more
devices to track vehicle movement. For example, some embodiments
can include license plate readers at an entrance and/or exit of a
parking area (as well as in other areas). Thus, embodiments herein
can track which vehicle(s) have entered the area and which
vehicle(s) have exited the area. Some embodiments can include
wireless beacons (e.g., Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and/or WiFi
beacons) in the parking area to track vehicle movement.
[0011] In the following detailed description, reference is made to
the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof. The drawings
show by way of illustration how one or more embodiments of the
disclosure may be practiced.
[0012] These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to
enable those of ordinary skill in the art to practice one or more
embodiments of this disclosure. It is to be understood that other
embodiments may be utilized and that process changes may be made
without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
[0013] As will be appreciated, elements shown in the various
embodiments herein can be added, exchanged, combined, and/or
eliminated so as to provide a number of additional embodiments of
the present disclosure. The proportion and the relative scale of
the elements provided in the figures are intended to illustrate the
embodiments of the present disclosure, and should not be taken in a
limiting sense.
[0014] The figures herein follow a numbering convention in which
the first digit or digits correspond to the drawing figure number
and the remaining digits identify an element or component in the
drawing. Similar elements or components between different figures
may be identified by the use of similar digits.
[0015] As used herein, "a" or "a number of" something can refer to
one or more such things. For example, "a number of vehicles" can
refer to one or more vehicles.
[0016] FIG. 1 illustrates a system 100 for parking management in
accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.
As shown in FIG. 1, system 100 includes a parking area 102 and a
mobile device 107.
[0017] The parking area 102 can be an area having a plurality of
parking spots therein allowing users to park vehicle(s). The
parking area 102 can be located at an airport, a hotel, a downtown
area, a sporting venue, an event, and/or a shopping mall, for
example, though embodiments of the present disclosure do not limit
the parking area 102 to a particular location. Users may contract
with an entity (e.g., an individual and/or company) managing the
parking area 102 to park in the parking area 102. Such a contract
may be made for a monthly and/or yearly basis, for instance. The
entity managing the parking area 102 may charge for parking on a
per-use basis. For example, parking may be paid for on an hourly
and/or daily basis.
[0018] The parking area 102 can include an entrance 104 and an exit
106. The entrance 104 can be an opening to the parking area 102
allowing vehicles to enter the parking area 102. The exit 106 can
be an opening to the parking area 102 allowing vehicles to exit the
parking area 102. In some embodiments, the entrance 104 and the
exit 106 can be a same opening to the parking area 102. In some
embodiments, the entrance 104 and/or the exit 106 can include a
gate. In some embodiments, neither the entrance 106 nor the exit
106 include a gate.
[0019] A license plate reader (hereinafter "entrance reader") 108-1
can be positioned at the entrance 104 of the parking area 102. The
reader 108-1 can determine a license plate number of a vehicle
entering the parking area 102. The license plate number of vehicles
that have entered the parking area 102 can be stored in a memory of
a computing device, for instance (e.g., memory 113 of computing
device 109, discussed below).
[0020] Another reader (hereinafter "exit reader") 108-2 can be
positioned at the exit 106 of the parking area 102. The exit reader
108-2 can determine a license plate number of a vehicle exiting the
parking area 102. As discussed further below, the entrance reader
108-1 and the exit reader 108-2 can be used in conjunction to
determine a number of vehicles present in the parking area 102, as
well as specific license plate numbers of those vehicles.
[0021] The system 100 can include a mobile device 107. The mobile
device 107 can be a smart phone, for instance, though embodiments
of the present disclosure are not so limited. For example, the
mobile device 107 can be a tablet, a personal digital assistant
(PDA), and/or a transponder (hereinafter "token"), which may be
affixed to a vehicle. The mobile device 107 can wirelessly
communicate with a number of devices described herein. For
instance, the mobile device 107 can communicate with a computing
device 109 and/or a plurality of beacons 110 (discussed below).
[0022] The parking area 102 can include a plurality of beacons 110.
Although three beacons 110 are illustrated in FIG. 1, system 100
can include more or fewer than three beacons 100. The beacons 100
can wirelessly communicate with the mobile device 107. The beacons
100 can be BLE beacons, radio-frequency identification (RFID)
beacons, and/or WiFi beacons, among others. The beacons 100 can be
positioned throughout the parking area 102. The beacons 100 can be
used to trilaterate, triangulate, and/or otherwise determine a
location of vehicles (via mobile devices carried therein) within
the parking area 102.
[0023] The parking area 102 can include a zone 112. As shown, the
zone 112 can include a plurality of parking spots. Though seven
spots are shown in the zone 112, zones in accordance with the
present disclosure are not limited to a particular number of spots.
Further, a parking area can include a plurality of zones having
different numbers of spots. In some embodiments, a beacon of the
plurality of beacons 110 can be associated with the zone 112. That
is, a beacon can determine when a vehicle has entered the zone 112.
In some embodiments, each of a plurality of zones is associated
with a respective beacon.
[0024] Using the beacons 110, embodiments of the present disclosure
can track vehicle movement throughout the parking area 102.
Although not shown in FIG. 1, some embodiments of the present
disclosure can include license plate readers (analogous to the
entrance reader 108-1 and/or the exit reader 108-2) positioned
throughout the parking area 102. Thus, movements and/or locations
of particular vehicles can be determined.
[0025] The system 100 includes a computing device 109. The
computing device 109 can be, for example, a laptop computer, a
desktop computer, or a mobile device (e.g., a mobile phone, a
personal digital assistant, etc.), among other types of computing
devices.
[0026] As shown in FIG. 1, computing device 109 includes a memory
113 and a processor 111 coupled to memory 113. Memory 113 can be
any type of storage medium that can be accessed by processor 111 to
perform various examples of the present disclosure. For example,
memory 113 can be a non-transitory computer readable medium having
computer readable instructions (e.g., computer program
instructions) stored thereon that are executable by processor 111
to store license plate numbers determined by the entrance reader
104 and/or the exit reader 106 in accordance with one or more
embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0027] Memory 113 can be volatile or nonvolatile memory. Memory 113
can also be removable (e.g., portable) memory, or non-removable
(e.g., internal) memory. For example, memory 113 can be random
access memory (RAM) (e.g., dynamic random access memory (DRAM)
and/or phase change random access memory (PCRAM)), read-only memory
(ROM) (e.g., electrically erasable programmable read-only memory
(EEPROM) and/or compact-disc read-only memory (CD-ROM)), flash
memory, a laser disc, a digital versatile disc (DVD) or other
optical disk storage, and/or a magnetic medium such as magnetic
cassettes, tapes, or disks, among other types of memory.
[0028] Further, although memory 113 is illustrated as being located
in computing device 109, embodiments of the present disclosure are
not so limited. For example, memory 113 can also be located
internal to another computing resource (e.g., enabling computer
readable instructions to be downloaded over the Internet or another
wired or wireless connection).
[0029] Though not shown in FIG. 1 so as not to obscure embodiments
of the present disclosure, the mobile device 107 can be and/or
include a computing device analogous to the computing device 109.
That is, the mobile device 107 can include a memory that can be
accessed by a processor to perform various examples of the present
disclosure.
[0030] In some embodiments, the mobile device 107 can receive
(e.g., download) computer executable instructions (e.g., an
application) configured to allow the mobile device 107 to interact
with devices of the parking area 102. The application can include a
customized display with menus and/or selectable display elements.
In some embodiments where the mobile device 107 is a token, the
token may be acquired from an entity managing the parking area 102.
A user may register the token with the entity before parking at the
parking area 102.
[0031] A user using the mobile device 107 can open the application
before entering the parking area 102, for instance. Because the
entrance reader 108-1 and exit reader 108-2 can determine the
quantity of vehicles in the parking area 102, the app can inform
the user in real-time whether there are any parking spots available
in the parking area 102. The beacons 110 can allow the
determination of which spots or which zones may be available for
parking. Real-time capabilities provided by one or more embodiments
of the present disclosure can be enabled though the use of a
cloud-based application, for instance. For example, a cloud-based
application can update a "master" set of data when a user
[0032] The user can be displayed a rendering of the parking area
102 and/or a portion of the parking area 102 (e.g., zone 112). FIG.
2 illustrates an example display 212 for parking management in
accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.
The display 212 can include a detailed rendering of the zone 112,
previously described in connection with FIG. 1. The display 212 can
show which spots of the parking area are available, held, and/or
reserved. Upon entering the parking area 102 (or before entering
the parking area 102), the user can select an available spot in
which the user desires to park. An example display of an available
spot is illustrated in FIG. 2 as available spot 218.
[0033] In some embodiments, the user can "hold" an available
parking spot by selecting it. That is, the user can indicate that
he or she intends to park in the available spot 218 by selecting
the available spot 218. The selection can be made using the mobile
device by touching an icon or area of the mobile device display
corresponding to the available spot, for instance, though
embodiments of the present disclosure are not so limited.
[0034] The selected (held) spot can then be highlighted using a
particular color (e.g., yellow), for instance, which can inform
other users of the application that the spot is now held, and
therefore no longer available. If a spot is held it may be
prevented from being "reserved" by other users. An example "held"
spot is indicated in FIG. 2 as held spot 214. It is noted that
holding spots may be prevented in cases where the vehicle occupancy
of the parking area exceeds a particular threshold (e.g., above 95%
full).
[0035] The user can be guided (e.g., navigated) to the held spot
214 via the mobile device. In some embodiments, the user can be
provided with turn-by-turn directions to the held spot 214. In some
embodiments, a path to the held spot can be provided via the
display 212. Once the user reaches the held spot 214, the user can
indicate via the mobile device that the spot has indeed been taken
as a parking spot. That is, the user can "reserve" the spot. In
some embodiments, the reserved spot can be highlighted using a
different color than that used for the held spot 214, for instance
(e.g., red). An example "reserved" spot is indicated in FIG. 2 as
reserved spot 216.
[0036] In some embodiments, in addition to, or instead of, the
rendering of individual spots in different colors, zones may be
displayed using different colors based on a number of spots
available, held, and/or reserved therein. Users can quickly
identify one or more zones likely to have available spots.
[0037] When the user desires to return to the parking area (to the
user's vehicle in the parking area), the user can be guided to the
user's vehicle. Upon the user's exit from the parking area,
embodiments of the present disclosure can remove the "reserved"
indicator from the spot the user parked in and display it as
available to other users.
[0038] As previously discussed, embodiments can determine a length
of time the vehicle spent in the parking area (e.g., via the
entrance reader 108-1 and exit reader 108-2). Payment for the use
of the parking area can be made via the application, for instance,
which may be pre-loaded with payment information (e.g., credit card
information and/or authorization) associated with the user. In some
embodiments, payment may be processed automatically (e.g., without
user input). In some embodiments, payment may involve one or more
user inputs (e.g., authentication and/or authorization).
[0039] The application may correlate to a remotely-accessible
interface (e.g., web page), for instance. The user can use the
interface and/or the application to manage his or her account with
the application and/or with the entity managing the parking area.
In some embodiments, the user account can include information
(e.g., pre-registered information) such as license plate numbers of
user vehicle(s), vehicle information, and/or payment information,
for instance.
[0040] Because embodiments of the present disclosure can allow
parking management to be carried out by a mobile device rather than
infrastructure at the parking area, user experience can be
streamlined. For example, gates at the entrance and/or exit of the
parking area may be removed, and bottlenecks thereby reduced.
Rather than waiting in line to enter and/or exit the parking area,
users may enter or exit unabated by traffic. Further, rather than
driving around the parking area in search of an available spot,
users can be guided directly to an available spot and/or one or
more zones having available spots.
[0041] In addition, embodiments of the present disclosure can
receive information from outside sources to enhance user
experience. In an example where the parking area is at an airport,
embodiments of the present disclosure can receive flight
information of the user via the mobile device. Embodiments of the
present disclosure can use that information to predict when spots
will be taken and/or become available, for instance.
[0042] Embodiments of the present disclosure can provide
functionalities to management entities in addition to those
provided to users. For example, embodiments of the present
disclosure can provide occupancy information, usage patterns,
and/or revenue streams to management entities. Embodiments of the
present disclosure can update occupancy and/or usage on a real-time
basis, allowing management entities to employ dynamic pricing
strategies based on availability and/or demand, for instance.
Management entities could be apprised of which vehicles are parking
in the parking area, for how long, and how often. In some
embodiments, management entities can access usage, occupancy and/or
payment information using one or more computing devices (e.g., via
a web page, mobile app, etc.).
[0043] Embodiments of the present disclosure can provide increased
automation and therefore utilize fewer employed personnel than
previous approaches. The ability to capture license plate numbers
and track vehicles throughout the parking area can provide enhanced
security and vehicle locating capabilities to management
entities.
[0044] Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and
described herein, those of ordinary skill in the art will
appreciate that any arrangement calculated to achieve the same
techniques can be substituted for the specific embodiments shown.
This disclosure is intended to cover any and all adaptations or
variations of various embodiments of the disclosure.
[0045] It is to be understood that the above description has been
made in an illustrative fashion, and not a restrictive one.
Combination of the above embodiments, and other embodiments not
specifically described herein will be apparent to those of skill in
the art upon reviewing the above description.
[0046] The scope of the various embodiments of the disclosure
includes any other applications in which the above structures and
methods are used. Therefore, the scope of various embodiments of
the disclosure should be determined with reference to the appended
claims, along with the full range of equivalents to which such
claims are entitled.
[0047] In the foregoing Detailed Description, various features are
grouped together in example embodiments illustrated in the figures
for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method of
disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that
the embodiments of the disclosure require more features than are
expressly recited in each claim.
[0048] Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subject
matter lies in less than all features of a single disclosed
embodiment. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into
the Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a
separate embodiment.
* * * * *