U.S. patent application number 15/384410 was filed with the patent office on 2017-06-29 for system and method for determining parking infraction.
This patent application is currently assigned to Tannery Creek Systems Inc.. The applicant listed for this patent is Tannery Creek Systems Inc.. Invention is credited to Jeffrey D. Bethune, William George Franklin, Raphael Leung, Michael Braden Walker.
Application Number | 20170186317 15/384410 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 59087376 |
Filed Date | 2017-06-29 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170186317 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Franklin; William George ;
et al. |
June 29, 2017 |
System and Method for Determining Parking Infraction
Abstract
Various embodiments are described herein for methods and systems
for managing a parking area. In one embodiment, the method
comprises receiving a parking authorization request from a parking
lot user, the request specifying a parking stall identifier
corresponding to a parking stall occupied by the user's vehicle,
the request further specifying a parking duration parameter
identifying a time duration the user's vehicle can occupy the
stall; determining a parking duration rule for the stall based on
the parking duration parameter, the rule indicating a parking
expiration time; at a first time, receiving a first data associated
with the parking stall identifier, the first data comprising an
occupancy parameter indicating a presence or absence of a parked
vehicle at the identified stall; if the occupancy parameter
indicates a presence of a parked vehicle, generate a citation alert
for the stall if the first time exceeds the parking expiration
time.
Inventors: |
Franklin; William George;
(Aurora, CA) ; Bethune; Jeffrey D.; (Toronto,
CA) ; Leung; Raphael; (Thornhill, CA) ;
Walker; Michael Braden; (Toronto, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Tannery Creek Systems Inc. |
Vaughan |
|
CA |
|
|
Assignee: |
Tannery Creek Systems Inc.
Vaughan
CA
|
Family ID: |
59087376 |
Appl. No.: |
15/384410 |
Filed: |
December 20, 2016 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
62272359 |
Dec 29, 2015 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G08G 1/0175 20130101;
G08G 1/149 20130101; G07B 15/02 20130101; G08G 1/0129 20130101;
G07F 17/24 20130101; G08G 1/04 20130101; G06Q 40/00 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G08G 1/14 20060101
G08G001/14; G07B 15/02 20060101 G07B015/02; G08G 1/16 20060101
G08G001/16 |
Claims
1. A method of managing a parking area, the parking lot comprising
a plurality of parking stalls for occupancy by a plurality of
vehicles, each parking stall being uniquely identifiable using a
parking stall identifier, the method comprising: receiving a
parking authorization request from a parking lot user, the parking
authorization request specifying a parking stall identifier
corresponding to a parking stall that is occupied by a vehicle
belonging to the parking lot user, the parking authorization
request further specifying a parking duration parameter identifying
a duration of time for which the parking lot user can park the
vehicle at the parking stall; determining a parking duration rule
for the parking stall based on the parking duration parameter, the
parking duration rule indicating a parking expiration time at which
the vehicle must vacate; at a first time, receiving a first data
associated with the parking stall identifier, the first data
comprising an occupancy parameter indicating a presence or an
absence of a parked vehicle at the parking stall identified by the
parking stall identifier; if the occupancy parameter indicates a
presence of a parked vehicle, determining if the first time exceeds
the parking expiration time; and if the first time exceeds the
parking expiration time, generating a citation alert for the
parking stall identified by the parking stall identifier.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: issuing a parking
citation to the parked vehicle based on the citation alert.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the parking authorization request
further comprises a vehicle identifier identifying at least one
characteristic of the vehicle, the method comprising: at the first
time, further receiving a detected vehicle identifier corresponding
to at least one detected characteristic of the parked vehicle at
the parking stall, the at least one detected characteristic being
comparable to the at least one characteristic; determining if the
parked vehicle is the same as the vehicle corresponding to the
parking authorization request by comparing the vehicle identifier
and the detected vehicle identifier; if the parked vehicle and the
vehicle corresponding to the parking authorization request are
determined to be different vehicles, determining if a second
parking authorization request is received from the parked vehicle;
and if the second parking authorization request is determined to
not have been received from the parked vehicle, generating the
citation alert for the parking stall.
4. The method of claim 3, wherein the at least one characteristic
of the vehicle comprises a data item selected from the group
consisting of a license plate number of the vehicle, year of make
of the vehicle, model of the vehicle, color of the vehicle and
transponder identity of the vehicle.
5. The method of claim 3, wherein the at least one detected
characteristic of the parked vehicle comprises a data item selected
from the group consisting of a license plate number of the vehicle,
model of the vehicle, color of the vehicle, shape and length of the
vehicle, and transponder identity of the vehicle.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first time does not exceed
the parking expiration time, wherein the first data further
comprises a first detected vehicle identifier identifying at least
one characteristic of the parked vehicle detected at the first
time, and wherein the method further comprises: at a second time,
where the second time does not exceed the parking expiration time,
receiving a second data associated with the parking stall
identifier, wherein the second data comprises a second detected
vehicle identifier identifying at least one characteristic of a
parked vehicle detected at the parking stall at the second time,
wherein the second time is subsequent to the first time, and
wherein the at least one characteristic of the parked vehicle
detected at the first time and the at least one characteristic of
the parked vehicle detected at the second time correspond to a same
data item; comparing the first detected vehicle identifier to the
second detected vehicle identifier; if the first detected vehicle
identifier and the second detected vehicle identifier are
determined to correspond to different vehicles, determining if a
second parking authorization request is received from the parked
vehicle detected at the second time; and if the second parking
authorization request is determined to not have been received,
generating the citation alert for the parking stall.
7. A method of managing a parking lot using a patrol vehicle, the
parking lot comprising a plurality of parking stalls for occupancy
by a plurality of vehicles, each parking stall being uniquely
identifiable using a parking stall identifier, the method
comprising: operating the patrol vehicle to patrol the parking lot;
determining, at a first time, for an occupied parking stall, a
parking stall identifier; determining, at the first time, a parking
duration rule for the parking stall identifier based on a parking
authorization request comprising a parking duration parameter
received from an operator of a vehicle occupying the occupied
parking stall, wherein the parking duration parameter identifies a
duration of time for which the vehicle can be parked at the parking
stall, and wherein the parking duration rule indicates a parking
expiration time at which the vehicle must vacate the parking stall;
and determining if the first time exceeds the parking expiration
time, and if so, generating a citation alert for the parking stall
identified by the parking stall identifier.
8. The method of claim 7, further comprising: issuing a parking
citation to a parked vehicle based on the citation alert.
9. The method of claim 7, wherein the first time does not exceed
the parking expiration time, the method further comprising:
determining, at the first time, a detected vehicle identifier
corresponding to at least one detected characteristic of a parked
vehicle at the parking stall; determining if the parked vehicle
corresponds to the vehicle associated with the parking
authorization request, wherein the parking authorization request
further comprises a vehicle identifier identifying at least one
characteristic of the vehicle; if the parked vehicle does not
correspond to the vehicle associated with the parking authorization
request, determining if a second parking authorization request is
received for the parking stall identifier; and if the second
parking authorization request is determined to not have been
received for the parking stall identifier, generating the citation
alert and issuing the parking citation to the parked vehicle.
10. The method of claim 7, wherein the parking lot is patrolled
based on a prescheduled time.
11. The method of claim 7, wherein determining the parking stall
identifier comprises: capturing one or more images of the occupied
parking stall using an image detector mounted on the patrol
vehicle; and processing the one or more images to identify the
parking stall identifier.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein processing the one or more
images comprises converting the one or more images into a
machine-encoded text.
13. The method of claim 7, wherein the parking stall identifier is
designed to minimize blooming.
14. The method of claim 7, wherein determining the parking stall
identifier comprises: scanning the occupied parking stall using a
radio-frequency identification reader mounted on the patrol
vehicle, wherein the parking stall identifier comprises a
radio-frequency identification tag detectable by the
radio-frequency identification reader.
15. The method of claim 7, wherein determining the parking stall
identifier comprises identifying the GPS coordinates corresponding
to the occupied parking stall being patrolled and determining an
associated parking stall identifier by querying a parking
management database.
16. The method of claim 7, wherein identifying an occupied parking
stall in the parking lot comprises: scanning each parking stall
within the parking lot to capture one or more images of the parking
stall; and processing the one or more images to detect absence or
presence of a vehicle in the parking stall.
17. The method of claim 9, wherein determining the detected vehicle
identifier comprises: detecting a license plate number of the
parked vehicle using an image detector.
18. A parking lot management system for a parking lot comprising a
plurality of parking stalls for occupancy by a plurality of
vehicles, each parking stall being uniquely identifiable using a
parking stall identifier, the system comprising: a communication
network; a non-transient computer memory; and at least processor
coupled to the non-transient computer memory and the communication
network, the at least one processor being configured to: i. receive
a parking authorization request from a parking lot user, the
parking authorization request specifying a parking stall identifier
corresponding to a parking stall that is occupied by a vehicle
belonging to the parking lot user, the parking authorization
request further specifying a parking duration parameter identifying
a duration of time for which the parking lot user can park the
vehicle at the parking stall; ii. determine a parking duration rule
for the parking stall based on the parking duration parameter, the
parking duration rule indicating a parking expiration time at which
the vehicle must vacate; iii. at a first time, receive a first data
associated with the parking stall identifier, the first data
comprising an occupancy parameter indicating a presence or an
absence of a parked vehicle at the parking stall identified by the
parking stall identifier; iv. if the occupancy parameter indicates
a presence of a parked vehicle, determine if the first time exceeds
the parking expiration time; and v. if the first time exceeds the
parking expiration time, generate a citation alert for the parking
stall identified by the parking stall identifier.
19. The parking lot management system of claim 18, wherein the
processor is further configured to perform the method as defined in
any one of claims 2 to 17.
20. A computer-readable medium storing computer-executable
instructions, the instructions for causing at least one processor
to perform a method of managing a parking area, the parking area
comprising a plurality of parking stalls for occupancy by a
plurality of vehicles, each parking stall being uniquely
identifiable using a parking stall identifier, the method
comprising: receiving a parking authorization request from a
parking lot user, the parking authorization request specifying a
parking stall identifier corresponding to a parking stall that is
occupied by a vehicle belonging to the parking lot user, the
parking authorization request further specifying a parking duration
parameter identifying a duration of time for which the parking lot
user can park the vehicle at the parking stall; determining a
parking duration rule for the parking stall based on the parking
duration parameter, the parking duration rule indicating a parking
expiration time at which the vehicle must vacate; at a first time,
receiving a first data associated with the parking stall
identifier, the first data comprising an occupancy parameter
indicating a presence or an absence of a parked vehicle at the
parking stall identified by the parking stall identifier; if the
occupancy parameter indicates a presence of a parked vehicle,
determining if the first time exceeds the parking expiration time;
and if the first time exceeds the parking expiration time,
generating a citation alert for the parking stall identified by the
parking stall identifier.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The invention relates generally to the field of parking
enforcement, and more specifically to systems and methods for the
automatic detection of parking infractions.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Regulation of vehicle parking in parking lots and street
allows for a more orderly flow of traffic and parking resource
management at various times of the day or week. This further
encourages vehicle turnover and better and fairer utilization of
parking resources. Implementation of parking regulations further
allows the parking authority responsible for managing the use of
parking spaces to generate revenue through the collection of
fees.
[0003] One of the concerns associated with management of
fee-for-use parking lots is unauthorized use of such parking lots.
Typically, a parking enforcement officer manually monitors such
fee-for-use parking lots to detect unauthorized use of parking
spaces. However, the parking enforcement officer is usually
required to patrol the parking lots on foot and issue citations to
unauthorized vehicles. Such a process tends to be slow, expensive,
prone to errors and interruption due to inclement weather, safety
issues, fatigue or other issues related to more manual methods of
enforcement.
SUMMARY
[0004] In a broad aspect, at least one embodiment described herein
provides a method of managing a parking area, the parking lot
comprising a plurality of parking stalls for occupancy by a
plurality of vehicles, each parking stall being uniquely
identifiable using a parking stall identifier. The method
comprises: receiving a parking authorization request from a parking
lot user, the parking authorization request specifying a parking
stall identifier corresponding to a parking stall that is occupied
by a vehicle belonging to the parking lot user, the parking
authorization request further specifying a parking duration
parameter identifying a duration of time for which the parking lot
user can park the vehicle at the parking stall; determining a
parking duration rule for the parking stall based on the parking
duration parameter, the parking duration rule indicating a parking
expiration time at which the vehicle must vacate; at a first time,
receiving a first data associated with the parking stall
identifier, the first data comprising an occupancy parameter
indicating a presence or an absence of a parked vehicle at the
parking stall identified by the parking stall identifier; if the
occupancy parameter indicates a presence of a parked vehicle,
determining if the first time exceeds the parking expiration time;
and if the first time exceeds the parking expiration time,
generating a citation alert for the parking stall identified by the
parking stall identifier.
[0005] In some embodiments, the method of managing a parking area
further comprises issuing a parking citation to the parked vehicle
based on the citation alert.
[0006] In some embodiments, the parking authorization request
further comprises a vehicle identifier identifying at least one
characteristic of the vehicle, the method comprising at the first
time, further receiving a detected vehicle identifier corresponding
to at least one detected characteristic of the parked vehicle at
the parking stall, the at least one detected characteristic being
comparable to the at least one characteristic; determining if the
parked vehicle is the same as the vehicle corresponding to the
parking authorization request by comparing the vehicle identifier
and the detected vehicle identifier; if the parked vehicle and the
vehicle corresponding to the parking authorization request are
determined to be different vehicles, determining if a second
parking authorization request is received from the parked vehicle;
and if the second parking authorization request is determined to
not have been received from the parked vehicle, generating the
citation alert for the parking stall.
[0007] In some embodiments, the at least one characteristic of the
vehicle comprises a data item selected from the group consisting of
a license plate number of the vehicle, year of make of the vehicle,
model of the vehicle, color of the vehicle and transponder identity
of the vehicle.
[0008] In some embodiments, the at least one detected
characteristic of the parked vehicle comprises a data item selected
from the group consisting of a license plate number of the vehicle,
model of the vehicle, color of the vehicle, shape and length of the
vehicle, and transponder identity of the vehicle.
[0009] In some embodiments, the first time does not exceed the
parking expiration time, and the first data further comprises a
first detected vehicle identifier identifying at least one
characteristic of the parked vehicle detected at the first time,
and wherein the method further comprises: at a second time, where
the second time does not exceed the parking expiration time,
receiving a second data associated with the parking stall
identifier, wherein the second data comprises a second detected
vehicle identifier identifying at least one characteristic of a
parked vehicle detected at the parking stall at the second time,
wherein the second time is subsequent to the first time, and
wherein the at least one characteristic of the parked vehicle
detected at the first time and the at least one characteristic of
the parked vehicle detected at the second time correspond to a same
data item; comparing the first detected vehicle identifier to the
second detected vehicle identifier; if the first detected vehicle
identifier and the second detected vehicle identifier are
determined to correspond to different vehicles, determining if a
second parking authorization request is received from the parked
vehicle detected at the second time; and if the second parking
authorization request is determined to not have been received,
generating the citation alert for the parking stall.
[0010] In another aspect, in at least one embodiment described
herein, there is provided a method of managing a parking lot using
a patrol vehicle, the parking lot comprising a plurality of parking
stalls for occupancy by a plurality of vehicles, each parking stall
being uniquely identifiable using a parking stall identifier. The
method comprises operating the patrol vehicle to patrol the parking
lot; determining, at a first time, for an occupied parking stall, a
parking stall identifier; determining, at the first time, a parking
duration rule for the parking stall identifier based on a parking
authorization request comprising a parking duration parameter
received from an operator of a vehicle occupying the occupied
parking stall, wherein the parking duration parameter identifies a
duration of time for which the vehicle can be parked at the parking
stall, and wherein the parking duration rule indicates a parking
expiration time at which the vehicle must vacate the parking stall;
and determining if the first time exceeds the parking expiration
time, and if so, generating a citation alert for the parking stall
identified by the parking stall identifier.
[0011] In some embodiments, the method of managing a parking lot
using a patrol vehicle further comprises issuing a parking citation
to a parked vehicle based on the citation alert.
[0012] In some embodiments, the first time does not exceed the
parking expiration time, the method of managing a parking lot using
a patrol vehicle further comprises determining, at the first time,
a detected vehicle identifier corresponding to at least one
detected characteristic of a parked vehicle at the parking stall;
determining if the parked vehicle corresponds to the vehicle
associated with the parking authorization request, wherein the
parking authorization request further comprises a vehicle
identifier identifying at least one characteristic of the vehicle;
if the parked vehicle does not correspond to the vehicle associated
with the parking authorization request, determining if a second
parking authorization request is received for the parking stall
identifier; and if the second parking authorization request is
determined to not have been received for the parking stall
identifier, generating the citation alert and issuing the parking
citation to the parked vehicle.
[0013] In some embodiments, the parking lot is patrolled based on a
prescheduled time.
[0014] In some embodiments, determining the parking stall
identifier comprises capturing one or more images of the occupied
parking stall using an image detector mounted on the patrol
vehicle; and processing the one or more images to identify the
parking stall identifier.
[0015] In some embodiments, processing the one or more images
comprises converting the one or more images into a machine-encoded
text.
[0016] In some embodiments, the parking stall identifier is
designed to minimize blooming.
[0017] In some embodiments, determining the parking stall
identifier comprises scanning the occupied parking stall using a
radio-frequency identification reader mounted on the patrol
vehicle, wherein the parking stall identifier comprises a
radio-frequency identification tag detectable by the
radio-frequency identification reader.
[0018] In some embodiments, determining the parking stall
identifier comprises identifying the GPS coordinates corresponding
to the occupied parking stall being patrolled and determining an
associated parking stall identifier by querying a parking
management database.
[0019] In some embodiments, identifying an occupied parking stall
in the parking lot comprises scanning each parking stall within the
parking lot to capture one or more images of the parking stall; and
processing the one or more images to detect absence or presence of
a vehicle in the parking stall.
[0020] In some embodiments, determining the detected vehicle
identifier comprises detecting a license plate number of the parked
vehicle using an image detector.
[0021] In another aspect, in at least one embodiment described
herein, there is provided a parking lot management system for a
parking lot comprising a plurality of parking stalls for occupancy
by a plurality of vehicles, each parking stall being uniquely
identifiable using a parking stall identifier, the system
comprising a communication network; a non-transient computer
memory; and at least processor coupled to the non-transient
computer memory and the communication network. The at least one
processor being configured to i) receive a parking authorization
request from a parking lot user, the parking authorization request
specifying a parking stall identifier corresponding to a parking
stall that is occupied by a vehicle belonging to the parking lot
user, the parking authorization request further specifying a
parking duration parameter identifying a duration of time for which
the parking lot user can park the vehicle at the parking stall; ii)
determine a parking duration rule for the parking stall based on
the parking duration parameter, the parking duration rule
indicating a parking expiration time at which the vehicle must
vacate; iii) at a first time, receive a first data associated with
the parking stall identifier, the first data comprising an
occupancy parameter indicating a presence or an absence of a parked
vehicle at the parking stall identified by the parking stall
identifier; iv) if the occupancy parameter indicates a presence of
a parked vehicle, determine if the first time exceeds the parking
expiration time; and v) if the first time exceeds the parking
expiration time, generate a citation alert for the parking stall
identified by the parking stall identifier.
[0022] In some embodiments, the processor is further configured to
perform the method described in the preceding paragraphs.
[0023] In another aspect, in at least one embodiment described
herein, there is provided a computer-readable medium storing
computer-executable instructions. The instructions cause a
processor to perform a method of managing a parking area, the
parking area comprising a plurality of parking stalls for occupancy
by a plurality of vehicles, each parking stall being uniquely
identifiable using a parking stall identifier. The method comprises
receiving a parking authorization request from a parking lot user,
the parking authorization request specifying a parking stall
identifier corresponding to a parking stall that is occupied by a
vehicle belonging to the parking lot user, the parking
authorization request further specifying a parking duration
parameter identifying a duration of time for which the parking lot
user can park the vehicle at the parking stall; determining a
parking duration rule for the parking stall based on the parking
duration parameter, the parking duration rule indicating a parking
expiration time at which the vehicle must vacate; at a first time,
receiving a first data associated with the parking stall
identifier, the first data comprising an occupancy parameter
indicating a presence or an absence of a parked vehicle at the
parking stall identified by the parking stall identifier; if the
occupancy parameter indicates a presence of a parked vehicle,
determining if the first time exceeds the parking expiration time;
and if the first time exceeds the parking expiration time,
generating a citation alert for the parking stall identified by the
parking stall identifier.
[0024] Other features and advantages of the present application
will become apparent from the following detailed description taken
together with the accompanying drawings. It should be understood,
however, that the detailed description and the specific examples,
while indicating preferred embodiments of the application, are
given by way of illustration only, since various changes and
modifications within the spirit and scope of the application will
become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed
description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0025] Several embodiments of the present invention will now be
described in detail with reference to the drawings, in which:
[0026] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a parking lot in accordance
with an example embodiment;
[0027] FIGS. 2A-2C is a block diagram of various parking stall
configurations in accordance with an example embodiment;
[0028] FIG. 3 is a block diagram depicting a mobile enforcement
vehicle on patrol in accordance with an example embodiment;
[0029] FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrates determining the
position of a parked vehicle in accordance with an example
embodiment;
[0030] FIG. 5 is a block diagram depicting the structure of a
parking management database in accordance with an example
embodiment;
[0031] FIGS. 6A-6B is a process flow diagram for pay-by-space
enforcement in accordance with an example embodiment;
[0032] FIGS. 7A-7B is a process flow diagram for pay-by-space
enforcement using license plate information in accordance with an
example embodiment;
[0033] FIGS. 8A-8B is another process flow diagram for pay-by-space
enforcement using license plate information in accordance with
another example embodiment; and
[0034] FIGS. 9A-9B is a process flow diagram for pay-by-space
enforcement using voucher identification numbers in accordance with
an example embodiment.
[0035] The drawings are provided for the purposes of illustrating
various aspects and features of the example embodiments described
herein. For simplicity and clarity of illustration, elements shown
in the FIGS. have not necessarily been drawn to scale. Further,
where considered appropriate, reference numerals may be repeated
among the FIGS. to indicate corresponding or analogous
elements.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0036] It will be appreciated that numerous specific details are
set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the
example embodiments described herein. However, it will be
understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the
embodiments described herein may be practiced without these
specific details. In other instances, well-known methods,
procedures and components have not been described in detail so as
not to obscure the embodiments described herein.
[0037] The embodiments of the systems and methods described herein
may be implemented in hardware or software, or a combination of
both. These embodiments may be implemented in computer programs
executing on programmable computers, each computer including at
least one processor, a data storage system (including volatile
memory or non-volatile memory or other data storage elements or a
combination thereof), and at least one communication interface. For
example, and without limitation, the various programmable computers
may be a server, network appliance, set-top box, embedded device,
computer expansion module, personal computer, laptop, mobile
telephone, smartphone or any other computing device capable of
being configured to carry out the methods described herein.
[0038] Each program may be implemented in one or a multiplicity of
languages including high level procedural or object oriented
programming or scripting language, assembler, macro or other
programmatic methods to communicate with a computer system. The
language may be a compiled or interpreted language. Each such
computer program may be stored locally on a non-transitory computer
readable storage medium (e.g. read-only memory, magnetic disk,
optical disc) or remotely as on a remote server, such as on a third
party cloud server or on the internet generally. The remotely
stored programs may be accessed via a local communication system.
The storage medium and/or the local or remote servers so configured
cause a computer to operate in a specific and predefined manner to
perform the functions described herein.
[0039] While particular combinations of various functions and
features are expressly described herein, other combinations of
these features and functions are possible that are not limited by
the particular examples disclosed herein, and these are expressly
incorporated within the scope of the present invention.
[0040] As the term module is used in the description of the various
embodiments, a module includes a functional block that is
implemented in hardware or software, or both, that performs one or
more functions such as the processing of an input signal to produce
an output signal. As used herein, a module may contain sub-modules
that themselves are modules.
[0041] The various embodiments described herein generally relate to
methods and systems for pay-by-space parking. Pay-by-space parking
is one system of parking management which permits regulation of
parking areas or parking stalls on an individualized basis. A
parking area may have one or more parking stalls, where each
parking stall may be identified or labeled with a unique parking
stall number. For the purpose of this disclosure, a "parking area"
may refer to any location having one or more spaces in which a
vehicle can be parked. Parking areas therefore include parking
stalls within parking structures, underground parking lots, ground
level parking lots and road-side parking.
[0042] A motorist wishing to park his or her vehicle in one of the
unoccupied parking stalls (a "parker") pays a fee associated with
occupying that parking stall for a fixed period of time and is
generally required to vacate the parking stall when that period of
time has lapsed. Alternatively parking policy may permit the parker
to repay (i.e. extend) their parking session. The parker's failure
to vacate the parking stall on time may constitute a parking
violation for which a parking citation may be issued by the parking
authority responsible for managing the parking area.
[0043] In the pay-by-space parking regime, the parker generally
first parks his or her car at a desired parking stall and then pays
the necessary parking fee for the use of that particular parking
stall. In most cases, the parker only specifies the duration of
time for which the parker desires to occupy the parking stall. In
some other cases, the parker additionally specifies to the parking
authority the parking stall number that is being occupied. The
parking authority may provide parking meters for each parking stall
to collect payment. The parking authority may alternatively provide
a parking kiosk for a group of parking stalls for parkers to
specify the parking stall being used and provide payment.
Additionally, in some cases, the parking authority may also accept
parking stall information and payment using mobile phone or
smartphone or by web technologies. The parking fee may be set by
the parking authority, and various fee structures may be imposed.
For example, the parking authority can choose to charge the parker
on a fixed fee basis, such a flat-rate parking fee, or on a
variable fee basis in which the fee may be based on the amount of
parking time desired. In some other cases, additional parking
arrangements may be established between the parker and the parking
authority. For example, the parker and the parking authority may
enter into a parking subscription arrangement so that the parker
may be able to occupy a designated stall each time the parking lot
is used. The subscription may provide an agreement between the
parker and the parking authority with respect to times and dates
during which the designated parking stall may be used and the
method of payment (e.g. bi-weekly, monthly etc.).
[0044] Reference is first made to FIG. 1, which illustrates a block
diagram of a parking lot 100 according to an example embodiment. As
illustrated, parking lot 100 includes numerous parking stalls 105
of more or less the same dimensions. Each parking stall 105 may be
legally occupied by a parker's vehicle 120 as long as the parker
obeys the conditions associated with the particular parking stall
and the parking lot overall.
[0045] In the illustrated embodiment, the parking lot 100 is a paid
parking lot where a parker is required to make a payment in order
to occupy a parking stall 105. Typically, the payment required is
proportional to the duration of time for which the parker desires
to park the vehicle. In some other cases, however, the payment
required may be a fixed payment. In some cases the use of the
parking lot 100 may be subject to the terms of a predefined
contract or subscription, including those that specify times,
durations and the identity of the vehicle or vehicles permitted to
use the parking lot 100.
[0046] The parking lot 100 and accordingly, the parking stalls 105
may be located completely outdoors, completely indoors or partly
outdoors and indoors. For example, in some cases, the parking lot
100 may be provided along a roadway 110 upon which vehicles 120 may
be driven. The term roadway 110 may be used to refer to any
transportation route upon which a vehicle 120 may be driven and
parked. In another example, the parking lot 100 may be established
in an enclosed area, such as an underground parking structure.
[0047] Parking meters 160 or kiosks (not shown) may be provided for
the purpose of collecting parking fees. Individualized parking
meters 160 located beside each parking stall 140 may be provided to
allow the parker to pay for the associated stall. Alternatively, a
single parking kiosk configured with the necessary input and
interface functionalities may be used to collect fees for a number
of parking stalls. Such a kiosk can be located in proximity to the
parking stalls that it serves to allow parkers to purchase parking
time. In the case of a parking kiosk configured to serve several
parking stalls, the parker may be required to enter the parking
stall number to indicate the stall being used.
[0048] When a parker pays for a parking stall, the payment
information, stall information and the time of payment may be sent
to a central processor as a parking request for processing and
recorded in a parking management database ("database"). Upon
receipt of a parking request, the central processor may update the
status of the relevant parking stall to indicate that the
respective parking stall is occupied. Other stall related
information such as the parking expiration time for that stall may
also be updated. In some embodiments of the present invention, the
information contained in the parking request may be received and
processed in real time. In other embodiments, the parking requests
may be received and processed in batches at a central location
(such as, for example, the parking office). The latter case may
apply, for instance, where there is a delay or an interruption
preventing the parking kiosk or parking meter from communicating
the parking requests to the central processor. The parking kiosk or
parking meter may continue to collect payments and accept parking
requests while the communication delay or interruption persists,
and transmit all unsent parking requests to the central processor
once communication is re-established.
[0049] In some cases, post processing of batched data also permits
correction of errors by parkers (when entering their stall number
or license number for example) and providing grace periods before
and after the parking session ends. Additionally post processing
facilitates patrolling efficiency since the patrol vehicle does not
have to stop to issue an infraction every time a parking violation
is detected. Post processing and associated advantages are
discussed in further detail below.
[0050] The parking kiosk or parking meter may issue a receipt or a
parking voucher to the parker indicating the amount paid and the
parking expiration time. The parker may choose to place the voucher
for display on the dashboard or keep the ticket. In some
embodiments, placement of the parking voucher on the dashboard may
be optional since the database has a record of when a parking stall
should be occupied and when it should be vacated based on the
information obtained from the parking request.
Preparation of Parking Stalls
[0051] With respect to the parking stalls, each parking stall is
labelled with a unique parking stall number before being used. The
database may be used by the central processor to store all relevant
information regarding each parking stall within the parking area.
In some embodiments, the database may be integrated with the
central processor. In other embodiments, the database may be
independent or separated from the central processor. In this case,
the database may be a network-accessible database that may be
accessed over a communications network.
[0052] Reference is now made to FIGS. 2A-2C which illustrates
different parking stall configurations, each configuration having
parking stall labelled with a parking stall number 210. The term
parking stall number used herein may be any unique identifier
capable of identifying a parking stall. Therefore, a stall number
may be a numeric or alphanumeric identifier.
[0053] Each parking stall in the various embodiments herein is
demarcated from neighbouring parking stalls. This may be
accomplished by using one or more demarcation lines 220 indicated
on the surface of the ground. In some other cases, different colors
may be used to distinguish between different parking stalls. For
instance, alternate parking stalls may be colored using the same
color to distinguish the parking stalls. In some other cases,
physical barriers may be used to distinguish between parking
stalls.
[0054] FIG. 2A illustrates angled parking stalls 200A, while FIG.
2B illustrates parallel parking stalls 200B. Lastly, FIG. 2C
illustrates rectangular parking stalls 200C. As shown in FIGS.
2A-2C, the parking stall number 210 may be indicated using markings
on the ground. For example, the five angled parking stalls 200A may
be labeled "A1" to "A5". In other embodiments, parking stall signs
may be used to facilitate identification of the parking stall
number.
[0055] The locations of each parking stall can be further
identified using a number of location markers such as GPS
coordinate points 230 to specify the four corners of each parking
stall. These location markers may assist a mobile enforcement
vehicle, discussed below, to identify individual parking stalls.
Alternatively, a single location marker such as a GPS coordinate
point corresponding to the center of the stall (not shown) may be
used instead. The latter method may be less precise in respect of
determining the boundaries of a parking stall since the parking
stalls may not be of standard dimensions, making demarcation of
individual stalls more difficult by the mobile enforcement
vehicle.
[0056] A survey of the parking area may also be performed prior to
its use to obtain accurate positional information (i.e. GPS
coordinates of each corner) for the parking stalls. The survey data
may be stored in a machine readable format such as XML, KML or CSV.
Additionally, reference images of empty stalls may additionally be
obtained in association with each stall to indicate a field of view
in which the parking stall is empty to facilitate identification of
the correct parking stall.
Management of Pay-by-Space Parking
[0057] In the pay-by-space system, each occupied parking stall may
have a different parking expiration time. In other words, each
parking stall may be governed by its own set of parking enforcement
rules. To ensure a parker's compliance with parking enforcement
rules, parking enforcement officers ("PEO") may be relied upon. The
PEO may patrol the parking area according to a desired patrol
schedule and patrol route. In some embodiments, the patrol schedule
may require that PEO patrol the parking area continuously, at a
predetermined time interval, or as required by the parking
authority. In other embodiments the patrol schedule and patrol
route may be based on various historical statistics. For example,
parking stalls that are associated with higher instances of parking
infractions may justify more frequent patrols. In yet other
embodiments, to improve efficiency, parking stalls that are empty
may be ignored by the PEO, while parking stalls that are occupied
may be examined or scanned. During a scan, the parking stall number
or information pertaining to the vehicle occupying the stall, or
both may be recorded by the PEO.
[0058] Traditionally, enforcement of pay-by-space parking by PEOs
has often been performed on foot using a handheld device such as a
camera-equipped smartphone or a dedicated specialized handheld
device. This so-called "handheld enforcement" generally requires
the PEO to patrol the parking area or parking lot on foot and scan
each vehicle and the stall in which vehicle occupies one by one.
Where a citation is to be issued, the PEO may issue the citation by
printing the citation and placing the citation (i.e. serving the
citation) on the windshield of the parked vehicle. In other
circumstances, the PEO may make note of all parking stalls in which
citations ought to be issued and transmit the information to the
central processor at a later time for batch processing and
subsequently mailed out to the parker.
[0059] It can be appreciated that enforcement by a walking PEO
using a handheld device is time consuming. Therefore, it may be
preferable to patrol using vehicular mobile enforcement techniques
(i.e. mobile enforcement vehicle). A mobile enforcement vehicle
equipped with the appropriate scanning systems may scan and collect
parking stall information at a much higher speed. The mobile
enforcement vehicle may also transmit vehicle and stall information
in real time or in batch-mode. Vehicles for which citations are
required may be determined immediately and a citation may be
generated immediately (i.e. issuance of citations in real-time) or
mailed in batches at a later time (i.e. issuance of citations in
batch mode). Alternatively, parking stall numbers for which a
citation ought to be issued may be transmitted to an on-foot PEO
who may then go directly to the citable vehicle to issue and serve
the citations. This is an example of "micro-processing" (discussed
further below) which increases the efficiency of the mobile
enforcement by reducing the number of times the mobile enforcement
vehicle may be required to stop while accomplishing "real-time"
issuance of citations.
[0060] FIG. 3 illustrates an example embodiment of a PEO operating
a mobile enforcement vehicle 310 to patrol various parking stalls.
Details regarding the mobile enforcement vehicle have been
described in issued U.S. Pat. No. 7,355,527 ("Franklin") and is
incorporated by reference herein. The vehicle in the present
example embodiment is patrolling parallel parking stalls,
travelling in a direction parallel to the orientation of the parked
vehicles. It can be appreciated that the mobile enforcement vehicle
may be either specifically configured to detect and patrol vehicles
parked in various other types of parking stall configurations,
including angled and rectangular parking stalls or generally
configured to handle all configurations.
[0061] In some embodiments, the mobile enforcement vehicle may
travel at a speeds of typically 50-km/h along its patrol route,
while scanning parking stalls and parked vehicles but may go faster
or slower depending on the circumstances. The mobile enforcement
vehicle generally cannot see around a parked vehicle to verify
parking stall numbers in order to differentiate one parking stall
from another, unlike handheld enforcement which permits the PEO to
easily ascertain the parking stall number and delineate one stall
from another by moving around a parked vehicle to identify various
visual clues associated with the parking stall and the parked
vehicle. Accordingly, one of the challenges that may be faced by
the mobile enforcement vehicle in pay-by-space parking is with
respect to differentiating one parking stall from another and
identifying the corresponding parking stall number.
[0062] To improve the scanning accuracy of the mobile enforcement
vehicle, parking stall signs indicating the parking stall number
may be provided proximally to the parking stalls so as to permit
the patrol vehicle's vision system to read them. The parking stall
signs may be designed to minimize image sensor blooming effects to
enhance visibility. For example white lettering on a black
background may be used to improve image contrast to compensate for
blooming effects. Using flat black and non-reflective backgrounds
upon which light coloured letters and numbers are printed tends to
enhance visibility, clarity and legibility of parking stall signs.
The text colouring for printing on a dark background may include
white or yellow to provide optimal legibility. In other instances,
specific font faces may be preferable to make machine readable
signs. For example, spatial fonts can be used such that expansion
due to detector blooming does not crowd into the adjacent letters.
Choosing a larger font size for the sign can also improve
visibility, clarity and legibility. Other physical attributes of
the signs may also help improve machine readability. For example
the addition of hooding or other methods to prevent excess light
from causing image overexposure may help reduce sensor blooming. In
some other examples, the surfaces of the signs may be coated with a
material such as silicone to shed water, dirt, snow, ice, and other
debris to enhance visibility. The various techniques described
herein are not intended to be exhaustive and are intended as
examples that can be used alone or in combination to improve the
visibility, clarity and legibility of parking stall signs.
[0063] The captured image of the stall sign can then be processed
using optical character recognition (OCR) to identify the stall
number. In some cases, the captured images may be additionally or
alternatively be reviewed and recognized by a reviewing PEO or
clerk.
[0064] In some cases, the camera used to capture the parking stall
sign may also be used to capture other scene information, such as,
for example, background and foreground information around the
parking stall sign. This may further assist with identifying the
parking stalls uniquely by capturing and processing additional
information, such as surrounding parking stall identification, road
surface markers representing stall demarcation (such as white paint
on the ground), etc. In some embodiments, the camera used to
capture foreground, background and the parking stall sign should
preferably be capable of generating an image whose image resolution
corresponds to a minimum of a megapixel level, such as, for
example, a resolution of 4 megapixels.
[0065] The vision system of the mobile enforcement vehicle may also
comprise a number of cameras to obtain vehicle-identifying
information including the license plate number, colour, the make
and model, the vehicle's profile, etc. In some embodiments, a
contactless speed measurement device, such as a Doppler microwave
speedometer, may be used to determine the precise speed of the
mobile enforcement vehicle so as to allow precise triggering of the
positioning and vision system to capture an image of a parked
vehicle within the field of view of the camera and provide very
precise GPS coordinates. In other embodiments, a dedicated license
plate camera may be used as a part of a license plate reader (LPR)
system. This dedicated camera may also be used to capture
additional information including stall demarcation to provide
redundancy.
[0066] In yet other embodiments, machine-readable wireless
transponders or radio-frequency identification ("RFID") tags
encoded with the parking stall number may be used as stall signs
instead of OCR-compatible signs. In this implementation, the mobile
enforcement vehicle may be equipped with a narrow-beam reader to
read the transponder or RFID tags to identify the parking stall
number. It would be appreciated that the narrow-beam reader is
highly directional so that the mobile enforcement vehicle would be
able to read the transponder or tag only when the beam is aimed at
the tag from a certain direction. A narrow-beam reader may help
avoid "false readings" of nearby sparking stall tags and thereby
increase the likelihood of correctly identifying the stall number
of the parking stall being patrolled. Since the mobile enforcement
vehicle may rely on a positioning system such as an onboard GPS to
determine which parking stall it is proximal to, implementation of
transponder or RFID stall tags may be useful in situations where a
GPS signal is generally not available, such as in underground
parking lots or indoor parking stalls. In environments where the
GPS signal is available, the use of transponders or RFID tags may
allow relaxation of the precision required of the positioning
system.
[0067] Another challenge that may be faced by the mobile
enforcement vehicle is the task of associating a parked vehicle to
a parking stall. In other words, given the proximity of parking
stalls and parked vehicles, the mobile enforcement vehicle may be
required to "place" a parked vehicle into the correct parking
stall. The method used to determine whether a vehicle is stationary
or in motion has been previously described in issued U.S. Pat. No.
7,355,527 ("Franklin") and is incorporated by reference herein.
Having entered a parking zone defined as Pay-by-Space and detecting
a parked vehicle, the mobile enforcement vehicle 310 may proceed to
determine which parking stall the vehicle is occupying. To do so,
the position (e.g. GPS coordinates) of the parked vehicle should
preferably be determined as precisely as possible so that the
parked vehicle can be "placed" into the boundaries of the parking
stall as defined by the four corners of the stall. In some
embodiments, the relative positioning between the parked vehicle
and the mobile enforcement vehicle 310 may be used to determine the
position the parked vehicle. Since the GPS coordinates of each
parking stall may be recorded prior to its use, the mobile
enforcement vehicle 310 may therefore use its own GPS coordinates
to determine the GPS coordinates of the parked vehicle and
associate that parked vehicle to a given parking stall.
[0068] FIG. 4 illustrates one embodiment in which the position of a
parked vehicle may be determined based on relative positioning. The
mobile enforcement vehicle 310 may be equipped with a GPS system
410 used to determine the position the mobile enforcement vehicle
310 as it patrols the various parking stalls. An accurate GPS
system may be desirable to determine the GPS position the mobile
enforcement vehicle 310, from which the GPS coordinates of the
parked vehicle 430 can be ascertained.
[0069] In some embodiments, where real-time determination of
parking violations is not necessary, inertia equipped GPS may be
used to obtain high-accuracy positioning data (generally to within
2.5 meters) using post-processing techniques. In such instances,
post-processing refers to the collection of GPS and associated data
during a patrol and processing the collected data at a later time
after the patrol to enhance the accuracy of the positioning data.
Such a technique may yield high accuracy results even in
challenging environments such as urban locations where GPS signal
interference as a result of multi-path signal propagation is
commonplace. Post-processing of the vehicle GPS data using
secondary GPS information obtained from a fixed-location GPS source
may be used to apply environmental corrections to reduce
uncertainty of the measured GPS locations.
[0070] In one example, while on patrol, satellite information from
multiple navigation or positioning sources such as the Global
Positioning System (GPS), the Global Navigation Satellite System
(GLONASS) and the Galileo navigation satellite system etc. is
logged in real-time by the mobile enforcement vehicle. The data
collected include but is not limited to latitude, longitude,
altitude, satellite geometry, estimated errors, number of
satellites in communication with the mobile enforcement vehicle and
date/time. Simultaneously, the mobile enforcement vehicle can also
collect detailed logs of outputs from onboard gyroscopes,
accelerometers, digital compasses or any other measurement device
that can later be used to improve the GPS positioning in
challenging environments. At the moment that a parked vehicle is
detected by the mobile enforcement vehicle, the GPS time
corresponding to this event is logged and saved along with other
data such as, but not limited to latitude, longitude, bearing, and
orientation of the mobile enforcement vehicle, and the dimensions
and photographs of the parked vehicle. Next, all of the logged
information is synchronized to a database server or any suitable
data storage device for post processing. Any inaccuracies of the
real-time GPS data is then corrected by blending in the various
complementary device data as well as the secondary GPS base station
data by going backwards and forwards in time until the data
converges to a solution. The mobile enforcement vehicle GPS time
stamps associated with the detection of the parked vehicle
("detection event") is then cross-referenced against the corrected
GPS data. For example, two data points from the corrected data set
whose associated time stamps correspond to a time just before and
just after the detection event can be used to estimate the position
of the parked vehicle at the precise time of the detection event
through data interpolation. This is required because the sampling
rates of the corrected GPS data may vary and will often never
exactly match the GPS time stamps of the real-time GPS data unless
an infinite sampling rate was used.
[0071] It can be appreciated that to correctly associate a parked
vehicle within a parking stall, precise determination of the GPS
coordinates of that vehicle is necessary. A variance or uncertainty
of, for example, 5 meters is unacceptable since this value can be
large enough to offset the parked vehicle into neighboring parking
stalls.
[0072] In the various embodiments disclosed herein, the GPS
coordinates of the mobile enforcement vehicle are used to determine
the GPS coordinates of the parked vehicle. In the present
embodiment, the mobile enforcement vehicle 310 may further be
equipped with a laser triggering system 420 configured to detect a
parked vehicle with precision, determine the proximity between the
parked vehicle and patrol vehicle, and to measure the dimensions of
the parked vehicle. For example in some embodiments, the laser
triggering system 420 is oriented perpendicular to the longitudinal
axis corresponding to the length of the mobile enforcement vehicle.
In some other embodiments, the laser triggering system 420, is
angled (i.e. sloped) downwards at 25 degrees relative to a
horizontal reference plane while emitting a beam that is 90 degrees
to the direction of the mobile enforcement vehicle. It should be
noted that the mounting angles of the laser described here are
merely examples of possible mounting configurations. In the various
embodiments disclosed herein, the angle of the laser triggering
system in the lateral direction or vertical direction (i.e. the
angle of slope) generally depends on the mounting position of the
laser triggering system on the mobile enforcement vehicle 310 as
well as characteristics of mobile enforcement vehicle 310 (e.g.
size, height etc.) upon which the laser triggering system is
mounted.
[0073] As the mobile enforcement vehicle 310 passes the parked
vehicle 430, the laser may trigger as it detects the corner at one
end 440 of the parked vehicle 430 and scans across the parked
vehicle to the corner at the other end 445 at a given sampling or
scanning frequency. If the vehicle is parked in parallel to the
direction of travel of the patrol vehicle as illustrated in FIG. 4,
the laser may scan along the length of the parked vehicle 430 to
determine its length. If the vehicle is parked perpendicular to the
direction of travel, then the parked vehicle's width may be scanned
to determine the width of the parked vehicle 430. This method of
scanning may allow the mobile enforcement vehicle to determine the
length or width (whichever the case may be) accurate to
approximately 8 centimeters. Combined with the detected speed of
the mobile enforcement vehicle and collected GPS data, the
positioning of the first 440 and second end 445 of the parked
vehicle may be determined.
[0074] Furthermore, the laser 420 may also indicate the distance
between patrol vehicle and the parked vehicle. Based on this
information as well as the precise GPS position of the patrol
vehicle, the GPS coordinates of the center of the parked vehicle
430 may be calculated using, for example, the Vincenty Direct
formula. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 4, if the vehicle is
parked parallel to the direction of travel of the mobile
enforcement vehicle, then the center of the parked vehicle 450 can
be determined by 1) adjusting the GPS position of the patrol
vehicle at the completion of the laser scan by offsetting (i.e.
moving back) that position by an amount equivalent to half the
length of the parked vehicle in the axis corresponding to the
vehicle's length and 2) offsetting (i.e. moving over) the GPS
position of the mobile enforcement vehicle at the completion of the
scan by half a standard width of a vehicle (standard widths may be
used since the actual width is unknown) plus the lateral distance
between the parked vehicle and the mobile enforcement vehicle in
the axis corresponding to the parked vehicle's width.
[0075] The parked vehicle 430 may then be associated to a given
parking stall by comparing the GPS coordinates of the stall and the
parked vehicle 430. In one embodiment, the GPS coordinates
corresponding to the four corners of the parking stall may be used
to set the boundaries and the geometric center of the stall, and
the geometric center of the stall may be compared to the GPS
coordinates of the parked vehicle to associate the parked vehicle
430 to a given parking stall.
[0076] In another embodiment, the accuracy of the process of
associating a parked vehicle to a given parking stall may be
enhanced using a laterally extended polygon based on the direction
of travel of the mobile enforcement vehicle 310. The polygon may be
defined to encapsulate the geometric center of the parking stall to
better reduce lateral GPS errors. Therefore if the center of the
parked vehicle 430 is contained within the extended stall polygon,
then it may be concluded that the parked vehicle is occupying the
stall. The polygons used in this embodiment may be of any shape,
including triangles, rectangles, and squares etc. In some cases, in
order to maintain accuracy to within a 2.5 meter radius, a square
polygon is preferred when dealing with a rectangular parking
stall.
[0077] The information collected while parked vehicles are scanned
by the mobile enforcement may be processed in real-time or in
batches in a post processing procedure. If post processing is
performed, GPS data enhanced with data provided by the mobile
enforcement vehicle's inertial guidance system (e.g. gyroscopic
plus speed measurements, as described previously), may be combined
to obtain positioning accuracy to less than 2.5 meters, even under
environmental conditions where GPS signal reception is not
ideal.
Enforcement of Pay-by-Space Parking
[0078] In some embodiments, the central processor along with the
database may be used to manage and track the usage of each parking
stall for a given parking lot or parking area. FIG. 5 illustrates
an example of the various fields of the database 500. The database
may be used by the central processor to store and retrieve parking
enforcement rules imposed on a given parking stall within the
parking lot to facilitate identification of parking violations.
[0079] In some embodiments, the database may comprise a "Parking
stall No." field 510 which stores the unique parking stall numbers
corresponding to each parking stall being managed. The "Stall Type"
field 520 may be used to specify the type of parking stall. For
instance, type CA', `P` and CR may refer to angled, parallel and
rectangular stalls, respectively. The "Stall Coordinates" field 530
may be used to indicate the GPS coordinates of each corner of the
parking stall. Using information concerning the type of stall
indicated in the "Stall Type" field 520 and "Stall Coordinates"
field 530, the boundaries of any given parking stall may be
ascertained by the central processor or the mobile enforcement
vehicle associate a parked vehicle to a parking stall.
[0080] The "Occupied?" field 540 may be used to specify whether a
given parking stall should be occupied (i.e. it may be occupied if
it has been paid for). If a parking stall has been paid for, the
"Payment Time" field 550 and the "Expiry Time" field 560 may be
populated with the time payment was made (i.e. indicating the
parking start time) and the time the parker should vacate the stall
(i.e. parking end time), respectively. Finally, the "Stall Data"
field 570 may be used to store vehicle-identifying information
obtained from the vision system of the mobile enforcement vehicle
310 such as the license plate number, colour, vehicle profile etc.
The "Stall Data" field 570 may store one or more datasets to form a
dataset group 575, wherein each dataset may contain
vehicle-identifying information observed at a given parking stall
during a patrol. For instance, dataset 571 may correspond to data
recorded from the most recent patrol and data set 572 may
correspond to the immediately preceding patrol. In some
embodiments, each data set may be time-stamped to specify the time
at which the data was acquired so as to permit the central
processor to track the use of the parking stall. Therefore, the
dataset group may provide useful stall-specific usage information
for the parking authority. This information may be used to
determine optimal patrol schedules and patrol routes.
[0081] Referring now to FIGS. 6A and 6B, shown therein is a process
flow diagram illustrating method 600 for a basic pay-by-space
parking enforcement. The method 600 begins at step 610 such that,
prior to parking stall use, the GPS coordinates of each parking
stall in the parking area may be determined and stored into the
database. During use of the parking area, at step 620, a parking
request may be received by the central processor from a parker
indicating the stall number corresponding to the stall used by the
parker and the desired parking duration. The parking request may be
generated by a parking kiosk, parking meter, an application
operating on the parker's smartphone or any other appropriate
generation method. In some embodiments the parking request may also
include payment information for the central processor. In other
embodiments, the parking kiosk or parking meter may handle payment
separately.
[0082] At step 630, the information received from the parker may be
recorded in the database. For example the time of the parking
request may be recorded in the "Payment Time" field 550 of FIG. 5,
and the status of the parking stall may be updated by the central
processor to indicate "occupied" in the "Occupied?" field 540. The
corresponding expiration time may be calculated using the time of
payment and the desired parking duration indicated by the
parker.
[0083] While on patrol, the mobile enforcement vehicle may scan the
parking stalls to determine the stall numbers and transmit this
information along with the time of scan (i.e. time of observation)
to the central processor. In some embodiments, the mobile
enforcement vehicle may scan both empty and occupied stalls. The
mobile enforcement vehicle may indicate to central processor
whether or not the transmitted stall number corresponds to an empty
or an occupied stall using an appropriate indicator. In some
embodiments, the mobile enforcement vehicle may transmit parking
stall information as they are scanned, in real-time. In other
embodiments, the scans may be made first and transmitted later in
batches. At step 640, the central processor may receive and store
the parking stall numbers of occupied parking stalls and the time
of observation. Next, at step 650, the central processor may
proceed to analyze the received information for the identified
stall if it is occupied to determine whether there is a parking
violation.
[0084] FIG. 6B depicts a process flow diagram showing further
details of step 650 of FIG. 6A in which a parking violation may be
detected at a given parking stall. At decision step 654, the
central processor may query the database to determine whether or
not, at the time of observation, the parking time for the
identified parking stall has expired. This determination may be
made using the parking expiration time stored in the "Expiry Time"
field 560 of FIG. 5 and the time of observation received in step
640. In other words, the central processor checks to determine
whether the parking stall in question has been paid for at the time
of observation.
[0085] If the time of observation is a later time than the time of
expiration, then the parking stall should not be occupied (i.e.
answering "No" at decision step 654), since the parking time has
expired. In this case, the method proceeds to step 670 to trigger
an infraction alert. In some embodiments an infraction alert may be
indicated by setting a violation status indicator associated with
the parking stall to indicate a violation. The status indicator may
subsequently be transmitted to the mobile enforcement vehicle at
step 672 so that a citation may be issued. In the alternative, if
the parking stall has been paid for, no infraction has occurred,
status indicator is set to indicate that no violation has occurred
and the method proceeds to step 675 in which the method 600 may
end. The central processor may notify the mobile enforcement
vehicle via the status indicator that there is no infraction and
the mobile enforcement vehicle may move on to the next occupied
parking stall.
[0086] The procedure illustrated by method 600 allows the parking
authority to determine a window of time or parking period during
which a parker is allowed to park. This window of time may be
defined using a time of day corresponding to the start of the
parking period (e.g. the time of the parking request made) and a
time of day corresponding to the end of the parking period (e.g.
the expiration time where vehicles are not allowed to occupy the
stall). In the illustrated embodiments of FIGS. 6A and 6B, a
vehicle may use this parking stall within the window, while use of
the same parking stall outside of this window would result in
issuance of a citation. For example, if a parker makes a parking
request for a given parking stall at 10 am for two hours, then the
central process may determine that the parking window or parking
period runs from 10 am to 12 pm, where 12 pm is the parking
expiration time. Accordingly, a vehicle parked in the parking stall
within this window will be allowed to park without any violations
or citations.
[0087] In the illustrated embodiments of FIGS. 6A and 6B, it is
assumed that as long as the parking stall is paid for, any vehicle
can park in that stall within the allowed window without resulting
in any violations or issuance of citations. Such a policy may be
governed by the laws and/or practices of each jurisdiction, and may
differ from one jurisdiction to another. For example, using the
example above, in one jurisdiction, if the parker who paid for
parking at 10 am for two hours vacates the parking stall at 11 am,
a subsequent parker may occupy that stall, for free and without any
violation, from 11 am to 12 pm. However, in some other
jurisdictions, as discussed below, the practice and/or the law may
require every new parker to pay for whatever time they use, even if
it completely overlaps the previously paid time. In other words,
even if a parking stall is paid for from 10 am to 12 pm, a new
parker parking in the parking stall at 11 am will be required to
pay for the entire time that parker decides to park in the parking
stall, even if it results in double billing from 11 am to 12 pm.
This discussed in more detail below with reference to, for example,
FIGS. 7A and 7B.
[0088] Referring back to FIGS. 6A and 6B, it would be appreciated
that the preceding description of pay-by-space enforcement may be
subject to detection of infractions where an infraction should not
be issued. For example, it would not be fair to the parker if,
shortly after parking the vehicle but before the parker reaches the
parking kiosk to pay, a mobile enforcement vehicle patrols the
recently parked vehicle and issues a citation (i.e. parking outside
the window). Therefore, it may be preferable for the parking
authority to provide a grace period to allow the parker to park his
or her vehicle and to then proceed to pay for parking at a parking
kiosk located some distance away from the chosen parking stall. In
the various embodiments disclosed herein, automated post processing
methods may be applied to reduce the incidences of incorrectly
identifying a parking infraction. For instance, post-processing may
be used to introduce parking grace-periods (e.g. 10 minutes) before
and after the parking session ends. If, for example, parking
citations are processed and consolidated in a post-processing
procedure at the end of the day, then the central processor would
have detected that shortly after issuing a citation for the parking
stall (for example, within 2 minutes), a parking request was made
for that stall. If a grace period policy was in place, then the
central processor may be configured to waive the citation since it
was likely issued in error. This post-processing step may also be
applied to accommodate a parker wishing to extend his/her parking
time by adding more funds to a just-expired parking stall.
[0089] In the various embodiments disclosed herein, other methods
of automated post processing may also be applied to reduce the
incidences of incorrect parking infractions. For example, GPS
positioning corrections such as those described above may be
applied to enhance identification of the correct parking stall,
which may be particularly useful when the mobile enforcement
vehicle is operating in dense urban areas where satellite
navigation signals are prone to multi-path distortions.
Identification of the correct parking stall may be further enhanced
using reference photo(s) background (e.g. those that are images of
the parking stall only, without the presence of a parked vehicle)
and compared to those acquired by the mobile enforcement vehicle
during its patrols. Optionally, the enhanced data can be further
reviewed manually by a PEO to efficiently step forward or backward
between images of the parking stall being examined with
neighbouring stalls and between references images and images
acquired during the patrols.
[0090] Under the basic enforcement method of FIGS. 6A and 6B, as
discussed above, if a parker leaves a parking stall with remaining
parking time, a subsequent parker may park at the stall without
payment for at least the duration of time equal to the remaining
time without triggering an infraction alert. In other words, as
long as a parking stall is paid for, no parking violation is
detected irrespective of who paid for the parking.
[0091] In some instances, the parking authority may desire that all
new parkers must pay for parking even if the stall used by the new
parker has unused time remaining. For example, some jurisdictions
have a policy that specifies that the new parker must pay for
whatever time they use, even if it completely or partially overlaps
with the previously paid time. One method of enforcing such a
policy may be to avoid indication of the time remaining for a
parking stall so that subsequent parkers would be unaware of
whether the parking stall may be used for free. However, a previous
parker can nonetheless inform a subsequent parker that a given
stall has unused time. Alternatively, a previous parker can pass
his or her parking voucher, obtained at the time payment for
parking was made, to a subsequent parker so that the latter party
can continue to use a given stall for free.
[0092] The issue of voucher pass-backs may be addressed with the
assistance of the mobile enforcement vehicle. It may be understood
that the mobile enforcement vehicle may patrol a parking area on a
regular basis to identify parking violations. Therefore, the mobile
enforcement vehicle may be used to determine whether a parker is
"invalidly" using a paid-for parking stall. In this instance, an
"invalid" use constitutes a subsequent parker using a previous
parker's remaining unused parking time for a given parking
stall.
[0093] FIGS. 7A and 7B show a process flow diagram illustrating
method 700 of pay-by-space parking enforcement for detection
invalidly parked vehicles. Steps 710-730 of method 700 correspond
to steps 610-630 of method 600 described previously. While on
patrol, the mobile enforcement vehicle may scan the parking stalls
to determine the stall numbers and transmit this information along
with the time of scan (i.e. time of observation) to the central
processor. In some embodiments, the mobile enforcement vehicle may
scan both empty and occupied stalls. The mobile enforcement vehicle
may indicate to central processor whether or not the transmitted
stall number corresponds to an empty or an occupied stall using an
appropriate indicator. In some embodiments, the mobile enforcement
vehicle may transmit parking stall information as they are scanned,
in real-time. In other embodiments, the scans may be made first and
transmitted later in batches.
[0094] During the patrol of the parking stalls, the mobile
enforcement vehicle may also scan and transmit vehicle-identifying
information of the vehicle occupying a given stall, the stall
number and the time of observation to the central processor. The
information may include one or more identifies, such as the license
plate number, make and model and the colour of the vehicle. At step
740, the central processor may receive the parking stall numbers,
vehicle-identifying information and the time of observation. The
central processor may proceed to associate the vehicle-identifying
information to the identified parking stall, along with any
previously received information (e.g. those obtained at time of
payment by the parker or an earlier patrol). In some embodiments,
if the parking vouchers are RFID enabled, the mobile enforcement
vehicle may be equipped with an RFID reader to read and transmit to
the central processor the parking voucher identification ("ID")
number. At step 750, the central processor may analyze the received
information corresponding to the identified stall if it is occupied
to determine whether there is a parking violation.
[0095] FIG. 7B depicts a process flow diagram showing further
details of step 750 of FIG. 7A in which a parking violation may be
detected at a given parking stall. At decision step 754, the
central processor may query the database to determine whether or
not, at the time of observation, the permitted parking time at the
identified parking stall has expired in a manner similar to step
654 of FIG. 6B. If the parking stall should not be occupied (i.e.
answering "No" at decision step 754 because the parking time has
expired) the method may proceed to steps 770 and 772 to issue a
citation in a manner similar to steps 670 and 672 of method 600
described in FIG. 6B. If the parking stall is paid for (i.e.
answering "Yes" at decision step 754), the method may proceed to
decision step 756 where a comparison of the vehicle-identifying
information obtained for the given parking stall during the most
recent patrol and the immediately preceding patrol is made. If no
difference is observed in the comparison, then it may be concluded
that the same vehicle has been occupying the paid-for parking stall
during the two patrols and the vehicle is validly parked (i.e.
answering "No" at step 756) so the method may proceed to step 775
in which the method may end.
[0096] In the alternative, if the comparison of vehicle-identifying
information at step 756 indicates that there is a difference (i.e.
answering "Yes" at decision step 756), the difference may suggest
that a new parker has occupied the parking stall at some time
between the two patrols, and the method proceeds to decision step
758. At decision step 758, the central processor may determine
whether a parking request and payment for the stall in question has
been made by the new parker. In the present embodiment, the central
processor may query the database to determine whether a parking
request and payment for the parking stall in question was made
between the two patrols. Where a parking request and payment has
been made (i.e. answering "Yes" at step 758), then it may be
concluded that the vehicle parking in the stall is a new vehicle
which has paid for parking, and is thus validly parked. The method
may proceed to step 775 and the method ends. Otherwise, it may be
concluded that the parked vehicle is using a previous parker's
unused parking time and that a citation should be issued (i.e.
answering "No" at step 758) and the method proceeds to step 770 to
trigger an infraction alert. As described in method 600, the
violation status indicator for the parking stall may be set to
indicate a violation and transmitted to the mobile enforcement
vehicle. In turn, the mobile enforcement vehicle may make note of
the status and issue a citation.
[0097] FIGS. 8A and 8B show a process flow diagram illustrating
method 800 of pay-by-space parking enforcement which makes use of
the parked vehicle's license plate number as vehicle-identifying
information.
[0098] Steps 810-830 of method 800 are similar to steps 610-630 of
method 600 described previously. However, in this method, the
parker may be asked to provide the parked vehicle's license plate
number as vehicle-identifying information at the time of payment.
By providing secondary, vehicle-specific information such as the
license plate number, the process of detecting parking violations
for both the central processor and the mobile enforcement vehicle
may be simplified. From the mobile enforcement vehicle's
perspective, determining only the license plate number and the
stall number may speed up the patrol process by reducing the amount
of information that must be recorded. For the central processor, a
parking violation (i.e. "invalid" parking) can be determined by
simply comparing the license plate number identified by the parking
enforcement vehicle and the license plate number obtained from the
parker at the time of payment. In some cases, a difference in
physical vehicle characteristics (e.g. size, shape or colour) may
be observed which triggers a caution to indicate that additional
scrutiny of the parked vehicle is required. For example, a PEO may
be dispatched to obtain or verify the license plate number, the
associated vehicle identification number (VIN) or both. The VIN
number and the license plate number may be verified by
cross-referencing the observed information with official vehicle
registration information provided by a third-party database.
[0099] Asking the parker for secondary information such as the
license plate number may allow for more advanced types of
enforcement. For example, a particular parking authority may offer
subscription-based pay-by-space parking in which a parking
subscriber may be allocated a specific long-term parking stall.
Long-term parking in this instance may include parking
subscriptions which permit a parker to park at a given parking
stall for more than one day. Parking subscriptions may be given at
parking lots serving office buildings, hotels, and airports. In
some embodiments of long-term pay-by-space parking, the parking
authority may assign the parker a parking stall to a license plate.
In other embodiments, the parking authority may permit the parker
to specify multiple license plates so as to allow a parker owning
multiple vehicles to use the same stall. Regardless of the parking
arrangement made between the parker and the parking authority,
subscription pay-by-space parking and on-demand pay-by-space
parking may be enforced through the application of method 800
described further in detail below.
[0100] While on patrol, the mobile enforcement vehicle may scan the
parking stalls to determine the stall numbers and transmit this
information along with the time of scan (i.e. time of observation)
to the central processor. In some embodiments, the mobile
enforcement vehicle may scan both empty and occupied stalls. The
mobile enforcement vehicle may indicate to central processor
whether or not the transmitted stall number corresponds to an empty
or an occupied stall using an appropriate indicator. In some
embodiments, the mobile enforcement vehicle may transmit parking
stall information as they are scanned, in real-time. In other
embodiments, the scans may be made first and transmitted later in
batches. During patrol of the parking stalls, the mobile
enforcement vehicle may also record and transmit the license plate
number of the vehicle occupying a given stall, the stall number and
the time of observation to the central processor.
[0101] At step 840, the central processor may receive the parking
stall number and license plate number, both of which may be
contained in one or more photos acquired by the vision system, and
the time of observation. When the information is received, the
processor may associate the vehicle-identifying information with
the parking stall, along with any previously received information
(e.g. at time of payment by the parker or previous patrol) for the
parking stall. At step 850, the central processor may analyze the
received information corresponding to the identified stall to
determine whether there is a parking violation.
[0102] FIG. 8B depicts a process flow diagram showing further
details of step 850 of FIG. 8A in which a parking violation may be
detected at a given parking stall. At decision step 854, the
central processor queries the database to determine whether or not,
at the time of observation, the permitted parking time at the
identified parking stall has expired similar to step 654 of FIG.
6B. If the parking stall should not be occupied (i.e. answering
"No" decision step 854 because the parking time has expired) the
method proceeds to step 870 and 872 in a manner similar to steps
670 and 672 of method 600 described in FIG. 6B in which a citation
should be issued for occupying an unpaid or expired parking
stall.
[0103] If the parking stall is paid for (i.e. answering "Yes" at
decision step 854), the method may proceed to decision step 856,
where the license plate number obtained for the given parking stall
from the most recent patrol and the license plate number obtained
at the time of payment may be compared. If the comparison shows
that the license numbers are the same, then it may be concluded
that the same vehicle has been occupying the paid-for parking stall
since the time of payment to the time of the patrol and the vehicle
is validly parked (i.e. answering "Yes" at decision step 756).
Therefore, the method may proceed to step 775 in which the method
may end.
[0104] In the alternative, if the comparison of the license plate
numbers at decision step 756 indicates that there a difference
(i.e. answering "No" at decision step 756), the difference may
suggest that a new parker began occupying the parking stall
sometime between the time of payment and the time of the patrol.
The difference may also suggest that the new parker may be using
the previous parker's unused time. Accordingly, the method may
proceed to step 870 and 872 to trigger an infraction alert and
issue a citation, respectively. Similar to method 600, the
violation status indicator for the parking stall may be set to
indicate a violation and transmitted to the mobile enforcement
vehicle. In turn, the mobile enforcement vehicle may make note of
the status and issue a citation. In some instances citations may be
issued after a review by the PEO or a clerk to verify the
infraction. In other instances, citations are issued in real time
and placed (served) on the windshield of the parked vehicle. Where
citations are processed in batches (i.e. post-processed citations)
after completion of a patrol, those citations are mailed to the
owner of the vehicle.
[0105] Referring now to FIGS. 9A and 9B shown therein is a process
flow diagram illustrating method 900 of pay-by-space parking
enforcement in which the parker does not provide any information to
the central processor other than paying for a parking location
(i.e. no parking stall information and no secondary vehicle
information such as license plate information is provided by the
parker at the time of payment). Steps 910-920 of method 900
generally correspond to steps 610-620 of method 600 described
previously. However, step 920 further provides that a machine
readable parking voucher with a uniquely assigned identification
("ID") number may be issued to the parker. The parker may be
required to place the voucher on the front dashboard for display
through the windshield or in any location of the parked vehicle
that would allow scanning of the voucher by the mobile enforcement
vehicle. In some embodiments the unique identification number may
be encoded within an RFID tag so that the mobile enforcement
vehicle equipped with an RFID reader may read the encoded voucher
ID number as the vehicle moves along its patrol route. In other
embodiments, an optically scannable image corresponding to the ID
number, such as a barcode or QR code, may be used to encode the
voucher ID number, which may require the parker to place the
parking voucher in a location of the vehicle so that the voucher
may be scannable by the mobile enforcement vehicle's vision
system.
[0106] At step 930, upon issuance of the voucher, the relevant
information pertaining to the parking request, including the time
of issuance and parking expiration time may be associated by the
central processor to the parking voucher ID number and recorded in
the database. At this point the central processor may not have
knowledge of which issued voucher is being used with which parking
stall.
[0107] While on patrol, the mobile enforcement vehicle may scan the
parking stalls to determine the stall numbers and transmit this
information along with the time of scan (i.e. time of observation)
to the central processor. In some embodiments, the mobile
enforcement vehicle may scan both empty and occupied stalls. The
mobile enforcement vehicle may indicate to central processor
whether or not the transmitted stall number corresponds to an empty
or an occupied stall using an appropriate indicator. In some
embodiments, the mobile enforcement vehicle may transmit parking
stall information as they are scanned, in real-time. In other
embodiments, the scans may be made first and transmitted later in
batches and subsequently analyzed in the parking office.
[0108] During the patrol, the mobile enforcement vehicle may also
record and transmit to the central processor vehicle-identifying
information (e.g. color, make and model, and license plate number)
corresponding to the vehicle occupying a given stall, the stall
number, the time of observation and the ID number of the voucher.
In some instances, the mobile enforcement vehicle may not be able
to scan the identification number during its patrol. In that case,
a notification to a PEO may be sent to direct the PEO to the
parking stall in question so that a manual scan may be performed.
If the manual scan successfully identifies the voucher ID number,
then the voucher ID number along with the parking stall number and
vehicle-identifying information may be transmitted to the central
processor. Otherwise, the failed manual scan may indicate that the
parker did not purchase a parking voucher, which may justify
issuance of a citation.
[0109] At step 940, the central processor may receive the stall
number, vehicle-identifying information, and voucher identification
number for a given stall. An association or a link between the
voucher ID number and parking stall number may be established if
the identified voucher ID number has not been previously associated
with a parking stall. In some embodiments, association of a new
voucher ID number to a stall may terminate the parking voucher
previously associated with that parking stall. As a result, the
previous voucher may not be used further. Therefore, detection of a
terminated voucher ID number may trigger an infraction alert if the
voucher ID number was detected in association with a parked
vehicle. At step 950 the central processor analyzes the received
information corresponding to the identified stall to determine
whether there is a parking violation.
[0110] FIG. 9B depicts a process flow diagram showing further
details of step 950 of FIG. 9A in which a parking violation may be
detected at a given parking stall. At decision step 954, the
central processor may determine whether or not, at the time of
observation, the permitted parking time at the identified parking
stall has expired. To do so, the central processor may query the
database using the parking voucher identification number to obtain
the expiration time assigned to the parking voucher. If the parking
time has expired, then the parking stall should not be occupied
(i.e. answering "No" at decision step 954) and the method proceeds
to steps 970 and 972, in a manner similar to the method described
in FIG. 6B, in which a citation should be issued for occupying an
unpaid or expired parking stall. If the parking stall is paid for
(i.e. answering "Yes" at decision step 954), the central processor
may proceed to decision step 956 to determine, for the given stall,
whether the voucher ID number identified from the most recent
patrol is different from the voucher ID number identified from the
immediately preceding patrol. If there is a difference (i.e.
answering "Yes" at decision step 956), then it may be concluded
that a new parker has paid for parking and the vehicle currently
occupying the stall is validly parked so that the method may
proceed to step 975 and end.
[0111] On the other hand, if the voucher ID number assessed at step
956 is the same, then the method may proceed to step 958 to perform
a comparison of the vehicle-identifying information obtained during
the most recent patrol and the immediately preceding patrol. If the
comparison reveals that the vehicle-identifying information is the
same (i.e. answering "No" at decision step 958), then it may be
concluded that the vehicle occupying the parking stall has not
changed during the two patrols and the vehicle is validly parked so
that the method may proceed to step 975 and end. If the comparison
reveals that the vehicle-identifying information is different (i.e.
answering "Yes" at decision step 958), then it may be concluded
that a new parker has occupied the parking stall using a previously
purchased parking voucher. In other words, a voucher pass-back
event may be detected. The method may then proceed to 970 and 972
in a manner similar to the method described in FIG. 6B in which a
citation should be issued for occupying an unpaid or expired
parking stall.
Issuance of Citations
[0112] As discussed previously, the mobile enforcement vehicle may
scan and collect parking stall information at a much higher speed
than manual parking enforcement. The level of efficiency, however,
may be significantly reduced if the patrol vehicle must stop each
time it encounters a parking violation to issue a citation. In some
embodiments, the technique of micro-processing may be used to issue
citations in a more efficient manner. The stall numbers
corresponding to occupied parking stalls for which citations are to
be issued may be transmitted to another PEO who may then go
directly to the citable vehicle to issue and serve the citations.
The PEO receiving the transmission may be a PEO who patrols on
foot. Once the citation has been issued, the central processor may
be notified by the PEO which may in turn notify the mobile
enforcement vehicle that generated the citation alert that the
cited vehicle(s) have been processed.
[0113] For some cases, the GPS system may use micro-segments.
Generally the GPS system must start and travel from a good GPS
location and finish at a good GPS location. A good location is
defined as to where the GPS has excellent satellite reception.
Generally, in post processing methodology, the GPS data is analyzed
at the end of the day (or next day), corrections applied using the
INS (inertial navigation system) data, infractions determined and
citations mailed. It is also possible to analyze data every few
minutes and send citations to follow up PEOs that would track down
and serve the citations on the windows of the infracting
vehicles.
[0114] To ensure an error-free assignment of citations, there may
be a need to have a human officer to review all potential citations
and in particular oversee "ambiguous cases" (i.e. cases where it is
unclear as to whether a citation is required) to confirm that
issuance of a citation is needed. In some situations, whether a
parking violation has occurred may be unclear. For instance, as a
result of uncertainties with respect to determining the position of
a parked vehicle, it may be difficult to "place" the vehicle to a
parking stall. A human officer may be needed to manually examine
images acquired during the patrol for the parking stall to make an
assessment
[0115] It will be appreciated that numerous specific details are
set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the
exemplary embodiments described herein. However, it will be
understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the
embodiments described herein may be practiced without these
specific details. In other instances, well-known methods,
procedures and components have not been described in detail so as
not to obscure the embodiments described herein. The scope of the
claims should not be limited by the preferred embodiments and
examples, but should be given the broadest interpretation
consistent with the description as a whole.
* * * * *