Parking infrastructure powered by a decentralized, distributed database
View Patent ↗A parking system having parking lots and server computers configured to control access to the parking lots. The server computers are connected via a communications network to form a peer to peer network of computing nodes. The peer to peer network of computing nodes hosts a decentralized, distributed database that stores activity records of parking spaces in the parking lots. The peer to peer network can include vehicles planning to use parking services of the parking lots and/or mobile devices connected to infotainment systems of the vehicles. Alternatively, the peer to peer network is formed by parking applications running in the vehicles and/or the mobile devices. The records in the decentralized, distributed database provide parking space availability information and/or can be used to regulate and/or plan parking reservation, usage, and navigational guidance to reach available parking spaces.
1 . A system, comprising:
a computing device of a vehicle, the computing device configured on a peer to peer network hosting a distributed database and configured to run a parking application;
wherein each of a plurality of parking lots comprises a plurality of parking spaces and wherein each particular parking space in each of the plurality of parking lots is represented by a respective digital token;
wherein the peer to peer network is configured to manage use of each of the plurality of parking spaces in each of the plurality of parking lots based on reservation and transfer of digital tokens among parking applications;
wherein the distributed database is configured to limit possession of the respective digital token to one parking application at a time, such that the use of each of the plurality of parking spaces is limited to one vehicle at a time;
wherein transactions of transferring the respective digital token are recorded in the distributed database; and
wherein the computing device is configured to:
reserve, at the computing device of the vehicle, a first digital token associated with a particular parking space, wherein:
the first digital token is reserved in response to a destination of a parking lot of the particular parking space being set in an application associated with the vehicle, or
the first digital token is reserved in response to a distance between the parking lot and a current location of the vehicle being shorter than a threshold;
receive the first digital token from a server computer associated with the parking lot in response to the vehicle entering and parking in the particular parking space and in accordance with reserving the particular parking space; and
send the first digital token to the server computer in response to the vehicle leaving and no longer being parked in the particular parking space.
2 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
the plurality of parking lots; and
a plurality of server computers configured to control access to the plurality of parking lots based on the distributed database hosted on the peer to peer network.
3 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the peer to peer network includes the plurality of server computers as computing nodes and the computing device as a computing node independent of the plurality of server computers.
4 . The system of claim 2 , wherein each computing node in the peer to peer network is configured to broadcast a record of a transaction of the first digital token in the peer to peer network to cause one or more additional computing nodes in the peer to peer network to store the record in the distributed database.
5 . The system of claim 2 , wherein each respective server computer, among the plurality of server computers, is configured to control access to a respective parking lot, among the plurality of parking lots, based at least in part on network consensus of records, stored in the distributed database, about transactions of digital tokens representative of parking spaces in the respective parking lot.
6 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the computing device is configured on the vehicle having an advanced driver-assistance system; and the parking application configured on the computing device is configured to transfer the first digital token to or from the server computer in response to using or releasing the particular parking space.
7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the computing device includes a mobile device connected to an infotainment system of the vehicle; and the parking application configured on the mobile device is configured to transfer the first digital token to or from the server computer in response to using or releasing the particular parking space.
8 . The system of claim 1 ,
wherein the server computer is configured to control access to the parking lot containing the particular parking space, and configured to generate a record for the first digital token in response to a wireless communication with the parking application running in the computing device;
wherein the distributed database is implemented via a blockchain technique.
9 . The system of claim 1 , wherein a presence of the vehicle at the parking lot of the plurality of parking lots having the particular parking space is confirmed based on a communication connection with a wireless local connection point in the parking lot.
10 . A method, comprising:
configuring a computing device of a vehicle on a peer to peer network hosting a distributed database, wherein use of each particular parking space in a plurality of parking lots is represented by a respective digital token;
managing, via the peer to peer network, the use of an inventory of parking spaces based on reservation and transfer of digital tokens among parking applications, wherein the distributed database is configured to limit possession of the respective digital token to one parking application at a time;
recording transactions of transferring the respective digital token in the distributed database;
reserving, at the computing device of the vehicle, a first digital token associated with a particular parking space, wherein:
the first digital token is reserved in response to a destination of a parking lot of the particular parking space being set in an application associated with the vehicle, or
the first digital token is reserved in response to a distance between the parking lot and a current location of the vehicle being shorter than a threshold;
receiving, in the computing device that runs a parking application and from a server computer associated with the parking lot, the first digital token in response to the vehicle entering and parking in the particular parking space and in accordance with reserving the particular parking space; and
sending, from the computing device to the server computer, the first digital token in response to the vehicle leaving and no longer being parked in the particular parking space.
11 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
configuring a plurality of server computers to control access to the plurality of parking lots based on the distributed database hosted on the peer to peer network.
12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the peer to peer network includes the plurality of server computers as computing nodes and the computing device as a computing node independent of the plurality of server computers.
13 . The method of claim 11 , wherein each computing node in the peer to peer network is configured to broadcast a record of a transaction of the first digital token in the peer to peer network to cause one or more additional computing nodes in the peer to peer network to store the record in the distributed database.
14 . The method of claim 11 , wherein each respective server computer, among the plurality of server computers, is configured to control access to a respective parking lot, among the plurality of parking lots, based at least in part on network consensus of records, stored in the distributed database, about transactions of digital tokens representative of parking spaces in the respective parking lot.
15 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the computing device is configured on the vehicle having an advanced driver-assistance system; and the parking application configured on the computing device is configured to transfer the first digital token to or from the server computer in response to using or releasing the particular parking space.
16 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the computing device includes a mobile device connected to an infotainment system of the vehicle; and the parking application configured on the mobile device is configured to transfer the first digital token to or from the server computer in response to using or releasing the particular parking space.
17 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
configuring the server computer to control access to the parking lot containing the particular parking space, and to generate a record for the first digital token in response to a wireless communication with the parking application running in the computing device;
wherein the distributed database is implemented via a blockchain technique.
18 . A non-transitory computer storage medium storing instructions which when, executed by a computing device of a vehicle, cause the computing device to perform a method, comprising:
configuring the computing device on a peer to peer network hosting a distributed database, wherein each particular parking space in a plurality of parking lots is represented by a respective digital token, wherein the peer to peer network is configured to manage use of parking spaces based on reservation and transfer of digital tokens among parking applications, and wherein the distributed database is configured to limit possession of the respective digital token to one parking application at a time;
recording transactions of transferring the respective digital token in the distributed database;
reserving, at the computing device of the vehicle, a first digital token associated with a particular parking space, wherein:
the first digital token is reserved in response to a destination of a parking lot of the particular parking space being set in an application associated with the vehicle, or
the first digital token is reserved in response to a distance between the parking lot and a current location of the vehicle being shorter than a threshold;
receiving, in the computing device running a parking application and from a server computer associated with the parking lot, the first digital token in response to the vehicle entering and parking in the particular parking space and in accordance with reserving the particular parking space; and
sending, from the computing device to the server computer, the first digital token in response to the vehicle leaving and no longer parking in the particular parking space.
19 . The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 18 , wherein the computing device includes a mobile device connected to an infotainment system of the vehicle; and the parking application configured on the mobile device is configured to transfer the first digital token to or from the server computer in response to using or releasing the particular parking space.
20 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the communication connection occurs between the computing device and one of a plurality of server computers that is associated with the parking lot.