System and method for parking time estimations
View Patent ↗The invention provides a system for parking time estimations, the system comprising at least one device able to sense at least momentary location and respective time; and an application server to receive from a plurality of the devices time series of location points and to calculate, based on the received time series of location points, duration of searches for parking spots. The invention provides a method for parking time estimations, the method comprising detecting beginning of searching for a parking spot by a user of a device able to sense at least momentary location and respective time; detecting time of parking; and calculating at least estimated duration of searching for a parking spot.
1. A system for parking time estimations, the system comprising:
at least one device able to sense at least momentary location and respective time; and
an application server to receive from a plurality of said devices time series of location points and to calculate, based on said received time series of location points, duration of searches for parking spots.
2. A system according to claim 1 , wherein said application server is configured to calculate said durations by identifying traveling patterns corresponding to searching for a parking spot.
3. A system according to claim 2 , wherein said application server is configured to identifying traveling patterns corresponding to searching for a parking spot by performing statistical analysis of said time series.
4. A system according to claim 1 , wherein said application server is configured to provide at least an estimated expected duration of search for a parking spot in a certain area and/or time in a day and/or day in a week, by performing statistical analysis of said calculated durations.
5. A system according to claim 1 , wherein said application server is configured to accumulate parking-related information including at least one of a list comprising time to find parking spots in an area, number and/or percentage of parking spots in an area, the occupancy of the parking spots in an area, rate of evacuation and/or time of occupation of parking spots, duration of parking queue, number of vehicles entering and/or going out of an area, costs of parking, proximity of parking spots to destination and other parking-related information which may facilitate parking time estimations and/or the potential time for acquiring a parking spot.
6. A system according to claim 5 , wherein said application server is configured to provide the information to a user of said device.
7. A system according to claim 5 , wherein said application server is configured to receive said information and/or calculate the information from data received from at least one of said devices, street parking meters, parking payment systems, street video cameras, satellite cameras, sensors and manual input.
8. A system according to claim 1 , wherein said application server is configured to provide a preferred path of searching and/or location of a preferred parking spot according to preferences of a user.
9. A system according to claim 1 , wherein said application server is configured to provide instructions to a user to guide the user in a searching path and/or to a location of a parking spot.
10. A method for parking time estimation, the method comprising:
detecting beginning of searching for a parking spot by a user of a device able to sense at least momentary location and respective time;
detecting time of parking; and
calculating at least estimated duration of searching for a parking spot.
11. A method according to claim 10 , wherein said detecting beginning of searching for a parking spot comprises detecting a pattern of traveling, the pattern identified as corresponding to searching for a parking spot.
12. A method according to claim 10 , wherein said detecting parking comprising identifying parking when a user has velocity below a certain predefined threshold.
13. A method according to claim 10 , wherein said detecting parking comprising recognizing when a user deviates from an identified road.
14. A method according to claim 10 , wherein said detecting parking comprising receiving a notice from a user upon parking.
15. A method according to claim 10 , wherein said calculating comprising extracting the period of time between said detected beginning and said detected parking.
16. A method according to claim 10 , further comprising the steps of:
collecting data of durations of parking-spot searching;
analyzing said data; and
providing parking information acquired based on at least said analysis.
17. A method according to claim 16 , wherein said analyzing comprising statistical analysis of said collected data according to the different areas and/or times in a day and/or day in a week corresponding to said durations.
18. A method according to claim 16 , wherein said parking information comprising at least one of a list comprising estimated parking search durations, number of available and/or unoccupied parking spaces and preferred search paths and/or locations of parking spots.
19. A method for parking time estimations, the method comprising:
detecting parking;
back-tracing route to detect beginning of searching for a parking spot; and
calculating at least estimated duration of searching for a parking spot.
20. A method according to claim 19 , wherein said back-tracing comprises detecting a pattern of traveling, the pattern identified as corresponding to searching for a parking spot.