Unified parking management system and method based on optical data processing

1 . A method to conduct a parking transaction comprising:

a) tracking ( 608 , 903 ), with a parking management system ( 198 ) having communication with a plurality of cameras ( 160 - 162 ) in a parking facility ( 100 ), a current position of a first vehicle in the parking facility, movement of the first vehicle within the facility visible to at least one of the plurality of cameras;

b) accumulating ( 609 , 904 ), with the parking management system, a fee, corresponding to the first vehicle, at a rate ( 530 ) corresponding to the current position ( 510 ) of the vehicle;

c) repeatedly performing steps a) and b) until the vehicle leaves the parking facility; and,

d) charging the amount of the fee ( 781 , 881 ) as the vehicle leaves the parking facility.

2 . The method of claim 1 further comprising:

e) determining ( 902 ) a characteristic of the vehicle, with the parking management system, the parking management system having communication with at least one sensor able to detect the characteristic, as the vehicle attempts to enter the facility;

f) confirming ( 906 ) the characteristic, with the parking management system, of the vehicle as the vehicle leaves the facility;

whereby confidence in the transaction is increased.

3 . The method of claim 2 wherein the characteristic is a license plate number and the sensor is a camera.

4 . The method of claim 3 wherein the first vehicle is pre-registered with the parking management system and a second vehicle is not, the method further comprising:

f) admitting the first vehicle based on the license plate number being known to the parking management system; and,

g) denying admittance to the second vehicle.

5 . The method of claim 2 wherein the characteristic is a color and the sensor is a camera.

6 . The method of claim 2 wherein the characteristic is a shape of the vehicle and the sensor comprises a camera.

7 . The method of claim 1 wherein the parking facility has at least a first and second parking spaces, a first rate corresponding to the first parking space being different than a second rate corresponding to the second parking space.

8 . The method of claim 7 wherein at least one parking space is associated with a surcharge.

9 . The method of claim 1 wherein a first parking space corresponds to an electric vehicle service equipment (EVSE).

10 . The method of claim 9 wherein the parking management system has communication with the EVSE to determine an amount of power used while the current position of first vehicle is the first parking space.

11 . The method of claim 1 wherein the parking facility offers a grace period for a particular portion of the parking facility, the method comprising:

e) tracking ( 603 ), with the parking management system, the current position of a first vehicle in the parking facility until one of the grace period expires and the vehicle leaves the particular portion of the parking facility;

step e) performed before steps a), b), c) and d).

12 . A method of managing a parking facility comprising:

determining a vehicle ID using an LPR system upon vehicle entry;

tracking said vehicle in the facility using a plurality of wide-view cameras, wherein optical data from said wide-view cameras is processed using pattern recognition and motion detection to produce vehicle location data;

determining a location where said vehicle parks in the facility;

requiring a driver of said vehicle to register said vehicle ID either online, by telephone or at a registration station;

billing said vehicle for parking based on said location and time parked at said location.

13 . The method of claim 12 further comprising citing any vehicle that parks without registering said vehicle ID.