System and method of detecting and navigating to empty parking spaces
View Patent ↗The parking detection system method described herein could guide people around urban environments detect guide and navigate them to empty parking spaces, add-on to the car-based navigation systems and or to the cellular phone. We have focused on the task of detecting and navigating even in situations in which Global Positioning Systems (GPS) cannot provide this information, such as when the person is indoors or in crowded urban areas where there is no line of site to the GPS satellites and without the need for central computer system or internet connections. The parking information will be received directly from RF sensors and will display as a floating overlay on the existing navigation system and or cellular phone as Bluetooth application.
1. A wireless parking detector, comprising:
a series of parking space status sensors, each parking space status sensor comprising a RF transmitter and a vehicle sensor, each parking space status sensor comprising a unique sensor broadcast name, each parking space status sensor being positioned proximate a unique parking spot, wherein the parking space status sensor monitors a vacancy status of the parking space, and the RF transmitter emits repeated broadcasts of the unique sensor broadcast name only when the status of the parking space is determined as vacant; and
a portable user's device providing a guide to a parking space, the portable user's device incorporating a monitoring system comprising parking space monitoring software and a signal receiver, wherein the signal receiver is configured to scan for all of the unique sensor broadcast names; and
parking space monitoring software that references each unique sensor broadcast name to a parking space identified on a location map,
wherein the repeated broadcasts are emitted from the RF transmitter and directly to the portable user's device, and
wherein the parking space monitoring software determines the location of each empty parking space associated with each received unique sensor broadcast names from the scan and displays the each empty parking locations.
2. The wireless parking detector according to claim 1 , wherein the parking ID to include a known address, price, and type of parking selected from the group consisting normal parking and handicap parking.
3. A method of identifying available parking spots, the method comprising the steps of:
deploying a series of parking space status sensors, each parking space status sensors having a unique sensor broadcast name and is positioned and mapped respective to a unique parking space;
monitoring the status of a series of parking space;
determining the vacancy of each parking space being monitored;
emitting repeat broadcasts of the respective unique sensor broadcast name of each parking space only when the respective parking space is determined to be vacant, wherein the emitted repeat broadcasts are directly received by a portable user's device, the portable user's device incorporating a monitoring system comprising parking space monitoring software and a signal receiver, wherein the signal receiver is configured to scan for all of the unique sensor broadcast names;
scanning with the portable user's device to receive each of the emitted respective unique sensor broadcast names;
determining each empty parking space from the emitted respective unique sensor broadcast names; and
communicating each empty parking space to an end user via a display device.
4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the empty parking space information is displayed as a stand alone application without background mapping.
5. The method according to claim 3 , which further comprises displaying the empty parking space information over at least one of a facility map, an area map, and a floor plan downloaded to the display device.
6. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the empty parking space information pertains to navigating a current parking area.
7. The method according to claim 6 , which further comprises determining a current position of a vehicle based on known positions of the wireless parking sensors to the vehicle.
8. The method according to claim 7 , which further comprises navigating to the current parking area using a mapping facility.
9. The method according to claim 3 , which further comprises producing a parking ticket with an exact location to a park space for a vehicle, the parking ticket being distributed by a parking garage.
10. The method according to claim 3 , which further comprises paying electronically the parking sensor which replaces a parking meter.
11. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the parking sensor automatically debits the display device.
12. The method according to claim 7 , which further comprises performing the determining step without an aid of a global positioning satellite system or central database system.
13. The method according to claim 3 , which further comprises: registering an exact parking place location of a vehicle on the display device; and subsequently allow return to parking navigating to where the vehicle is parked.
14. The method according to claim 13 , which further comprises displaying on the display device a mapping between a current position and the exact parking place location of the vehicle.
15. The method according to claim 3 , which further comprises displaying additional information of an available parking space as a waypoint.
16. The method according to claim 3 , which further comprises providing the display device with an omni directional circular display.
17. The method according to claim 3 , which further comprises forming the display device as a head-up display device projecting onto a vehicle windshield and displaying the empty parking space information via the head-up device.
18. The method according to claim 16 , which further comprises determining a distance to and a direction to an empty parking space with the omni directional circular display.
19. The method according to claim 3 , which further comprises providing the display device with application software for displaying pre-loaded area maps or parking facility floor plans.
20. The method according to claim 3 , which further comprises floating the empty parking space information over an existing floor plan.
21. The wireless parking detector according to claim 1 , the RF transmitter transmits in accordance with a Bluetooth protocol.
22. The wireless parking detector according to claim 1 , further comprising a cellular telephone, wherein the parking space monitoring software, signal receiver, and display are integrated into the cellular telephone.
23. The wireless parking detector according to claim 1 , wherein the parking space monitoring software, signal receiver, and display are integrated into a user interface of a vehicle.
24. The wireless parking detector according to claim 1 , further comprising a return to parking feature, wherein the return to parking feature saves the location in which a user's vehicle is parked.