IL287061A - Tag assisted parking lot management and methods thereof - Google Patents

Description

תכרעמ לוהינל םינוינח עויסב גת תוטישלו לוהינל ןוינחTAG ASSISTED PARKING LOT MANAGEMENT AND METHODS THEREOF FIELD OF THE INVENTION [1] The present invention pertains to a tag assisted parking lot management system and to methods for managing a parking lot.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [2] Various municipal and private parking operators have extensive legacy parking management systems for managing the use of, and obtaining revenue for the user of, destination locations for vehicles, such as parking spaces for wheeled motor vehicles. The substantial rework and expense that traditionally has been required to upgrade such legacy systems to full automation poses a substantial up-front capital investment that prevents many parking operators from performing such upgrades.[3] To manage a plurality of parking spaces, one or more images are acquired, with each parking space appearing in at least one image, see e.g., US20170124395. Periodically acquired images of occupancy and identity are used in directing a customer to a parked vehicle. Periodically acquired images of just occupancy are used in controlling respective environmental aspects, such as illumination and ventilation, of the parking spaces. For these purposes, the images are classified automatically as "vacant" or "occupied", and are displayed along with their classifications so that the classifications can be corrected manually.[4] The patent applications US 2005/0083212 and US 2008/101656 disclose methods to manage parking lots, in which a plurality of camera capture parking lots of a parking, in order to detect occupied or free spaces, and to determine the duration of stay of cars in the parking. However, the method there lacks flexibility to be extended to other cases, such as for example the detection of occupation of restricted parking lots.[5] Patent application EP2925564A discloses a method of tracking use of a single multi-vehicle destination location and at least one restricted location within the single multi-vehicle destination location is disclosed. Initially, pluralities of vehicle images captured by a plurality of cameras are received.[6] What is needed is a fully automated and autonomous tag assisted parking lot management system and to methods for managing a parking lot, which easily integrates with existing parking payment systems, guidelines violation system and systems for avoiding dangers in the vehicle, its surroundings, the road and adjacent pedestrian, including systems that have already been installed and operational for some time. Doing so unlocks new revenue opportunities and efficiencies for the parking facility operators that are previously untapped.[7] The preceding is a simplified summary of the disclosure to provide an understanding of some aspects of the disclosure. This summary is neither an extensive nor exhaustive overview of the disclosure and its various aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations. It is intended neither to identify key or critical elements of the disclosure nor to delineate the scope of the disclosure but to present selected concepts of the disclosure in a simplified form as an introduction to the more detailed description presented below. As will be appreciated, other aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations of the disclosure are possible utilizing, alone or in combination, one or more of the features set forth above or described in detail below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [8] FIG. 1depicts photos of a few problem to be solved, involving vehicle, their road and parking lots;[9] FIGs. 2-4depict solutions for the problem, according to a few embodiments of the invention; and [10] FIG. 5depicts a few uses for the system, according to some embodiments of the invention.[11] In the appended figures, similar components and/or features may have the same reference label. Further, various components of the same type may be distinguished by following the reference label by a letter that distinguishes among the similar components. If only the first reference label is used in the specification, the description is applicable to any one of the similar components having the same first reference label irrespective of the second reference label.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION id="p-12" id="p-12" id="p-12" id="p-12" id="p-12"

[12] It is hence one object of eth invention to discloses a tag assisted parking lot managing system. The system is characterized by one or more parking places, at least one said parking places comprises or otherwise provided in connection with one or more indicia; and one or more sensors configured to sense said indicia, and intercommunicatable with one or more of the following: photovoltaic cell, communicating module, processor, database and alarm, The system is operated in a method comprising steps of: by means of said sensors, detecting said indicia; by means of said processor, assigning each of said indicia to a specific parking place, either in a predefined location within or outside, in a neighboring location thereof; if required, clustering at least one first indicium to at least one second indicium; continuously, periodically, or upon detection of change of signal baseline, by means of said sensors, detecting any of said indicia; if all of said indicia are detectable, providing step (c); if at least one first indicium is not clustered with at least one second indicium; and said at least one first indicium is not detectable.[13] A further step is processing said at least one first indicium; if said currently undetectable indicium is indicated as a lawful parking, providing steps of group I; and if said currently undetectable indicium is indicated as an unlawful parking, providing steps of group II; and if at least one first indicium is not detectable, and said at least one first indicium is clustered with at least one second indicium, detecting if said at least one clustered indicium is detected; processing said at least one first and at least one second indicia; analyzing said processed indicia if either at least one first indicium is not detectable, and at least one second indicium is not detectable; or at least one first indicium is not detectable, and at least one second indicium is detectable; providing steps of group II; if said currently undetectable clustered indicia are indicated as a lawful parking, providing steps of group I; and if said currently undetectable clustered indicia are indicated as an unlawful parking, providing steps of group II.[14] The steps of group I are selected from a group of steps consisting of initiating parking time; capturing a photo and/or short video clip of a vehicle obscuring said currently not-detected indicium; capturing vehicle and/or driver identification signs, said identification signs are selected from license plate, RFID, Tag, vehicle parameters and drivers’ biometric properties; intercommunicating said initiating parking time; said assigned parking place; said captured photo and/or short video clip and said capturing vehicle and/or driver identification to a database; when said one or more indicia are detectable again, intercommunicating said time of termination of parking, assigned to said parking place for further tolling. id="p-15" id="p-15" id="p-15" id="p-15" id="p-15"

[15] The steps of group II are selected from a group of steps consisting of initiating parking time; capturing a photo and/or short video clip of a vehicle unlawfully obscuring said currently not- detected indicium; capturing said unlawfully parking vehicle and/or driver identification signs, said identification signs are selected from license plate, RFID, Tag, vehicle parameters and drivers’ biometric properties; validating a potential for danger; if a potential for danger is validated; alarming for danger; intercommunicating said initiating parking time; said assigned regulation- violated parking place; said captured photo and/or short video clip and said capturing vehicle and/or driver identification, and said potential for danger to a database; alarming for a case of regulation-violated parking place; and when said one or more indicia are detectable again, intercommunicating said time of termination of parking, assigned to said parking place for further tolling.[16] Still another object of the invention is to disclose the system as defined above, wherein sensor in connected to a photovoltaic panel, and does not require to be connected to external electricity grid, and is operatabe to sense presence of indicia in a minimal-size single-dimension (0D) point of interest (POI), thereby the system requires respectively low amperage of less than 1A/h.[17] Another object of the invention is to disclose the system as defined above, wherein it characterized by means to detect and alarm in (i) cases of unlawful parking, and (ii) cases with potential for danger, said cases are selected from a group consisting of fire, neglected kids, criminal activity, hitting pedestrians, blocking other parking, blocking roads, and cars of invalid proof of passing a periodically technical test.

Claims (3)

1. Tag assisted parking lot managing system characterized bya. one or more parking places, at least one said parking places comprises or otherwise provided in connection with one or more indicia; andb. one or more sensors configured to sense said indicia, and intercommunicatable with one or more of the following: photovoltaic cell, communicating module, processor, database and alarm; said system is operated in a method comprising steps of: a. by means of said sensors, detecting said indicia;b. by means of said processor, assigning each of said indicia to a specific parking place, either in a predefined location within or outside, in a neighboring location thereof;c. if required, clustering at least one first indicium to at least one second indicium;d. continuously, periodically, or upon detection of change of signal baseline, by means of said sensors, detecting any of said indicia;e. if all of said indicia are detectable, providing step (c);f. if at least one first indicium is not clustered with at least one second indicium; and said at least one first indicium is not detectable; and furtherg. processing said at least one first indicium;i. if said currently undetectable indicium is indicated as a lawful parking, providing steps of group I; andii. if said currently undetectable indicium is indicated as an unlawful parking, providing steps of group II; andh. if at least one first indicium is not detectable, and said at least one first indicium is clustered with at least one second indicium, detecting if said at least one clustered indicium is detected;i. processing said at least one first and at least one second indicia;j. analyzing said processed indicia if eitheri. at least one first indicium is not detectable, and at least one second indicium is not detectable; or ii. at least one first indicium is not detectable, and at least one second indicium is detectable; providing steps of group II;k. if said currently undetectable clustered indicia are indicated as a lawful parking, providing steps of group I; andl. if said currently undetectable clustered indicia are indicated as an unlawful parking, providing steps of group II; said steps of group I are selected from a group of steps consisting of i. initiating parking time;ii. capturing a photo and/or short video clip of a vehicle obscuring said currently not-detected indicium;iii. capturing vehicle and/or driver identification signs, said identification signs are selected from license plate, RFID, Tag, vehicle parameters and drivers’ biometric properties;iv. intercommunicating said initiating parking time; said assigned parking place; said captured photo and/or short video clip and said capturing vehicle and/or driver identification to a database;v. when said one or more indicia are detectable again, intercommunicating said time of termination of parking, assigned to said parking place for further tolling; said steps of group II are selected from a group of steps consisting of i. initiating parking time;ii. capturing a photo and/or short video clip of a vehicle unlawfully obscuring said currently not-detected indicium;iii. capturing said unlawfully parking vehicle and/or driver identification signs, said identification signs are selected from license plate, RFID, Tag, vehicle parameters and drivers’ biometric properties;iv. validating a potential for danger; if a potential for danger is validated; alarming for danger;v. intercommunicating said initiating parking time; said assigned regulation- violated parking place; said captured photo and/or short video clip and said capturing vehicle and/or driver identification, and said potential for danger to a database;vi. alarming for a case of regulation-violated parking place; andvii. when said one or more indicia are detectable again, intercommunicating said time of termination of parking, assigned to said parking place for further tolling.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein sensor in connected to a photovoltaic panel, and does not require to be connected to external electricity grid, and is operatabe to sense presence of indicia in a minimal-size single-dimension (0D) point of interest (POI), thereby the system requires respectively low amperage of less than 1A/h.

3. The system of claim 1, characterized by means to detect and alarm in (i) cases of unlawful parking, and (ii) cases with potential for danger, said cases are selected from a group consisting of fire, neglected kids, criminal activity, hitting pedestrians, blocking other parking, blocking roads, and cars of invalid proof of passing a periodically technical test. םשב איצממה םילעבהו 'רד ליא ,רלסרב ד"וע פ"ועו'חר לבות 11 ג"ר 03-5765555