Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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TITLE: SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DETERMINING PARKING INFRACTION
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The invention relates generally to the field of parking
enforcement, and
more specifically to systems and methods for the automatic detection of
parking
infractions.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Regulation of vehicle parking in parking lots and street allows
for a more
orderly flow of traffic and parking resource management at various times of
the day or
week. This further encourages vehicle turnover and better and fairer
utilization of
parking resources. Implementation of parking regulations further allows the
parking
authority responsible for managing the use of parking spaces to generate
revenue
through the collection of fees.
[0003] One of the concerns associated with management of fee-for-use
parking
lots is unauthorized use of such parking lots. Typically, a parking
enforcement officer
manually monitors such fee-for-use parking lots to detect unauthorized use of
parking
spaces. However, the parking enforcement officer is usually required to patrol
the
parking lots on foot and issue citations to unauthorized vehicles. Such a
process tends
to be slow, expensive, prone to errors and interruption due to inclement
weather, safety
issues, fatigue or other issues related to more manual methods of enforcement.
SUMMARY
[0004] In a broad aspect, at least one embodiment described herein
provides a
method of managing a parking area, the parking lot comprising a plurality of
parking
stalls for occupancy by a plurality of vehicles, each parking stall being
uniquely
identifiable using a parking stall identifier. The method comprises: receiving
a parking
authorization request from a parking lot user, the parking authorization
request
specifying a parking stall identifier corresponding to a parking stall that is
occupied by a
vehicle belonging to the parking lot user, the parking authorization request
further
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specifying a parking duration parameter identifying a duration of time for
which the
parking lot user can park the vehicle at the parking stall; determining a
parking duration
rule for the parking stall based on the parking duration parameter, the
parking duration
rule indicating a parking expiration time at which the vehicle must vacate; at
a first time,
receiving a first data associated with the parking stall identifier, the first
data comprising
an occupancy parameter indicating a presence or an absence of a parked vehicle
at the
parking stall identified by the parking stall identifier;
if the occupancy parameter
indicates a presence of a parked vehicle, determining if the first time
exceeds the
parking expiration time; and if the first time exceeds the parking expiration
time,
generating a citation alert for the parking stall identified by the parking
stall identifier.
[0005]
In some embodiments, the method of managing a parking area further
comprises issuing a parking citation to the parked vehicle based on the
citation alert.
[0006]
In some embodiments, the parking authorization request further comprises
a vehicle identifier identifying at least one characteristic of the vehicle,
the method
comprising at the first time, further receiving a detected vehicle identifier
corresponding
to at least one detected characteristic of the parked vehicle at the parking
stall, the at
least one detected characteristic being comparable to the at least one
characteristic;
determining if the parked vehicle is the same as the vehicle corresponding to
the
parking authorization request by comparing the vehicle identifier and the
detected
vehicle identifier; if the parked vehicle and the vehicle corresponding to the
parking
authorization request are determined to be different vehicles, determining if
a second
parking authorization request is received from the parked vehicle; and if the
second
parking authorization request is determined to not have been received from the
parked
vehicle, generating the citation alert for the parking stall.
[0007] In
some embodiments, the at least one characteristic of the vehicle
comprises a data item selected from the group consisting of a license plate
number of
the vehicle, year of make of the vehicle, model of the vehicle, color of the
vehicle and
transponder identity of the vehicle.
[0008]
In some embodiments, the at least one detected characteristic of the
parked vehicle comprises a data item selected from the group consisting of a
license
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plate number of the vehicle, model of the vehicle, color of the vehicle, shape
and length
of the vehicle, and transponder identity of the vehicle.
[0009] In some embodiments, the first time does not exceed the parking
expiration time, and the first data further comprises a first detected vehicle
identifier
identifying at least one characteristic of the parked vehicle detected at the
first time, and
wherein the method further comprises: at a second time, where the second time
does
not exceed the parking expiration time, receiving a second data associated
with the
parking stall identifier, wherein the second data comprises a second detected
vehicle
identifier identifying at least one characteristic of a parked vehicle
detected at the
parking stall at the second time, wherein the second time is subsequent to the
first time,
and wherein the at least one characteristic of the parked vehicle detected at
the first
time and the at least one characteristic of the parked vehicle detected at the
second
time correspond to a same data item; comparing the first detected vehicle
identifier to
the second detected vehicle identifier; if the first detected vehicle
identifier and the
second detected vehicle identifier are determined to correspond to different
vehicles,
determining if a second parking authorization request is received from the
parked
vehicle detected at the second time; and if the second parking authorization
request is
determined to not have been received, generating the citation alert for the
parking stall.
[0010] In another aspect, in at least one embodiment described herein,
there is
provided a method of managing a parking lot using a patrol vehicle, the
parking lot
comprising a plurality of parking stalls for occupancy by a plurality of
vehicles, each
parking stall being uniquely identifiable using a parking stall identifier.
The method
comprises operating the patrol vehicle to patrol the parking lot; determining,
at a first
time, for an occupied parking stall, a parking stall identifier; determining,
at the first time,
a parking duration rule for the parking stall identifier based on a parking
authorization
request comprising a parking duration parameter received from an operator of a
vehicle
occupying the occupied parking stall, wherein the parking duration parameter
identifies
a duration of time for which the vehicle can be parked at the parking stall,
and wherein
the parking duration rule indicates a parking expiration time at which the
vehicle must
vacate the parking stall; and determining if the first time exceeds the
parking expiration
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time, and if so, generating a citation alert for the parking stall identified
by the parking
stall identifier.
[0011] In some embodiments, the method of managing a parking lot using
a
patrol vehicle further comprises issuing a parking citation to a parked
vehicle based on
the citation alert.
[0012] In some embodiments, the first time does not exceed the parking
expiration time, the method of managing a parking lot using a patrol vehicle
further
comprises determining, at the first time, a detected vehicle identifier
corresponding to at
least one detected characteristic of a parked vehicle at the parking stall;
determining if
the parked vehicle corresponds to the vehicle associated with the parking
authorization
request, wherein the parking authorization request further comprises a vehicle
identifier
identifying at least one characteristic of the vehicle; if the parked vehicle
does not
correspond to the vehicle associated with the parking authorization request,
determining
if a second parking authorization request is received for the parking stall
identifier; and if
the second parking authorization request is determined to not have been
received for
the parking stall identifier, generating the citation alert and issuing the
parking citation to
the parked vehicle.
[0013] In some embodiments, the parking lot is patrolled based on a
prescheduled time.
[0014] In some embodiments, determining the parking stall identifier
comprises
capturing one or more images of the occupied parking stall using an image
detector
mounted on the patrol vehicle; and processing the one or more images to
identify the
parking stall identifier.
[0015] In some embodiments, processing the one or more images
comprises
converting the one or more images into a machine-encoded text.
[0016] In some embodiments, the parking stall identifier is designed
to minimize
blooming.
[0017] In some embodiments, determining the parking stall identifier
comprises
scanning the occupied parking stall using a radio-frequency identification
reader
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mounted on the patrol vehicle, wherein the parking stall identifier comprises
a radio-
frequency identification tag detectable by the radio-frequency identification
reader.
[0018] In some embodiments, determining the parking stall identifier
comprises
identifying the GPS coordinates corresponding to the occupied parking stall
being
patrolled and determining an associated parking stall identifier by querying a
parking
management database.
[0019] In some embodiments, identifying an occupied parking stall in
the parking
lot comprises scanning each parking stall within the parking lot to capture
one or more
images of the parking stall; and processing the one or more images to detect
absence
or presence of a vehicle in the parking stall.
[0020] In some embodiments, determining the detected vehicle
identifier
comprises detecting a license plate number of the parked vehicle using an
image
detector.
[0021] In another aspect, in at least one embodiment described herein,
there is
provided a parking lot management system for a parking lot comprising a
plurality of
parking stalls for occupancy by a plurality of vehicles, each parking stall
being uniquely
identifiable using a parking stall identifier, the system comprising a
communication
network; a non-transient computer memory; and at least processor coupled to
the non-
transient computer memory and the communication network. The at least one
processor
being configured to i) receive a parking authorization request from a parking
lot user,
the parking authorization request specifying a parking stall identifier
corresponding to a
parking stall that is occupied by a vehicle belonging to the parking lot user,
the parking
authorization request further specifying a parking duration parameter
identifying a
duration of time for which the parking lot user can park the vehicle at the
parking stall; ii)
determine a parking duration rule for the parking stall based on the parking
duration
parameter, the parking duration rule indicating a parking expiration time at
which the
vehicle must vacate; iii) at a first time, receive a first data associated
with the parking
stall identifier, the first data comprising an occupancy parameter indicating
a presence
or an absence of a parked vehicle at the parking stall identified by the
parking stall
identifier; iv) if the occupancy parameter indicates a presence of a parked
vehicle,
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determine if the first time exceeds the parking expiration time; and v) if the
first time
exceeds the parking expiration time, generate a citation alert for the parking
stall
identified by the parking stall identifier.
[0022] In some
embodiments, the processor is further configured to perform the
method described in the preceding paragraphs.
[0023] In another
aspect, in at least one embodiment described herein, there is
provided a computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions.
The
instructions cause a processor to perform a method of managing a parking area,
the
parking area comprising a plurality of parking stalls for occupancy by a
plurality of
vehicles, each parking stall being uniquely identifiable using a parking stall
identifier.
The method comprises receiving a parking authorization request from a parking
lot user,
the parking authorization request specifying a parking stall identifier
corresponding to a
parking stall that is occupied by a vehicle belonging to the parking lot user,
the parking
authorization request further specifying a parking duration parameter
identifying a
duration of time for which the parking lot user can park the vehicle at the
parking stall;
determining a parking duration rule for the parking stall based on the parking
duration
parameter, the parking duration rule indicating a parking expiration time at
which the
vehicle must vacate; at a first time, receiving a first data associated with
the parking stall
identifier, the first data comprising an occupancy parameter indicating a
presence or an
absence of a parked vehicle at the parking stall identified by the parking
stall identifier; if
the occupancy parameter indicates a presence of a parked vehicle, determining
if the
first time exceeds the parking expiration time; and if the first time exceeds
the parking
expiration time, generating a citation alert for the parking stall identified
by the parking
stall identifier.
[0024] Other
features and advantages of the present application will become
apparent from the following detailed description taken together with the
accompanying
drawings. It should be understood, however, that the detailed description and
the
specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the application,
are given
by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within
the spirit and
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scope of the application will become apparent to those skilled in the art from
this
detailed description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0025] Several embodiments of the present invention will now be described
in
detail with reference to the drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a parking lot in accordance with an example
embodiment;
FIGS. 2A-2C is a block diagram of various parking stall configurations in
accordance with an example embodiment;
FIG. 3 is a block diagram depicting a mobile enforcement vehicle on patrol
in accordance with an example embodiment;
FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrates determining the position of a parked
vehicle in accordance with an example embodiment;
FIG. 5 is a block diagram depicting the structure of a parking management
database in accordance with an example embodiment;
FIGS. 6A-6B is a process flow diagram for pay-by-space enforcement in
accordance with an example embodiment;
FIGS. 7A-7B is a process flow diagram for pay-by-space enforcement
using license plate information in accordance with an example embodiment; and
FIGS. 9A-9B is a process flow diagram for pay-by-space enforcement
using voucher identification numbers in accordance with an example embodiment.
[0026] The drawings are provided for the purposes of illustrating
various aspects
and features of the example embodiments described herein. For simplicity and
clarity of
illustration, elements shown in the FIGS. have not necessarily been drawn to
scale.
Further, where considered appropriate, reference numerals may be repeated
among the
FIGS. to indicate corresponding or analogous elements.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0027] It will be appreciated that numerous specific details are set forth
in order to
provide a thorough understanding of the example embodiments described herein.
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However, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the
embodiments
described herein may be practiced without these specific details. In other
instances,
well-known methods, procedures and components have not been described in
detail so
as not to obscure the embodiments described herein.
[0028] The embodiments of the systems and methods described herein may be
implemented in hardware or software, or a combination of both. These
embodiments
may be implemented in computer programs executing on programmable computers,
each computer including at least one processor, a data storage system
(including
volatile memory or non-volatile memory or other data storage elements or a
combination thereof), and at least one communication interface. For example,
and
without limitation, the various programmable computers may be a server,
network
appliance, set-top box, embedded device, computer expansion module, personal
computer, laptop, mobile telephone, smartphone or any other computing device
capable
of being configured to carry out the methods described herein.
[0029] Each program may be implemented in one or a multiplicity of
languages
including high level procedural or object oriented programming or scripting
language,
assembler, macro or other programmatic methods to communicate with a computer
system. The language may be a compiled or interpreted language. Each such
computer
program may be stored locally on a non-transitory computer readable storage
medium
(e.g. read-only memory, magnetic disk, optical disc) or remotely as on a
remote server,
such as on a third party cloud server or on the internet generally. The
remotely stored
programs may be accessed via a local communication system. The storage medium
and/or the local or remote servers so configured cause a computer to operate
in a
specific and predefined manner to perform the functions described herein.
[0030] While particular combinations of various functions and features are
expressly described herein, other combinations of these features and functions
are
possible that are not limited by the particular examples disclosed herein, and
these are
expressly incorporated within the scope of the present invention.
[0031] As the term module is used in the description of the various
embodiments,
a module includes a functional block that is implemented in hardware or
software, or
both, that performs one or more functions such as the processing of an input
signal to
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produce an output signal. As used herein, a module may contain sub-modules
that
themselves are modules.
[0032] The various embodiments described herein generally relate to
methods
and systems for pay-by-space parking. Pay-by-space parking is one system of
parking
management which permits regulation of parking areas or parking stalls on an
individualized basis. A parking area may have one or more parking stalls,
where each
parking stall may be identified or labeled with a unique parking stall number.
For the
purpose of this disclosure, a "parking area" may refer to any location having
one or
more spaces in which a vehicle can be parked. Parking areas therefore include
parking
stalls within parking structures, underground parking lots, ground level
parking lots and
road-side parking.
[0033] A motorist wishing to park his or her vehicle in one of the
unoccupied
parking stalls (a "parker") pays a fee associated with occupying that parking
stall for a
fixed period of time and is generally required to vacate the parking stall
when that period
of time has lapsed. Alternatively parking policy may permit the parker to
repay (i.e.
extend) their parking session. The parker's failure to vacate the parking
stall on time
may constitute a parking violation for which a parking citation may be issued
by the
parking authority responsible for managing the parking area.
[0034] In the pay-by-space parking regime, the parker generally first
parks his or
her car at a desired parking stall and then pays the necessary parking fee for
the use of
that particular parking stall. In most cases, the parker only specifies the
duration of time
for which the parker desires to occupy the parking stall. In some other cases,
the parker
additionally specifies to the parking authority the parking stall number that
is being
occupied. The parking authority may provide parking meters for each parking
stall to
collect payment. The parking authority may alternatively provide a parking
kiosk for a
group of parking stalls for parkers to specify the parking stall being used
and provide
payment. Additionally, in some cases, the parking authority may also accept
parking
stall information and payment using mobile phone or smartphone or by web
technologies. The parking fee may be set by the parking authority, and various
fee
structures may be imposed. For example, the parking authority can choose to
charge
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the parker on a fixed fee basis, such a flat-rate parking fee, or on a
variable fee basis in
which the fee may be based on the amount of parking time desired. In some
other
cases, additional parking arrangements may be established between the parker
and the
parking authority. For example, the parker and the parking authority may enter
into a
parking subscription arrangement so that the parker may be able to occupy a
designated stall each time the parking lot is used. The subscription may
provide an
agreement between the parker and the parking authority with respect to times
and dates
during which the designated parking stall may be used and the method of
payment (e.g.
bi-weekly, monthly etc.).
[0035] Reference is first made to FIG. 1, which illustrates a block diagram
of a
parking lot 100 according to an example embodiment. As illustrated, parking
lot 100
includes numerous parking stalls 105 of more or less the same dimensions. Each
parking stall 105 may be legally occupied by a parker's vehicle 120 as long as
the
parker obeys the conditions associated with the particular parking stall and
the parking
lot overall.
[0036] In the illustrated embodiment, the parking lot 100 is a paid
parking lot
where a parker is required to make a payment in order to occupy a parking
stall 105.
Typically, the payment required is proportional to the duration of time for
which the
parker desires to park the vehicle. In some other cases, however, the payment
required
may be a fixed payment. In some cases the use of the parking lot 100 may be
subject to
the terms of a predefined contract or subscription, including those that
specify times,
durations and the identity of the vehicle or vehicles permitted to use the
parking lot 100.
[0037] The parking lot 100 and accordingly, the parking stalls 105 may
be located
completely outdoors, completely indoors or partly outdoors and indoors. For
example, in
some cases, the parking lot 100 may be provided along a roadway 110 upon which
vehicles 120 may be driven. The term roadway 110 may be used to refer to any
transportation route upon which a vehicle 120 may be driven and parked. In
another
example, the parking lot 100 may be established in an enclosed area, such as
an
underground parking structure.
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[0038] Parking meters 160 or kiosks (not shown) may be provided for
the
purpose of collecting parking fees. Individualized parking meters 160 located
beside
each parking stall 140 may be provided to allow the parker to pay for the
associated
stall. Alternatively, a single parking kiosk configured with the necessary
input and
interface functionalities may be used to collect fees for a number of parking
stalls. Such
a kiosk can be located in proximity to the parking stalls that it serves to
allow parkers to
purchase parking time. In the case of a parking kiosk configured to serve
several
parking stalls, the parker may be required to enter the parking stall number
to indicate
the stall being used.
[0039] When a parker pays for a parking stall, the payment information,
stall
information and the time of payment may be sent to a central processor as a
parking
request for processing and recorded in a parking management database
("database").
Upon receipt of a parking request, the central processor may update the status
of the
relevant parking stall to indicate that the respective parking stall is
occupied. Other stall
related information such as the parking expiration time for that stall may
also be
updated. In some embodiments of the present invention, the information
contained in
the parking request may be received and processed in real time. In other
embodiments,
the parking requests may be received and processed in batches at a central
location
(such as, for example, the parking office). The latter case may apply, for
instance,
where there is a delay or an interruption preventing the parking kiosk or
parking meter
from communicating the parking requests to the central processor. The parking
kiosk or
parking meter may continue to collect payments and accept parking requests
while the
communication delay or interruption persists, and transmit all unsent parking
requests to
the central processor once communication is re-established.
[0040] In some cases, post processing of batched data also permits
correction of
errors by parkers (when entering their stall number or license number for
example) and
providing grace periods before and after the parking session ends.
Additionally post
processing facilitates patrolling efficiency since the patrol vehicle does not
have to stop
to issue an infraction every time a parking violation is detected. Post
processing and
associated advantages are discussed in further detail below.
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[0041] The parking kiosk or parking meter may issue a receipt or a
parking
voucher to the parker indicating the amount paid and the parking expiration
time. The
parker may choose to place the voucher for display on the dashboard or keep
the ticket.
In some embodiments, placement of the parking voucher on the dashboard may be
optional since the database has a record of when a parking stall should be
occupied
and when it should be vacated based on the information obtained from the
parking
request.
Preparation of Parking Stalls
[0042] With respect to the parking stalls, each parking stall is
labelled with a
unique parking stall number before being used. The database may be used by the
central processor to store all relevant information regarding each parking
stall within the
parking area. In some embodiments, the database may be integrated with the
central
processor. In other embodiments, the database may be independent or separated
from
the central processor. In this case, the database may be a network-accessible
database
that may be accessed over a communications network.
[0043] Reference is now made to FIGS. 2A-2C which illustrates
different parking
stall configurations, each configuration having parking stall labelled with a
parking stall
number 210. The term parking stall number used herein may be any unique
identifier
capable of identifying a parking stall. Therefore, a stall number may be a
numeric or
alphanumeric identifier.
[0044] Each parking stall in the various embodiments herein is
demarcated from
neighbouring parking stalls. This may be accomplished by using one or more
demarcation lines 220 indicated on the surface of the ground. In some other
cases,
different colors may be used to distinguish between different parking stalls.
For
instance, alternate parking stalls may be colored using the same color to
distinguish the
parking stalls. In some other cases, physical barriers may be used to
distinguish
between parking stalls.
[0045] FIG. 2A illustrates angled parking stalls 200A, while FIG. 2B
illustrates
parallel parking stalls 200B. Lastly, FIG. 2C illustrates rectangular parking
stalls 200C.
As shown in FIGS. 2A-2C, the parking stall number 210 may be indicated using
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markings on the ground. For example, the five angled parking stalls 200A may
be
labeled "Al" to "A5". In other embodiments, parking stall signs may be used to
facilitate
identification of the parking stall number.
[0046] The locations of each parking stall can be further identified using
a
number of location markers such as GPS coordinate points 230 to specify the
four
corners of each parking stall. These location markers may assist a mobile
enforcement
vehicle, discussed below, to identify individual parking stalls.
Alternatively, a single
location marker such as a GPS coordinate point corresponding to the center of
the stall
(not shown) may be used instead. The latter method may be less precise in
respect of
determining the boundaries of a parking stall since the parking stalls may not
be of
standard dimensions, making demarcation of individual stalls more difficult by
the
mobile enforcement vehicle.
[0047] A survey of the parking area may also be performed prior to its use
to
obtain accurate positional information (i.e. GPS coordinates of each corner)
for the
parking stalls. The survey data may be stored in a machine readable format
such as
XML, KML or CSV. Additionally, reference images of empty stalls may
additionally be
obtained in association with each stall to indicate a field of view in which
the parking
stall is empty to facilitate identification of the correct parking stall.
Management of Pay-By-Space Parking
[0048] In the pay-by-space system, each occupied parking stall may have a
different parking expiration time. In other words, each parking stall may be
governed by
its own set of parking enforcement rules. To ensure a parker's compliance with
parking
enforcement rules, parking enforcement officers ("PEO") may be relied upon.
The PEO
may patrol the parking area according to a desired patrol schedule and patrol
route. In
some embodiments, the patrol schedule may require that PEO patrol the parking
area
continuously, at a predetermined time interval, or as required by the parking
authority. In
other embodiments the patrol schedule and patrol route may be based on various
historical statistics. For example, parking stalls that are associated with
higher instances
of parking infractions may justify more frequent patrols. In yet other
embodiments, to
improve efficiency, parking stalls that are empty may be ignored by the PEO,
while
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parking stalls that are occupied may be examined or scanned. During a scan,
the
parking stall number or information pertaining to the vehicle occupying the
stall, or both
may be recorded by the PEO.
[0049] Traditionally, enforcement of pay-by-space parking by PEOs has
often
been performed on foot using a handheld device such as a camera-equipped
smartphone or a dedicated specialized handheld device. This so-called
"handheld
enforcement" generally requires the PEO to patrol the parking area or parking
lot on foot
and scan each vehicle and the stall in which vehicle occupies one by one.
Where a
citation is to be issued, the PEO may issue the citation by printing the
citation and
placing the citation (i.e. serving the citation) on the windshield of the
parked vehicle. In
other circumstances, the PEO may make note of all parking stalls in which
citations
ought to be issued and transmit the information to the central processor at a
later time
for batch processing and subsequently mailed out to the parker.
[0050] It can be appreciated that enforcement by a walking PEO using a
handheld device is time consuming. Therefore, it may be preferable to patrol
using
vehicular mobile enforcement techniques (i.e. mobile enforcement vehicle). A
mobile
enforcement vehicle equipped with the appropriate scanning systems may scan
and
collect parking stall information at a much higher speed. The mobile
enforcement
vehicle may also transmit vehicle and stall information in real time or in
batch-mode.
Vehicles for which citations are required may be determined immediately and a
citation
may be generated immediately (i.e. issuance of citations in real-time) or
mailed in
batches at a later time (i.e. issuance of citations in batch mode).
Alternatively, parking
stall numbers for which a citation ought to be issued may be transmitted to an
on-foot
PEO who may then go directly to the citable vehicle to issue and serve the
citations.
This is an example of "micro-processing" (discussed further below) which
increases the
efficiency of the mobile enforcement by reducing the number of times the
mobile
enforcement vehicle may be required to stop while accomplishing "real-time"
issuance
of citations.
[0051] FIG. 3 illustrates an example embodiment of a PEO operating a
mobile
enforcement vehicle 310 to patrol various parking stalls. Details regarding
the mobile
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enforcement vehicle have been described in issued United States patent
7,355,527
("Franklin"). The vehicle in the present example embodiment is patrolling
parallel parking
stalls, travelling in a direction parallel to the orientation of the parked
vehicles. It can be
appreciated that the mobile enforcement vehicle may be either specifically
configured to
detect and patrol vehicles parked in various other types of parking stall
configurations,
including angled and rectangular parking stalls or generally configured to
handle all
configurations.
[0052] In some embodiments, the mobile enforcement vehicle may travel
at a
speeds of typically 50-km/h along its patrol route, while scanning parking
stalls and
parked vehicles but may go faster or slower depending on the circumstances.
The mobile
enforcement vehicle generally cannot see around a parked vehicle to verify
parking stall
numbers in order to differentiate one parking stall from another, unlike
handheld
enforcement which permits the PEO to easily ascertain the parking stall number
and
delineate one stall from another by moving around a parked vehicle to identify
various
visual clues associated with the parking stall and the parked vehicle.
Accordingly, one of
the challenges that may be faced by the mobile enforcement vehicle in pay-by-
space
parking is with respect to differentiating one parking stall from another and
identifying the
corresponding parking stall number.
[0053] To improve the scanning accuracy of the mobile enforcement
vehicle,
parking stall signs indicating the parking stall number may be provided
proximally to the
parking stalls so as to permit the patrol vehicle's vision system to read
them. The parking
stall signs may be designed to minimize image sensor blooming effects to
enhance
visibility. For example white lettering on a black background may be used to
improve
image contrast to compensate for blooming effects. Using flat black and non-
reflective
backgrounds upon which light coloured letters and numbers are printed tends to
enhance
visibility, clarity and legibility of parking stall signs. The text colouring
for printing on a dark
background may include white or yellow to provide optimal legibility. In other
instances,
specific font faces may be preferable to make machine readable signs. For
example,
spatial fonts can be used such that expansion due to detector blooming does
not crowd
into the adjacent letters. Choosing a larger font size for the sign can also
improve visibility,
clarity and legibility. Other physical attributes of the
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signs may also help improve machine readability. For example the addition of
hooding
or other methods to prevent excess light from causing image overexposure may
help
reduce sensor blooming. In some other examples, the surfaces of the signs may
be
coated with a material such as silicone to shed water, dirt, snow, ice, and
other debris to
enhance visibility. The various techniques described herein are not intended
to be
exhaustive and are intended as examples that can be used alone or in
combination to
improve the visibility, clarity and legibility of parking stall signs.
[0054] The captured image of the stall sign can then be processed
using optical
character recognition (OCR) to identify the stall number. In some cases, the
captured
images may be additionally or alternatively be reviewed and recognized by a
reviewing
PEO or clerk.
[0055] In some cases, the camera used to capture the parking stall
sign may also
be used to capture other scene information, such as, for example, background
and
foreground information around the parking stall sign. This may further assist
with
identifying the parking stalls uniquely by capturing and processing additional
information, such as surrounding parking stall identification, road surface
markers
representing stall demarcation (such as white paint on the ground), etc. In
some
embodiments, the camera used to capture foreground, background and the parking
stall
sign should preferably be capable of generating an image whose image
resolution
corresponds to a minimum of a megapixel level, such as, for example, a
resolution of 4
megapixels.
[0056] The vision system of the mobile enforcement vehicle may also
comprise a
number of cameras to obtain vehicle-identifying information including the
license plate
number, colour, the make and model, the vehicle's profile, etc. In some
embodiments, a
contactless speed measurement device, such as a Doppler microwave speedometer,
may be used to determine the precise speed of the mobile enforcement vehicle
so as to
allow precise triggering of the positioning and vision system to capture an
image of a
parked vehicle within the field of view of the camera and provide very precise
GPS
coordinates. In other embodiments, a dedicated license plate camera may be
used as a
-17-
part of a license plate reader (LPR) system. This dedicated camera may also be
used to
capture additional information including stall demarcation to provide
redundancy.
[0057] In yet other embodiments, machine-readable wireless
transponders or
radio-frequency identification ("RFID") tags encoded with the parking stall
number may
be used as stall signs instead of OCR-compatible signs. In this
implementation, the
mobile enforcement vehicle may be equipped with a narrow-beam reader to read
the
transponder or RFID tags to identify the parking stall number. It would be
appreciated that
the narrow-beam reader is highly directional so that the mobile enforcement
vehicle would
be able to read the transponder or tag only when the beam is aimed at the tag
from a
certain direction. A narrow-beam reader may help avoid "false readings" of
nearby
sparking stall tags and thereby increase the likelihood of correctly
identifying the stall
number of the parking stall being patrolled. Since the mobile enforcement
vehicle may
rely on a positioning system such as an onboard GPS to determine which parking
stall it
is proximal to, implementation of transponder or RFID stall tags may be useful
in
situations where a GPS signal is generally not available, such as in
underground parking
lots or indoor parking stalls. In environments where the GPS signal is
available, the use
of transponders or RFID tags may allow relaxation of the precision required of
the
positioning system.
[0058] Another challenge that may be faced by the mobile enforcement
vehicle is
the task of associating a parked vehicle to a parking stall. In other words,
given the
proximity of parking stalls and parked vehicles, the mobile enforcement
vehicle may be
required to "place" a parked vehicle into the correct parking stall. The
method used to
determine whether a vehicle is stationary or in motion has been previously
described in
issued United States patent 7,355,527 ("Franklin"). Having entered a parking
zone
defined as Pay-by-Space and detecting a parked vehicle, the mobile enforcement
vehicle
310 may proceed to determine which parking stall the vehicle is occupying. To
do so, the
position (e.g. GPS coordinates) of the parked vehicle should preferably be
determined as
precisely as possible so that the parked vehicle can be "placed" into the
boundaries of
the parking stall as defined by the four corners of the stall. In some
embodiments, the
relative positioning between the parked vehicle and the mobile enforcement
vehicle 310
may be used to determine the
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position the parked vehicle. Since the GPS coordinates of each parking stall
may be
recorded prior to its use, the mobile enforcement vehicle 310 may therefore
use its own
GPS coordinates to determine the GPS coordinates of the parked vehicle and
associate
that parked vehicle to a given parking stall.
[0059] FIG. 4 illustrates one embodiment in which the position of a parked
vehicle
may be determined based on relative positioning. The mobile enforcement
vehicle 310
may be equipped with a GPS system 410 used to determine the position the
mobile
enforcement vehicle 310 as it patrols the various parking stalls. An accurate
GPS
system may be desirable to determine the GPS position the mobile enforcement
vehicle
310, from which the GPS coordinates of the parked vehicle 430 can be
ascertained.
[0060] In some embodiments, where real-time determination of parking
violations
is not necessary, inertia equipped GPS may be used to obtain high-accuracy
positioning
data (generally to within 2.5 meters) using post-processing techniques. In
such
instances, post-processing refers to the collection of GPS and associated data
during a
patrol and processing the collected data at a later time after the patrol to
enhance the
accuracy of the positioning data. Such a technique may yield high accuracy
results even
in challenging environments such as urban locations where GPS signal
interference as
a result of multi-path signal propagation is commonplace. Post-processing of
the vehicle
GPS data using secondary GPS information obtained from a fixed-location GPS
source
.. may be used to apply environmental corrections to reduce uncertainty of the
measured
GPS locations.
[0061] In one example, while on patrol, satellite information from
multiple
navigation or positioning sources such as the Global Positioning System (GPS),
the
Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS) and the Galileo navigation
satellite
system etc. is logged in real-time by the mobile enforcement vehicle. The data
collected
include but is not limited to latitude, longitude, altitude, satellite
geometry, estimated
errors, number of satellites in communication with the mobile enforcement
vehicle and
date/time. Simultaneously, the mobile enforcement vehicle can also collect
detailed logs
of outputs from onboard gyroscopes, accelerometers, digital compasses or any
other
measurement device that can later be used to improve the GPS positioning in
CA 02916418 2015-12-29
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challenging environments. At the moment that a parked vehicle is detected by
the
mobile enforcement vehicle, the GPS time corresponding to this event is logged
and
saved along with other data such as, but not limited to latitude, longitude,
bearing, and
orientation of the mobile enforcement vehicle, and the dimensions and
photographs of
the parked vehicle. Next, all of the logged information is synchronized to a
database
server or any suitable data storage device for post processing. Any
inaccuracies of the
real-time GPS data is then corrected by blending in the various complementary
device
data as well as the secondary GPS base station data by going backwards and
forwards
in time until the data converges to a solution. The mobile enforcement vehicle
GPS time
stamps associated with the detection of the parked vehicle ("detection event")
is then
cross-referenced against the corrected GPS data. For example, two data points
from
the corrected data set whose associated time stamps correspond to a time just
before
and just after the detection event can be used to estimate the position of the
parked
vehicle at the precise time of the detection event through data interpolation.
This is
required because the sampling rates of the corrected GPS data may vary and
will often
never exactly match the GPS time stamps of the real-time GPS data unless an
infinite
sampling rate was used.
[0062] It can be appreciated that to correctly associate a parked
vehicle within a
parking stall, precise determination of the GPS coordinates of that vehicle is
necessary.
A variance or uncertainty of, for example, 5 meters is unacceptable since this
value can
be large enough to offset the parked vehicle into neighboring parking stalls.
[0063] In the various embodiments disclosed herein, the GPS
coordinates of the
mobile enforcement vehicle are used to determine the GPS coordinates of the
parked
vehicle. In the present embodiment, the mobile enforcement vehicle 310 may
further be
equipped with a laser triggering system 420 configured to detect a parked
vehicle with
precision, determine the proximity between the parked vehicle and patrol
vehicle, and to
measure the dimensions of the parked vehicle. For example in some embodiments,
the
laser triggering system 420 is oriented perpendicular to the longitudinal axis
corresponding to the length of the mobile enforcement vehicle. In some other
embodiments, the laser triggering system 420, is angled (i.e. sloped)
downwards at 25
degrees relative to a horizontal reference plane while emitting a beam that is
90
CA 02916418 2015-12-29
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degrees to the direction of the mobile enforcement vehicle. It should be noted
that the
mounting angles of the laser described here are merely examples of possible
mounting
configurations. In the various embodiments disclosed herein, the angle of the
laser
triggering system in the lateral direction or vertical direction (i.e. the
angle of slope)
generally depends on the mounting position of the laser triggering system on
the mobile
enforcement vehicle 310as well as characteristics of mobile enforcement
vehicle 310
(e.g. size, height etc.) upon which the laser triggering system is mounted.
[0064] As the mobile enforcement vehicle 310 passes the parked vehicle
430, the
laser may trigger as it detects the corner at one end 440 of the parked
vehicle 430 and
scans across the parked vehicle to the corner at the other end 445 at a given
sampling
or scanning frequency. If the vehicle is parked in parallel to the direction
of travel of the
patrol vehicle as illustrated in FIG. 4, the laser may scan along the length
of the parked
vehicle 430 to determine its length. If the vehicle is parked perpendicular to
the direction
of travel, then the parked vehicle's width may be scanned to determine the
width of the
parked vehicle 430. This method of scanning may allow the mobile enforcement
vehicle
to determine the length or width (whichever the case may be) accurate to
approximately
8 centimeters. Combined with the detected speed of the mobile enforcement
vehicle
and collected GPS data, the positioning of the first 440 and second end 445 of
the
parked vehicle may be determined.
[0065] Furthermore, the laser 420 may also indicate the distance between
patrol
vehicle and the parked vehicle. Based on this information as well as the
precise GPS
position of the patrol vehicle, the GPS coordinates of the center of the
parked vehicle
430 may be calculated using, for example, the Vincenty Direct formula. For
example, as
illustrated in FIG. 4, if the vehicle is parked parallel to the direction of
travel of the
mobile enforcement vehicle, then the center of the parked vehicle 450 can be
determined by 1) adjusting the GPS position of the patrol vehicle at the
completion of
the laser scan by offsetting (i.e. moving back) that position by an amount
equivalent to
half the length of the parked vehicle in the axis corresponding to the
vehicle's length
and 2) offsetting (i.e. moving over) the GPS position of the mobile
enforcement vehicle
.. at the completion of the scan by half a standard width of a vehicle
(standard widths may
be used since the actual width is unknown) plus the lateral distance between
the parked
CA 02916418 2015-12-29
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vehicle and the mobile enforcement vehicle in the axis corresponding to the
parked
vehicle's width.
[0066] The parked vehicle 430 may then be associated to a given
parking stall by
comparing the GPS coordinates of the stall and the parked vehicle 430. In one
embodiment, the GPS coordinates corresponding to the four corners of the
parking stall
may be used to set the boundaries and the geometric center of the stall, and
the
geometric center of the stall may be compared to the GPS coordinates of the
parked
vehicle to associate the parked vehicle 430 to a given parking stall.
[0067] In another embodiment, the accuracy of the process of
associating a
parked vehicle to a given parking stall may be enhanced using a laterally
extended
polygon based on the direction of travel of the mobile enforcement vehicle
310. The
polygon may be defined to encapsulate the geometric center of the parking
stall to
better reduce lateral GPS errors. Therefore if the center of the parked
vehicle 430 is
contained within the extended stall polygon, then it may be concluded that the
parked
vehicle is occupying the stall. The polygons used in this embodiment may be of
any
shape, including triangles, rectangles, and squares etc. In some cases, in
order to
maintain accuracy to within a 2.5 meter radius, a square polygon is preferred
when
dealing with a rectangular parking stall.
[0068] The information collected while parked vehicles are scanned by
the mobile
enforcement may be processed in real-time or in batches in a post processing
procedure. If post processing is performed, GPS data enhanced with data
provided by
the mobile enforcement vehicle's inertial guidance system (e.g. gyroscopic
plus speed
measurements, as described previously), may be combined to obtain positioning
accuracy to less than 2.5 meters, even under environmental conditions where
GPS
signal reception is not ideal.
Enforcement of Pay-by-Space Parking
[0069] In some embodiments, the central processor along with the
database may
be used to manage and track the usage of each parking stall for a given
parking lot or
parking area. FIG. 5 illustrates an example of the various fields of the
database 500.
The database may be used by the central processor to store and retrieve
parking
CA 02916418 2015-12-29
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enforcement rules imposed on a given parking stall within the parking lot to
facilitate
identification of parking violations.
[0070] In some embodiments, the database may comprise a "Parking stall
No."
field 510 which stores the unique parking stall numbers corresponding to each
parking
stall being managed.. The "Stall Type" field 520 may be used to specify the
type of
parking stall. For instance, type 'A', `P and 'R may refer to angled, parallel
and
rectangular stalls, respectively. The "Stall Coordinates" field 530 may be
used to
indicate the GPS coordinates of each corner of the parking stall. Using
information
concerning the type of stall indicated in the "Stall Type" field 520 and
"Stall Coordinates"
field 530, the boundaries of any given parking stall may be ascertained by the
central
processor or the mobile enforcement vehicle associate a parked vehicle to a
parking
stall.
[0071] The "Occupied?" field 540 may be used to specify whether a
given parking
stall should be occupied (i.e. it may be occupied if it has been paid for). If
a parking stall
has been paid for, the "Payment Time" field 550 and the "Expiry Time" field
560 may be
populated with the time payment was made (i.e. indicating the parking start
time) and
the time the parker should vacate the stall (i.e. parking end time),
respectively. Finally,
the "Stall Data" field 570 may be used to store vehicle-identifying
information obtained
from the vision system of the mobile enforcement vehicle 310 such as the
license plate
number, colour, vehicle profile etc. The "Stall Data" field 570 may store one
or more
datasets to form a dataset group 575, wherein each dataset may contain vehicle-
identifying information observed at a given parking stall during a patrol. For
instance,
dataset 571 may correspond to data recorded from the most recent patrol and
data set
572 may correspond to the immediately preceding patrol. In some embodiments,
each
data set may be time-stamped to specify the time at which the data was
acquired so as
to permit the central processor to track the use of the parking stall.
Therefore, the
dataset group may provide useful stall-specific usage information for the
parking
authority. This information may be used to determine optimal patrol schedules
and
patrol routes.
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[0072] Referring now to FIGS. 6A and 6B, shown therein is a process
flow
diagram illustrating method 600 for a basic pay-by-space parking enforcement.
The
method 600 begins at step 610 such that, prior to parking stall use, the GPS
coordinates of each parking stall in the parking area may be determined and
stored into
the database. During use of the parking area, at step 620, a parking request
may be
received by the central processor from a parker indicating the stall number
corresponding to the stall used by the parker and the desired parking
duration. The
parking request may be generated by a parking kiosk, parking meter, an
application
operating on the parker's smartphone or any other appropriate generation
method. In
some embodiments the parking request may also include payment information for
the
central processor. In other embodiments, the parking kiosk or parking meter
may handle
payment separately.
[0073] At step 630, the information received from the parker may be
recorded in
the database. For example the time of the parking request may be recorded in
the
"Payment Time" field 550 of FIG. 5, and the status of the parking stall may be
updated
by the central processor to indicate "occupied" in the "Occupied?" field 540.
The
corresponding expiration time may be calculated using the time of payment and
the
desired parking duration indicated by the parker.
[0074] While on patrol, the mobile enforcement vehicle may scan the
parking
stalls to determine the stall numbers and transmit this information along with
the time of
scan (i.e. time of observation) to the central processor. In some embodiments,
the
mobile enforcement vehicle may scan both empty and occupied stalls. The mobile
enforcement vehicle may indicate to central processor whether or not the
transmitted
stall number corresponds to an empty or an occupied stall using an appropriate
indicator. In some embodiments, the mobile enforcement vehicle may transmit
parking
stall information as they are scanned, in real-time. In other embodiments, the
scans
may be made first and transmitted later in batches. At step 640, the central
processor
may receive and store the parking stall numbers of occupied parking stalls and
the time
of observation. Next, at step 650, the central processor may proceed to
analyze the
received information for the identified stall if it is occupied to determine
whether there is
a parking violation.
CA 02916418 2015-12-29
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[0075] FIG 6B depicts a process flow diagram showing further details
of step 650
of FIG. 6A in which a parking violation may be detected at a given parking
stall. At
decision step 654, the central processor may query the database to determine
whether
or not, at the time of observation, the parking time for the identified
parking stall has
expired. This determination may be made using the parking expiration time
stored in the
"Expiry Time" field 560 of FIG. 5 and the time of observation received in step
640. In
other words, the central processor checks to determine whether the parking
stall in
question has been paid for at the time of observation.
[0076] If the time of observation is a later time than the time of
expiration, then
the parking stall should not be occupied (i.e. answering "No" at decision step
654), since
the parking time has expired. In this case, the method proceeds to step 670 to
trigger an
infraction alert. In some embodiments an infraction alert may be indicated by
setting a
violation status indicator associated with the parking stall to indicate a
violation. The
status indicator may subsequently be transmitted to the mobile enforcement
vehicle at
step 672 so that a citation may be issued. In the alternative, if the parking
stall has been
paid for, no infraction has occurred, status indicator is set to indicate that
no violation
has occurred and the method proceeds to step 675 in which the method 600 may
end.
The central processor may notify the mobile enforcement vehicle via the status
indicator
that there is no infraction and the mobile enforcement vehicle may move on to
the next
occupied parking stall.
[0077] The procedure illustrated by method 600 allows the parking
authority to
determine a window of time or parking period during which a parker is allowed
to park.
This window of time may be defined using a time of day corresponding to the
start of the
parking period (e.g. the time of the parking request made) and a time of day
corresponding to the end of the parking period (e.g. the expiration time where
vehicles
are not allowed to occupy the stall). In the illustrated embodiments of FIGS.
6A and 6B,
a vehicle may use this parking stall within the window, while use of the same
parking
stall outside of this window would result in issuance of a citation. For
example, if a
parker makes a parking request for a given parking stall at 10am for two
hours, then the
central process may determine that the parking window or parking period runs
from
10am to 12pm, where 12pm is the parking expiration time. Accordingly, a
vehicle
CA 02916418 2015-12-29
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parked in the parking stall within this window will be allowed to park without
any
violations or citations.
[0078] In the illustrated embodiments of FIGS. 6A and 6B, it is
assumed that as
long as the parking stall is paid for, any vehicle can park in that stall
within the allowed
window without resulting in any violations or issuance of citations. Such a
policy may be
governed by the laws and/or practices of each jurisdiction, and may differ
from one
jurisdiction to another. For example, using the example above, in one
jurisdiction, if the
parker who paid for parking at 10am for two hours vacates the parking stall at
11am, a
subsequent parker may occupy that stall, for free and without any violation,
from 11am
to 12pm. However, in some other jurisdictions, as discussed below, the
practice and/or
the law may require every new parker to pay for whatever time they use, even
if it
completely overlaps the previously paid time. In other words, even if a
parking stall is
paid for from 10am to 12pm, a new parker parking in the parking stall at 11am
will be
required to pay for the entire time that parker decides to park in the parking
stall, even if
it results in double billing from 11am to 12pm. This discussed in more detail
below with
reference to, for example, FIGS. 7A and 7B.
[0079] Referring back to FIGS. 6A and 6B, it would be appreciated that
the
preceding description of pay-by-space enforcement may be subject to detection
of
infractions where an infraction should not be issued. For example, it would
not be fair to
the parker if, shortly after parking the vehicle but before the parker reaches
the parking
kiosk to pay, a mobile enforcement vehicle patrols the recently parked vehicle
and
issues a citation (i.e. parking outside the window). Therefore, it may be
preferable for
the parking authority to provide a grace period to allow the parker to park
his or her
vehicle and to then proceed to pay for parking at a parking kiosk located some
distance
away from the chosen parking stall. In the various embodiments disclosed
herein,
automated post processing methods may be applied to reduce the incidences of
incorrectly identifying a parking infraction. For instance, post-processing
may be used to
introduce parking grace-periods (e.g. 10 minutes) before and after the parking
session
ends. If, for example, parking citations are processed and consolidated in a
post-
processing procedure at the end of the day, then the central processor would
have
detected that shortly after issuing a citation for the parking stall (for
example, within 2
CA 02916418 2015-12-29
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minutes), a parking request was made for that stall. If a grace period policy
was in
place, then the central processor may be configured to waive the citation
since it was
likely issued in error. This post-processing step may also be applied to
accommodate a
parker wishing to extend his/her parking time by adding more funds to a just-
expired
parking stall.
[0080] In the various embodiments disclosed herein, other methods of
automated
post processing may also be applied to reduce the incidences of incorrect
parking
infractions. For example, GPS positioning corrections such as those described
above
may be applied to enhance identification of the correct parking stall, which
may be
particularly useful when the mobile enforcement vehicle is operating in dense
urban
areas where satellite navigation signals are prone to multi-path distortions.
Identification
of the correct parking stall may be further enhanced using reference photo(s)
background (e.g. those that are images of the parking stall only, without the
presence of
a parked vehicle) and compared to those acquired by the mobile enforcement
vehicle
during its patrols. Optionally, the enhanced data can be further reviewed
manually by a
PEO to efficiently step forward or backward between images of the parking
stall being
examined with neighbouring stalls and between references images and images
acquired during the patrols.
[0081] Under the basic enforcement method of FIGS. 6A and 6B, as
discussed
above, if a parker leaves a parking stall with remaining parking time, a
subsequent
parker may park at the stall without payment for at least the duration of time
equal to the
remaining time without triggering an infraction alert. In other words, as long
as a parking
stall is paid for, no parking violation is detected irrespective of who paid
for the parking.
[0082] In some instances, the parking authority may desire that all
new parkers
must pay for parking even if the stall used by the new parker has unused time
remaining. For example, some jurisdictions have a policy that specifies that
the new
parker must pay for whatever time they use, even if it completely or partially
overlaps
with the previously paid time. One method of enforcing such a policy may be to
avoid
indication of the time remaining for a parking stall so that subsequent
parkers would be
unaware of whether the parking stall may be used for free. However, a previous
parker
CA 02916418 2015-12-29
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can nonetheless inform a subsequent parker that a given stall has unused time.
Alternatively, a previous parker can pass his or her parking voucher, obtained
at the
time payment for parking was made, to a subsequent parker so that the latter
party can
continue to use a given stall for free.
[0083] The issue of voucher pass-backs may be addressed with the assistance
of
the mobile enforcement vehicle. It may be understood that the mobile
enforcement
vehicle may patrol a parking area on a regular basis to identify parking
violations.
Therefore, the mobile enforcement vehicle may be used to determine whether a
parker
is "invalidly" using a paid-for parking stall. In this instance, an "invalid"
use constitutes a
subsequent parker using a previous parker's remaining unused parking time for
a given
parking stall.
[0084] FIGS. 7A and 7B show a process flow diagram illustrating method
700 of
pay-by-space parking enforcement for detection invalidly parked vehicles.
Steps 710 ¨
730 of method 700 correspond to steps 610 ¨ 630 of method 600 described
previously.
While on patrol, the mobile enforcement vehicle may scan the parking stalls to
determine the stall numbers and transmit this information along with the time
of scan
(i.e. time of observation) to the central processor. In some embodiments, the
mobile
enforcement vehicle may scan both empty and occupied stalls. The mobile
enforcement
vehicle may indicate to central processor whether or not the transmitted stall
number
corresponds to an empty or an occupied stall using an appropriate indicator.
In some
embodiments, the mobile enforcement vehicle may transmit parking stall
information as
they are scanned, in real-time. In other embodiments, the scans may be made
first and
transmitted later in batches.
[0085] During the patrol of the parking stalls, the mobile enforcement
vehicle may
also scan and transmit vehicle-identifying information of the vehicle
occupying a given
stall, the stall number and the time of observation to the central processor.
The
information may include one or more identifies, such as the license plate
number, make
and model and the colour of the vehicle. At step 740, the central processor
may receive
the parking stall numbers, vehicle-identifying information and the time of
observation.
The central processor may proceed to associate the vehicle-identifying
information to
CA 02916418 2015-12-29
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the identified parking stall, along with any previously received information
(e.g. those
obtained at time of payment by the parker or an earlier patrol). In some
embodiments, if
the parking vouchers are RFID enabled, the mobile enforcement vehicle may be
equipped with an RFID reader to read and transmit to the central processor the
parking
voucher identification ("ID") number. At step 750, the central processor may
analyze the
received information corresponding to the identified stall if it is occupied
to determine
whether there is a parking violation.
[0086] FIG. 7B depicts a process flow diagram showing further details
of step 750
of FIG. 7A in which a parking violation may be detected at a given parking
stall. At
decision step 754, the central processor may query the database to determine
whether
or not, at the time of observation, the permitted parking time at the
identified parking
stall has expired in a manner similar to step 654 of FIG. 6B. If the parking
stall should
not be occupied (i.e. answering "No" at decision step 754 because the parking
time has
expired) the method may proceed to steps 770 and 772 to issue a citation in a
manner
similar to steps 670 and 672 of method 600 described in FIG. 6B. If the
parking stall is
paid for (i.e. answering "Yes" at decision step 754), the method may proceed
to decision
step 756 where a comparison of the vehicle-identifying information obtained
for the
given parking stall during the most recent patrol and the immediately
preceding patrol is
made. If no difference is observed in the comparison, then it may be concluded
that the
same vehicle has been occupying the paid-for parking stall during the two
patrols and
the vehicle is validly parked (i.e. answering "No" at step 756) so the method
may
proceed to step 775 in which the method may end.
[0087] In the alternative, if the comparison of vehicle-identifying
information at
step 756 indicates that there is a difference (i.e. answering "Yes" at
decision step 756),
the difference may suggest that a new parker has occupied the parking stall at
some
time between the two patrols, and the method proceeds to decision step 758. At
decision step 758, the central processor may determine whether a parking
request and
payment for the stall in question has been made by the new parker. In the
present
embodiment, the central processor may query the database to determine whether
a
parking request and payment for the parking stall in question was made between
the
two patrols. Where a parking request and payment has been made (i.e. answering
CA 02916418 2015-12-29
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"Yes" at step 758), then it may be concluded that the vehicle parking in the
stall is a new
vehicle which has paid for parking, and is thus validly parked. The method may
proceed
to step 775 and the method ends. Otherwise, it may be concluded that the
parked
vehicle is using a previous parker's unused parking time and that a citation
should be
issued (i.e. answering "No" at step 758) and the method proceeds to step 770
to trigger
an infraction alert. As described in method 600, the violation status
indicator for the
parking stall may be set to indicate a violation and transmitted to the mobile
enforcement vehicle. In turn, the mobile enforcement vehicle may make note of
the
status and issue a citation.
[0088] FIGS. 8A and 8B show a process flow diagram illustrating method 800
of
pay-by-space parking enforcement which makes use of the parked vehicle's
license
plate number as vehicle-identifying information.
[0089] Steps 810 ¨ 830 of method 800 are similar to steps 610 ¨ 630 of
method
600 described previously. However, in this method, the parker may be asked to
provide
the parked vehicle's license plate number as vehicle-identifying information
at the time
of payment. By providing secondary, vehicle-specific information such as the
license
plate number, the process of detecting parking violations for both the central
processor
and the mobile enforcement vehicle may be simplified. From the mobile
enforcement
vehicle's perspective, determining only the license plate number and the stall
number
may speed up the patrol process by reducing the amount of information that
must be
recorded. For the central processor, a parking violation (i.e. "invalid"
parking) can be
determined by simply comparing the license plate number identified by the
parking
enforcement vehicle and the license plate number obtained from the parker at
the time
of payment. In some cases, a difference in physical vehicle characteristics
(e.g. size,
shape or colour) may be observed which triggers a caution to indicate that
additional
scrutiny of the parked vehicle is required. For example, a PEO may be
dispatched to
obtain or verify the license plate number, the associated vehicle
identification number
(VIN) or both. The VIN number and the license plate number may be verified by
cross-
referencing the observed information with official vehicle registration
information
provided by a third-party database.
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[0090] Asking the parker for secondary information such as the license
plate
number may allow for more advanced types of enforcement. For example, a
particular
parking authority may offer subscription-based pay-by-space parking in which a
parking
subscriber may be allocated a specific long-term parking stall. Long-term
parking in this
instance may include parking subscriptions which permit a parker to park at a
given
parking stall for more than one day. Parking subscriptions may be given at
parking lots
serving office buildings, hotels, and airports. In some embodiments of long-
term pay-by-
space parking, the parking authority may assign the parker a parking stall to
a license
plate. In other embodiments, the parking authority may permit the parker to
specify
multiple license plates so as to allow a parker owning multiple vehicles to
use the same
stall. Regardless of the parking arrangement made between the parker and the
parking
authority, subscription pay-by-space parking and on-demand pay-by-space
parking may
be enforced through the application of method 800 described further in detail
below.
[0091] While on patrol, the mobile enforcement vehicle may scan the
parking
stalls to determine the stall numbers and transmit this information along with
the time of
scan (i.e. time of observation) to the central processor. In some embodiments,
the
mobile enforcement vehicle may scan both empty and occupied stalls. The mobile
enforcement vehicle may indicate to central processor whether or not the
transmitted
stall number corresponds to an empty or an occupied stall using an appropriate
indicator. In some embodiments, the mobile enforcement vehicle may transmit
parking
stall information as they are scanned, in real-time. In other embodiments, the
scans
may be made first and transmitted later in batches. During patrol of the
parking stalls,
the mobile enforcement vehicle may also record and transmit the license plate
number
of the vehicle occupying a given stall, the stall number and the time of
observation to
the central processor.
[0092] At step 840, the central processor may receive the parking
stall number
and license plate number, both of which may be contained in one or more photos
acquired by the vision system, and the time of observation. When the
information is
received, the processor may associate the vehicle-identifying information with
the
parking stall, along with any previously received information (e.g. at time of
payment by
the parker or previous patrol) for the parking stall. At step 850, the central
processor
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may analyze the received information corresponding to the identified stall to
determine
whether there is a parking violation.
[0093] FIG. 8B depicts a process flow diagram showing further details of
step 850
of FIG. 8A in which a parking violation may be detected at a given parking
stall. At
decision step 854, the central processor queries the database to determine
whether or
not, at the time of observation, the permitted parking time at the identified
parking stall
has expired similar to step 654 of FIG. 6B. lithe parking stall should not be
occupied
(i.e. answering "No" decision step 854 because the parking time has expired)
the
method proceeds to step 870 and 872 in a manner similar to steps 670 and 672
of
method 600 described in FIG. 6B in which a citation should be issued for
occupying an
unpaid or expired parking stall.
[0094] If the parking stall is paid for (i.e. answering "Yes" at decision
step 854),
the method may proceed to decision step 856, where the license plate number
obtained
for the given parking stall from the most recent patrol and the license plate
number
obtained at the time of payment may be compared. lithe comparison shows that
the
license numbers are the same, then it may be concluded that the same vehicle
has
been occupying the paid-for parking stall since the time of payment to the
time of the
patrol and the vehicle is validly parked (i.e. answering "Yes" at decision
step 756).
Therefore, the method may proceed to step 775 in which the method may end.
[0095] In the alternative, if the comparison of the license plate numbers
at
decision step 756 indicates that there a difference (i.e. answering "No" at
decision step
756), the difference may suggest that a new parker began occupying the parking
stall
sometime between the time of payment and the time of the patrol. The
difference may
also suggest that the new parker may be using the previous parker's unused
time.
Accordingly, the method may proceed to step 870 and 872 to trigger an
infraction alert
and issue a citation, respectively. Similar to method 600, the violation
status indicator
for the parking stall may be set to indicate a violation and transmitted to
the mobile
enforcement vehicle. In turn, the mobile enforcement vehicle may make note of
the
status and issue a citation. In some instances citations may be issued after a
review by
the PEO or a clerk to verify the infraction. In other instances, citations are
issued in real
CA 02916418 2015-12-29
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time and placed (served) on the windshield of the parked vehicle. Where
citations are
processed in batches (i.e. post-processed citations) after completion of a
patrol, those
citations are mailed to the owner of the vehicle.
[0096] Referring now to FIGS. 9A and 9B shown therein is a process
flow
diagram illustrating method 900 of pay-by-space parking enforcement in which
the
parker does not provide any information to the central processor other than
paying for a
parking location (i.e. no parking stall information and no secondary vehicle
information
such as license plate information is provided by the parker at the time of
payment).
Steps 910 ¨ 920 of method 900 generally correspond to steps 610 ¨ 620 of
method 600
described previously. However, step 920 further provides that a machine
readable
parking voucher with a uniquely assigned identification ("ID") number may be
issued to
the parker. The parker may be required to place the voucher on the front
dashboard for
display through the windshield or in any location of the parked vehicle that
would allow
scanning of the voucher by the mobile enforcement vehicle. In some embodiments
the
unique identification number may be encoded within an RFID tag so that the
mobile
enforcement vehicle equipped with an RFID reader may read the encoded voucher
ID
number as the vehicle moves along its patrol route. In other embodiments, an
optically
scannable image corresponding to the ID number, such as a barcode or QR code,
may
be used to encode the voucher ID number, which may require the parker to place
the
parking voucher in a location of the vehicle so that the voucher may be
scannable by
the mobile enforcement vehicle's vision system.
[0097] At step 930, upon issuance of the voucher, the relevant
information
pertaining to the parking request, including the time of issuance and parking
expiration
time may be associated by the central processor to the parking voucher ID
number and
recorded in the database. At this point the central processor may not have
knowledge of
which issued voucher is being used with which parking stall.
[0098] While on patrol, the mobile enforcement vehicle may scan the
parking
stalls to determine the stall numbers and transmit this information along with
the time of
scan (i.e. time of observation) to the central processor. In some embodiments,
the
mobile enforcement vehicle may scan both empty and occupied stalls. The mobile
CA 02916418 2015-12-29
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enforcement vehicle may indicate to central processor whether or not the
transmitted
stall number corresponds to an empty or an occupied stall using an appropriate
indicator. In some embodiments, the mobile enforcement vehicle may transmit
parking
stall information as they are scanned, in real-time. In other embodiments, the
scans
may be made first and transmitted later in batches and subsequently analyzed
in the
parking office.
[0099] During the patrol, the mobile enforcement vehicle may also
record and
transmit to the central processor vehicle-identifying information (e.g. color,
make and
model, and license plate number) corresponding to the vehicle occupying a
given stall,
the stall number, the time of observation and the ID number of the voucher. In
some
instances, the mobile enforcement vehicle may not be able to scan the
identification
number during its patrol. In that case, a notification to a PEO may be sent to
direct the
PEO to the parking stall in question so that a manual scan may be performed.
If the
manual scan successfully identifies the voucher ID number, then the voucher ID
number
along with the parking stall number and vehicle-identifying information may be
transmitted to the central processor. Otherwise, the failed manual scan may
indicate
that the parker did not purchase a parking voucher, which may justify issuance
of a
citation.
[00100] At step 940, the central processor may receive the stall
number, vehicle-
identifying information, and voucher identification number for a given stall.
An
association or a link between the voucher ID number and parking stall number
may be
established if the identified voucher ID number has not been previously
associated with
a parking stall. In some embodiments, association of a new voucher ID number
to a stall
may terminate the parking voucher previously associated with that parking
stall. As a
result, the previous voucher may not be used further. Therefore, detection of
a
terminated voucher ID number may trigger an infraction alert if the voucher ID
number
was detected in association with a parked vehicle. At step 950 the central
processor
analyzes the received information corresponding to the identified stall to
determine
whether there is a parking violation.
CA 02916418 2015-12-29
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[00101] FIG. 9B depicts a process flow diagram showing further details
of step 950
of FIG. 9A in which a parking violation may be detected at a given parking
stall. At
decision step 954, the central processor may determine whether or not, at the
time of
observation, the permitted parking time at the identified parking stall has
expired. To do
so, the central processor may query the database using the parking voucher
identification number to obtain the expiration time assigned to the parking
voucher. If
the parking time has expired, then the parking stall should not be occupied
(i.e.
answering "No" at decision step 954) and the method proceeds to steps 970 and
972, in
a manner similar to the method described in FIG. 6B, in which a citation
should be
issued for occupying an unpaid or expired parking stall. If the parking stall
is paid for
(i.e. answering "Yes" at decision step 954), the central processor may proceed
to
decision step 956 to determine, for the given stall, whether the voucher ID
number
identified from the most recent patrol is different from the voucher ID number
identified
from the immediately preceding patrol. If there is a difference (i.e.
answering "Yes" at
decision step 956), then it may be concluded that a new parker has paid for
parking and
the vehicle currently occupying the stall is validly parked so that the method
may
proceed to step 975 and end.
[00102] On the other hand, if the voucher ID number assessed at step
956 is the
same, then the method may proceed to step 958 to perform a comparison of the
vehicle-identifying information obtained during the most recent patrol and the
immediately preceding patrol. If the comparison reveals that the vehicle-
identifying
information is the same (i.e. answering "No" at decision step 958), then it
may be
concluded that the vehicle occupying the parking stall has not changed during
the two
patrols and the vehicle is validly parked so that the method may proceed to
step 975
and end. If the comparison reveals that the vehicle-identifying information is
different
(i.e. answering "Yes" at decision step 958), then it may be concluded that a
new parker
has occupied the parking stall using a previously purchased parking voucher.
In other
words, a voucher pass-back event may be detected. The method may then proceed
to
970 and 972 in a manner similar to the method described in FIG. 6B in which a
citation
should be issued for occupying an unpaid or expired parking stall.
Issuance of Citations
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[00103] As discussed previously, the mobile enforcement vehicle may
scan and
collect parking stall information at a much higher speed than manual parking
enforcement. The level of efficiency, however, may be significantly reduced if
the patrol
vehicle must stop each time it encounters a parking violation to issue a
citation. In some
embodiments, the technique of micro-processing may be used to issue citations
in a
more efficient manner. The stall numbers corresponding to occupied parking
stalls for
which citations are to be issued may be transmitted to another PEO who may
then go
directly to the citable vehicle to issue and serve the citations. The PEO
receiving the
transmission may be a PEO who patrols on foot. Once the citation has been
issued, the
central processor may be notified by the PEO which may in turn notify the
mobile
enforcement vehicle that generated the citation alert that the cited
vehicle(s) have been
processed.
[00104] For some cases, the GPS system may use micro-segments.
Generally the
GPS system must start and travel from a good GPS location and finish at a good
GPS
location. A good location is defined as to where the GPS has excellent
satellite
reception. Generally, in post processing methodology, the GPS data is analyzed
at the
end of the day (or next day), corrections applied using the INS (inertial
navigation
system) data, infractions determined and citations mailed. It is also possible
to analyze
data every few minutes and send citations to follow up PEOs that would track
down and
serve the citations on the windows of the infracting vehicles.
[00105] To ensure an error-free assignment of citations, there may be a
need to
have a human officer to review all potential citations and in particular
oversee
"ambiguous cases" (i.e. cases where it is unclear as to whether a citation is
required) to
confirm that issuance of a citation is needed. In some situations, whether a
parking
violation has occurred may be unclear. For instance, as a result of
uncertainties with
respect to determining the position of a parked vehicle, it may be difficult
to "place" the
vehicle to a parking stall. A human officer may be needed to manually examine
images
acquired during the patrol for the parking stall to make an assessment
[00106] It will be appreciated that numerous specific details are set
forth in order to
provide a thorough understanding of the exemplary embodiments described
herein.
-36-
However, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the
embodiments
described herein may be practiced without these specific details. In other
instances, well-
known methods, procedures and components have not been described in detail so
as not
to obscure the embodiments described herein.
4531393
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-01-21
