Method for acquiring parking fee information and paying parking fee

Abstract

The invention provides a method for acquiring parking fee information. The method comprises the following steps: acquiring an image for representing the surrounding environment of a vehicle; whether a two-dimensional code related to parking fee information exists in the image or not is inquired through polling circulation; and when the two-dimensional code is queried, presenting the two-dimensional code to a user through a user interface. By implementing the method, after the vehicle is driven into the parking lot, the method can help a user to comprehensively and quickly acquire the two-dimensional code or the NFC terminal for paying the parking fee, so that the user is prevented from getting off and walking and searching for a marker for payment, the time of the user is saved, and the user can use the method conveniently.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of parking lots, and in particular to a method for acquiring parking fee information, a method for acquiring parking fee information and paying parking fees, and an electronic control unit in a vehicle. Background Art

[0002] Traditional parking lot charges mainly rely on manual labor, which requires car owners to pay cash or present credit cards to staff. With the rise of mobile payment, parking lot charging systems have begun to shift from manual charging to self-service payment by car owners. For example, domestic parking lots support payment of parking fees through QR codes, and some foreign parking lots also support payment of parking fees through NFC. However, when car owners drive their cars into parking spaces such as those in shopping malls, they often need to get out of the car and walk around to find the QR code for paying parking fees, which is not convenient for car owners and takes time. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a method that can help car owners quickly find the charging QR code and conveniently pay parking fees. Summary of the invention

[0003] The purpose of the present disclosure is to solve the above problems and defects. According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a method for obtaining parking fee information is provided, comprising: obtaining an image for representing the surrounding environment of a vehicle; using a polling loop to query whether there is a QR code related to parking fee information in the image; and when the QR code is queried, presenting the QR code to a user via a user interface.

[0004] By implementing the above method for obtaining parking fee information, after the vehicle enters the parking lot, the method can help the user to obtain the QR code or NFC terminal used to pay the parking fee in an all-round and fast manner, avoiding the user from getting out of the car and walking around looking for payment markers, saving user time and making it convenient for users to use.

[0005] In one embodiment, using a polling loop to query whether there is a two-dimensional code related to parking fee information in the image includes: determining that the two-dimensional code is related to parking fee information through semantic recognition.

[0006] In one embodiment, the method further comprises: starting the acquisition of the image and the query of the polling cycle when the vehicle enters the parking area; and closing the acquisition of the image and the query of the polling cycle when the vehicle leaves the parking area.

[0007] In one embodiment, the method further comprises: identifying an NFC terminal with parking fee information in the surrounding environment of the vehicle.

[0008] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a method for obtaining parking fee information and paying parking fees is provided, comprising: obtaining an image for representing the surrounding environment of a vehicle; using a polling loop to query whether there is a QR code about parking fee information in the image; when the QR code is queried, presenting the QR code to a user via a user interface; and scanning the QR code to pay the parking fee.

[0009] In one embodiment, the method further includes: binding the payment information of the user.

[0010] In one embodiment, the method further includes: identifying whether there is an NFC terminal with parking fee information in the surrounding environment of the vehicle; when the NFC terminal is identified, calling the NFC terminal of the vehicle to pay the parking fee to the NFC terminal.

[0011] In one embodiment, using a polling loop to query whether there is a two-dimensional code related to parking fee information in the image includes: determining that the two-dimensional code is related to parking fee information through semantic recognition.

[0012] In one embodiment, the method further includes: starting the acquisition of the image, the query of the polling cycle, and the identification of the NFC terminal when the vehicle enters a parking area; and closing the acquisition of the image, the query of the polling cycle, and the identification of the NFC terminal when the vehicle leaves the parking area.

[0013] According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an electronic control unit in a vehicle, comprising: at least one processor; and a memory storing machine-readable instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, enable the at least one processor to execute the above method. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] Other features and advantages of the present disclosure will be better understood from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0015] Figure 1 An exemplary vehicle is shown to which embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied.

[0016] Figure 2 A schematic block diagram of a method for acquiring parking fee information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0017] Figure 3 A schematic block diagram of a method for acquiring parking fee information and paying parking fees according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the application and use. Furthermore, the present invention is not intended to be limited by any stated or implied theory presented in the foregoing technical field, background technology, summary of the invention or the following detailed description.

[0019] The terms "including", "comprising" and similar terms used herein are open terms, i.e., "including / including but not limited to", indicating that other contents may also be included. The term "based on" means "based at least in part on". The term "one embodiment" means "at least one embodiment"; the term "another embodiment" means "at least one other embodiment", etc.

[0020] The vehicle described in the present disclosure may include various motor vehicles that can carry users (e.g., occupants such as drivers or passengers), such as cars, trucks, taxis, buses, shared cars, etc.

[0021] As mentioned above, the markers (such as QR codes, NFC tags, etc.) posted in the parking lot for charging are at a certain distance from the actual parking space of the vehicle, and the car owner often needs to spend some time looking for these markers to pay the parking fee after parking the car. Therefore, the present disclosure proposes a method for automatically obtaining parking fee information by a vehicle, which will be described below in conjunction with the following figures.

[0022] Figure 1An exemplary vehicle 100 to which an embodiment of the present disclosure can be applied is shown. The vehicle 100 includes at least a camera module 101, an NFC module 102, a marker recognition module 104, an onboard APP processing module 105, a display module 106, and a communication module 107. The camera module 101 includes, but is not limited to, a front-view camera, a surround camera, a rear-view camera, a side-view camera, and a built-in camera installed on the vehicle, which can obtain panoramic photos and video streams within a 360-degree range centered on the vehicle, as well as photos and video streams inside the vehicle. The NFC (Near Field Communication) module 102 can be an NFC terminal installed on a vehicle window, a vehicle door, or a vehicle door handle attachment, which can detect an NFC terminal with parking fee information within a range of 10 cm and communicate with the NFC terminal. The marker recognition module 104 is stored in a computing device 103 as a software program and executed by the computing device 103. The marker recognition module 104 is used to search for a marker of a QR code or an NFC terminal in the surrounding environment of the vehicle, and send the marker information to the display module 106. The vehicle-mounted APP processing module 105 is stored in a computing device as a software application and executed by the computer device. The vehicle-mounted APP processing module 105 can be a currently commercially available application such as WeChat, Alipay, or an application that comes with the vehicle. These applications have functions such as binding the user's payment information, scanning QR codes, and completing payments. The display module 106 can be a screen loaded in the compartment of the vehicle 100, such as a central control screen, or any other device that can display pictures obtained by the camera module to the user. The communication module 107 includes an in-vehicle communication connection device for the above-mentioned modules and a wireless connection device that can send and receive data to the outside of the vehicle. The wireless connection can be Wifi, a cellular phone connection (4G, 5G, etc.), and any other wireless communication device that can send and receive data to a non-vehicle server.

[0023] Figure 2 A schematic block diagram of a method 200 for obtaining parking fee information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. The method 200 may be applicable to Figure 1 The vehicle 100 and can be Figure 1 The modules involved in the execution. Figure 2 As shown, the method 200 includes steps S201 to S203.

[0024] In step S201, an image representing the surrounding environment of the vehicle is acquired. The camera module 101 of the vehicle collects images of the surrounding environment, which may be, for example, a set of photos taken at a frequency of one photo per second, or a video stream that continuously records the surrounding environment. When the vehicle enters the parking area, images of the surrounding environment are collected in real time as the vehicle moves, and these images are stored in the memory of the computing device for use in subsequent steps.

[0025] In step S202, a polling loop is used to query whether there is a two-dimensional code about parking fee information in the image. A polling loop refers to a continuous loop in a program setting. This programming method executes code sequentially. It can repeatedly and continuously query without the drive of external events, so it is simple and reliable. The polling loop is embedded in and executed by the marker recognition module 104. The module calls the image in the memory and uses a polling loop to query whether there is a two-dimensional code about parking fee information in the image. If a two-dimensional code about parking fee information is detected, the marker recognition module 104 stores the two-dimensional code and sends it to the display module 106. After a storage unit storing the image in the memory undergoes the call of the polling loop, the image data in the storage unit will be released. If the two-dimensional code about parking fee information is not detected, the marker recognition module 104 continues the polling loop.

[0026] Optionally, step S202 also includes determining that the QR code is related to parking fee information through semantic recognition. For example, when a vehicle enters a parking lot in a shopping mall, the surrounding environment may include not only a QR code about parking fee information, but also a QR code for joining a shopping membership, an advertising QR code, and a payment QR code of a vendor. After detecting the QR code through the polling loop, the marker recognition module 104 may also perform semantic recognition of text near the QR code. According to the context of the QR code, for example, when text such as "parking scan code" and "parking fee payment" appear, the marker recognition module 104 may determine that the QR code is related to parking fee information.

[0027] In step S203, after the QR code related to the parking fee information is queried, the QR code is presented to the user via the user interface. That is, the QR code is presented by the user interface where the display module 106 is located. In addition, the vehicle also includes a voice module to remind the user through voice that the parking fee QR code has been detected.

[0028] Optionally, the method 200 further includes: when the vehicle enters the parking area, starting the acquisition of the image and the query of the polling cycle; and when the vehicle leaves the parking area, closing the acquisition of the image and the query of the polling cycle. In one embodiment, the above-mentioned marker recognition module 104 can call and control the camera to turn on or off the acquisition of the image, and the module 104 can also turn on or off the query of the polling cycle. The marker recognition module 104 abstracts the switch of the above-mentioned functions as a virtual button on the display module 106. For example, when the user is about to drive into the parking lot, press the virtual button to turn on the acquisition of the image and the query of the polling cycle; when the user has left the parking lot, press the virtual button again to turn off the acquisition of the image and the query of the polling cycle. In addition, the user can also control the virtual button by voice. In another embodiment, the acquisition of the image and the query of the polling cycle are automatically turned on and off by the marker recognition module 104. Based on the sensing equipment and detection methods on the vehicle, such as detecting the opening of a parking lot gate, the vehicle can determine whether it is currently entering or leaving the parking lot, thereby causing the marker recognition module 104 to turn on or off the above-mentioned function.

[0029] Optionally, the method 200 further includes: identifying an NFC terminal with parking fee information in the surrounding environment of the vehicle. When the vehicle enters the parking lot, the marker recognition module 104 controls the NFC module 102 to turn on, and the NFC module 102 starts to identify the NFC terminal with parking fee information. After the NFC module 102 of the vehicle identifies the NFC terminal at the charging end, it can communicate with the NFC terminal to obtain and pay the parking fee. When the vehicle leaves the parking lot, the marker recognition module 104 controls the NFC module 102 to turn off.

[0030] By implementing the above-mentioned method 200 for obtaining parking fee information, after the vehicle enters the parking lot, the method can help the user to obtain the QR code or NFC terminal used to pay the parking fee in an all-round and fast manner, avoiding the user from getting out of the vehicle and walking around to find the payment marker, saving the user's time and making it convenient for the user to use.

[0031] Further, Figure 3 A schematic block diagram of a method 300 for obtaining parking fee information and paying parking fees according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. The method 300 is also applicable to Figure 1 The vehicle 100 and can be Figure 1 The modules involved in the execution. Figure 3 As shown, the method 300 includes steps S301 to S302.

[0032] In step S301, an image representing the surrounding environment of the vehicle is acquired. The execution of this step can refer to the above-mentioned step S201.

[0033] In step S302, a polling loop is used to query whether there is a QR code related to parking fee information in the image. The execution of step S302 can refer to the above-mentioned step S202. Among them, step S302 can also include determining that the QR code is related to parking fee information through semantic recognition.

[0034] In step S303, after the two-dimensional code related to the parking fee information is queried, the two-dimensional code is presented to the user via the user interface. The execution of step S303 can refer to the above step S203.

[0035] In step S304, scan the QR code to pay the parking fee. Step S304 is performed by relying on the wireless connection device of the communication module 107. In one embodiment, when the QR code about the parking fee information is presented on the central control screen of the vehicle, the user can scan the QR code through the vehicle-mounted APP processing module 105 to enter the parking fee charging interface. The interface may be a small program or website for charging. The user enters the parking information into the interface, such as the license plate number of the vehicle, the start time of parking, and whether there is a fee discount, etc., to obtain the parking fee. The user can also fill in the relevant voucher of the fee discount by shooting the shopping receipt with the built-in camera in the camera module 101, and then the parking fee can be deducted. In another embodiment, when the QR code about the parking fee information is presented on the central control screen of the vehicle, the user can also scan the QR code and fill in the parking information through the mobile phone to pay the parking fee.

[0036] The method 300 further includes: binding the user's payment information. The user should bind the account information and bank card information in the in-vehicle APP processing module 105 to facilitate the payment of parking fees through QR code or NFC.

[0037] The method 300 further includes: when the vehicle enters the parking area, starting the acquisition of the image, the query of the polling cycle, and the identification of the NFC terminal; and when the vehicle leaves the parking area, closing the acquisition of the image, the query of the polling cycle, and the identification of the NFC terminal. As described above, when the vehicle enters the parking lot, the marker recognition module 104 turns on the camera module 101 and the NFC module 102, and starts the query of the polling cycle. When the vehicle leaves the parking lot, the marker recognition module 104 turns off the camera module 101 and the NFC module 102, and ends the query of the polling cycle.

[0038] The method 300 further includes: identifying whether there is an NFC terminal with information about parking fees in the surrounding environment of the vehicle, and when the NFC terminal is identified, calling the NFC terminal of the vehicle to pay the parking fee to the NFC terminal. The NFC terminal of the vehicle is the NFC module 102 mentioned above. For example, the NFC module 102 installed on the window of the vehicle communicates with the NFC terminal after identifying the NFC terminal with information about parking fees, and displays the corresponding parking fee on the central control screen. After the user confirms to pay the parking fee, the NFC module 102 on the window of the vehicle can complete the payment to the NFC terminal at the charging end.

[0039] By implementing the above method 300, after the vehicle enters the parking lot, the method can automatically obtain the QR code or NFC terminal related to the parking fee information, and enable the user to pay the parking fee conveniently.

[0040] In addition, the present disclosure also discloses an electronic control unit in a vehicle, including: at least one processor; and a memory storing machine-readable instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, enables the at least one processor to execute the above-mentioned method 200 or method 300.

[0041] The foregoing discussion is merely the disclosure and description of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention. Through these discussions and the accompanying drawings and claims, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that various changes, modifications and variations may be made to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method for obtaining parking fee information, comprising: Acquiring an image representing the vehicle's surroundings; Using a polling loop to query whether there is a QR code with parking fee information in the image; as well as When the QR code is found, the QR code is presented to the user via the user interface.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: Using a polling loop to query whether there is a QR code with parking fee information in the image includes: It is determined through semantic recognition that the QR code is related to parking fee information.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: When the vehicle enters a parking area, the acquisition of the image and the query of the polling cycle are started; as well as When the vehicle leaves the parking area, the acquisition of the image and the query of the polling loop are turned off.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: An NFC terminal with information about parking fees is identified in the surrounding environment of the vehicle.

5. A method for obtaining parking fee information and paying parking fees, comprising: Acquiring an image representing the vehicle's surroundings; Using a polling loop to query whether there is a QR code with parking fee information in the image; When the QR code is found, presenting the QR code to the user via the user interface; as well as Scan the QR code to pay for parking.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising: Bind the user's payment information.

7. The method according to claim 5, further comprising: Identify whether there is an NFC terminal with parking fee information in the surrounding environment of the vehicle; as well as When the NFC terminal is identified, the NFC terminal of the vehicle is called to pay the parking fee to the NFC terminal.

8. The method according to claim 5, wherein: Using a polling loop to query whether there is a QR code with parking fee information in the image includes: It is determined through semantic recognition that the QR code is related to parking fee information.

9. The method according to claim 7, further comprising: When the vehicle enters a parking area, the acquisition of the image, the query of the polling cycle, and the identification of the NFC terminal are started; as well as When the vehicle leaves the parking area, the acquisition of the image, the query of the polling loop, and the identification of the NFC terminal are turned off.

10. An electronic control unit in a vehicle, comprising: at least one processor; as well as A memory storing machine-readable instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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