Automatic parking space notification system

Abstract

To provide an automatic parking space notification system that not only realizes an automatic acquisition, identification, and transmission of parking space information, and improves convenience and efficiency for a driver, but also can effectively reduce a development, construction, and maintenance costs of a parking lot.SOLUTION: The present invention provides an automatic parking space notification system which includes: a visual information acquisition module installed in a motor-vehicle, which visually acquires and transmits parking space information; a first short-range wireless communication module installed in the motor-vehicle, which receives and transmits the parking space information transmitted from the visual information acquisition module; and a second short-range wireless communication module installed in the mobile appliance, which establishes a wireless communication connection with the first short-range wireless communication module, receives the parking space information transmitted from the first short-range wireless communication module, and stores the parking space information in the mobile appliance.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle parking notification system, and more particularly to an automatic parking space notification system. [Background technology]

[0002] With the development of society and the advancement of science and technology, the demand for large parking lots is increasing. However, drivers often have difficulty finding their vehicles in large parking lots because they forget to record the parking space ID. To solve this problem, some large parking lots have introduced parking space notification systems. Conventional parking space notification systems are typically designed based on the parking lot itself. For example, in the case of a parking management system, multiple sensors (such as cameras, geomagnetic sensors, or ceiling-mounted radar / lidar) must be installed in the parking lot. Drivers must register for the parking lot's parking space notification service in advance. When a driver parks their vehicle in a parking space, the system sends the parking space ID corresponding to the driver's previously registered phone number or mobile application.

[0003] Conventional parking management systems require the installation of a large number of sensors during construction and installation, which requires a large amount of capital and time, significantly increasing development, construction, and maintenance costs. Second, most parking lots do not have parking management systems, which means that the use scenarios for such parking space notification services are limited. Finally, because different parking lots may have different parking management systems, each driver must register with multiple corresponding systems to activate the parking space notification service, which usually requires a large amount of manual operations such as pre-registration, pre-connection, and selection of trigger and notification mechanisms, causing inconvenience to drivers due to the large number of complex operations.

[0004] Therefore, to solve the above problems, it is urgent to provide an automatic parking space notification system.

[0005] The information disclosed in the Background Art section above is intended to deepen understanding of the background of the present invention and may include information that does not constitute prior art known to those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In order to solve the problems existing in the prior art, the present invention provides a parking space automatic notification system that automatically identifies and notifies parking space information without the need to install a parking management system in a parking lot. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The automatic parking space notification system according to the present invention includes a visual information collection module installed in an automobile that visually collects and transmits parking space information, a first short-range wireless communication module installed in the automobile that receives and transmits the parking space information transmitted from the visual information collection module, and a second short-range wireless communication module installed in a mobile device that establishes a wireless communication connection with the first short-range wireless communication module, receives the parking space information transmitted from the first short-range wireless communication module, and stores the parking space information in the mobile device.

[0008] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the first short-range wireless communication module includes an NFC unit, and the second short-range wireless communication module includes an NFC unit provided in a mobile device, and the NFC unit of the first short-range wireless communication module and the NFC unit of the second short-range wireless communication module communicate wirelessly.

[0009] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the automatic parking space notification system further includes an NFC unit provided in the electronic key of the automobile, wherein the NFC unit in the electronic key of the automobile receives and stores the parking space information and shares the parking space information with a designated mobile device.

[0010] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the first short-range wireless communication module is installed in a driver's door of a vehicle.

[0011] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the visual information collection module may include a camera, which collects images and / or videos of the parking space as parking space information, and the camera may start collecting images and / or videos of the parking space when the vehicle starts parking.

[0012] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the visual information collection module may further include an identification unit, which is configured to identify text and / or numeric information in the image and / or video as parking space information.

[0013] According to one embodiment of the present invention, when the engine of the automobile is turned off, the first short-range wireless communication module transmits parking space information to the second short-range wireless communication module, and the second short-range wireless communication module receives the parking space information and stores it in the mobile device.

[0014] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the mobile device is a mobile phone, a watch, a bracelet or a tablet computer that supports NFC. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] The automatic parking space notification system of the present invention eliminates the need to install a separate parking management system in the parking lot, and realizes automatic collection, identification, and transmission of parking space information, which not only improves driver convenience and efficiency but also effectively reduces the development, construction, and maintenance costs of parking lots. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] These and other features of the present invention will now be described with detailed reference to certain exemplary embodiments thereof, which are provided hereinafter by way of example only and are not intended to limit the invention. [Figure 1] 1 shows a schematic diagram of an automatic parking space notification system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 shows a schematic diagram of an automatic parking space notification system according to another embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail through specific examples so that those skilled in the art can easily implement the present invention based on the contents disclosed in this specification. The examples described below are only a portion of the present invention and are not all examples of the present invention. All other examples obtained by those skilled in the art based on the examples described in this specification without paying creative labor fall within the scope of protection of the present invention. Furthermore, the examples and features of the examples in this specification can be combined with each other unless a contradiction arises.

[0018] The terms used herein are not intended to limit the present invention but merely to describe particular embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms "a," "one," and "the" include the plural forms "plurality," "pluralities," and "the plurality" unless the context dictates otherwise. Terms such as "first," "second," and the like, as used herein, are merely used to distinguish between different features, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, and do not imply any particular technical meaning or necessary logical order between them. As used herein, the word "plurality" may refer to two or more than two, and the word "at least one" may refer to one, two, or more than two. Any feature, step, operation, element, and / or component referred to herein is generally understood as one or more, unless the context dictates otherwise. Additionally, as used herein, the words "comprise" and / or "include" refer to the presence of said features, steps, operations, elements, and / or components and do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof. It should be understood that the word "and / or" as used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more associated listed items. The terms "module" and "unit" used after an element in this specification are merely for ease of description and may be used interchangeably, without any distinguishing meaning or function.

[0019] Since the prior art related to the description of the present invention is obvious to those skilled in the art, detailed description thereof will be omitted. In addition, since the description of each embodiment in this specification focuses on the differences between the embodiments and the same or similar parts between the embodiments may be referred to, it should be understood that in the interest of conciseness, they will not be described one by one in this specification.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 1 , the automatic parking space notification system 100 according to the present invention includes a visual information collection module 1, a first short-range wireless communication module 2, and a second short-range wireless communication module 3. The visual information collection module 1 is installed in a vehicle and visually collects and transmits parking space information. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the visual information collection module 1 may include a camera disposed on the vehicle itself or additionally installed therein, which is used to collect images and / or videos of the parking space. The images and / or videos of the parking space collected by the camera may be directly used as parking space information. The camera may preferably include one or more of a front-view camera, a top-view camera, and a rear-view camera in the vehicle. The camera of the present invention utilizes any camera installed in the vehicle, eliminating the need for additional cameras or sensors, thereby reducing installation costs and improving the applicability of the automatic parking space notification system. The camera of the present invention preferably begins collecting images and / or videos of the parking space when the vehicle begins parking. For example, during parking processes such as reversing, automatic parking, and parking guidance, the front-view camera, top-view camera, and rear-view camera begin detecting, identifying, and collecting image and / or video information of the parking space.

[0021] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the visual information collection module 1 may further include an identification unit that identifies text and / or numeric information in the images and / or videos collected by the camera, and the text and / or numeric information may be identified as parking space information. The identification unit preferably uses computer vision and pattern recognition to identify text and / or numeric information from the video captured by the camera. The text and / or numeric information identified from the images and / or videos collected by the camera is transmitted to the driver's mobile device synchronously with the video and / or image information, allowing the driver to find the specific location or ID of the parking space based on this information, which is more intuitive and convenient than using image information, text and / or numeric information alone. The identification unit can realize the identification of text and / or numeric information using conventional technology, and does not represent a novel aspect of the present invention, so a description thereof will be omitted. The identification unit identifies the text and / or numeric information in the images and / or videos as parking space information.

[0022] A first short-range wireless communication module 2 is also installed in the automobile, and receives and transmits the parking space information transmitted from the visual information collection module 1. A second short-range wireless communication module 3 is installed in a mobile device, and establishes a wireless communication connection with the first short-range wireless communication module 2, receives the parking space information transmitted from the first short-range wireless communication module 2, and stores the parking space information in the mobile device.

[0023] In use, the first short-range wireless communication module 2 installed in the automobile automatically identifies the second short-range wireless communication module 3 in the mobile device carried by the driver and establishes a wireless communication connection therewith. When parking in a parking lot, the visual information collection module 1 captures and collects parking space information. After the vehicle has stopped stably, the first short-range wireless communication module 2 transmits the parking space information to the second short-range wireless communication module 3, which stores the parking space information in the driver's mobile device, allowing the driver to conveniently and quickly obtain parking space information and realizing automated collection, identification, and transmission of parking space information.

[0024] To avoid erroneous connection between the first short-range wireless communication module 2 and other short-range communication devices outside the automobile, the first short-range wireless communication module 2 may include an NFC unit, and the second short-range wireless communication module 3 may include an NFC unit provided in a mobile device, so that the NFC unit of the first short-range wireless communication module 2 and the NFC unit of the second short-range wireless communication module 3 can wirelessly communicate with each other. When the second short-range wireless communication module 3 is located inside the automobile, it can preferably establish a near field communication (NFC) connection with the first short-range wireless communication module 2. More preferably, the first short-range wireless communication module 2 is provided on the driver's door of the automobile. When the driver gets into the automobile, the first short-range wireless communication module 2 can more quickly and accurately identify and connect to the second short-range wireless communication module 3 near the driver's seat, thereby avoiding erroneous connection with mobile devices with short-range communication functions owned by other passengers.

[0025] Specifically, in this embodiment, the first short-range wireless communication module 2 installed on the driver's door of the automobile preferably performs the following three identification and verifications with the second short-range wireless communication module 3 in the mobile device:

[0026] In the first identification verification, after the door unlock signal is sent, the first short-range wireless communication module 2 in the driver's door is activated to perform pairing and connection. In this embodiment, the first short-range wireless communication module 2 is an NFC unit. As can be understood by those skilled in the art, the communication distance of NFC is generally 0-20 cm. Therefore, when the second short-range wireless communication module 3 in the driver's mobile device approaches the first short-range wireless communication module 2 in the driver's door, the two can establish an initial connection. Information about the initially connected mobile device is recorded in the background system, and the mobile device is identified as a device entering the vehicle through the driver's door.

[0027] In the second identification verification, after the driver sits down, the pressure sensor of the driver's seat sends a signal to activate the NFC verification mechanism of the first near field communication module 2, which continuously identifies and verifies whether a connection can be established again with the NFC unit 3 in the driver's mobile device. At this time, the mobile device that can establish a second connection is identified as an in-vehicle driver's side device.

[0028] In the third identification verification, after the vehicle stalls, the NFC verification mechanism of the first short-range wireless communication module 2 is activated for the third time to verify whether a third connection can be established with the NFC unit 3 of the driver's mobile device that has already established a connection, and the NFC verification and connection establishment are continued until a door lock signal is received. In this case, the mobile device that can establish a third connection is identified as the mobile device that is leaving the vehicle through the driver's door.

[0029] Then, the system triggers the parking space information sending mechanism, and based on the NFC verification of the first short-range wireless communication module 2 and the three connection records, confirms and identifies the mobile device carried by the driver, and sends the parking space information to the mobile device carried by the driver, such as a mobile phone, watch, bracelet, or tablet computer that supports NFC function.

[0030] Of course, installation on the driver's door is just one preferred embodiment of the installation position of the first short-range wireless communication module 2, and those skilled in the art will recognize that the first short-range wireless communication module 2 may be installed in any position that facilitates establishing a short-range wireless communication connection with the driver's mobile device, such as the driver's seat, the instrument panel, etc. The first short-range wireless communication module and the second short-range wireless communication module of the present invention may also perform wireless communication using methods such as Bluetooth, RFID, etc.

[0031] In order to accurately transmit the final parking position to the driver's mobile device and avoid unnecessary interference of parking space information during parking, the first short-range wireless communication module 2 of the present invention preferably transmits the parking space information to the second short-range wireless communication module 3 when the engine of the automobile is turned off, and the second short-range wireless communication module 3 receives the parking space information and stores it in the mobile device, making it convenient for the driver to obtain the parking space information at any time.

[0032] To further enhance the information scalability of the parking space automatic notification system, as shown in FIG. 2, the second short-range wireless communication module 3' of the present invention preferably includes one or both of an NFC unit 31' installed in the driver's mobile device and / or an NFC unit 32' installed in the vehicle's electronic key. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the second short-range wireless communication module 3' can be equipped with more NFC units according to actual needs, and the NFC units may be installed in different mobile devices depending on specific situations. In this embodiment, the mobile device is preferably a mobile phone. However, the present invention is not limited to mobile phones and may also use any other mobile device that allows the driver to easily view information, such as a watch, bracelet, tablet computer, or other electronic device that supports NFC functionality.

[0033] In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the NFC unit 32' in the electronic key of the automobile receives and stores the parking space information and shares the parking space information with a designated mobile device. When a driver needs to be changed, the NFC unit 32' in the electronic key can directionally share the parking space-related information with the NFC-enabled device of the new driver, thereby realizing extended transmission of the parking space information and allowing the new driver to quickly obtain the parking space information.

[0034] To further explain the present invention, FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of an automatic parking space notification system according to another embodiment of the present invention. When the driver enters the vehicle, the first short-range wireless communication module 2' automatically identifies the NFC unit 31' in the driver's mobile device and establishes an NFC connection with it. When parking begins (e.g., when performing operations such as reversing, automatic parking, or parking guidance), the vehicle's visual information collection module 1' begins capturing and collecting images containing text and / or numeric signs as parking space information, or uses its identification unit to perform image processing and computer vision technology identification on the collected images containing text and / or numeric signs, and obtain the identified parking space's number ID, size, direction, and location area number and / or floor number as parking space information. After the vehicle has stopped stably, the first short-range wireless communication module 2' can store the parking space information collected by the visual information collection module 1' in the vehicle's temporary memory. When the car engine is turned off (stalled), the first near field communication module 2' transmits the parking space information to the NFC unit 31' in the driver's mobile device and / or the NFC unit 32' in the car's electronic key via an NFC connection. The NFC unit 31' stores the parking space information in the current driver's mobile device, allowing the current driver to view multiple types of parking space information, such as photos and / or videos and / or text / numbers, using their mobile device. If the driver needs to be changed, the present invention also enables the parking space information to be directionally shared with another NFC-enabled device 4' via the NFC unit 32' in the electronic key, allowing others to obtain the parking space information and achieving extended transmission of parking space information.

[0035] According to the technical aspects of the present invention, there is no need to install a separate parking management system in the parking lot, and it can be applied to any indoor or outdoor parking lot, achieving fully automatic collection, identification and transmission of parking space information, without requiring manual operations such as pre-registration, pre-connection, trigger and notification mechanism selection, etc. The parking space automatic notification system according to the present invention has wide applicability, not only improving driver convenience and efficiency, but also effectively reducing the development, construction and maintenance costs of parking lots.

[0036] The parking space information captured by the present invention can be stored in the current driver's NFC-supported mobile device and / or NFC-based electronic key, and the parking space related information can be directionally shared by the NFC-based electronic key to other devices with NFC function, so that the parking space information can be quickly obtained even when the driver is changed, thereby realizing the extended transmission of parking space information.

[0037] The present invention can collect parking space information by utilizing a camera installed in a vehicle as a visual information collection module, without the need for additional cameras or sensors, and its installation places low demands on the vehicle's hardware, making it compatible with a wide range of vehicle models, thereby reducing development, installation and maintenance costs.

[0038] It will be understood that the structures shown in the drawings are merely exemplary and may further include more or fewer modules or components than those shown in the drawings, or may have a different configuration than that shown in the drawings. It should be noted that when implementing the present invention using embodiments not exhaustively listed herein, those skilled in the art may adaptively adjust the structure, location, or functional configuration of the associated components.

[0039] It should be understood that, where technically feasible, the technical features enumerated for different embodiments can be combined with each other to form other embodiments within the scope of the present invention. Moreover, the specific examples and embodiments described herein are not limiting, and corresponding modifications can be made to the structures, dimensions, and materials described above without departing from the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0040] In this application, the use of adversative conjunctions is intended to include conjunctions. The use of the definite article (the) or the indefinite article (a / an) is not intended to indicate cardinality. In particular, reference to "the" object or "a" and "an" object is intended to indicate one possible example of a plurality of such objects. Also, simultaneous features that are not mutually exclusive may be conveyed using the conjunction "or." In other words, the conjunction "or" is typically used in the sense of including "and / or." The term "comprise" is inclusive and has the same scope as "comprise."

[0041] The above examples, particularly any "preferred" examples, are merely possible examples of embodiments and are set forth merely for a clear understanding of the principles of the present invention. Various changes and modifications can be made to the above examples without substantially departing from the technical ideas and principles described herein. All such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0042] All documents mentioned herein are incorporated by reference into this application as if each document were incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0043] It should also be understood that, after reading the above description of the present invention, those skilled in the art may make various changes or modifications to the present invention, and that equivalent forms thereof also fall within the scope of protection of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0044] 100,100' Parking Space Automatic Notification System 1,1' Visual information collection module 2,2' First short-range wireless communication module 3,3' Second short-range wireless communication module 31' NFC unit in driver's mobile device 32' NFC unit in car electronic key 4. Devices with NFC functionality

Claims

1. a visual information collection module installed in the vehicle for visually collecting and transmitting parking space information; a first short-range wireless communication module provided in the automobile, which receives and transmits the parking space information transmitted from the visual information collection module; a second short-range wireless communication module provided in the mobile device, which establishes a wireless communication connection with the first short-range wireless communication module, receives the parking space information transmitted from the first short-range wireless communication module, and stores the parking space information in the mobile device; 1. An automatic parking space notification system comprising:

2. 2. The parking space automatic notification system according to claim 1, wherein the first short-range wireless communication module includes an NFC unit, the second short-range wireless communication module includes an NFC unit provided in a mobile device, and the NFC unit of the first short-range wireless communication module and the NFC unit of the second short-range wireless communication module communicate wirelessly.

3. 3. The parking space automatic notification system according to claim 2, further comprising an NFC unit provided in an electronic key of the automobile, wherein the NFC unit in the electronic key of the automobile receives and stores the parking space information and shares the parking space information with a designated mobile device.

4. 2. The parking space automatic notification system according to claim 1, wherein the first short-range wireless communication module is installed in a driver's door of the automobile.

5. 2. The parking space automatic notification system according to claim 1, wherein the visual information collection module includes a camera, and the camera collects images and / or videos of the parking space as the parking space information.

6. 6. The parking space automatic notification system of claim 5, wherein the visual information collection module further includes an identification unit, and the identification unit identifies text and / or numeric information in the image and / or video as parking space information.

7. 6. The parking space automatic notification system according to claim 5, wherein the camera starts collecting images and / or videos of the parking space when the vehicle starts to park.

8. 2. The parking space automatic notification system according to claim 1, wherein when the engine of the automobile is turned off, the first short-range wireless communication module transmits the parking space information to the second short-range wireless communication module, and the second short-range wireless communication module receives the parking space information and stores it in the mobile device.

9. 9. The parking space automatic notification system according to claim 8, wherein the mobile device is a mobile phone, a watch, a bracelet or a tablet computer that supports NFC.

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