Autonomous Parking Enforcement Using Plate Recognition and Route Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current vehicle parking enforcement is labor-intensive, as officials must visually inspect each vehicle to determine if it has an active parking transaction, despite the introduction of automated payment systems.
Innovation Solution
An autonomous vehicle equipped with an image capture device and automated number plate recognition technology captures license plate images, correlates them with a parking enforcement database to identify unexpired transactions, and initiates enforcement actions as necessary, optimizing its route and image capture based on vehicle density.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If automated payment systems are introduced, then parking payment process is improved, but parking enforcement remains labor-intensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical inspection process with an automated optical recognition system. Image capture devices mounted on enforcement vehicles automatically capture license plate images, and optical character recognition technology extracts and processes the plate numbers, eliminating the need for officers to manually read and compare license plates.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-service enforcement by automatically comparing captured license plate numbers with the database of vehicles subject to parking restrictions. The enforcement vehicle's processor autonomously determines violations and generates enforcement records without requiring manual intervention for each vehicle inspection.
2Measurement precision
If officers manually inspect each vehicle, then enforcement accuracy is maintained, but time consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables continuous enforcement operations by automatically capturing images of all passing vehicles without interruption. The image capture devices and processing system operate continuously as the enforcement vehicle moves through the parking area, eliminating the stop-and-go nature of manual inspection and significantly reducing the time required to cover the same area.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual visual inspection with automated optical character recognition technology. The system captures license plate images, automatically extracts the plate numbers, and compares them with the database, maintaining enforcement accuracy while dramatically reducing the time required for each inspection.
3Measurement precision
If image capture devices are positioned at optimal angles, then license plate recognition accuracy is improved, but device installation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs adjustable and repositionable mounting mechanisms that allow the image capture devices to be dynamically positioned at optimal angles for capturing license plates. The mounting system can be adjusted during installation and maintenance to achieve the desired capture angles, balancing recognition accuracy with installation feasibility.
Data Source
AI summary
A parking enforcement system includes an autonomous vehicle that is equipped with an image capture device that is configured to capture images of license plates of parked vehicles while the autonomous vehicle moves through a parking zone. The system will process the images to extract license plate numbers from the images. The system will correlate the license plate numbers with data in a parking enforcement database to determine whether the license plate numbers are associated with an unexpired parking transaction. For any license plate number that is not subject to an unexpired parking transaction, the system may initiate an enforcement action. For any license plate number that is subject to an unexpired parking transaction, the system may not initiate an enforcement action.