Camera-Based Parking Guidance System Using License Plate Recognition
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional parking management systems face challenges such as high manpower costs, errors in manual record-keeping, unauthorized parking, and inefficient management of parking spaces, along with difficulties for drivers in finding available spaces and locating their vehicles in large parking lots, due to high maintenance and operational costs of sensor-based systems.
Innovation Solution
A parking management system utilizing entrance, exit, and region cameras to recognize vehicle license numbers, a management server for tracking and guiding vehicles to available spaces, and display units to show available spaces, reducing manual intervention and enhancing efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If vehicle sensing coils or vehicle sensors are installed in respective parking partitions to monitor vehicle entry and exit, then vehicle presence detection is improved, but maintenance costs and operational complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the vehicle detection function from complex sensor systems and implements it using simple camera-based image recognition. Instead of installing sensing coils or sensors in each parking partition, the system uses cameras positioned at strategic locations (entrance, exit, and parking regions) to detect vehicle presence through license plate recognition and image processing, thereby eliminating the need for complex sensor infrastructure while maintaining detection capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/electrical sensor system with an optical system based on image recognition. The camera-based system captures images of vehicles and uses computer vision algorithms to detect vehicle presence, recognize license plates, and determine parking status, substituting the physical sensor infrastructure with a software-driven optical detection mechanism that reduces hardware complexity and maintenance requirements
2Device complexity
If manual recordkeeping is used to track vehicle entry and exit, then system complexity is reduced, but manpower costs and error rates increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements self-service automation where cameras automatically capture vehicle images, the image recognition unit automatically processes and recognizes license plates, and the system automatically generates and manages parking records. This eliminates the need for manual data entry by parking attendants, reducing labor costs and human errors while improving operational efficiency through automated tracking of vehicle entry, exit, and parking duration
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an image recognition unit as an intermediary between the physical vehicle and the digital parking management system. This intermediary automatically captures vehicle information through imaging, processes the data through recognition algorithms, and transfers the extracted information to the parking management database, thereby automating the recordkeeping process without requiring direct human intervention in data entry
3Productivity
If no guidance system is provided, then system cost is reduced, but user time to find parking spaces increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements real-time feedback by continuously monitoring vehicle presence through cameras and updating the availability status of parking spaces. The display units receive real-time data from the image recognition system and provide drivers with current information about which parking regions have available spaces, enabling drivers to make informed decisions and navigate directly to open areas rather than searching randomly
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary action by pre-calculating and displaying the availability status of different parking regions before drivers arrive at each area. The image recognition unit continuously scans for vehicles and updates the central system, which then proactively displays guidance information on display units throughout the parking facility, allowing drivers to plan their route in advance and avoid unnecessary searching
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a parking management system. The parking management system includes an entrance camera (100) installed at an entrance of a parking lot to photograph a vehicle that enters the parking lot. An exit camera (200) photographs a vehicle that departs from the parking lot. A plurality of region cameras (300) is installed in respective parking regions to photograph a vehicle. A management server (400) includes a vehicle license number recognition unit (450) for recognizing a vehicle license number, a registration unit (460) for registering a last photographed parking region on a parking ticket, a control unit (440) for calculating a number of available parking spaces for each parking region, and determining a total number of available parking spaces, and a guidance unit (470) for guiding an entering vehicle to an available parking region. A display unit (350) displays the number of available parking spaces.