Dynamic Parking Space Assignment System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Parking lots, especially in urban areas, operate inefficiently due to unassigned parking spaces, leading to wasted time for drivers searching for available spaces and idle reserved spaces when their holders are not present, resulting in lost revenue for operators.
Innovation Solution
A system using automated sensors to determine unoccupied parking spaces and rank them based on driver preferences, vehicle characteristics, and operator preferences, selecting the best available space for assignment and transmitting it to the vehicle or a mobile device, optimizing space usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If parking spaces are reserved for specific drivers, then driver convenience is improved, but parking space utilization deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically changes parking space assignments based on real-time conditions. Reserved spaces are no longer statically assigned to specific drivers but are dynamically allocated to any eligible driver whose vehicle matches the reservation criteria (vehicle type, size, etc.), allowing the same physical space to serve different users at different times
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameters of parking space assignment from fixed driver-specific reservations to flexible criteria-based assignments. By modifying the assignment parameters to include vehicle characteristics and space attributes rather than just driver identity, the system enables both convenience and utilization improvements
2Adaptability or versatility
If drivers search for parking spaces manually, then assignment flexibility is improved, but time consumption deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by automatically identifying and ranking suitable parking spaces for each driver before the driver arrives. The server proactively determines which spaces meet the driver's criteria and prepares assignments in advance, eliminating the need for drivers to manually search and evaluate spaces upon arrival
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback loops where sensor data about space occupancy and vehicle characteristics about driver needs continuously inform the assignment algorithm. This feedback mechanism enables real-time optimization of space allocation while maintaining flexibility to adapt to changing conditions
3Productivity
If automated sensors and ranking systems are implemented, then parking space optimization is improved, but system complexity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system achieves multi-functionality by using a single server platform that handles multiple tasks: receiving vehicle data, processing sensor information about space occupancy, ranking spaces based on multiple criteria, generating assignments, and communicating with drivers. This universal platform approach avoids the need for separate specialized systems for each function
Solution Approach 2:
The server acts as an intermediary that mediates between the physical parking infrastructure (sensors and spaces) and the digital assignment system. It translates sensor data into meaningful space availability information and converts driver requirements into ranked space recommendations, simplifying the interaction between complex subsystems
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems for assigning a parking space to a vehicle. One system includes a database storing parking space data for a plurality of parking spaces in a parking lot and a server including an electronic processor. The electronic processor receives a request for a parking space assignment for the vehicle, determines a vehicle identifier for the vehicle, and determines at least one selected from a group consisting of a driver preference for a driver of the vehicle and a preference for the parking lot. The electronic processor also generates a plurality of available parking space identifiers from the parking space data, selects, from the plurality of available parking space identifiers, the parking space assignment for the vehicle based on the vehicle identifier and at least one selected from a group consisting of the driver preference and the preference of the parking lot, and transmits the parking space assignment.