Geofencing-Based Parking Access Control System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing entry and exit systems for secured spaces, such as parking facilities, require physical attendants or significant investments in hardware to manage access and fee calculations, limiting flexibility and efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A location-based system using a mobile app that communicates with a remote processing center to manage entry and exit from secured spaces, allowing for fee calculations and barrier control without the need for on-site attendants or additional hardware, utilizing geofencing and mobile device location data to execute default actions like charging fees or opening barriers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If physical attendants or hardware barriers are used to manage entry and exit, then access control and fee collection are reliable, but system complexity and operational costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces physical attendants and mechanical barrier systems with a mobile application-based location tracking system. The system uses GPS coordinates and geofencing technology to automatically detect entry and exit events, eliminating the need for human operators and physical gate infrastructure while maintaining reliable access control and fee collection capabilities
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-service operation where the mobile application automatically performs entry/exit detection, time calculation, and fee assessment without requiring external intervention. The app autonomously monitors location data, computes parking duration, and processes payments, making the system self-sufficient and reducing operational complexity
2Measurement precision
If gates, gate arms, or moveable barriers are installed to enable variable fee charging, then incremental fee collection is accurate, but initial investment and hardware costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent substitutes expensive mechanical barrier systems with software-based location monitoring. The mobile application uses GPS coordinates to precisely measure entry and exit times, calculating elapsed parking duration with sufficient accuracy for incremental fee assessment without requiring any physical gate infrastructure
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a virtual representation of the parking facility boundaries using geofenced geographic coordinates. This digital copy of the physical space enables automated detection of entry and exit events, providing accurate time measurement at a fraction of the cost of physical barriers
3Productivity
If unattended parking facilities charge flat fees without gates or attendants, then operational costs are reduced, but the ability to collect incremental fees based on parking duration is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The mobile application autonomously performs all functions needed for incremental fee collection including entry detection, exit detection, time calculation, and payment processing. This self-service capability enables unattended operation while maintaining the flexibility to charge variable fees based on actual parking duration
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors location data and provides real-time feedback on parking status. When the vehicle enters or exits the geofenced area, the system receives location feedback, automatically updates the parking duration, and adjusts the fee calculation accordingly, enabling dynamic pricing without attendants
Data Source
AI summary
A system and methods using applications for entry and exit from registered locations, where a registered location has an associated geo-fence of any size or shape. A registered location may be mobile or stationary. An internet-connected device running an app transmits the current geographic location of the device, and a remote processing center executes a default action when finding correspondence between the geo-fence of a registered location and the current geographic information of an end user's device, and in one embodiment, the default action may be to enter and pay for parking at a registered location.