Mobile Sensor Parking Payment Detection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Multispace parking meters, which control multiple parking spaces, require customers to walk to and return to their vehicles to place payment receipts, leading to inconvenience and inefficiency, as well as difficulties in identifying and ensuring payment status, necessitating manual patrols by authorities.

Innovation Solution

A mobile device system that collects sensor data such as location, acceleration, and audio data to determine if a user has paid for parking, allowing for automated payment status detection and reminders, and integrating with a centralized server for processing and alert generation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Strength

If multispace meters are deployed to control multiple parking spaces, then the need for carrying coins is reduced and device durability is improved, but customer convenience deteriorates due to the need to walk to the meter and return to the vehicle

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedevice durabilityVSAvoidcustomer convenience

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the mechanical interaction between customer and parking meter with an automated electronic detection system. Mobile devices with sensors automatically detect payment status and generate alerts, eliminating the need for customers to physically interact with the meter or retrieve receipts, thus resolving the contradiction between durable meter design and customer convenience

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The system enables self-service by allowing the mobile device to autonomously monitor payment status through sensor data collection and automatic alert generation. The customer does not need to manually check payment status or return to the vehicle, as the system automatically notifies them of unpaid parking, maintaining the durability benefit while improving convenience

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

2Strength

If multispace meters are spaced several car lengths apart, then device durability is improved and coin handling is reduced, but payment monitoring efficiency deteriorates requiring manual patrols

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedevice durabilityVSAvoidpayment monitoring efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces manual patrol operations with an automated electronic monitoring system. Mobile devices continuously collect sensor data to detect payment status, and centralized servers process this data to generate alerts, eliminating the need for manual inspections while maintaining the spaced meter deployment that improves durability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces mobile devices and centralized servers as intermediaries between the spaced parking meters and the monitoring authority. These intermediaries automatically collect and process payment status information, enabling efficient remote monitoring of meters that are spaced several car lengths apart, thus resolving the contradiction between device durability and monitoring efficiency

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Quantity of substance

If traditional parking receipt systems are used, then payment collection is achieved, but payment status verification becomes difficult and time-consuming

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepayment collectionVSAvoidpayment status verification

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the physical receipt system with an electronic detection system using mobile devices and sensors. Payment status is automatically detected and verified through sensor data analysis, eliminating the information loss associated with manual receipt verification while maintaining payment collection functionality

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements automatic feedback by continuously monitoring payment status through sensor data and immediately generating alerts when payment is not detected. This real-time feedback system eliminates the information gap in payment verification, providing immediate confirmation of payment status without the delays and errors of manual receipt checking

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentUS10096173B2Parking payment detection

Publication Date: 2018.10.09 HERE GLOBAL BV

AI summary

In one embodiment, a mobile device (e.g., a smartphone) is utilized to determine whether a user has paid for parking. The mobile device collects sensor data that describes actions of a mobile device or actions of an automobile or of a driver of the automobile. The sensor data includes one or more of location data, acceleration data, rotational data, or audio data. Either the mobile device or a centralized server performs an analysis of the sensor data to determine data indicative of a pay status of the parking spot. The pay status indicates whether the user has likely paid for parking. The mobile device or the centralized server is configured to generate a message based on the data indicative of the pay status of the parking spot.