Multispace Parking Pay Station Mobile Payment Verification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current parking systems, including parking meters and pay-and-display machines, face challenges such as inconvenient data entry, errors in payment verification, and high operational costs due to the need for regular service and multiple payment types, which complicate the parking and payment process for users and enforcement.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of multispace parking pay stations equipped with processors, memories, communications elements, and printers, along with mobile payment capabilities, allows for easy and reliable payment processing through unique identifiers, reducing errors and operational costs by enabling mobile payments, pre-set payments, and eliminating the need for manual verification at individual spaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If pay-and-display machines are used to service multiple parking spaces, then setup costs are reduced, but data entry convenience and accuracy deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses automatic license plate recognition technology where the pay station captures images of license plates and automatically extracts vehicle identification information, eliminating the need for manual data entry by drivers. The system self-services by automatically identifying vehicles and retrieving their registration information from databases.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical data entry processes with automated optical recognition systems. Cameras capture license plate images, which are then processed by image recognition algorithms to automatically extract vehicle information, substituting the mechanical act of manual typing with automated optical-electronic processing.
2Reliability
If manual data entry is required at pay stations, then payment verification can be performed, but errors propagate to enforcement and time is consumed
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-capturing license plate images and pre-extracting vehicle information before the actual payment transaction occurs. The automatic recognition system prepares all necessary identification data in advance, so when payment is processed, verification can immediately use the pre-prepared information without requiring real-time manual entry or verification steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual verification processes with automated image recognition and data matching systems. The system automatically compares captured license plate information with database records, eliminating the need for manual verification steps and reducing both time consumption and human error in the payment verification process.
3Ease of operation
If traditional parking meters are used at individual spaces, then payment collection is straightforward, but service costs and operational complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple individual parking space management functions into a single centralized pay station. Instead of having separate meters at each parking space, one pay station serves multiple spaces by using license plate recognition to identify and track vehicles across different spaces, consolidating hardware resources and simplifying the overall system architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The pay station is designed with universal functionality to handle multiple parking spaces through a single device. The system can recognize and process payments for various vehicles across different parking spaces using license plate identification, making the single pay station versatile enough to replace multiple individual meters while maintaining payment collection simplicity.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein are multispace parking pay stations comprising: at least one processor, a memory, a communications element, a printer, and a computer program including instructions executable by the at least one processor to create an application comprising: a software module receiving a unique identifier associated with a parking customer, the parking customer having executed a mobile payment for parking in a space associated with the pay station; a software module transmitting the unique identifier to a central parking management server and querying the central parking management server with the unique identifier to identify the parking customer and verify the mobile payment; and a software module generating and sending instructions to the printer to print a payment verification for the parking customer.