Parking Difficulty Index from Vehicle Circle Events
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing interactive maps often lack accurate and comprehensive parking difficulty data, relying on user reports and being limited to specific geographic areas, which can lead to inaccurate information for users seeking to park in a given area.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method and system that analyzes location tracks from vehicles to determine parking difficulty by identifying 'circle events' – instances where vehicles repeatedly traverse the same segments while searching for parking, assigning a parking difficulty index based on the frequency of these events, and displaying this data on interactive maps.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If parking data is collected from user reports, then data collection is simple, but data accuracy and comprehensiveness deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual user reporting (mechanical data collection method) with automated GPS tracking and circle event detection algorithms. The system automatically captures vehicle location data and analyzes movement patterns to identify parking search behavior, eliminating the need for manual user reports while significantly improving data accuracy and objectivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses vehicles' own GPS tracking data to automatically generate parking difficulty information. The vehicles themselves provide the data through their natural movement patterns, and the system processes this data autonomously without requiring active user participation or reporting, thus maintaining ease of data collection while improving accuracy.
2Device complexity
If parking data is limited to specific geographic areas, then data processing complexity is reduced, but data comprehensiveness deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal parking difficulty assessment system that can be applied to any geographic area. The circle event detection algorithm and GPS tracking methodology work consistently across different locations, allowing the system to expand coverage from specific areas to broader regions without proportionally increasing processing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system divides the geographic area into segments and applies the circle event detection algorithm to each segment independently. This segmentation approach allows the system to handle large geographic areas by processing them in manageable units, maintaining processing efficiency while expanding overall coverage.
3Ease of operation
If traditional parking vacancy indicators are used, then information simplicity is maintained, but information usefulness deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms parking information from simple vacancy counts to a composite difficulty index based on circle event frequency. This parameter change provides more useful information about actual parking conditions while maintaining simplicity through the use of a single index value that incorporates multiple factors including vehicle behavior patterns, time, and location.
Solution Approach 2:
The circle event detection serves as an intermediary that translates complex vehicle behavior data into a simplified parking difficulty index. This intermediary process captures nuanced information about parking search behavior while presenting the information in an easily interpretable format to users.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided are systems and methods for determining the parking difficulty of segments of a geographic area. A system may include portable computers and vehicle navigation systems traversing segments of a geographic area. Location tracks may be received corresponding to the paths of the vehicles. The location tracks may be evaluated to determine if they are from a vehicle searching for parking. Some segments of the searching-for-parking location tracks may be included in a circle event, and the number circle events that include a segment may indicate the difficulty of parking in that segment. The parking difficulty may be expressed as a parking difficulty index and may be transmitted to a computer for view on an interactive map or for use in determining directions to a destination.