Street Lighting Beacon Signals for Parking Navigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Finding parking on busy streets or in full parking garages can be time-consuming, lead to fuel waste, pollution, and accidents due to driver distraction, and may result in illegal parking due to unclear indications of available and legal spaces.
Innovation Solution
A system using remotely controllable lighting devices to indicate available parking spaces through specific lighting patterns, combined with a vehicle's positioning system that determines its location using beacon signals from these devices, guiding the driver to the selected parking space.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If drivers search for parking spaces manually on busy streets, then they can find available parking, but it wastes time and fuel, causes pollution, and leads to driver distraction
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary system consisting of beacon signals transmitted by streetside devices and received by the vehicle's positioning system. This intermediary communication channel provides parking availability information without requiring the driver to visually search for parking spaces, thereby reducing driver distraction while still enabling efficient parking location
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/visual search process with an electronic signaling system. Instead of drivers manually scanning the environment for parking spaces, the system uses automated beacon signals and electronic positioning to convey parking information, substituting the mechanical search action with an electronic information transfer process
2Reliability
If parking availability is not clearly indicated, then drivers may park illegally, but providing clear indications requires additional signaling infrastructure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes existing streetside devices multi-functional by enabling them to transmit beacon signals in addition to their primary functions (lighting, parking metering). This allows the same infrastructure to serve multiple purposes: providing illumination, managing parking payments, and indicating parking availability, thereby reducing the need for separate signaling infrastructure
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the operational parameters of existing streetside devices by enabling them to emit beacon signals at specific intervals and with specific characteristics that indicate parking availability. This parameter change allows existing infrastructure to convey new information without requiring additional hardware
3Quantity of substance
If vehicles are left on the street during street cleaning hours, then parking availability increases, but it impedes street cleaning efforts and prevents gutter clearance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by notifying drivers in advance of upcoming street cleaning events through the beacon signal system. Drivers receive advance warning and can plan to vacate parking spaces before cleaning occurs, preventing obstruction of street cleaning operations while maintaining parking availability during non-cleaning periods
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides feedback to drivers about street cleaning schedules and current parking status through beacon signals. This feedback mechanism enables drivers to make informed decisions about where and when to park, allowing the system to dynamically adjust parking availability information based on upcoming cleaning events
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution reduces driver distraction, saves time, and minimizes the risk of accidents by clearly indicating legal parking spaces, thereby improving the efficiency of parking and reducing environmental impact.
Implementation Method 1
determining, by a positioning device onboard the vehicle and using a triangulation algorithm, a current location of the vehicle based at least on the beacon signal
Implementation Method 2
determine, using a multilateration algorithm, a current location of the vehicle based at least on the beacon signal
Data Source
AI summary
A method for directing a vehicle to a parking space within an environment is disclosed. The method includes selecting a parking space from a collection of parking spaces within the environment, further selecting one or more lighting devices within the environment based at least on a location of the selected parking space, and sending a signal to the one or more lighting devices to generate a lighting pattern visible to a driver of the vehicle, where the lighting pattern directs the driver to navigate the vehicle toward the parking space. In addition, the vehicle may be navigated using radio navigation algorithms based on beacon signals broadcasted from streetside devices, such as lighting devices or parking meters.