Method and apparatus for detection and remote notification of vehicle parking space availability data

Abstract

A method and apparatus for providing timely and efficient notification of vehicle parking space availability and locations of vehicle parking spaces to motorists or other network users. Local detector devices sense the presence or absence of a vehicle in a particular parking space and communicate space identification and status information to a computer network. The parking space status information is integrated with electronic street maps of the area where the relevant spaces are located. Integrated maps containing space status identifiers are communicated to any number of networks.

1. A parking space locating system comprising:
 at least one vehicle detector disposed proximately to an associated parking space and configured to output an occupied/vacant signal along with an associated space identifier according to whether said vehicle detector detects that a vehicle is present/absent in/from said associated parking space respectively;  
 a central processor in communication with said at least one vehicle detector via at least one communication link;  
 wherein said central processor is programmed to receive at least one of said occupied/vacancy signals along with said associated space identifiers and maintain an updated database of said occupied/vacant signals along with associated space identifiers,  
 wherein said central processor integrates said database with geographical map data including a geographical area of said parking space(s) and generates an electronic street map which is capable of being displayed on a standard computer device screen as a graphical map, said graphical map having sufficient detail to distinguish individual parking spaces, wherein said occupied/vacant signal is indicated at a corresponding location on said graphical map;  
 wherein said central processor is further programmed and configured to quickly communicate updated graphical map data structures including updated occupied/vacant signal indication to a network.  
 
     
     
       2. The system according to  claim 1  wherein said network comprises a publicly accessible network. 
     
     
       3. The system according to  claim 1  wherein said network includes an internet. 
     
     
       4. The system according to  claim 1  wherein said at least one vehicle detector is disposed in a parking meter. 
     
     
       5. The system according to  claim 1  wherein said at least one communication link is an electrical transmission line. 
     
     
       6. The system according to  claim 1  wherein said at least one communication link is a microwave link. 
     
     
       7. The system according to  claim 1  wherein said at least one communication link is a fiber optic link. 
     
     
       8. The system according to  claim 1  wherein said at least one vehicle detector is an ultrasonic metal detector. 
     
     
       9. A method of notifying motorists of vacant parking space locations comprising the steps of:
 detecting the presence or absence of a vehicle in at least one identifiable parking space;  
 generating a signal to represent the presence or absence of the vehicle in said at least one identifiable parking space;  
 associating said signal with a respective space identifier;  
 interpreting said signal along with said respective space identifier as space identifier data;  
 integrating said space identifier data with digital street-map data describing an area including said at least one identifiable parking space to form an active street-map;  
 wherein said active street-map is capable of being interpreted by standard computer systems for displaying geographical indicators of parking space status at space locations on an electronic street map; and  
 communicating said active street-map to a network.  
 
     
     
       10. The method according to  claim 9  further comprising the steps of:
 communicating said active street map to a mobile-accessible network;  
 determining a user's location using GPS information;  
 displaying an active-street map of an area including the user's position.  
 
     
     
       11. The method according to  claim 9  further comprising the steps of:
 periodically updating said active street-map by repeating said step of interpreting said signal along with said respective space identifier as space identifier data; and  
 repeating said step of integrating said space identifier data with digital street-map data describing an area including said at least one identifiable parking space to form an active street-map.  
 
     
     
       12. The method according to  claim 9  wherein said standard computer device belongs to the group consisting of personal computers, cell phones, and hand held computers ( PDAs ). 
     
     
       13. The method according to  claim 9  wherein said standard computer device is a cell phone. 
     
     
       14. A parking space locating system comprising:
   at least one vehicle detector disposed proximately to an associated parking space and configured to output an occupied/vacant signal along with an associated space identifier according to whether said vehicle detector detects that a vehicle is present/absent in/from said associated parking space respectively; and        a central processor in communication with said at least one vehicle detector via at least one communication link;        wherein said central processor is programmed to receive at least one of said occupied/vacancy signals along with said associated space identifiers and maintain an updated database of said occupied/vacant signals along with associated space identifiers,        wherein said central processor integrates said database with geographical map data including a geographical area of said parking space ( s )  and generates an electronic street map which is capable of being accessed on a standard computer device, wherein said occupied/vacant signal is indicated at a corresponding location on said graphical map.     
     
     
       15. The system according to  claim 14 :
   wherein said central processor is further programmed and configured to communicate updated graphical map data structures including updated occupied/vacant signal indication to a network.     
     
     
       16. The system according to  claim 15  wherein said network is in communication with at least one device selected from the group consisting of cell phones, handheld computers, and personal computers and automobile computers. 
     
     
       17. The system according to  claim 15  wherein said standard computer device comprises a cell phone in communication with said network. 
     
     
       18. The system according to  claim 15  wherein said network comprises a wireless communication network. 
     
     
       19. A parking space locating system comprising:
   at least one vehicle sensor in communication with a central processor, said sensor being configured to detect parking space vacancies and communicate information identifying said vacancies at a geographic location associated with said sensor to said central processor;        wherein said central processor combines said information with geographical data to generate a remotely accessible geographical map database including said parking space vacancy information.     
     
     
       20. The system according to  claim 19  wherein said central processor is configured to transmit an alert signal when a parking space status change is detected. 
     
     
       21. The system according to  claim 19  further comprising a user's device in communication with said central processor and configured to display text information corresponding to said geographical database. 
     
     
       22. The system according to  claim 19  further comprising a user's device in communication with said central processor and configured to transmit a text based query to said central processor and retrieve text based parking space availability data. 
     
     
       23. The system according to  claim 19  further comprising a user's device in communication with said central processor and configured to receive voice information corresponding to said updated geographical database. 
     
     
       24. The system according to  claim 19  further comprising a user's device in communication with said central processor and configured to transmit a voice based query to said central processor and receive voice base space availability data from said central processor. 
     
     
       25. The parking space locating system of  claim 19  wherein said central processor communicates said geographical database to a user's device over a communication network. 
     
     
       26. The system according to  claim 25  wherein said user's device is selected from the group consisting of personal computers, handheld computers, and cell phones. 
     
     
       27. A method for communicating parking space availability information comprising:
   receiving information identifying a location of at least one vacant parking space;        combining said information with geographical map data to generate a geographical map database including parking space vacancy information;        communicating said geographical map database to a remotely located user for viewing as geographical street map indicating vacant parking spaces.     
     
     
       28. The method of  claim 27  wherein said communicating is performed over a communication network. 
     
     
       29. The method according to  claim 27  further comprising communicating voice information to a said user, said voice information corresponding to said geographical map data including parking space vacancy information. 
     
     
       30. The method according to  claim 27  further comprising determining a location of said user and communicating said updated geographical map data corresponding to said location. 
     
     
       31. A parking space locating system comprising:
   at least one vehicle sensor in communication with a central processor, said sensor being configured to detect parking space vacancies and communicate information identifying said vacancies at a geographic location associated with said sensor to said central processor;        wherein said central processor combines said information with geographical data to generate a remotely accessible geographical database including said parking space vacancy information; and        wherein said central processor communicates said parking vacancy information in said geographical database to a user's device over a communication network.