Parking Space Finder

1
Parking Space Finder

• Lucia Wiguno
• April 8, 20004

2
Background

• Imagine driving in the busy metropolitan area,
  you can just use your cell-phones or the
  navigation system in your car to locate a parking
  space. Parking will be easier, faster, and more
  convenient

3
System overview

• The system will first detect whether the spot is
  empty or occupied.
• If its occupied then a controller will activate
  the transponder and start scanning the tag that
  is attached in the front window of the car, this
  works exactly the same way as ez-pass.
• This system will not only be great as part of
  payment but it also gives us further access and
  application to the information obtained from the
  tags.

4
System overview (continued)

• Each spot will be considered individually so the
  system will be installed in each one of them
• The new parking meter will contain a controller
  and a time-stamp that will do the tracking.
• The information obtained from the tags will then
  be transferred to the main computer and processed
  for further application

5
Components of the system

• Detection
• Sensors that can detect pressure are used to
  detect whether a spot is empty or not
• Sensors communicate with each other using
  transmitter and antennas
• Assign one sensor to be the sink node that acts
  as a cluster master. It will coordinate the
  information and then connected to a controller
  which will scan the tags in the front window of
  the car

6
Detection

• In each parking spot, two mats will be installed,
  the mats will have sensors that can detect
  pressure, antennas, and transmitters
• One of the mat will be connected directly to the
  parking meter that contains the controller

7
How do the sensors work?

• In this scheme a car can only do parallel
  parking. When it is parking the rear wheels will
  reach the parking spot first, the rear wheels
  will give pressure to the mats. Once pressure is
  detected then the transmitter will send a message
  to the antenna on the other mat. The mat which
  receives this message then know that it is
  expecting to detect the pressure from the front
  wheel. The time it takes to transmit the message
  should be less than the time it takes the front
  wheels to press the mat. This process of
  transmitting will be done continuously. The same
  procedure is done when the car is leaving the
  parking spot. Once a car is detected in the spot
  then the mat will activate the controller in the
  parking meter and the controller will then scan
  the ID in the tag

8
Components of the system (continued)

• Tracking and collecting data
• Each car will have a tag (Ez-pass) which is a
  passive transponder so there are no batteries in
  the transponder.
• The transponder transmits its unique
  identification number to a controller when it is
  moved into magnetic field generated by a send
  antenna. The antenna will generate current to
  power the tag.

9
Tracking and data collection

• The controller scans the ID from the transponder
  and stores the data in its memory
• Data will be transferred to the main computer.
  The controller will be connected to the main
  computer using the direct line or wireless
  connection
• We will also put a time stamp in this controller
  so that it can record the time it takes for a car
  to park in the spot
• The process of scanning will be done continuously
  until the car leaves the spot

10
Data processing

• Data from the controller will be sent directly
  and continuously to the computer. Data contains
  the ID which tells which car parks in the spot so
  that the owners account registered under this ID
  will be deducted according to how long he parks
  in the spot.
• Data in the main computer will then be processed
  further, for example we can create web service
  where user can put in queries to find out which
  parking spots are empty in a certain area

11
Application

• The information about the parking spot can be
  processed such that those cars which have
  navigation system can then access this
  information
• This information can also be access through the
  cell-phones. The information will first need to
  be accessible through the web service.

12
Application (continued)

• How does it work with a cell-phone?
• For those who dont have navigation system in
  their cars, they can use their cell-phones. They
  need to dial a certain number from the
  cell-phones (just like dialing 411). The
  operators will answer the phones, they will have
  the access to the information through the web
  service and they will direct the callers to the
  empty spot.

13
Application (continued)

• Access through the cell-phones is preferable
  because if an operator is directing a caller to
  an empty spot then during the same period,
  another operator is not able to direct a
  different caller to the same spot. There is more
  control with the cell-phones. In the case of
  navigation system, we cant track an approaching
  car that is also targeting the same spot.