System and method for tracking vehicles in parking structures and intersections

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018341815-A1
Application number	US-201816036786-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 16, 2018
Priority date	May 21, 2014
Publication date	Nov 29, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

A dynamic signal to noise ratio tracking system enables detection of vehicles within the field of view of the tracking system. The tracking system may include an emitter configured to emit electromagnetic radiation within an area, a detector configured to detect electromagnetic radiation reflected back from vehicles within the area, and a control unit configured to evaluate signals from the detector and control various automated devices as a result of this evaluation.

First claim

1 . A vehicle traffic control system comprising control circuitry configured to:
monitor retro-reflected electromagnetic radiation and associate the retro-reflected electromagnetic radiation with a plurality of retro-reflective elements within a detection area; identify changes in the retro-reflected electromagnetic radiation and associate the identified changes with vehicle information; evaluate the vehicle information to determine a movement of the vehicle, a size of the vehicle, a shape of the vehicle, a position of the vehicle, or a combination thereof; and control an automated device based, at least in part, on the evaluated vehicle information to provide a display or output associated with movement of the vehicle or a position of the vehicle, or both, within the detection area.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the control circuitry is configured to:
correlate the retro-reflected electromagnetic radiation to a set of retro-reflective elements of the plurality of retro-reflective elements positioned along two or more roads on opposing ends of an intersection of the two or more roads, wherein the two or more roads and the intersection are within the detection area; determine whether the retro-reflected electromagnetic radiation from the set of retro-reflective elements is associated with one of the two or more roads; associate the set of retro-reflective elements from which retro-reflected electromagnetic radiation is not detected with the position of the vehicle being over the set of retro-reflective elements; and adjust selective illumination of a traffic light based at least on the association.

3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the control circuitry is configured to:
correlate the retro-reflected electromagnetic radiation to a retro-reflective element of the plurality of retro-reflective elements associated with the vehicle positioned on an entrance path of the detection area; determine whether the retro-reflected electromagnetic radiation is associated with an allowed access to a parking area; and cause a gate actuation device to move a movable gate to an open position if the retro-reflected electromagnetic radiation is associated with allowed access to the parking area.

4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the control circuitry is configured to:
correlate the retro-reflected electromagnetic radiation to a retro-reflective element of the plurality of retro-reflective elements positioned within an area corresponding to an expected location of the vehicle in the detection area; monitor the retro-reflected electromagnetic radiation for changes in retro-reflection by the retro-reflective element within the area corresponding to the expected location of the vehicle; and associate changes in the retro-reflected electromagnetic radiation by the retro-reflective element with a coverage of the retro-reflective element by the vehicle positioned in the expected location of the vehicle.

5 . The system of claim 4 , wherein the expected location of the vehicle is a parking space.

6 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the control circuitry is configured to:
determine whether a parking space of a plurality of parking spaces is occupied by the vehicle based on the retro-reflected electromagnetic radiation from a retro-reflective element of the plurality of retro-reflective elements in the parking space, wherein the parking space comprises the retro-reflective element positioned within an area corresponding to an expected location of the vehicle when the vehicle occupies the parking space; and cause a display to update textual or graphical information based on determined changes in an occupancy associated with the parking space.

7 . The system of claim 6 , wherein the control circuitry is configured to:
determine that an additional parking space of the plurality of parking spaces is not occupied by the vehicle based on substantially unchanged retro-reflected electromagnetic radiation from an additional retro-reflective element of the plurality of retro-reflective elements associated with the additional parking space; and cause the display to provide a recommended parking space based at least on the determination that the additional parking space is unoccupied.

8 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the control circuitry is configured to:
correlate the retro-reflected electromagnetic radiation to a retro-reflective element of the plurality of retro-reflective elements positioned on or within the vehicle parked within a parking space corresponding to at least a portion of the detection area; determine whether the retro-reflected electromagnetic radiation is associated with a disabled vehicle; and cause a parking attendant notification device to provide a perceivable indication to a parking attendant that the vehicle in the parking space is disabled if the control circuitry determines that the vehicle is disabled.

9 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the control circuitry is configured to:
associate the retro-reflected electromagnetic radiation to the retro-reflective element positioned on a vehicle tag located on or within the vehicle parked within the parking space; and determine whether the retro-reflective element is intended to signal that the vehicle is disabled based at least on the retro-reflective element.

10 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the control circuitry is configured to:
determine whether a vehicle is traveling along a first expected vehicle path within the detection area based on monitoring the retro-reflected electromagnetic radiation from a first set of retro-reflective elements of the plurality of retro-reflective elements associated with the first expected vehicle path; and determine whether the vehicle is traveling along a second expected vehicle path within the detection area based on monitoring the retro-reflected electromagnetic radiation from a second set of retro-reflective elements of the plurality of retro-reflective elements associate with the second expected vehicle path.

11 . A vehicle traffic control system comprising control circuitry configured to:
monitor retro-reflected electromagnetic radiation and associate the retro-reflected electromagnetic radiation with a plurality of retro-reflective elements within a parking structure, wherein the parking structure comprises a plurality of parking spaces; identify changes in the retro-reflected electromagnetic radiation and associate the identified changes with a position of a vehicle; and determine that the vehicle is positioned within a parking space of the plurality of parking spaces based on the changes in the retro-reflected electromagnetic radiation.

12 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the control circuitry is configured to actuate a display to provide an indication that the vehicle is positioned within the parking space of the plurality of parking spaces.

13 . The system of claim 12 , wherein the display comprises a light configured to illuminate when the parking space of the plurality of parking spaces is not occupied by the vehicle.

14 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the light is mounted to a wall configured to separate a first set of parking spaces of the plurality of parking spaces from a second set of parking spaces of the plurality of parking spaces.

15 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the control circuitry is configured to determine that the vehicle is positioned within the parking space of the plurality of parking spaces based on an absence of the retro-reflected electromagnetic radiation from the parking space of the plurality of parking spaces.

16 . A method

Assignees

• Universal City Studios Llc

Inventors

• Cortelyou Robert J
• Oliver Christopher

Classifications

• G08G1/08 Primary

  according to detected number or speed of vehicles · CPC title

• G06V20/52

  Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects (recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69) · CPC title

• G06V10/245 Primary

  by locating a pattern; Special marks for positioning · CPC title

• G08G1/07

  Controlling traffic signals · CPC title

• G08G1/01 Primary

  Detecting movement of traffic to be counted or controlled (G08G1/07 - G08G1/14 take precedence) · CPC title