Parking Space Finder

1
Parking Space Finder

• Lucia Wiguno
• April 8, 20004

2
Background / Scenario

• Imagine driving in the busy metropolitan area,
  looking for a street parking space. You can use
  your cell-phones to call an operator to direct
  you to an empty spot or use the navigation system
  to direct you to an empty space. You could also
  use your PDA or cell-phones to go online and
  check for an empty spot. 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,
  e-zpass will be used as the tag.
• 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
  detection system and the new parking meter will
  be installed in each one of the spot.
• The new parking meter will contain a tag reader,
  time stamp, a cell-phone with GPRS that will do
  the tracking.
• The information obtained from the tags will then
  be transferred to the main computer (domain
  server) using GPRS system and processed for
  further application

5
Three major parts of the system

• Detection
• Data collection and transmission
• Application

6
Detection

• Sensors that can detect pressure are used to
  detect whether a spot is empty or not. The
  sensors will detect the pressure given by the
  front and rear wheels
• 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

7
Detection (continued)

• In each parking spot, two mats will be installed,
  the mats will have sensors that can detect
  pressure, antennas, and transmitters.
• One mat to detect the front wheels and the other
  will detect the rear wheels.
• The mat that detects the front wheels will be
  connected directly to the parking meter that
  contains the controller

8
How do the sensors work in this system?

• 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

9
Data Collection

• Each car will have a tag (E-zpass) 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.

10
Data Transmission

• The controller scans the ID from the transponder
  and stores the data in its memory.
• Data will be transferred to the main computer
  through wireless connection. GPRS will be used to
  transfer data through a mobile network.
• The parking meter is connected to a cell-phone
  with GPRS system.
• Data will be sent to an internet address as the
  destination. This address is the host server.

11
Information flow

• Once the data received by the servers then it
  will be processed further
• Data will be processed such that it will be
  accessible through the internet.
• User can simply go to the website and put in the
  queries to locate an empty spot in the desired
  area.

12
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.
• 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

13
Application

• Data can be accessed through the internet,
  website is created where user can put in queries
  to find out which parking spots are empty in a
  certain area.
• Cell-phones providers will set up call centers
  where customers can call using the cell-phones to
  locate and be directed to an empty spot.
• Cars with navigation system can locate an empty
  spot.

14
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.

15
Application (continued)

• Ticketing will be easier, it will be deducted
  directly from the E-zpass account.
• PDA or cell-phones that has GPRS system can also
  be used to access the website

16
Cost Analysis

• Price of the mats no actual quote price
• Cost of installing new parking meter
• Cost of transmitting data
• Maintenance fee

17
Cost Analysis

• The cost of installing the whole system is a one
  time cost
• Cost of transmitting data and maintenance needs
  to be paid every month, revenue could be
  generated to cover this monthly cost