NAME OF THE APPLICANT: INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY- BANGALORE

WIRELESS SENSOR NETWORK BASED SMART PARKING SYSTEM

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to a wireless sensor network based smart vehicle parking system for an indoor parking facility. Specifically, the present invention relates to an automated parking system for monitoring the availability of free parking slots and to identify the nearest parking slot by means of cost effective and energy efficient sensor motes, wherein each of the sensor mote is provided only at the parking slot. Further, the system sends the information such as parking slot allotted, time parked, billing information and directional details to the user's mobile phone via Short Message Service (SMS).

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

In urban areas, enormous increase in population of vehicles leads to difficulty in locating parking space for parking the vehicle. Thus, this leads to the problems of traffic congestion and pollution to the environment. To solve this problem, a number of Wireless Sensor Network Systems (WSNs) have been developed to address the vehicle parking management.

Generally, wireless sensor networks are ad-hoc in nature employing a large number of sensor motes communicating in a co-operative fashion with a Central Supervisory Station (CSS). The sensor mote being a battery operated device has limited computation and communication capabilities. The wireless sensor networks gains more advantages than wired counterpart by its flexibility, inherent intelligence, low cost, rapid deployment and more sensing points, especially in the areas which could not be wired. Owing to these advantages, the WSNs have found their way in diverse application domains such as facility management like traffic and parking

NAME OF THE APPLICANT: INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY- BANGALORE

management, health care and environment monitoring, intelligent buildings, disaster relief applications, etc.

A vehicle parking management system monitors number of vehicle passing the entry and exit points for estimating the availability of free slots. A scheme is formed for collecting data from multiple sensor motes is analyzed by a central station and the result is displayed at strategic location for assisting the user. As these sensor motes are battery operated device sensing and communicating data all the time makes them energy inefficient in the system.

In the existing system, developments and solution to the issues have been concentrated on connectivity, network performance, different routing mechanism for transferring the data from the source to the sink and sensing by wide variety of sensors. In order to associate a parking slot to a particular vehicle, a sensor mote needs to be present on both the vehicle as well as at the parking slot. Therefore, these solutions are not viable as they are found to be on the higher end of the pricing scale and require human interference. Moreover, the above systems have limited or no option for communicating important information regarding parking slot allotment, parking time, billing information and directional details to the users.

Some of the prior arts are as follows,

US7388517 discloses a method of sensing the presence of a vehicle by means of circuit apparatus comprising magnetic sensor and light emitting structure used to visibly communicate to the vehicle operator. But the use of magnetic sensor is very complicate for calibration and by its installation, easily affected by the orientation.

US7893847 relates to a system for determining availability of vehicle parking by means of expensive and energy consuming image sensors.

NAME OF THE APPLICANT: INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY- BANGALORE

US2012044091 discloses an apparatus for providing a parking management service using multiple sensors in each sensor nodes and sensors are also implemented in common passages for detecting the movement of cars. Usage of multiple sensor makes the system expensive and highly energy consuming.

CN101404118 relates to parking space monitoring system detecting vehicle using pattern recognition with data received from the geo magnetic sensor.

CN102855772 relates to an intelligent parking control system equipping each vehicle with Zigbee devices to avail parking information and this requires the additional hardware devices.

Thus, there exists a need for implementation of wireless sensor network based vehicle parking system in a cost effective and energy efficient manner, without any additional hardware devices. Further, it should be automated by wirelessly communicating the sufficient information to the user in the vehicle parking management.

OBJECTS OF INVENTION

One or more of the problems of the conventional prior art may be overcome by various embodiments of the system and method of the present invention.

Accordingly, it is the primary objective of the present invention to provide a wireless sensor network based smart vehicle parking system for an indoor parking facility.

It is another object of the present invention to implement a vehicle parking management system using wireless sensor networks in a fully automated, cost-effective and energy efficient manner.

NAME OF THE APPLICANT: INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY- BANGALORE

It is another object of the present invention, wherein the system comprising of: One or more sensor motes; One or more user interfaces; Central Supervisory Station (CSS); and Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) modem.

It is another object of the present invention, wherein the system follows a hierarchical architecture.

It is another object of the present invention, wherein the sensor mote is a custom-built 8051 microcontroller.

It is another object of the present invention, wherein the sensor mote is a battery-operated device and is fitted with an ambient light sensor to detect the presence or absence of a vehicle.

It is another object of the present invention, wherein each of the sensor motes is provided only at the parking slots thereby reducing the requirement of the sensor motes by 50% making the system cost-effective.

It is another object of the present invention, wherein the communication between the sensor motes is by IEEE 802.15.4 (Zigbee Protocol).

It is another object of the invention, wherein the interface is equipped with a keypad and a display connected to the CSS, wherein a user can enter the mobile number and associates with the parking slot.

NAME OF THE APPLICANT: INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY- BANGALORE

It is another object of the present invention, wherein after entry, the information regarding slot identity (ID) and the direction towards the nearest empty parking slot and time of entry is displayed in the interface.

It is another object of the present invention, wherein an adaptive thresholding algorithm is implemented in the system for adapting towards changing light conditions.

It is another object of the present invention, wherein a set of the sensor motes form a cluster and communicate with their respective cluster head.

It is another object of the present invention, wherein the cluster heads retransmits the data received from the sensor motes to the CSS.

It is another object of the present invention, wherein the cluster-head and the CSS are powered by AC mains.

It is another object of the present invention, wherein the CSS is a processor having database support interfaced with GSM modem to facilitate in sending the SMS.

It is another object of the present invention, wherein database of the sensor motes maintained at the CSS updates the occupancy information along with the corresponding user's mobile number.

It is another object of the present invention, wherein the Java based SMS gateway at the CSS provides essential functionality of sending Short Message Service (SMS) using Automatic Test (AT) commands.

NAME OF THE APPLICANT: INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY- BANGALORE

It is another object of the present invention, wherein data including the information regarding slot identity (ID), direction towards the nearest empty parking slot, time of entry, billing information like parking duration and the billing amount are received from the CSS by the user via SMS.

It is another object of the present invention, wherein the vehicle parked in or removed from the designated slot is indicated by the CSS and starts/stops timer for the corresponding slot gives the information on parking duration for billing purposes.

It is another object of the present invention, wherein the sensor motes present in the parking slot communicates periodically to the CSS, which helps in monitoring the battery status of the sensor motes.

It is another object of the present invention, wherein radio module at the sensor mote transmits the data packets only on state change (vehicle arrival or departure from the parking slot) or on requirement of information about battery health status at regular intervals to the CSS, thereby making the system energy efficient.

It is another object of the present invention, wherein the battery status in the sensor mote is monitored by measuring the value of voltage potential of the battery and which is transmitted as Dead or Alive (DoA) signal to the CSS.

It is another object of the present invention, wherein the CSS updates the battery status of the sensor motes at regular interval in its database and display on Graphical user interface (GUI).

NAME OF THE APPLICANT: INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY- BANGALORE

It is another object of the present invention, wherein the system can be extended to operate in outdoor environments by the use of additional sensors and improves the reliability of the system.

It is another object of the present invention, wherein the system can incorporate the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network, which can also facilitate Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) enabled devices.

It is another object of the present invention, wherein the system can employ mobile applications to provide location based services which give a better user experience by providing real time information to user.

It is another object of the present invention, wherein the system encourages clean and green environment by avoiding the usage of paper or plastic cards.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

Thus according to the basic aspect of the present invention there is provided an automated vehicle parking management system comprising:

One or more sensor motes;

One or more user interfaces;

Central Supervisory Station (CSS); and

Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) modem,

wherein the sensor mote is a microcontroller fitted with an ambient light sensor to detect presence or absence of a vehicle in parking facility,

wherein each of the sensor mote is provided only at parking slots where an user by entering his or her mobile number is tagged to the parking slot while entering the parking facility,

NAME OF THE APPLICANT: INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY- BANGALORE

wherein the sensor motes form a cluster and communicate data with their respective cluster head which in turn retransmits the data to the CSS,

wherein the user interface is equipped with a keypad and a display connected to the CSS where the user enter his or her mobile number,

wherein the CSS is a processor having database support interfaced with the GSM modem to facilitate in sending the SMS, and

wherein the data from the CSS is received by the user vide SMS.

It is another aspect of the present invention, wherein the system monitors the availability of free parking slots through the sensor mote and guides the vehicle to the nearest free slot.

It is another aspect of the present invention, wherein the data includes slot identity (ID), real-time parking available information and battery status.

It is another aspect of the present invention, wherein communication interface is configured to transmit the parking availability information over a network to the user interface's display device configured to display the parking availability information.
It is another aspect of the present invention, wherein after entry, information regarding slot identity (ID) and direction towards the nearest empty parking slot and time of entry is displayed on the interface.

It is another aspect of the present invention, wherein the data including slot identity (ID), direction towards the nearest empty parking slot, time of entry, real-time parking available information, billing information is conveyed vide Short Message Service (SMS) to the user's mobile.

NAME OF THE APPLICANT: INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY- BANGALORE

It is another aspect of the present invention, wherein the vehicle parked in or removed from the designated parking slot is indicated by the CSS.

It is another aspect of the present invention, wherein the system is provided with one or more timers, said timer for the corresponding parking slot provides the information on parking duration for billing purposes.

It is another aspect of the present invention, wherein the sensor mote is provided with radio module to transmit data packets only relating to vehicle arrival or departure from the parking slot and on battery health status at regular intervals to the CSS.
It is another aspect of the present invention, wherein the CSS updates the battery status of the sensor motes in the database and displays on the user interface.

It is another aspect of the present invention, wherein an adoptive thresholding algorithm is implemented in the system for adapting towards changing light conditions to detect the presence or absence of the vehicle.

In another aspect, there is provided a method of providing automated vehicle parking management comprising:

Providing each of sensor motes only at parking slot;

Entering mobile number using user interface by user while entering parking facility thereby tagging to the parking slot;

Displaying information regarding ID of the nearest empty parking slot, time of entry and route direction on the user interface;

Receiving information from Central Supervisory Station (CSS) by the user vide SMS;

NAME OF THE APPLICANT: INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY- BANGALORE

Parking the vehicle in the designated parking slot;

Receiving an indication on parking by the CSS from the sensor mote thereby starting and/or stopping a timer for the corresponding slot;

Calculating billing information based on the information received from the senor motes at the CSS; and

Receiving information from the CSS by the user vide SMS relating to duration of vehicle parked and billing information while entering exit of the parking facility;

wherein the sensor mote is fitted with ambient light sensor to detect the presence or absence of a vehicle in parking facility,

wherein the user interface is equipped with a keypad and a display connected to the CSS where the user enter his or her mobile number, and

wherein the CSS is a processor having database support interfaced with the GSM modem to facilitate in sending the SMS.

It is further aspect of the present invention, wherein database of the sensor motes maintained at the CSS is updated with the occupancy information along with the corresponding user's mobile number.

It is further aspect of the present invention, wherein the CSS extracts the user's mobile number for the corresponding parking slot from the database.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1: Schematic representation of the parking system architecture according to the present invention.

NAME OF THE APPLICANT: INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY-BANGALORE

Figure 2: Block diagram illustrating components of the CSS in the system according to the present invention.

Figure 3: Illustrates user interface according to the present invention.

Figure 4: Illustrates display running at the CSS according to the present invention.

Figure 5: Packet field format in the system according to the present invention.

Figure 6: Flow chart illustrating the system functionality at the CSS according to the present invention.

Figure 7: Flow chart illustrating the system functionality at the sensor mote according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION WITH REFERENCE TO THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS

The present invention as herein described relates to an automated vehicle parking management system for monitoring the availability of free parking slots and to identify the nearest parking slot by means of cost effective and energy efficient sensor motes, wherein each of the sensor mote is provided only at the parking slot.

Referring to Figure 1, the automated parking system comprising of one or more sensor motes; one or more user interfaces; Central Supervisory Station (CSS); and Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) modem. The sensor mote is a custom built sensor board comprising of 8051 microcontroller, Tarang Zigbee radio module and a light sensor. A voltage divider forms the basic circuit to connect the light sensor to the microcontroller via an Analog to Digital Converter (ADC). The sensor mote is a battery-operated device and is fitted with the ambient light sensor to detect the presence or absence of a vehicle in the parking facility. The light sensor

NAME OF THE APPLICANT: INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY- BANGALORE is preferably a CdSe photocell. The communication between the sensor motes is done by IEEE 802.15.4 (Zigbee Protocol). Each of the sensor motes is provided only at the parking slots where a user by entering his or her mobile number is tagged to the parking slot while entering the parking facility. The sensor motes form a cluster and communicate data with their respective cluster head which in turn retransmits the data to the CSS. The data includes slot identity (ID), real-time parking available information and battery status. The user interface as shown in Figure 3 is equipped with a keypad and a display connected to the CSS where the user enters his or her mobile number. The communication interface is configured to transmit the parking availability information over a network to the user interface's display device configured to display the parking availability information. The network includes local area wireless network. After entry, information regarding identity (ID) and direction towards the nearest empty parking slot and time of entry is displayed on the interface.

Referring to Figure 2, the CSS is a processor having database support interfaced with the GSM modem to facilitate in sending the SMS. One or more repeater or cluster head with zigbee radio module retransmits the data received from sensor motes to the CSS. The cluster-head and the CSS are powered by AC mains. The CSS is connected to Java based SMS gateway by Wi-Fi, where it is interfaced by means of Bluetooth to the GSM modem for sending Short Message Service (SMS) to the user's mobile using Automatic Test (AT) commands. The CSS is connected to the computer via USB cable for monitoring and display purposes. Figure 4 shows the display running at the CSS. The vehicle parked in or removed from the designated parking slot is indicated by the CSS.

NAME OF THE APPLICANT: INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY- BANGALORE

The radio module at the sensor mote transmits the data packets only on state change (vehicle arrival or departure from the parking slot) or on requirement of information about battery health status at regular intervals to the CSS, thereby making the system energy efficient. The battery status in the sensor mote is monitored by measuring the value of voltage potential of the battery and which is transmitted as Dead or Alive (DoA) signal to the CSS. The CSS updates the battery status of the sensor motes at regular interval in its database and display on Graphical user interface (GUI). The system is provided with one or more timers, said timer for the corresponding parking slot provides the information on parking duration for billing purposes.

Referring to Figure 5, packet field format in the system is implemented as follows: A 2 byte packet is transmitted each time information needs to be relayed to the CSS. The lower 8 bits of the packet are reserved for the device address. Bit 9 indicates the occupancy status, bit 10 indicates the battery level. Bits 12 and 11 together are used to indicate the type of message being transmitted. A "00"is a Dead or Alive (DoA) message, a "01" is a battery message and a "10" is an occupancy message. The remaining 4 bits are reserved for future use. The packet generated is relayed to the CSS and at the CSS a Java based sniffer is used to decode the packets. Once the packets are decoded a suitable decision is made based on the type of packet received as shown in Figure 6.

References are now invited to Flow Charts 6 and 7, illustrating the system functionality at the CSS and at the sensor motes which are as follows:

Occupancy detection at the parking bay:

To detect the presence or absence of a vehicle at a parking slot employs the method of measuring the amount of ambient light using a light sensor. The sensor motes are placed at the centre of the

NAME OF THE APPLICANT: INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR INFORMATION TECFINOLOGY- BANGALORE

parking slot in a physical casing below the ground surface to ensure light is incident only in the normal direction. The physical casing also ensures that the sensor mote is protected from the physical environment. When a vehicle moves over the parking slot, the amount of ambient light reduces around the sensor mote. Using this principle and by comparing the light intensity with a suitable threshold, can confirm whether a vehicle is parked over the parking slot. An adaptive thresholding algorithm is used to set the light threshold based on the current light conditions.

Adaptive thresholding:

In the parking slot, the lighting conditions do not remain the same over a given period of time. So, an adaptive thresholding algorithm is used in order such that the system adapts to the changing light conditions. The sensor monitors and records the light readings for a fixed interval of time. The recorded values are averaged and compared with the previous threshold. This makes the system intelligent and allows it to adapt itself to the varying lighting conditions around it.

Battery status:

The system constantly monitors the battery value on the sensor mote by measuring the voltage potential of the battery and getting the same reading into the ADC unit of the sensor mote. Once the voltage potential of the battery reaches to 0.9v, then a low battery status indication is transmitted to the CSS. The CSS updates the same in its database and displays a low battery status on the GUI.

DoA beaconing:

To enable the CSS to monitor the battery health status of the sensor mote and provide a graceful degradation to the system, the system periodically transmits a DoA signal to the CSS. The signal is transmitted for every 5 seconds. The entries of all the sensor motes are maintained in a

NAME OF THE APPLICANT: INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY- BANGALORE

database at the CSS. A decision on status of the sensor mote is made by taking an average over three consecutive readings.

Optimization of packet transmission:

Radio transmission on the sensor mote consumes large amount of the battery energy. To reduce the excess consumption of the battery due to repeated transmissions of data packet, the system transmits the occupancy message only when there is a state change. This state change occurs only when the vehicle either arrives or leaves the parking slot. Hence by enabling the radio, only when there is a state transition greatly reduces the power consumption. Once the DoA message is transmitted, the radio unit on the sensor mote is put to sleep. The sensor mote will be again turned ON once every 5th second or when there is a state change or when a battery message needs to be transmitted.

Table I and II represent the hardware and software specifications according to the present invention.

In another aspect there is provided a method of providing automated vehicle parking management comprising: providing each of the sensor motes only at the parking slot; entering mobile number using user interface by user while entering the parking facility thereby tagging to the parking slot; displaying information regarding ID of the nearest empty parking slot, time of entry and route direction on the user interface; receiving information from Central Supervisory Station (CSS) by the user vide SMS; parking the vehicle in the designated parking slot; receiving an indication on parking by the CSS from the sensor mote thereby starting and/or stopping a timer for the corresponding slot; calculating billing information based on the information received from the senor motes at the CSS; and receiving information from the CSS by the user vide SMS relating to duration of vehicle parked and billing information while entering exit of the parking facility. The sensor motes present in the parking slots also communicate periodically to the CSS. This helps in monitoring the battery status of the motes. Database of the sensor motes maintained at the CSS is updated with the occupancy information along with the corresponding user's mobile number. The CSS extracts the user's mobile number for the corresponding parking slot from the database.

Thus the present invention provides a highly energy efficient and cost effective automated parking system utilizing only one sensor mote. The system of implementing the broadcast technique to communicate to the CSS is both simple and power efficient as opposed to uni-cast transmission which has a higher power profile due to the additional overhead to the packets. The system can be further extended to operate in outdoor environments by the use of additional sensors thereby improving the reliability of the system. Further, the system can incorporate the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network, which can also facilitate Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) enabled devices. The system also can employ mobile applications to provide location based services which give a better user experience by providing real time information to user.

I CLAIM:

1. An automated vehicle parking management system comprising:

One or more sensor motes;

One or more user interfaces;

Central Supervisory Station (CSS); and

Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) modem,

wherein the sensor mote is a microcontroller fitted with an ambient light sensor to detect presence or absence of a vehicle in parking facility,

wherein each of the sensor mote is provided only at parking slots where an user by entering his or her mobile number is tagged to the parking slot while entering the parking facility,

wherein the sensor motes form a cluster and communicate data with their respective cluster head which in turn retransmits the data to the CSS,

wherein the user interface is equipped with a keypad and a display connected to the CSS where the user enter his or her mobile number,

wherein the CSS is a processor having database support interfaced with the GSM modem to facilitate in sending the SMS, and

wherein the data from the CSS is received by the user vide SMS.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1 monitors the availability of free parking slots through the sensor mote and guides the vehicle to the nearest free slot.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the data includes slot identity (ID), real-time parking available information and battery status.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein communication interface is configured to transmit the parking availability information over a network to the user interface's display device configured to display the parking availability information.

5. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein after entry, data including information regarding slot identity (ID) and direction towards the nearest empty parking slot and time of entry is displayed on the interface.

6. The system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the data including identity (ID), direction towards the nearest empty parking slot, time of entry, real-time parking available information, billing information is conveyed vide Short Message Service (SMS) to the user's mobile.

7. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the vehicle parked or removed in the designated parking slot is indicated by the CSS.

8. The system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the system is provided with one or more timers, said timer for the corresponding parking slot provides the information on parking duration for billing purposes.

9. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensor mote is provided with radio module to transmit data packets only relating to vehicle arrival or departure from the parking slot and on battery health status at regular intervals to the CSS.

10. The system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the CSS updates the battery status of the sensor motes in the database and displays on the user interface.

11. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein an adoptive thresholding algorithm is implemented in the system for adapting towards changing light conditions to detect the presence or absence of the vehicle.

12. A method of providing automated vehicle parking management comprising:

Providing each of sensor motes only at parking slot;

Entering mobile number using user interface by user while entering parking facility thereby tagging to the parking slot;

Displaying information regarding ID of the nearest empty parking slot, time of entry and route direction on the user interface;

Receiving information from Central Supervisory Station (CSS) by the user vide
SMS;

Parking the vehicle in the designated parking slot;

Receiving an indication on parking by the CSS from the sensor mote thereby starting and/or stopping a timer for the corresponding slot;

Calculating billing information based on the information received from the senor motes at the CSS; and

Receiving information from the CSS by the user vide SMS relating to duration of vehicle parked and billing information while entering exit of the parking facility;

wherein the sensor mote is fitted with ambient light sensor to detect the presence or absence of a vehicle in parking facility,

wherein the user interface is equipped with a keypad and a display connected to the CSS where the user enter his or her mobile number, and

wherein the CSS is a processor having database support interfaced with the GSM modem to facilitate in sending the SMS.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein database of the sensor motes maintained at the CSS is updated with the occupancy information along with the corresponding user's mobile number.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the CSS extracts the user's mobile number for the corresponding parking slot from the database.