The car parking guidance system, also known as Parking Guidance information system provides the drivers with dynamic information on parking within controlled areas. The system combines various technologies to come up with an end to end impeccable solution for development of intelligent transport system in urban areas. The processes amalgamated in the system are traffic monitoring, communication processing, and variable message sign technologies. The adaptive lighting sensors, parking space LED indicators (red and green for occupied and vacant respectively), and indoor positioning system is technologies used in modern parking lots.
Parking guidance solutions are designed to aid the motorists and car drivers in the search for vacant parking spaces by assisting them with directions to car parks where occupancy levels are low. The objective lies in reducing the search time and congestion on roads due to unauthorized parking on streets. A guidance solution for parking consists of three parts:
- the data acquisition system
- the real time processing database system
- information releasing system
Ultrasonic detectors monitor the occupancy of individual parking slots and transmit the information to control centers. The symbols and arrow displays then guide the drivers to the free parking spaces. This solution has following benefits:
- Real-time parking status monitor
- Automatic on-site inspection
- Enabling car parking rotation
- Optimize human resources
- Provides car park utilization reports
- Proper and efficient utilization of car parking space
- Hassle free parking for the drivers
- Drastically reduces the average time of finding a parking place
- Reduced pollution in the facility as the cars circulate for lesser time
- The places hidden by obstructions are also visible on the system when vacant, ensuring that such places do not remain empty while drivers are also searching for space.
- Fuel wastage is reduced as long car queues with engines kept on are avoided. Also, because cars circulate for lesser time
For reverse parking assist, two types of systems are available. A simple audio warning indicates that the vehicle is approaching an object outside of the driver’s view area. The basic audible parking solutions use ultrasonic technology to determine the distance of the object from the vehicle with the help of bounced back high-frequency sound waves.
The second one is a more sophisticated system with a camera and video monitoring system that provides the view of the driver’s blind spot. A wide angle view of the vicinity of the rear bumper is projected on a small display on the dashboard and hence the driver can have the view of the blind spot.
The intelligent parking guidance system uses computer processors. The sonar park sensors, also known as intuitive parking assist, detect obstacles such as animals, pedestrians, baby prams etc., with the help of multiple sensors mounted on the front and rear bumpers of the car. These sensors initiate sound warnings when an obstacle is detected and calculate optimum steering angles during regular parking. The intelligent parking assist system, when activated, calculates the optimum parallel, or reverse park steering angles, and then assists the electric power steering system to guide the car into the parking spot.
