As the number of cars increases, parking spaces are becoming scarce, especially in urban areas. Fortunately, smart parking can help reduce the problem of searching for a parking space with the help of a variety of connected devices and sensors.

Smart parking guidance systems offer a number of benefits, not the least of which are reduced traffic flow and carbon emissions, according to economist Donald Shoup, quoted by Kurt Buecheler, senior vice president of marketing and business development at Streetline, who said, "Every 10% improvement in traffic congestion contributes to 2% growth in urban GDP. GDP growth of 2%. We would venture to estimate that the provision of a smart parking system would result in $20 billion in GDP growth for a city in the same class as Los Angeles."

Smart Parking Technology's EMEA Business Manager said, "Smart Parking Technology reduces congestion and carbon emissions in major cities, so drivers don't need to keep producing carbon dioxide just to find a parking space."

Smart parking technology development

Smart parking guidance system mainly consists of sensors that can detect parking spaces and transmit the data to the backend, and then transfer the relevant information to the client's app application or signage system. The two main types of sensors used in the market today are ultrasonic sensors and magnetic sensors. Ultrasonic sensors are typically used in indoor parking lots and transmit sound waves in the frequency range of 25 to 50 KHz, a spectrum of sound that the human body is unable to pick up. The system control terminal can be connected to an Ethernet network and interconnected to the sensors either wired (RS485) or wirelessly (433 MHz).

City street parking systems tend to use rechargeable magnetic sensors buried in the ground, says Manu Tayal, general manager of the IoT center at Happiest Minds Technologies. "Typically, the sensors have a fixed magnetic range of ±1,200 μT, and the user can set the output frequency of each sensor to ±1,000 μT, depending on the needs of the user. The output data frequency of each sensor is between 1.563Hz and 800Hz. The sensors must ensure that the operating temperature range is between minus 40 degrees?85 degrees."

Jieruo Zhang, parking solutions manager at Dahua Technology, said, "Magnetic sensors are usually connected to the control terminal only wirelessly. There are generally two types of wireless connection solutions, short-range as well as two types such as NB-IoT (Narrow BandInternet of Things). The short-distance solution mostly uses wireless 433MHz frequency to connect to the neighboring console, while the controller connects to the network through cell phone communication. As for the NB-IoT solution, each magnetic sensor can be connected to the NB-IoT network via cell phone communication, which is ideal for large-scale IoT applications," said Edwin Siemerink, project manager for SENSIT (wireless detection technology for parking lots) at Nedap Identification Systems. Edwin Siemerink, Project Manager for the SENSIT product at Nedap Identification Systems, points out, "We used a radio network solution as a bridge for the data transfer between the SENSIT sensors and the terminal control system. At the same time, relay nodes as well as SENSIT gateways are set up in the radio network."

The role of imaging in the system

Traditional sensors such as ultrasound and magnetism are mostly used to detect whether a parking space is still available or already occupied. However, in recent years, image sensing has become a viable and even more economical alternative. Adler Wu, Hikvision's marketing manager for vertically integrated solutions, pointed out, "The camera can help identify available spaces and location information and display it in real time on parking lot maps, allowing users to use the app to find available parking lots and calculate the fastest routes to guide drivers to parking."

Zhang also pointed out that "some surveillance companies, such as Dahua Technology, are developing image detection technology for urban roads, and all space detection cameras can observe multiple locations (2 or 3 points) at the same time, and some underground parking lots or parking towers can even be monitored for 6 points at a time, making it a very economical and convenient system architecture. "

Automatic License Plate Recognition (ALPR)

Unlike other sensors, images provide another important function: license plate recognition (ALPR), which can assist in a variety of tasks such as parking violations. Genetec's ALPR system, AutoVu, for example, helps end-users more effectively monitor vehicles parked in facilities or on the road. The solution requires ALPR cameras to be mounted on the roof of the user's vehicle for continuous operation or fixed to the top of an unfenced mobile parking lot. On city streets, ALPR-camera-mounted vehicles can also assist in catching traffic violations.

Charles Pitman, Genetec's manager of product marketing, said, "What makes ALPR parking smart is that it allows parking authorities to do their jobs more efficiently. In the past, if you wanted to know if the car had a parking permit, the guards had to ask the driver to show or confirm that there was a parking permit on the windshield, which was a very time-consuming and labor-intensive task. With the ALPR system, the camera determines whether the visitor has permission to enter the area without the guard having to look."

In fact, the ALPR system not only assists in streamlining the operational process, but also makes it more convenient for motorists. On college campuses, for example, instead of standing in line to buy a paper pass, students now only need to pre-register online, and ALPR automatically verifies them when entering and exiting the parking lot," Pitman said. "Instead of needing a physical ID, with ALPR the user is given a personal virtual license plate permit. Users simply go online, pay the registration fee, enter their personal license plate, and complete the application process."

Data analysis is the real value of the system

Besides making it easier to search, the data generated by sensors and devices can be analyzed to help improve services and the quality of life in cities, said Jieruo Zhang, noting that "in the era of the Internet of Things, big data and the network economy, data flow, are even more important. In the age of the Internet of Things, big data and the network economy and data flow are even more important. In the case of smart parking, without license plate information, the content of the parking record would be completely different. In terms of image-detecting smart parking, there will be a big difference between parking and payment information in at least three parts: first, the system can guide drivers on how to park and get out of the parking lot, thus improving the turnover rate of the parking lot; second, it can provide customized parking services, such as parking reservations or VIP stronghold management, to enhance the added value; third, with a more stable number of users and the flow of money, the parking app will become one of the tools commonly used by drivers, thus attracting other users to use. tool, thus attracting other automotive applications, such as car washes or car rental companies." Adler Wu also added, "ALPR/ANPR can achieve the goal of automating vehicle entrances and exits and provide parking lot operators with a wealth of information such as vehicle dwell time or fee specifications for a particular vehicle."

The results of smart parking in terms of streamlining the process are obvious to local governments, but the real value of smart parking lies in the information collected, which can assist governments in formulating relevant policies and blueprints for future development. For example, if there isn't enough parking space in a certain area to handle an overflow of vehicles, with the information obtained from smart parking, counties and municipalities will be able to plan and decide where they want to set up more parking spaces and parking facilities, or raise parking fees in specific areas.

Pitman noted, "Now that the system is able to collect this data, and people can analyze it and produce reports that identify areas where there is less parking space but more cars than ever before, the government can plan and strategize for the long term to increase parking space. For example, when there is no longer any space for parking on the street, a new three-dimensional parking garage will need to be built."

Jay Liu, senior manager of Acer's Business Transactions and Intelligent Identification Division, said, "If the local government wants the area to have a high turnover rate, for example, the government doesn't want people to park here for more than four to five hours, it can increase the parking rate in that area, and that's what you get with big data analytics. You can find that certain sections of road have higher occupancy rates at certain times of the day and adjust the rates accordingly."

This will ultimately lead to increased revenue for local governments, according to Kurt Buecheler, senior vice president of marketing and corporate development at Streetline, who noted, "IoT devices are key to collecting parking space, freeway speeds, origin/destination studies, and other real-time and on-site information. If it's easier to get around downtown, people will get in and out of downtown more often, and our system has helped increase downtown parking by 172 percent and revenue by 11 percent. The company is just starting to plan for a smart city and the parking issue is the most practical place to start."

Moving towards intelligence

Smart parking will undoubtedly be one of the keys to smart cities. Internet of Things (IoT) sensors and devices are streamlining the process of guiding and paying for parking spaces, and the information generated by these sensors or devices can give local governments or parking operators a better understanding of how to improve services or plan for future development. As cities around the world become smarter, smart parking will be the trend of the present and the future!

Infrared Technology in Magnetic Sensors

Some system providers are incorporating technologies such as infrared into magnetic sensors to enhance their accuracy, said Edwin Siemerink, corporate manager of SENSIT at Nedap Identification Systems. "Our company uses both technologies, infrared and magnetic detection, to ensure it is the most accurate system on the market. Since magnetic detection can be affected by other vehicles, cables, structures, rails, and subway cables, that is the main reason we will be pairing it with infrared technology."

SmartSmartSmart is the first of its kind in the world to use infrared technology.

Jim Short, EMEA Business Manager at Smart Parking Technology, also noted, "Magnetic detection can be easily interfered with by the external environment, such as large metal objects in the vicinity, electrical appliances of all types, magnetic material contained in concrete or asphalt rubble, and even the most common magnetic objects present in the surrounding environment. magnets that are commonly found in the surrounding environment. And if our magnetic sensors detect a change in the threshold of a car's presence, they are also verified using infrared sensors at the same time."

ALPR makes paying for parking smarter

The real-world application of ALPR can already be seen in many parking garages, where the system captures license plate information when a vehicle enters the lot, and then pays for it by entering the license plate number into an automated payment machine before driving out of the lot. Even more conveniently, the system automatically deducts money from the vehicle as it exits, eliminating the need for the driver to go to the automated payment machine to pay for the vehicle," said Manu Tayal, general manager of the IoT center at Happiest Minds Technologies. "We are providing a mobile app that integrates a payment gateway for commuters, who can deposit any amount of money into the license plate-linked electronic device. amount into an e-money packet linked to the license plate, which is automatically deducted when the vehicle leaves through the gateway."

ALPR can also be easily applied to street parking lots across the city. Acer has come up with a solution that uses ultrasonic sensors in combination with electronic billboards and cameras. The former is used to detect whether there is a parking space available, and once a vehicle enters and parks, the camera immediately captures the license plate information and parking time when the vehicle enters and exits. This information is then transmitted to a payment system that debits the driver's account directly.

Discovery Technology a professional IoT hardware solution company: Discovery Technology