# US 11,908,324 B2 · Systems and methods for vehicle parking management

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 11,908,324 B2
- Document ID: US11908324B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/587,937
- Filed: 2022-01-28
- Published: 2022-05-19
- Granted: 2024-02-20
- Earliest claimed: 2017-11-07
- Assignees: Neutron Holdings, Inc.
- Applicants: Neutron Holdings, Inc.
- Inventors: Xi Zhang; Yuxin Zhai; Xiaotao Xiao
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11908324B2

## CPC

- G07F 17/246: {provided with vehicle proximity-detectors (detecting hidden masses, e.g. metal detectors, G01V, e.g. G01V3/00; proximity switches per se H03K17/00; traffic control systems G08G1/00)}
- G08G 1/148: {Management of a network of parking areas}
- G06Q 10/06315: {Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis}
- G06Q 20/0855: {involving a third party}
- G06Q 20/127: {Shopping or accessing services according to a time-limitation}
- G06Q 20/3224: {Transactions dependent on location of M-devices}
- G06Q 50/40: Business processes related to the transportation industry (shipping G06Q10/083)
- G07F 17/0057: {for the hiring or rent of vehicles, e.g. cars, bicycles or wheelchairs (car rental G07B15/00)}
- G08G 1/146: {where the parking area is a limited parking space, e.g. parking garage, restricted space}
- G08G 1/20: {Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles}
- H04W 4/029: Location-based management or tracking services
- H04W 4/44: for communication between vehicles and infrastructures, e.g. vehicle-to-cloud [V2C] or vehicle-to-home [V2H]
- G06Q 2240/00: Transportation facility access, e.g. fares, tolls or parking
- G07F: COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS (coin sorting G07D3/00; coin testing G07D5/00; {handling coins or paper currencies apart from payment activated apparatus G07D; payment architectures, schemes or protocols G06Q20/00})
- G08G: TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS (guiding railway traffic, ensuring the safety of railway traffic B61L; arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00; radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91, G01S15/88, G01S17/88; {radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for anti-collision purposes G01S13/93, G01S15/93, G01S17/93})
- G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72)

## Abstract

The disclosure provides a parking management system and a parking management method. The parking management system can comprise one or more servers in communication with one or more vehicles. The one or more vehicles can be configured to be shared and utilized by one or more users for transportation. The one or more servers can be configured to receive location data from the one or more vehicles, and determine, based on the received location data and for each vehicle, whether the vehicle is located within one or more predefined parking areas when (1) the vehicle is not in use or (2) upon completion of a transportation trip by the vehicle.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of parking management, the method comprising:
generating, by a server, a number of partitions of a dockless parking area, wherein the dockless parking area is a geographic region in which one or more vehicles operate;
receiving location data, by the server from the one or more vehicles, wherein the location data identifies a position of each vehicle of the one or more vehicles in relation to the dockless parking area;
determining, by the server based on the location data, a set of one or more unoccupied partitions within the dockless parking area;
selecting, by the server for a vehicle of the one or more vehicles, a target partition from the set of one or more unoccupied partitions, wherein selecting the target partition minimizes an area of occupied partitions within the dockless parking area; and
generating, by the server, instructions to identify the target partition to an operator of the vehicle.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
detecting, by the server, that the vehicle is located with a first portion of the vehicle in a first partition and a second portion of the vehicle in a second partition, wherein the first partition and the second partition identify different locations; and
generating, by the server, a set of corrective instructions that correct the positioning of the vehicle.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, further comprising:
providing, by the server to a user device, the set of corrective instructions;
in response to providing the set of corrective instructions, receiving additional location data of the vehicle in relation to the dockless parking area; and
detecting that the first portion of the vehicle and the second portion of the vehicle are located in the first partition or the second partition.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the target partition from the set of one or more unoccupied partitions comprises selecting an unoccupied partition that is adjacent to an occupied partition.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, wherein the unoccupied partition shares a common boundary with the occupied partition.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein in response to generating instructions to identify the target partition to an operator of the vehicle, the method further comprises:
determining, by the server, that all partitions of the dockless parking area are occupied;
providing, by the server, relocation instructions to a user device, the relocation instructions comprising:
an indication that the dockless parking area is filled; and
a second dockless parking area that includes a second set of one or more unoccupied partitions.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein determining, based on the location data, a set of one or more unoccupied partitions within the dockless parking area comprises:
measuring, by a distance measuring unit of a parking beacon of one or more parking beacons, a set of distances between the vehicle and the one or more parking beacons using a Received Signal Strength Indication ranging method; and
determining, by the server that one or more vehicles is positioned within the dockless parking area when a vertical distance from the vehicle to a line connecting two parking beacons of the one or more parking beacons is less than a preset value, and two angles formed between the vehicle and each end of a line connecting two parking beacons, of the one or more parking beacons, are both acute angles.

### Claim 8

A system comprising:
a memory that stores a set of instructions; and
a processor configured to execute the set of instructions to perform operations comprising:
generating a number of partitions of a dockless parking area, wherein the dockless parking area is a geographic region in which one or more vehicles operate;
receiving location data from the one or more vehicles, wherein the location data identifies a position of each vehicle of the one or more vehicles in relation to the dockless parking area;
determining, based on the location data, a set of one or more unoccupied partitions within the dockless parking area;
selecting, for a vehicle of the one or more vehicles, a target partition from the set of one or more unoccupied partitions, wherein selecting the target partition minimizes an area of occupied partitions within the dockless parking area; and
generating instructions to identify the target partition to an operator of the vehicle.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The system of claim 8, the operations further comprising:
detecting that the vehicle is located with a first portion of the vehicle in a first partition and a second portion of the vehicle in a second partition, wherein the first partition and the second partition identify different locations; and
generate a set of corrective instructions that correct the positioning of the vehicle.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The system of claim 9, the operations further comprising:
providing, to a user device, the set of corrective instructions;
in response to providing the set of corrective instructions, receiving additional location data of the vehicle in relation to the dockless parking area; and
detecting that the first portion of the vehicle and the second portion of the vehicle are located in the first partition or the second partition.

### Claim 11 (depends on 8)

The system of claim 8, wherein the operation of selecting the target partition from the set of one or more unoccupied partitions causes the processor to perform the operation of selecting an unoccupied partition that is adjacent to an occupied partition.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The system of claim 11, wherein the unoccupied partition shares a common boundary with the occupied partition.

### Claim 13 (depends on 8)

The system of claim 8, wherein in response to performing the operation of generating instructions to identify the target partition to an operator of the vehicle, the processor is further caused to perform operations comprising:
determining that all partitions of the dockless parking area are occupied;
providing relocation instructions to a user device, the relocation instructions comprising:
an indication that the dockless parking area is filled; and
a second dockless parking area that includes a second set of one or more unoccupied partitions.

### Claim 14 (depends on 8)

The system of claim 8, wherein the operation of determining, based on the location data, the set of one or more unoccupied partitions within the dockless parking area further causes the processor to perform operations comprising:
measuring a set of distances between the vehicle and one or more parking beacons using a Received Signal Strength Indication ranging method; and
determining that one or more vehicles is positioned within the dockless parking area when a vertical distance from the vehicle to a line connecting two parking beacons of the one or more parking beacons is less than a preset value, and two angles formed between the vehicle and the line connecting the two parking beacons are both acute angles.

### Claim 15

A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions, which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
generating a number of partitions of a dockless parking area, wherein the dockless parking area is a geographic region in which one or more vehicles operate;
receiving location data from the one or more vehicles, wherein the location data identifies a position of each vehicle of the one or more vehicles in relation to the dockless parking area;
determining, based on the location data, a set of one or more unoccupied partitions within the dockless parking area;
selecting, for a vehicle of the one or more vehicles, a target partition from the set of one or more unoccupied partitions, wherein selecting the target partition minimizes an area of occupied partitions within the dockless parking area; and
generating instructions to identify the target partition to an operator of the vehicle.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 storing instructions, which, when executed by one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
detecting that the vehicle is located with a first portion of the vehicle in a first partition and a second portion of the vehicle in a second partition, wherein the first partition and the second partition identify different locations; and
generate a set of corrective instructions that correct the positioning of the vehicle.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16 storing instructions, which, when executed by one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
providing, to a user device, the set of corrective instructions;
in response to providing the set of corrective instructions, receiving additional location data of the vehicle in relation to the dockless parking area; and
detecting that the first portion of the vehicle and the second portion of the vehicle are located in the first partition or the second partition.

### Claim 18 (depends on 15)

The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the operation of selecting the target partition from the set of one or more unoccupied partitions causes the one or more processors to perform the operation of selecting an unoccupied partition that is adjacent to an occupied partition.

### Claim 19 (depends on 15)

The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the unoccupied partition shares a common boundary with the occupied partition.

### Claim 20 (depends on 15)

The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein in response to performing the operation of generating instructions to identify the target partition to an operator of the vehicle, the processor is further caused to perform operations comprising:
determining that all partitions of the dockless parking area are occupied;
providing relocation instructions to a user device, the relocation instructions comprising:
an indication that the dockless parking area is filled; and
a second dockless parking area that includes a second set of one or more unoccupied partitions.