# US 2018/0025238 A1 · Method and System for the Automatic Detection of Parking Zones > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2018/0025238 A1 - Document ID: US20180025238A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/720,470 - Filed: 2017-09-29 - Published: 2018-01-25 - Earliest claimed: 2015-04-01 - Assignees: Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft - Applicants: Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft - Inventors: Heidrun BELZNER; Daniel KOTZOR; Vladimir HALTAKOV; Andrej MAYA - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20180025238A1 ## CPC - G06V 20/586: {of parking space} - G06V 20/182: {Network patterns, e.g. roads or rivers} - G06V 20/54: of traffic, e.g. cars on the road, trains or boats - G06V 20/582: {of traffic signs} - G08G 1/04: using optical or ultrasonic detectors - G08G 1/143: {inside the vehicles} - G08G 1/144: {on portable or mobile units, e.g. personal digital assistant [PDA]} - G08G 1/147: {where the parking area is within an open public zone, e.g. city centre} - G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING - 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}) ## Abstract A method automatically detects parking zones in at least one residential street, wherein a) a computing unit is provided; b) information in the form of panoramic images of the at least one residential street is inputted from an external data store; c) information in the form of street data of the at least one residential street is inputted from a map database; d) an internal database is generated, which persists the panoramic images; e) the inputted panoramic images are analyzed for the presence of vehicles; f) the inputted panoramic images are analyzed for the presence of street signs and traffic signs; g) from the analyses of the presence of vehicles and the presence of street signs and traffic signs for at least one selected residential street, expected existing no-parking/no-stopping zones are determined; h) a data set that contains the detected information regarding identified vehicles, street signs, and the markings of no-parking/no-stopping zones and parking zones is generated, and i) the information contained in the data set is visualized on a terminal unit. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for automatic detection of parking zones on at least one street, the method comprising the acts of: a) receiving, by a computing unit, information in a form of panorama images of the at least one street from an external data memory; b) receiving, by the computing unit, information in a form of road data for the at least one street from a map database; c) generating an internal database, which internal data base persists the panorama images; d) analyzing the received panorama images for a presence of vehicles; e) analyzing the received panorama images for a presence of road signs and traffic signs; f) using the analyses of the presence of vehicles and the presence of road signs and traffic signs to determine, for at least one selected street, whether existing no-parking/no-stopping zones are to be expected; g) generating and storing a data record that contains information pertaining to detected vehicles and road signs as well as markings for no-parking/no-stopping zones and parking zones; and h) visualizing the information contained in the data record on a terminal. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the panorama images received in act (a) are satellite photographs or images of the at least one street that are produced by camera movements. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the panorama images comprise information pertaining to geoposition of the panorama image, a direction of travel, a road name and/or pertaining to a depth map, wherein the information is historic data. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the road data received in act (b) comprise information pertaining to road lanes and/or pertaining to road types. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the information in the form of panorama images and road data is transmitted by an interface of the computing unit that is communicatively connected to the internal database, to the external data memory, and/or to the map database. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein in act (d) the analysis of the vehicle detection is performed by segmentation of the panorama images. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein in act (e) the analysis of the traffic signs and road signs is performed by recognition of shape and coloration of the road signs. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the analysis is performed by image recognition software. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the analysis is performed by image recognition software. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein in act (h) the information contained in the data record is visualized by virtue of said information being depicted on a separate display of a terminal. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon program code that, when executed by a computing unit, carries out the method of claim 1. ### Claim 12 A system for automatic detection of parking zones in at least one street, the system comprising: a computing unit; and a non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon program code that, when executed by the computing unit, carries out the acts of: a) receiving, by the computing unit, information in a form of panorama images of the at least one street from an external data memory; b) receiving, by the computing unit, information in a form of road data for the at least one street from a map database; c) generating an internal database, which internal data base persists the panorama images; d) analyzing the received panorama images for a presence of vehicles; e) analyzing the received panorama images for a presence of road signs and traffic signs; f) using the analyses of the presence of vehicles and the presence of road signs and traffic signs to determine, for at least one selected street, whether existing no-parking/no-stopping zones are to be expected; g) generating and storing a data record that contains information pertaining to detected vehicles and road signs as well as markings for no-parking/no-stopping zones and parking zones; and h) visualizing the information contained in the data record on a terminal.