iParking: Intelligent Parking Systems Using Sensors and Wireless Networking

With the increasing population, the number of vehicles on the road is increasing. Parking is becoming very costly and limited in universities and major cities all around the world. For instance, finding parking space during major events (such as during game day or graduation day) is another challenge. Thus, intelligent, innovative and secure ways for parking systems will have to be built to accommodate the parking demands efficiently. In this presentation, we will present an intelligent parking system (iParking) that uses sensors and wireless communication networks to help with managing parking lots. The iParking system helps users save time by informing them about parking availability before they get to the parking areas with the help of onboard mobile devices. In iParking systems, sensors are used to sense whether the parking spot is occupied or not. Then the sensed information is reported to microcontroller that is connected to a computer through a secure wireless access point. Computer maintains the database which is updated periodically, the parking information will also be made available to the users through a secure iParking app or a dedicated website. Users will have options of getting information about the exact parking space and/or the exact parking spot before they get to the parking lots using multi-hop vehicular ad hoc networks or through a website. In the iParking system, users will also have options of reserving a space using secure online registration system with credit/debit cards through a mobile app or a website. From parking service provider perspective, new business promotion can be made available, for example, on-sale prices and new parking fees through wireless networks using iParking system