System, methods, and other embodiments described herein relate to improving the identification of available parking spaces by inferring when a vehicle is likely to depart. In one embodiment, a method includes, responsive to acquiring sensor data about a surrounding environment including at least one parked vehicle, extracting a feature from the sensor data about a context of the parked vehicle. The method includes analyzing the feature to determine a status of the vehicle in relation to whether the vehicle is remaining parked. The method includes providing the status to inform additional vehicles about an availability of a parking spot of the parked vehicle.

Apparatus and methods related providing city services, such as parking, are described. Methods and apparatus for providing parking rewards programs are described. The methods and apparatus can include maintaining accounts for participants in the rewards program, tracking purchases of parking and other participant activities and determining parking awards based upon the activities. The parking rewards programs can be used to incentivize behaviors that balance the use of the parking space commodity according to the needs of different stakeholders, such as the city, residents, merchants and visitors. For example, parking awards and the criteria used for earning awards can be used to encourage particular behaviors while a parking space is being utilized, such as shopping, the use of public transportation or efficient trip planning.

A method for operating a motor vehicle when the driver thereof needs to accomplish a series of tasks (such as delivery and/or pick-up of items) along a route that each require the driver to park the motor vehicle, to leave it and to cover certain distances on foot. The motor vehicle is able to operate both under the control of a human driver aboard the motor vehicle or autonomously without driver intervention. When the driver parks the motor vehicle for the purpose of task accomplishment, an electronic plan of the tasks is checked to determine whether it is more efficient for task accomplishment if the driver returns to the motor vehicle at the first parking location or if the vehicle drives autonomously to a next stopping point situated in the direction of travel and the human driver walks to meet it at the next stopping point.

Aspects of the disclosure relate to assigning a fleet of driverless vehicles to a plurality of parking locations for parking vehicles of the fleet. For instance, locations of the vehicles of the fleet as well as a number of available spaces at each of the plurality of parking location locations may be tracked. A subset of the fleet not already located at one of the plurality of parking locations is identified. At least one assignment assigning each vehicle of the subset to a respective parking location of the plurality of parking locations is determined according to the numbers of available spaces and the identified locations of the subset. For the at least one assignment, a total cost is determined by determining a cost value for each of a plurality of factors. The given assignment is sent to the fleet based on the total cost and the cost value.

Systems and methods are provided for monitoring a parking space with a sign. A sensor monitors the parking space and generate sensor data. A short-range transceiver receives a vehicle identification key and communicates over a short-range communication channel. A processor module is communicatively coupled with the sensor and the short-range transceiver. The processor module is configured to determine whether a vehicle in the parking space is an approved vehicle or an unapproved vehicle based on at least one of the sensor data and the vehicle identification key. The processor module generates a first notification when the the approved vehicle is in the parking space and a second notification when unapproved vehicle is in the parking space. The first and second notifications are transmitted by the short-range transceiver over the short-range communication channel.

A parking assist system wherein the system includes a sensor device configured to detect parking space data and transmit it to a post device, wherein the sensor device includes an energy storage device, and a communication device. The communication device may include a camera. The system includes a post device in communication with the sensor device, the system configured to collect parking space data transmitted from a sensor device and communicate parking space occupancy to a driver, wherein the post device includes a vertical post, an energy storage device, a communication device, and a light-emitter. The system may utilize one or more machine-learning algorithms and generate one or more machine-learning models to detect parking space occupancy.

A mobile communications device includes a locator unit to receive and process information regarding a current location for the mobile communications device, a parking status determination unit to determine a parking status for the device based on at least changes in the current location, and a communication unit to forward the parking status to a parking community processor. A method includes determining a parking status of a vehicle associated with a person as a function of movement of a personal mobile communications device.

System, methods, and other embodiments described herein relate to improving identification of available parking spaces in congested zones. In one embodiment, a method includes, responsive to receiving trajectory information about movement of a searching vehicle, estimating a search time spent by the vehicle seeking parking in a location. The method includes aggregating, when the search time satisfies a time threshold, the search time with observed times associated with additional entities parking in the location. The method includes updating a parking map according to the observed times when the observed times satisfy a parking threshold indicating a lack of available parking in the location. The parking map identifies active regions where parking is presently lacking. The method includes providing the parking map with the active regions to identified vehicles proximate to locations associated with the active regions.

A parking lot identification system includes a control apparatus mounted to each of a plurality of vehicles and a central apparatus that communicates with the control apparatus of each of the plurality of vehicles. In the control apparatus of each of the plurality of vehicles, a parking determination unit is configured to determine whether a parking action of the vehicle is recognized, a parking-related data acquisition unit is configured to, in response to the parking action of the vehicle being recognized, acquire parking-related data including data of a location and an orientation of the vehicle during the parking action, and a parking-related data transmission unit is configured to transmit the parking-related data to the central apparatus. The central apparatus is configured to identify a parking lot area based on the parking-related data transmitted from the plurality of vehicles.

A method for aiding finding of available parking areas of a street section includes receiving data corresponding to parking areas situated in a street section, the data including information ascertained by an ascertaining vehicle driving through the street section and information received from a server, determining an instantaneous occupancy estimate of the street section based on the received data, calculating a forecasted occupancy estimate based on the instantaneous occupancy estimate using a timer series forecasting model, and generating a display representation of the calculated forecasted occupancy estimate. The method includes receiving the data and determining the occupancy estimate, for example, each time an ascertaining vehicle drives through the street.