Patent Publication Number: US-2020279196-A1

Title: Parking Space Lock and System and Method for Providing Parking Service

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present disclosure relates in general to a field of a parking service, and in particular, to a parking space lock, and a system, a method, and a non-transitory computer readable medium for providing a vehicle with a parking service. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     There is not a parking space lock, a system, or a method for providing a parking service to a vehicle, e.g., an autonomous vehicle or an unmanned vehicle, which makes a vehicle book a parking space, park into the parking space, and charge by itself. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An aspect of the present disclosure mainly aims to provide a parking space lock, as well as a system, a method, and a non-transitory computer readable medium for providing a vehicle with a parking service. 
     In accordance with a first exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a parking space lock is provided, comprising: a fixing portion fixed in a parking space; a movable portion structured to move between a first position and a second position with respect to the fixing portion so as to make the parking space lock change between a locked state and an open state, wherein no vehicle is allowed to enter the parking space when the parking space lock is in the locked state, and a vehicle is allowed to enter the parking space when the parking space lock is in the open state; a first communication portion configured to communicate with a service device; a control portion configured to when receiving a first signal from the service device by the first communication portion, control the movable portion to move to/to be at the first position and maintain the parking space lock in the locked state. 
     In an example of the present embodiment, the parking space lock may further comprise a second communication portion configured to communicate with a vehicle associated with the first signal, wherein the control portion may be further configured to: acquire a location of the vehicle; and when the location satisfies a condition, control the second communication portion to notify the vehicle of orientation and/or route information of the parking space. 
     In another example of the present embodiment, the parking space lock may further comprise a detecting portion configured to detect whether a vehicle is pulling into the parking space, wherein the control portion may be further configured to: when detecting a vehicle associated with the first signal is pulling into the parking space, control the movable portion to move to the second position and maintain the parking space lock in the open state. 
     In another example of the present embodiment, the parking space lock may further comprise an inductive charging portion, wherein the control portion may be further configured to when detecting the vehicle is parked in the parking space, control the inductive charging portion to charge a battery in the vehicle. 
     In another example of the present embodiment, the parking space lock may further comprise a distance sensing portion, wherein the control portion is further configured to: when sensing an object within an unsafety range by the distance sensing portion, omit the first signal and notify the service device of the omission. 
     In another example of the present embodiment, the second communication portion may be further configured to communicate with the vehicle over LoRa network, 
     In another example of the present embodiment, the control portion may be further configured to: according to a second signal received by the second communication portion from the vehicle, control the movable portion and maintain the parking space lock. 
     In another example of the present embodiment, the service device may be structured to be a part of the parking space lock, wherein the service device is configured to: receive a reservation for the parking space from a vehicle; determine whether the reservation is valid; and if the reservation is valid: send the first signal to the first communication portion; and send identifying information about the parking space to the vehicle. 
     In accordance with a second exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a parking space lock is provided, comprising: a fixing portion fixed in a parking space; a movable portion structured to move between a first position and a second position with respect to the fixing portion so as to make the parking space lock change between a locked state and an open state, wherein no vehicle is allowed to enter the parking space when the parking space lock is in the locked state, and a vehicle is allowed to enter the parking space when the parking space lock is in the open state; an identifying portion configured to identify a license number of a vehicle and determine whether the vehicle is registered based on the identified license number; a detecting portion configured to detect whether a vehicle is pulling into or leaving the parking space; and a control portion configured to: when detecting a vehicle is pulling into the parking space by the detecting portion and determining the vehicle is registered by the identifying portion, control the movable portion to move to/to be at the second position and maintain the parking space lock in the open state; and when detecting the vehicle is leaving the parking space by the detecting portion, control the movable portion to move to the first position and maintain the parking space lock in the locked state. 
     In an example of the present embodiment, the parking space lock may further comprise: a billing portion configured to start billing once detecting a vehicle is pulling into the parking space by the detecting portion, stop billing once detecting the vehicle is leaving the parking space by the detecting portion, and generate billing data; and a second communication portion configured to communicate with the vehicle, wherein the control portion is further configured to after detecting the vehicle is leaving the parking space by the detecting portion, control the second communication portion to send the billing data to the vehicle. 
     In another example of the present embodiment, the parking space lock may further comprise a status indicating portion configured to indicate whether the parking space is available visually. 
     In another example of the present embodiment, the parking space lock may further comprise a service device structured to be a part of the parking space lock, wherein: the service device is configured to: receive a reservation for the parking space from a vehicle; determine the reservation is valid if the parking space is available and the vehicle is registered; and send license number information of the vehicle to the identifying portion, the identifying portion is further configured to: determine whether a vehicle is the one corresponding to the reservation based on the identified license number and the license number information, and the control portion is further configured to: when detecting a vehicle is pulling into the parking space by the detecting portion and determining the vehicle is the one corresponding to the reservation by the identifying portion, control the movable portion to move to/to be at the second position and maintain the parking space lock in the open state. 
     In accordance with a third exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a system for providing a vehicle with a parking service is provided, comprising: at least one parking space lock above mentioned; and a service device configured to: receive a reservation for the parking space from a vehicle; determine whether the reservation is valid, and if the reservation is valid: send the first signal to the first communication portion; and send identifying information about the parking space to the vehicle. 
     In accordance with a fourth exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a system for providing a vehicle with a parking service is provided, comprising: at least one parking space lock above mentioned; and a service device, wherein: the parking space lock further comprises a first communication portion configured to communicate with the service device, the control portion is further configured to notify the service device whether the parking space is available via the first communication portion, the service device is configured to: receive a reservation for the parking space from a vehicle; determine the reservation is valid if the parking space is available and the vehicle is registered; and send license number information of the vehicle to the parking space lock via the first communication portion, and the identifying portion is further configured to: determine whether the vehicle is registered based on the identified license number and the license number information. 
     In accordance with a fifth exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for providing a vehicle with a parking service is provided, wherein the method may be implemented by a service device, comprising: receiving a reservation for a parking space from a vehicle, wherein a parking space lock is provided in the parking space; determining whether the reservation is valid, and if the reservation is valid: sending, by the service device, a first signal to the parking space lock so as to make the parking space lock maintain in a locked state; and sending identifying information about the parking space to the vehicle. 
     In accordance with a eighth exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for providing a vehicle with a parking service is provided, wherein the method may be implemented by a service device, comprising: receiving a reservation for a parking space from a vehicle, wherein a parking space lock is provided in the parking space; determining the reservation is valid if the parking space is available and the vehicle is registered; and sending license number information of the vehicle to the parking space lock. 
     In accordance with a sixth exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for providing a vehicle with a parking service is provided, wherein the method may he implemented by a parking space lock provided in a parking space, comprising: receiving a reservation for the parking space from a vehicle; determining whether the reservation is valid, and if the reservation is valid: maintaining in a locked state; and sending identifying information about the parking space to the vehicle. 
     In accordance with a seventh exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for providing a vehicle with a parking service is provided, wherein the method may be implemented by a parking space lock provided in a parking space, comprising: identifying a license number of a vehicle and determining whether the vehicle is registered based on the identified license number; detecting whether the vehicle is pulling into, parking in or leaving the parking space; maintaining in the open state, when the vehicle is pulling into or parking in the parking space and the vehicle is registered; and maintaining in the locked state after the vehicle is leaving the parking space. 
     In accordance with a ninth exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a system for providing a vehicle with a parking service is provided, comprising: one or more processors; and one or more memories configured to store a series of computer executable instructions, wherein the series of computer executable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the above mentioned method. 
     In accordance with a tenth exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by one or more processors, causing the one or more processors to perform the steps of the above mentioned method is provided. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The above and other aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the present disclosure. Note that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a block diagram of a parking space lock in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a block diagram of a parking space lock in accordance with another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a block diagram of a parking space lock in accordance with another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 4  illustrates a block diagram of a parking space lock in accordance with another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 5  schematically shows a parking space lock in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein the parking space lock is in a locked state. 
         FIG. 6  schematically shows a parking space lock in accordance with another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein the parking space lock is in an open state. 
         FIG. 7  schematically shows a state of a parking space lock in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, when a vehicle is pulling into a parking space. 
         FIG. 8  schematically shows a state of a parking space lock in accordance with another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, when a vehicle is parked in a parking space. 
         FIG. 9  illustrates a block diagram of a system for providing a vehicle with parking service in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 10  illustrates a block diagram of a system for providing a vehicle with parking service in accordance with another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 11  illustrates a flow chart with information transferred showing a method for providing a vehicle with parking service in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 12  illustrates a flow chart with information transferred showing a method for providing a vehicle with parking service in accordance with another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 13  illustrates a flow chart with information transferred showing a method for providing a vehicle with parking service in accordance with another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 14  illustrates a general hardware environment wherein the present disclosure is applicable in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the described exemplary embodiments. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that the described embodiments can be practiced without some or all of these specific details. In other exemplary embodiments, well known structures or process steps have not been described in detail in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the concept of the present disclosure. 
     The term “vehicle” used through the specification refers to a car, an airplane, a helicopter, a ship, or the like. 
     The term “A or B” used through the specification refers to “A and B” and “A or B” rather than meaning that A and B are exclusive, unless otherwise specified. 
     The term “parking space” used through the specification refers to a space that is able to accommodate a vehicle. 
     The term “parking lot” used through the specification refers to an area, either in an open air or in a building, for vehicles to park in, which may comprise one or more parking spaces. 
     Referring first to  FIG. 1 , there is shown a block diagram of a parking space lock in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. The parking space lock  10  may comprise at least: a fixing portion  1  that may be fixed in the parking space; a movable portion  2  that may be structured to be able to move between a first position and a second position with respect to the fixing portion  1 ; a first communication portion  5  that may be configured to communicate with a service device  20 ; and a control portion  6  that may be configured to control the parking space lock  10 . 
     In some embodiments, the fixing portion  1  may be fixed on a floor of the parking space as shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8 . Although not shown, the fixing portion  1  may be fixed on a ceiling or a wall of the parking space. 
     When the movable portion  2  moves with respect to the fixing portion  1  to the first position, e.g., a position corresponding to the movable portion  2  standing up, the parking space lock  10  changes to the locked state as shown in  FIG. 5 . When the parking space lock  10  is in the locked state, the parking space lock  10 , especially the movable portion  2 , may block a vehicle which is attempting to park so as to restrain it from parking into the parking space. That is to say, no vehicle is allowed to enter the parking space when the parking space lock  10  is in the locked state. 
     When the movable portion  2  moves with respect to the fixing portion  1  to the second position, e.g., a position corresponding to the movable portion  2  laying down, the parking space lock  10  changes to the open state as shown in  FIG. 6 . When the parking space lock  10  is in the open state, the parking space lock  10 , especially the movable portion  2 , may not block any vehicle which is attempting to park into the parking space. That is to say, any vehicle is allowed to enter the parking space when the parking space lock  10  is in the open state. 
     In some embodiments, the movable portion  2  may rotate with respect to the fixing portion  1  between the first position and the second position, as shown in  FIGS. 5-8 . Although not shown, the movable portion  2  may be structured to move in some other manner, e.g., the movable portion  2  may be lifted up and pressed down with respect to the fixing portion  1 . 
     The service device  20  may be a server for providing parking service, an electronic device (e.g., a smart phone or an in-vehicle device) of a user (e.g., a person or a vehicle, especially an autonomous vehicle), or a platform. The platform may include at least one server and at least one application operated thereon. The service device  20  and the user may both connect to the platform via the network, thus the service device  20  may send data to and receive data from the user. 
     The control portion  6  may be configured to control the parking space lock  10 . In some embodiments, when receiving a first signal from the service device  20  by the first communication portion  5 , the control portion  6  may control the movable portion  2  to move to the first position (if the movable portion  2  is at another position) or to be at the first position (if the movable portion  2  is at the first position), and maintain the parking space lock  10  in the locked state so as to prevent any vehicle from parking into the parking space. 
     Referring first to  FIG. 2 , there is shown a block diagram of a parking space lock in accordance with another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. The parking space lock  10  may further comprise: a locking portion  3  that may be structured to be able to lock the movable portion  2  at the first position or at the second position; a driving portion  4  that may be structured to be able to drive the movable portion  2  to move; a second communication portion  7  configured to communicate with a vehicle  30  via a network (not shown); an inductive charging portion  8 ; a distance sensing portion  9 ; or a detecting portion  12 , 
     The locking portion  3  may be structured to be able to lock the movable portion  2  at the first position or at the second position. If the locking portion  3  locks the movable portion  2  at the first position, the parking space lock is maintained in the locked state. And if the locking portion  3  locks the movable portion  2  at the second position, the parking space lock is maintained in the open state. 
     The first communication portion  5  may communicate with the service device  20  via a network (not shown). The network may include a Long range (LoRa) network, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN) (e.g., the Internet), a virtual network, a telecommunications network, and/or other interconnected paths across which multiple entities may communicate. In some embodiments, the network includes Bluetooth® communication networks or a cellular communications network for sending and receiving data via e.g. short messaging service (SMS), multimedia messaging service (MMS), hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP), direct data connection, WAP, e-mail, etc. In other embodiments, the network may be a mobile data network such as CDMA, GPRS, TDMA, GSM, WiMax, 3G, 4G, LTE, VoLTE, or any other mobile data network or combination of mobile data networks. 
     In some embodiments, the control portion  6  may be configured to control the movable portion  2  to move by controlling the driving portion  4  and maintain the parking space lock  10  by controlling the locking portion  3 . In some embodiments, when receiving a first signal from the service device  20  by the first communication portion  5 , the control portion  6  may control the driving portion  4  to drive the movable portion  2  to move to the first position and control the locking portion  3  to lock the movable portion  2  at the first position so as to maintain the parking space lock  10  in the locked state. 
     The second communication portion  7  may be configured to communicate with a vehicle  30  (e.g., an autonomous vehicle) via a network (not shown). The vehicle  30  may be the one associated with the first signal, i.e., the vehicle which has made a reservation for the parking space. Please note that, the second communication portion  7  may communicate in a variety of manners over a Long range (LoRa) network) just as the first communication portion  5  discussed above, and thus their details are omitted here. 
     The control portion  6  may be further configured to control the second communication portion  7  to establish a communication connection with the vehicle  30  after receiving the first signal by the first communication portion  5 . Accordingly, the second communication portion  7  may send data to and receive data from the vehicle  30 . Furthermore, in some embodiments, the control portion  6  may be further configured to control the parking space lock  10  according to a second signal received by the second communication portion  7  from the vehicle  30 . For example, the vehicle  30  may send the second signal to the second communication portion  7  so as to make the control portion  6  control the movable portion  2  to move to the second position then control the locking portion  3  to lock the movable portion  2  at the second position to change the parking space lock  10  into the locked state and maintain the parking space lock  10  in the locked state. In another example, the vehicle  30  may send the second signal to the second communication portion  7  so as to make the parking space lock  10  charge a battery in the vehicle  30  by electromagnetic induction. 
     In some embodiments, the control portion  6  may be further configured to acquire a location of the vehicle  30 ; and when the location satisfies a condition, control the second communication portion  7  to notify the vehicle  30  of orientation and/or route information of the parking space, for example, an orientation of the parking space lock  10  with respect to the vehicle  30 , and/or a route to the parking space lock  10  from the location of the vehicle  30 . 
     The control portion  6  may acquire the location of the vehicle  30  from the service device  20  via the first communication portion  5  or from the vehicle  30  via the second communication portion  7 . 
     In some embodiments, the location of the vehicle  30  satisfying the condition may be the distance between the vehicle  30  and the parking space lock  10  is less than a threshold. In general, when close to a target, the location information (e.g., GPS positioning data) may be always not enough for finding the target. Thus, more information may be needed in this situation. 
     In some embodiments, the location of the vehicle  30  satisfying the condition may be the vehicle  30  is in the same building or the same parking lot with the parking space lock  10 . In general, when entering a building or a parking lot, it may be hard to find the right parking space and the location information (e.g., GPS positioning data) may not offer any help. Thus, more information may be needed in this situation. 
     The orientation information may refer to the information that is able to indicate the orientation of the parking space lock  10  with respect to the vehicle  30 . For example, the orientation information may indicate that the parking space lock  10  is in the direction of east 30° by south relative to the vehicle  30 . 
     The route information may refer to the information that is able to indicate at least one route that is able to navigate the vehicle  30  to the parking space lock  10 . A route inside a building or a parking lot is more preferred. 
     The orientation and/or route information may help the vehicle  30  with finding the parking space (i.e., the parking space lock  10 ) more easily. 
     In some embodiments, the parking space lock  10  may further comprise a detecting portion  12 . The detecting portion  12  may be configured to detect whether a vehicle is pulling into the parking space. For example, the detecting portion  12  may comprise a distance sensor for sensing the distance between the vehicle and the distance sensor and sensing distance variations; and a detecting unit for detecting whether a vehicle is pulling into the parking space based on the sensed distance and distance variations. For example, when the distance is getting shorter and/or the distance become shorter than a threshold, the detecting portion  12  may detect the vehicle is pulling into the parking space. 
     In some embodiments, as shown in  FIG. 7 , when detecting the vehicle  30  is pulling into the parking space, e.g., when detecting the driving direction of the vehicle  30  is direction A, the control portion  6  may be further configured to control the driving portion  4  to drive the movable portion  2  to move to the second position (i.e., to move in the direction of B) then control the locking portion  3  to lock the movable portion  2  at the second position to change the parking space lock  10  into and maintain the parking space lock  10  in the open state. 
     If any other vehicle (i.e., not the vehicle  30 ) is pulling into the parking space, the control portion  6  may identify that the vehicle is not vehicle  30 , then the control portion  6  may not control the movable portion  2  to move to the second position, so that the parking space lock  10  holds the locked state to prevent the vehicle from parking into the parking space. 
     As shown in  FIG. 8 , when the vehicle  30  is parked in the parking space, the parking space lock  10  is maintained in the open state. 
     In some embodiments, the parking space lock  10  may further comprise an inductive charging portion  8 , the control portion  6  may be further configured to when detecting the vehicle  30  is parked in the parking space, control the inductive charging portion  8  to charge a battery in the vehicle  30 . For example, the vehicle  30  may initiate the charging process by sending a charging request to the second communication portion  7 . After receiving the charging request, the control portion  6  may detect whether the vehicle  30  is parked in the parking space, e.g, by a distance sensor. If detecting the vehicle  30  is parked in the parking space, the control portion  6  may control the inductive charging portion  8  to charge a battery in the vehicle  30 . In another example, the parking space lock  10  may initiate the charging process. If detecting the vehicle  30  is parked in the parking space, the control portion  6  may send a charging inquiry to the vehicle  30  via the second communication portion  7 . If the signal from the vehicle  30  indicates charging is needed, the control portion  6  may control the inductive charging portion  8  to charge a battery in the vehicle  30 . 
     In some embodiments, the parking space lock  10  may further comprise a distance sensing portion  9  (e.g., an infrared sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, a microwave sensor, a photoelectric sensor, and the like), the control portion  6  may be further configured to when sensing an object within an unsafety range of the parking space lock  10  by the distance sensing portion  9 , omit the first signal and notify the service device  20  of the omission. The unsafety range of the parking space lock  10  may refer to a range around of the parking space lock  10 , an object in which may be in danger of being hit by the movable portion  2 . For example, if there is a vehicle parked, a person situated, a subject provided in the parking space and so on, the distance sensing portion  9  may sense an object within an unsafety range of the parking space lock  10 . In this situation, when the parking space lock  10  receives the first signal from the service device  20 , the control portion  6  may omit the first signal, i.e., the control portion  6  may not control the parking space lock  10  change to the locked state to avoid scratch and damage. 
     In some embodiments, the service device  20  mentioned above may be integrated in or be a part of the parking space lock  10  as shown in  FIG. 2 , the service device  20  may be configured to: receive a reservation for the parking space from the vehicle  30 ; determine whether the reservation is valid, and if the reservation is valid: send the first signal to the first communication portion  5 ; and send identifying information about the parking space to the vehicle  30 . 
     If receiving a reservation from the vehicle  30 , the service device  20  may determine whether the reservation is valid. For example, whether the vehicle  30  made the reservation is a registered user (i.e., a user who is allowed to use the parking space), whether the reservation aims at the parking space which the parking space lock  10  is mounted in, and/or whether the parking space is available (e.g., not reserved, unoccupied, no malfunction, not in maintenance and so on). If the vehicle  30  is a registered user, the reservation aims at the parking space, and/or the parking space is available, the service device  20  may determine the reservation is valid. 
     If the reservation is valid, the service device  20  may send the first signal to the first communication portion  5  to maintain the parking space lock  10  in the locked state to prevent a vehicle, except for the vehicle  30 , from parking into the parking space. 
     If the parking space lock  10  receives the first signal from the service device  20 , but sensing an object within an unsafety range of the parking space lock  10  by the distance sensing portion  9 , the control portion  6  may omit the first signal and notify the service device  20  of the omission. The service device  20 , after receiving the notification, may determine the parking space is currently unavailable, and may further determine the reservation is invalid. 
     At the same time of or before/after sending the first signal to the first communication portion  5 , the service device  20  may send identifying information about the parking space to the vehicle  30  to assist the vehicle  30  to find the parking space. For example, the identifying information may comprise one or more of location information, floor information, and visual information of the parking space. 
     The location information may include at least one of GPS positioning data, information of latitude and longitude, building number and street name and so on. The floor information may indicate the parking space is on which floor. The visual information may indicate the visual presentation (e.g., shape, color, identifier and so on) of the parking space and/or the parking space lock  10 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 3 , there is shown a block diagram of a parking space lock in accordance with another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. The parking space lock  10  may comprise at least: a fixing portion  1  that may be fixed in the parking space; a movable portion  2  that may be structured to be able to move between a first position and a second position with respect to the fixing portion  1 ; an identifying portion  11  that may be configured to identify a license number of a vehicle and determine whether the vehicle is registered based on the identified license number; a detecting portion  12  configured to detect whether a vehicle is pulling into or leaving the parking space; and a control portion  6  that may be configured to control the parking space lock  10 . 
     The fixing portion  1  and the movable portion  2  are similar to the same in  FIG. 1  discussed above respectively, and thus their details are omitted here. 
     The identifying portion  11  may be configured to identify a license number of a vehicle and determine whether the vehicle is registered based on the identified license number. For example, the identifying portion  11  may comprise a camera for capturing one or more pictures and/or videos for the region of the vehicle plate; an identifying unit for processing the captured pictures and/or videos to identify the license number of the vehicle; and a storage unit that stores a database of license numbers for all the registered vehicles. Thus, the identifying portion  11  may search the identified license number in the database and determine whether the vehicle is registered based on the identified license number. 
     The detecting portion  12  may be configured to detect whether a vehicle is pulling into or leaving the parking space. For example, the detecting portion  12  may comprise a distance sensor for sensing the distance between the vehicle and the distance sensor and sensing distance variations; and a detecting unit for detecting whether a vehicle is pulling into or leaving the parking space based on the sensed distance and distance variations. For example, when the distance is getting longer and/or the distance become greater than a threshold, the detecting portion  12  may detect the vehicle is leaving the parking space. Otherwise, the detecting portion  12  may detect the vehicle is pulling into the parking space. 
     The control portion  6  may be configured to: when detecting a vehicle is pulling into the parking space by the detecting portion  12  and determining the vehicle is registered by the identifying portion  11 , control the movable portion  2  to move to the second position (if the movable portion  2  is at another position) or to be at the second position (if the movable portion  2  is at the second position), and maintain the parking space lock  10  in the open state; and when detecting the vehicle is leaving the parking space by the detecting portion  12 , control the movable portion  2  to move to the first position and maintain the parking space lock  10  in the locked state. Therefore, a registered vehicle may pull into a parking space without any manual operation. 
     Referring first to  FIG. 4 , there is shown a block diagram of a parking space lock in accordance with another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. The parking space lock  10  may further comprise: a service device  20 ; a locking portion  3  that may be structured to be able to lock the movable portion  2  at the first position or at the second position; a driving portion  4  that may be structured to be able to drive the movable portion  2  to move; a first communication portion  5  that may be configured to communicate with the service device  20 ; a second communication portion  7  configured to communicate with a vehicle  30  via a network (not shown); an inductive charging portion  8 ; a distance sensing portion  9 ; an billing portion  13 ; or a status indicating portion  14 . 
     The locking portion  3 , the driving portion  4 , the first communication portion  5 , the second communication portion  7 , the inductive charging portion  8 , and the distance sensing portion  9  are similar to the same in  FIG. 2  discussed above respectively, and thus their details are omitted here. 
     The billing portion  13  may be used for charging a parking service fee. The billing portion  13  may be configured to start billing once detecting the vehicle  30  is pulling into the parking space by the detecting portion  12 , stop billing once detecting the vehicle  30  is leaving the parking space by the detecting portion  12 , and generate billing data. For example, the detecting portion  12  may detect that the vehicle  30  pull into the parking space at 5:05 pm and leave the parking space at 7:40 pm. The billing portion  13  may start billing at 5:05 pm and stop at 7:40 pm. The billing data may comprise a total parking fee generated according to a unit parking fee and a parking duration, e.g., 2 hours and 35 minutes from 5:05 pm to 7:40 pm. The billing data may further comprise the unit parking fee and the parking duration. 
     The control portion  6  may be further configured to after detecting the vehicle is leaving the parking space by the detecting portion  12 , control the second communication portion  7  to send the billing data to the vehicle  30 . The vehicle  30  may pay a fee according to the billing data. 
     The status indicating portion  14  may be configured to indicate whether the parking space is available visually. For example, the status indicating portion  14  may be a LED light. In some embodiments, the LED light may be turned on to indicate the parking space is unavailable (e.g., reserved, broken, and so on) and may be turned off to indicate the parking space is available (e.g., not reserved, unoccupied, no malfunction, not in maintenance and so on). In some embodiments, the LED light may display a first color to indicate the parking space is not available and display a second color to indicate the parking space is available. When the LED light indicate the parking space is available, any registered vehicle may park into the parking space without any reservation. 
     The service device  20  may be a server for providing parking service, an electronic device (e.g., a smart phone or an in-vehicle device) of a user (e.g., a person or a vehicle, especially an autonomous vehicle), or a platform. The platform may include at least one server and at least one application operated thereon. The service device  20  and the user may both connect to the platform via the network, thus the service device  20  may send data to and receive data from the user. 
     In some embodiments, the service device  20  mentioned above may be integrated in or be a part of the parking space lock  10  as shown in  FIG. 4 . The service device  20  may be configured to: receive a reservation for the parking space from the vehicle  30 ; determine whether the reservation is valid if the parking space is available and the vehicle  30  is registered; and send license number information of the vehicle  30  to the identifying portion  11 . The license number information may include the license number of the vehicle  30 , so that the identifying portion  11  may determine whether the vehicle  30  is the one corresponding to the reservation based on the identified license number and the license number information. For example, if the identified license number is identical with the license number of the vehicle  30  included within the license number information, the identifying portion  11  may determine that the vehicle  30  is the one corresponding to the reservation. In this case, the control portion  6  may be further configured to: when detecting a vehicle is pulling into the parking space by the detecting portion  12  and determining the vehicle is the one corresponding to the reservation by the identifying portion  11 , control the movable portion  2  to move to the second position (if the movable portion  2  is at another position) or to be at the second position (if the movable portion  2  is at the second position), and maintain the parking space lock  10  in the open state. 
     Referring to  FIG. 9 , there is shown a block diagram of a system for providing a vehicle with parking service in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. A system  100  for providing a vehicle  30  with a parking service may comprise: at least one parking space lock  10  described above; and a service device  20 . 
     In some embodiments, the service device  20  may be configured to: receive a reservation for the parking space from the vehicle  30 ; determine whether the reservation is valid; and if the reservation is valid: send the first signal to the first communication portion  5 ; and send identifying information about the parking space to the vehicle  30 . 
     In some embodiments, the service device  20  may be configured to: receive a reservation for the parking space from a vehicle  30 ; determine the reservation is valid if the parking space is available and the vehicle  30  is registered; and send license number information of the vehicle  30  to the parking space lock  10 . 
     In the case shown in  FIG. 9 , the service device  20  is provided separated from the parking space lock  10 . As mentioned above, the service device  20  may be a server, an electronic device, or a platform. In the system  100 , the service device  20  may communicate with the at least one parking space lock  10 . If the system  100  is based on one or more parking lots and each of the parking lot has one or more parking spaces, the service device  20  may communicate with each parking space lock  10  mounted respectively in each parking space. 
     If receiving a reservation from the vehicle  30 , the service device  20  may determine whether the reservation is valid. For example, the service device  20  may determine whether the vehicle  30  made the reservation is a registered user (i.e., a user who is allowed to use the parking space), and/or determine whether there is an available parking space (e.g., a parking space unoccupied, a parking space not in maintenance and so on). If the vehicle  30  is a registered user and/or there is an available parking space, the service device  20  may determine the reservation is valid, 
     In some embodiments, the reservation made by the vehicle  30  may specify a certain parking space. In this case, the service device  20  may determine whether the vehicle  30  made the reservation is a registered user (i.e., a user who is allowed to use the parking space), and/or whether the certain parking space is available (e.g., unoccupied, not in maintenance and so on). If the vehicle  30  is a registered user and/or the certain parking space is available, the service device  20  may determine the reservation is valid. 
     In some embodiments, if the reservation is valid, the service device  20  may send the first signal to the first communication portion  5  to maintain the parking space lock  10  in the locked state to prevent a vehicle, except for the vehicle  30 , from parking into the parking space. 
     If the parking space lock  10  receives the first signal from the service device  20 , but sensing an object within an unsafety range of the parking space lock  10  by the distance sensing portion  9 , the control portion  6  may omit the first signal and notify the service device  20  of the omission. In some embodiment, after receiving the notification, the service device  20  may find another available parking space in the system  100  for the vehicle  30  in the case of the reservation not specifying a certain parking space, and may send a first signal to another available parking space. In some embodiment, after receiving the notification, the service device  20  may determine the certain parking space is currently unavailable in the case of the reservation specifying a certain parking space, and may further determine the reservation is invalid. 
     At the same time of or before/after sending the first signal to the first communication portion  5 , the service device  20  may send identifying information about the booked parking space to the vehicle  30  to assist the vehicle  30  to find the parking space. For example, the identifying information may comprise one or more of location information, floor information, and visual information of the parking space. 
     In some embodiments, if the reservation is valid, the service device  20  may send license number information of the vehicle  30  to the parking space lock  10 . The parking space lock  10  may determine whether a vehicle is the one corresponding to the reservation based on the identified license number by the parking space lock  10  and the license number information; and control the movable portion  2  to move to the second position (if the movable portion  2  is at another position) or to be at the second position (if the movable portion  2  is at the second position), and maintain the parking space lock  10  in the open state when detecting the vehicle  30  is pulling into the parking space. 
     Referring to  FIG. 10 , there is shown a block diagram of a system for providing a vehicle with parking service in accordance with another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. A system  100  for providing a vehicle  30  with a parking service may comprise: at least one parking space lock  10  described above, wherein the parking space lock  10  may further comprise the service device (not shown) described above. In the case shown in  FIG. 10 , the service device functions just as the service device  20  discussed above, and thus their details are omitted here. 
     Referring to  FIG. 11 , there is shown a flow chart with information transferred showing a method for providing a vehicle with parking service in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. The method may be performed by the system described above. The steps of the method presented below are intended to be illustrative. In some embodiments, the method may be accomplished with one or more additional steps not described, and/or without one or more of the steps discussed. Additionally, the order in which the steps of the method are illustrated in the figure and described as below is not intended to be limiting. In some embodiments, the method may be implemented in one or more processing devices (e.g., a digital processor, an analog processor, a digital circuit designed to process information, an analog circuit designed to process information, a state machine, and/or other mechanisms for electronically processing information). The one or more processing devices may include one or more modules executing some or all of steps of the method in response to instructions stored electronically on an electronic storage medium. The one or more processing modules may include one or more devices configured through hardware, firmware, and/or software to be specifically designed for execution of one or more of steps of the method. 
     As shown in  FIG. 11 , a vehicle  30  may send S 71  a reservation to a service device  20  of a system to book a parking space. The reservation may specify or not specify a certain parking space. The service device  20  may determine S 72  whether the reservation is valid. If the reservation is determined to be valid (i.e., Y), the service device  20  may send S 73  a first signal to a parking space lock  10  provided in an available parking space or the certain parking space specified by the vehicle  30 . At the same time of or before/after sending the first signal, the service device  20  may send S 74  identifying information about the parking space to the vehicle  30 . When receiving the first signal from the service device  20 , the parking space lock  10  may be maintained S 75  the locked state. After receiving the first signal from the service device  20 , the parking space lock  10  may establish S 76  a communication connection with the vehicle  30 , e.g., via LoRa network. Thus, the parking space lock  10  and the vehicle  30  may communicate with each other directly without via the service device  20 . For example, when the location of the vehicle  30  satisfies a condition, the parking space lock  10  may notify S 77  the vehicle  30  of orientation and/or route information of the parking space lock  10  with respect to the vehicle  30 . In another example, the vehicle  30  may send S 78  a second signal to the parking space lock  10 , and the parking space lock  10  may change its state or perform other operations according to the second signal received from the vehicle  30 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 12 , there is shown a flow chart with information transferred showing a method for providing a vehicle with parking service in accordance with another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. The method may be performed by the system described above. The steps of the method presented below are intended to be illustrative. In some embodiments, the method may be accomplished with one or more additional steps not described, and/or without one or more of the steps discussed. Additionally, the order in which the steps of the method are illustrated in the figure and described as below is not intended to be limiting. In some embodiments, the method may be implemented in one or more processing devices (e.g., a digital processor, an analog processor, a digital circuit designed to process information, an analog circuit designed to process information, a state machine, and/or other mechanisms for electronically processing information). The one or more processing devices may include one or more modules executing some or all of steps of the method in response to instructions stored electronically on an electronic storage medium. The one or more processing modules may include one or more devices configured through hardware, firmware, and/or software to be specifically designed for execution of one or more of steps of the method. 
     As shown in  FIG. 12 , a vehicle  30  may send S 81 , e.g., via LoRa network, a reservation to a parking space lock  10  in a system to book the parking space in which the parking space lock  10  is mounted. The parking space lock  10  may determine S 82  whether the reservation is valid. If the reservation is determined to be valid (i.e., Y), the parking space lock  10  may send S 84  identifying information about the parking space to the vehicle  30  and may be maintained S 85  the locked state. For example, when the location of the vehicle  30  satisfies a condition, the parking space lock  10  may notify S 87  the vehicle  30  of orientation and/or route information of the parking space lock  10  with respect to the vehicle  30 . In another example, the vehicle  30  may send S 88  a second signal to the parking space lock  10 , and the parking space lock  10  may change its state or perform other operations according to the second signal received from the vehicle  30 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 13 , there is shown a flow chart with information transferred showing a method for providing a vehicle with parking service in accordance with another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. The method may be performed by the system described above. The steps of the method presented below are intended to be illustrative. In some embodiments, the method may be accomplished with one or more additional steps not described, and/or without one or more of the steps discussed. Additionally, the order in which the steps of the method are illustrated in the figure and described as below is not intended to be limiting. In some embodiments, the method may be implemented in one or more processing devices (e.g., a digital processor, an analog processor, a digital circuit designed to process information, an analog circuit designed to process information, a state machine, and/or other mechanisms for electronically processing information). The one or more processing devices may include one or more modules executing some or all of steps of the method in response to instructions stored electronically on an electronic storage medium. The one or more processing modules may include one or more devices configured through hardware, firmware, and/or software to be specifically designed for execution of one or more of steps of the method. 
     As shown in FIG,  13 , a parking space lock  10  may notify S 91  a service device  20  whether the parking space is available (e.g., unoccupied, no malfunction, not in maintenance and so on), A vehicle  30  may send S 92  a reservation to the service device  20  of a system to book a parking space. The reservation may specify or not specify a certain parking space. The service device  20  may determine S 93  whether the reservation is valid. If the reservation is determined to be valid (i.e., Y), the service device  20  may send S 94  license number information of the vehicle  30  to the parking space lock  10 . The parking space lock  10  may determine S 95  whether the vehicle  30  is the one corresponding to the reservation based on the identified license number and the license number information. If the vehicle  30  is determined to be the one corresponding to the reservation (i.e., Y), the parking space lock  10  may change to and maintain S 96  in the open state when the vehicle  30  is pulling into and parking in the parking space. At that time, the parking space is not available. The parking space lock  10  may notify the service device  20  that the parking space is not available, or the service device  20  may know that by itself without any notification from the parking space lock  10 . When the vehicle  30  leaves the parking space, the parking space lock  10  may change to and maintain in the locked state (not shown), and may notify the service device  20  that the parking space is available again. 
       FIG. 14  illustrates a general hardware environment  900  wherein the present disclosure is applicable in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     With reference to  FIG. 14 , a hardware environment  900 , which is an example of the hardware device that may be applied to the aspects of the present disclosure, will now be described. The hardware environment  900  may be any machine configured to perform processing and/or calculations, may be but is not limited to a work station, a server, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a personal data assistant, a smart phone, an on-vehicle computer or any combination thereof. The aforementioned control portion  6 , identifying portion  11 , detecting portion  12 , billing portion  13  or service device  20  for providing parking service to the vehicle may be wholly or at least partially implemented by the hardware environment  900  or a similar device or system. 
     The hardware environment  900  may comprise elements that are connected with or in communication with a bus  902 , possibly via one or more interfaces. For example, the hardware environment  900  may comprise the bus  902 , one or more processors  904 , one or more input devices  906  and one or more output devices  908 . The one or more processors  904  may be any kinds of processors, and may comprise but are not limited to one or more general-purpose processors and/or one or more special-purpose processors (such as special processing chips). The input devices  906  may be any kinds of devices that can input information to the computing device, and may comprise but are not limited to a mouse, a keyboard, a touch screen, a microphone and/or a remote control. The output devices  908  may be any kinds of devices that can present information, and may comprise but are not limited to display, a speaker, a video/audio output terminal, a vibrator and/or a printer. The hardware environment  900  may also comprise or be connected with non-transitory storage devices  910  which may be any storage devices that are non-transitory and can implement data stores, and may comprise but are not limited to a disk drive, an optical storage device, a solid-state storage, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, hard disk, a magnetic tape or any other magnetic medium, a compact disc or any other optical medium, a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a cache memory and/or any other memory chip or cartridge, and/or any other medium from which a computer may read data, instructions and/or code. The non-transitory storage devices  910  may be detachable from an interface. The non-transitory storage devices  910  may have data/instructions/code for implementing the methods and steps which are described above. The hardware environment  900  may also comprise a communication device  912 . The communication device  912  may be any kinds of device or system that can enable communication with external apparatuses and/or with a network, and may comprise but are not limited to a modem, a network card, an infrared communication device, a wireless communication device and/or a chipset such as a Bluetooth™ device, 1302.11 device, WiFi device, WiMax device, cellular communication facilities and/or the like. 
     When the hardware environment  900  is used as an on-vehicle device, it may also be connected to external device, for example, a GPS receiver, sensors for sensing different environmental data such as an acceleration sensor, a wheel speed sensor, a gyroscope and so on. In this way, the hardware environment  900  may, for example, receive location data and sensor data indicating the travelling situation of the vehicle. When the hardware environment  900  is used as an on-vehicle device, it may also be connected to other facilities (such as an engine system, a wiper, an anti-lock Braking System or the like) for controlling the traveling and operation of the vehicle. 
     In addition, the non-transitory storage device  910  may have map information and software elements so that the processor  904  may perform route guidance processing. In addition, the output device  906  may comprise a display for displaying the map, the location mark of the vehicle, images indicating the travelling situation of the vehicle and also the visual signals. The output device  906  may also comprise a speaker for audio output. 
     The bus  902  may include but is not limited to industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) bus, Enhanced ISA (EISA) bus, Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) local bus, and Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus. Particularly, for an on-vehicle device, the bus  902  may also include a Controller Area Network (CAN) bus or other architectures designed for application on an automobile. 
     The hardware environment  900  may also comprise a working memory  914 , which may be any kind of working memory that may store instructions and/or data useful for the working of the processor  904 , and may comprise but is not limited to a random access memory and/or a read-only memory device. 
     Software elements may be located in the working memory  914 , including but are not limited to an operating system  916 , one or more application programs  918 , drivers and/or other data and codes. Instructions for performing the methods and steps described in the above may be comprised in the one or more application programs  918 , and the units of the aforementioned control portion  6 , identifying portion  11 , detecting portion  12 , billing portion  13  or service device  20  may be implemented by the processor  904  reading and executing the instructions of the one or more application programs  918 . More specifically, the aforementioned control portion  6 , identifying portion  11 , detecting portion  12 , billing portion  13  or service device  20  may, for example, be implemented by the processor  904  when executing an application  918  having instructions to perform the steps of the method  200 . The executable codes or source codes of the instructions of the software elements may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, such as the storage device(s)  910  described above, and may be read into the working memory  914  possibly with compilation and/or installation. The executable codes or source codes of the instructions of the software elements may also be downloaded from a remote location. 
     Those skilled in the art may clearly know from the above embodiments that the present disclosure may be implemented by software with necessary hardware, or by hardware, firmware and the like. Based on such understanding, the embodiments of the present disclosure may be embodied in part in a software form. The computer software may be stored in a readable storage medium such as a floppy disk, a hard disk, an optical disk or a flash memory of the computer. The computer software comprises a series of instructions to make the computer (e.g., a personal computer, a service station or a network terminal) execute the method or a part thereof according to respective embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     The present disclosure being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, and all such modifications as would be obvious to those skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims.