Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, is one of the nation’s largest shopping days. Customers line up, and sometimes camp, outside stores hours before they open in hopes of getting the best deals on the latest releases. So many people attend that it causes a 63% increase in parking lot traffic (Figure 1). Parking lots are already incredibly dangerous, causing 20% of vehicular accidents. With the increase in traffic and the palpable stress, these numbers can increase dramatically.
Kris has been eyeing the latest game system for a while now and has been waiting for the Black Friday discount to purchase it. The stores open at midnight, so Kris arrives at 11:30 PM. Without the use of the AutoPark system, Kris is forced to search for a parking spot without assistance. Just after entering the lot, another driver cuts Kris off and takes her spot. A few minutes later, Kris is fooled by a small Fiat parked too far forwards in a spot. The next free spot has been blocked by a shopping cart (Figure 2). Kris is then nearly hit by a car reversing from a spot. Finally, at 12:17 AM, Kris finds a spot far away from the entrance of the mall and begins the long walk to the entrance. 47 minutes after driving into the parking lot, she finally enters the store and begins to fight her way towards the gaming section.
Had Kris used the Virtual Valet app with the AutoPark system installed in her car, she could have entered the parking lot at 12 AM, pulled up to the entrance of the mall, pressed “Park” on the Virtual Valet app (Figure 3) and entered the mall a mere 3 minutes after entering the lot. While Kris was entering the mall, the AutoPark system on her vehicle would initiate communication with the other AutoPark vehicles in the parking lot. The vehicles would send Kris’ car information regarding what spots are free and the current path of any vehicle moving in the parking lot (Figure 4). Kris’ car would use that information to find a free spot closest to where it will be picking Kris up (Figure 5). It will also factor in the other vehicles moving in the lot to avoid creating too much traffic in one area and congesting the lot (Figure 6). Once it has decided on both a spot and a path, it will relay this information to other vehicles in the parking lot (Figure 7) so future vehicles can also make informed decisions.
Similarly, when Kris is ready to leave, she can simply press “Return” on the app. The app will notify her when the car is ready for pickup, and she can promptly enter her car and leave the lot within 5 minutes. Without the use of the AutoPark system, Kris would be leaving the mall at a much later time, caused by the earlier delay in finding a parking spot. She would then have to remember where she parked her car, and walk the length of the parking lot, weighed down by her purchases. Finally, once she has entered her car, she would have to wait for a break in traffic to exit her parking spot, and then slowly make her way out of the lot, battling traffic along the way. The entire procedure would take approximately 25 minutes. Clearly, the AutoPark system saves the user time and stress and creates a safer parking system for everyone.