Vehicle Detection Sensors

CivicSmart’s patented highly accurate sensors integrate seamlessly to help Cities deliver their Smart Parking vision.

Our sensors feature directional radar, which means that they can be installed anywhere near a parking space including:

In the ground
On a pole
On the curb

Our sensors use radio waves to detect vehicles so detection is not affected by conditions that plague other sensor technologies (ambient light, color, weather, passing or adjacent vehicles, and electromagnetic interference). Our time-of-flight true radar continuously travels at the speed of light, which enables frequency bands to detect objects both large and small. This time-of-flight true radar provides an unambiguous range and presence indication that delivers accuracy in excess of 99%.

Sensors allow you to:

Monitor the utilization of on-street and surface lot parking spaces throughout the City
Enhance motorist convenience by displaying available parking spaces via guidance apps, websites, in-car dashboards, and variable message signs
Grant free time when vehicles park in certain spaces
Improve enforcement operations and management by combining real-time vehicle presence with meter and mobile payments to display active violations on our AutoISSUE handheld software
Increase City revenues by resetting meter time to zero upon the departure of a vehicle
Enable variable pricing based on actual demand
Offer on-street parking reservations and support electronic permits
Review real-time and historic occupancy information and reports from your desktop, tablet, and smartphone.

Our sensors communicate to our Smart Meters, AutoISSUE handhelds, PEMS management system and third-party meters and systems through innovative Internet-of-Things (IoT) communications technology especially designed for low-bandwidth, ubiquitous devices. Our sensors are networked to solar-powered gateways that can be conveniently mounted to street signs, poles, light fixtures, buildings and other assets in the field. Our gateways can be hardwired depending on City preference.

Smart Parking doesn’t have to be Paid Parking and many cities, towns and villages can benefit from custom parking programs that use sensors to better manage time-limited, permitted and restricted parking spaces.

Electronic Permits

Another benefit of our sensors is that they can read an active RFID chip. Whether the chip is mounted on the windshield, in a hangtag or carried in the vehicle, this feature allows our sensors to recognize not just that a vehicle has parked in the space, but to recognize that a specific vehicle has parked there.

Based on attributes associated with that vehicle, preferred parking privileges can be granted, unauthorized vehicles can be ticketed and towed, and wasted enforcement efforts can be avoided.

This technology enables on-street Smart Parking features including better management of permits and disabled placards, better management of commercial loading zones, counterfeit permit prevention, and even on-street reservations. For more information on the benefits of a smart parking system powered by our vehicle detection sensors, click here.

Permits

Automated On-street Parking Payments (“Park and Walk”)

By linking CivicSmart’s wireless permit to a payment account, when a vehicle with a permit enters a paid parking space, the sensor automatically detects the permit and initiates billing of the motorist’s account without the motorist having to pay at a meter or through a mobile app. The motorist can simply “Park and Walk” away. Billing continues until the vehicle departs the space.

Truck Parking

CivicSmart’s sensor was tested by the Florida DOT’s Traffic Engineering Research Laboratory and is an approved product on the State’s Innovative Products List (IPL).

Our sensors are being installed in many of the state’s public truck parking spaces as part of an initiative to provide truckers with real-time information about where they can find available parking at the end of their shift.

CivicSmart’s sensor is the key component because its radar technology can be tuned to detect tractor trailers that other sensor technologies struggle to identify. Our sensors integrate with the FDOT’s SunGuide system to provide truck parking guidance including projections based on real-time data. This up-to-the-minute, accurate information is available from the state’s 511 system, websites, dynamic message signs, and mobile applications. By helping truckers comply with Hours of Service regulations, our technology helps make Florida’s roads safer for truckers and all motorists.

Loading Zones

As urban freight delivery explodes with the growth of e-commerce, the “last delivery mile” creates traffic and parking challenges for downtowns.

By installing sensors in loading zones, we can publish real-time Loading Zone availability data so freight drivers can easily find available spaces thereby increasing productivity and reducing congestion.

Our sensors also help enforce Loading Zone time limits by informing enforcement officers when vehicles overstay the regulated time.

Detailed occupancy data also helps identify areas where Loading Zone demand exceeds supply thereby justifying additional zones; where usage patterns can advise drivers of lower demand times of day; where average length of stay indicates time limits should be reduced or extended to better fit usage; etc. This information will help cities design and measure the impact of policy and operational changes.

Motorcycle Parking

Motorcycle

In fast-growing cities around the world, many people rely on motorcycles for transportation and deliveries. If these vehicles are not managed, streets and sidewalks can get cluttered, with motorist and pedestrian safety threatened.

Motorcycle impound lot in Bucaramanga, Colombia

As part of our continuing innovation, CivicSmart has developed a Motorcycle separator with an integrated vehicle detection sensor that detects motorcycles, motorbikes, and scooters. This system brings order to chaotic streets and enables cities to notify riders where they can find a legal parking space, charge for two-wheel parking, and efficiently enforce if riders don’t pay. The system can also support motorcycle reservations and detect the arrival of VIPs.