Resource-Efficient Design and Implementation of Real-Time Parking Monitoring System with Edge Device

Parking management systems play a crucial role in addressing parking shortages and operational challenges; however, high initial costs and infrastructure requirements often hinder their implementation. Edge computing offers a promising solution by reducing latency and network traffic, thus optimizing operational costs. Nonetheless, the limited computational resources of edge devices remain a significant challenge. This study developed a real-time vehicle occupancy detection system utilizing SSD-MobileNetv2 on edge devices to process video streams from multiple IP cameras. The system incorporates a dual-trigger mechanism, combining periodic triggers and parking space mask triggers, to optimize computational efficiency and resource usage while maintaining high accuracy and reliability. Experimental results demonstrated that the parking space mask trigger significantly reduced unnecessary AI model executions compared to periodic triggers, while the dual-trigger mechanism ensured consistent updates even under unstable network conditions. The SSD-MobileNetv2 model achieved a frame processing time of 0.32 s and maintained robust detection performance with an F1-score of 0.9848 during a four-month field validation. These findings validate the suitability of the system for real-time parking management in resource-constrained environments. Thus, the proposed smart parking system offers an economical, viable, and practical solution that can significantly contribute to developing smart cities.