AI-Powered Smart Parking Management System
This project is a complete intelligent parking management system that combines computer vision, OCR, embedded systems, drone monitoring, and full-stack web technologies. The system detects and recognizes vehicle license plates, monitors parking slot availability in real time, controls a physical gate using hardware components, and displays live system updates through a React-based interface connected to a FastAPI backend.
The Challenge
Traditional parking systems often depend on manual vehicle verification, static slot tracking, and limited automation. This can lead to inefficient entry management, poor visibility of available parking spaces, and slow decision-making. The project addresses these limitations by creating an automated system that can recognize vehicles, track slot occupancy, and control access in real time.
The Solution
The solution integrates license plate detection and OCR recognition for vehicle identification, parking slot detection for occupancy monitoring, and embedded hardware for physical gate control. A FastAPI backend manages the system logic and database communication, while WebSocket enables real-time updates to the React frontend. Hardware components such as Arduino Mega, ESP32-CAM, servo motor, and LCD display provide the physical automation layer.
Architecture
The system is built around multiple connected layers. The DJI Tello drone and camera modules provide visual input for license plate monitoring and parking slot detection. Computer vision and OCR pipelines process the images and extract vehicle information. The FastAPI backend communicates with a MySQL database and sends real-time updates using WebSocket. The React frontend displays vehicle and slot status, while the Arduino Mega controls the servo gate and LCD status output.