A group of lecturers and engineers from the Electricity and Electronics Centre of the Da Nang-based Duy Tan University have successfully created a handheld parking ticket dispenser using radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology.  RFID uses electromagnetic fields to automatically identify and track tags attached to objects.

Mr Dong with his handheld parking ticket dispenser

Nowadays, personnel-controlled traditional parking-lot operations at companies, factories, hospitals, markets and schools nationwide involve a lot of time to distribute disposable paper parking tickets on which vehicles’ registration numbers are scribbled.  As a result, many people find it very inconvenient to park their vehicles at these places as they are given such paper tickets on arrival, and they must display them when leaving the parking lots.  Another disappointing issue is that their motorbikes are usually filled with parking numbers written in chalk.  Meanwhile, it is expensive to operate a smart parking-area management system featuring automatic check-in and check-out barriers, along with magnetic-stripe parking cards given out to vehicle users. 

Master of Science Tran Le Thang Dong, the head of the research group, proudly remarked that the handheld parking ticket dispenser boasts more advantages than other parking management solutions. 

This device uses an ATMega microcontroller with software to display information on an LCD screen, and its serves as a completely new and efficient solution for vehicle parking management. 

Encouragingly, this university-developed product won a consolation prize at the 13^th National Technical Innovation Contest last year.

During the check-in process, a vehicle’ registration number is input into the handheld device by a parking attendant.  After that, a RFID card then slightly touches the screen of the device to receive identification information about the vehicle, and it is given to the vehicle owner.  At check-out, the vehicle owner is required to display the RFID card to confirm the identification of the vehicle.  Thanks to its great convenience, the creation of this device allows check-ins and check-outs to be handled in a faster and more secure manner.

Mr Dong said that each parking ticket dispenser costs only between 15 and 20 million VND, and it can be used by an attendant in a parking area which accommodates between 500 and 1,000 vehicles.

The university’s research group members have registered intellectual property rights for their product, and they are waiting for a patent.