Vacant parking space detection based on task consistency and reinforcement learning

In this paper, we proposed a novel task-consistency learning method that allows training a vacant space detection network (target task) based on the logic consistency with the semantic outcomes from a flow-based motion behavior classifier (source task) in a parking lot. By well designing the reward mechanism upon semantic consistency, we show the possibility to train the target network in a reinforcement learning setting. Compared with conventional supervised detection methods, this work's main contribution is to learn a vacant space detector via semantic consistency rather than supervised labels. The dynamic learning property may make the proposed detector been deployed and updated in different lots easily without heavy human loads. The experiments show that based on the task consistency rewards from the motion behavior classifier, the vacant space detector can be trained successfully.