Bike Box Management : BiclooPark
In the Nantes metropolitan area, a new project has emerged to address the growing challenges of sustainable mobility and equipment security. It involves the smart management of bike boxes, known as BiclooPark, implemented and operated by JCDecaux. These enclosed boxes allow users to securely park their bicycles, particularly near transport hubs and public transit stations.
The main objective of this project is to detect in real time whether a bike is present inside the box, in order to optimize its management and availability. This detection system not only provides accurate occupancy data at any given time, but also sends alerts in case of anomalies (e.g., a door left open or a bike inside when it shouldn't be). The collected data can also be used for statistical analysis to better understand cyclists' parking habits and anticipate future needs.
This initiative is part of a broader effort by the city to promote cycling as a primary mode of transport by providing access to secure and intelligent parking solutions.
Deployed Sensors
To ensure reliable and accurate detection of bicycle presence within the BiclooPark boxes, the Nantes metropolitan area, in partnership with JCDecaux, has implemented an advanced IoT infrastructure based on technologies developed by Ineo-Sense. The deployment includes:
- 1,600 ACS-Switch-TOF sensors
- 120 INS-Extender modules
The ACS-Switch-TOF® is a wireless, autonomous device designed for presence detection using optical distance measurement. Specifically suited for urban and industrial environments, it detects the entry or exit of a bicycle in a secured box. This sensor is also highly configurable, with algorithms adaptable to each installation environment.
The INS-Extender is an intelligent IoT relay playing a key role in the network architecture. It enables data collection from ACS-Switch-TOF sensors even outside LoRaWAN coverage, ensuring data transmission to remote infrastructure via a single LoRa link. Using the Clover-Net protocol, the INS-Extender provides robust communication up to 5 km in open field or 500 m indoors.
Together, these two devices form a reliable, scalable, and energy-efficient occupancy monitoring system, perfectly suited to the needs of BiclooPark bike boxes.
How It Works
Thanks to bicycle presence detection, our optical sensor measures the real-time occupancy of the boxes, tracks parking durations, and identifies peak usage periods. This data is automatically transmitted to the Bicloo app, which updates continuously to display available boxes. Users can easily locate a free spot and optimize their travel accordingly.
