Parking device

Abstract

To provide a parking device restraining wasteful operation and a waiting time required to prepare warehousing of a vehicle.SOLUTION: A parking device comprises a device body having a storage space of a vehicle, a control unit controlling the device body, two or more straight sensors straightly detecting approaching of the vehicle, and vehicle detection means for detecting vehicle identification information. The two or more straight sensors include first and second straight sensors, the first straight sensor and the vehicle detection means are placed at positions to detect a vehicle on a road continuing the device body, and the second straight sensor is placed at a position closer to the device body than the first straight sensor. The control unit can register each vehicle or vehicle identification information and conduct a warehousing preparatory operation of the vehicle, and the control unit discriminates the warehousing preparatory operation and starts the warehousing preparatory operation when detecting one vehicle with vehicle identification information already registered, in order by the first and second straight sensors.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a parking device having a storage structure for storing vehicles. [Background technology]

[0002] Multi-story parking lots are widely known that are attached to apartment buildings or the like and allow users who have made a contract in advance to enter and exit their vehicles. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses one such multi-story parking lot.

[0003] The parking device disclosed in Patent Document 1 comprises a device main body having space for storing vehicles, a control device for controlling the operation of the device main body, a first antenna (vehicle detection means) for acquiring vehicle identification information from approaching vehicles, and a second antenna (vehicle detection means). The second antenna is provided at a position a predetermined distance away from the device body, and the first antenna is provided at a position further away from the device body than the second antenna.

[0004] This parking device can register vehicle identification information, which is information about each vehicle or each user, and is capable of performing an entry preparation operation to prepare for entry before the vehicle is brought into the device. The determination operation to determine whether or not to start this entry preparation operation is performed on the condition that the first antenna and the second antenna acquire vehicle identification information from the vehicle intending to enter the device body in this order, and that the vehicle identification information acquired from this vehicle corresponds to the registered vehicle identification information. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-193500 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, in the parking device of Patent Document 1, the detection range of the antenna extends in all directions. As a result, part of the detection direction may be reflected by surrounding walls, widening the detection range. For this reason, in the case of the parking device of Patent Document 1, which determines the detection order based on the detection order of the antennas, it is necessary to take into account the detection error of two antennas in order to accurately determine the detection order. Specifically, measures such as increasing the installation distance between the two antennas are necessary.

[0007] For these reasons, there has been a demand for a parking device that can be realized in a simple configuration and compact size.

[0008] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a parking device having a simple configuration that can reduce unnecessary operations, the space between two antennas, and waiting time. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] An embodiment for solving the above-mentioned problem is a parking device comprising a device main body having space for storing vehicles, a control device that controls the operation of the device main body, two or more linear sensors that linearly detect the approach of a vehicle, and a vehicle detection means that detects vehicle identification information, wherein the two or more linear sensors include a first linear sensor and a second linear sensor, the first linear sensor and the vehicle detection means are disposed in positions where they can detect vehicles on a road leading to the device main body, and the second linear sensor is disposed in a position closer to the device main body than the first linear sensor, the control device is capable of registering vehicle identification information which is information about each vehicle or each user, is capable of a parking preparation operation that prepares for entry before the vehicle is entered, and performs a discrimination operation that determines whether to start the parking preparation operation, and the discrimination operation starts the parking preparation operation on the condition that the vehicle detection means acquires vehicle identification information from a vehicle, and the vehicle identification information acquired from the vehicle corresponds to the registered vehicle identification information, and the first linear sensor and the second linear sensor sequentially detect the approach of a vehicle.

[0010] The parking device of this embodiment is a parking device equipped with a device main body having a space for storing vehicles, a control device for controlling the operation of the device main body, two or more linear sensors that linearly detect the approach of vehicles, and vehicle detection means (antenna) that detects vehicle identification information. The two or more linear sensors include a first linear sensor and a second linear sensor, and the first linear sensor and vehicle detection means (antenna) are located at positions where they can detect vehicles on a road leading to the device main body, and the second linear sensor is located closer to the device main body than the first linear sensor. The parking device of this embodiment configured as described above is capable of registering vehicle identification information, which is information about each vehicle or each user, and is capable of performing a parking preparation operation to prepare for parking before the vehicle is parked. When a vehicle attempts to enter a facility having the device main body from a road leading to the device main body, the control device of this embodiment performs a determination operation to determine whether or not to start the entry preparation operation prior to the entry preparation operation. The determination operation is an operation in which the vehicle detection means (antenna) acquires vehicle identification information from the vehicle, and determines whether or not to start the entry preparation operation on the condition that the vehicle identification information acquired from the vehicle corresponds to registered vehicle identification information and the first linear sensor and the second linear sensor sequentially detect the approach of the vehicle. Here, if the determination operation determines that the entry preparation operation should be performed, the entry preparation operation can be completed by the time the vehicle arrives at the parking device, thereby reducing the waiting time for entry. Furthermore, the conventional parking device uses two vehicle detection means (antennas) to determine the order of vehicle arrival. Therefore, when setting the installation locations of the two antennas, it is necessary to set the distance between the antennas to be greater than the error between the two antennas so that it can reliably determine which antenna a vehicle is approaching. On the other hand, the parking device of this embodiment uses two linear sensors to determine the order of vehicle detection. Therefore, when setting the installation locations of the antennas, it is sufficient to take into account the error of one antenna.

[0011] Another aspect for solving the above-mentioned problems is a parking device comprising a device main body having a space for storing a vehicle, a control device for controlling the operation of the device main body, a shutter gate provided on a road leading to the device main body, a linear sensor for linearly detecting the approach of a vehicle, and vehicle detection means for detecting vehicle identification information, wherein the vehicle detection means is provided at a position on the road leading to the device main body and at a position where it can detect a vehicle outside the shutter gate, the linear sensor is provided at a position closer to the device main body than the shutter gate and closer to the device main body than the detection range of the vehicle detection means, the control device is capable of registering vehicle identification information which is information about the vehicle or each user, and the control device is configured to register the vehicle identification information before the vehicle is parked. This parking device is capable of performing an entry preparation operation to prepare the parking lot, and performs a discrimination operation to determine whether to start the entry preparation operation, wherein the discrimination operation opens the shutter gate on at least one condition that the vehicle detection means acquires vehicle identification information from a vehicle and the vehicle identification information acquired from the vehicle corresponds to registered vehicle identification information, and starts the entry preparation operation on the condition that the vehicle detection means and the linear sensor sequentially detect the approach of a vehicle, and when a vehicle leaves the device main body, opens the shutter gate on the condition that the linear sensor detects the approach of the vehicle.

[0012] The parking device of this embodiment includes a device main body having a space for storing vehicles, a control device for controlling the operation of the device main body, a shutter gate installed on a road leading to the device main body, a linear sensor for linearly detecting the approach of a vehicle, and vehicle detection means (antenna) for detecting vehicle identification information. The vehicle detection means (antenna) is installed on the road leading to the device main body and in a position where it can detect a vehicle outside the shutter gate, and the linear sensor is installed in a position closer to the device main body than the shutter gate and closer to the device main body than the detection range of the vehicle detection means (antenna). The parking device of this embodiment configured as described above is capable of registering vehicle identification information, which is information about each vehicle or each user, and is capable of performing a parking entry preparation operation to prepare the vehicle for entry before the vehicle is parked. When a vehicle attempts to enter a facility having the device main body from a road leading to the device main body, the control device of this embodiment performs a determination operation to determine whether or not to start the warehousing preparation operation prior to the warehousing preparation operation. The determination operation is an operation in which the vehicle detection means (antenna) acquires vehicle identification information from the vehicle, and, on at least one condition that the vehicle identification information acquired from the vehicle corresponds to registered vehicle identification information, the shutter gate is opened, and, further, on the condition that the vehicle detection means (antenna) and the linear sensor sequentially detect the approach of the vehicle, the control device determines whether or not to start the warehousing preparation operation. On the other hand, when a vehicle exits the device main body, the shutter gate is opened on the condition that the linear sensor detects the approach of the vehicle.

[0013] The parking device of this embodiment is configured to use one vehicle detection means (antenna). Therefore, when installing the vehicle detection means (antenna) at a position to determine the approach of a target vehicle, the installation location of the antenna can be determined taking into account only the detection error of one antenna. In this type of parking device, when the discrimination operation determines that the entry preparation operation should be performed, the entry preparation operation can be completed before the vehicle arrives at the parking device, thereby reducing the waiting time for entry. Furthermore, when a vehicle approaches the shutter gate to leave the facility including the device main body, the shutter gate can already be in an open state, so the vehicle can leave the facility with a short waiting time.

[0014] Yet another aspect for solving the above-mentioned problems is a parking device comprising a device main body having a space for storing a vehicle, a control device for controlling the operation of the device main body, a shutter gate provided on a road leading to the device main body, first and second linear sensors for linearly detecting the approach of a vehicle, and vehicle detection means for detecting vehicle identification information, wherein the vehicle detection means and the first linear sensor are provided at positions where they can detect a vehicle on the road leading to the device main body, and the second linear sensor is provided at a position closer to the device main body than the detection range of the first linear sensor, shutter gate, and vehicle detection means, and the control device is capable of registering vehicle identification information which is information about each vehicle or each user, and the control device is configured to register vehicle identification information which is information about each vehicle or each user before the vehicle is parked. This parking device is capable of performing an entry preparation operation to make preparations, and performs a discrimination operation to determine whether to start the entry preparation operation, wherein the discrimination operation opens the shutter gate on at least one condition that the vehicle detection means acquires vehicle identification information from a vehicle and the vehicle identification information acquired from the vehicle corresponds to registered vehicle identification information, and starts the entry preparation operation on the condition that the first linear sensor and the second linear sensor sequentially detect the approach of the vehicle, and when the vehicle leaves the device main body, opens the shutter gate on the condition that the second linear sensor detects the approach of the vehicle.

[0015] In the parking device of this embodiment, two linear sensors are used to determine the order in which vehicles are detected. Therefore, compared to conventional parking devices that use two vehicle detection means (antennas) to determine the order in which vehicles arrive, the distance between the two linear sensors can be made smaller. Furthermore, when a vehicle that has entered the parking lot leaves the parking lot, the shutter gate is opened only when the second linear sensor detects the approach of the first vehicle, so the shutter gate can be opened at an early timing.

[0016] Yet another aspect for solving the above-mentioned problems is a parking device comprising: a device main body having a space for storing a vehicle; a control device for controlling the operation of the device main body; a shutter gate provided on a road leading to the device main body; a linear sensor for linearly detecting the approach of a vehicle; and vehicle detection means for detecting vehicle identification information, wherein the vehicle detection means is provided on the road leading to the device main body and at a position where it can detect a vehicle outside the shutter gate, and the linear sensor is provided at a position closer to the device main body than the shutter gate and closer to the device main body than the detection range of the vehicle detection means, and the control device registers vehicle identification information which is information about each vehicle or each user. a parking device capable of performing a warehousing preparation operation to prepare for entry before the vehicle is entered, and a discrimination operation to determine whether to start the warehousing preparation operation, wherein the discrimination operation opens the shutter gate on at least one condition that the vehicle detection means acquires vehicle identification information from a vehicle and the vehicle identification information acquired from the vehicle corresponds to registered vehicle identification information, starts the warehousing preparation operation on the condition that the vehicle detection means and the linear sensor sequentially detect the approach of a vehicle, and closes the shutter gate on the condition that the linear sensor detects the approach of a vehicle.

[0017] In this parking device, the detection error of the vehicle detection means (antenna) that needs to be considered during design is only that of one antenna. Also, when a vehicle enters the facility, the linear sensor is located closer to the device body than the shutter gate, so the shutter gate can be reliably closed when the vehicle enters the shutter gate.

[0018] Yet another aspect for solving the above-mentioned problems is a parking device comprising a device main body having a space for storing vehicles, a control device for controlling the operation of the device main body, a shutter gate provided on a road leading to the device main body, first and second linear sensors for linearly detecting the approach of vehicles, and vehicle detection means for detecting vehicle identification information, wherein the vehicle detection means and the first linear sensor are provided at positions where they can detect vehicles on the road leading to the device main body, and the second linear sensor is provided at a position closer to the device main body than the detection ranges of the first linear sensor, the shutter gate, and the vehicle detection means, and the control device is capable of registering vehicle identification information, which is information about each vehicle or each user. The parking device is capable of performing a warehousing preparation operation to prepare for entry before the vehicle is entered, and performs a discrimination operation to determine whether to start the warehousing preparation operation, wherein the discrimination operation opens the shutter gate on at least one condition that the vehicle detection means acquires vehicle identification information from a vehicle and the vehicle identification information acquired from the vehicle corresponds to registered vehicle identification information, starts the warehousing preparation operation on the condition that the first linear sensor and the second linear sensor detect the approach of a vehicle in sequence, and closes the shutter gate on the condition that the second linear sensor detects the approach of a vehicle.

[0019] In the parking device of this embodiment, two linear sensors are used to determine the order in which vehicles are detected when they enter. Therefore, compared to conventional parking devices that use two vehicle detection means (antennas) to determine the order in which vehicles arrive, the distance between the two linear sensors can be made smaller. Furthermore, because the second linear sensor is located closer to the device body than the shutter gate, it is possible to reliably control the shutter gate to close when a vehicle enters the shutter gate. [Effects of the Invention]

[0020] According to the present invention, it is only necessary to consider the error of one antenna, so it is possible to provide a parking device that requires less space. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a multi-story parking system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 2 is an enlarged schematic view showing the device main body and the operation panel of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the control panel of FIG. 1. [Figure 4] 4A is a conceptual diagram of the registration table of FIG. 3, FIG. 4B is a conceptual diagram of the history table of FIG. 3, and FIG. 4C is a conceptual diagram of the reservation table of FIG. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart showing details of the entry preparation determination operation executed by the multi-story parking system according to the first embodiment of FIG. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart showing details of shutter gate control executed by the multi-story parking system of the first embodiment of FIG. 1 when a vehicle exits the parking lot. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a multi-story parking system according to a modified example of the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a multi-story parking system according to a further modified example of the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a multi-story parking system according to a second embodiment. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart showing details of the entry preparation determination operation executed by the multi-story parking system according to the second embodiment of FIG. 9. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] Hereinafter, a multi-story parking system 1 (parking system) according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to these examples.

[0023] 1, the multi-story parking device 1 of this embodiment includes a device main body 2, an operation panel 3 (control device), an antenna 6 as a vehicle detection means, a first linear sensor 4 (first detection means), a second linear sensor 5 (second detection means), and a shutter gate 7. Here, the linear sensor is a sensor that detects a change in physical quantity in a linear direction, in other words, a sensor that detects a change in physical quantity in only one direction.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 2, the device main body 2 is a four-story building that is configured to be able to park a plurality of automobiles (vehicles). That is, the device main body 2 has a vehicle placement area 10 with multiple floors (four floors), and multiple pallets 11 are provided in this vehicle placement area 10. Each pallet 11 is a platform member for mounting a vehicle, and can be moved left and right and up and down in a puzzle-like manner by a drive mechanism (not shown). For convenience of drawing, only some of the pallets 11 are labeled with reference numerals, and the other parts are omitted.

[0025] In addition, a vehicle entrance / exit section 12 is provided on the ground floor (first floor) of the vehicle storage area 10, allowing vehicles to enter and exit the vehicle storage area 10. The vehicle entrance / exit section 12 is an entrance / exit for vehicles, and is the boundary between the vehicle storage area 10 and the outside.

[0026] A gate 15 is provided at the vehicle entrance / exit section 12. The gate 15 is formed so as to be able to rise and fall by a lifting mechanism (not shown), and is switchable between an open state in which the gate 15 is raised and a closed state in which the gate 15 is lowered.

[0027] In the multi-story parking system 1, when a vehicle is to be parked, the pallet 11 moves to the ground floor and waits at the back of one of the vehicle entrances 12. Then, with the gate 15 of the vehicle entrance 12 located in front of the pallet 11 in the open state, the vehicle is placed on the pallet 11. Next, the gate 15 is closed, completing the parking. When the gate 15 is closed, the pallet 11 automatically moves to a predetermined position as necessary.

[0028] On the other hand, when the vehicle is to be removed, if the pallet 11 on which the vehicle is placed is not located on the ground floor, it is moved to the ground floor. Then, the gate 15 of the vehicle entrance / exit section 12 located in front of the pallet 11 is opened, and the vehicle is moved from the pallet 11 to the outside of the vehicle placement area 10. Next, the gate 15 is closed, thereby completing the removal from the vehicle. When the gate 15 is closed, the pallet 11 automatically moves to a predetermined position as necessary.

[0029] That is, in the vehicle placement area 10, a storage space for each vehicle is formed above each pallet 11 on which the vehicle is placed. Also, the back part of the vehicle entrance / exit area 12 on the ground floor becomes a vehicle waiting area where vehicles wait when entering and exiting the parking lot, and also becomes a place for getting on and off the vehicle.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 2, the operation panel 3 is a box-shaped structure having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape that is installed outside the vehicle arrangement area 10, and is formed to accommodate various devices such as control boards. The operation panel 3 is equipped with display means such as a liquid crystal panel and input means such as a numeric keypad and operation switches, and when operated by a user, causes the device main body 2 to perform operations related to loading and unloading. That is, the operation of moving the above-mentioned pallet 11 to the ground floor and the operation of opening and closing the gate 15 are performed. The display means such as a liquid crystal panel may be a touch panel, and may also serve as an input means such as a numeric keypad or operation switches.

[0031] 3, the operation panel 3 has a control unit 30 that controls each operation of the device main body 2. The control unit 30 includes a calculation unit 31 such as a CPU, a storage unit 32, and a communication unit 33.

[0032] The calculation unit 31 is a part that performs various calculations and generates control signals by reading and executing programs stored in the storage unit 32 based on various inputs.

[0033] The storage unit 32 includes a main storage device consisting of a ROM for storing various programs and data, and a RAM for temporarily storing various programs and rewritably storing various data, and is further provided with an auxiliary storage device as needed. Note that the auxiliary storage device may be a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), or the like.

[0034] The communication unit 33 has an interface that enables wired or wireless two-way communication with external devices or boards, and is connected to the calculation unit 31 via a transmission path such as a bus. In this embodiment, the communication unit 33 enables the operation panel 3 to send and receive signals to and from various devices and boards provided in the device main body 2. It is also capable of receiving signals transmitted from the antenna 6, the first linear sensor 4, and the second linear sensor 5.

[0035] Here, a database is stored in the storage unit 32, and information can be stored in each table. Specifically, information specified in each of a registration table 40, a history table 41, and a reservation table 43 can be stored.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 4, the registration table 40 stores pallet numbers, which are numbers individually assigned to each pallet 11, and ETC on-board unit numbers (vehicle identification information) in association with each other.

[0037] Specifically, the multi-story parking device 1 of this embodiment uses the management number (ETC onboard unit number) of the ETC onboard unit installed in each vehicle as information to identify each vehicle stored in the device main body 2. In the multi-story parking device 1 of this embodiment, before operation begins, the ETC onboard unit number, which is information that identifies the vehicle to be stored in the device main body 2, and the pallet number, which is information regarding the storage location where each vehicle will be stored, are associated and stored. That is, the registration of each vehicle stored in the device main body 2 is completed by associating the management number of the ETC on-board unit with the pallet number and storing it in the registration table 40. In the following description, a vehicle for which this registration has been completed is also referred to as a registered vehicle.

[0038] The history table 41 is a table that stores the history when the antenna 6 receives a signal transmitted from an ETC onboard unit installed in a registered vehicle traveling near the antenna 6 and acquires information regarding the ETC onboard unit number of the registered vehicle.

[0039] That is, as will be described in detail later, when a vehicle travels near the antenna 6 and enters the antenna's reachable range 8, the antenna 6 receives a signal transmitted from the ETC on-board unit installed in the vehicle. Then, an operation to identify the ETC on-board unit number is performed based on this signal, and if this ETC on-board unit number is a registered number stored in the registration table 40, the acquisition history is stored in this history table 41. That is, the history table 41 is a table that selects and stores the acquisition history of registered vehicles from among the automobiles that have acquired information specifying the ETC on-board unit number through the antenna 6.

[0040] In this embodiment, the time when the antenna 6 acquired the information is associated with the acquired ETC on-board unit number and stored. Note that in this embodiment, when a predetermined time t1 (one minute in this embodiment) has elapsed since the acquisition history (record) was stored in the history table 41, the stored acquisition history is automatically deleted.

[0041] 4(c), the reservation table 43 stores the reservation order for the warehousing preparation operation (described in detail later), the ETC on-board unit number installed in the registered vehicle to be warehousing, and the pallet number of the pallet 11 on which the registered vehicle will be placed when warehousing, in association with each other. In the warehousing order, the lower the number, the more likely the vehicle is to be allowed to warehousing first.

[0042] On the road R, which is a single road leading to the site where the device main body 2 is installed, there is provided a shutter gate 7 that separates the site of the facility (for example, an apartment building, commercial facility, or corporate entity) where the device main body 2 is installed from the road R.

[0043] The antenna 6 (see FIG. 1) is an ETC antenna that receives a signal transmitted from an ETC on-board unit installed in a vehicle. The antenna 6 also has a transmitting means (not shown) that transmits the received signal to the operation panel 3. The antenna 6 is provided in a location where it can detect vehicles attempting to enter through the shutter gate 7. Specifically, in this embodiment, the antenna 6 is placed above the shutter gate 7, and is capable of detecting vehicles on the road R leading to the device main body 2.

[0044] Both the first linear sensor 4 and the second linear sensor 5 use photoelectric sensors. As shown in FIG. 1 , the light-emitting unit 4a and the light-receiving unit 4b of the first linear sensor are oriented in a direction intersecting the traveling direction of road R (approximately 90 degrees in this embodiment), so that the passage of vehicles traveling on road R can be confirmed. Similarly, the light-emitting unit 5a and the light-receiving unit 5b of the second linear sensor are oriented in a direction intersecting the traveling direction of road R (approximately 90 degrees in this embodiment), so that the passage of vehicles traveling on the road can be confirmed. By providing two linear sensors, it is possible to confirm whether a vehicle is traveling in the direction entering or exiting the parking device.

[0045] 1, the first linear sensor 4 and the second linear sensor 5 are installed on the side of a straight road R that extends along the site where the device main body 2 is installed. In other words, the first linear sensor 4 and the second linear sensor 5 are arranged so as to be spaced apart and lined up in a substantially straight line. The second linear sensor 5 is installed within the premises of the facility having the device main body 2, at a predetermined distance from the device main body 2 and the adjacent operation panel 3. The first linear sensor 4 is installed at a position even farther from the device main body 2 than the second linear sensor 5, on the road R outside the shutter gate 7, i.e., outside the premises of the facility having the device main body 2.

[0046] 1, in the multi-story parking device 1 according to this embodiment, when a vehicle travels on a road R in a direction approaching the device main body 2 from the outside, an entry preparation determination operation (determination operation) is performed to determine whether or not to execute an entry preparation operation (details will be described later). Then, the entry preparation operation is executed depending on the result of this entry preparation determination operation.

[0047] First, prior to the storage preparation determination operation, the storage preparation operation will be described.

[0048] In the warehousing preparation operation, first, the control unit 30 refers to the reservation table 43 to identify the registered vehicle to be warehousing and the pallet number of the pallet 11 on which to place this registered vehicle. Then, the control unit 30 identifies the pallet 11 from this pallet number, and if the identified pallet 11 is not on the ground floor, it performs an operation to move the pallet 11 to the ground floor. On the other hand, if the identified pallet 11 is on the ground floor, it is kept waiting. That is, the storage preparation operation is an operation of placing the pallet 11 on the ground floor in advance before (or in time for) the registered vehicle to be stored arrives at the device main body 2.

[0049] This warehousing preparation operation is performed in order of priority, starting with the highest priority, based on the information stored in the reservation table 43. In this embodiment, the "reservation order" item (column) is referenced and the operation is performed in order of lowest number.

[0050] Next, the entry preparation determination operation, which is a characteristic operation of this embodiment, will be described in detail with reference to Figure 5. Note that the following description also includes the opening and closing operation of the shutter getter 7, which is another characteristic of this embodiment, but this entry preparation determination operation and the opening and closing operation of the shutter getter 7 can also be used independently. In other words, depending on the parking device to which it is applied, there are cases where only the described entry preparation determination operation is applied, and cases where only the opening and closing operation of the shutter getter 7 is applied.

[0051] First, the entry preparation determination operation will be described. The entry preparation determination operation refers to the operation of confirming that (1) the vehicle identification information of the vehicle intending to enter, read by the antenna 6, corresponds to the registered vehicle identification information, and (2) the first linear sensor 4 and the second linear sensor 5 detect the vehicle's approach in this order. When these two conditions are met, the entry preparation determination operation is deemed to have been successful and completed. At this time, condition (1) confirms that the vehicle currently attempting entry is a registered vehicle. Furthermore, condition (2) indicates that this vehicle approached the first linear sensor 4 and then the second linear sensor 5 in this order. In other words, it can be determined that this vehicle is attempting to enter the facility. Therefore, in this state, the entry preparation operation to prepare this vehicle for entry is possible, and the device main body 2 subsequently executes this entry preparation operation.

[0052] The warehousing preparation determination operation will be described in detail below with reference to Figure 5. First, in step S1, it is confirmed whether or not the antenna 6 has received an antenna signal. If the answer is No, the process returns to S1. On the other hand, if the answer is Yes, the process proceeds to step S2, in which the control unit 30 refers to the information related to the ETC on-board unit number acquired by the antenna 6 and the registration table 40, and performs a registration determination operation to determine whether or not the acquired ETC on-board unit number is a number registered in the registration table 40 (see Figure 4(a)). If the answer to step S2 is No, there is no need to perform the warehousing preparation operation, and therefore the warehousing preparation determination operation is terminated. On the other hand, if the answer is Yes, step S3 is performed, that is, the ETC on-board unit number acquired by the antenna 6 and the time when the information was acquired are stored in the history table 41 (see FIG. 4(b)), and the shutter gate 7 is opened. At this stage, condition (1) of the two conditions for successfully completing the entry preparation determination operation is met.

[0053] Then, the process proceeds to step S4, that is, a confirmation of whether or not the first linear sensor 4 has detected the approach of a vehicle. If the result is No, the process proceeds to step 5, that is, a confirmation phase of whether or not a predetermined time t1 has elapsed since step S1.

[0054] If the answer is No in step S5, the process returns to step S4, and the confirmation phase of whether or not the first linear sensor 4 has detected the approach of a vehicle is executed again. On the other hand, if the answer is Yes in step S5, the process proceeds to step S8, where the data written to the history table in step S3 is erased, and the process proceeds to step S10, where the shutter gate is closed, and the entry preparation determination operation is completed.

[0055] On the other hand, if the answer is Yes in step S4, the process proceeds to step S6 to check whether the second linear sensor 5 has detected the approach of a vehicle. If the answer is No, the process proceeds to step S7, that is, a phase to check whether a predetermined time t1 has elapsed since step S1.

[0056] If the answer is No in step S7, the process returns to step S6, and the confirmation phase of whether or not the second linear sensor 5 has detected the approach of a vehicle is executed again. On the other hand, if the answer is Yes in step S7, the process proceeds to step S8, where the data written to the history table 41 in step S3 is erased, and the process proceeds to step S10, where the shutter gate is closed, and the entry preparation determination operation is completed.

[0057] On the other hand, if the answer is "Yes" in step S6, that is, in the confirmation phase of whether the second linear sensor 5 has detected the approach of a vehicle, this means that the condition (2) for successfully terminating the entry preparation determination operation has also been met. Therefore, the process proceeds to step S9, where information is added to the reservation table. The shutter gate is then closed, and the entry preparation determination operation (including the shutter opening and closing operation at entry) is terminated.

[0058] In the above example, to make the processing flow easier to understand, a case is described in which the antenna 6 recognizes the approach of a vehicle earlier than the first linear sensor 4. That is, the processing flow is described as a series of steps in which steps S1 to S3 in Fig. 5 are processed first, and then steps S4 to S6 are processed. However, in reality, steps S1 to S3 and steps S4 to S6 are independent processes that are processed simultaneously in parallel.

[0059] The parking device according to the first embodiment described above can achieve advantages not found in conventional parking devices, even when a vehicle is leaving the parking lot. By further implementing the processing of the flowchart in FIG. 6, it is possible to accelerate the timing of opening the shutter gate when the vehicle leaves the parking lot. That is, first, in step S31, the second sensor monitors the approach of a vehicle when the vehicle is leaving the parking lot, and when the approach is detected, the shutter gate is opened as shown in step S32. This makes it possible to more reliably keep the shutter gate 7 open when the vehicle reaches it.

[0060] In the parking system according to the first embodiment described above, the second linear sensor 5 is located within the premises of the facility having the device main body 2, at a predetermined distance from the device main body 2 and the adjacent operation panel (controller) 3. However, like the first linear sensor 4, the second linear sensor 5 may also be located outside the shutter gate 7, i.e., outside the premises, as shown in FIG. 7. This allows the second linear sensor 5 to detect the approach of a vehicle more quickly. This therefore allows the timing of the start of the parking preparation operation to be accelerated, making it possible to more reliably move the pallet 11 to the predetermined position when the vehicle approaches the device main body 2.

[0061] In the modification of the first embodiment described above, the second linear sensor 5 is provided outside the shutter gate 7, i.e., outside the site premises. Therefore, it makes no sense to open the shutter gate when the second linear sensor 5 detects that a vehicle is approaching the site as it exits. As a countermeasure to this, as shown in Figure 8, another linear sensor 9 (light emitting unit 9a, light receiving unit 9b) may be installed within the premises of the facility having the device main body 2, at a position a predetermined distance away from the device main body 2 and the adjacent operation panel (control device) 3. In this way, if the shutter gate 7 is opened when a vehicle approaches this other linear sensor 9, it is possible to reliably keep the shutter gate 7 open when the vehicle reaches it.

[0062] Next, a multi-story parking system 51 (parking system) according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to these examples. In the second embodiment, components having the same functions as those in the first embodiment are assigned the same numbers as those in the first embodiment. As shown in Figure 9, the multi-story parking device 51 of this second embodiment comprises a device main body 2, an operation panel 3 (control device), an antenna 6 as a vehicle detection means, a linear sensor 5, and a shutter gate 7.

[0063] That is, the configuration of the multi-story parking system 51 of this embodiment differs from the configuration of the multi-story parking system 1 of the first embodiment in that it has only one linear sensor 5 that detects the approach of a vehicle. This one linear sensor 5 is located within the premises of the facility that has the device main body 2, at a predetermined distance from the device main body 2 and the operation panel 3 adjacent to it. In other words, the linear sensor 5 that detects the approach of only one vehicle is located at the position of the second linear sensor 5 of the first embodiment. The device main body 2 is the same as that in the first embodiment. The antenna 6 is also the same as that in the first embodiment, and is installed in the same location as in the first embodiment, namely, at the shutter gate 7. Therefore, the detection range of the radio waves emitted from the vehicle is set at a position that extends to some extent outside the premises of the facility where the device main body 2 is installed.

[0064] The functional difference between the multi-story parking system 51 of the second embodiment and the multi-story parking system 1 of the first embodiment is in the configuration of the entry preparation determination operation. That is, in the multi-story parking system 1 of the first embodiment, the entry preparation determination operation was deemed to have been successful and ended when the following two conditions were met: (1) the vehicle identification information of the vehicle intending to enter, read by the antenna 6, corresponds to the registered vehicle identification information, and (2) the first linear sensor 4 and the second linear sensor 5 detect the approach of the vehicle in this order. On the other hand, in the second embodiment of the multi-story parking device 51, the entry preparation determination operation is deemed to have been successful and completed when the following two conditions are met: (1) the vehicle identification information of the vehicle intending to enter read by the antenna 6 corresponds to the registered vehicle identification information, and (2) the antenna 6 and the second linear sensor 5 detect the vehicle in this order. The operation of determining whether a vehicle is ready to enter the parking lot will be described below with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 10. As with the multi-story parking system 1 of the first embodiment, the operation of opening and closing the shutter gate at the time of entry will also be described in this embodiment.

[0065] First, in step S41, it is confirmed whether or not the antenna 6 has received an antenna signal. If the answer is No, the process returns to S41. On the other hand, if the answer is Yes, the process proceeds to step S42, in which the control unit 30 refers to the information related to the ETC on-board unit number acquired by the antenna 6 and the registration table 40, and performs a registration determination operation to determine whether or not the acquired ETC on-board unit number is a number registered in the registration table 40 (see FIG. 4(a)). If the answer to step S42 is No, it is determined that the warehousing preparation operation is not to be performed, and the warehousing preparation determination operation is terminated.

[0066] On the other hand, if the answer is Yes, in step S43, the ETC on-board unit number acquired by the antenna 6 and the time the information was acquired are stored in the history table 41 (see FIG. 4(b)), and the shutter gate 7 is opened. At this stage, condition (1) of the two conditions for successfully completing the entry preparation determination operation is met. In addition, the first half of condition (2), that is, the antenna 6 has completed receiving a signal from the vehicle, and therefore has also completed detecting the approach of the vehicle. Then, the process proceeds to step S44, that is, to confirm whether or not the linear sensor 5 has detected the approach of a vehicle. If the result is No, the process proceeds to step S45, that is, to a phase for confirming whether or not a predetermined time t1 has elapsed since step S41.

[0067] If the answer is No in step S45, the process returns to step S44, and the confirmation phase of whether or not the approach of a vehicle has been detected by the linear sensor 5 is repeated. If the answer is Yes in step S45, the process proceeds to step S47, where the data written to the history table in step S43 is erased, and the process proceeds to step S48, where the shutter gate is closed, and the entry preparation determination operation is completed.

[0068] On the other hand, if the answer is "Yes" in step S44, that is, the confirmation phase of whether the linear sensor 5 has detected the approach of a vehicle, this means that the condition (2) for successfully terminating the entry preparation determination operation has also been met. Therefore, the process proceeds to step S46, where information is added to the reservation table. The shutter gate is then closed, and the entry preparation determination operation (including the shutter opening and closing operation at entry) is terminated.

[0069] In the second embodiment, the shutter gate is also opened and closed when exiting. In the flowchart of Fig. 6 (processing for opening the shutter gate when exiting in the first embodiment), if the second linear sensor in step S31 is simply replaced with a linear sensor, the flowchart becomes the processing for opening the shutter gate when exiting in the second embodiment. Therefore, further explanation will be omitted.

[0070] In the above-described embodiment, photoelectric sensors are used as the linear sensors 4, 5, and 9, and the light-emitting portion 4a and the light-receiving portion 4b of the photoelectric sensors are oriented in a direction intersecting the traveling direction of the road R, so that it is possible to confirm the approach of a vehicle traveling on the road R. However, a method may also be used in which the photoelectric sensors are oriented in a direction parallel to the road, and when a certain amount of light or more is obtained from the reflected light from a vehicle, it is determined that a vehicle is approaching. Alternatively, a sensor that detects changes in physical quantity in the vertical direction may be used as the linear sensor. A pressure sensor that detects changes in physical quantity in the vertical direction (changes in weight on the sensor) may be placed on the road leading to the device body, and the proximity of a vehicle may be confirmed by detecting changes in pressure applied to the pressure sensor.

[0071] The condition for opening the shutter gate may be based on not only reference to the vehicle identification information but also other conditions such as a separate sensor. [Explanation of symbols]

[0072] 1, 51 Multi-story parking equipment (parking equipment) 2. Device body 3 Control panel (control device) 4. First linear sensor (first detection means) 5. Second linear sensor (second detection means) 6 Vehicle detection means (antenna) 7. Shutter Gate 8 Antenna coverage 9 Another linear sensor

Claims

1. A parking device comprising: a device body having a space for storing a vehicle; a control device for controlling the operation of the device body; two or more linear sensors for linearly detecting the approach of a vehicle; and a vehicle detection means for detecting vehicle identification information, the two or more linear sensors include a first linear sensor and a second linear sensor; the first linear sensor and the vehicle detection means are provided at positions where they can detect a vehicle on a road following the device body, the second linear sensor is provided at a position closer to the device body than the first linear sensor, The control device is capable of registering vehicle identification information, which is information about each vehicle or each user, and is capable of a warehousing preparation operation for preparing for warehousing before the vehicle is brought into the warehousing, and performs a determination operation for determining whether or not to start the warehousing preparation operation, The parking device is characterized in that the discrimination operation starts the entrance preparation operation under the condition that the vehicle detection means acquires vehicle identification information from a vehicle, and the vehicle identification information acquired from the vehicle corresponds to registered vehicle identification information, and the first linear sensor and the second linear sensor sequentially detect the approach of the vehicle.

2. A parking device comprising: a device main body having a space for storing a vehicle; a control device for controlling the operation of the device main body; a shutter gate provided on a road leading to the device main body; a linear sensor for linearly detecting the approach of a vehicle; and a vehicle detection means for detecting vehicle identification information, the vehicle detection means is provided at a position where it can detect a vehicle on a road leading to the device body and outside the shutter gate, the linear sensor is provided at a position closer to the device body than the shutter gate and closer to the device body than the detection range of the vehicle detection means, The control device is capable of registering vehicle identification information, which is information about each vehicle or each user, is capable of performing a warehousing preparation operation to prepare for warehousing before the vehicle is brought into the warehousing, and performs a determination operation to determine whether or not to start the warehousing preparation operation, The discrimination operation includes: opening the shutter gate under at least one condition that the vehicle detection means acquires vehicle identification information from one vehicle, and the vehicle identification information acquired from the one vehicle corresponds to registered vehicle identification information; The vehicle entry preparation operation is started on the condition that the vehicle detection means and the linear sensor detect the approach of one vehicle in sequence, and A parking device characterized in that, when a vehicle exits the device main body, the shutter gate is opened on the condition that the linear sensor detects the approach of the vehicle.

3. A parking device comprising: a device main body having a space for storing a vehicle; a control device for controlling the operation of said device main body; a shutter gate provided on a road leading to the device main body; first and second linear sensors for linearly detecting the approach of a vehicle; and vehicle detection means for detecting vehicle identification information, the vehicle detection means and the first linear sensor are provided at positions where they can detect vehicles on a road following the device body; the second linear sensor is provided at a position closer to the device body than the detection ranges of the first linear sensor, the shutter gate, and the vehicle detection means, The control device is capable of registering vehicle identification information, which is information about each vehicle or each user, is capable of performing a warehousing preparation operation to prepare for warehousing before the vehicle is brought into the warehousing, and performs a determination operation to determine whether or not to start the warehousing preparation operation, The discrimination operation includes: opening the shutter gate under at least one condition that the vehicle detection means acquires vehicle identification information from one vehicle, and the vehicle identification information acquired from the one vehicle corresponds to registered vehicle identification information; starting the warehousing preparation operation on the condition that the first linear sensor and the second linear sensor successively detect the approach of one vehicle; A parking device characterized in that when a vehicle exits the device main body, the shutter gate is opened on the condition that the second linear sensor detects the approach of the vehicle.

4. A parking device comprising: a device main body having a space for storing a vehicle; a control device for controlling the operation of the device main body; a shutter gate provided on a road leading to the device main body; a linear sensor for linearly detecting the approach of a vehicle; and a vehicle detection means for detecting vehicle identification information, the vehicle detection means is provided at a position where it can detect a vehicle on a road leading to the device body and outside the shutter gate, the linear sensor is provided at a position closer to the device body than the shutter gate and closer to the device body than the detection range of the vehicle detection means, The control device is capable of registering vehicle identification information, which is information about each vehicle or each user, is capable of performing a warehousing preparation operation to prepare for warehousing before the vehicle is brought into the warehousing, and performs a determination operation to determine whether or not to start the warehousing preparation operation, The discrimination operation includes: opening the shutter gate under at least one condition that the vehicle detection means acquires vehicle identification information from one vehicle, and the vehicle identification information acquired from the one vehicle corresponds to registered vehicle identification information; The vehicle entry preparation operation is started on the condition that the vehicle detection means and the linear sensor detect the approach of one vehicle in sequence, and A parking device characterized in that the shutter gate is closed on the condition that the linear sensor detects the approach of a vehicle.

5. A parking device comprising: a device main body having a space for storing a vehicle; a control device for controlling the operation of said device main body; a shutter gate provided on a road leading to the device main body; first and second linear sensors for linearly detecting the approach of a vehicle; and vehicle detection means for detecting vehicle identification information, the vehicle detection means and the first linear sensor are provided at positions where they can detect vehicles on a road following the device body; the second linear sensor is provided at a position closer to the device body than the detection ranges of the first linear sensor, the shutter gate, and the vehicle detection means, The control device is capable of registering vehicle identification information, which is information about each vehicle or each user, is capable of performing a warehousing preparation operation to prepare for warehousing before the vehicle is brought into the warehousing, and performs a determination operation to determine whether or not to start the warehousing preparation operation, The discrimination operation includes: opening the shutter gate under at least one condition that the vehicle detection means acquires vehicle identification information from one vehicle, and the vehicle identification information acquired from the one vehicle corresponds to registered vehicle identification information; starting the warehousing preparation operation on the condition that the first linear sensor and the second linear sensor successively detect the approach of one vehicle; A parking device characterized in that the shutter gate is closed on the condition that the second linear sensor detects the approach of a vehicle.

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