Parking management device, parking management method, and parking control device using the same

Abstract

To provide a parking lot management device and parking lot management method capable of generating use schedule information of a charging facility of a parking lot, so as to enable a large amount of electric vehicles to efficiently use the charging facility arranged inside the parking lot as much as possible.SOLUTION: A parking lot management device includes a use schedule information updating section 423 for performing: identifying a leaving prediction time of a vehicle when the vehicle being a use object of a charging facility enters a parking lot; identifying the earliest use start possible time for starting the use of the charging facility at a present point of time; identifying the use start possible time as a facility use start time of the entering vehicle when a time elapsed from the identified use start possible time by a predetermined charging time is before the leaving prediction time of the entering vehicle; identifying a time elapsed from the identified facility use start time by the charging time as a facility use end time of the entering vehicle; and updating use schedule information based on the identified information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a parking lot management device, a parking lot management method, and a parking lot control device using the same.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, electric vehicles powered by battery power have become popular, and along with this, the development of charging facilities for charging the batteries of electric vehicles has been required.

[0003] In view of this, by installing charging facilities in parking lots in condominiums and large facilities, it is possible to charge an electric vehicle while it is parked in the parking lot.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] When installing charging facilities in a parking lot as described above, since there is a limit to the number of installations, rotation charging is performed in the order of entry for a plurality of electric vehicles. However, when rotation charging is performed, there is a problem that an electric vehicle with a short parking time may not be able to be charged by the time of departure.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a parking lot management device, a parking lot management method, and a parking lot control device using the same, which can generate utilization schedule information of charging facilities in a parking lot so that as many electric vehicles as possible can efficiently use the charging facilities installed in the parking lot.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] To achieve the above objective, the present invention provides a parking management device for managing a parking lot where charging equipment is installed, comprising: a usage history information storage unit that stores usage history information of the parking lot for each vehicle; a usage schedule information storage unit that stores usage schedule information of the charging equipment, in which the start time and end time of equipment use of the charging equipment are set for each reserved vehicle for which the use of the charging equipment has been reserved; and a usage schedule information update unit that, when a vehicle to be used by the charging equipment enters the parking lot, identifies the predicted departure time of the entered vehicle based on the usage history information stored in the usage history information storage unit, identifies the earliest possible start time for using the charging equipment based on the usage schedule information stored in the usage schedule information storage unit, and if the time elapsed by a predetermined charging time from the identified start time is before the predicted departure time of the entered vehicle, identifies the start time for using the equipment as the start time of equipment use for the entered vehicle, identifies the time elapsed by the charging time from the identified start time as the end time of equipment use for the entered vehicle, and updates the usage schedule information based on the identified information.

[0008] Furthermore, the present invention relates to a parking management method in which a parking management device that manages a parking lot where charging equipment is installed stores usage history information of the parking lot for each vehicle and usage schedule information of the charging equipment, which sets the equipment usage start time and equipment usage end time for each reserved vehicle for which the use of the charging equipment has been reserved. When a vehicle that is to be used by the charging equipment enters the parking lot, the device identifies the predicted departure time of the entered vehicle based on the stored usage history information, identifies the earliest possible start time for using the charging equipment based on the stored usage schedule information, and if the time elapsed by a predetermined charging time from the identified start time is before the predicted departure time of the entered vehicle, the device identifies the start time as the equipment usage start time of the entered vehicle, identifies the time elapsed by the charging time from the identified start time as the equipment usage end time of the entered vehicle, and updates the usage schedule information based on the identified information. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a parking management device, a parking management method, and a parking control device using the same, which can generate usage schedule information for charging equipment in a parking lot so that as many electric vehicles as possible can efficiently use the charging equipment installed in the parking lot. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram showing the configuration of a parking management system using a parking management device according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a mechanical parking system managed by a parking management system according to one embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a flowchart showing the flow of the update process for usage schedule information that is performed by the parking management device during the operation of a parking management system according to one embodiment. [Figure 4] (a) is an example of information stored in the setting information storage unit of a parking management device according to one embodiment; (b) is an explanatory diagram showing the time from the time of entry to the predicted time of exit for each vehicle a to f that has entered a mechanical parking lot managed by the parking management device, and the usage time of the charging equipment; and (c) is an explanatory diagram showing the equipment usage time for each vehicle a to f for each charging equipment installed in the mechanical parking lot. [Figure 5] (a) is an explanatory diagram showing the time from the time of entry to the predicted time of exit for each vehicle a to g that has entered a mechanical parking lot managed by a parking management device according to one embodiment, and the usage time of the charging equipment. (b) is an explanatory diagram showing the equipment usage time for each vehicle a to g for each charging equipment installed in the mechanical parking lot. [Figure 6] (a) is an explanatory diagram showing the time from the time of entry to the predicted time of exit for each vehicle a to h that has entered a mechanical parking lot managed by a parking management device according to one embodiment, and the usage time of the charging equipment. (b) is an explanatory diagram showing the equipment usage time for each vehicle a to h for each charging equipment installed in the mechanical parking lot. [Figure 7] (a) is an explanatory diagram showing the time from the time of entry to the predicted time of exit for each vehicle a to i that has entered a mechanical parking lot managed by a parking management device according to one embodiment, and the usage time of the charging equipment. (b) is an explanatory diagram showing the equipment usage time for each vehicle a to i for each charging equipment installed in the mechanical parking lot. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] <Configuration of a parking management system using a parking management device according to one embodiment> The configuration of a parking management system using a parking management device according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figure 1. The parking management system 1 according to this embodiment comprises a mechanical parking lot 10, a user terminal 20, an operation panel 30, and a parking management device 40.

[0012] As shown in Figure 2, the mechanical parking garage 10 comprises a plurality of parking racks (12 racks P1 to P12 in this embodiment) installed inside building B, power supply equipment 11 to 13 installed near some of the racks (3 racks P1 to P3 in this embodiment), a plurality of pallets 14-1 to 14-12 for loading vehicles, installed corresponding to each rack P1 to P12, and chargers 15-1 to 15-12 installed on each pallet 14-1 to 14-12. Each of the chargers 15-1 to 15-12 has a power plug 15a-1 to 15a-12 that is attached to the power supply equipment 11 to 13 when charging is performed. Shelves P1 to P3, located near power supply equipment 11 to 13, are charging shelves capable of performing charging operations. Each charger 15-1 to 15-12 is connected to one of the power supply equipment 11 to 13 by having the corresponding power plug 15a-1 to 15a-12 attached to one of the power supply equipment 11 to 13, thereby constructing charging equipment X1 to X3.

[0013] Figure 1 shows that vehicle a, loaded on pallet 14-1, is being charged by charging equipment X1 on shelf P1; vehicle c, loaded on pallet 14-2, is being charged by charging equipment X2 on shelf P2; vehicle b, loaded on pallet 14-3, is being charged by charging equipment X3 on shelf P3; and vehicle d, loaded on pallet 14-5, is waiting to be charged on shelf P5.

[0014] Hereafter, if the specific pallet from pallets 14-1 to 14-12 is not identified, it will be referred to as pallet 14. Similarly, if the specific charger from chargers 15-1 to 15-12 is not identified, it will be referred to as charger 15; if the specific power plug from power plugs 15a-1 to 15a-12 is not identified, it will be referred to as power plug 15a; and if the specific charging equipment from charging equipment X1 to X3 is not identified, it will be referred to as charging equipment X.

[0015] The mechanical parking system 10 also includes a drive unit 16, a parking control device 17, and a charging equipment management device 18. The drive unit 16 moves pallets 14-1 to 14-12 between the entrance / exit (not shown) of building B and each parking space P1 to P12. The parking control device 17 controls the drive unit 16. The charging equipment management device 18 controls the power supply status to each power supply equipment 11 to 13 and acquires charging status information of electric vehicles (hereinafter referred to as "vehicles") being charged by charging equipment X1 to X3 and transmits it to the parking management device 40.

[0016] Returning to Figure 1, the user terminal 20 consists of a portable terminal or the like carried by a user of the mechanical parking garage 10, and has information input and display functions. The control panel 30 consists of door phones or the like at the entrance and exit of the mechanical parking garage 10 and in each dwelling of the apartment building where the mechanical parking garage 10 is installed, and has information input and display functions.

[0017] The parking management device 40 includes a storage unit 41 and a CPU 42. The storage unit 41 includes a setting information storage unit 411, a usage history information storage unit 412, and a usage schedule information storage unit 413.

[0018] The setting information storage unit 411 stores setting information including the necessity of the charging process for each vehicle that uses the mechanical parking lot 10 and its charging facility X, which is input by the user from the user terminal 20 or the operation panel 30. The usage history information storage unit 412 stores the usage history information of the mechanical parking lot 10 for each vehicle. The usage schedule information storage unit 413 stores the usage schedule information of the charging facility X, in which the facility usage start time and the facility usage end time of the charging facility X are set, for the reserved vehicles whose use of the charging facility X is reserved.

[0019] The CPU 42 includes a setting information acquisition unit 421, a usage status information processing unit 422, a usage schedule information update unit 423, and an information notification unit 424.

[0020] The setting information acquisition unit 421 acquires the setting information including the necessity of the charging process for the corresponding vehicle from the user terminal 20 or the operation panel 30 and stores it in the setting information storage unit 411. The usage status information processing unit 422 acquires the usage status information for each vehicle in the mechanical parking lot 10 and stores it in the usage history information storage unit 412.

[0021] When a vehicle intended to use the charging equipment X enters the mechanical parking lot 10, the usage schedule information update unit 423 identifies the estimated departure time of the entered vehicle based on the usage history information stored in the usage history information storage unit 412. The usage schedule information update unit 423 also identifies the earliest possible start time for using the charging equipment X based on the usage schedule information stored in the usage schedule information storage unit 413, and determines whether the time elapsed by a predetermined charging time from the identified start time is before the estimated departure time of the entered vehicle. If the time elapsed by a predetermined charging time from the identified start time is before the estimated departure time of the entered vehicle, the usage schedule information update unit 423 identifies the start time as the start time for using the equipment for the entered vehicle, identifies the time elapsed by the charging time from the identified start time as the end time for using the equipment for the entered vehicle, and updates the usage schedule information based on the identified information.

[0022] Furthermore, when a vehicle intended to use the charging facility X enters the mechanical parking lot 10, if the time elapsed from the specified start time for use by the charging time exceeds the estimated departure time of the entered vehicle, the usage schedule information update unit 423 stores the start time for use as a provisional start time for use of the facility for the entered vehicle, and also stores the time elapsed from this provisional start time for use as a provisional end time for use of the facility. The usage schedule information update unit 423 then selects a vehicle from the reserved vehicles for which the charging time will be completed by the corresponding estimated departure time even if use is started from the specified start time for use, and updates the usage schedule information by swapping the start time and end time for use of the selected reserved vehicle with the provisional start time and end time for use of the entered vehicle.

[0023] <Operation of a parking management system using a parking management device according to one embodiment> Next, the operation of the parking management system 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 3 to 7. Figure 3 is a flowchart showing the flow of the usage schedule information update process performed by the parking management device 40 during the operation of the parking management system 1.

[0024] In this embodiment, each user of the parking management device 40 inputs setting information, including whether or not charging is required for the vehicle in question, in advance from the user terminal 20 or the control panel 30. Each user may also input information about their desired charging time as setting information. Here, each user may input different setting information on a weekly, monthly, weekday / holiday basis, or day of the week basis. For example, they may input setting information to charge only on specific days of the week. In addition, each user may input in advance the planned entry time and planned exit time for days when the operating hours of the mechanical parking lot 10 differ from normal. In the parking management device 40, the setting information acquisition unit 421 acquires the information transmitted from the user terminal 20 or the control panel 30 and stores it in the setting information storage unit 411.

[0025] In this embodiment, the setting information storage unit 411 stores information that has been set in advance, which is the charging time of "4 hours" when each vehicle uses the charging equipment once. This charging time information may be set to different values ​​for each vehicle, each day of the week, etc., according to instructions from the user.

[0026] Furthermore, while the parking management system 1 is in operation, the usage status information processing unit 422 of the parking management device 40 acquires usage status information for each vehicle in the mechanical parking lot 10 at predetermined time intervals and stores it in the usage history information storage unit 412.

[0027] Furthermore, at the start of the usage schedule information update process according to this embodiment, the usage schedule information in the usage schedule information storage unit 413 of the parking management device 40 does not contain any information regarding reserved vehicles.

[0028] First, when vehicle a enters the mechanical parking lot 10 at the time "18:00" (YES in S1), the usage schedule information update unit 423 detects this and determines whether vehicle a is a vehicle eligible to use the charging equipment based on the charging process necessity information stored in the setting information storage unit 411 (S2).

[0029] Here, the usage schedule information update unit 423 determines that vehicle a is a vehicle eligible to use the charging equipment (YES in S2), and based on the usage history information of vehicle a stored in the usage history information storage unit 412 for a predetermined period (e.g., two weeks) or longer, it uses an AI (artificial intelligence) learning function to identify the predicted departure time of vehicle a, "7:30 the next day" (S3). By using the usage history information of vehicle a for a predetermined period or longer, the usage schedule information update unit 423 can identify a highly accurate predicted departure time. The usage schedule information update unit 423 stores the information of the predicted departure time identified by the learning function in the setting information storage unit 411.

[0030] Here, the usage schedule information update unit 423 may identify the current day of the week and the predicted departure time corresponding to the weekday / holiday classification based on the usage history information of vehicle a stored in the setting information storage unit 411.

[0031] Furthermore, if the scheduled departure time information entered by the user for the current entry of vehicle a is stored in the setting information storage unit 411, the usage schedule information update unit 423 may use that information as the predicted departure time. In this embodiment, the scheduled departure time "7:00 the next day" entered by the user for vehicle a is stored, and the usage schedule information update unit 423 uses that information as the predicted departure time in the process of determining whether or not the charging equipment X is available for use.

[0032] Next, the usage schedule information update unit 423 identifies the earliest possible start time for using any of the charging equipment X, based on the usage schedule information stored in the usage schedule information storage unit 413. In this case, the usage schedule information update unit 423 identifies the current time "18:00" as the start time for use, since charging equipment X1 to X3 are currently available.

[0033] The usage schedule information update unit 423 then determines that vehicle a can use the charging equipment X1 for 4 hours before the predicted departure time, because the time "22:00", which is the time after the predetermined charging time "4 hours" has elapsed from the identified start time "18:00", is before the predicted departure time "7:00 the next day". (YES in S4).

[0034] When the usage schedule information update unit 423 determines that vehicle a is able to use the charging equipment X1, it identifies the available start time "18:00" as the start time for vehicle a to use the equipment, and identifies "22:00", which is 4 hours after the identified start time "18:00" to use the equipment, as the end time for vehicle a to use the equipment.

[0035] The usage schedule information update unit 423 then updates the usage schedule information in the usage schedule information storage unit 413 with the identified information. Once the usage schedule information is updated, the information notification unit 424 notifies the user terminal 20 or control panel 30 of the user in question that the charging reservation for vehicle a has been confirmed, along with the information of the confirmed equipment usage time (S5).

[0036] Furthermore, the usage schedule information update unit 423 identifies the predicted departure time "6:30" for vehicle b, which entered the depot at time "18:30", using the usage history information. Based on this, it identifies the start time of equipment use "18:30" and the end time of equipment use "22:30" for charging equipment X2, and updates the usage schedule information based on the relevant information. Then, the information notification unit 424 notifies the user terminal 20 or control panel 30 of the user in question that the charging reservation for vehicle b has been confirmed, along with the information on the confirmed equipment usage time (S1~S5).

[0037] Furthermore, the usage schedule information update unit 423 identifies the predicted departure time of vehicle c, which entered the depot at time "18:40", using the usage history information, and based on this, identifies the start time of equipment use of charging equipment X3, "18:40", and the end time of equipment use, "22:40", and updates the usage schedule information based on the relevant information. Then, the information notification unit 424 notifies the user terminal 20 or control panel 30 of the user in question that the charging reservation for vehicle c has been confirmed, along with the information on the confirmed equipment usage time (S1~S5).

[0038] Furthermore, the usage schedule information update unit 423 identifies the estimated departure time "9:00 the next day" stored by the user's operation for vehicle d which entered the facility at time "18:50", and based on this, identifies the start time of facility use "22:00" and the end time of facility use "2:00 the next day" for charging facility X1, and updates the usage schedule information based on the relevant information. Then, the information notification unit 424 notifies the user terminal 20 or control panel 30 of the relevant user that the charging reservation for vehicle d has been confirmed, along with the information of the confirmed facility usage time (S1~S5).

[0039] Furthermore, for vehicle e which entered the depot at the time "19:00", the usage schedule information update unit 423 does not use the usage history information because the usage history information does not cover the predetermined period. Instead, it identifies "5:00 the next day," which is 10 hours after the entry time "19:00," as a provisional departure time. Based on the identified provisional departure time "5:00 the next day," the usage schedule information update unit 423 identifies the equipment usage start time "22:30" and the equipment usage end time "2:30 the next day" for the charging equipment X2, and updates the usage schedule information based on the relevant information. The usage schedule information update unit 423 may also set the identified equipment usage end time "2:30 the next day" as the predicted departure time for vehicle e. Then, the information notification unit 424 notifies the user terminal 20 or control panel 30 of the relevant user that the charging reservation for vehicle e has been confirmed, along with the confirmed equipment usage time information (S1~S5).

[0040] Furthermore, the usage schedule information update unit 423 identifies the predicted departure time of vehicle f, which entered the depot at time "22:40", using the usage history information, and based on this, identifies the start time of equipment use of charging equipment X3, "22:30", and the end time of equipment use, "2:40 the next day", and updates the usage schedule information based on the relevant information. Then, the information notification unit 424 notifies the user terminal 20 or control panel 30 of the relevant user that the charging reservation for vehicle f has been confirmed, along with the information of the confirmed equipment usage time (S1~S5).

[0041] Figure 4(a) is a table showing the information stored in the setting information storage unit 411, including the entry time, charging time, planned departure time entered by the user, and predicted departure time identified using the usage history information for vehicles a, b, c, d, e, and f at this point in time. Figure 4(b) is a diagram showing the time from the entry time to the predicted departure time for each of vehicles a, b, c, d, e, and f as solid lines, and the equipment usage time (time from the start time to the end time of equipment use) for each charging equipment X as a dotted line. Figure 4(c) is usage schedule information showing the equipment usage time for each vehicle for each charging equipment X1, X2, and X3 as bands.

[0042] Next, when vehicle g enters the depot at the time "19:10", the usage schedule information update unit 423 uses the usage history information to determine the estimated departure time of vehicle g as "5:30 the next day". Here, as shown in Figure 5(a), according to the current usage schedule information, the earliest time that charging equipment X can be used at this time is "2:00 the next day" or later for charging equipment X1.

[0043] The usage schedule information update unit 423 determines that vehicle g will not be able to use the charging equipment X1 for 4 hours before its predicted departure time because the time "6:00 the next day", which is the time when the predetermined charging time "4 hours" has elapsed from the specified start time "2:00 the next day", will be past the predicted departure time of vehicle g "5:30 the next day" (NO in S4).

[0044] In this case, the usage schedule information update unit 423 stores the available start time "2:00 the next day" as the provisional start time for vehicle g to use the equipment, and also stores "6:00 the next day", the time when "4 hours" of charging time have elapsed from this provisional start time "2:00 the next day", as the provisional end time for equipment use (S6). The usage schedule information update unit 423 then determines whether there are any vehicles among the reserved vehicles whose charging process has not yet started that would require "4 hours" of charging time to be completed by the corresponding predicted departure time, even if they start using the equipment from the provisional available start time "2:00 the next day" for vehicle g, which will have the earliest charging equipment available at that time (S7). Here, the usage schedule information update unit 423 determines that vehicle d is one such vehicle, and selects the equipment use start time "22:00" and equipment use end time "2:00 the next day" for vehicle d ("YES" in S7).

[0045] Next, the usage schedule information update unit 423 swaps the equipment usage time of the selected vehicle d (equipment usage start time "22:00" to equipment usage end time "2:00 the next day") with the temporary equipment usage time of the vehicle that has entered the depot (equipment usage start time "2:00 the next day" to temporary equipment usage end time "6:00 the next day") (S8), and updates the usage schedule information stored in the usage schedule information storage unit 413.

[0046] Figure 5(b) shows usage schedule information for each vehicle after the update, with the equipment usage time for each vehicle being indicated by a band for each of the charging equipment X1, X2, and X3. When the usage schedule information is updated, the information notification unit 424 notifies the user terminal 20 or control panel 30 of the user in question that the charging reservation for vehicle g has been confirmed, along with the information on the confirmed equipment usage time (S5).

[0047] Next, the usage schedule information update unit 423 identifies the predicted departure time "7:30" for vehicle h that entered the depot at time "19:30" using the usage history information, and based on this, identifies the start time of equipment use of charging equipment X2 "2:30 the next day" and the end time of equipment use "6:30 the next day", and updates the usage schedule information based on the relevant information. Then, the information notification unit 424 notifies the user terminal 20 or control panel 30 of the relevant user that the charging reservation for vehicle h has been confirmed, along with the information of the confirmed equipment usage time (S1~S5).

[0048] Figure 6(a) shows the time from entry to exit for each of the vehicles a, b, c, d, e, f, g, and h at this point in time, represented by solid lines, and the equipment usage time for each charging facility X represented by dotted lines. Figure 6(b) is usage schedule information for each of the charging facilities X1, X2, and X3, with the equipment usage time for each vehicle represented by bars.

[0049] Next, when vehicle i enters the depot at the time "21:00", the usage schedule information update unit 423 identifies the scheduled departure time for vehicle i, "6:00 the next day", based on the information entered by the user. Here, as shown in Figure 7(a), according to the current usage schedule information, the earliest time the charging equipment can be used at this time is "2:30 the next day" or later for charging equipment X3.

[0050] The usage schedule information update unit 423 determines that the time "6:30 the next day," which is the time after the predetermined charging time "4 hours" has elapsed from the specified start time "2:30 the next day," will be past the predicted departure time of vehicle i "6:00 the next day," and therefore vehicle i will not be able to use the charging equipment X3 for 4 hours before the predicted departure time (NO in S4).

[0051] In this case, the usage schedule information update unit 423 stores the available start time "2:30 the next day" as the provisional start time for vehicle i to use the equipment, and also stores "6:30 the next day", which is the time when "4 hours" of charging time have elapsed from this provisional start time "2:30 the next day", as the provisional end time for equipment use (S6). The usage schedule information update unit 423 then determines whether there are any vehicles among the reserved vehicles whose charging process has not yet started that would require "4 hours" of charging time to be completed by the corresponding predicted departure time, even if they start using the equipment from the provisional available start time "2:30 the next day" for vehicle i, which will have the earliest charging equipment available at that time (S7). Here, the usage schedule information update unit 423 determines that vehicle d is one such vehicle, and selects the equipment use start time "2:00 the next day" and the equipment use end time "6:00 the next day" for vehicle d ("YES" in S7).

[0052] Next, the usage schedule information update unit 423 swaps the equipment usage time of the selected vehicle d (equipment usage start time "2:00 the next day" to equipment usage end time "6:00 the next day") with the temporary equipment usage time of the vehicle that has entered the depot (temporary equipment usage start time "2:30 the next day" to temporary equipment usage end time "6:30 the next day") (S8), and updates the usage schedule information stored in the usage schedule information storage unit 413.

[0053] Figure 7(b) shows the usage schedule information for each vehicle after the update, for each of the charging facilities X1, X2, and X3. When the usage schedule information is updated, the information notification unit 424 notifies the user terminal 20 or control panel 30 of the user in question that the charging reservation for vehicle i has been confirmed, along with the information on the confirmed equipment usage time (S5).

[0054] In step S7 described above, if the usage schedule information update unit 423 determines that there are no vehicles among those that have been reserved but have not yet started charging that would require charging time to be completed by the departure time, even if they start using the charging equipment from the earliest time it becomes available (NO in S7), it determines whether the incoming vehicle can use any of the charging equipment X for a predetermined time or longer (for example, 30 minutes or more) and a charging time of less than 4 hours (S9). If it determines that the incoming vehicle can use any of the charging equipment X for a predetermined time or longer and a charging time of less than 4 hours (YES in S9), the usage schedule information update unit 423 outputs information to the user terminal 20 or control panel 30 asking whether to approve use during this available time.

[0055] When a user confirms the information output to the user terminal 20 or control panel 30 and responds by approving use during the available time, information indicating this approval operation is transmitted to the parking management device 40. When the parking management device 40's usage schedule information update unit 423 receives the information indicating this approval operation (YES in S10), it updates the usage schedule information to reflect the equipment usage time of the parked vehicle as the corresponding available time. After updating the usage schedule information, the usage schedule information update unit 423 notifies the user terminal 20 or control panel 30 of the corresponding user that the charging reservation for the corresponding vehicle has been confirmed, along with the confirmed equipment usage time information (S5).

[0056] Furthermore, in step S10 described above, if the usage schedule information update unit 423 determines that the charging equipment cannot be used even if the vehicle that has entered the facility is for a predetermined time or longer but less than the set charging time ("NO" in S10), it notifies the user terminal 20 or control panel 30 that the vehicle cannot be reserved (S11). Similarly, if the usage schedule information update unit 423 is unable to obtain the user's approval information in step S10 ("NO" in S10), it also notifies the user terminal 20 or control panel 30 that the vehicle cannot be reserved (S11). The usage schedule information update unit 423 may also retain reservation requests that it has determined to be unavailable as information on vehicles on the waiting list.

[0057] As described above, the parking control device 17 of the mechanical parking garage 10 controls the drive unit 16 to move the pallet 14 on which the corresponding vehicle is loaded, based on the usage schedule information and user operation information acquired.

[0058] Specifically, when a user performs a pallet call operation to park a vehicle with charging equipment X, the parking control device 17 controls the drive unit 16 so that the corresponding pallet 14 moves to the entrance and the entrance opens. Once the entrance opens, the user moves the vehicle onto the pallet 14 and connects the vehicle to the charger 15 on the pallet 14 with a charging cable. After that, when the user performs a door closing operation on the entrance, the parking control device 17 controls the entrance and the corresponding pallet 14 moves to the corresponding shelf so that the vehicle is parked.

[0059] Furthermore, when the time to start the charging process for a parked vehicle arrives, the parking control device 17 controls the drive unit 16 so that the corresponding pallet 14 moves to the shelf with the power supply equipment. Once the pallet 14 is stored in the shelf with the power supply equipment, the power plug 15a of the charger 15 is connected to the power supply equipment, and it becomes ready for charging. Then, according to the instructions of the charging equipment management device 18, power is supplied from the power supply equipment 11 to the charger 15, and charging of the vehicle begins.

[0060] Furthermore, once the vehicle's charging process is complete, the parking control device 17 controls the drive unit 16 to move the vehicle to another shelf or to exit the parking space.

[0061] When moving a vehicle to be charged to a shelf with power supply equipment, and when moving it from the shelf with power supply equipment after the charging process is completed, if entry / exit processing or preparation processing for entry / exit processing for vehicles other than the vehicle to be charged occurs in the mechanical parking lot 10, such processing may be given priority over the charging process. In addition, when a predetermined time before the start time of equipment use (for example, 10 minutes before), the pallet 14 on which the vehicle is loaded may be moved to near the shelf to be charged in order to prepare for the charging process. However, if prioritizing the operation of other vehicles results in the time required to move the vehicle to the relevant shelf (for example, 5 minutes) being less than the start time of equipment use for the vehicle, the preparation operation will be canceled.

[0062] The charging equipment management device 18 of the mechanical parking garage 10 controls the power supply status to each power supply equipment 11-13, and also acquires charging status information of vehicles being charged by charging equipment X1-X3 and transmits it to the parking management device 40.

[0063] In the parking management device 40, the usage status information processing unit 422 acquires charging status information for each vehicle transmitted from the mechanical parking lot 10. When the usage status information processing unit 422 receives an inquiry request for the charging status of any vehicle from the user terminal 20 or control panel 30 via user operation, it provides the charging status information for the corresponding vehicle.

[0064] According to the above embodiment, it is possible to generate usage schedule information for the charging equipment installed in the parking lot so that as many electric vehicles as possible can efficiently use the charging equipment, and to perform the charging process for each vehicle based on this information.

[0065] In the embodiment described above, if a vehicle using the charging equipment X stops charging earlier than scheduled and leaves the parking lot before completing the charging process, or if the vehicle is not charged for a predetermined charging time, the usage status information processing unit 422 of the parking management device 40 may store the vehicle's information in the usage history information storage unit 412.

[0066] By storing information on vehicles that were not charged for the set charging time, the usage schedule information update unit 423 can generate usage schedule information so that a vehicle that was not charged for the set time during the previous use of the charging equipment enters the mechanical parking lot 10, thereby allowing that vehicle to use the charging equipment X preferentially.

[0067] In the embodiment described above, each user may input information indicating the degree of need for charging on each day of the week they wish to charge, and this information may be stored in the setting information storage unit 411. By storing this information, the usage schedule information update unit 423 can generate usage schedule information so that vehicles with a high degree of need can use the charging facility X preferentially.

[0068] While embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it is possible to modify or alter the embodiments based on the above disclosure. All components of the above embodiments, and all features described in the claims, may be individually selected and combined, provided that they do not contradict each other. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0069] 1. Parking Management System 10 Mechanical parking 11-13 Power supply equipment 14, 14-1~14-12 Palette 15, 15-1~15-12 Charger 15a, 15a-1~15a-12 power plugs 16 Drive unit 17 Parking control device 18 Charging equipment management device 20 User terminals 30 Control panel 40 Parking Management System 41 Storage section 42 CPU 411 Configuration Information Storage Unit 412 Usage history information storage unit 413 Usage Schedule Information Storage Unit 421 Configuration Information Acquisition Unit 422 Usage Status Information Processing Unit 423 Usage Schedule Information Update Department 424 Information Notification Department

Claims

1. A parking management device that manages a parking lot where charging equipment is installed, A usage schedule information storage unit stores usage schedule information for the charging equipment, which includes the start time and end time of equipment use for each reserved vehicle for which the use of the charging equipment has been reserved. A usage history information storage unit stores usage history information for each vehicle in the aforementioned parking lot, and information on vehicles for which charging was not performed for the set charging time during the previous use of the charging equipment. When a vehicle intended for use with the charging equipment enters the parking lot, the earliest possible start time for using the charging equipment is determined based on the usage schedule information stored in the usage schedule information storage unit, the estimated departure time of the entered vehicle is determined based on the usage history information of the entered vehicle stored in the usage history information storage unit for a predetermined period or longer, and if the time elapsed from the start time for use by a predetermined charging time is not earlier than the estimated departure time, it is determined whether there is a predetermined or longer available time for the charging equipment, and if it is determined that there is available time, the usage schedule information is updated with the available time as the usage time of the charging equipment for the entered vehicle. Based on the information stored in the usage history information storage unit, if it is determined that a vehicle that was unable to charge for the set time during the previous use of the charging equipment has entered the parking lot, the usage schedule information update unit updates the usage schedule information so that the vehicle can use the charging equipment preferentially. A parking management device characterized by being equipped with the following features.

2. The aforementioned usage schedule information update unit: The parking management device according to claim 1, characterized in that, if the time elapsed from the start time of use by a predetermined charging time is not earlier than the predicted departure time of the parked vehicle, the device determines that there is available time, outputs information to ask the user whether or not to approve use during the available time, and when approval information is obtained from the user in response to the output information, the device updates the usage schedule information as the usage time of the charging equipment for the parked vehicle during the available time.

3. The parking management device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the usage schedule information update unit generates the usage schedule information using information on the charging time set for each vehicle.

4. The parking management device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the usage schedule information update unit identifies the predicted departure time corresponding to the current day of the week for the parked vehicle based on the usage history information stored in the usage history information storage unit, and updates the usage schedule information based on the identified predicted departure time information.

5. The system further includes a setting information storage unit that stores setting information, pre-set for each day type, which includes at least one of the following: whether or not charging processing is necessary for each vehicle, the degree of necessity, and the charging time. The parking management device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the usage schedule information update unit updates the usage schedule information based on the setting information stored in the setting information storage unit.

6. The parking management device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the usage schedule information update unit identifies the predicted departure time of the parked vehicle using a learning function that utilizes artificial intelligence.

7. We manage parking lots equipped with charging facilities. A usage schedule information storage unit stores usage schedule information for the charging equipment, which includes the start time and end time of equipment use for each reserved vehicle for which the use of the charging equipment has been reserved. A parking management device comprising: a parking lot usage history information storage unit that stores usage history information for each vehicle and information on vehicles for which charging was not performed for the set charging time during the previous use of the charging equipment; When a vehicle intended for use with the charging equipment enters the parking lot, the earliest possible start time for using the charging equipment is determined based on the usage schedule information stored in the usage schedule information storage unit, the estimated departure time of the entered vehicle is determined based on the usage history information of the entered vehicle stored in the usage history information storage unit for a predetermined period or longer, and if the time elapsed from the start time for use by a predetermined charging time is not earlier than the estimated departure time, it is determined whether there is a predetermined or longer available time for the charging equipment, and if it is determined that there is available time, the usage schedule information is updated with the available time as the usage time of the charging equipment for the entered vehicle. A parking lot management method characterized in that, based on the information stored in the usage history information storage unit, if it is determined that a vehicle that was unable to charge for a set amount of time during the previous use of the charging equipment has entered the parking lot, the usage schedule information is updated so that the vehicle can use the charging equipment preferentially.

8. A parking control device that is communicably connected to a parking management device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, The aforementioned parking lot is a mechanical parking lot having multiple parking racks, A parking control device characterized by comprising a control unit that prioritizes the process of moving other vehicles into and out of the parking lot over the process of moving a vehicle to be charged for charging, and moves the pallet carrying the vehicle corresponding to the equipment use start time, stored in the usage schedule information storage unit, to a shelf closer to the charging equipment when a predetermined time has passed since the equipment use start time.

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