Device for automatic registration of car parking location in connection with smartphone

Abstract

The automatic vehicle parking location registration device includes a communication unit, a tilt sensor, a barometric pressure sensor, a GPS sensor, a control unit, and a power unit. The communication unit performs short-range wireless communication with the user's smartphone. The tilt sensor senses the tilt of the vehicle relative to the horizontal. The barometric pressure sensor measures atmospheric pressure. The GPS sensor generates location coordinates corresponding to the vehicle's location via GPS satellites. Based on the location coordinates, tilt, and atmospheric pressure, the control unit identifies the location of the building where the vehicle is parked and the floor number within the building where the vehicle is parked, and transmits parking location information, including the building's location and floor number, to the smartphone via the communication unit. The power unit is connected to the vehicle to receive power voltage from the vehicle, uses the power voltage to generate an internal voltage, and provides the internal voltage to the communication unit, GPS sensor, tilt sensor, barometric pressure sensor, and control unit.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle management device, and more specifically, to an automatic vehicle parking location registration device linked with a smartphone that can automatically notify a user's smartphone of the parking location within a building when a vehicle enters the building and parks. Background Technology

[0002] Most large-scale buildings constructed recently, such as shopping malls and apartments, are equipped with underground parking lots or parking buildings consisting of multiple floors.

[0003] Generally, since parking spaces such as large underground parking lots or parking buildings are formed with identical or similar structures on each floor, there is a problem in that drivers must waste a lot of time and effort to find their cars if they cannot remember the floor number where their vehicle is parked.

[0004] To this end, research is actively being conducted on parking location recognition systems that install separate wireless communication devices in each area within a parking space and determine the parking location of a vehicle through wireless communication between said wireless communication devices and a user's smartphone.

[0005] However, such conventional parking location recognition systems have the problem of requiring separate wireless communication devices to be installed for each area within the parking space inside the building.

[0006] In addition, in the case of typical underground parking lots or parking buildings where these separate wireless communication devices are not installed, there is a problem in that users cannot determine the location where their car is parked. Prior art literature

[0007] Korean Registered Patent No. 10-1966271 (2019.04.01). Korean Registered Patent No. 10-1805112 (2017.11.29). Korean Registered Patent No. 10-2623535 (2024.01.05). The problem to be solved

[0008] Accordingly, the technical problem of the present invention is conceived from this point. One objective of the present invention is to provide a mobile wireless communication device that is connected to the power port of a vehicle, operates using power supplied from the vehicle, and performs wireless communication with a user's smartphone, and to provide an automatic vehicle parking location registration device through linkage with a smartphone that can automatically notify the user's smartphone of the parking location inside a building when the vehicle enters the building and parks. means of solving the problem

[0009] To achieve one objective of the present invention as described above, an automatic vehicle parking location registration device according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a communication unit, a tilt sensor, a barometric pressure sensor, a GPS sensor, a control unit, and a power supply unit. The communication unit performs short-range wireless communication with a user's smartphone. The tilt sensor senses the tilt of the vehicle relative to the horizontal. The barometric pressure sensor measures barometric pressure. The GPS sensor generates location coordinates corresponding to the location of the vehicle via GPS satellites. Based on the location coordinates, the tilt, and the barometric pressure, the control unit identifies the location of the building where the vehicle is parked and the floor within the building where the vehicle is parked, and transmits parking location information including the location of the building and the floor number to the smartphone via the communication unit. The power supply unit is connected to the vehicle to receive a power voltage from the vehicle, generates an internal voltage using the power voltage, and provides the internal voltage to the communication unit, the GPS sensor, the tilt sensor, the barometric pressure sensor, and the control unit.

[0010] In one embodiment, the GPS sensor periodically counts the number of GPS satellites receiving a GPS signal greater than or equal to the threshold sensitivity and provides this number to the control unit as the number of valid GPS satellites, and the control unit can determine that the vehicle has entered the building when the number of valid GPS satellites becomes less than or equal to the threshold number.

[0011] The control unit can determine the location coordinates at the point in time when the number of effective GPS satellites is less than or equal to the threshold number as the parking coordinates of the vehicle, and transmit the parking coordinates to the smartphone through the communication unit as the location of the building where the vehicle is parked.

[0012] When the control unit determines that the vehicle has entered the building, it can receive a black box recording image from the vehicle and transmit it to the smartphone through the communication unit.

[0013] In one embodiment, the control unit, when the slope increases above a threshold slope from a state of substantially zero and is maintained for a threshold time or longer and then returns to a state of substantially zero, compares the pressure in the state of substantially zero before the slope increases above the threshold slope with the pressure in the state of substantially zero after the slope increases above the threshold slope and returns to a state of substantially zero, and if the pressure increases by a value greater than the threshold pressure, determines that the vehicle has descended by one floor, and if the pressure decreases by a value greater than the threshold pressure, determines that the vehicle has ascended by one floor.

[0014] The control unit can periodically calculate the current floor where the vehicle is located and transmit it to the smartphone through the communication unit.

[0015] In one embodiment, the automatic vehicle parking location registration device may further include a Passive Infrared (PIR) sensor that generates a human body detection signal when it detects human body movement. In this case, the control unit may turn off the PIR sensor when the smartphone and the communication unit are paired, turn on the PIR sensor when the pairing between the smartphone and the communication unit is disconnected, and when the human body detection signal is received from the PIR sensor while the pairing between the smartphone and the communication unit is disconnected, transmit an intruder detection signal to the smartphone through the communication unit as soon as the smartphone and the communication unit are paired again.

[0016] In one embodiment, the automatic vehicle parking location registration device may further include a proximity sensor that generates an object detection signal when an object is detected within a predetermined threshold distance, and a lighting unit that turns on and emits light for a predetermined time when a lighting turn-on signal is received. In this case, the control unit may provide the lighting turn-on signal to the lighting unit when the object detection signal is received from the proximity sensor.

[0017] The control unit can turn on the proximity sensor when the smartphone and the communication unit are paired, and turn off the proximity sensor when the pairing between the smartphone and the communication unit is disconnected.

[0018] In one embodiment, the power supply unit may include a power terminal connected to the vehicle and receiving a power voltage from the vehicle, a charging IC connected between the power terminal and a first node, a rechargeable battery connected between the first node and a ground voltage, a PNP transistor including a first resistor connected between the power terminal and a second node, a base electrode connected to the second node, an emitter electrode connected to a third node, and a collector electrode connected to the ground voltage, a PMOS transistor including a source electrode connected to the first node, a gate electrode connected to the third node, and a drain electrode connected to a fourth node, a second resistor connected between the first node and the third node, a third resistor connected between the power terminal and the ground voltage, a first diode including an anode electrode connected to the power terminal and a cathode electrode connected to the fourth node, a second diode including an anode electrode connected to the first node and a cathode electrode connected to the fourth node, and a voltage regulator that generates the internal voltage using the voltage supplied from the fourth node.

[0019] The threshold voltage of the second diode may be greater than the threshold voltage of the PMOS transistor.

[0020] In one embodiment, when the control unit receives at least one of the tilt, atmospheric pressure, and location coordinates measured by the smartphone through the communication unit, it selects one of the tilt received from the tilt sensor and the tilt received from the smartphone, selects one of the atmospheric pressure received from the atmospheric pressure sensor and the atmospheric pressure received from the smartphone, and selects one of the location coordinates received from the GPS sensor and the location coordinates received from the smartphone, and then determines the location of the building where the vehicle is parked and the floor within the building where the vehicle is parked based on the selected tilt, atmospheric pressure, and location coordinates, and transmits parking location information including the location of the building and the floor number to the smartphone through the communication unit.

[0021] In one embodiment, when the control unit receives at least one of the tilt, pressure, and location coordinates measured by the smartphone through the communication unit, it calculates the average tilt of the tilt received from the tilt sensor and the tilt received from the smartphone, calculates the average pressure of the pressure received from the pressure sensor and the pressure received from the smartphone, and calculates the average location coordinate of the location coordinates received from the GPS sensor and the location coordinates received from the smartphone, and then determines the location of the building where the vehicle is parked and the floor where the vehicle is parked within the building based on the average tilt, the average pressure, and the average location coordinates, and transmits parking location information including the location of the building and the floor number to the smartphone through the communication unit.

[0022] To achieve one objective of the present invention as described above, an automatic vehicle parking location registration device according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a communication unit, a control unit, and a power unit. The communication unit performs short-range wireless communication with a user's smartphone. The control unit receives from the smartphone via the communication unit the tilt of the vehicle relative to the horizontal, sensed by a tilt sensor included in the smartphone, the atmospheric pressure measured by a barometric pressure sensor included in the smartphone, and location coordinates corresponding to the location of the vehicle generated by a GPS sensor included in the smartphone; determines the location of the building where the vehicle is parked and the floor within the building where the vehicle is parked based on the location coordinates, the tilt, and the atmospheric pressure; and transmits parking location information including the location of the building and the floor number to the smartphone via the communication unit. The power unit is connected to the vehicle and receives a power voltage from the vehicle, generates an internal voltage using the power voltage, and provides the internal voltage to the communication unit, the GPS sensor, the tilt sensor, the barometric pressure sensor, and the control unit. Effects of the invention

[0023] An automatic vehicle parking location registration device and an automatic vehicle parking location registration system including the same according to embodiments of the present invention can effectively recognize the parking floor of a vehicle within a building and provide it to a user via a smartphone even in an environment where separate wireless communication devices for parking location recognition are not installed in an underground parking lot or parking tower, and can also perform a security function by detecting an intruder inside the vehicle and displaying a warning message via the user's smartphone before the user boards the vehicle, thereby effectively improving the convenience and security of the user's use of the vehicle. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0024] FIG. 1 is a drawing showing an automatic vehicle parking location registration system according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an automatic vehicle parking location registration device according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating the process of an automatic vehicle parking location registration device determining the movement of a vehicle between floors. Figure 4 is a circuit diagram showing an example of a power supply unit included in the automatic parking location registration device of Figure 2. Figures 5a to 5d are drawings for explaining the screen configuration of a car management application installed on a user's smartphone. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0025] With respect to the embodiments of the present invention disclosed in the text, specific structural or functional descriptions are provided merely for the purpose of explaining the embodiments of the present invention, and the embodiments of the present invention may be implemented in various forms and should not be interpreted as being limited to the embodiments described in the text.

[0026] The present invention is capable of various modifications and may take various forms, and specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the text. However, this is not intended to limit the invention to the specific disclosed forms, and it should be understood that the invention includes all modifications, equivalents, and substitutions that fall within the spirit and scope of the invention.

[0027] Terms such as "first," "second," etc., may be used to describe various components, but said components should not be limited by said terms. These terms may be used for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, the first component may be named the second component, and similarly, the second component may be named the first component.

[0028] When it is stated that one component is "connected" or "connected" to another component, it should be understood that while it may be directly connected or connected to that other component, there may also be other components in between. Conversely, when it is stated that one component is "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another component, it should be understood that there are no other components in between. Other expressions describing the relationship between components, such as "between" and "exactly between," or "adjacent to" and "directly adjacent to," should be interpreted in the same way.

[0029] The terms used in this application are used merely to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the invention. The singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this application, terms such as "comprising" or "having" are intended to specify the existence of the described features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof, and should be understood as not precluding the existence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0030] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as generally understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. Terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant technology, and should not be interpreted in an ideal or overly formal sense unless explicitly defined in this application.

[0031] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the attached drawings. Identical components in the drawings are given the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions of identical components are omitted.

[0032] FIG. 1 is a drawing showing an automatic vehicle parking location registration system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0033] Referring to FIG. 1, the automatic vehicle parking location registration system (10) includes an automatic vehicle parking location registration device (100) used by a user and a smartphone (200) used by said user.

[0034] The automatic vehicle parking location registration device (100) can be formed in a portable form so as to be attached to and detached from the power terminal of the vehicle (300).

[0035] In one embodiment, the automatic vehicle parking location registration device (100) can be connected to the vehicle (300) via a USB (Universal Serial Bus) terminal.

[0036] However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the automatic vehicle parking location registration device (100) can be connected to the vehicle (300) through various types of power terminals.

[0037] When the automatic vehicle parking location registration device (100) is connected to the vehicle (300), the automatic vehicle parking location registration device (100) can operate through power provided from the vehicle (300).

[0038] As described below, the automatic vehicle parking location registration device (100) has a built-in rechargeable battery, so the automatic vehicle parking location registration device (100) can continue to operate until the rechargeable battery is completely discharged even after the power of the vehicle (300) is turned off.

[0039] A car management application is pre-installed on the smartphone (200) used by the above user. The smartphone (200) can perform short-range wireless communication with the automatic car parking location registration device (100) through the car management application.

[0040] When the automatic vehicle parking location registration device (100) is connected to the vehicle (300) and the user drives the vehicle (300) into a building and parks it in an underground parking lot or a parking tower, the automatic vehicle parking location registration device (100) can recognize the location of the building where the vehicle (300) is parked and the floor number of the building where the vehicle (300) is parked and transmit them to a smartphone (200).

[0041] Therefore, since the user can easily check the parking location of the car (300) through the car management application installed on the smartphone (200), when the user wants to drive the car (300) again, the car (300) can be found easily and quickly.

[0042] Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of the automatic vehicle parking location registration device (100) will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5.

[0043] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an automatic vehicle parking location registration device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0044] Referring to FIG. 2, the automatic vehicle parking location registration device (100) may include a control unit (110), a power supply unit (120), a communication unit (130), a tilt sensor (140), a barometric pressure sensor (150), and a GPS sensor (160).

[0045] The control unit (110) controls the overall operation of the automatic vehicle parking location registration device (100).

[0046] The power supply unit (120) may include a power terminal (121). The power supply unit (120) is connected to the vehicle (300) through the power terminal (121) to receive a power voltage (VDD) from the vehicle (300), and can use the power voltage (VDD) to generate an internal voltage (VIN) required for the operation of the vehicle parking location automatic registration device (100).

[0047] For example, the internal voltage (VIN) generated from the power supply unit (120) can be provided to the control unit (110), communication unit (130), tilt sensor (140), barometric pressure sensor (150), and GPS sensor (160).

[0048] In one embodiment, the power terminal (121) may be a USB (Universal Serial Bus) terminal.

[0049] However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the power terminal (121) may be a terminal of various types capable of receiving power voltage (VDD) from the vehicle (300).

[0050] The communication unit (130) can perform short-range wireless communication with the user's smartphone (200).

[0051] In one embodiment, the communication unit (130) can transmit and receive data through Bluetooth communication with a smartphone (200).

[0052] The tilt sensor (140) can sense the tilt of the vehicle (300) relative to the horizontal and provide the tilt to the control unit (110).

[0053] In one embodiment, the tilt sensor (140) may include a 6-axis accelerometer and a gyroscope.

[0054] According to the embodiment, the tilt sensor (140) may further include a geomagnetic sensor.

[0055] Since the configuration and operation of a tilt sensor are generally well known, a detailed description of the process in which the tilt sensor (140) senses the tilt relative to the horizontal of the vehicle (300) is omitted here.

[0056] The pressure sensor (150) can measure the pressure of the surrounding air and provide the pressure to the control unit (110).

[0057] The GPS sensor (160) can generate location coordinates corresponding to the location of the vehicle (300) via GPS satellites and provide the location coordinates to the control unit (110).

[0058] Specifically, the GPS sensor (160) can receive GPS signals from multiple GPS satellites orbiting the Earth and analyze the GPS signals received from the multiple GPS satellites to generate the location coordinates corresponding to the location of the vehicle (300).

[0059] As described below, the control unit (110) can determine the location of the building where the car (300) is parked and the floor within the building where the car (300) is parked based on the tilt provided by the tilt sensor (140), the atmospheric pressure provided by the atmospheric pressure sensor (150), and the location coordinates provided by the GPS sensor (160), and can transmit parking location information including the location of the building and the floor number to the smartphone (200) through the communication unit (130).

[0060] The above-mentioned car management application installed on the smartphone (200) can display the above-mentioned parking location information on the screen of the smartphone (200).

[0061] Therefore, the user can easily check the parking location of the car (300) through the car management application installed on the smartphone (200).

[0062] Meanwhile, as described above, since the GPS sensor (160) generates the location coordinates using the GPS signals received from the plurality of GPS satellites orbiting the Earth, when the vehicle (300) enters the building, the GPS signals transmitted from the plurality of GPS satellites are blocked by the building and do not reach the GPS sensor (160), so the GPS sensor (160) cannot generate the location coordinates.

[0063] Accordingly, the GPS sensor (160) can periodically count the number of GPS satellites receiving a GPS signal greater than a predetermined threshold sensitivity and provide this number to the control unit (110) as the number of valid GPS satellites.

[0064] In one embodiment, the threshold sensitivity of the GPS signal may correspond to the minimum signal size required for the GPS sensor (160) to generate the position coordinates corresponding to the position of the vehicle (300) through the analysis of the GPS signal.

[0065] When the vehicle (300) is outdoors, the GPS sensor (160) generally receives GPS signals from 10 or more GPS satellites that are greater than the threshold sensitivity.

[0066] However, when the vehicle (300) enters the building, the number of GPS satellites receiving GPS signals greater than the threshold sensitivity may decrease rapidly.

[0067] Accordingly, the control unit (110) can determine that the vehicle (300) has entered the building when the number of valid GPS satellites provided by the GPS sensor (160) becomes less than or equal to the threshold number.

[0068] In one embodiment, the number of thresholds may be three.

[0069] Additionally, the control unit (110) determines the location coordinates at the point in time when the number of effective GPS satellites provided by the GPS sensor (160) is less than or equal to the threshold number as the parking coordinates of the vehicle (300), and can transmit the parking coordinates to the smartphone (200) via the communication unit (130) as the location of the building where the vehicle (300) is parked.

[0070] Meanwhile, the control unit (110) can determine the floor number of the building where the car (300) is parked by using the tilt provided from the tilt sensor (140) and the air pressure provided from the air pressure sensor (150).

[0071] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating the process of an automatic vehicle parking location registration device determining the movement of a vehicle between floors.

[0072] When the control unit (110) determines that the vehicle (300) has entered the building, it can continuously monitor the tilt provided by the tilt sensor (140) and the pressure provided by the pressure sensor (150) to determine whether the vehicle (300) is moving to the basement floor or the ground floor within the building.

[0073] As illustrated in FIG. 3, the control unit (110) can determine that the vehicle (300) has descended one floor or ascended one floor within the building when the slope increases above a predetermined threshold slope while in a state of substantially zero, is maintained above the threshold time, and then returns to a state of substantially zero.

[0074] In one embodiment, the threshold slope can be pre-set to an angle between about 3 degrees and about 10 degrees, taking into account the slope of the inter-floor movement passage in a typical underground parking lot or parking tower.

[0075] At this time, the control unit (110) can determine whether the vehicle (300) has descended or ascended within the building by utilizing the principle that air pressure increases as it descends in the underground direction and decreases as it ascends in the ground direction.

[0076] Specifically, the control unit (110) compares the pressure in a state where the slope is substantially zero before the slope exceeds the threshold slope and the pressure in a state where the slope increases above the threshold slope and then becomes substantially zero again, and if the pressure increases by a value greater than the predetermined threshold pressure, it determines that the vehicle (300) has descended by one floor, and if the pressure decreases by a value greater than the threshold pressure, it determines that the vehicle (300) has ascended by one floor.

[0077] Generally, since the floor height of an underground parking lot or parking tower is about 2.3m to 3.2m, the threshold pressure can be pre-set to a value corresponding to the difference in pressure due to an elevation difference of about 2m.

[0078] Meanwhile, the control unit (110) can determine that the number of effective GPS satellites provided by the GPS sensor (160) is less than or equal to the threshold number and that the car (300) has entered the building, and considers the number of floors where the car (300) is located as 1 floor, and calculates the current number of floors where the car (300) is located by determining how many floors the car (300) has risen or descended using the slope and the pressure as described above.

[0079] In this way, the control unit (300) can periodically calculate the current floor number where the vehicle (300) is located and transmit it to the smartphone (200) through the communication unit (130).

[0080] Meanwhile, if the user gets out of the car (300) and moves away from the car (300) after completing parking the car (300), the pairing between the car parking location automatic registration device (100) and the smartphone (200) may be disconnected.

[0081] When the pairing between the automatic car parking location registration device (100) and the smartphone (200) is disconnected, the car management application installed on the smartphone (200) can display the current floor number and the parking coordinates last received from the control unit (110) as the parking location of the car (300) on the screen of the smartphone (200).

[0082] In one embodiment, the control unit (110) may have a data communication interface established with a black box installed in the vehicle (300).

[0083] In this case, after the control unit (110) determines that the vehicle (300) has entered the building, it can receive an image captured from the black box and transmit it to a smartphone (200) via the communication unit (130).

[0084] Accordingly, the car management application installed on the smartphone (200) can display the current floor number and parking coordinates last received from the control unit (110) as the parking location of the car (300) on the screen of the smartphone (200), and additionally display the dash cam recording image received from the control unit (110) as an image viewed from the front direction from the parking location of the car (300) on the screen of the smartphone (200).

[0085] Therefore, the user can easily check the parking location of the car (300) through the car management application installed on the smartphone (200) and can also check an image viewed in the forward direction from the parking location of the car (300), so when the user wants to drive the car (300) again, the car (300) can be found easily and quickly.

[0086] With reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, the automatic vehicle parking location registration device (100) according to embodiments of the present invention is described as acquiring the tilt, the atmospheric pressure, and the location coordinates using a tilt sensor (140), an atmospheric pressure sensor (150), and a GPS sensor (160) included therein, and determining the location of the building where the vehicle (300) is parked and the floor where the vehicle (300) is parked within the building based thereon, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0087] According to an embodiment, the smartphone (200) may include at least one of a tilt sensor, a barometric pressure sensor, and a GPS sensor.

[0088] In this case, the car management application installed on the smartphone (200) can transmit at least one of the tilt of the car (300) relative to the horizontal, sensed by the tilt sensor included in the smartphone (200), the atmospheric pressure measured by the pressure sensor included in the smartphone (200), and the location coordinates generated by the GPS sensor included in the smartphone (200) to the automatic car parking location registration device (100).

[0089] In one embodiment, when the control unit (110) receives at least one of the tilt, the pressure, and the location coordinates from the smartphone (200) through the communication unit (130), it selects one of the tilt received from the tilt sensor (140) and the tilt received from the smartphone (200), selects one of the pressure received from the pressure sensor (150) and the pressure received from the smartphone (200), selects one of the location coordinates received from the GPS sensor (160) and the location coordinates received from the smartphone (200), and then performs the operation as described above using the selected tilt, the pressure, and the location coordinates to determine the location of the building where the car (300) is parked and the floor number where the car (300) is parked within the building.

[0090] In another embodiment, when the control unit (110) receives at least one of the slope, the pressure, and the location coordinates from the smartphone (200) via the communication unit (130), it calculates the average slope of the slope received from the slope sensor (140) and the slope received from the smartphone (200), calculates the average pressure of the pressure received from the pressure sensor (150) and the pressure received from the smartphone (200), calculates the average location coordinate of the location coordinates received from the GPS sensor (160) and the location coordinates received from the smartphone (200), and then performs the operation as described above using the average slope, the average pressure, and the average location coordinates to determine the location of the building where the car (300) is parked and the floor within the building where the car (300) is parked.

[0091] Meanwhile, the control unit (110) can perform the operation as described above by using the values ​​generated from the tilt sensor (140), pressure sensor (150), and GPS sensor (160) included inside the car parking location automatic registration device (100) as they are, for values ​​among the tilt, pressure, and location coordinates that are not provided by the smartphone (200).

[0092] In another embodiment, the automatic vehicle parking location registration device (100) may be configured without including at least one of the tilt sensor (140), the barometric pressure sensor (150), and the GPS sensor (160).

[0093] In this case, the control unit (110) may receive a measurement value corresponding to a sensor not included inside the vehicle parking location automatic registration device (100) among the tilt sensor (140), barometric pressure sensor (150), and GPS sensor (160) from a smartphone (200) via the communication unit (130) and operate.

[0094] Referring again to FIG. 2, the automatic vehicle parking location registration device (100) may further include a Passive Infrared (PIR) sensor (170).

[0095] The PIR sensor (170) can generate a human body detection signal when it detects human body movement and provide it to the control unit (110).

[0096] The control unit (110) can turn off the PIR sensor (170) to deactivate the PIR sensor (170) when the smartphone (200) and the communication unit (130) are paired, and turn on the PIR sensor (170) to activate the PIR sensor (170) when the pairing between the smartphone (200) and the communication unit (130) is disconnected.

[0097] The control unit (110) can detect whether an intruder has entered the vehicle (300) through the PIR sensor (170) while the user is briefly away from the vehicle (300) with the door of the vehicle (300) unlocked.

[0098] Specifically, when the control unit (110) receives the human body detection signal from the PIR sensor (170) while the pairing between the smartphone (200) and the communication unit (130) is disconnected, the control unit (110) can transmit an intruder detection signal to the smartphone (200) through the communication unit (130) as soon as the smartphone (200) and the communication unit (130) are paired again.

[0099] The above-mentioned car management application installed on the smartphone (200) can display an intruder detection warning message on the screen of the smartphone (200) as soon as it receives the intruder detection signal from the control unit (110).

[0100] Meanwhile, in order to prevent the intruder detection warning message from being displayed on the smartphone (200) when the user is in the vehicle (300) and the PIR sensor (170) detects the user's movement, as described above, the control unit (110) can turn off the PIR sensor (170) to deactivate the PIR sensor (170) while the smartphone (200) and the communication unit (130) are paired, and turn on the PIR sensor (170) to activate the PIR sensor (170) only when the pairing between the smartphone (200) and the communication unit (130) is disconnected.

[0101] Generally, a user parks their car in an underground parking lot of a shopping mall, loads the purchased items into a shopping cart, returns to the car, and may briefly step out of the car to return the shopping cart to a designated location. During this time, crimes often occur in which an intruder secretly enters the car and harms the user once they get into the vehicle.

[0102] As described above, in the case where the control unit (110) receives the human body detection signal from the PIR sensor (170) while the pairing between the smartphone (200) and the communication unit (130) is disconnected, the control unit (110) transmits the intruder detection signal to the smartphone (200) via the communication unit (130) as soon as the user carrying the smartphone (200) approaches the vehicle (300) and the smartphone (200) and the communication unit (130) are paired again, and the vehicle management application installed on the smartphone (200) can display an intruder detection warning message on the screen of the smartphone (200) as soon as it receives the intruder detection signal from the control unit (110).

[0103] Generally, Bluetooth communication is paired when the distance between two communication devices is within about 5m. Therefore, the user can check the intruder detection warning message through the smartphone (200) when approaching within about 5m of the car (300) before getting into the car (300), thus preventing the crime described above in advance.

[0104] Referring again to FIG. 2, the automatic vehicle parking location registration device (100) may further include a proximity sensor (180) and a lighting unit (190).

[0105] The proximity sensor (180) can generate an object detection signal and provide it to the control unit (110) when it detects an object within a predetermined threshold distance.

[0106] In one embodiment, the threshold distance may be set to about 10 cm.

[0107] When the control unit (110) receives the object detection signal from the proximity sensor (180), it can provide a light turn-on signal to the lighting unit (190).

[0108] The lighting unit (190) may include a light source that emits light.

[0109] In one embodiment, the light source may be an LED lamp.

[0110] However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the light source may be various types of lamps capable of emitting light.

[0111] When the lighting unit (190) receives the lighting turn-on signal from the control unit (110), it can be turned on for a predetermined period of time and emit light.

[0112] Generally, when a driver needs to use the interior lighting of a vehicle while driving, they must find the lighting button provided in the vehicle and press it. This causes a problem in that the driver cannot look ahead while searching for the lighting button, and the driver's attention is distracted, which increases the risk of accidents.

[0113] However, since the automatic parking location registration device (100) according to the embodiments of the present invention is connected to a power terminal located near the driver's seat of the vehicle (300), even if the user is driving the vehicle (300), the lighting unit (190) can be turned on and the interior of the vehicle (300) can be illuminated simply by the action of reaching a hand around the automatic parking location registration device (100).

[0114] Therefore, the automatic vehicle parking location registration device (100) according to the embodiments of the present invention can also help with safe driving.

[0115] Meanwhile, since the proximity sensor (180) and the lighting unit (190) are configured to provide convenience functions while the user is driving the vehicle (300), the control unit (110) turns on the proximity sensor (180) only when the smartphone (200) and the communication unit (130) are paired, and turns off the proximity sensor (180) when the user leaves the vehicle (300) and the pairing between the smartphone (200) and the communication unit (130) is disconnected.

[0116] As described above, the automatic vehicle parking location registration device (100) must operate continuously not only while the vehicle (300) is in operation, but also after the vehicle (300) is parked, the power to the vehicle (300) is turned off, and the user leaves the vehicle (300).

[0117] To this end, as described below with reference to FIG. 4, the power supply unit (120) has a built-in rechargeable battery. In addition, the automatic vehicle parking location registration device (100) is configured to prevent the automatic vehicle parking location registration device (100) from being reset by momentarily cutting off the power supply even when the vehicle (300) is turned off after the vehicle (300) has finished parking and the vehicle (300) is operating using the power voltage (VDD) provided from the vehicle (300).

[0118] Figure 4 is a circuit diagram showing an example of a power supply unit included in the automatic parking location registration device of Figure 2.

[0119] Referring to FIG. 4, the power supply unit (120) may include a power terminal (121), a charging IC (122), a rechargeable battery (123), a voltage regulator (124), a first resistor (R1), a second resistor (R2), a third resistor (R3), a first diode (D1), a second diode (D2), a PNP transistor (BP), and a PMOS transistor (MP).

[0120] The power terminal (121) is connected to the power terminal of the vehicle (300) and can receive power voltage (VDD) from the vehicle (300).

[0121] In one embodiment, the power terminal (121) may be a USB (Universal Serial Bus) terminal.

[0122] The charging IC (122) is connected between the power terminal (121) and the first node (N1), and the rechargeable battery (123) can be connected between the first node (N1) and the ground voltage (GND).

[0123] The charging IC (122) can charge the rechargeable battery (123) using the power voltage (VDD) provided from the power terminal (121).

[0124] The first resistor (R1) can be connected between the power terminal (121) and the second node (N2).

[0125] A PNP transistor (BP) may include a base electrode connected to a second node (N2), an emitter electrode connected to a third node (N3), and a collector electrode connected to a ground voltage (GND).

[0126] The PMOS transistor (MP) may include a source electrode connected to a first node (N1), a gate electrode connected to a third node (N3), and a drain electrode connected to a fourth node (N4).

[0127] The second resistor (R2) can be connected between the first node (N1) and the third node (N3).

[0128] The third resistor (R3) can be connected between the power terminal (121) and the ground voltage (GND).

[0129] The first diode (D1) may include an anode electrode connected to a power terminal (121) and a cathode electrode connected to a fourth node (N4).

[0130] The second diode (D2) may include an anode electrode connected to the first node (N1) and a cathode electrode connected to the fourth node (N4).

[0131] The voltage regulator (124) can generate an internal voltage (VIN) using the voltage supplied from the fourth node (N4).

[0132] The internal voltage (VIN) generated from the voltage regulator (124) can be provided to the control unit (110), communication unit (130), tilt sensor (140), barometric pressure sensor (150), GPS sensor (160), PIR sensor (170), proximity sensor (180), and lighting unit (190).

[0133] When the power to the vehicle (300) is turned on and power voltage (VDD) is supplied from the vehicle (300) to the power terminal (121), the charging IC (122) can charge the rechargeable battery (123) using the power voltage (VDD).

[0134] Additionally, since the power voltage (VDD) provided from the power terminal (121) is applied to the second node (N2) through the first resistor (R1), a high voltage is applied to the base electrode of the PNP transistor (BP), so that the PNP transistor (BP) can be turned off.

[0135] Since the PNP transistor (BP) is turned off, the third node (N3) corresponding to the gate electrode of the PMOS transistor (MP) is cut off from the ground voltage (GND), and since the voltage supplied from the rechargeable battery (123) is applied to the third node (N3) through the second resistor (R2), the PMOS transistor (MP) can also be turned off.

[0136] Therefore, the power supply voltage (VDD) is provided to the fourth node (N4) through the first diode (D1), and the voltage supplied by the rechargeable battery (123) can be provided to the fourth node (N4) through the second diode (D2).

[0137] The voltage regulator (124) can reliably generate an internal voltage (VIN) using the voltage supplied from the fourth node (N4).

[0138] Meanwhile, when the parking of the vehicle (300) is completed and the power of the vehicle (300) is turned off, the supply of power voltage (VDD) from the vehicle (300) to the power terminal (121) may be interrupted.

[0139] In this case, the ground voltage (GND) is applied to the second node (N2) corresponding to the base electrode of the PNP transistor (BP) through the third resistor (R3) and the first resistor (R1), so the PNP transistor (BP) can be turned on.

[0140] Since the PNP transistor (BP) is turned on, a ground voltage (GND) is applied to the third node (N3) corresponding to the gate electrode of the PMOS transistor (MP), so that the PMOS transistor (MP) can also be turned on.

[0141] Therefore, since the voltage supplied from the rechargeable battery (123) is provided to the fourth node (N4) through the PMOS transistor (MP), the voltage regulator (124) can stably generate an internal voltage (VIN) using the voltage provided from the rechargeable battery (123) to the fourth node (N4).

[0142] However, after the power voltage (VDD) is stopped from the vehicle (300) to the power terminal (121), the PNP transistor (BP) is turned on, and as a result, the PMOS transistor (MP) is also turned on, so that the voltage supplied from the rechargeable battery (123) is provided to the fourth node (N4) through the PMOS transistor (MP), and it may take several milliseconds.

[0143] Therefore, if the second diode (D2) is not present, the automatic car parking location registration device (100) operates using the power voltage (VDD) provided from the car (300), and when the car (300) is parked and the power of the car (300) is turned off, the voltage supplied from the rechargeable battery (123) cannot be provided to the fourth node (N4) through the PMOS transistor (MP) for a time of several milliseconds, so the voltage regulator (124) cannot generate an internal voltage (VIN), and thus the automatic car parking location registration device (100) may be reset.

[0144] However, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the power supply unit (120) included in the automatic vehicle parking location registration device (100) according to embodiments of the present invention includes a second diode (D2) connected between the first node (N1) and the fourth node (N4). Therefore, even when the supply of power voltage (VDD) from the vehicle (300) to the power terminal (121) is interrupted as the vehicle (300) is parked and the power of the vehicle (300) is turned off, the voltage supplied from the rechargeable battery (123) can be continuously provided to the fourth node (N4) through the second diode (D2) until the PMOS transistor (MP) is turned on.

[0145] Meanwhile, the threshold voltage of the second diode (D2) may be greater than the threshold voltage of the PMOS transistor (MP).

[0146] Therefore, when the power voltage (VDD) from the vehicle (300) is interrupted from the power terminal (121) and the PMOS transistor (MP) is turned on after a time of several milliseconds, the voltage drop through the PMOS transistor (MP) is lower than the voltage drop through the second diode (D2), so the second diode (D2) is turned off, and the voltage supplied from the rechargeable battery (123) can be provided to the fourth node (N4) through the PMOS transistor (MP).

[0147] That is, when the supply of power voltage (VDD) from the vehicle (300) to the power terminal (121) is interrupted, the voltage supplied from the rechargeable battery (123) is temporarily provided to the voltage regulator (124) through the second diode (D2), and after a time of several milliseconds, when the PMOS transistor (MP) is turned on, the voltage supplied from the rechargeable battery (123) can be provided to the voltage regulator (124) through the PMOS transistor (MP).

[0148] Therefore, the automatic car parking location registration device (100) operates using the power voltage (VDD) provided by the car (300), and even when the car (300) is parked and the power of the car (300) is turned off, the power supply is momentarily cut off and the automatic car parking location registration device (100) is reset, so that it can operate stably.

[0149] Figures 5a to 5d are drawings for explaining the screen configuration of a car management application installed on a user's smartphone.

[0150] Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 5a to 5d, the overall operation of an automatic vehicle parking location registration system (10) according to embodiments of the present invention will be described.

[0151] As illustrated in FIG. 5a, when the user clicks the icon of the car management application installed on the smartphone (200), the car management application is executed and a screen is displayed that allows adding a new terminal (i.e., a car parking location automatic registration device (100)). When the user clicks the button to add a new terminal, a car parking location automatic registration device (100) that can be paired nearby can be searched for and displayed on the screen.

[0152] When the user selects a searched pairable automatic car parking location registration device (100), the car management application and the automatic car parking location registration device (100) can be paired with each other.

[0153] Afterwards, as shown in FIG. 5b, the user can configure the environment settings for the automatic car parking location registration device (100).

[0154] For example, the vehicle number of the car (300) to be used with the automatic car parking location registration device (100) can be registered, and whether to activate the lighting function using the proximity sensor (180) and the lighting unit (190) can be set, and if the lighting function is activated, when the lighting unit (190) receives the lighting turn-on signal from the control unit (110), the time to turn on and emit light can be set, and whether to activate the intruder detection function using the PIR sensor (170) can be set.

[0155] Meanwhile, as described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4, when the pairing between the automatic parking location registration device (100) and the smartphone (200) is disconnected after the parking of the car (300) is completed, the car management application installed on the smartphone (200) can display the current floor number and the parking coordinates last received from the control unit (110) as the parking location of the car (300) on the screen of the smartphone (200).

[0156] For example, as shown on the left side of FIG. 5c, the car management application can display on the screen of the smartphone (200) that the floor number in the building where the car (300) is parked is the third basement floor (B3) and the parking time is 12:30. When the user clicks the parking location view button, as shown on the right side of FIG. 5c, the car management application can display the current location of the smartphone (200) and the parking coordinates received from the control unit (110) on a map.

[0157] Additionally, as described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4, when the control unit (110) receives the human body detection signal from the PIR sensor (170) while the pairing between the smartphone (200) and the communication unit (130) is disconnected, the control unit (110) can transmit the intruder detection signal to the smartphone (200) through the communication unit (130) as soon as the smartphone (200) and the communication unit (130) are paired again.

[0158] Accordingly, as soon as the user moves away from the car (300) for a while and then approaches within about 5m of the car (300) again and is paired with the car parking location automatic registration device (100), the car management application receives the intruder detection signal from the car parking location automatic registration device (100), and as shown in FIG. 5d, the intruder detection warning message can be displayed on the screen of the smartphone (200).

[0159] As described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5d, the automatic vehicle parking location registration device (100) and the automatic vehicle parking location registration system (10) including the same according to embodiments of the present invention can effectively recognize the parking floor of a vehicle within a building and provide it to a user via a smartphone even in an environment where separate wireless communication devices for parking location recognition are not installed in an underground parking lot or parking tower, and can also perform a security function by detecting an intruder inside the vehicle and displaying a warning message via the user's smartphone (200) before the user gets into the vehicle.

[0160] Accordingly, the automatic vehicle parking location registration device (100) and the automatic vehicle parking location registration system (10) including the same according to embodiments of the present invention can effectively improve the convenience and security of the user's vehicle usage. Industrial applicability

[0161] The present invention can be usefully utilized to improve the convenience and security of using a vehicle by recognizing the parking floor of a vehicle within a building and providing it via a smartphone, and by detecting an intruder inside the vehicle and notifying via a smartphone.

[0162] As described above, although the present invention has been explained with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications and changes can be made to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims. Explanation of the symbols

[0163] 10: Automatic Vehicle Parking Location Registration System 100: Automatic vehicle parking location registration device 110: Control unit 120: Power supply 130: Communications Department 140: Tilt sensor 150: Barometric pressure sensor 160: GPS sensor 170: PIR sensor 180: Proximity sensor 190: Lighting unit 200: Smartphone 300: Car

Claims

Claim 1 A communication unit that performs short-range wireless communication with a user's smartphone; a tilt sensor that senses the tilt of a vehicle relative to the horizontal; a barometric pressure sensor that measures atmospheric pressure; a GPS sensor that generates location coordinates corresponding to the location of the vehicle via GPS satellites; and a control unit that identifies the location of a building where the vehicle is parked and the floor within the building where the vehicle is parked based on the location coordinates, the tilt, and the barometric pressure, and transmits parking location information including the location of the building and the floor to the smartphone via the communication unit. and includes a power supply unit connected to the vehicle, receiving a power supply voltage from the vehicle, generating an internal voltage using the power supply voltage, and providing the internal voltage to the communication unit, the GPS sensor, the tilt sensor, the barometric pressure sensor, and the control unit. The power supply unit comprises: a power terminal connected to the vehicle and receiving a power supply voltage from the vehicle; a charging IC connected between the power terminal and a first node; a rechargeable battery connected between the first node and a ground voltage; a first resistor connected between the power terminal and a second node; a PNP transistor including a base electrode connected to the second node, an emitter electrode connected to a third node, and a collector electrode connected to the ground voltage; a PMOS transistor including a source electrode connected to the first node, a gate electrode connected to the third node, and a drain electrode connected to a fourth node; a second resistor connected between the first node and the third node; a third resistor connected between the power terminal and the ground voltage; a first diode including an anode electrode connected to the power terminal and a cathode electrode connected to the fourth node; an anode electrode connected to the first node and the A second diode including a cathode electrode connected to a fourth node;An automatic vehicle parking location registration device comprising a voltage regulator that generates the internal voltage using the voltage supplied from the fourth node, wherein the threshold voltage of the second diode is set to be greater than the threshold voltage of the PMOS transistor, so that when the supply of the power voltage from the vehicle to the power terminal is interrupted, the voltage supplied from the rechargeable battery is continuously provided to the fourth node through the second diode until the PMOS transistor is turned on, and when the PMOS transistor is turned on, since the voltage drop through the PMOS transistor is lower than the voltage drop through the second diode, the second diode is turned off, and the voltage supplied from the rechargeable battery is provided to the fourth node through the PMOS transistor. Claim 2 An automatic vehicle parking location registration device according to claim 1, wherein the GPS sensor periodically counts the number of GPS satellites receiving a GPS signal greater than or equal to a threshold sensitivity and provides this number to the control unit as the number of valid GPS satellites, and the control unit determines that the vehicle has entered the building when the number of valid GPS satellites becomes less than or equal to the threshold number. Claim 3 In claim 2, the control unit determines the location coordinates at the point in time when the number of effective GPS satellites is less than or equal to the threshold number as the parking coordinates of the vehicle, and transmits the parking coordinates to the smartphone through the communication unit as the location of the building where the vehicle is parked. Claim 4 In claim 2, the control unit receives a black box recording image from the vehicle and transmits it to the smartphone via the communication unit when it is determined that the vehicle has entered the building. Claim 5 An automatic vehicle parking location registration device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit compares the pressure in the state where the slope is substantially zero before it becomes greater than the threshold slope and is maintained for a threshold time or longer, and then becomes substantially zero again, with the pressure in the state where the slope becomes substantially zero again after it has increased above the threshold slope and is then substantially zero again, and determines that the vehicle has descended by one floor if the pressure has increased by a value greater than the threshold pressure, and determines that the vehicle has ascended by one floor if the pressure has decreased by a value greater than the threshold pressure. Claim 6 In claim 5, the control unit is an automatic vehicle parking location registration device that periodically calculates the current floor number where the vehicle is located and transmits it to the smartphone through the communication unit. Claim 7 An automatic car parking location registration device according to claim 1, further comprising a Passive Infrared (PIR) sensor that generates a human body detection signal when human body movement is detected, wherein the control unit turns off the PIR sensor when the smartphone and the communication unit are paired, turns on the PIR sensor when the pairing between the smartphone and the communication unit is disconnected, and when the human body detection signal is received from the PIR sensor while the pairing between the smartphone and the communication unit is disconnected, transmits an intruder detection signal to the smartphone through the communication unit as soon as the smartphone and the communication unit are paired again. Claim 8 The automatic vehicle parking location registration device according to claim 1, further comprising: a proximity sensor that generates an object detection signal when an object is detected within a predetermined threshold distance; and a lighting unit that turns on and emits light for a predetermined time when a lighting turn-on signal is received, wherein the control unit provides the lighting turn-on signal to the lighting unit when the object detection signal is received from the proximity sensor. Claim 9 In claim 8, the control unit turns on the proximity sensor when the smartphone and the communication unit are paired, and turns off the proximity sensor when the pairing between the smartphone and the communication unit is disconnected. Claim 10 delete Claim 11 delete Claim 12 An automatic vehicle parking location registration device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit receives at least one of a tilt, atmospheric pressure, and location coordinates measured by the smartphone through the communication unit, selects one of the tilt received from the tilt sensor and the tilt received from the smartphone, selects one of the atmospheric pressure received from the atmospheric pressure sensor and the atmospheric pressure received from the smartphone, selects one of the location coordinates received from the GPS sensor and the location coordinates received from the smartphone, and then determines the location of the building where the vehicle is parked and the floor where the vehicle is parked within the building based on the selected tilt, atmospheric pressure, and location coordinates, and transmits parking location information including the location of the building and the floor number to the smartphone through the communication unit. Claim 13 An automatic vehicle parking location registration device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit, when receiving at least one of a tilt, atmospheric pressure, and location coordinates measured by the smartphone through the communication unit, calculates the average tilt of the tilt received from the tilt sensor and the tilt received from the smartphone, calculates the average atmospheric pressure of the atmospheric pressure received from the atmospheric pressure sensor and the atmospheric pressure received from the smartphone, calculates the average location coordinate of the location coordinates received from the GPS sensor and the location coordinates received from the smartphone, and then identifies the location of the building where the vehicle is parked and the floor where the vehicle is parked within the building based on the average tilt, the average atmospheric pressure, and the average location coordinates, and transmits parking location information including the location of the building and the floor number to the smartphone through the communication unit. Claim 14 delete

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