Bicycle parking method, parking lot, and tire stopper

Abstract

To commit to the usefulness of users of small-size vehicles including bicycles by repurposing a parking lot (parking compartment) for for-wheeled vehicles into a bicycle parking space for small-size vehicles including bicycles, and contribute to the maintenance and safety of a traffic environment by eliminating discard (road parking) of small-size vehicles including bicycles.SOLUTION: A tire stopper 10 is shaped like a sideways long rectangular parallelepiped. A notch having a substantially triangular prismatic shape is formed from one flake of the tier stopper 10 to the other flank. The notch serves as a locking part 11 into which a wheel (mainly, a front wheel) of a bicycle is inserted to be locked. The locking part 11 may have an abutting surface, which is made of a flexible material, in a part abutting on the wheel because the locking part abuts on the wheel so as to lock the wheel.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a bicycle parking technique for parking a small vehicle in a parking space for four-wheeled vehicles. [Background technology]

[0002] When renting a four-wheeled vehicle (automobile) through a car sharing service (such as Patent Document 1), the user must go to a location (typically a parking lot) where the vehicle to be used for sharing (hereinafter referred to as a sharing car) is located. At this time, it would be convenient if the user could go to the parking lot by bicycle or the like. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2004-178385 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, if a user rides their bicycle to a parking lot, the question arises of where to park the bicycle. If this problem is left unresolved, car sharing services could lead to bicycles being parked on the road, which is undesirable.

[0005] This problem is not limited to car sharing services, but is also common when using a private car parked in a monthly parking lot, or when arriving by bicycle in a location that does not have a bicycle parking lot.

[0006] Therefore, the inventors of the present application have completed the present invention with the objective of making it more convenient for users of car sharing services when they arrive at the parking lot by bicycle, by turning the parking space in which the shared car was parked into a bicycle parking space when the user uses the car sharing service and departs in the shared car, and by eliminating the problem of bicycles being left unattended, thereby contributing to an improved and safer traffic environment. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The first invention of the present application is a bicycle parking method for parking a small vehicle in a parking space, characterized in that a part of the small vehicle is engaged with a tire stopper installed at the rear of the parking space. Here, a small vehicle refers to a small vehicle that is not parked in a parking lot (parking space) for general automobiles (four-wheeled vehicles), and mainly includes two-wheeled and three-wheeled vehicles such as bicycles and kick scooters, regardless of whether they are electric or not (the same applies below). A second invention is the bicycle parking method according to the first invention, characterized in that the tire stopper is provided with a locking portion for locking the wheel of the small vehicle. A third invention is a bicycle parking method according to the second invention, characterized in that the engaging portion has a contact surface made of a flexible material at the portion that contacts the wheel. A fourth invention is a bicycle parking method according to the second or third invention, characterized in that the engaging portion has a locking function that can be locked and unlocked. The fifth invention is a parking lot that allows parking of small vehicles in parking spaces, characterized in that a part of the small vehicle is fastened to a tire stopper installed at the rear of the parking space. Note that the technical features of the second to fourth inventions may be added to this seventh invention, the parking lot. The sixth invention is a tire stopper that is installed at the rear of a parking space, and is characterized in that the tire stopper is provided with a locking portion for locking a small vehicle. The sixth invention may include the technical features of the second to fourth inventions. Effect of the Invention

[0008] The present invention as described above has the following advantages. (1) By engaging small vehicles in the tire stoppers installed at the rear of the parking space, small vehicles can be parked securely in the parking space, improving convenience for parking lot users (users of four-wheeled vehicles parked in the parking lot) until they reach the parking lot. (2) In addition, users of the parking lot (users of four-wheeled vehicles parked in the parking lot) can park their small vehicles without worrying that they will be parked illegally; it also prevents disorderly on-street parking in the city, leading to city beautification and traffic safety. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram (1) for explaining a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram (1) for explaining a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram (2) for explaining a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a second embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The "tire stopper" used in this embodiment is located at the rear of the parking space and contacts the wheels (tires) of the vehicle to regulate the parking position and to warn the driver of danger by the touch of the stopper. It can be made of any material, such as concrete or metal. In the following, a bicycle will be used as an example of a "small vehicle", but in the present invention, a "small vehicle" is not limited to a bicycle. It may be a two-wheeled vehicle, a three-wheeled vehicle, or any other vehicle including a bicycle. The drive type is not limited to human power, but may be an electrically assisted or electrically powered vehicle. The shape is not limited to bicycles, motorcycles, or scooters, but may be a kickboard-like shape. In this embodiment, a user who uses a car sharing service goes to a parking lot where a shared car is parked by bicycle, and uses the shared car parked in a designated parking space.

[0011] 1 to 4 show a first embodiment of the present invention, illustrating a bicycle parking method (parking lot structure) for locking a small vehicle (bicycle) to a tire stopper.

[0012] 1(a) is a front view of a tire stopper 10 according to this embodiment, (b) is a side view, (c) is a top view, and (d) is a perspective view. This tire stopper 10 has a horizontally long rectangular parallelepiped shape. A roughly triangular prism-shaped notch is formed from one side of the tire stopper 10 to the other side, and this notch becomes a locking portion 11 into which a bicycle wheel (mainly the front wheel) is inserted and locked. Since the locking portion 11 comes into contact with the wheel to lock the wheel, it is preferable that the portion that comes into contact with the wheel has an abutment surface made of a flexible material.

[0013] FIG. 1(e) illustrates a bicycle X parked inside a parked vehicle using a tire stopper 10. The parking space is indicated by a roughly U-shaped white line, and a tire stopper is provided inside the parking space to restrict the parking position of the parked automobile (four-wheeled vehicle). There is also a risk that the automobile may go over the tire stopper 10 and enter the rear of the parking space due to a driver's mistake. To prevent this risk, an I-shaped barrier Z is installed behind the tire stopper 10.

[0014] A user coming to the parking lot on bicycle X turns bicycle X around the back side of tire stopper 10 (the side opposite the parking space), inserts the front wheel into the locking portion 11 of one tire stopper 10A, and locks bicycle X to tire stopper 10A. At this time, the rear wheel side of bicycle X is supported by an attached stand behind the other tire stopper 10B to keep bicycle X standing upright. Note that from the perspective of bicycle X standing upright, the locking of the front wheel by tire stopper 10 only plays an auxiliary role. The user then unlocks the shared car (not shown) parked in the parking space, opens the door, gets in, and drives off.

[0015] Attaching the bicycle X to the tire stopper 10 shown in FIG. 1 has the following advantages. (1) The engaging portion 11 is connected to the ground, so that rainwater does not accumulate. (2) Since bicycle X will be parked from tire stopper 10 to the rear of the vehicle compartment, even if bicycle X falls over, it will not damage the vehicle in the adjacent vehicle compartment. (3) The simple design using tire stops allows for low cost and low maintenance. (4) Not obstructing passengers in adjacent compartments from getting on and off. (5) The engaging portion 11 is tapered in the direction in which the wheel is inserted (horizontally substantially triangular), so that it can accommodate various wheel widths (tire widths) of bicycles X.

[0016] 2(a) is a front view of the tire stopper 20 according to this embodiment, (b) is a side view, (c) is a top view, and (d) is a perspective view. This tire stopper 20 has a horizontally long rectangular parallelepiped shape with a movable part 23 rotatably attached to a main body 22. A locking part 21 is formed between the main body 22 and the movable part 23, and the bicycle wheel (mainly the front wheel) is inserted into the locking part 21 by opening the movable part 23 to lock it. Since the locking part 21 comes into contact with the wheel to lock it, it is preferable that all or part of the movable part 23 that comes into contact with the wheel is made of a flexible material (such as rubber or resin).

[0017] FIG. 2(e) illustrates a bicycle X parked inside a parking vehicle using a tire stopper 20. The parking space, the tire stopper 20, and the relationship between them are the same as those described in FIG. 1(e), and therefore will not be described here. 2. Attaching the bicycle X to the tire stopper 20 shown in FIG. 2 has the following advantages. (1) The engaging portion 21 is connected to the ground, so that rainwater does not accumulate. (2) Since bicycle X will be parked from tire stopper 20 to the rear of the vehicle compartment, even if bicycle X falls over, it will not damage the vehicle in the adjacent vehicle compartment. (3) The wheels of the bicycle X are secured by a surface lock, so there is little risk of damage. (4) Do not obstruct passengers in the adjacent vehicle on the left from getting on or off.

[0018] FIG. 3(a) is a front view of the tire stopper 30 according to this embodiment, (b) is a side view, (c) is a top view, and (d) is a perspective view. This tire stopper 30 has a horizontally long rectangular parallelepiped shape. A substantially C-shaped recess is formed in the center longitudinal direction of the top view, and this recess serves as the locking part 31 into which the bicycle wheel (mainly the front wheel) is inserted to lock it. Since the locking part 31 comes into contact with the wheel to lock the wheel, it is preferable that the part that comes into contact with the wheel has an abutment surface made of a flexible material. Although not shown, it is preferable that the bottom of the locking part 31 has a perforation that communicates with the back side. This is to allow rainwater to escape and prevent water from accumulating in the locking part 31.

[0019] FIG. 3(e) illustrates a bicycle X parked inside a parked vehicle using a tire stopper 30. The parking space, the tire stopper 30, and the relationship between them are the same as those described in FIG. 1(e), and therefore will not be described here. Attaching the bicycle X to the tire stopper 30 shown in FIG. 3 has the following advantages. (1) The engaging portion 31 has a perforation that runs from its bottom to its back side, so that rainwater does not accumulate. (2) Since Bicycle X will be parked from tire stopper 30 to the rear of the vehicle compartment, even if Bicycle X falls over, it will not damage the vehicle in the adjacent vehicle compartment. (3) The simple design using tire stops allows for low cost and low maintenance. (4) Not obstructing passengers in adjacent compartments from getting on and off.

[0020] 4(a) is a front view of the tire stopper 40 according to this embodiment, (b) is a side view, (c) is a top view, and (d) is a perspective view. The tire stopper 40 has a horizontally long rectangular parallelepiped shape. A strip-shaped slit is formed from one side of the tire stopper 40 to the other side, and this slit becomes the locking portion 41 into which the bicycle wheel (mainly the front wheel) is inserted and locked. The locking portion 41 comes into contact with the wheel to lock the wheel, so it is preferable that the portion that comes into contact with the wheel has an abutment surface made of a flexible material.

[0021] FIG. 4(e) illustrates a bicycle X parked in a parking vehicle compartment using a tire stopper 40. The parking space, the tire stopper 40, and the relationship between them are the same as those described in FIG. 1(e), and therefore will not be described here. Attaching the bicycle X to the tire stopper 40 shown in FIG. 4 has the following advantages. (1) The engaging portion 41 is connected to the ground, so that rainwater does not accumulate. (2) Since Bicycle X will be parked from tire stopper 40 to the rear of the vehicle compartment, even if Bicycle X falls over, it will not damage the vehicle in the adjacent vehicle compartment. (3) The simple design using tire stops allows for low cost and low maintenance. (4) Not obstructing passengers in adjacent compartments from getting on and off.

[0022] 5 and 6 show a second embodiment of the present invention, illustrating another bicycle parking method (parking lot structure) in which a small vehicle (bicycle) is secured to a tire stopper.

[0023] 5(a) is a front view of the tire stopper 50 according to this embodiment, (b) is a side view, (c) is a top view, and (d) is a perspective view. The tire stopper 50 has a horizontally long, approximately rectangular parallelepiped shape with a movable part 53 connected in a seesaw shape to the long side of the main body 52 on the side opposite the vehicle interior. A tapered locking part 51 is formed between the main body 52 and the movable part 53. The bicycle wheel (mainly the front wheel) is inserted into this locking part 51 to lock it. Since the locking part 51 comes into contact with the wheel to lock it, it is preferable that all or part of the movable part 53 that comes into contact with the wheel is made of a flexible material (such as rubber or resin).

[0024] FIG. 5(e) shows a bicycle X parked inside a parked vehicle compartment using a tire stopper 50. The parking space is indicated by a roughly U-shaped white line, and tire stops are provided inside the parking space to restrict the parking position of the parked automobile (four-wheeled vehicle). There is also a risk that the automobile may go over the tire stops 10 and enter the rear of the parking space due to a driver's mistake. To prevent this risk, an I-shaped barrier Z is further installed behind the tire stops 50.

[0025] A user who comes to the parking lot on bicycle X turns bicycle X around the back side of tire stopper 50 (the side opposite the parking space), inserts the front wheel into the locking portion 51 of one tire stopper 50A, and locks bicycle X to tire stopper 50A. At this time, the rear wheel side of bicycle X is supported by an attached stand behind the other tire stopper 50B to keep bicycle X standing upright. Note that from the perspective of bicycle X standing upright, the locking of the front wheel by tire stopper 50 only plays an auxiliary role. The user then unlocks the shared car (not shown) parked in the parking space, opens the door, gets in, and drives off.

[0026] Here, the movable portion 53 is movable, but considering the possibility of theft of the bicycle X when it is locked, it is preferable to provide a locking function that allows it to be locked and unlocked. For example, a protrusion extending toward the main body 52 is provided on the tapered surface of the movable part 53, thereby locking the wheel inserted into the engaging part 51, and the movable part 53 is moved by a drive device (motor, etc.) to form a locking mechanism that can be locked and unlocked. The locking and unlocking of this locking mechanism may be manually controlled using a key (physical key) or automatically controlled using a communication technique described later.

[0027] Attaching the bicycle X to the tire stopper 50 shown in FIG. 5 has the following advantages. (1) The engaging portion 51 is connected to the ground, so that rainwater does not accumulate. (2) Since Bicycle X will be parked from tire stopper 50 to the rear of the vehicle compartment, even if Bicycle X falls over, it will not damage the vehicle in the adjacent vehicle compartment. (3) The simple design using tire stops allows for low cost and low maintenance. (4) Not obstructing passengers in adjacent compartments from getting on and off. (5) The engaging portion 51 is tapered in the direction in which the wheel is inserted (horizontally substantially triangular), so that it can accommodate various wheel widths (tire widths) of the bicycle X. (6) By providing a locking function that can be locked and unlocked, theft of the locked bicycle X can be prevented.

[0028] 6(a) is a front view of the tire stopper 60 according to this embodiment, (b) is a side view, (c) is a top view, and (d) is a perspective view. The tire stopper 60 has a horizontally long, approximately rectangular parallelepiped shape, with a movable part 63 connected to the long side of a main body 62 on the side opposite the vehicle interior by a connecting piece 64. The space between the main body 62 and the movable part 63 forms a locking part 61. This locking part 61 clamps and locks the bicycle wheel (mainly the front wheel). Since the locking part 61 comes into contact with the wheel to lock it, it is preferable that all or part of the movable part 53 that comes into contact with the wheel is made of a flexible material (such as rubber or resin).

[0029] FIG. 6(e) shows a bicycle X parked in a parking vehicle compartment using a tire stopper 60. The parking space, the tire stopper 60, and the relationship between them are the same as those explained in FIG. 5(e) (

[0025] and

[0026] ), and therefore will not be explained here.

[0030] Like the tire stopper 50 in FIG. 5, the movable portion 63 of the tire stopper 60 is movable, but considering the possibility of theft of the bicycle X when it is stopped, it is preferable to provide a locking function that allows it to be locked and unlocked. For example, a shorter protrusion piece 65 is provided parallel to the connecting piece 64 of the movable part 63, thereby locking the wheel clamped in the engaging part 61, and the movable part 63 is moved by a drive device (motor, etc.), thereby forming a locking mechanism that can be locked and unlocked. The locking and unlocking of this locking mechanism may be manually controlled using a key (physical key) or automatically controlled using a communication technique described later.

[0031] Attaching the bicycle X to the tire stopper 60 shown in FIG. 6 has the following advantages. (1) The engaging portion 61 is connected to the ground, so that rainwater does not accumulate. (2) Since Bicycle X will be parked from tire stopper 50 to the rear of the vehicle compartment, even if Bicycle X falls over, it will not damage the vehicle in the adjacent vehicle compartment. (3) The wheels of the bicycle X are secured by a surface lock, so there is little risk of damage. (4) By providing a locking function that can be locked and unlocked, theft of the locked bicycle X can be prevented.

[0032] Next, the "automatic control" of the locking function mentioned in the tire stopper 50 of FIG. 5 and the tire stopper 60 of FIG. 6 will be described. An example of automatic control (part 1) is locking and unlocking using an automatic distance discrimination system 70. The automatic distance discrimination system 70 is a system in which a user who has locked bicycle X to tire stopper 50 or 60 unlocks a shared car (not shown) parked in the parking space, opens the door, gets in, and departs, and when the distance between the shared car and tire stopper 50 or 60 becomes a specified distance, the locking mechanism automatically operates (the movable part 53 or 63 moves to lock / lock). By using wireless communication technology (such as Bluetooth (registered trademark)), GPS, NFC, etc., the distance between the two is measured and the locking and unlocking of the locking mechanism is controlled. For more details, a usage procedure (flowchart) using the automatic distance discrimination system 70 is shown in FIG. 7.

[0033] Automatic control (part 2) involves locking and unlocking using an IC card linkage system 75. The IC card linkage system 75 is a system that controls the locking (locking and unlocking) of the tire stopper 50 or 60 using an IC card that a user who has parked bicycle X in the tire stopper 50 or 60 possesses in order to use a shared car (not shown) parked in the parking space. Locking and unlocking by the movable part 53 or 63 is controlled by holding (touching) the IC card over the tire stopper 50 or 60 or an IC reader provided in its vicinity. [Industrial Applicability]

[0034] The present invention can be widely used as a bicycle parking technology for parking small mobility vehicles (small vehicles) such as two-wheeled or three-wheeled vehicles in parking lots. Note that the use of the present invention does not matter whether there is a parked vehicle in the parking space or not. [Explanation of symbols]

[0035] 10,20,30,40,50,60 Tire stopper 11, 21, 31, 41, 51, 61 Locking part 22, 52,62 Main unit 23, 53,63 Moving parts 64 Connecting piece 64 Projection piece 70 Automatic Distance Discrimination System 75 IC card linked system X Bicycle Z Tire stopper

Claims

1. A bicycle parking method for parking a small vehicle in a parking space, comprising: This parking method is characterized in that a part of the small vehicle is locked to a tire stopper installed at the rear of the parking space.

2. 2. The bicycle parking method according to claim 1, wherein the tire stopper is provided with a locking portion for locking a wheel of the small vehicle.

3. 3. The bicycle parking method according to claim 2, wherein the engaging portion has a contact surface made of a flexible material at a portion where the engaging portion comes into contact with the wheel.

4. 4. The bicycle parking method according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the engaging portion has a locking function that can be locked and unlocked.

5. A parking lot that allows parking of small vehicles in parking spaces, This parking lot is characterized in that a part of the small vehicle is fastened to a tire stopper installed at the rear of the parking space.

6. A tire stopper installed at the rear of a parking space, The tire stopper is characterized in that the tire stopper is provided with a locking portion for locking a small vehicle.

Images