Processing system and processing method

Abstract

To reduce time and labor for carry-in / out by a driver while suppressing reduction in safety.SOLUTION: This processing system for performing a process relating to parking of a vehicle 10 comprises: a boarding / alighting area 40 for boarding / alighting of an occupant (driver D1) of the vehicle 10; a mechanical multistory parking space 50 having a carry-in / out gate 52; a terminal 20 that accepts a user's request; and a processing device that executes automatic traveling control for causing the vehicle 10 to automatically travel between the boarding / alighting area 40 and the multistory parking space 50 and parking garage control for controlling an operation of the multistory parking space 50 on the basis of the user's request transmitted from the terminal 20. The processing device executes gate closing control for closing the carry-in / out gate 52 on the basis of safety information regarding safety of the multistory parking space 50.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a processing system and a processing method. [Background technology]

[0002] Mechanical multi-story parking lots are available as vehicle parking lots. For example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, a technology has been proposed that automates entry into and exit from the multi-story parking lot, thereby reducing the effort required for vehicle drivers to enter and exit the parking lot (i.e., entering and exiting the parking lot). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-214800 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] For example, it is expected that the effort required for drivers to enter and exit the parking lot can be reduced by automatically driving a vehicle between the boarding and disembarking area where vehicle occupants get on and off and a multi-story parking lot, and automatically controlling the operation of the multi-story parking lot. In such cases, it is necessary to prevent any decrease in safety as tasks that previously required human intervention are automated.

[0005] In view of the above, the present invention aims to provide a processing system and a processing method that can reduce the effort required for drivers to enter and exit the parking lot while preventing a decrease in safety. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the processing system is a processing system that performs processing related to vehicle parking, and includes a boarding and disembarking area where vehicle occupants board and disembark, a mechanical multi-story parking lot with an entry and exit gate, a terminal that accepts user requests, and a processing device that performs automatic driving control that automatically drives vehicles between the boarding and disembarking area and the multi-story parking lot based on user requests sent from the terminal, and parking lot control that controls the operation of the multi-story parking lot, and in the parking lot control, the processing device performs gate closing control that closes the entry and exit gate based on safety information related to the safety of the multi-story parking lot.

[0007] In order to solve the above problem, the processing method is a processing method related to vehicle parking, in which a terminal of the processing system accepts a user request, and a processing device of the processing system, based on the user request transmitted from the terminal, performs automatic driving control that automatically drives the vehicle between a boarding and disembarking area where vehicle occupants board and disembark and a mechanical multi-story parking lot having an entry and exit gate, and parking lot control that controls the operation of the multi-story parking lot, and in the parking lot control, the processing device performs gate closing control that closes the entry and exit gate based on safety information related to the safety of the multi-story parking lot. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the effort required for drivers to enter and exit the parking lot while suppressing a decrease in safety. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a general configuration of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5]FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a server according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] 1 is a schematic diagram showing the general configuration of a multi-story parking lot according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 7] 5 is a flowchart showing a first example of a flow of processing performed by a server in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention at the time of warehousing. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the operation of a vehicle and a multi-story parking lot in accordance with the processing flow shown in FIG. 7. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart showing a second example of the flow of processing performed by the server at the time of warehousing according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] 5 is a flowchart showing a first example of a flow of processing performed by a server at the time of leaving the warehouse according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] 11 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the vehicle and the multi-story parking lot in accordance with the processing flow shown in FIG. 10. FIG. [Figure 12] 10 is a flowchart showing a second example of the flow of processing performed by the server at the time of leaving the warehouse according to the embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Dimensions, materials, and other specific values ​​shown in the embodiments are merely examples for facilitating understanding of the invention and, unless otherwise specified, do not limit the present invention. In this specification and drawings, elements having substantially the same functions and configurations are designated by the same reference numerals to avoid redundant explanation, and elements not directly related to the present invention are not shown.

[0011] <Processing system configuration> The configuration of a processing system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0012] Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the general configuration of a processing system 1. As shown in Fig. 1, the processing system 1 includes a vehicle 10, a terminal 20, a server 30, a boarding and disembarking area 40, and a mechanical multi-story parking lot 50. The server 30 corresponds to an example of a processing device according to the present invention.

[0013] The processing system 1 is a system that performs processing related to parking of the vehicle 10. Specifically, the processing system 1 is a system that reduces the effort required for the driver D1 of the vehicle 10 to enter and exit a multi-story parking lot 50 by automatically performing processing related to the entry and exit of the vehicle 10 from the multi-story parking lot 50. The terminal 20 is, for example, a portable terminal such as a smartphone, wearable terminal, or personal computer carried by the driver D1. However, the terminal 20 does not have to be a portable terminal and may be, for example, a terminal installed near the boarding and disembarking area 40. The server 30 is capable of communicating with the vehicle 10, the terminal 20, and the multi-story parking lot 50, for example, via a wireless communication network N1. However, the server 30 may also be capable of communicating with the terminal 20 and the multi-story parking lot 50, for example, via a wired communication network. The boarding and disembarking area 40 is an area where occupants such as the driver D1 of the vehicle 10 get on and off the vehicle.

[0014] When the vehicle 10 enters the multi-story parking lot 50, the driver D1 gets off the vehicle 10 in the boarding / alighting area 40 and performs an operation using the terminal 20, thereby causing the processing system 1 to cause the vehicle 10 to enter the multi-story parking lot 50 from the boarding / alighting area 40. When the vehicle 10 leaves the multi-story parking lot 50, the driver D1 performs an operation using the terminal 20 in the boarding / alighting area 40, thereby causing the processing system 1 to cause the vehicle 10 to leave the multi-story parking lot 50 from the boarding / alighting area 40. The driver D1 then gets into the vehicle 10 in the boarding / alighting area 40 and can depart. In the processing system 1, processing related to the entry and exit of the vehicle 10 is mainly performed by the server 30. Details of such processing performed by the server 30 will be described later.

[0015] 2 is a schematic diagram showing a general configuration of a vehicle 10. As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle 10 includes a steering mechanism 11, a drive source 12, a brake device 13, and a control device 14.

[0016] The steering mechanism 11 is a mechanism that changes the steering angle of the vehicle 10. The steering angle of the vehicle 10 means the turning angle of the tires of the vehicle 10. The steering mechanism 11 includes a steering wheel 11a. A driver D1 of the vehicle 10 can change the steering angle by performing a steering operation using the steering wheel 11a.

[0017] The drive source 12 outputs a drive force that is transmitted to the drive wheels of the vehicle 10. Examples of the drive source 12 include an engine and an electric motor.

[0018] The brake device 13 applies braking force to the wheels of the vehicle 10. For example, the brake device 13 includes a hydraulic pressure control unit, and the hydraulic pressure control unit adjusts the hydraulic pressure of the brake fluid in the wheel cylinder, thereby adjusting the braking force applied to the wheels.

[0019] The control device 14 controls the operation of the vehicle 10. The control device 14 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), which is an arithmetic processing device, a ROM (Read Only Memory), which is a storage element that stores programs used by the CPU, calculation parameters, etc., and a RAM (Random Access Memory), which is a storage element that temporarily stores parameters, etc. that change as appropriate during execution of the CPU. The control device 14 may be, for example, a single device or may be divided into multiple devices. Note that when the control device 14 is divided into multiple devices, some of the various functions described below may be shared by different devices.

[0020] Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the control device 14. As shown in Fig. 3, the control device 14 includes, for example, a communication unit 14a and a control unit 14b.

[0021] The communication unit 14a performs wireless communication with the server 30 via the communication network N1. Specifically, the communication unit 14a receives a control command related to control of the vehicle 10 from the server 30.

[0022] The control unit 14b controls the operation of each device in the vehicle 10. For example, the control unit 14b controls the operation of the steering mechanism 11, the drive source 12, and the brake device 13. Here, when a control command is transmitted from the server 30 to the vehicle 10, the control unit 14b controls the operation of each device in the vehicle 10 in accordance with the control command transmitted from the server 30. This allows the vehicle 10 to perform autonomous driving even when no occupant, such as a driver D1, is in the vehicle 10. In the autonomous driving, the control unit 14b can automatically control the speed of the vehicle 10, for example, by automatically controlling the drive source 12 and the brake device 13. In addition, in the autonomous driving, the control unit 14b can automatically control the steering angle of the vehicle 10, for example, by automatically controlling the steering mechanism 11.

[0023] 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of terminal 20. Terminal 20 includes a CPU, which is an arithmetic processing device, a ROM, which is a memory element that stores programs used by the CPU, calculation parameters, etc., and a RAM, which is a memory element that temporarily stores parameters, etc. that change as appropriate during execution of the CPU. Terminal 20 may be, for example, a single terminal, or may be divided into multiple terminals. Note that when terminal 20 is divided into multiple terminals, some of the various functions described below may be shared by different devices.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 4, the terminal 20 includes, for example, a communication unit 20a, a processing unit 20b, and a user interface unit 20c.

[0025] The communication unit 20a performs wireless communication with the server 30 via, for example, a communication network N1. However, the communication unit 20a may also perform communication with the server 30 via, for example, a wired communication network. Specifically, the communication unit 20a transmits a user request acquired via a user interface unit 20c (described later) to the server 30.

[0026] The processing unit 20b performs various processes, such as processes related to display by the terminal 20 (specifically, display by the user interface unit 20c, which will be described later).

[0027] The user interface unit 20c has a function as an operation unit that accepts various operations and a function as a display unit that displays various information. The driver D1 can input various user requests to the terminal 20 by performing operations using the user interface unit 20c of the terminal 20. In this way, the terminal 20 can accept various user requests from the driver D1 via the user interface unit 20c.

[0028] 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of server 30. Server 30 includes a CPU, which is an arithmetic processing device, a ROM, which is a memory element for storing programs used by the CPU, calculation parameters, etc., and a RAM, which is a memory element for temporarily storing parameters, etc., that change as appropriate during execution of the CPU. Server 30 may be, for example, a single server, or may be divided into multiple servers. Note that when server 30 is divided into multiple servers, some of the various functions described below may be performed by different devices.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 5, the server 30 includes, for example, a communication unit 30a and a processing unit 30b.

[0030] The communication unit 30a performs wireless communication with devices external to the server 30, for example, via the communication network N1. However, the communication unit 30a may also perform communication with devices external to the server 30, for example, via a wired communication network. Specifically, the communication unit 30a transmits control commands related to the control of the vehicle 10 to the vehicle 10. This allows the server 30 to control the operation of the vehicle 10. The communication unit 30a also receives user requests from the terminal 20. The communication unit 30a also transmits control commands related to the control of the parking garage 50 to the parking garage 50. The parking garage 50 controls the operation of each device in the parking garage 50 in accordance with the control commands transmitted from the server 30. This allows the server 30 to control the operation of the parking garage 50.

[0031] The processing unit 30b performs various processes, such as generating a control command to be transmitted to the vehicle 10 and generating a control command to be transmitted to the parking garage 50.

[0032] 6 is a schematic diagram showing the general configuration of a multi-story parking lot 50. The multi-story parking lot 50 is installed, for example, on the same premises as the boarding / disembarking area 40. For example, if the boarding / disembarking area 40 is located near the entrance / exit of the facility, the multi-story parking lot 50 is installed at a location away from the entrance / exit on the same premises as the facility, and vehicles 10 of users of the facility are parked in the multi-story parking lot 50.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 6, the multi-story parking garage 50 is a structure having a space inside for accommodating the vehicle 10. For example, the multi-story parking garage 50 is a building having an exterior wall and a roof, and capable of accommodating the vehicle 10 in the interior space enclosed by them. The multi-story parking garage 50 is constructed, for example, on the ground. Note that in the example of FIG. 6, the multi-story parking garage 50 has a rectangular columnar shape. However, the shape of the multi-story parking garage 50 is not limited to the example of FIG. 6.

[0034] An entry / exit gate 52 is provided at the front 51 of the multi-story parking lot 50. Specifically, the entry / exit gate 52 is provided at a portion of the front 51 of the multi-story parking lot 50 on the first floor (i.e., a portion continuous with the ground). In the example of FIG. 6 , the entry / exit gate 52 includes two doors arranged horizontally, and the entry / exit gate 52 is shown in a closed state (i.e., a state in which the vehicle 10 cannot pass through the entry / exit gate 52) in which these doors are in contact with each other. When the two doors move away from each other from the state shown in FIG. 6 , the entry / exit gate 52 enters an open state (i.e., a state in which the vehicle 10 can pass through the entry / exit gate 52). However, the structure and operation of the entry / exit gate 52 are not limited to this example. For example, the entry / exit gate 52 may include only one door, and the entry / exit gate 52 may open or close by moving that single door. Furthermore, the door of the entry / exit gate 52 may move translationally, rotationally, or both translationally and rotationally. The door of the entrance / exit gate 52 may move in translation either horizontally or vertically.

[0035] A plurality of pallets 53 for moving the vehicle 10 are provided inside the multi-story parking lot 50. In the multi-story parking lot 50, the vehicle 10 is moved by moving the pallet 53 with the vehicle 10 placed on it. Then, inside the multi-story parking lot 50, the vehicle 10 is accommodated and stored at one of a plurality of pre-set parking positions P1. In the example of FIG. 6, two groups each including three parking positions P1 arranged vertically are arranged horizontally with a gap between them. In other words, a total of six parking positions P1 are set. Then, four of the six parking positions P1 are accommodated in four of the parking positions P1, namely, vehicle 10a, vehicle 10b, vehicle 10c, and vehicle 10d. However, the number and arrangement of parking positions P1 in the multi-story parking lot 50 are not limited to the example of FIG. 6.

[0036] In the multi-story parking lot 50, vehicles 10 get on and off the pallet 53 (i.e., the vehicle 10 gets on and off the pallet 53) at the entry / exit position P2. The entry / exit position P2 is a position within the space inside the multi-story parking lot 50 that is partitioned by the entry / exit gate 52 and is continuous with the entry / exit gate 52. When the pallet 53 is located at the entry / exit position P2, the pallet 53 is continuous with the ground outside the multi-story parking lot 50. Therefore, when a pallet 53 without a vehicle 10 on it is located at the entry / exit position P2, the vehicle 10 located outside the multi-story parking lot 50 can pass through the entry / exit gate 52 to enter the interior of the multi-story parking lot 50 and get on the pallet 53. Furthermore, when a pallet 53 with a vehicle 10 on it is located at the entry / exit position P2, the vehicle 10 can get off the pallet 53 and pass through the entry / exit gate 52 to exit from the interior to the exterior of the multi-story parking lot 50.

[0037] A camera 54 is provided inside the multi-story parking lot 50. The camera 54 captures an image of the area inside the parking lot 50 relative to the entrance / exit gate 52. For example, the camera 54 is provided inside the parking lot 50 in a space that is partitioned by the entrance / exit gate 52 and is continuous with the entrance / exit gate 52. Specifically, the camera 54 is provided in an upper part of the space and facing downward. For example, the camera 54 captures an image of an area including the entrance / exit gate 52 and the entrance / exit position P2. However, the image capture range of the camera 54 is not particularly limited. For example, the camera 54 may capture an image of an area including the entire floor of the space partitioned by the entrance / exit gate 52 inside the parking lot 50.

[0038] <Processing system operation> The operation of the processing system 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0039] As described above, in the processing system 1, the process related to the entry and exit of the vehicle 10 in the multi-story parking lot 50 is automatically performed, thereby reducing the effort required for the driver D1 of the vehicle 10 to enter and exit the parking lot. The process related to the entry and exit of the vehicle 10 is mainly performed by the server 30.

[0040] Specifically, the server 30 can execute automatic driving control to automatically drive the vehicle 10 between the boarding / disembarking area 40 and the multi-story parking lot 50. The server 30 executes the automatic driving control based on, for example, map information of a connecting passageway that connects the boarding / disembarking area 40 and the multi-story parking lot 50, and ambient environment information detected by each of a plurality of ambient environment sensors provided in the connecting passageway.

[0041] The map information is stored in advance in, for example, the server 30. The ambient environment information is information about the environment surrounding the installation position of the ambient environment sensor, and may be, for example, information related to the distance or direction to an object located around the ambient environment sensor (e.g., relative position, relative distance, relative speed, relative acceleration, etc.), or may be characteristics of the object located around the ambient environment sensor (e.g., type of object, shape of the object itself, mark attached to the object, etc.). The ambient environment sensor may be, for example, a radar, a lidar sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, a camera, etc.

[0042] For example, the server 30 basically controls the operation of the vehicle 10 so that the vehicle 10 moves along a connecting passage indicated by the map information from the boarding / disembarking area 40 to the multi-story parking garage 50, or from the multi-story parking garage 50 to the boarding / disembarking area 40. However, if the server 30 determines based on the surrounding environment information that an obstacle is located on the movement path of the vehicle 10, the server 30 temporarily stops the vehicle 10 or controls the operation of the vehicle 10 to avoid the obstacle.

[0043] In the above, an example has been described in which the determination of the travel route of the vehicle 10 and the detection of obstacles are performed by the server 30 (e.g., the processing unit 30b of the server 30) in the automatic driving control. However, in the automatic driving control, at least one of the determination of the travel route of the vehicle 10 and the detection of obstacles may be performed by the control device 14 of the vehicle 10. For example, if the control device 14 is able to acquire map information of a connecting passage, it can determine the travel route of the vehicle 10 using the map information. Furthermore, for example, if the vehicle 10 is equipped with a surrounding environment sensor, the control device 14 can detect obstacles using surrounding environment information acquired by the surrounding environment sensor.

[0044] The server 30 can also execute parking lot control to control the operation of the parking structure 50. Specifically, the server 30 can control the opening and closing operation of the entrance and exit gate 52 by transmitting a control command related to the opening and closing operation of the entrance and exit gate 52 of the parking structure 50 to the parking structure 50. The server 30 can also control the movement operation of the pallet 53 of the parking structure 50 by transmitting a control command related to the movement operation of the pallet 53 to the parking structure 50.

[0045] As described above, the server 30 can execute automatic driving control and parking lot control. Therefore, the server 30 automatically drives the vehicle 10 between the boarding / exiting area 40 and the multi-story parking lot 50 and automatically controls the operation of the multi-story parking lot 50, thereby reducing the effort required for the driver D1 to enter and exit the parking lot. Here, as tasks that previously required human intervention are automated, it is necessary to suppress any deterioration in safety. Therefore, in this embodiment, the server 30 executes gate closing control to close the entrance / exit gate 52 based on safety information related to the safety of the multi-story parking lot 50 during parking lot control, thereby reducing the effort required for the driver D1 to enter and exit the parking lot while suppressing any deterioration in safety. Below, an example of the process related to entrance and exit performed by the server 30 will be described in detail.

[0046] First, an example of the process performed by the server 30 at the time of warehousing will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0047] Figure 7 is a flowchart showing a first example of the flow of processing performed by server 30 at the time of warehousing. Step S101 in Figure 7 corresponds to the start of the processing flow shown in Figure 7. Step S108 in Figure 7 corresponds to the end of the processing flow shown in Figure 7. The processing flow shown in Figure 7 starts when a warehousing request (specifically, a user request to warehousing vehicle 10) is transmitted from terminal 20 to server 30 and server 30 receives the warehousing request.

[0048] FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the vehicle 10 and the multi-story parking lot 50 in accordance with the processing flow shown in FIG. 7. Specifically, FIG. 8 shows the entry of the vehicle 10e. In FIG. 8, the vehicle 10e before entry is indicated by a solid line, and the vehicle 10e after entry is indicated by a two-dot chain line. As shown in FIG. 8, when the vehicle 10e is entered into the parking lot, the driver D1 of the vehicle 10e drives the vehicle 10e to the boarding and alighting area 40, and after arriving at the boarding and alighting area 40, gets off the vehicle 10e at the boarding and alighting area 40. Then, the driver D1 operates the terminal 20 to input a loading request, which is a user request for loading the vehicle 10e, into the terminal 20. As a result, the loading request is transmitted from the terminal 20 to the server 30, and the server 30 receives the loading request. Then, the processing flow shown in FIG. 7 starts. Hereinafter, an example of the entry of the vehicle 10e will be described with reference to FIG. 8 as needed in addition to FIG. 7.

[0049] When the processing flow shown in FIG. 7 starts, in step S102, the server 30 controls the parking lot to move the pallet 53 without the vehicle 10 thereon from the storage position P1 to the loading / unloading position P2.

[0050] For example, in the example of Figure 8, in step S102, as shown by arrow A11, the pallet 53 located between the pallet 53 on which vehicle 10a is loaded and the pallet 53 on which vehicle 10b is loaded (i.e., the pallet 53 not carrying vehicle 10) moves from storage position P1 to loading / unloading position P2.

[0051] After step S102 in FIG. 7, in step S103, the server 30 executes gate opening control to open the entrance / exit gate 52 through parking lot control.

[0052] For example, in the example of FIG. 8, in step S103, the two doors of the entrance / exit gate 52 move in directions away from each other as indicated by arrow A12, and the entrance / exit gate 52 enters an open state.

[0053] After step S103 in FIG. 7, in step S104, the server 30 controls the vehicle 10e to automatically travel to the entry / exit position P2 by automatic travel control.

[0054] 8, in step S104, as shown by arrow A13, vehicle 10e, which is unmanned and does not have a driver D1 or other occupant aboard, passes through entrance / exit gate 52 from boarding / exiting area 40, enters inside multi-story parking lot 50, and moves to entrance / exit position P2. As a result, vehicle 10e gets on pallet 53 located at entrance / exit position P2.

[0055] After step S104 in FIG. 7, in step S105, the server 30 determines whether or not the entrance / exit gate 52 may be closed based on safety information relating to the safety of the multi-story parking garage 50.

[0056] As described above, in step S104, vehicle 10e moves to entry / exit position P2. Thereafter, entry / exit gate 52 needs to be closed. Here, when closing entry / exit gate 52, it is necessary to ensure safety in closing entry / exit gate 52. For example, a state in which there is no person inside entry / exit gate 52 in multi-story parking lot 50 (for example, within the space partitioned by entry / exit gate 52 inside multi-story parking lot 50) corresponds to a state in which safety in closing entry / exit gate 52 is ensured.

[0057] Here, the server 30 acquires safety information (specifically, information related to the safety of closing the entrance / exit gate 52) based on an image captured of at least the inside of the entrance / exit gate 52 in the parking structure 50, and determines whether or not it is OK to close the entrance / exit gate 52 based on the acquired safety information. The image is captured by, for example, a camera 54 in the parking structure 50. The image captured by the camera 54 is then transmitted to the server 30. This allows the server 30 to acquire the image.

[0058] The server 30 then performs image processing on the acquired image to determine whether or not there is a person inside the entrance / exit gate 52 in the multi-story parking lot 50, and can acquire safety information based on the result of the determination. For example, if the server 30 determines that there is no person inside the entrance / exit gate 52 in the multi-story parking lot 50, it acquires information indicating that safety is ensured for closing the entrance / exit gate 52 as safety information. Therefore, the server 30 determines that it is OK to close the entrance / exit gate 52. On the other hand, if the server 30 determines that there is a person inside the entrance / exit gate 52 in the multi-story parking lot 50, it acquires information indicating that safety is not ensured for closing the entrance / exit gate 52 as safety information. Therefore, the server 30 determines that the entrance / exit gate 52 should not be closed. However, as will be described later, the server 30 only needs to acquire safety information based on the detection results of a sensor that detects at least the condition inside the entrance / exit gate 52 in the multi-story parking lot 50, and the camera 54 is merely one example of such a sensor.

[0059] If it is determined that the entrance / exit gate 52 should not be closed (step S105 / NO), step S105 is repeated. On the other hand, if it is determined that the entrance / exit gate 52 may be closed (step S105 / YES), the process proceeds to step S106.

[0060] If the determination in step S105 is YES, in step S106, the server 30 executes gate closing control to close the entrance / exit gate 52 through parking lot control.

[0061] For example, in the example of FIG. 8, in step S106, the two doors of the entrance / exit gate 52 move in directions approaching each other as indicated by arrow A14, and the entrance / exit gate 52 is brought into a closed state.

[0062] After step S106 in FIG. 7, in step S107, the server 30 controls the parking lot to move the pallet 53, which is located at the entry / exit position P2 and on which the vehicle 10e is placed, from the entry / exit position P2 to the storage position P1, and the processing flow shown in FIG. 7 ends.

[0063] For example, in the example of Figure 8, in step S107, as shown by arrow A15, the pallet 53 carrying vehicle 10e moves from the loading / unloading position P2 to a storage position P1 between the pallet 53 carrying vehicle 10a and the pallet 53 carrying vehicle 10b.

[0064] As described above, in the example of Fig. 7 relating to the process at the time of parking entry, the server 30 executes gate closing control to close the entrance / exit gate 52 based on safety information relating to the safety of the multi-story parking lot 50 during parking lot control. This allows the entrance / exit gate 52 to be closed after confirming that safety is ensured. For example, the entrance / exit gate 52 can be closed after confirming that there is no one inside the entrance / exit gate 52 of the multi-story parking lot 50. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the effort required for the driver D1 to enter the parking lot while suppressing a decrease in safety.

[0065] In particular, in the example of FIG. 7 relating to the process at the time of parking, the server 30 acquires safety information based on the detection results of a sensor (in the above example, an image obtained by the camera 54) that detects the condition at least inside the entrance / exit gate 52 of the multi-story parking lot 50. This allows the safety information to be acquired automatically, more effectively reducing the burden on the driver D1. In addition to the camera 54, the above-mentioned sensor may include a radar, LIDAR, or other sensor that detects the condition at least inside the entrance / exit gate 52 of the multi-story parking lot 50. For example, if a sensor such as a radar or LIDAR is installed instead of the camera 54 in a space within the multi-story parking lot 50 that is partitioned by the entrance / exit gate 52 and is continuous with the entrance / exit gate 52, the server 30 can determine whether or not a person is present inside the multi-story parking lot 50 relative to the entrance / exit gate 52 based on the detection by the sensor.

[0066] Figure 9 is a flowchart showing a second example of the flow of processing performed by server 30 at the time of warehousing. Step S201 in Figure 9 corresponds to the start of the processing flow shown in Figure 9. Step S204 in Figure 9 corresponds to the end of the processing flow shown in Figure 9. Similar to the processing flow shown in Figure 7 described above, the processing flow shown in Figure 9 starts when a warehousing request (specifically, a user request to warehousing vehicle 10) is transmitted from terminal 20 to server 30 and server 30 receives the warehousing request.

[0067] The processing flow shown in FIG. 9 corresponds to the processing flow in which step S105 of the processing flow shown in FIG. 7 described above is replaced with step S202 and step S203.

[0068] 9, following step S104 (i.e., the process of automatically driving the vehicle 10e to the entry / exit position P2), in step S202, the server 30 transmits an image of at least the inside of the parking garage 50 relative to the entry / exit gate 52 to the terminal 20 of the driver D1 of the vehicle 10e. As described above, the image is, for example, an image captured by the camera 54 of the parking garage 50.

[0069] As described above, in step S104, vehicle 10e moves to entrance / exit position P2. Thereafter, it is necessary to close entrance / exit gate 52. As described above, when entrance / exit gate 52 is closed, it is necessary to ensure safety in closing entrance / exit gate 52.

[0070] In the processing example of FIG. 9, when the above image is transmitted to the terminal 20 in step S202, the terminal 20 that has received the above image displays the image. Then, the driver D1 of the vehicle 10e checks the above image displayed on the terminal 20 and determines whether or not safety is ensured for closing the entrance / exit gate 52. If the driver D1 of the vehicle 10e determines that safety is ensured for closing the entrance / exit gate 52, he inputs an execution command for gate close control (specifically, a command to instruct the execution of gate close control) to the terminal 20. As a result, the execution command for gate close control is transmitted from the terminal 20 to the server 30, and the server 30 receives the execution command for gate close control.

[0071] For example, if the driver D1 of the vehicle 10e checks the image and determines that there is no person inside the entrance / exit gate 52 of the multi-story parking lot 50, he or she determines that it is safe to close the entrance / exit gate 52 and inputs a command to execute gate close control to the terminal 20. As a result, a command to execute gate close control is transmitted from the terminal 20 to the server 30. On the other hand, if the driver D1 of the vehicle 10e checks the image and determines that there is a person inside the entrance / exit gate 52 of the multi-story parking lot 50, he or she determines that it is not safe to close the entrance / exit gate 52 and does not input a command to execute gate close control to the terminal 20. As a result, a command to execute gate close control is not transmitted from the terminal 20 to the server 30.

[0072] After step S202, in step S203, the server 30 determines whether or not a command to execute gate close control has been received from the terminal 20.

[0073] As described above, when the driver D1 of the vehicle 10e determines that safety is ensured for closing the entrance / exit gate 52, a command to execute gate close control is input to the terminal 20, and the command to execute gate close control is transmitted from the terminal 20 to the server 30. On the other hand, when the driver D1 of the vehicle 10e determines that safety is not ensured for closing the entrance / exit gate 52, the command to execute gate close control is not input to the terminal 20, and the command to execute gate close control is not transmitted from the terminal 20 to the server 30. In this way, the server 30 can acquire the command to execute gate close control transmitted from the terminal 20 as safety information.

[0074] If it is determined that the gate close control execution command has not been received (step S203 / NO), step S203 is repeated. On the other hand, if it is determined that the gate close control execution command has been received (step S203 / YES), the process proceeds to step S106.

[0075] If the answer in step S203 is YES, step S106 (i.e., a process for executing gate closing control to close the loading / unloading gate 52) and step S107 (i.e., a process for moving the pallet 53, which is located at the loading / unloading position P2 and on which the vehicle 10e is placed, from the loading / unloading position P2 to the storage position P1) are performed, and the processing flow shown in Figure 9 ends.

[0076] As described above, in the example of Fig. 9, gate close control is not executed until the driver D1 of the vehicle 10e checks the image displayed on the terminal 20 and transmits an execution command for gate close control to the server 30. Here, it is possible that the driver D1 forgets to check the image. Therefore, from the viewpoint of preventing such forgetting of checking, it is preferable that the server 30 causes the terminal 20 to issue a warning if a reference time has elapsed since the server 30 transmitted the image to the terminal 20 and no execution command for gate close control has been transmitted from the terminal 20.

[0077] The reference time is set to a length of time that allows the driver D1 to appropriately determine whether or not he / she has forgotten to check the image. The server 30 can also cause the terminal 20 to issue a warning by sending a command to the terminal 20 to issue a warning by at least one of display and sound output, for example. This can prompt the driver D1 to check the image.

[0078] As described above, in the example of FIG. 9 relating to the processing at the time of entry, similar to the example of FIG. 7 relating to the processing at the time of entry described above, the server 30 executes gate closing control to close the entrance / exit gate 52 in the parking lot control based on safety information relating to the safety of the multi-story parking lot 50. This makes it possible to close the entrance / exit gate 52 after confirming that safety is ensured. For example, it is possible to close the entrance / exit gate 52 after confirming that there is no one inside the entrance / exit gate 52 in the multi-story parking lot 50. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the effort required for the driver D1 to enter the parking lot while suppressing a decrease in safety.

[0079] 9 relating to the process at the time of entry, the server 30 transmits to the terminal 20 an image of at least the inside of the entrance / exit gate 52 of the multi-story parking lot 50, and acquires, as safety information, a command to execute gate close control transmitted from the terminal 20 that has received the image. This allows the driver D1 to confirm the image and acquire the safety information, so that gate close control can be executed taking into consideration the result of the decision made by the driver D1.

[0080] Next, an example of processing performed by the server 30 at the time of leaving the warehouse will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0081] Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing a first example of the flow of processing performed by server 30 at the time of leaving the garage. Step S301 in Fig. 10 corresponds to the start of the processing flow shown in Fig. 10. Step S307 in Fig. 10 corresponds to the end of the processing flow shown in Fig. 10. The processing flow shown in Fig. 10 starts when a leaving request (specifically, a user request wishing to leave vehicle 10) is transmitted from terminal 20 to server 30, and server 30 receives the leaving request.

[0082] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the operation of vehicle 10 and multi-story parking lot 50 in accordance with the processing flow shown in FIG. 10. Specifically, FIG. 11 shows the process of vehicle 10e being released from the parking lot. In FIG. 11, vehicle 10e before release is indicated by a solid line, and vehicle 10e after release is indicated by a two-dot chain line. In the example of FIG. 11, vehicle 10e is placed on pallet 53 and parked at parking position P1 between parking position P1 where vehicle 10a is parked and parking position P1 where vehicle 10b is parked. As shown in FIG. 11, when vehicle 10e is to be released from the parking lot, driver D1 of vehicle 10e arrives at boarding / alighting area 40, and then operates terminal 20 in boarding / alighting area 40 to input a release request, which is a user request for releasing vehicle 10e, into terminal 20. As a result, the release request is transmitted from terminal 20 to server 30, and server 30 receives the release request. Then, the processing flow shown in FIG. 10 starts. An example of the vehicle 10e leaving the garage will be described below with reference to FIG. 11 as needed in addition to FIG.

[0083] When the processing flow shown in FIG. 10 starts, in step S302, the server 30 controls the parking lot to move the pallet 53 carrying the vehicle 10e from the storage position P1 to the loading / unloading position P2.

[0084] For example, in the example of FIG. 11, in step S302, the pallet 53 carrying the vehicle 10e moves from the storage position P1 to the loading / unloading position P2 as indicated by the arrow A21.

[0085] After step S302 in FIG. 10, in step S303, the server 30 executes gate opening control to open the entrance / exit gate 52 through parking lot control.

[0086] For example, in the example of FIG. 11, in step S303, the two doors of the entrance / exit gate 52 move in directions away from each other as indicated by arrow A22, and the entrance / exit gate 52 enters an open state.

[0087] 10, in step S304, the server 30 performs automatic driving control to cause the vehicle 10e to automatically travel to the boarding and alighting area 40. Note that the server 30 stops the driving source 12 of the vehicle 10e after the vehicle 10e arrives at the boarding and alighting area 40, for example.

[0088] 11, in step S304, as shown by arrow A23, vehicle 10e, without any occupant such as driver D1 aboard, dismounts from pallet 53, passes through entrance / exit gate 52, exits from the inside of multi-story parking lot 50 to the outside, and moves to boarding / exiting area 40. This allows driver D1 to get into vehicle 10e and drive vehicle 10e to depart.

[0089] 10, in step S305, the server 30 determines whether or not it is OK to close the entrance / exit gate 52 based on safety information related to the safety of the multi-story parking garage 50. The processing of step S305 is the same as the processing of step S105 in FIG. 7 described above.

[0090] If it is determined that the entrance / exit gate 52 should not be closed (step S305 / NO), step S305 is repeated. On the other hand, if it is determined that the entrance / exit gate 52 may be closed (step S305 / YES), the process proceeds to step S306.

[0091] If the determination in step S305 is YES, in step S306, the server 30 executes gate closing control to close the entrance / exit gate 52 through parking lot control, and the processing flow shown in FIG. 10 ends.

[0092] For example, in the example of FIG. 11, in step S306, the two doors of the entrance / exit gate 52 move in directions approaching each other as indicated by arrow A24, and the entrance / exit gate 52 is brought into a closed state.

[0093] After executing the gate closing control, the server 30 may move the pallet 53 that is located at the loading / unloading position P2 and does not have a vehicle 10 on it to an empty storage position P1.

[0094] As described above, in the example of Fig. 10 relating to the process at the time of leaving, the server 30 executes gate closing control to close the entrance / exit gate 52 based on safety information relating to the safety of the multi-story parking lot 50 during parking lot control. This allows the entrance / exit gate 52 to be closed after confirming that safety is ensured. For example, the entrance / exit gate 52 can be closed after confirming that no one is inside the entrance / exit gate 52 of the multi-story parking lot 50. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the effort required for the driver D1 to leave the parking lot while suppressing a decrease in safety.

[0095] 10 relating to the process at the time of leaving the parking lot, the server 30 acquires safety information based on the detection results (in the above example, images obtained by the camera 54) of a sensor that detects the condition of at least the inside of the entrance / exit gate 52 of the parking lot 50. This allows the safety information to be acquired automatically, thereby more effectively reducing the burden on the driver D1.

[0096] Figure 12 is a flowchart showing a second example of the processing flow at the time of leaving the garage performed by server 30. Step S401 in Figure 12 corresponds to the start of the processing flow shown in Figure 12. Step S404 in Figure 12 corresponds to the end of the processing flow shown in Figure 12. Similar to the processing flow shown in Figure 10 described above, the processing flow shown in Figure 12 starts when a leaving request (specifically, a user request wishing to leave the garage) is transmitted from terminal 20 to server 30 and server 30 receives the leaving request.

[0097] The processing flow shown in FIG. 12 corresponds to the processing flow in which step S305 in the processing flow shown in FIG. 10 described above is replaced with step S402 and step S403.

[0098] 12, after step S304 (i.e., the process of automatically driving the vehicle 10e to the boarding / exiting area 40), in step S402, the server 30 transmits an image of at least the inside of the entrance / exit gate 52 of the multi-story parking lot 50 to the terminal 20 of the driver D1 of the vehicle 10e. The process of step S402 is the same as the process of step S202 in FIG. 9 described above.

[0099] 12, as in the processing example of FIG. 9 described above, when the image is transmitted to the terminal 20 in step S402, the terminal 20 that has received the image displays the image. Then, the driver D1 of the vehicle 10e checks the image displayed on the terminal 20 and determines whether or not it is safe to close the entrance / exit gate 52. If the driver D1 of the vehicle 10e determines that it is safe to close the entrance / exit gate 52, he inputs an execution command for gate close control to the terminal 20. As a result, the execution command for gate close control is transmitted from the terminal 20 to the server 30, and the server 30 receives the execution command for gate close control.

[0100] After step S402, in step S403, the server 30 determines whether or not a command to execute gate close control has been received from the terminal 20. The process of step S403 is the same as the process of step S203 in FIG.

[0101] If it is determined that the gate close control execution command has not been received (step S403 / NO), step S403 is repeated. On the other hand, if it is determined that the gate close control execution command has been received (step S403 / YES), the process proceeds to step S306.

[0102] If the determination in step S403 is YES, step S306 (that is, processing to execute gate closing control to close the loading / unloading gate 52) is performed, and the processing flow shown in FIG. 12 ends.

[0103] 12, the gate close control is not executed until the driver D1 of the vehicle 10e checks the image displayed on the terminal 20 and transmits a command to execute the gate close control to the server 30. Here, it is possible that the driver D1 forgets to check the image. Therefore, from the viewpoint of preventing such forgetting of checking, it is preferable that the server 30 prohibits the activation of the drive source 12 of the vehicle 10e after transmitting the image to the terminal 20 until the command to execute the gate close control is transmitted from the terminal 20.

[0104] For example, the server 30 can prohibit the activation of the driving source 12 of the vehicle 10e by transmitting a command to the control device 14 of the vehicle 10e to control the driving source 12 so as not to activate the driving source 12 even if the driver D1 in the vehicle 10e performs an operation to activate the driving source 12. This can prompt the driver D1 to check the image.

[0105] As described above, in the example of FIG. 12 relating to the process at the time of leaving, similar to the example of FIG. 10 relating to the process at the time of leaving described above, the server 30 executes gate closing control to close the entrance / exit gate 52 in the parking lot control based on safety information relating to the safety of the multi-story parking lot 50. This makes it possible to close the entrance / exit gate 52 after confirming that safety is ensured. For example, it is possible to close the entrance / exit gate 52 after confirming that there is no person inside the entrance / exit gate 52 of the multi-story parking lot 50. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the effort required for the driver D1 to leave the parking lot while suppressing a decrease in safety.

[0106] 12 relating to the process at the time of leaving the parking lot, the server 30 transmits to the terminal 20 an image of at least the inside of the entrance / exit gate 52 of the parking lot 50, and acquires, as safety information, a command to execute gate close control transmitted from the terminal 20 that has received the image. This allows the driver D1 to confirm the image and acquire the safety information, so that gate close control can be executed taking into consideration the result of the decision made by the driver D1.

[0107] <Effects of the treatment system> The effects of the processing system 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0108] The processing system 1 includes a boarding / exiting area 40 where occupants of the vehicle 10 board and disembark, a mechanical multi-story parking garage 50 having an entrance / exit gate 52, a terminal 20 that accepts user requests, and a processing device (server 30 in the above example) that executes automatic driving control that automatically drives the vehicle 10 between the boarding / exiting area 40 and the multi-story parking garage 50 based on the user request transmitted from the terminal 20, and parking lot control that controls the operation of the multi-story parking garage 50. In the parking lot control, the processing device executes gate closing control that closes the entrance / exit gate 52 based on safety information related to the safety of the multi-story parking garage 50. This allows the entrance / exit gate 52 to be closed after confirming that safety is ensured. For example, the entrance / exit gate 52 can be closed after confirming that no one is inside the entrance / exit gate 52 of the multi-story parking garage 50. This reduces the effort required for the driver D1 to enter and exit the parking garage while minimizing a decrease in safety.

[0109] Preferably, in the processing system 1, the processing device (server 30 in the above example) acquires safety information based on the detection results of a sensor (images acquired by camera 54 in the above example) that detects the condition of at least the inside of the entrance / exit gate 52 of the multi-story parking lot 50. This allows the safety information to be acquired automatically, thereby more effectively reducing the burden on driver D1.

[0110] Preferably, in the processing system 1, the processing device (server 30 in the above example) transmits an image of at least the inside of the entrance / exit gate 52 of the multi-story parking lot 50 to the terminal 20, and acquires, as safety information, a command to execute gate close control transmitted from the terminal 20 that has received the image. This allows the safety information to be acquired after the driver D1 has checked the image, and therefore gate close control can be executed taking into consideration the result of the decision made by the driver D1.

[0111] Preferably, in the processing system 1, the processing device (server 30 in the above example) causes the terminal 20 to issue a warning if a reference time has elapsed since the terminal 20 transmitted the image when the vehicle 10 enters the multi-story parking lot 50 and no command to execute gate close control is transmitted from the terminal 20. This makes it possible to prompt the driver D1 to check the image if the driver D1 forgets to check the image when the vehicle 10 enters the parking lot.

[0112] Preferably, in the processing system 1, the processing device (server 30 in the above example) transmits the image to the terminal 20 when the vehicle 10 leaves the multi-story parking garage 50, and then prohibits activation of the drive source 12 of the vehicle 10 until a command to execute gate close control is transmitted from the terminal 20. This makes it possible to prompt the driver D1 to check the image when the vehicle 10 leaves the garage if the driver D1 forgets to check the image.

[0113] The above describes a preferred embodiment of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modified or altered examples within the scope of the claims also fall within the technical scope of the present invention.

[0114] For example, the processes described herein using flowcharts do not necessarily have to be performed in the order shown in the flowcharts, some process steps may be performed in parallel, additional process steps may be employed, and some process steps may be omitted.

[0115] Furthermore, for example, the series of processes performed by the control device 14 described above may be realized using software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. The programs constituting the software are stored in advance in, for example, a storage medium provided inside or outside the information processing device.

[0116] Furthermore, for example, the series of processes performed by the terminal 20 described above may be realized using software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. The programs constituting the software are stored in advance in a storage medium provided inside or outside the information processing device, for example.

[0117] Furthermore, for example, the series of processes performed by the server 30 described above may be realized using software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. The programs constituting the software are stored in advance in a storage medium provided inside or outside the information processing device, for example. [Explanation of symbols]

[0118] 1 Processing System 10 vehicles 10a Vehicle 10b Vehicle 10c vehicle 10d vehicle 10e vehicle 11 Steering mechanism 12 Power Source 13 Brake equipment 14 Control device 14a Communications Department 14b Control section 20 terminals 20a Communications Department 20b Processing section 20c User Interface Section 30 Server (processing device) 30a Communications Department 30b Processing section 40 Boarding and disembarking area 50 Multi-storey car park 51 Front 52 Entrance and exit gate 53 Palettes 54 Camera (sensor) D1 Driver N1 Communications Network P1 storage position P2 Entry / Exit Position

Claims

1. A processing system (1) for performing processing related to parking of a vehicle (10), a boarding and alighting area (40) where passengers board and alight from the vehicle (10); a mechanical multi-story parking lot (50) having an entrance / exit gate (52); a terminal (20) that accepts user requests; a processing device (30) that executes automatic driving control for automatically driving the vehicle (10) between the boarding / disembarking area (40) and the multi-story parking lot (50) based on the user request transmitted from the terminal (20), and parking lot control for controlling the operation of the multi-story parking lot (50); Equipped with In the parking lot control, the processing device (30) executes gate closing control to close the entrance / exit gate (52) based on safety information related to the safety of the multi-story parking lot (50). Processing system.

2. The processing device (30) acquires the safety information based on a detection result of a sensor (54) that detects the state of at least the inside of the entrance / exit gate (52) of the multi-story parking lot (50). The processing system of claim 1 .

3. The processing device (30) transmits an image of at least the inside of the entrance / exit gate (52) of the multi-story parking lot (50) to the terminal (20), and acquires, as the safety information, an execution command for the gate closing control transmitted from the terminal (20) that has received the image. The processing system of claim 1 .

4. When the vehicle (10) enters the multi-story parking lot (50), the processing device (30) transmits the image to the terminal (20), and then, if a reference time has elapsed during which the execution command is not transmitted from the terminal (20), causes the terminal (20) to issue a warning. The processing system of claim 3 .

5. When the vehicle (10) leaves the multi-story parking garage (50), the processing device (30) transmits the image to the terminal (20) and then prohibits activation of the drive source (12) of the vehicle (10) until the execution command is transmitted from the terminal (20).

5. The processing system according to claim 3 or 4.

6. A method for parking a vehicle (10), comprising: A terminal (20) of the processing system (1) accepts a user request; A processing device (30) of the processing system (1) executes, based on the user request transmitted from the terminal (20), automatic driving control for automatically driving the vehicle (10) between a boarding and disembarking area (40) where occupants of the vehicle (10) get on and off and a mechanical multi-story parking lot (50) having an entrance and exit gate (52), and parking lot control for controlling the operation of the multi-story parking lot (50); In the parking lot control, the processing device (30) executes gate closing control to close the entrance / exit gate (52) based on safety information related to the safety of the multi-story parking lot (50). Processing method.

Images