Vehicle number based tenant checker cooperation system

Abstract

To provide a vehicle number-based tenant checker cooperation system for entry / exit management using a vehicle number while achieving parking fee discount functionality without requiring a dedicated issuing apparatus.SOLUTION: A vehicle number-based tenant checker cooperation system includes: reading a vehicle 10's number plate on entry to a parking lot 5; performing entry / exit management; recording parking information; and handling fee settlement. When a customer's vehicle is parked in the parking lot and the customer uses a partner store, the system authenticates the parked customer vehicle using the number plate and provides a discount on the parking fee.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle number type tenant checker linkage system that authenticates a customer's parked vehicle in a parking lot and provides a discount on parking fees when the customer parks their vehicle in the parking lot and uses an affiliated store. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a parking lot management device with a parking fee discount function that gives a discount on the current parking fee to customers who have used the parking lot previously. This parking lot management device allows a customer to receive a discount on the parking fee or parking time by inserting the used parking ticket returned from the automatic toll payment machine when the customer leaves the parking lot after paying the fee into the automatic toll payment machine together with the current parking ticket at the time of the next parking fee payment. In other words, the used parking ticket is used as a discount ticket in the order it is used. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 3499423 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Incidentally, systems that use vehicle number plates to manage entry and exit are becoming widespread in individual parking spaces and gate-managed parking lots. In recent years, there has also been an increase in gate-managed parking systems that do not issue parking tickets upon entry (ticketless).

[0005] Systems that use vehicle number plates to manage entry and exit often have a parking fee discount function, and users are given a discount by proving their parking to the discount provider using a physical medium (such as a parking ticket received when the user enters the parking lot or a parking certificate that can be issued at their discretion).The most common methods for applying a discount are magnetic encoding onto the physical medium itself or loading a new physical medium (such as a discount coupon) into the payment device, and in many cases the discount provider pays the parking lot operator a fee based on the number of users.

[0006] However, discount coupons must be issued using a dedicated issuing device, and a dedicated reading device is also required to apply the discount. Furthermore, even if a discount coupon is given but the customer does not use it (for example, if there is no parking fee and no need to use it), and the customer hoards the coupons or gives them to others, the affiliated store must still cover the cost of the discount coupons. Therefore, if customers hoard discount coupons or give them to others, parking lot operators also suffer a loss as their revenue decreases.

[0007] Furthermore, if the discount coupons are physical media, not only are the manufacturing costs for the coupons high, but this also increases the environmental impact. If the discount information is encoded onto parking tickets rather than issued as discount coupons, partner stores will need to purchase even more expensive issuing equipment. On the other hand, with ticketless systems, there is no physical medium to prove parking, making it difficult to authenticate the person who actually parked and was entitled to receive the discount.

[0008] The present invention was made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a vehicle number type tenant checker linkage system that can manage entry and exit using vehicle numbers while realizing a parking fee discount function without using dedicated issuing equipment. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The vehicle number type tenant checker linkage system of the present invention is a system that reads the license plate of a vehicle that enters a parking lot and manages entry and exit, records parking information, and settles fees.When a customer's vehicle is parked in the parking lot and the customer uses an affiliated store, the system authenticates the customer's parked vehicle using the vehicle number and provides a discount on the parking fee. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] When a customer's vehicle is parked in a parking lot and the customer uses an affiliated store, the customer's parked vehicle is authenticated by its license plate number and a parking fee discount is provided, eliminating the need for a discount coupon issuing device or an issuing device that adds discount information to parking tickets.This makes it possible to realize a parking fee discount function even in a ticketless system that does not have a physical medium to prove parking.

[0011] Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicle number type tenant checker linkage system that can manage entry and exit using vehicle numbers while realizing a parking fee discount function without using dedicated issuing equipment. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a configuration diagram of a vehicle number type tenant checker linkage system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a layout diagram showing an example of the parking lot in FIG. [Figure 3] 2 is a diagram for explaining a display example of the terminal device in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the vehicle number type tenant checker linkage system at the time of entry. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart of discount authentication for explaining the operation of the vehicle number type tenant checker linkage system. [Figure 6] This is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the vehicle number type tenant checker linkage system at the time of settlement and exit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 shows an example of the configuration of a vehicle number type tenant checker linkage system according to an embodiment of the present invention. This system is applicable to individual parking lot management systems and gate management systems, and includes a parking lot payment machine 1, a higher-level management server (MSS: Managed Security Service) 2, a terminal device 3, and a management device 4.

[0014] The parking lot adjustment machine 1 is placed in an individual parking space management type or gate management type parking lot 5, and this parking lot adjustment machine 1 and a host management server 2 are connected via a communication network 6a such as the Internet. The terminal device 3 is a mobile communication terminal such as a smartphone, tablet, or laptop personal computer, and has a parking authentication application (Smart TC app) installed and is distributed to affiliated store discount offer holders. This terminal device 3 is connected to the host management server 2 via a communication network 6b such as the Internet.

[0015] The management device 4 is installed at the parking lot operator and is connected to the upper management server 2 via a communication network 6b. This management device 4 is, for example, a personal computer, and is used by the parking lot operator to view parking lot usage information and discount information.

[0016] Taking a gate-managed parking lot as an example, as shown in Figure 2, pillar-like gates 12-1 and 12-2 equipped with camera terminals 11-1 and 11-2 are installed at the entrances and exits of parking lot 5, and parking lot payment machines 1 are installed adjacent to gates 12-1 and 12-2. Parking spaces 13-1, 13-2, 13-3, ... are provided within parking lot 5, and car stops 14-1, 14-2, 14-3, ... are provided within each of parking spaces 13-1, 13-2, 13-3, .... Lighting devices 15-1, 15-2, and 15-3 are arranged around parking lot 5 to illuminate the interior of parking lot 5 and to read the license plates of vehicles 10. When the vehicle 10 enters the parking lot 5 and when the vehicle 10 leaves the parking lot 5, the vehicle 10 and its license plate are photographed by the camera terminals 11-1 and 11-2 as the vehicle 10 passes between the gates 12-1 and 12-2.

[0017] Image information of vehicle 10 (including vehicle license plate information) captured by camera terminals 11-1 and 11-2 is transmitted to parking lot adjustment machine 1. Parking lot adjustment machine 1 reads the license plate number of vehicle 10 from the license plate image, and transmits this license plate information, vehicle image information, and entry time information to upper management server 2 via communication network 6a.

[0018] The terminal device 3 searches the database of the host management server 2 via the communication network 6b for the vehicle number obtained from the customer (user) using the parking authentication application, and applies a discount based on the user's image designation from among images of the corresponding vehicle. The discount information is sent to the host management server 2 via the communication network 6b.

[0019] When the terminal device 3 is a tablet, as shown in Fig. 3, the display screen 31 of the tablet 30 displays, for example, an input section 32, a search button 33, a vehicle image display section (photos 1 to 6 in this example) 34, and a confirm button 35. When the vehicle number obtained from the customer (user), "1234" in Fig. 3, is entered into the input section 32 and the search button 33 is tapped, the corresponding vehicle is displayed in the vehicle image display section 34 among the images of parked vehicles (photo 1, photo 2, photo 3, ...) with a border (framed frame) to enable identification. Then, after the user confirms that photo 2 of the parked vehicle is correct, the user taps the confirm button 35 and the discount application process is executed.

[0020] If authentication fails with the vehicle number obtained from the user, the system asks the user about the time of entry into the parking lot 5, which is then entered into the input unit 32, and searches the database of the upper management server 2 via the communication network 6b for parked vehicles close to the time of entry.The system then receives an image of the user's vehicle from among the images of the corresponding vehicles, and when the user taps the confirm button 35, the discount information is sent to the upper management server 2 via the communication network 6b.

[0021] The upper management server 2 is configured to transmit discount information to the parking lot adjustment machine 1 via the communication network 6a, and notify the user of the actual discount amount from the parking lot adjustment machine 1, and then tally up the discount amount and display it on a form based on that information. At the time of settlement, the parking fee may be less than the maximum discount amount of the discount coupon, and the amount valid for the discount coupon may differ from the actual discount amount. Therefore, the parking fee is settled based on the parking time and the discount amount, and if the parking fee is less than the discount amount, the parking fee charged to the customer is waived, and the affiliated store is charged the parking fee according to the parking time.

[0022] 4 to 6 are flowcharts showing the operation of the vehicle number type tenant checker linkage system described above, with FIG. 4 showing the flow at the time of entry, FIG. 5 showing the flow at the time of discount authentication, and FIG. 6 showing the flow at the time of settlement and exit.

[0023] 4, when vehicle 10 enters parking lot 5 (step ST1), camera terminals 11-1 and 11-2 at gates 12-1 and 12-2 photograph vehicle 10 (step ST2). Then, parking lot adjustment machine 1 recognizes the vehicle license plate number from the image information of vehicle 10 (step ST3), and the entry time and vehicle number data are input to host management server 2 via communication network 6a and registered in the database (step ST4). Alternatively, the entry time and image information are input to host management server 2 via communication network 6a, and host management server 2 recognizes the license plate number of vehicle 10 from the image information (step ST3), and registers it in the database together with the entry time (step ST4).

[0024] Next, as shown in Figure 5, the parking lot user goes shopping at a tenant (step ST5), and the parking lot user informs the tenant clerk that they will be using the parking lot and the license plate number of their parked vehicle, which results in discount authentication (step ST6). Authentication is performed by the Smart TC app installed on tablet 30, and begins when the tenant clerk inputs the license plate number of the parked vehicle that the parking lot user has asked into tablet 30 and performs a search operation (step ST7). In response to this operation, the upper management server 2 determines whether or not the license plate number was successfully recognized upon entry into the parking lot (step ST8), and if the license plate number was successfully recognized (YES), the vehicle search results are displayed on the Smart TC app (step ST11).

[0025] On the other hand, if the license plate recognition fails (NO) in step ST8, the corresponding vehicle cannot be searched for, so the tenant clerk asks the parking lot user about the entry time (step ST9). Next, the tenant clerk enters the entry time asked by the parking lot user into tablet 30 and performs a search again (step ST10). As a result, the vehicle search results are displayed on the smart TC app (step ST11).

[0026] Next, when the parking lot user informs the tenant clerk of his / her vehicle (step ST12), the tenant clerk selects the vehicle displayed on the tablet and registers the purchase amount (step ST13). As a result, discount information is sent to the upper management server 2 via the communication network 6b.

[0027] When settling and exiting, as shown in Figure 6, the parking lot user performs a parking fee settlement operation on the parking lot adjustment machine 1 (step ST14). In response to this operation, the parking lot adjustment machine 1 inquires of the upper management server 2 whether discount information is available (step ST15). The upper management server 2 notifies the parking lot adjustment machine 1 of all discount information registered for that parking (step ST16). The parking lot adjustment machine 1 applies a discount to the parking fee based on the notified discount information (step ST17). The parking lot user pays the discounted parking fee and exits the parking lot (step ST18).

[0028] As described above, the vehicle number type tenant checker linkage system of the present invention eliminates the need for physical media, thereby reducing parking lot operating costs. It will also prevent fraudulent use of discount coupons (hoarding and diversion), which is expected to reduce the cost burden on discount providers and increase revenue for parking lot operators.

[0029] Parking authentication can now be performed even in ticketless systems where parking authentication was previously impossible due to the lack of physical media, which is expected to prevent fraudulent use of discount coupons and reduce physical media costs. Moreover, the discount provider no longer has to pay the amount based on the number of discount coupons distributed, and can receive a bill based on the discounted amount, thereby reducing costs.

[0030] Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to realize a parking fee discount function without using a dedicated issuing device, while managing entry and exit using vehicle numbers.

[0031] The circuit configurations, control procedures, etc. described in the above embodiments are merely schematic illustrations to enable understanding and implementation of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments, and can be modified in various forms without departing from the scope of the technical idea set forth in the claims.

[0032] For example, although the application to gate-controlled parking lots has been described, it can also be applied to parking lots with individual parking space management. In this case, a camera is installed in each parking space, or cameras are installed in the parking lot aisles to capture images of vehicles (including license plates). [Explanation of symbols]

[0033] 1...parking lot payment machine, 2...upper management server, 3...terminal device, 4...management device, 5...parking lot, 6a, 6b...communication network, 10...vehicle, 11-1, 11-2...camera terminal, 12-1, 12-2...gate, 13-1, 13-2, 13-3...car compartment, 14-1, 14-2, 14-3...parking stopper, 15-1, 15-2, 15-3...lighting device, 30...tablet, 31...display screen, 32...input unit, 33...search button, 34...vehicle image display unit, 35...confirm button

Claims

1. This system reads the license plates of vehicles entering a parking lot, manages entry and exit, records parking information, and settles fees. This vehicle number type tenant checker cooperation system is characterized in that when a customer's vehicle is parked in a parking lot and the customer uses an affiliated store, the customer's parked vehicle is authenticated by the vehicle number and a discount on parking fees is given.

2. The vehicle number type tenant checker linkage system described in claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a parking lot adjustment machine placed in the parking lot, a host management server connected to the parking lot adjustment machine via a communication network, terminal equipment distributed to discount offer rights holders of the affiliated stores and connected to the host management server via a communication network, and management equipment placed in the operator of the parking lot and connected to the host management server via a communication network.

3. The vehicle number type tenant checker linkage system described in claim 2, characterized in that the parking lot adjustment machine is equipped with a camera terminal that photographs the license plate of a vehicle parked in the parking lot, and transmits vehicle image information, vehicle number information, and entry time information to the upper management server via the communication network.

4. The parking lot settlement machine settles the parking fee based on the parking time and the discount amount, and if the parking fee is less than the discount amount, the parking fee charged to the customer is waived, and the affiliated store is charged the parking fee according to the parking time.

5. The vehicle number type tenant checker linkage system described in claim 2, characterized in that a parking authentication application is installed on the terminal device, the vehicle number obtained from the customer is searched for in the database of the upper management server via the communication network, the customer's vehicle image is selected from the corresponding images, and discount information is communicated to the parking lot adjustment machine via the communication network.

6. The vehicle number type tenant checker linkage system described in claim 5, characterized in that when authentication fails using the vehicle number obtained from the customer, the entry time into the parking lot obtained from the customer is searched for in the database of the upper management server via the communication network, an image of the customer's vehicle is selected from the corresponding images, and discount information is communicated to the parking lot adjustment machine via the communication network.

7. 3. The vehicle number type tenant checker linkage system according to claim 2, wherein the management device is a personal computer that allows a parking lot operator to view parking lot usage information and discount information.

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