Parking management system

Abstract

We provide a parking management system that can reduce the monitoring burden on the caretaker. [Solution] The parking management system comprises a plurality of mechanical parking systems and a management center for a manager to remotely manage the plurality of mechanical parking systems, each of the plurality of mechanical parking systems having a surveillance camera, and the management center having a surveillance monitor that displays images captured by the surveillance cameras of the plurality of mechanical parking systems, and a management control device that designates a mechanical parking system that is determined to have signs of an approaching vehicle entry or exit as a specific parking system, and displays the images from the surveillance cameras of the mechanical parking system designated as a specific parking system on the surveillance monitor.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to a parking lot management system.

Background Art

[0002] For a mechanical parking lot, it is required that a manager be always present, or equipment be provided that can remotely monitor the situation as if a manager were always present. In Patent Document 1 below, a parking lot management system is disclosed that includes a remote monitoring and control center having remote monitoring and control equipment for remotely monitoring the usage status of each of a plurality of parking lots and sending instructions for safety as remote control information.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In a parking lot management system that manages a plurality of mechanical parking lots at a management center (a remote monitoring and control center in Patent Document 1), since one manager monitors the states of a plurality of mechanical parking lots, the monitoring burden on the manager is large.

[0005] Therefore, an object of this application is to provide a parking lot management system that can reduce the monitoring burden on a manager.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A parking management system according to one aspect of this application comprises a plurality of mechanical parking systems and a management center for a manager to remotely manage the plurality of mechanical parking systems, each of the plurality of mechanical parking systems having a surveillance camera, and the management center having a surveillance monitor that displays images captured by the surveillance cameras of the plurality of mechanical parking systems, and a management control device that designates a mechanical parking system among the plurality of mechanical parking systems that is determined to have signs of entry or exit as a specific parking system, and displays the images from the surveillance cameras of the mechanical parking system designated as the specific parking system on the surveillance monitor.

[0007] With this configuration, images from surveillance cameras of mechanical parking lots showing signs of entry or exit are highlighted on the monitoring screen. Therefore, the manager can easily identify mechanical parking lots that are likely to show signs of entry or exit and require special attention. Consequently, this configuration reduces the monitoring burden on the manager.

[0008] Furthermore, in the parking management system described above, the management control device may display images from the surveillance camera of the mechanical parking lot designated as the specified parking lot on the surveillance monitor in a manner that allows the manager to determine whether there is an indication of entry or exit in the mechanical parking lot designated as the specified parking lot.

[0009] With this configuration, the administrator can easily determine whether there was an indication of entry or exit in the mechanical parking garage, as the image is highlighted on the monitoring screen.

[0010] Furthermore, in the parking management system described above, the management control device may display characters or symbols on the monitoring monitor that allow the manager to determine whether there is an indication of entry or exit in the mechanical parking lot designated as the specific parking lot.

[0011] With this configuration, the administrator can easily determine whether there was an indication of entry or exit in the mechanical parking garage, as the image is highlighted on the monitoring screen.

[0012] Furthermore, in the parking management system described above, each of the multiple mechanical parking systems has a parking-side communication device, the management center has a management center-side communication device, and when the management control device determines that there is a sign of entry or exit in the mechanical parking system designated as the specific parking system, it may connect the parking-side communication device of the mechanical parking system designated as the specific parking system with the management center-side communication device to enable communication.

[0013] This configuration allows the manager to issue prompt instructions to users of designated mechanical parking spaces.

[0014] Furthermore, in the above-described parking management system, the management control device may determine that there is an indication of an impending vehicle entry into the mechanical parking lot when a vehicle is detected at the vehicle stopping position in front of the entrance / exit gate of the mechanical parking lot.

[0015] With this configuration, the management control system can easily determine whether or not there are signs of an impending vehicle entry into each mechanical parking garage.

[0016] Furthermore, in the above-described parking management system, the management control device may determine that there is an indication of an upcoming vehicle departure from the mechanical parking system when no vehicle is detected at the vehicle stopping position in front of the entrance / exit gate of the mechanical parking system, and a person is detected in front of the control panel.

[0017] With this configuration, the management control device can easily determine whether or not there are signs of a vehicle about to leave the mechanical parking garage. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] According to this application, it is possible to provide a parking management system that can reduce the monitoring burden on the caretaker. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0019] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is an overall diagram of the parking management system. [Figure 2]Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a mechanical parking lot. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a flowchart of a parking lot monitoring program.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0020] (Overall Configuration of Parking Lot Management System) Hereinafter, the parking lot management system 100 according to the embodiment will be described. First, the overall configuration of the parking lot management system 100 will be described. FIG. 1 is an overall view of the parking lot management system 100. As shown in FIG. 1, the parking lot management system 100 according to the present embodiment includes a plurality of mechanical parking lots 10 and a management center 30. Hereinafter, these components will be described in order.

[0021] <Mechanical Parking Lot> The mechanical parking lot 10 is a parking lot equipped with a drive mechanism for moving vehicles. For example, parking lots such as elevator type, box type circulation type, horizontal circulation type, plane reciprocating type, and vertical and horizontal movement puzzle type are included in the mechanical parking lot 10.

[0022] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the mechanical parking lot 10 of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the mechanical parking lot 10 has a parking tower 11, an operation panel 12, a vehicle sensor 13, a human sensor 14, a surveillance camera 15, and a parking lot side communication device 16.

[0023] The parking tower 11 is a facility for accommodating the vehicle 101. The parking tower 11 has an entrance / exit 21 for the vehicle 101 to enter and exit. In addition, an opening / closing door 22 is provided at the entrance / exit 21. The vehicle 101 enters the parking tower 11 through this entrance / exit 21 and exits the parking tower 11 through this entrance / exit 21. When the vehicle 101 enters and exits the parking tower 11, it temporarily stops or passes at the vehicle stop position 23 in front of the entrance / exit 21.

[0024] The control panel 12 is a device for operating the mechanical parking system 10 when a vehicle 101 enters or leaves the parking system. The control panel 12 is operated by a user of the mechanical parking system 10 (hereinafter simply referred to as "user") in accordance with the instructions of the manager of the mechanical parking system 10 (hereinafter simply referred to as "manager") stationed at the management center 30. In this embodiment, the control panel 12 is installed on the parking tower 11. However, the control panel 12 may be installed independently of the parking tower 11.

[0025] The vehicle sensor 13 is installed on the floor of the vehicle stopping position 23 and is a sensor that detects whether or not the vehicle 101 is stopped at the vehicle stopping position 23. The type of vehicle sensor 13 is not limited, and the vehicle sensor 13 may be non-contact or contact type. Furthermore, if the vehicle sensor 13 is non-contact, it may use infrared rays or electromagnetic waves, for example. Note that the installation location of the vehicle sensor 13 is not limited to the floor of the vehicle stopping position 23, and for example, the vehicle sensor 13 may be installed above the vehicle stopping position 23.

[0026] The motion sensor 14 is a sensor that detects whether or not a person is standing in front of the control panel 12. In this embodiment, the motion sensor 14 is installed on the control panel 12. However, the installation location of the motion sensor 14 is not limited. Also, the type of motion sensor 14 is not limited; for example, the motion sensor 14 may be configured to detect human movement or heat using infrared rays or ultrasound.

[0027] The surveillance camera 15 is a camera that photographs the mechanical parking system 10. The surveillance camera 15 in this embodiment includes an outside camera 24 installed on the outside of the parking tower 11 to photograph the outside of the parking tower 11, an inside camera 25 installed inside the parking tower 11 to photograph the inside of the parking tower 11, and an operation panel camera 26 installed on the outside of the parking tower 11 to photograph the operation panel 12. The outside camera 24 in this embodiment photographs an area that includes the vehicle stopping position 23.

[0028] The parking lot-side communication device 16 is a device that can communicate with the management center-side communication device 33 (see Figure 1), which will be described later. The parking lot-side communication device 16 has a parking speaker 27 and a parking microphone 28. In this embodiment, the parking speaker 27 is installed inside the parking tower 11, and the parking microphone 28 is installed on the control panel 12. However, the installation locations of the parking speaker 27 and the parking microphone 28 are not limited. For example, the parking speaker 27 may be installed on the control panel 12.

[0029] <Management Center> The management center 30 is a facility for managing the mechanical parking system 10. The management center 30 is located away from the mechanical parking system 10. In this embodiment, a manager is stationed at the management center 30 and manages multiple mechanical parking systems 10. In this embodiment, as an example, a case in which a manager manages four mechanical parking systems 10 will be described. The management center 30 is connected to each mechanical parking system 10 via a network such as the Internet, enabling communication.

[0030] As shown in Figure 1, the management center 30 includes a monitoring monitor 31, an input device 32, a management center-side communication device 33, and a management control device 34.

[0031] The surveillance monitor 31 is a monitor that displays images captured by the surveillance cameras 15 of each mechanical parking system 10. The surveillance monitor 31 in this embodiment includes three monitors: a monitor for the outside camera 24, a monitor for the inside camera 25, and a monitor for the control panel camera 26. Each monitor's screen is divided into four display areas, and a different image of the mechanical parking system 10 is displayed in each display area. However, the surveillance monitor 31 may also switch between displaying the images from the surveillance cameras 15 of each mechanical parking system 10 every few seconds.

[0032] The input device 32 is a device for the caretaker to perform input operations. In this embodiment, the caretaker can input various input information via the input device 32, as well as command information for operating each mechanical parking system 10, such as opening and closing the opening and closing doors 22.

[0033] The management center communication device 33 is a device that can communicate with the parking lot communication devices 16 of each of the mechanical parking lots 10 mentioned above. The management center communication device 33 has a management center speaker 41 and a management center microphone 42. By connecting the management center communication device 33 and the parking lot communication devices 16 in a communication manner, the manager and users can communicate through these devices, and the manager can give instructions to the users.

[0034] The management control device 34 is a device that performs various calculations. The management control device 34 includes a processor, volatile memory, non-volatile memory, and a communication module. Various programs, including the parking monitoring program described later, are stored in the non-volatile memory of the management control device 34, and the processor performs calculations using the volatile memory based on each program.

[0035] The management control device 34 is connected to the monitoring monitor 31, input device 32, management center speaker 41, and management center microphone 42 in a communicative manner. The management control device 34 can display any image on the monitoring monitor 31 and output sound from the management center speaker 41. In addition, the management control device 34 can acquire input information and command information entered by the administrator from the input device 32 and can acquire audio information collected by the management center microphone 42.

[0036] Furthermore, the management control device 34 can acquire from each mechanical parking space 10 via the network operation information from the control panel 12, vehicle detection information indicating whether the vehicle sensor 13 has detected a vehicle 101, human detection information indicating whether the human presence sensor 14 has detected a person, and voice information collected by the parking microphone 28. The management control device 34 can also supply to each mechanical parking space 10 input information and command information acquired from the input device 32, as well as voice information acquired from the management center microphone 42, via the network.

[0037] (Parking lot monitoring program) Next, the parking lot monitoring program executed by the management control device 34 of the management center 30 will be described. Figure 3 is a flowchart of the parking lot monitoring program. The parking lot monitoring program of this embodiment is a program that displays an appropriate screen on the monitoring monitor 31 so that the manager can monitor the mechanical parking lot 10 with minimal burden. In the following, the case in which the manager monitors four mechanical parking lots 10 will be described.

[0038] As shown in Figure 3, when the connection management program is started, the management control device 34 causes the monitoring monitor 31 to display images from the monitoring cameras 15 of each mechanical parking lot 10 (step S1). In this embodiment, the management control device 34 divides the screen of the monitoring monitor 31 into four display areas and displays images of each mechanical parking lot 10 in each display area.

[0039] Next, the management control device 34 determines whether or not there are signs of an approaching vehicle for the four mechanical parking systems 10 being monitored (step S2). In this embodiment, the management control device 34 determines that there are signs of an approaching vehicle for the mechanical parking system 10 when a vehicle 101 is detected at the vehicle stopping position 23 of the mechanical parking system 10. Detection of the vehicle 101 at the vehicle stopping position 23 can be performed by the vehicle sensor 13 of the mechanical parking system 10. However, detection of the vehicle 101 at the vehicle stopping position 23 may be performed separately from the vehicle sensor 13 or together with the vehicle sensor 13 based on the image from the off-site camera 24. In addition, the determination of whether or not there are signs of an approaching vehicle for the mechanical parking system 10 may be performed by methods other than those described above.

[0040] In step S2, if it is determined that there is an indication of an upcoming parking in any of the four mechanical parking systems 10 (YES in step S2), the mechanical parking system 10 in which the indication of an upcoming parking was determined is designated as a "specific parking system" (step S3).

[0041] After step S3, the management control device 34 connects the parking lot side communication device 16 of the mechanical parking lot 10 designated as a specific parking lot with the management center side communication device 33 of the management center 30 so that communication is possible (step S4).

[0042] Furthermore, the management control device 34 highlights the images from the surveillance cameras 15 of the mechanical parking garage 10 designated as a specific parking area and displays them on the surveillance monitor 31 (step S5). For example, the management control device 34 may surround the display area where the images from the surveillance cameras 15 of the mechanical parking garage 10 designated as a specific parking area are displayed with a frame of a different color than other display areas, or display it larger than other display areas.

[0043] In addition, the management control device 34 may display characters or symbols on the monitoring monitor 31 that allow the manager to identify the highlighted image on the monitoring monitor 31 as an image of the mechanical parking lot 10 where there has been a sign of an impending parking. For example, the management control device 34 may display the words "Signs of impending parking" on the monitoring monitor 31. This makes it easy for the manager to understand that the highlighted image from the surveillance camera 15 on the monitoring monitor 31 is an image from the surveillance camera 15 of the mechanical parking lot 10 where there was a sign of an impending parking.

[0044] By going through steps S4 and S5 described above, the manager can carefully check the images from the surveillance camera 15 of the mechanical parking garage 10 that showed signs of an impending entry (i.e., the mechanical parking garage where vehicle 101 is likely to enter) and promptly instruct the user of the mechanical parking garage 10 that showed signs of an impending entry on how to operate the control panel 12.

[0045] After step S5, the management control device 34 determines whether or not parking has been completed in the mechanical parking lot 10 designated as a specific parking lot (step S6). The management control device 34 may determine that parking is not complete while the vehicle 101 is detected at the vehicle stopping position 23, and determine that parking is complete when the vehicle 101 is no longer detected at the vehicle stopping position 23. Alternatively, when the manager confirms that parking is complete, completion information may be entered using the input device 32, and the management control device 34 may determine whether or not parking is complete based on the completion information entered by the manager.

[0046] If the management control device 34 determines that parking has not been completed in the mechanical parking lot 10 designated as a specific parking lot (NO in step S6), it repeats steps S5 onwards. On the other hand, if the management control device 34 determines that parking has been completed in the mechanical parking lot 10 designated as a specific parking lot (YES in step S6), it disconnects the parking lot-side communication device 16 and the management center-side communication device 33, and then repeats each step from step S1 onwards.

[0047] Returning to step S2, if the management control device 34 determines that there are no signs of a vehicle entering any of the four mechanical parking spaces 10 (NO in step S2), it determines whether there are signs of a vehicle leaving for the four mechanical parking spaces 10 being monitored (step S7). In this embodiment, the management control device 34 determines that there are signs of a vehicle leaving the mechanical parking space 10 when no vehicle 101 is detected at the vehicle stopping position 23 of the mechanical parking space 10, and a person is detected in front of the control panel 12.

[0048] As mentioned above, the vehicle 101 at the vehicle stopping position 23 can be detected by the vehicle sensor 13. In this embodiment, a person in front of the control panel 12 can be detected by the motion sensor 14. However, the detection of a person in front of the control panel 12 may be performed separately from the motion sensor 14 or together with the motion sensor 14 based on the image from the control panel camera 26. Furthermore, the determination of whether or not there are signs of departure from the mechanical parking lot 10 may be performed by a method other than those described above.

[0049] In step S7, if it is determined that there are no signs of a vehicle leaving in any of the four mechanical parking systems 10 (NO in step S7), the process from step S2 onward is repeated. On the other hand, in step S7, if it is determined that there are signs of a vehicle leaving in any of the four mechanical parking systems 10 (YES in step S7), the mechanical parking system 10 in which signs of a vehicle leaving were determined to be present is designated as a "specific parking system" (step S8).

[0050] After step S8, the management control device 34 connects the parking lot side communication device 16 of the mechanical parking lot 10 designated as a specific parking lot with the management center side communication device 33 of the management center 30 so that communication is possible (step S9).

[0051] Furthermore, the management control device 34 highlights the images from the surveillance cameras 15 of the mechanical parking 10 designated as a specific parking area and displays them on the monitoring monitor 31 (step S10). However, in this embodiment, the images from the surveillance cameras 15 displayed on the monitoring monitor 31 are displayed in a manner that allows the manager to determine whether the images are from a mechanical parking 10 that has been determined to show signs of "entry" or "exit".

[0052] For example, the management control device 34 may display images from the surveillance camera 15 of the mechanical parking lot 10 that it has determined to be showing signs of an incoming vehicle on the monitoring monitor 31, surrounded by a red frame, and images from the surveillance camera 15 of the mechanical parking lot 10 that it has determined to be showing signs of an outgoing vehicle on the monitoring monitor 31, surrounded by a blue frame.

[0053] In addition, the management control device 34 may display characters or symbols on the monitoring monitor 31 that allow the manager to identify the image highlighted on the monitoring monitor 31 as an image of the mechanical parking lot 10 that has been determined to show signs of an impending departure. For example, the management control device 34 may display the words "Signs of impending departure" on the monitoring monitor 31.

[0054] By going through steps S9 and S10 described above, the manager can carefully check the images from the surveillance camera 15 of the mechanical parking garage 10 that showed signs of an impending departure (i.e., the mechanical parking garage 10 in which vehicle 101 is likely to depart), and can promptly instruct the user of the mechanical parking garage 10 that showed signs of an impending departure on how to operate the control panel 12. The manager will give different instructions to the user when entering and when exiting the parking garage.

[0055] After step S10, the management control device 34 determines whether or not parking has been completed in the mechanical parking lot 10 designated as a specific parking lot (step S11). The management control device 34 may determine that parking has not been completed until vehicle 101 is detected at vehicle stopping position 23, and that parking has been completed when vehicle 101 is detected at vehicle stopping position 23. Alternatively, when the manager confirms that parking has been completed, completion information may be entered into the input device 32, and the management control device 34 may determine whether or not parking has been completed based on the completion information entered by the manager.

[0056] If the management control device 34 determines that the vehicle has not yet been released from the mechanical parking lot 10 designated as a specific parking lot (NO in step S11), it repeats the steps from step S10 onward. On the other hand, if the management control device 34 determines that the vehicle has been released from the mechanical parking lot 10 designated as a specific parking lot (YES in step S11), it disconnects the parking lot-side communication device 16 and the management center-side communication device 33, and then repeats each step from step S1 onward.

[0057] The above is a description of the parking management system 100. As described above, according to the parking management system 100 of this embodiment, images from the surveillance camera 15 of a mechanical parking lot 10 that shows signs of an impending entry or exit are highlighted and displayed on the surveillance monitor 31. As a result, the manager can easily identify mechanical parking lots 10 that are likely to be experiencing entry or exit and require special attention. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the monitoring burden on the manager can be reduced. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0058] 10 Mechanical parking 11 Parking Towers 12 Control panel 13 Vehicle Sensors 14 motion sensors 15 surveillance cameras 16. Parking lot side communication equipment 21 Inlet / Outlet 22 Opening and closing doors 23 Vehicle stopping position 24 Off-site cameras 25 In-venue cameras 26 Control Panel Camera 27 Parking lot speaker 28 Parking lot microphone 30 Management Center 31 Surveillance Monitor 32 Input devices 33. Communication equipment on the management center side 34 Management control device 41 Management Center Speaker 42 Control Center Microphone 100 Parking Management Systems 101 vehicles

Claims

1. Multiple mechanical parking systems, The facility includes a management center for the administrator to remotely manage the aforementioned multiple mechanical parking systems, Each of the aforementioned mechanical parking systems is equipped with a surveillance camera. The parking management system comprises a management center which includes a monitoring monitor that displays images captured by surveillance cameras of the multiple mechanical parking lots, and a management control device which designates a mechanical parking lot that has been determined to show signs of an impending entry or exit as a specific parking lot, and displays images from the surveillance cameras of the mechanical parking lot designated as a specific parking lot on the monitoring monitor.

2. The parking management system according to claim 1, wherein the management control device displays images from a surveillance camera of the mechanical parking lot designated as the specified parking lot on the surveillance monitor in a manner that allows the manager to determine whether there is an indication of entry or exit in the mechanical parking lot designated as the specified parking lot.

3. The parking management system according to claim 1, wherein the management control device causes the monitoring monitor to display characters or symbols that the manager can identify as indicating whether there is an indication of entry or exit in the mechanical parking lot designated as the specific parking lot.

4. Each of the aforementioned mechanical parking systems has a parking-side communication device. The aforementioned management center has communication equipment on the management center side, The parking management system according to claim 1, wherein when the management control device determines that there is a sign of entry or exit in the mechanical parking lot designated as the specified parking lot, it connects the parking lot side communication device of the mechanical parking lot designated as the specified parking lot with the management center side communication device to enable communication.

5. The parking management system according to claim 1, wherein the management control device determines that there is an indication of an approaching vehicle when a vehicle is detected at the vehicle stopping position in front of the entrance / exit of the mechanical parking lot.

6. The parking management system according to claim 1, wherein the management control device determines that there is an indication of a vehicle about to leave the mechanical parking lot when no vehicle is detected at the vehicle stopping position in front of the entrance / exit gate of the mechanical parking lot, and a person is detected in front of the control panel.

Images