Parking lot management device and parking lot management method

Abstract

This invention provides a parking management device and a parking management method that enable appropriate provision of charging facility usage services to users who have made reservations for parking facility charging facilities using an external reservation system, when they are using the parking facility. [Solution] A parking management device 50 connected via an external communication network to a charging reservation system 20 that performs the process of registering reservations for the use of charging facilities in the parking lot comprises a second user registration processing unit 521, a reservation information processing unit 522, and a charging processing unit 524. The second user registration processing unit 521 links and registers the user identification information used by the charging reservation system 20 with the identification information of the vehicle to be used. The reservation information processing unit 522 acquires the charging facility usage reservation information confirmed by the charging reservation system and stores it in association with the identification information of the corresponding vehicle. When the charging processing unit 524 determines that the scheduled start time for charging of a vehicle has arrived based on the charging facility usage reservation information of the parked vehicle, it executes the charging process for that vehicle.

Description

Technical Field

[0005]

[0001] The present invention relates to a parking lot management device and a parking lot management method for a parking lot equipped with charging facilities.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, electric vehicles powered by battery power have been becoming popular, and accordingly, it has been necessary to develop charging facilities for charging the batteries of electric vehicles.

[0003] In view of this, by installing charging facilities in parking lots in condominiums or large facilities, it is possible to charge an electric vehicle while it is parked in the parking lot.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] As described above, in the charging facilities installed in a parking lot, there is a limit to the number of vehicles that can simultaneously execute charging processing depending on the contract power consumption of the parking lot. Therefore, a reservation system regarding the use of the charging facilities is constructed, and by allowing users to perform prior reservation registration in the reservation system, users can surely use the charging facilities when they park their vehicles in the parking lot. Specifically, in a reservation system connected to a wide area communication network, a user performs a reservation registration operation for using the charging facilities of the parking lot from their own mobile terminal, and the reservation system transmits the registered information to the management device of the parking lot, so that the management device of the parking lot can grasp the reservation status of the charging facilities.

[0006] However, in this case, since the reservation system is a separate system from the parking lot management system, the parking lot management system cannot recognize whether the user of a vehicle entering the parking lot is the user who registered a reservation in the reservation system, and therefore it is not possible to properly provide the charging equipment usage service.

[0007] This invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a parking management device and a parking management method that can appropriately provide charging equipment usage services to users who have made reservations for parking equipment using an external reservation system. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] To achieve the above objective, the parking management device of the present invention is connected via an external communication network to a charging reservation system that performs reservation registration processing for the use of charging equipment using identification information of users who use charging equipment installed in the parking lot, and includes a user registration processing unit that acquires the user identification information used by the charging reservation system and registers it in association with the identification information of the vehicle used by the user, and acquires the reservation information for the use of the charging equipment for each user identification information confirmed by the charging reservation system, identifies the vehicle identification information corresponding to the user identification information based on the information registered by the user registration processing unit, and identifies the vehicle identification information corresponding to the acquired reservation information for the charging equipment. The system is characterized by comprising: a reservation information processing unit that stores and associates vehicle identification information; a parking entry processing unit that, when a vehicle enters the parking lot, acquires the identification information of the user who will use the vehicle, identifies the vehicle identification information corresponding to the acquired user identification information based on the information registered by the user registration processing unit, and executes the vehicle entry process; and a charging processing unit that, based on the information stored by the reservation information processing unit, acquires the usage reservation information of the charging equipment corresponding to the vehicle identification information identified by the parking entry processing unit, and, when it is determined that the scheduled start time for charging of the vehicle has arrived based on the acquired usage reservation information of the charging equipment, executes the charging process for the vehicle.

[0009] Furthermore, the parking management method of the present invention includes a parking management device connected via an external communication network to a charging reservation system that performs reservation registration processing for the use of charging equipment installed in the parking lot, which uses the identification information of users of the charging equipment to perform reservation registration processing for the charging equipment, and registers the user identification information used by the user in a usage registration processing step, and acquires the usage reservation information of the charging equipment for each user identification information confirmed by the charging reservation system, identifies the vehicle identification information corresponding to the user identification information based on the information registered in the usage registration processing step, and assigns the identification information of the identified vehicle to the acquired charging equipment usage reservation information. The system is characterized by comprising: a reservation information processing step that stores linked information; an entry processing step that, when a vehicle enters the parking lot, acquires the identification information of the user who will use the vehicle, identifies the vehicle identification information corresponding to the acquired user identification information based on the information registered in the user registration processing step, and executes the vehicle entry process; and a charging processing step that, based on the information stored in the reservation information processing step, acquires the usage reservation information of the charging equipment corresponding to the vehicle identification information identified in the entry processing step, and when it is determined that the scheduled start time for charging of the vehicle has arrived based on the acquired usage reservation information of the charging equipment, executes the charging process for the vehicle. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the parking management device and parking management method of the present invention, it is possible to appropriately provide the use of charging facilities to users who have made reservations for the parking facility's charging facilities using an external reservation system, when they use the parking facility for their vehicle. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram showing the configuration of a parking management system using a parking management device according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a mechanical parking system managed by a parking management system according to one embodiment. [Figure 3]This is a sequence diagram showing the flow of the pre-registration process performed by a parking management system according to one embodiment. [Figure 4] This is a sequence diagram showing the flow of the user addition registration process performed by a parking management system according to one embodiment. [Figure 5] This is a sequence diagram showing the flow of the user registration cancellation process performed by a parking management system according to one embodiment. [Figure 6] This is a sequence diagram showing the flow of the parking lot user registration cancellation process performed by a parking lot management system according to one embodiment. [Figure 7] This is a sequence diagram showing the flow of charging reservation and modification processing performed by a parking management system according to one embodiment. [Figure 8] This is a sequence diagram showing the flow of the charging reservation cancellation process performed by a parking management system according to one embodiment. [Figure 9] A sequence diagram showing the flow of the parking entry process performed by a parking management system according to one embodiment. [Figure 10] A sequence diagram showing the flow of the charging process performed by a parking management system according to one embodiment. [Figure 11] This is a sequence diagram showing the flow of the vehicle exit process performed by a parking management system according to one embodiment. [Figure 12] This is a sequence diagram showing the flow of the charging interruption process performed by a parking management system according to one embodiment. [Figure 13] This is a sequence diagram showing the flow of the charging restart process performed by a parking management system according to one embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] <Configuration of a parking management system using a parking management device according to one embodiment> The configuration of a parking lot management system using a parking lot management device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 1. The parking lot management system 1 according to the present embodiment includes a mechanical parking lot 10, a charging reservation system 20, a user terminal 30, an operation panel 40, and a parking lot management device 50. The mechanical parking lot 10, the charging reservation system 20, the user terminal 30, the operation panel 40, and the parking lot management device 50 are connected to each other via a wide area communication network 60.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 2, the mechanical parking lot 10 includes a plurality of storage shelves for parking installed in the building B (in this embodiment, 12 shelves P1 to P12), power supply facilities 11-1 to 11-12 installed in the vicinity of these shelves P1 to P12, respectively, a plurality of pallets 12-1 to 12-12 for loading vehicles installed corresponding to each shelf P1 to P12, and chargers 13-1 to 13-12 installed on each pallet 12-1 to 12-12. Each of the chargers 13-1 to 13-12 has a power plug 13a-1 to 13a-12 to be attached to the power supply facilities 11-1 to 11-12. By attaching the power plugs 13a-1 to 13a-12 of each charger 13-1 to 13-12 to the power supply facilities 11-1 to 11-12, a charging facility is constructed. And the power supply facilities 11-1 to 11-12 are provided with contacts 11a-1 to 11a-12 for switching the power supply state ON / OFF to the corresponding charging facility.

[0014] In FIG. 1, an electric vehicle (hereinafter referred to as "vehicle") a loaded on the pallet 12-1 is performing a charging process on the shelf P1, a vehicle c loaded on the pallet 12-2 is performing a charging process on the shelf P2, a vehicle b loaded on the pallet 12-3 is performing a charging process on the shelf P3, and a vehicle d loaded on the pallet 12-5 is performing a charging process on the shelf P5.

[0015] Hereinafter, when not specifying which power supply equipment among the power supply equipment 11-1 to 11-12, it is described as power supply equipment 11. Similarly, when not specifying which pallet among the pallets 12-1 to 12-12, it is described as pallet 12. Similarly, when not specifying which charger among the chargers 13-1 to 13-12, it is described as charger 13. Similarly, when not specifying which power plug among the power plugs 13a-1 to 13a-12, it is described as power plug 13a. Similarly, when not specifying which shelf among the shelves P1 to P12, it is described as shelf P.

[0016] Also, the mechanical parking lot 10 includes a drive device 16, a parking lot control device 17, and a charging equipment management device 18. The drive device 16 moves the pallets 12-1 to 12-12 between the entrance (not shown) of the building B and each parking space P1 to P12. The parking lot control device 17 controls the drive device 16. The charging equipment management device 18 controls the ON / OFF states of each contact 11a-1 to 11a-12, and acquires the charging status information of the vehicles being charged by each charging equipment and transmits it to the parking lot management device 50.

[0017] Returning to FIG. 1, the charging reservation system 20 includes a first storage unit 21 and a first CPU 22. The first storage unit 21 includes a user registration information storage unit 211 and a first reservation information storage unit 212. The user registration information storage unit 211 stores the "user ID", which is the identification information of the users who use the charging equipment installed in the mechanical parking lot 10. The first reservation information storage unit 212 stores, as reservation information, the scheduled date and time of using the charging equipment for each user ID, which is determined by the operation of the user.

[0018] The first CPU 22 includes a first user registration processing unit 221 and a reservation acceptance processing unit 222. When a user requests user registration, the first user registration processing unit 221 issues a user ID for the user and stores it in the user registration information storage unit 211. When a user requests a charging reservation or a reservation change, the reservation acceptance processing unit 222 performs the usage reservation registration process for the charging equipment and stores the confirmed charging equipment usage reservation information in the first reservation information storage unit 212.

[0019] The user terminal 30 consists of a portable terminal or the like carried by a user of the mechanical parking garage 10, and has information input and display functions. The control panel 40 consists of door phones or the like at the entrance and exit of the mechanical parking garage 10 and in each dwelling of the apartment building where the mechanical parking garage 10 is installed, and has information input and display functions.

[0020] The parking management device 50 includes a second storage unit 51 and a second CPU 52. The second storage unit 51 includes a parking usage registration information storage unit 511, a second reservation information storage unit 512, and an incoming vehicle information storage unit 513.

[0021] The parking lot user registration information storage unit 511 stores information about users of the mechanical parking lot 10, linking the user ID issued by the charging reservation system 20 with the identification information of the vehicle used by that user. The vehicle identification information consists of, for example, the vehicle's license plate number or information identifying a group of multiple people, such as family members, who share the use of the vehicle. In this embodiment, the "group ID," which is the identification information of the family members who share the use of the vehicle, is used as the vehicle identification information.

[0022] The second reservation information storage unit 512 stores the scheduled date and time of use information for each group ID of the charging equipment as reservation information for the charging equipment whose reservation has been confirmed in the charging reservation system 20. The vehicle entry information storage unit 513 stores the group IDs of the vehicles that are parked in the mechanical parking lot 10.

[0023] The second CPU 52 includes a second user registration processing unit 521, a reservation information processing unit 522, a storage receiving processing unit 523, a charging processing unit 524, and a storage dispatch processing unit 525.

[0024] The second user registration processing unit 521 retrieves the user ID stored in the charging reservation system 20 and registers it in association with the group ID to which the user belongs. The reservation information processing unit 522 retrieves the usage reservation information for the charging equipment confirmed in the charging reservation system 20 and identifies the group ID corresponding to the user ID based on the registered information. The reservation information processing unit 522 then associates the identified group ID with the retrieved charging equipment usage reservation information and stores it in the second reservation information storage unit 512.

[0025] The parking entry processing unit 523 obtains the user ID of the user who will be using the vehicle when a vehicle enters the mechanical parking lot 10, and based on the information stored in the parking lot user registration information storage unit 511, it identifies the group ID corresponding to the obtained user ID and performs the parking entry process. The parking entry processing unit 523 also stores the identified group ID information as information about the entered vehicle in the entered vehicle information storage unit 513.

[0026] The charging processing unit 524 identifies the scheduled date and time for use of the charging equipment corresponding to the user of the vehicle that has entered the depot, based on the information stored in the second reservation information storage unit 512. When the identified scheduled date and time arrives, it causes the vehicle with the corresponding group ID to perform the charging process.

[0027] When the exit processing unit 525 receives an exit instruction for a vehicle parked in the mechanical parking lot 10, it obtains the corresponding user ID, identifies the group ID corresponding to the obtained user ID based on the information stored in the parking lot user registration information storage unit 511, and dispatches the vehicle corresponding to the identified group ID.

[0028] <Operation of a parking management system using a parking management device according to one embodiment> Next, the following processes performed by the parking management system 1 according to this embodiment will be explained with reference to Figures 3 to 13: (1) pre-registration process, (2) user addition registration process, (3) user registration cancellation process, (4) parking use registration cancellation process, (5) charging reservation and modification process, (6) charging reservation cancellation process, (7) parking entry process, (8) charging process, (9) charging interruption process, (10) parking exit process, and (11) charging resumption process.

[0029] (1) Pre-registration process Figure 3 is a flowchart showing the flow of user registration processing with the parking management device 50 and user registration processing with the charging reservation system 20 for using the charging equipment of the mechanical parking lot 10, which are performed as pre-registration processing before a user uses the mechanical parking lot 10. Here, we will explain using the example of user U1, who belongs to family X, performing new parking lot use registration with the parking management device 50 for family X using vehicle a, and performing user registration processing for user U1, who is a member of family X, with the charging reservation system 20.

[0030] First, when user U1 applies to the parking management device 50 for a new parking lot registration for family X who will be using vehicle a, the second user registration processing unit 521 of the parking management device 50 issues a new group ID [P001] for family X who will be using vehicle a, and issues an authentication code [AAAxxxxx] for processing the user registration for said group ID [P001]. The issued authentication code [AAAxxxxx] is linked to the group ID [P001] and temporarily held in the second user registration processing unit 521 of the parking management device 50. The authentication code [AAAxxxxx] is also notified to user U1 in writing or by email, etc., as text information or 2D barcode information (S1). The authentication code [AAAxxxxx] notified to user U1 includes information that identifies the mechanical parking lot 10 and information that identifies family X.

[0031] When user U1 obtains the authentication code [AAAxxxxx] information (S2), user terminal 30 performs a user registration request operation to the charging reservation system 20. User terminal 30 transmits the information of the user registration request performed by user U1 to the charging reservation system 20 (S3).

[0032] The charging reservation system 20 receives a user registration request from the user terminal 30, and the first user registration processing unit 221 starts the user registration process. In response to the received request, it issues a user ID [U001] for the user U1 to be registered and stores it in the user registration information storage unit 211 (S4). Once the first user registration processing unit 221 has stored the issued user ID [U001], it sends a user registration completion notification to the user terminal 30 indicating that the user registration process for the charging reservation system 20 has been completed (S5).

[0033] The user terminal 30 outputs a user registration completion notification obtained from the charging reservation system 20. Upon confirming the outputted user registration completion notification, user U1 enters the authentication code [AAAxxxxx] into the user terminal 30 and performs a parking lot usage registration request operation. When user U1 performs the parking lot usage registration request operation, the user terminal 30 sends the parking lot usage registration request along with the entered authentication code [AAAxxxxx] to the charging reservation system 20 (S6).

[0034] When the charging reservation system 20 receives a parking lot usage registration request from the user terminal 30, it adds the user ID [U001] issued in step S4 to the information of the request and transmits it to the parking lot management device 50 (S7).

[0035] When the parking management device 50 receives a parking space usage registration request from the charging reservation system 20, the second user registration processing unit 521 determines whether or not it possesses the authentication code [AAAxxxxx] attached to the parking space usage registration request (S8). If the second user registration processing unit 521 determines that it does not possess the acquired authentication code [AAAxxxxx] (NO in S8), it sends an authentication failure notification to the charging reservation system 20 (S9). The charging reservation system 20's first user registration processing unit 221 receives the parking space usage registration failure notification and sends it to the user terminal 30 (S10). The user terminal 30 outputs the received parking space usage registration failure notification (S11). By checking the outputted information, user U1 can recognize that parking space usage registration was not possible.

[0036] In this embodiment, the second user registration processing unit 521 determines that it holds the acquired authentication code [AAAxxxxx] (YES in S8) and identifies the group ID [P001] associated with the held authentication code [AAAxxxxx]. The second user registration processing unit 521 then generates parking lot usage registration information for group ID [P001] by adding the user ID [U001] attached to the acquired parking lot usage registration request, as a user belonging to the identified group ID [P001], and stores it in the parking lot usage registration information storage unit 511 (S12).

[0037] The second user registration processing unit 521 then stores the parking lot registration information for group ID [P001] to which user ID [U001] belongs, generates a parking lot registration completion notification, and sends it to the charging reservation system 20 (S13). The charging reservation system 20 has the first user registration processing unit 221 receive the parking lot registration completion notification and send it to the user terminal 30 (S14). The user terminal 30 outputs the received parking lot registration completion notification (S15). By checking the outputted information, user U1 can recognize that the parking lot registration for group ID [P001] to which user ID [U001] belongs has been completed.

[0038] In the embodiment described above, the case in which user U1 performs pre-registration processing using user terminal 30 was explained, but the same processing may also be performed by user U1 from the control panel 40.

[0039] Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, the user terminal 30, which receives a user registration completion notification from the charging reservation system 20 in step S5, may display text information including an authentication code and user ID, or code information such as a two-dimensional barcode, and the user U1 may perform an operation to have the control panel 40 read or input this information, and the control panel 40 may transmit the read information to the parking management device 50, thereby causing the parking management device 50 to obtain the authentication code and user ID.

[0040] (2) User addition registration process Next, (1) the process of adding information about user U2, another member of family X, to the parking lot usage registration information of group ID [P001], which has been registered for parking lot use through the pre-registration process, will be explained with reference to the flowchart in Figure 4.

[0041] First, a user performing an additional operation (e.g., user U2) (1) uses the authentication code [AAAxxxxx] issued in the pre-registration process to send a user addition registration request from the user terminal 30 to the charging reservation system 20 to add user U2's information to the parking lot usage registration information of group ID [P001]. If the authentication code [AAAxxxxx] is invalid because a predetermined period has elapsed since its issuance, user U2, etc., uses the user ID [U001] of user U1, who is already registered with group ID [P001], to send the user addition registration request (S21).

[0042] The charging reservation system 20 begins the user addition registration process when the first user registration processing unit 221 receives a user addition registration request sent from the user terminal 30. Here, if the user addition registration request is made using the authentication code [AAAxxxxx], the first user registration processing unit 221 identifies the already registered user ID [U001] corresponding to the authentication code [AAAxxxxx]. Then, in response to the acquired request, the first user registration processing unit 221 issues the user ID [U002] of the user U2 to be added and stores it in the user registration information storage unit 211, and also sends a user addition registration request for user ID [U002] with the previously identified already registered user ID [U001] added as described above to the parking management device 50 (S22).

[0043] When the parking management device 50 receives a user addition registration request for user ID [U002] from the charging reservation system 20, the second user registration processing unit 521 identifies the group ID [P001] to which user ID [U001] attached to the user addition registration request belongs. The second user registration processing unit 521 then adds user ID [U002] to the parking use registration information for group ID [P001] in the parking use registration information storage unit 511 and updates it (S23).

[0044] Then, when the second user registration processing unit 521 updates the parking lot user registration information for group ID [P001], it generates a user addition registration completion notification and sends it to the charging reservation system 20 (S24). The charging reservation system 20 has the first user registration processing unit 221 receive the user addition registration completion notification and send it to the user terminal 30 (S25). The user terminal 30 outputs the received user addition registration completion notification (S26). Users U2 and others can recognize that user ID [U002] has been added to group ID [P001], to which user ID [U001] belongs, by checking the outputted information.

[0045] (3) User registration cancellation process Next, the process of deregistering user ID [U002] belonging to the registered group [P001] from the parking lot usage registration information of that group will be explained with reference to the flowchart in Figure 5.

[0046] First, the user performing the deactivation operation (for example, user U2) uses user ID [U002] to send a user deactivation request from the user terminal 30 or control panel 40 to the charging reservation system 20 to deactivate the registration of user ID [U002] from the parking lot usage registration information of group ID [P001] (S31).

[0047] The charging reservation system 20 receives a user registration cancellation request sent from the user terminal 30, and the first user registration processing unit 221 starts the user registration cancellation process. In response to the received request, the first user registration processing unit 221 deletes the registration of user ID [U002] from the user registration information stored in the user registration information storage unit 211, and also sends a user registration cancellation request for user ID [U002] to the parking management device 50 (S32).

[0048] When the parking management device 50 receives a user registration cancellation request for user ID [U002] from the charging reservation system 20, the second user registration processing unit 521 identifies the group ID [P001] to which user ID [U002] belongs. The second user registration processing unit 521 then deletes user ID [U002] from the parking registration information for group ID [P001] stored in the parking registration information storage unit 511 and updates it (S33).

[0049] Then, when the second user registration processing unit 521 updates the parking lot usage registration information for group ID [P001], it generates a user registration cancellation completion notification and sends it to the charging reservation system 20 (S34). The charging reservation system 20 has the first user registration processing unit 221 receive the user registration cancellation completion notification and sends it to the user terminal 30 or control panel 40 (S35). The user terminal 30 or control panel 40 outputs the received user registration cancellation completion notification (S36). By checking the outputted information, user U2, etc., can recognize that the registration of user ID [U002] has been canceled from group ID [P001].

[0050] (4) Cancellation of parking lot registration Next, the process for canceling the parking lot usage registration for registered group ID [P001] will be explained with reference to the flowchart in Figure 6.

[0051] First, the user performing the cancellation operation (for example, user U1) uses user ID [U001] to send a request to cancel the parking lot use registration for group ID [P001] from the user terminal 30 or control panel 40 to the parking lot management device 50 (S41).

[0052] When the parking management device 50 receives a parking registration cancellation request transmitted from the user terminal 30, the second user registration processing unit 521 identifies the group ID [P001] to which the user ID [U001] attached to the user registration cancellation request belongs. The second user registration processing unit 521 then deletes the parking registration information for the identified group ID [P001] from the parking registration information storage unit 511 (S42).

[0053] The second user registration processing unit then deletes the parking lot user registration information for group ID [P001], generates a registration cancellation completion notice with the user ID information of user ID [U001] that belonged to the deleted group ID [P001], and sends it to the charging reservation system 20 (S43). The charging reservation system 20 receives the registration cancellation completion notice from the first user registration processing unit 221, and deletes the user ID [U001] information attached to the notice from the user registration information storage unit 211 (S44).

[0054] The operation of sending a request to cancel parking lot use registration to the parking lot management device 50 as described above may also be performed by the administrator of the parking lot management device 50 upon application from the user concerned.

[0055] (5) Charging reservation and modification process Next, the process for users who have completed the pre-registration process to reserve or change the reservation details for the charging facilities in the mechanical parking lot 10 will be explained with reference to the flowchart in Figure 7.

[0056] First, a user (for example, user U1) who wishes to reserve or change the reservation details of the charging equipment uses user ID [U001] to send a reservation request or a reservation change request from the user terminal 30 or control panel 40 to the charging reservation system 20, along with information on the time they wish to use the charging equipment (scheduled start time and scheduled end time of charging) (S51).

[0057] The charging reservation system 20 receives a request for the use of charging equipment or a request to change the reservation details from the user terminal 30 via the reservation acceptance processing unit 222 (S52). The reservation acceptance processing unit 222 determines whether it is possible to make a reservation or change the reservation details for the desired time attached to the received request (S53).

[0058] If the reservation processing unit 222 determines that it is not possible to make a reservation or change the reservation details for the desired time attached to the received request (NO in S53), it generates a reservation unavailable notification and sends it to the user terminal 30 (S54). The user terminal 30 outputs the received reservation unavailable notification (S55). By checking the outputted information, user U1 can recognize that it is not possible to make a charging reservation for the desired time.

[0059] If the reservation processing unit 222 determines that it is possible to make a reservation or change the reservation details for the desired time attached to the request received in step S53 (YES in S53), the reservation acceptance processing unit 222 confirms the reservation for the desired time and updates the reservation information for the charging equipment related to user ID [U001] stored in the first reservation information storage unit 212. The reservation acceptance processing unit 222 also transmits the updated reservation information for the charging equipment related to user ID [U001] to the parking management device 50 (S56).

[0060] When the parking management device 50 obtains reservation information for a charging facility related to user ID [U001] from the charging reservation system 20, the reservation information processing unit 522 identifies the group ID [P001] to which user ID [U001] belongs based on the information stored in the parking usage registration information storage unit 511. Based on the obtained information, the reservation information processing unit 522 updates the reservation information for the charging facility related to group ID [P001] stored in the second reservation information storage unit 512 (S57).

[0061] The reservation information processing unit 522 then updates the reservation information for group ID [P001], generates a reservation completion notification, and sends it to the charging reservation system 20 (S58). The charging reservation system 20 has the reservation acceptance processing unit 222 receive the reservation completion notification and send it to the user terminal 30 or control panel 40 (S59). The user terminal 30 or control panel 40 outputs the received reservation completion notification (S60). By checking the outputted information, user U1 can recognize that the reservation for the charging equipment at the desired time has been confirmed.

[0062] (6) Cancellation of charging reservation Next, we will explain the process for users who have made a reservation to use the charging facilities and wish to cancel it, referring to the flowchart in Figure 8.

[0063] First, a user who has made a reservation to use the charging equipment (for example, user U1) uses user ID [U001] to send a request to cancel the reservation to use the charging equipment to the charging reservation system 20 from the user terminal 30 or control panel 40 (S61).

[0064] The charging reservation system 20 receives a cancellation request for a usage reservation sent from the user terminal 30, and the reservation processing unit 222 receives the reservation information for user ID [U001] from the reservation information for charging equipment stored in the first reservation information storage unit 212. The reservation processing unit 222 also sends the charging reservation cancellation request for user ID [U001] to the parking management device 50 (S62).

[0065] When the parking management device 50 receives a charging reservation cancellation request for user ID [U001] from the charging reservation system 20, the reservation information processing unit 522 identifies the group ID [P001] to which user ID [U001] belongs based on the information stored in the parking usage registration information storage unit 511. The reservation information processing unit 522 then determines whether or not charging is currently being performed on vehicle a of the corresponding group ID [P001] (S63).

[0066] If the reservation information processing unit 522 determines that charging is currently being performed on vehicle a (YES in S63), the charging processing unit 524 executes a charging interruption process (S64). Details of the charging interruption process will be described later.

[0067] In step S63, if the reservation information processing unit 522 determines that charging is not currently being performed on vehicle a (NO in S63), or if charging interruption processing is performed in step S64, the reservation information processing unit 522 deletes the reservation information for the charging equipment related to group ID [P001] stored in the second reservation information storage unit 512, generates a charging reservation cancellation processing completion notification, and sends it to the charging reservation system 20 (S65).

[0068] The charging reservation system 20 receives a charging reservation cancellation processing completion notification from the reservation acceptance processing unit 222 and deletes the charging equipment reservation information for the corresponding user ID. The reservation acceptance processing unit 222 then sends the charging reservation cancellation processing completion notification to the user terminal 30 or control panel 40 (S66). The user terminal 30 or control panel 40 outputs the received charging reservation cancellation processing completion notification (S67). User U1 can recognize that the corresponding charging reservation has been canceled by checking the outputted information.

[0069] (7) Inbound processing Next, the process by which user U1 parks vehicle a in the mechanical parking garage 10 will be explained with reference to the flowchart in Figure 9.

[0070] First, user U1 parks vehicle a in front of the entrance / exit (not shown) of the mechanical parking garage 10 and uses user ID [U001] to send an entry processing request to the parking management device 50 from the user terminal 30 or control panel 40 (S71). When the parking management device 50 receives the entry processing request sent from the user terminal 30 or control panel 40, the entry processing unit 523 identifies the group ID [P001] to which user ID [U001] belongs based on the information stored in the parking usage registration information storage unit 511 (S72). Then, the entry processing unit 523 stores the information of the identified group ID [P001] as information of the entered vehicle in the entered vehicle information storage unit 513 and executes an entry call to the mechanical parking garage 10 for the identified group ID [P001] (S73).

[0071] In the mechanical parking system 10, in response to an entry call executed by the parking management device 50, the parking control device 17 moves a predetermined pallet (for example, pallet 12-1) to the entrance / exit (S74), and opens the door of the entrance / exit when it lands (S75). Here, the parking control device 17 may also select a pallet corresponding to a shelf P of a size that can accommodate the vehicle, depending on the vehicle type of the corresponding group ID [P001], and move it to the entrance / exit.

[0072] When the entrance door is open, user U1 moves vehicle a onto pallet 12-1 and connects vehicle a to the charger 13-1 on pallet 12-1 with a charging cable. Subsequently, when user U1 performs the operation to close the entrance door, information of this instruction is transmitted to the parking control device 17 via the parking management device 50 (S76, S77).

[0073] Based on the acquired door closing instruction for the entrance / exit, the parking control device 17 confirms the safety of the entrance / exit, closes the door, and moves the corresponding pallet 12-1 to the corresponding shelf, for example, shelf P1 (S78). When pallet 12-1 moves to shelf P1, the power plug 13a-1 of the charger 13-1 of pallet 12-1 is attached to the power supply equipment 11-1, and the charging equipment is constructed. The parking control device 17 then sends a door closing notification to the parking management device 50 along with the shelf number "P1" to which pallet 12-1 has moved (S79). In the parking management device 50, the entry processing unit 523, after confirming the door closing, stores the acquired shelf number "P1" in the vehicle entry information storage unit 513, linking it to the corresponding group ID [P001] (S80).

[0074] (8) Charging process Next, the charging process performed on vehicles parked in the mechanical parking garage 10 will be explained with reference to the flowchart in Figure 10. While the parking management system 1 is in operation, the charging equipment management device 18 of the mechanical parking garage 10 supplies power to the charging equipment by turning ON the contact 11a of the shelf P where the vehicle to be charged is stored. Also, while the parking management system 1 is in operation, the charging processing unit 524 of the parking management device 50 maintains information on the number of vehicles that can be charged simultaneously (number of vehicles that can be charged simultaneously), calculated based on the contracted power amount of the mechanical parking garage 10 and the amount of power consumed by each power supply equipment. The value of the amount of power consumed by each power supply equipment may be set to the same value uniformly regardless of the vehicle type, or it may be set to a different value based on the maximum power consumption value obtained for each vehicle type. The charging processing unit 524 also calculates and maintains the number of vehicles that can be charged additionally by subtracting the number of vehicles currently being charged from the maintained number of vehicles that can be charged simultaneously.

[0075] The charging processing unit 524 of the parking management device 50 determines, based on the information stored in the second reservation information storage unit 512, whether or not there is a vehicle whose scheduled charging completion time has arrived and is currently being charged (S81). If the charging processing unit 524 determines that there is such a vehicle (YES in S81), it transmits a charging completion instruction for that vehicle to the mechanical parking system 10 (S82). When the mechanical parking system 10 receives the charging completion instruction, the charging equipment management device 18 switches the contact of the corresponding shelf P to OFF (S83).

[0076] When the charging processing unit 524 transmits a vehicle charging completion instruction to the mechanical parking lot 10, it increases the number of vehicles that can be charged by "1" (S84). The charging processing unit 524 also adds the charging completion information to the corresponding reservation information stored in the second reservation information storage unit 512, and updates the information of the corresponding vehicle stored in the parked vehicle information storage unit 513 by adding the charging completion time and the amount of power charged as charging status information. The charging processing unit 524 then transmits the updated charging status information along with the corresponding user ID to the charging reservation system 20 (S85).

[0077] The charging reservation system 20 updates the information stored in the first reservation information storage unit 212 by the reservation acceptance processing unit 222 by adding the acquired charging status information (S86). The reservation acceptance processing unit 222 may also transmit the acquired charging status information to the user terminal 30. The charging reservation system 20 may use the acquired charging status information to perform payment processing for the use of the charging equipment to the user using an external system or the like.

[0078] The charging processing unit 524 also determines, based on the information stored in the second reservation information storage unit 512, whether the scheduled charging start time has arrived, whether there are any vehicles that are not yet charged, and whether there are any vehicles in the mechanical parking lot 10 (S87). If the charging processing unit 524 determines that there are any such vehicles (YES in S87), it further determines whether the current number of additional vehicles to be charged is 1 or more (S88).

[0079] If the charging processing unit 524 determines that the current number of vehicles to be charged is one or more (YES in S88), it sends a charging start instruction for the vehicle to the mechanical parking system 10 (S89). When the mechanical parking system 10 receives the charging start instruction, the charging equipment management device 18 switches the contact of the corresponding shelf P to ON (S90).

[0080] When the charging processing unit 524 transmits a command to the mechanical parking lot 10 to start charging the vehicle, it reduces the number of additional vehicles to be charged that it holds by "1" (S91). The charging processing unit 524 also updates the corresponding reservation information stored in the second reservation information storage unit 512 by adding information indicating that charging is in progress (S92).

[0081] (9) Outbound processing Next, we will explain the case where user U1 gives an instruction to remove vehicle a from the mechanical parking garage 10, referring to the flowchart in Figure 11. When user U1 gives an instruction to remove vehicle a, there are two options: either move vehicle a out of building B of the mechanical parking garage 10, or remove forgotten items from inside vehicle a without moving vehicle a out of building B and then store it back in shelf P of the mechanical parking garage 10.

[0082] First, user U1 uses user ID [U001] to send a parking exit processing request from user terminal 30 or control panel 40 to parking management device 50 (S101). When parking management device 50 receives the parking exit processing request sent from user terminal 30 or control panel 40, the parking exit processing unit 525 identifies the group ID [P001] to which user ID [U001] belongs based on the information stored in parking usage registration information storage unit 511 (S102). The parking exit processing unit 525 then determines whether or not charging processing is currently being performed on vehicle a of the corresponding group ID [P001] (S103).

[0083] If the dispatch processing unit 525 determines that charging is currently being performed on vehicle a (YES in S103), the charging processing unit 524 executes a charging interruption process (S104). Details of the charging interruption process will be described later.

[0084] In step S103, if the exit processing unit 525 determines that it is not currently performing a charging process on vehicle a (NO in S103), or if the charging interruption process is performed in step S104, the exit processing unit 525 executes an exit call to the mechanical parking lot 10 for the identified group ID [P001] (S105).

[0085] In the mechanical parking system 10, in response to a parking exit call executed by the parking management device 50, the parking control device 17 moves a predetermined pallet (for example, pallet 12-1) to the entrance / exit (S106), and when it lands, opens the door of the entrance / exit (S107).

[0086] When the entrance door is open, user U1, in order to remove vehicle a, disconnects the charging cable between vehicle a and the charger 13-1 on pallet 12-1, and moves vehicle a from pallet 12-1 to the outside of building B. When user U1 retrieves a forgotten item from inside vehicle a, the connection between vehicle a and the charger 13-1 on pallet 12-1 is not disconnected, and vehicle a is not moved, and the retrieval operation is performed.

[0087] Subsequently, when user U1 performs an instruction to close the entrance door, information of this instruction is transmitted to the parking control device 17 via the parking management device 50 (S108, S109). Based on the acquired instruction to close the entrance door, the parking control device 17 confirms the safety of the entrance door (S110) and closes the door (S110), and then transmits a door closing notification to the parking management device 50 (S111).

[0088] In the parking management device 50, when it receives a door closing notification from the mechanical parking lot 10, the exit processing unit 525 determines whether or not a charging interruption process was executed during the exit process. If a charging interruption process was executed during the exit process, that is, if it was determined in step S103 that a charging process was being performed on the vehicle in question and a charging interruption process was executed in step S104 (YES in S112), the exit processing unit 525 determines whether or not vehicle a is located inside the mechanical parking lot 10 (S113).

[0089] If user U1 retrieves a forgotten item from inside vehicle a, and vehicle a is located inside the mechanical parking lot 10 (YES in S113), the charging processing unit 524 will execute the charging restart process (S114). Details of the charging restart process will be described later.

[0090] In step S113, if user U1 has removed vehicle a from building B and vehicle a is no longer in the mechanical parking lot 10 (NO in S113), the charging processing unit 524 updates the corresponding reservation information stored in the second reservation information storage unit 512 by adding information indicating that the charging process has been interrupted (S115). Alternatively, if the charging restart process is executed in step S114, the charging processing unit 524 updates the corresponding reservation information stored in the second reservation information storage unit 512 by adding information indicating that the charging process was interrupted and then restarted (S115). In step S112, if it is determined that the charging interruption process was not executed during the vehicle removal process (NO in S112), the process is terminated.

[0091] (10) Charging interruption process Next, the vehicle charging interruption process, which is performed in step S64 of the charging reservation cancellation process or step S104 of the vehicle departure process, will be explained with reference to the flowchart in Figure 12.

[0092] If a charging interruption occurs while a vehicle is being charged in the mechanical parking system 10, the charging processing unit 524 of the parking management device 50 starts the charging interruption process and sends a charging interruption instruction to the mechanical parking system 10 (S121). When the mechanical parking system 10 receives the charging interruption instruction, the charging equipment management device 18 switches the contact of the corresponding shelf P to OFF (S122).

[0093] When the charging processing unit 524 transmits a vehicle charging completion instruction to the mechanical parking lot 10, it increases the number of vehicles that can be charged by "1" (S123). The charging processing unit 524 also adds the charging completion information to the corresponding reservation information stored in the second reservation information storage unit 512, and updates the information of the corresponding vehicle stored in the parked vehicle information storage unit 513 by adding the charging completion time and the amount of power charged as charging status information. The charging processing unit 524 then transmits the updated charging status information along with the corresponding user ID to the charging reservation system 20 (S124).

[0094] The charging reservation system 20 updates the information stored in the first reservation information storage unit 212 by adding the acquired charging status information to the information stored in the first reservation information storage unit 212 (S125). At this point, the reservation reservation processing unit 222 may also transmit the acquired charging status information to the user terminal 30.

[0095] (11) Charging restart process Next, the process of restarting vehicle charging, which is performed in step S114 of the aforementioned vehicle departure process, will be explained with reference to the flowchart in Figure 13.

[0096] When the charging restart process is initiated after the vehicle charging interruption process has been performed in the mechanical parking lot 10, the charging processing unit 524 of the parking management device 50 determines whether the current number of vehicles that can be charged is 1 or more (S131).

[0097] If the charging processing unit 524 determines that the current number of vehicles to be charged is 1 or more (YES in S131), it sends a charging start instruction for the vehicle to the mechanical parking system 10 (S132). When the mechanical parking system 10 receives the charging start instruction, the charging equipment management device 18 switches the contact of the corresponding shelf P to ON (S133).

[0098] When the charging processing unit 524 transmits a command to the mechanical parking lot 10 to start charging the vehicle, it reduces the number of additional vehicles to be charged that it holds by "1" (S134). The charging processing unit 524 also updates the corresponding reservation information stored in the second reservation information storage unit 512 by adding information indicating that charging is in progress (S135).

[0099] According to the above embodiment, it is possible to appropriately provide a charging facility usage service in a mechanical parking lot that processes vehicle entry / exit and charging using vehicle identification information to users who have made reservations using a user ID in an external reservation system for the charging facilities in the parking lot.

[0100] In the embodiment described above, when a vehicle enters the mechanical parking lot 10, the parking management device 50 identifies the vehicle by obtaining the user ID of the user who will be using the vehicle. However, the vehicle's license plate number may also be used to identify the entered vehicle.

[0101] When identifying a vehicle using its license plate number, in step S3 described above, when user U1 sends a user registration request to the charging reservation system 20, the license plate number of the relevant vehicle is added, and the license plate number is linked to the user ID issued by the charging reservation system 20 and stored in the user registration information storage unit 211. Also, in step S6, when sending a parking lot use registration request, the license plate number of the relevant vehicle is added, and the group ID and user ID of the parking lot use registration information issued by the parking lot management device 50 are linked and stored in the parking lot use registration information storage unit 511.

[0102] Subsequently, when a user requests a reservation for the use of a charging facility, the reservation acceptance processing unit 222 of the charging reservation system 20 transmits the reservation information for the charging facility, along with the vehicle number associated with the user ID of the user making the reservation, to the parking management device 50. The parking management device 50 identifies the group ID associated with the acquired vehicle number and stores it in association with the reservation information.

[0103] When a vehicle enters the mechanical parking garage 10, the entry processing unit 523 obtains the vehicle number information of the entered vehicle by vehicle number authentication using image information captured by a camera device (not shown), identifies a group ID associated with the acquired vehicle number, and stores the information of the identified group ID as information of the entered vehicle in the entered vehicle information storage unit 513.

[0104] While embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it is possible to modify or alter the embodiments based on the above disclosure. All components of the above embodiments, and all features described in the claims, may be individually selected and combined, provided that they do not contradict each other. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0105] 1. Parking Management System 10 Mechanical parking 11, 11-1~11-12 Power supply equipment 11a, 11a-1~11a-12 contacts 12, 12-1~12-12 Palette 13, 13-1~13-12 Charger 13a, 13a-1~13a-12 power plugs 16 Drive unit 17 Parking control device 18 Charging equipment management device 20 Charging Reservation System 21 1st memory section 22 1st CPU 30 User terminals 40 Control panel 50 Parking Management System 51 2nd memory section 52 2nd CPU 60 Wide-area telecommunications networks 211 User registration information storage unit 212 First Reservation Information Storage Unit 221 First User Registration Processing Unit 222 Reservation Processing Unit 511 Parking lot user registration information storage unit 512 Second Reservation Information Storage Unit 513 Vehicle Information Storage Unit 521 Second User Registration Processing Unit 522 Reservation Information Processing Unit 523 Inbound Processing Unit 524 Charging Processing Unit 525 Inventory Processing Unit

Claims

1. A charging reservation system, which uses user identification information of users utilizing the charging equipment installed in the parking lot to process reservation registrations for the said charging equipment, is connected via an external communication network. A user registration processing unit issues an authentication code to the user corresponding to the identification information of the vehicle used by the user, and when the user makes a parking lot use registration request operation to the charging reservation system using the authentication code, it obtains the authentication code with the user's identification information attached that has been transmitted from the charging reservation system, and registers the obtained user's identification information and the vehicle's identification information together. A reservation information processing unit acquires the usage reservation information for each user identification information confirmed by the charging reservation system, identifies the vehicle identification information corresponding to the user identification information based on the information registered in the user registration processing unit, and stores the identified vehicle identification information linked to the acquired charging reservation information. When a vehicle enters the aforementioned parking lot, the parking processing unit acquires the identification information of the user who will use the vehicle, identifies the vehicle identification information corresponding to the acquired user identification information based on the information registered in the user registration processing unit, and executes the vehicle parking process. A parking management device comprising: a charging processing unit that, based on information stored by the reservation information processing unit, acquires reservation information for use of the charging equipment corresponding to the identification information of a vehicle identified by the parking processing unit, and, when it determines that the scheduled start time for charging of the vehicle has arrived based on the acquired reservation information for use of the charging equipment, executes a charging process for the vehicle.

2. The aforementioned parking lot is equipped with multiple storage shelves that have contacts for storing parked vehicles and supplying power to the stored vehicles. The aforementioned parking processing unit, when a vehicle enters the parking lot, identifies a storage rack to which the vehicle should be loaded based on the vehicle's identification information, and executes the parking process by storing the entered vehicle in the identified storage rack. The parking management device according to claim 1, characterized in that the charging processing unit performs the charging process by turning ON the contact of the storage shelf in which the vehicle is stored at the specified scheduled charging start time.

3. The parking management device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a vehicle departure processing unit that, upon receiving a vehicle departure instruction for a vehicle that has entered the parking lot, obtains identification information of the user who will use the vehicle, identifies the vehicle identification information corresponding to the obtained user identification information based on the information registered in the user registration processing unit, and executes the vehicle departure process.

4. The parking management device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the vehicle identification information consists of information identifying a group of multiple people who share the use of the vehicle in question.

5. The parking management device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the identification information of the vehicle used by the user is the vehicle's license plate number.

6. The aforementioned charging reservation system has a function that uses an external system to process payment related to the use of the charging equipment. The parking management device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the charging processing unit transmits information on the amount of electricity charged to the vehicle that performed the charging process to the charging reservation system for use in the payment processing when the charging process is completed.

7. The charging processing unit is The number of vehicles that can be charged simultaneously, calculated based on the contracted power consumption of the parking lot and the power consumption of the charging equipment, minus the number of vehicles currently being charged, is maintained as the number of additional vehicles that can be charged. A parking management device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, which, when it is determined that the scheduled start time for charging a predetermined vehicle has arrived based on the reservation information for use of the charging equipment, executes a charging process for the vehicle if the number of vehicles that can be charged is one or more.

8. The aforementioned parking lot is Multiple pallets for loading incoming vehicles, Multiple shelves for storing the aforementioned pallets, Each of the aforementioned multiple pallets is equipped with multiple chargers, which are connected to the loaded vehicles via charging cables so that when a pallet loaded with vehicles is stored on the shelf, the loaded vehicles can be charged. The system includes a drive device for moving the pallet between the shelf and the entrance / exit of the parking lot, The vehicle entry processing unit, when a vehicle enters the parking lot, acquires identification information for the shelf to which the pallet on which the entered vehicle is loaded will be moved, associates the user's identification information with the acquired shelf identification information, and stores it. The parking management device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the charging processing unit updates the information by adding charging status information to the information relating to a vehicle that has undergone charging processing among the information stored by the parking entry processing unit, and transmits it to the charging reservation system.

9. A parking management device connected via an external communication network to a charging reservation system that processes reservation registration for the charging equipment using the identification information of users who use the charging equipment installed in the parking lot, A user registration processing step involves issuing an authentication code to the user corresponding to the identification information of the vehicle used by the user, and when the user makes a parking lot use registration request operation to the charging reservation system using the authentication code, the charging reservation system transmits the authentication code with the user's identification information attached, and the acquired user's identification information is linked to the vehicle's identification information and registered. A reservation information processing step which acquires the usage reservation information for each user identification information confirmed in the charging reservation system, identifies the vehicle identification information corresponding to the user identification information based on the information registered in the user registration processing step, and stores the identified vehicle identification information linked to the acquired charging reservation information. When a vehicle enters the aforementioned parking lot, the vehicle entry processing step obtains the identification information of the user who will use the vehicle, identifies the vehicle identification information corresponding to the obtained user identification information based on the information registered in the user registration processing step, and executes the vehicle entry processing. A parking lot management method characterized by having a charging processing step, which involves acquiring reservation information for the charging equipment corresponding to the identification information of the vehicle identified in the parking processing step based on the information stored in the reservation information processing step, and, when it is determined that the scheduled start time for charging of the vehicle has arrived based on the acquired reservation information for the charging equipment, executing a charging process for the vehicle.

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