Control device and fee determination method

Abstract

To make it easier to reduce traffic congestion caused by roadside parking.SOLUTION: A control device 20 provided herein comprises a control unit configured to detect a vehicle 12 parked on a road 13 at a first point in time, and determine the amount of parking fee to be charged to the vehicle 12 in accordance with the level of congestion of the road 13 at a second point in time after the first point in time.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a control device and a fee determination method. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a device that predicts the number of vehicles leaving a parking lot and the traffic volume on the roads surrounding the parking lot after a certain period of time, and when vehicles leaving the parking lot have a negative impact on the surrounding roads, changes the distribution of the number of vehicles leaving each exit or controls the timing of vehicles leaving each exit. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 7-200995 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Parking-related congestion includes congestion on roads surrounding parking lots as well as congestion caused by on-street parking.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to facilitate reducing congestion caused by on-street parking. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The control device according to the present disclosure includes: The system includes a control unit that detects a vehicle parked on a road at a first point in time, and determines the amount of parking fee to be charged to the vehicle depending on the congestion state of the road at a second point in time after the first point in time.

[0007] The fee determination method according to the present disclosure includes: Detecting a vehicle parked on a road at a first time point by a control device; determining, by the control device, an amount of a parking fee to be charged to the vehicle according to a traffic congestion state of the road at a second time point subsequent to the first time point; Includes. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present disclosure, congestion caused by on-street parking can be easily reduced. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 3] 5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] 5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 5] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a control device according to a modified example of an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] In each drawing, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals. In the description of this embodiment, the description of the same or corresponding parts will be omitted or simplified as appropriate.

[0012] The configuration of a system 10 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0013] The system 10 according to this embodiment includes at least one control device 20 and at least one terminal device 30. The control device 20 is capable of communicating with the terminal device 30 via a network 40.

[0014] The control device 20 is installed in a facility such as a data center, etc. The control device 20 is a computer such as a server belonging to a cloud computing system or other computing system.

[0015] The terminal device 30 is held by the user 11 and used by the user 11. The terminal device 30 is, for example, a mobile device such as a mobile phone, a smartphone, or a tablet.

[0016] Network 40 includes the Internet, at least one WAN, at least one MAN, or any combination thereof. "WAN" is an abbreviation for wide area network. "MAN" is an abbreviation for metropolitan area network. Network 40 may include at least one wireless network, at least one optical network, or any combination thereof. A wireless network may be, for example, an ad-hoc network, a cellular network, a wireless LAN, a satellite communication network, or a terrestrial microwave network. "LAN" is an abbreviation for local area network.

[0017] The present embodiment will be outlined with reference to FIG.

[0018] The control device 20 detects the vehicle 12 parked on the road 13 at a first time point T1. The control device 20 determines the amount of the parking fee to be charged to the vehicle 12 depending on the congestion state of the road 13 at a second time point T2 after the first time point T1. Therefore, according to this embodiment, congestion caused by on-street parking can be easily reduced.

[0019] The vehicle 12 is any type of automobile, such as a gasoline vehicle, a diesel vehicle, an HV, a PHV, an EV, or an FCV. "HV" is an abbreviation for hybrid vehicle. "PHV" is an abbreviation for plug-in hybrid vehicle. "EV" is an abbreviation for electric vehicle. "FCV" is an abbreviation for fuel cell vehicle. In this embodiment, the vehicle 12 is driven by a driver, but the driving may be automated at any level. The level of automation is, for example, any of levels 1 to 5 in the SAE level classification. "SAE" is an abbreviation for Society of Automotive Engineers.

[0020] The vehicle 12 may be parked on the road 13 in a location that has a line, a parking meter, or both, but in this embodiment, the vehicle 12 is parked on the road 13 in a location that has neither a line nor a parking meter. The parking fee may be a parking price charged as compensation for the parking service, or may be a fine imposed for parking in a no-parking area.

[0021] Any method may be used to detect the vehicle 12, but in this embodiment, a method is used in which the position of the vehicle 12 measured by a GNSS receiver mounted on the vehicle 12 is confirmed to determine whether the vehicle 12 is parked on the road 13. "GNSS" is an abbreviation for global navigation satellite system. GNSS is, for example, GPS, QZSS, BDS, GLONASS, or Galileo. "GPS" is an abbreviation for Global Positioning System. "QZSS" is an abbreviation for Quasi-Zenith Satellite System. QZSS satellites are called quasi-zenith satellites. "BDS" is an abbreviation for BeiDou Navigation Satellite System. "GLONASS" is an abbreviation for Global Navigation Satellite System. As another method, a method may be used in which an image captured by a camera 14 installed around the road 13 is analyzed to determine whether the vehicle 12 is parked on the road 13. A known method may be used as the image analysis method. Machine learning such as deep learning may be used.

[0022] In this embodiment, the control device 20 executes charging processing for the parking fee at the determined amount. Any method can be used as the charging method. For example, a method can be used in which the parking fee is charged to a credit card or bank account that is linked to the user 11 and registered in advance. The control device 20 can notify the user 11 of the result of the charging processing via the terminal device 30. The user 11 can be the person who parked the vehicle 12, such as a driver, or the owner of the vehicle 12.

[0023] As a variation of this embodiment, instead of executing the billing process, the control device 20 may simply notify the user 11 of the determined amount via the terminal device 30. In such a variation, the user 11 may operate the terminal device 30 to pay the notified amount by online payment or electronic money payment.

[0024] As a variation of this embodiment, if the vehicle 12 is parked before the traffic jam occurs, the control device 20 may notify the user 11 of an alert via the terminal device 30, may increase the upper limit of the parking fee, or may collect an additional fee.

[0025] The configuration of the control device 20 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0026] The control device 20 includes a control unit 21, a storage unit 22, and a communication unit 23.

[0027] The control unit 21 includes at least one processor, at least one programmable circuit, at least one dedicated circuit, or any combination thereof. The processor is a general-purpose processor such as a CPU or GPU, or a dedicated processor specialized for a specific process. "CPU" is an abbreviation for central processing unit. "GPU" is an abbreviation for graphics processing unit. The programmable circuit is, for example, an FPGA. "FPGA" is an abbreviation for field-programmable gate array. The dedicated circuit is, for example, an ASIC. "ASIC" is an abbreviation for application specific integrated circuit. The control unit 21 executes processes related to the operation of the control device 20 while controlling each part of the control device 20.

[0028] The storage unit 22 includes at least one semiconductor memory, at least one magnetic memory, at least one optical memory, or any combination thereof. The semiconductor memory is, for example, a RAM or a ROM. "RAM" is an abbreviation for random access memory. "ROM" is an abbreviation for read only memory. The RAM is, for example, an SRAM or a DRAM. "SRAM" is an abbreviation for static random access memory. "DRAM" is an abbreviation for dynamic random access memory. The ROM is, for example, an EEPROM. "EEPROM" is an abbreviation for electrically erasable programmable read only memory. The storage unit 22 functions, for example, as a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. The storage unit 22 stores data used in the operation of the control device 20 and data obtained by the operation of the control device 20.

[0029] The communication unit 23 includes at least one communication interface. The communication interface is, for example, a LAN interface. The communication unit 23 receives data used in the operation of the control device 20, and transmits data obtained by the operation of the control device 20.

[0030] The functions of the control device 20 are realized by executing a program according to this embodiment on a processor serving as the control unit 21. That is, the functions of the control device 20 are realized by software. The program causes a computer to execute the operations of the control device 20, thereby causing the computer to function as the control device 20. That is, the computer functions as the control device 20 by executing the operations of the control device 20 in accordance with the program.

[0031] The program may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium. Examples of the non-transitory computer-readable medium include a flash memory, a magnetic recording device, an optical disk, a magneto-optical recording medium, or a ROM. The program may be distributed, for example, by selling, transferring, or lending a portable medium such as an SD card, DVD, or CD-ROM on which the program is stored. "SD" is an abbreviation for Secure Digital. "DVD" is an abbreviation for digital versatile disc. "CD-ROM" is an abbreviation for compact disc read only memory. The program may be distributed by storing the program in the storage of a server and transferring the program from the server to another computer. The program may be provided as a program product.

[0032] A computer temporarily stores in a main storage device, for example, a program stored in a portable medium or a program transferred from a server. Then, the computer reads the program stored in the main storage device with a processor, and executes processing according to the read program with the processor. The computer may read the program directly from a portable medium and execute processing according to the program. The computer may execute processing according to the received program each time a program is transferred from the server to the computer. Processing may be executed by a so-called ASP-type service that realizes functions only by execution instructions and result acquisition without transferring a program from the server to the computer. "ASP" is an abbreviation for application service provider. A program is information used for processing by a computer, and includes those equivalent to a program. For example, data that is not a direct command to a computer but has the property of defining computer processing falls under "those equivalent to a program."

[0033] A part or all of the functions of the control device 20 may be realized by a programmable circuit or a dedicated circuit as the control unit 21. In other words, a part or all of the functions of the control device 20 may be realized by hardware.

[0034] The operation of the control device 20 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 3. This operation corresponds to the fee determination method according to this embodiment.

[0035] In step S1, the control unit 21 of the control device 20 detects the vehicle 12 parked on the road 13 at a first time point T1. In step S2, the control unit 21 determines the amount of the parking fee to be charged to the vehicle 12 according to the congestion state of the road 13 at a second time point T2 after the first time point T1. In step S3, the control unit 21 executes the parking fee charging process at the determined amount.

[0036] The process of step S2 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

[0037] In step S201, the control unit 21 of the control device 20 observes the traffic congestion situation at a second time point T2. The second time point T2 is the same time point as the first time point T1. That is, the control unit 21 observes the current traffic congestion situation when the vehicle 12 is currently parked. This process may be performed in any order, but in this embodiment, it is performed in the following order.

[0038] The communication unit 23 of the control device 20 receives images captured by the cameras 14 installed around the road 13 at the second time point T2 from an external system such as the cameras 14 or a system that manages the cameras 14. The control unit 21 of the control device 20 acquires the images received by the communication unit 23. The control unit 21 analyzes the acquired images to observe the traffic congestion situation at the second time point T2. A known method can be used as a method for image analysis. Machine learning such as deep learning may also be used.

[0039] In step S202, the control unit 21 of the control device 20 refers to observation data obtained by observing the traffic congestion state at the second time point T2. In this embodiment, the observation data includes the image analysis result obtained in step S201. If the observation data indicates that traffic congestion has occurred on the road 13 at the second time point T2, the process of step S203 is executed. If the observation data indicates that traffic congestion has not occurred on the road 13 at the second time point T2, the process of step S204 is executed. The evaluation of whether traffic congestion has occurred is performed using a known index, such as the number of vehicles or occupancy rate.

[0040] In step S203, the control unit 21 of the control device 20 determines a relatively high amount as the parking fee. For example, the control unit 21 may determine a fixed amount as the parking fee, or may determine a higher amount as the degree of congestion indicated by the observation data is higher. The degree of congestion is evaluated using a known index, such as the number of vehicles or occupancy rate.

[0041] In step S204, the control unit 21 of the control device 20 determines a relatively low amount as the amount of the parking fee. This amount may be any amount as long as it is lower than the amount determined in step S203. The control unit 21 may also determine that the parking fee is free.

[0042] In step S205, the control unit 21 of the control device 20 estimates a tendency for traffic congestion to occur on the road 13 while waiting to turn left if the road 13 is a left-hand traffic road. Alternatively, the control unit 21 estimates a tendency for traffic congestion to occur on the road 13 while waiting to turn right if the road 13 is a right-hand traffic road. Any method can be used as a method for estimating the tendency. For example, a method can be used in which a day of the week and a time period during which traffic congestion while waiting to turn left or right is likely to occur can be used by referring to past observation data obtained by a process similar to that of step S201. The control unit 21 adjusts the amount determined in step S203 or step S204 depending on the strength of the estimated tendency. For example, the control unit 21 may add a fixed amount to the amount of the parking fee when the tendency is stronger than a standard, or may add a higher amount to the amount of the parking fee as the tendency is stronger.

[0043] As a modified example of this embodiment, the amount of the parking fee may be adjusted according to the number of lanes of the road 13 instead of or in addition to the strength of the tendency of congestion occurring when waiting to turn left or right. In such a modified example, the control unit 21 of the control device 20 refers to map data to identify the number of lanes of the road 13. The map data is data that defines attributes such as the position of the road 13, the number of lanes of the road 13, and the direction of each lane. The map data may be stored in advance in the storage unit 22 of the control device 20, or may be accumulated in an external system such as a GIS on the Internet. "GIS" is an abbreviation for geographic information system. The control unit 21 adjusts the amount of the parking fee according to the identified number of lanes. For example, the control unit 21 may add a fixed amount to the amount of the parking fee when the number of lanes is less than a standard, or may add a higher amount to the amount of the parking fee as the number of lanes is fewer.

[0044] As described above, in this embodiment, the control unit 21 of the control device 20 detects the vehicle 12 parked on the road 13 at the first time point T1. The control unit 21 determines the amount of the parking fee to be charged to the vehicle 12 depending on the congestion state of the road 13 at the second time point T2 after the first time point T1. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is easier to reduce congestion caused by on-street parking.

[0045] In this embodiment, when the observation data indicates that congestion is occurring on the road 13 at the second time point T2, the control unit 21 of the control device 20 determines the amount of the parking fee to be higher than the amount when the observation data indicates that congestion is not occurring on the road 13 at the second time point T2. When congestion is occurring on the road 13, there is a risk that the congestion will worsen if there are parked vehicles on the road 13, but according to this embodiment, it is easier to prevent the congestion from worsening.

[0046] In this embodiment, if traffic is on the left side of the road 13, the control unit 21 of the control device 20 adjusts the amount of the parking fee depending on the strength of the tendency for traffic congestion to occur on the road 13 while waiting to turn left. If traffic congestion is likely to occur on the road 13 while waiting to turn left, there is a risk that such traffic congestion will occur or worsen if there are parked vehicles on the left edge of the road 13. However, according to this embodiment, it becomes easier to prevent such traffic congestion from occurring or worsening.

[0047] In this embodiment, if traffic drives on the right side of the road 13, the control unit 21 of the control device 20 adjusts the amount of the parking fee depending on the strength of the tendency for congestion to occur on the road 13 while waiting to turn right. If congestion is likely to occur on the road 13 while waiting to turn right, there is a risk that such congestion will occur or worsen if there are parked vehicles on the right edge of the road 13. However, according to this embodiment, it becomes easier to prevent such congestion from occurring or worsening.

[0048] As a modified example of this embodiment, the control unit 21 of the control device 20 may adjust the amount of the parking fee depending on the number of lanes of the road 13. When the road 13 has a small number of lanes, there is a risk that congestion will occur or worsen if there are parked vehicles on the road 13, but according to this modified example, it becomes easier to prevent congestion from occurring or worsening.

[0049] In this embodiment, the control unit 21 of the control device 20 observes the traffic congestion situation at the second time point T2, but as a modification of this embodiment, the control unit 21 may obtain observation data obtained by an external system observing the traffic congestion situation at the second time point T2 from the external system. That is, the process of step S201 may be omitted.

[0050] In this embodiment, the second time point T2 is the same as the first time point T1, but as a modification of this embodiment, the second time point T2 may be a time point later than the first time point T1. For example, the second time point T2 may be a time point 10 minutes, 30 minutes, or 1 hour after the first time point T1. Such a modification will be described.

[0051] The process of step S2 in this modified example will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

[0052] In step S211, the control unit 21 of the control device 20 predicts a traffic congestion state at the second time point T2. That is, the control unit 21 predicts a future traffic congestion state when the vehicle 12 is currently parked. This process may be performed in any order, but in this embodiment, it is performed in the following order.

[0053] The control unit 21 of the control device 20 acquires a group of images captured by the camera 14 installed around the road 13 before the first time point T1. These groups of images may be stored in advance in the storage unit 22 of the control device 20, or may be accumulated in an external system such as a system that manages the camera 14. The control unit 21 estimates the tendency of traffic congestion to occur on the road 13 by analyzing the acquired group of images. A known method can be used as the image analysis method. Machine learning such as deep learning may be used. Any method can be used as the trend estimation method. For example, a method can be used in which a day of the week and a time period on which traffic congestion is likely to occur can be used by referring to the image analysis result. The control unit 21 predicts the traffic congestion situation at the second time point T2 by referring to the trend estimation result corresponding to the second time point T2. For example, if the control unit 21 estimates that traffic congestion is likely to occur on the same day of the week and in the same time period as the second time point T2, it predicts that traffic congestion will occur on the road 13 at the second time point T2. If the control unit 21 estimates that there is a low tendency for traffic congestion to occur on the same day of the week and at the same time as the second time point T2, it predicts that traffic congestion will not occur on the road 13 at the second time point T2.

[0054] In step S212, the control unit 21 of the control device 20 refers to the prediction result obtained in step S211. If it is predicted that congestion will occur on the road 13 at the second time point T2, the process of step S213 is executed. If it is predicted that congestion will not occur on the road 13 at the second time point T2, the process of step S214 is executed.

[0055] The processes of steps S213, S214, and S215 are the same as those of steps S203, S204, and S205, and therefore will not be described. For example, in step S213, the control unit 21 of the control device 20 may determine a fixed amount as the parking fee amount, or may determine a higher amount as the predicted degree of congestion increases.

[0056] In this modified example, when the control unit 21 of the control device 20 predicts that congestion will occur on the road 13 at the second time point T2, it determines the parking fee to be a higher amount than when it predicts that congestion will not occur on the road 13 at the second time point T2. When congestion is likely to occur on the road 13, there is a risk that a larger congestion will occur if there are parked vehicles on the road 13, but according to this embodiment, it becomes easier to prevent such congestion from occurring.

[0057] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment. For example, two or more blocks shown in the block diagram may be integrated, or one block may be divided. Instead of executing two or more steps shown in the flowchart in chronological order as described, they may be executed in parallel or in a different order depending on the processing capacity of the device executing each step, or as necessary. Other modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure.

[0058] For example, the process of step S205 may be omitted, and the process of step S215 may be omitted. [Explanation of symbols]

[0059] 10. System 11 users 12 Vehicles 13 Road 14 Camera 20 Control device 21 Control section 22 Memory section 23 Communications Department 30 Terminal Equipment 40 Network

Claims

1. A memory unit that stores a group of images captured by cameras installed around a road before a first point in time and map data defining the number of lanes of the road; a control unit that detects vehicles parked on the road at the first time point, acquires a group of images stored in the storage unit, and analyzes the acquired group of images to evaluate a degree of congestion on the road using an occupancy rate as an index for each day of the week, each time period, or each combination of day of the week and each time period, and determines a tendency for congestion to occur on the road due to waiting to turn left or right, refers to map data stored in the storage unit to identify the number of lanes on the road, refers to a result of the evaluation of the degree of congestion on the road corresponding to a second time point that is later than the first time point, predicts the degree of congestion on the road at the second time point, and determines an amount of a parking fee to be charged to the vehicle depending on the level of the predicted degree, refers to a result of the determination of the tendency for congestion to occur on the road due to waiting to turn left or right, corresponding to the second time point, and adjusts the determined amount depending on the strength of the predicted tendency and the small number of lanes identified. A control device comprising:

2. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit determines a higher amount as the parking fee as the degree of prediction is higher.

3. The control device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit adds a higher amount to the determined amount as the predicted tendency is stronger.

4. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured to add a higher amount to the determined amount as the number of identified lanes becomes smaller.

5. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit executes a charging process for the parking fee at the determined amount.

6. A control unit of a control device having a memory unit that stores a group of images captured by cameras installed around a road and map data defining the number of lanes of the road prior to a first point in time, detecting a vehicle parked on the road at the first point in time; The control unit acquires a group of images stored in the storage unit; The control unit analyzes the acquired image group to evaluate the degree of congestion on the road using the occupancy rate as an index for each day of the week, each time period, or each combination of the day of the week and the time period, and determines the tendency of congestion to occur on the road due to waiting to turn left or right; The control unit refers to map data stored in the storage unit to identify the number of lanes of the road; The control unit predicts a degree of congestion of the road at a second time point by referring to an evaluation result of a degree of congestion of the road corresponding to a second time point after the first time point; The control unit determines an amount of a parking fee to be charged to the vehicle according to the degree of the predicted degree; The control unit predicts a tendency for the left turn waiting or the right turn waiting traffic jam to occur on the road at the second time point by referring to a determination result of a tendency for the left turn waiting or the right turn waiting traffic jam to occur on the road corresponding to the second time point; The control unit adjusts the determined amount depending on the strength of the predicted tendency and the small number of the identified lanes. Pricing methods, including:

Images