Parking lot information device

Abstract

To provide a technique which can guide a user to a parking lot in accordance with a purpose for parking of the user.SOLUTION: A parking lot guide device comprises: a communication unit 25 which receives, from a user terminal with a display screen, a destination of a user carrying the user terminal and moving by means of a vehicle, a desired date of arrival at the destination, and a purpose for parking; a search unit 202 which searches for one or more parking lots which the vehicle can enter by a scheduled entrance time preceding the desired date of arrival by a prescribed time; a ranking unit 203 which ranks respective parking lots identified by the search in accordance with prescribed criteria including purposes for parking; and a control unit 201 which causes the user terminal to display entrance guide images for the parking lots in the display screen in descending order of ranking of the parking lots.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a parking lot guidance technology that provides guidance to a user to a parking lot. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known for guiding a user to parking lots near a destination. In Patent Document 1, the parking lot to be guided to the user is determined based on the user's desired conditions such as usage fee and vehicle size as well as the condition of distance from the destination. In addition, Patent Document 2 describes a technology that not only guides the user to parking lots near the destination, but also guides the user to parking lots that are somewhat far from the destination for the purpose of maintaining the user's health. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2002-286471 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2013-19740 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Patent Document 1 discloses a technology that guides a user to a parking lot based on conditions related to the parking lot itself. Patent Document 2 differs from Patent Document 1 in that it sets conditions so that the parking lot and the destination are within a predetermined distance range for the purpose of maintaining the user's health. However, for other conditions, like Patent Document 1, it guides a user to a parking lot using conditions related to the parking lot itself. On the other hand, a user may search for a parking lot to stop by a commercial facility, or may search for a parking lot to stay overnight or go to work.

[0005] As such, when users have different parking purposes, the parking lot they need may also be different. For example, if you are stopping by a commercial facility, a parking lot that is free or half price for the first two hours is desirable. On the other hand, for people with disabilities or the elderly, a parking lot that supports universal design, such as a ramp that allows easy movement without steps, is preferable.

[0006] With the techniques described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, it is difficult to provide guidance to parking lots according to such parking purposes.

[0007] In view of the above problems, the main object of the present invention is to provide a technology that enables guidance to parking lots based on the user's parking purpose. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The parking lot guidance device of the present invention is characterized by comprising: a reception means for receiving, from a user terminal having a display screen, a destination when a user possessing the user terminal travels in a vehicle, a desired arrival date and time at the destination, and a parking purpose; a search means for searching for one or more parking lots at which the vehicle can enter by a scheduled entry time that is a predetermined time before the desired arrival date and time; and a control means for ranking each of the parking lots identified by the search according to predetermined criteria including the parking purpose, and displaying an entry guide image for the parking lot on the display screen in order of the parking lot with the highest ranking. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to guide a user to a parking lot according to his / her parking purpose. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a parking lot guidance system. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of an example of a server configuration. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a parking lot guidance system. [Figure 4]FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of a destination and parking purpose input screen. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of a parking lot evaluation criteria input screen. [Figure 6] 13 is a flowchart of a parking lot guidance process. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of a display form of a parking lot ranking screen. [Figure 8] A schematic diagram of specific parking lot directions with reference to a map. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of a parking lot pin in a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] The embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiments described below are subject to various technically preferable limitations for carrying out the present invention, but the scope of the invention is not limited to the following embodiments and illustrated examples.

[0012] First Embodiment 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a parking lot information system S according to the first embodiment. This parking lot information system S includes a user terminal 1 and a server 2 serving as a parking lot information device. The user terminal 1 can be realized in the form of, for example, a terminal or car navigation system installed in the user's car, or a smartphone or personal computer owned by the user, and includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 10, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 11, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 12, and an I / O interface 13 as basic components. A parking lot guide application for operating the terminal, car navigation system, smartphone, or personal computer installed in the user's car as the user terminal 1 is pre-installed or installed by the user. The CPU 10, ROM 11, RAM 12, and I / O interface 13 are communicatively connected via a bus 14. A communication unit 15, an input device 16, and an output device 17 are connected to the I / O interface 13.

[0013] The input device 16 is, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, etc. The output device 17 is, for example, a display, a printer, etc. The input device 16 receives, from the user, a destination when traveling using a vehicle, a desired date and time to the destination, and a parking purpose. The input device 16 may be configured to be provided inside the user terminal 1, or may be an external device connected via a communication cable.

[0014] The CPU 10 controls the operation of the user terminal 1 by executing a computer program stored in the ROM 11. The RAM 12 provides a work area when the CPU 10 performs processing. The CPU 10 accepts data and instructions input from an input device 16 via an I / O interface 13, and outputs information by an output device 17 via the I / O interface 13. The CPU 10 also communicates via a wireless network NW through the communication unit 15 and a communication unit 25 of the server 2 described later, for example, and transmits a parking lot information request to the server 2. At this time, information necessary for the parking lot information request, such as the user's identification information, the destination input by the user, the desired date and time, and the purpose of parking, is transmitted to the server 2.

[0015] Thereafter, the CPU 10 acquires information such as the parking lot search results from the server 2 via the communication unit 15 and the communication unit 25 of the server 2, and outputs the information to the output device 17 as necessary. In the first embodiment, a display is used as the output device 17, and the CPU 10 displays the parking lot search results acquired from the server 2 on this display.

[0016] 2 shows an example of the configuration of the server 2. The server 2 includes a CPU 20, a ROM 21, a RAM 22, and an I / O interface 23 as basic components. The CPU 20, the ROM 21, the RAM 22, and the I / O interface 23 are communicatively connected via a bus 24. The I / O interface 23 is connected to a communication unit 25, a parking lot database 26, a parking lot usage status acquisition unit 27, and a traffic status acquisition unit 28. The communication unit 25 receives a parking lot information request, user identification information, a destination when the user travels using a vehicle, a desired date and time to the destination, a parking purpose, and the like from the communication unit 15 of the user terminal 1. Thus, the communication unit 25 functions as a means for receiving the parking lot information request and the user identification information.

[0017] The parking database 26 stores information about each parking lot, such as the usage fee, the location of the parking lot, the size of the parking space per car, the type of parking lot (e.g., indoor parking lot, outdoor parking lot, mechanical parking lot), the presence and content of special fees such as nighttime fees and maximum daily fees, the accessibility of the parking lot (e.g., whether the road to the parking lot is wide or narrow), and universal design (e.g., installation of a ramp for wheelchairs). The parking lot usage status acquisition unit 27 communicates with the management system of each parking lot to acquire the usage status of each parking lot in real time. The traffic status acquisition unit 28 acquires map information and traffic conditions such as whether the road is congested. The traffic status acquisition method is arbitrary, but for example, map data and traffic conditions are acquired by data linking through an API with a website that provides map data and traffic conditions. The memory unit 29 as a storage stores unique information of the user terminal 1 and information input from the user terminal 1, etc., as necessary.

[0018] The CPU 20 controls the operation of the server 2 by executing a computer program stored in the ROM 21. The RAM 22 provides a work area for the CPU 20 to perform processing. When the CPU 20 receives a parking lot information request acquired from the user terminal 1 through the communication unit 25, the CPU 20 acquires information required for guiding the user to the parking lot from the parking lot database 26, the parking lot usage status acquisition unit 27, and the traffic status acquisition unit 28 through the I / O interface 23, searches for parking lots, and ranks each of the parking lots identified by the search according to a predetermined criterion including the parking purpose. After that, the CPU 20 performs data communication through the communication unit 25 connected to the I / O interface 23 and the communication unit 15 of the user terminal 1, and transmits to the user terminal 1 an entrance guide image, which is an image related to the entrance guide to the parking lot, in order from the parking lot with the highest ranking.

[0019] Also, a parking lot operator who has a contract with the parking lot information system S may give points to a user who uses the parking lot through an application. For example, a point-giving system that gives a portion of the parking fee (for example, 1% of the parking fee) to the user as points may be adopted to give the user added value by using the parking lot. This allows the user to receive a discount on the parking fee, while the parking lot operator can expect to increase the repeat rate of the user by giving points, which is an advantage. This allows the parking lot operator who has a contract with the parking lot information system S to provide added value to the user in the form of points. In the first embodiment, when a user parks in a parking lot operated by a parking lot operator who has a contract with the parking lot information system S, the user selects whether or not to allow the app to obtain position information of the user terminal 1 after parking and provide it to the server 2. This selection is made through a selection screen displayed on the terminal 1. If permission is obtained from the user, the parking lot operator gives the user points equivalent to 1% of the parking fee.

[0020] FIG. 3 shows a schematic diagram of a parking lot guidance system composed of a user terminal 1 and a server 2. The server 2 operates as multiple functional blocks, for example, by the CPU 20 executing a computer program. In the first embodiment, a parking lot terminal 3 and a website 4 provided for each parking lot are connected to the user terminal 1 and the server 2 via a network NW. In the first embodiment, the user terminal 1, the server 2, the parking lot terminal 3 and the website communicate wirelessly via the Internet. The server 2 operates as a control unit 201, a search unit 202, a ranking unit 203, a registration unit 204, a user terminal management unit 205, an analysis unit 206 and a location information acquisition unit 207.

[0021] The control unit 201 refers to parking fees, availability, traffic conditions, etc. obtained from the parking lot database 26, parking lot usage status acquisition unit 27, and traffic status acquisition unit 28 as necessary, and controls the operation of the search unit 202, ranking unit 203, registration unit 204, user terminal management unit 205, analysis unit 206, and position information acquisition unit 207 to search for parking lots to guide the user. After that, the control unit 201 transmits an image of guidance to enter the parking lot to the user terminal 1 based on the parking lot search result.

[0022] The control unit 201 may also be configured to guide a plurality of parking lots, and to display a parking lot with a relatively high ranking in a different display mode from other parking lots with a lower ranking. In this case, the display mode of the parking lot to be guided can be made different from that of other parking lots to enhance visibility by changing the size or color or highlighting. The server 2 receives from the user terminal 1, via the communication unit 25, the destination to which the user who possesses the user terminal 1 travels using a vehicle, the desired date and time of arrival at the destination, the purpose of parking, and the evaluation criteria for the parking lots.

[0023] The search unit 202 searches for one or more parking lots where the vehicle can enter by the scheduled departure time that is a predetermined time before the desired arrival date and time, based on the destination and the desired arrival date and time at the destination obtained from the user terminal 1. The ranking unit 203 ranks each of the multiple parking lots identified by the search according to predetermined criteria including the purpose of parking.

[0024] In the first embodiment, for each parking lot, an evaluation value, which is a value that quantifies the degree of conformity with the evaluation criteria for parameters of multiple evaluation criteria, is stored in advance in the parking lot database 26. Then, the ranking unit reads out the evaluation value for each parking lot for the evaluation criteria specified by the user from the parking lot database 26, and ranks the parking lots according to predetermined criteria including the purpose of parking based on the evaluation value. Specifically, the evaluation criteria for evaluating parking lots include multiple parameters such as low fees, the parking fee settlement method of the parking lot, the types of vehicles that can be parked in the parking lot and the number of vacant vehicles, the parking style of the parking lot, and universal design support such as the installation of ramps. Whether the fee of a parking lot is low can be determined, for example, from the relative parking fee unit price to the average parking fee unit price in the area where the parking lot is installed.

[0025] In the first embodiment, each of these parameters is quantified for each parking lot to create an evaluation value. This evaluation value is assigned a score so that the higher the value, the higher the ranking of the parking lot in the parking lot guide. For example, the relative parking fee unit price is assigned an evaluation value on a 5-point scale, with 1 being the highest and 5 being the lowest. The evaluation value of each parameter for each parking lot is stored in advance in the parking lot database 26. Alternatively, it may be transmitted from the parking lot terminal 3 to the server 2 via the network NW and accumulated in the parking lot database 26.

[0026] With this configuration, it is possible to rank parking lots based on an evaluation value that takes into consideration parking fees and parking types (for example, outdoor parking lots, indoor parking lots, mechanical parking lots such as tower parking lots, etc.) according to user specifications. The control unit 201 displays an image of guidance for entering the parking lot on the display screen of the user terminal 1 so that the parking lot with the highest ranking is displayed at the top of the screen.

[0027] The registration unit 204 registers the unique information of the user terminal 1 in the unique information database 221. The unique information of the user terminal 1 may include a user terminal identifier, a user identifier, the user's age group, occupation, place of residence, means of commuting (walking, train, car), etc. For example, if the user usually commutes to work by walking or train, it is highly likely that the user is not accustomed to driving a car, so it is possible to preferentially guide the user to parking lots that are easy to enter and exit.

[0028] When the user's vehicle enters and leaves any of the parking lots introduced to the user, the user terminal management unit 205 stores the unique information of the user terminal 1 registered in the registration unit 204 in the user behavior database 222 together with the destination, the date and time of entry into the parking lot, and the date and time of exit. The user terminal management unit 205 stores the parameters designated by the user terminal in association with the unique information.

[0029] The analysis unit 206 uses the information registered in the registration unit 204 to analyze the user's attributes from the unique information of the user terminal 1. It is also possible to analyze the user's behavioral patterns by storing the user's destination. Furthermore, the user terminal management unit 205 stores the unique information of the user terminal 1 (user's age group, occupation, place of residence, etc.) together with the input destination, the parking lot where the user entered, and the date and time when the parking lot was used, which can be used for user demographic analysis, needs analysis, etc.

[0030] The position information acquisition unit 207 acquires movement history information from the user terminal 1 and accumulates it in the position information storage unit 223. The movement history information includes the position information of the user terminal 1 (for example, the GPS coordinates of the terminal 1 at each predetermined time) and the movement route. This movement history information includes the position information of the movement route of the user terminal 1 before a predetermined time before parking at the parking lot where the user's vehicle is parked and after a predetermined time has elapsed after parking. With this configuration, it is possible to know the route by which the user's vehicle arrived at the parking lot that was guided. For example, by analyzing the route to the parking lot that was guided from the accumulated movement history information, it is possible to inform the user of information such as whether there is a shortcut to the parking lot and whether road construction is scheduled on the route to arrive.

[0031] The parking lot terminal 3 has a usage status management unit 31, a parking fee management unit 32, and a notification control unit 33. The usage status management unit 31 constantly monitors the usage status of the parking lot and transmits it to the server 2. In addition, when a parking space can be reserved, it also manages the reservation status. This allows the server 2 to constantly obtain the availability and reservation status of the parking lot that has the parking lot terminal 3. The parking fee management unit 32 constantly transmits parking fees such as seasonal discounts and temporary discounts to the server 2. This allows the parking lot to amend, change, or add details about the parking fees registered in advance in the parking lot database 26 of the server 2. Therefore, when there are many vacant spaces in the parking lot, the parking fee can be discounted in real time, and the server 2 can provide parking lot guidance reflecting the discount.

[0032] The notification control unit 33 transmits the notification information to the server 2. The server 2 displays text based on the notification information in the notification from the parking lot column on the parking lot guide ranking screen described later. This allows the parking lot terminal 3 to transmit text information as notification information to the server 2 when the parking lot is offering a special discount or event, and the content of the text can be displayed in the notification from the parking lot column on the ranking screen created by the server 2. This configuration makes it possible to notify the user of the content of the special discount, event, etc. in real time. Note that the notification column is not limited to displaying text, and an image transmitted from the parking lot terminal 3 to the server 2 as notification information may be displayed, or audio guidance may be provided using an audio file transmitted from the parking lot terminal 3 to the server 2 as notification information.

[0033] The notification information transmitted from the parking lot terminal 3 to the server 2 is stored in the notification information storage unit 224 of the server 2. Furthermore, the geographical location, size, and accessibility (width of the road to reach the parking lot) of each parking lot are registered in the parking lot database 26, and the ranking unit 203 obtains information such as the size of the parking lot from the parking lot database 26 as necessary when ranking the parking lots. Furthermore, the website 4 is a website that provides map provision services and the like. The user terminal 1 and the server 2 can obtain maps and the like to be displayed to the user from the website 4 through an API or the like. Therefore, the user terminal 1 and the server 2 do not need to prepare map data and the like independently.

[0034] Next, a specific form of parking lot guidance will be described. Each user has a different address, occupation, whether or not they own a car, driving skill level, etc., and may have different priorities for parking lots. For example, a user with a low driving skill level may have a higher priority for a parking lot that has a larger space per car and is easy to enter and exit, even if it is slightly more expensive, than a parking lot with a low fee. One form of parking lot guidance provided to a user by the parking lot guidance device will be described below.

[0035] A user who wishes to use a parking lot executes a parking lot guidance program installed in the user terminal 1, causing the output device 17 of the user terminal 1 to display an input screen for parking lot guidance. When using parking lot guidance for the first time, an input screen for the user's own information may be displayed on the user terminal 1. In this case, the user inputs information about himself / herself, such as address, gender, age, occupation, whether or not he / she owns a car, level of driving skill, distance driven per day, etc., through this input screen. For example, the user may input his / her own subjective level of driving skill and driving distance into stages (for example, three stages: high, medium, and low).

[0036] In addition, the driving of the user may be recorded by the drive recorder of the vehicle, and objective data on the driving distance and driving skill level may be obtained from the recorded contents in cooperation with the drive recorder. Although these inputs are not essential, as the user's information increases, it becomes possible to guide a parking lot with a high suitability according to the obtained information of the user, for example, to a user who is thought to have a low driving skill and is not good at narrow roads, to a parking lot with a wide road to the parking lot and good access. After inputting the user's information, or if the user's information has already been registered, the output device 17 displays an input screen for the destination when the user travels by vehicle, the desired date and time of arrival at the destination, the parking purpose, and an input screen for the evaluation criteria for the parking purpose. In the following example, it is assumed that the user owns a car and has input that the driving skill level is low.

[0037] FIG. 4 shows an input screen for the destination and parking purpose displayed on the user terminal 1, and FIG. 5 shows an input screen for the evaluation criteria for the parking lot. In FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, a check mark is added to each square area corresponding to each item such as the parking purpose by double-clicking the square area. This allows the user to easily see which item has been selected. These input screens are common whether the user terminal 1 is a touch panel tablet, a car navigation system, or a smartphone. Since the display screen of a smartphone may be small depending on the model, the display may be changed according to the type of the user terminal 1 to improve visibility. The user inputs the destination, the desired arrival date and time, and the evaluation criteria for the parking lot through the input screens of FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, and selects the parking purpose from several options. Although a single option may be selected, it is preferable to allow multiple selections.

[0038] In the example of FIG. 4, input fields are provided for the destination and the desired date and time of arrival at the destination, and options for parking purposes are shown: lodging (leisure: short term), lodging (leisure: long term), lodging (business: short term), lodging (business: long term), commuting, use of commercial facilities, rental car / car sharing destination, and care for disabled people (day care, etc.). Note that parking purposes do not have to be selectable, and a field may be provided for the user to enter the purpose. In this case, the contents entered by the user are analyzed by AI or the like to determine the user's parking purpose.

[0039] In this example, the destination is the XX Center in XX Town, XX City, XX Prefecture, the desired date and time of arrival at the destination (desired arrival date and time at the destination) is input as December 11, 2021 at 3:00 p.m., and "care for disabled persons" is selected as the parking purpose. Based on the destination and the desired arrival date and time at the destination, the search unit 202 searches for one or more parking lots where the user's vehicle can be parked by the scheduled entry time that is a predetermined time back from the desired arrival date and time. Normally, the user travels from the parking lot to the destination on foot, which results in travel time. This travel time differs for each parking lot depending on the distance between the parking lot and the destination.

[0040] In the first embodiment, the estimated entry time is calculated for each parking lot, taking into account the travel time. Specifically, the estimated entry time is determined as a time obtained by a predetermined time period earlier than the desired arrival date and time, which is calculated according to the distance from the parking lot to the destination, and the user is guided to parking lots where the user's vehicle can enter by the estimated entry time. The user does not need to consider the distance between the parking lot and the destination, and only needs to input the desired arrival time at the destination. In addition, by inputting the parking purpose, the user's behavioral patterns and needs can be analyzed, and each time the user uses the parking lot guide, it is possible to guide the user to a more suitable parking lot based on the analysis results. The parking purpose is, for example, a stop at a commercial facility, staying overnight, going to work, or the final destination of a rental car / car share.

[0041] In the example of FIG. 5, the parameters of the evaluation criteria of parking lots are shown as low fees, late-night discounts, monthly fees, payment methods (credit card, electronic money, cash), types of vehicles that can be parked (light cars, medium-sized cars, large cars), number of vacant cars, size of parking space per car, access to the parking lot, distance from the destination, parking style, indoor, universal design, discounts in cooperation with commercial facilities, whether the parking lot is manned, etc. Note that the evaluation criteria are not limited to these examples, and can be any content, such as whether or not EV charging for electric vehicles is available. By selecting these evaluation criteria, the user can specify one or more parameters in the evaluation criteria, such as prioritizing low parking fees or a short walking distance from entering the parking lot to the destination.

[0042] FIG. 6 shows a flowchart of the parking lot guidance process executed by the server 2 that receives input from the user terminal 1. Unless otherwise specified, each step in the flowchart is executed by the search unit 202, ranking unit 203, registration unit 204, user terminal management unit 205, analysis unit 206, location information acquisition unit 207, communication unit 25, etc. under the control of the control unit 201. The registration unit 204 of the server 2 receives the user's own information input from the user terminal 1 (S601) and registers it in the specific information database 221 as the specific information of the user terminal 1. Next, the destination, the desired date and time of arrival at the destination, the purpose of parking, and the designated result of the evaluation criteria input through the user terminal 1 are received and registered in the specific information database 221 (S602). In addition, if there is information that can be obtained from the user terminal 1 of the user A without input from the user, such as the MAC address, the type of OS, and information on whether the terminal type is a tablet, a personal computer, or a smartphone, this information is also stored as the specific information of the user terminal 1.

[0043] The search unit 202 searches for parking lots based on the destination and desired arrival date and time input by the user through the input screen shown in Figure 4 and the unique information of the user terminal 1 stored in the unique information database 221 by the registration unit 204, and reads out an evaluation value for each parking lot against the specified evaluation criteria from the parking lot database 26 (S603).

[0044] In searching for a parking lot, the search unit 202 searches for one or more parking lots where the user's vehicle can be parked by the scheduled entry time, which is a predetermined time before the desired arrival date and time, and where the walking distance from the parking lot to the destination is relatively short (for example, within 15 minutes on foot). If the scheduled entry time and the desired arrival date and time are the same, the walking time from the parking lot to the destination cannot be secured. In addition, since this travel time varies depending on the distance between the parking lot and the destination, it is very troublesome for the user to calculate this travel time for each parking lot. Therefore, the control unit 201 calculates the walking travel time as a predetermined time based on the distance between the destination and the parking lot, and calculates the scheduled entry time. In addition, when the user's departure point is input, it is also possible to calculate the departure time according to the location of the departure point.

[0045] The ranking unit 203 ranks one or more parking lots searched by the search unit 202 according to a predetermined criterion including the parking purpose. In the first embodiment, an evaluation value is read for each parking lot with respect to the evaluation criterion specified by the user, and this evaluation value is corrected according to the parking purpose, and the ranking is performed such that the higher the total score of the corrected evaluation values, the higher the ranking.

[0046] In the first embodiment, the ranking unit 203 refers to the parking lot database 26 for each evaluation criterion shown in FIG. 5 and reads out an evaluation value for each evaluation criterion, and judges whether or not each of the evaluation values ​​read out is an evaluation criterion related to the parking purpose (S604). If it is an evaluation criterion related to the parking purpose (S604: Y), the evaluation value is multiplied by a predetermined coefficient as described below to correct the evaluation value (S605). On the other hand, if it is not an evaluation criterion related to the parking purpose (S604: N), the multiplication by the predetermined coefficient is not performed, and the original evaluation value is used as the corrected evaluation value as it is. Thereafter, the ranking unit 203 calculates the total score of the corrected evaluation values ​​(S606) and creates a ranking of the parking lots (S607). Note that evaluation values ​​are not read out for evaluation criteria not specified by the user, and therefore do not affect the ranking.

[0047] Next, when the ranking unit 203 has determined the ranking of the parking lots, the control unit 201 outputs an entrance guide image for the parking lots to the user terminal 1 via the communication unit 25 so that the parking lots with higher rankings are displayed at the top of the screen (S608). Fig. 7 shows an explanatory diagram of the entrance guide image screen displayed on the user terminal 1. As shown in the figure, an entrance guide image for displaying on the output device 17 of the user terminal 1 an image in which parking lots are displayed in order from relatively high ranking to low ranking (or an image in which information about parking lots with relatively high rankings is displayed larger) is output to the user terminal 1.

[0048] At this time, in order to make parking lots with relatively high rankings stand out, it is possible to display the parking lots with relatively high rankings in a different display manner from other parking lots with lower rankings, for example by changing the color or size of the characters. This allows the user to easily visually identify the parking lots with high rankings through the output device 17 of the user terminal 1. An example of the display form of this ranking screen is shown in FIG. 7. As shown in the figure, for the parking lot with the highest ranking, entrance guide information, which is information about the parking lot such as the name of the parking lot and the scheduled entrance time, is displayed at the top of the entrance guide image in the largest characters.

[0049] Moreover, the entrance guide information for the second ranked parking lot is displayed second in the image and in slightly smaller characters than the first ranked parking lot. In this way, the lower the ranking, the lower the order of the entrance guide information for the parking lot and the smaller the characters. The control unit 201 can also output the entrance guide information so that the entrance guide information for a high ranked parking lot is displayed on the output device 17 in a different character color from the entrance guide information for a low ranked parking lot.

[0050] In addition, the scheduled entry time is shown for each parking lot, with parking lot C, which is closest to destination T, having the latest scheduled entry time at 14:50 on December 1st, and parking lot A, which is the farthest, having the earliest scheduled entry time at 14:35 on December 1st. By looking at the rankings of parking lots displayed on output device 17, the user can easily know which parking lots are most suitable for the user's needs, and can also know the entry time. Note that the entry guidance information can be conveyed to the user not only by images and text, but also by voice. In this case, the voice output unit of output device 17 informs the user of the entry guidance information for the parking lot with the highest ranking by voice guidance.

[0051] Furthermore, in this example, notifications from the parking lots are also displayed. Notifications from the parking lots are sent from the parking lot terminal 3 to the server 2 and stored in the notification information storage unit 224, and the control unit 201 displays the notifications stored for each parking lot together with the ranking screen of the parking lot entrance guide image in Fig. 7. For parking lot C, a notification is displayed stating that "there are no steps in the parking lot, making it easy to move around," and the user can obtain information that parking lot C has no steps and is therefore easy for the elderly and wheelchair users to use.

[0052] In addition, by transmitting notification information from the parking lot terminal 3 at any time and updating the contents stored in the notification information storage unit 224, any notification can be given to the user at any time. For example, if there is a special event in the parking lot or in its vicinity, the event can be displayed on the ranking screen of FIG. 7. In addition, by updating the progress of the event at any time, it is possible to notify the user of the latest information. In particular, parking lots located in back alleys and difficult for users to notice can attract customers by appealing to the unique advantage of being compatible with universal design, as in parking lot C. This allows the user to know the ranking of parking lots that are highly compatible with the user's preferences by inputting the destination, the desired date and time of arrival at the destination, and the evaluation criteria, regardless of the distance between the destination and the parking lot.

[0053] In addition, when the user actually uses the parking lot, the location information acquisition unit 207 acquires location information of the movement route of the user terminal 1 at a predetermined time before parking in the parking lot where the vehicle entered and at a predetermined time after parking through a GPS system, API cooperation, etc. (S609). In addition, if the operator of the parking lot where the user parked has a contract with the operator of the parking lot information system S, the above-mentioned points are given to the user through an application. In addition, as the movement route information before and after entering, the actual entry date and time, the exit date and time, and the location information of the movement route from the departure point of the user terminal 1 to the parking lot are also acquired (S610). Furthermore, when the user leaves the parking lot, the exit date and time, and the location information of the movement route before and after exit are also acquired. When the vehicle enters and leaves the parking lot, the control unit 201 refers to the unique information of the user terminal 1 registered in the registration unit 204, and accumulates the acquired location information, movement route, and other information in the storage unit 29 together with the destination, the entry date and time to the parking lot, and the exit date and time.

[0054] The user terminal management unit 205 accumulates the unique information of the user terminal 1 registered in the unique information database 221 and the movement history information accumulated in the storage unit 29 for each user in the user behavior database 222 (S611). Thus, the destination, the date and time of entry into the parking lot, the date and time of exit, the location information, and the movement route information after the user enters the parking lot and the movement route after the user leaves the parking lot are accumulated in the user behavior database 222. This allows the analysis unit 206 to analyze the behavior pattern of each user when using the parking lot, and to use it for user demographic analysis, needs analysis, etc., and it becomes possible to analyze the behavior of each user who owns the user terminal 1, such as where the user comes to the parking lot from and where the user goes to.

[0055] Next, the correction of the evaluation value in S605 will be described in more detail. For example, for an evaluation that the fee is cheap, the evaluation value is set so that the cheaper the fee, the higher the evaluation value. Similarly, for parking lots that satisfy the evaluation criterion of a discount in cooperation with a commercial facility, the evaluation value is set so that the value is higher as the discount level increases. The evaluation value can be set arbitrarily for each evaluation criterion. The evaluation value may be set to 1 point for all evaluation criteria, but in the first embodiment, the evaluation value is set to be different for each evaluation criterion. In the following example, the evaluation value is set to a value between a minimum value of 0 and a maximum value of 5 depending on the degree of conformity with the evaluation criterion for each evaluation criterion. In addition, in order to quantify the degree of conformity between the user's parking purpose and the evaluation criterion specified by the user, the evaluation value is corrected by multiplying the value of each evaluation criterion by a coefficient according to the user's parking purpose. In particular, for evaluation criteria related to parking purposes, the evaluation value is corrected by multiplying the evaluation value by a coefficient greater than 1, and the corrected value is set as the corrected evaluation value. For evaluation criteria that are not directly related to parking purposes, the original evaluation value is set as the corrected evaluation value as it is (or multiplied by a coefficient "1").

[0056] For example, in Fig. 4, the destination is entered as "XX Center, XX Town, XX City, XX Prefecture" and the parking purpose is entered as "care for disabled persons." Since the parking purpose is "care for disabled persons," the evaluation value for universal design compatibility is multiplied by a large coefficient, for example, 5, to correct the evaluation value. Therefore, if a parking lot has an evaluation value of 2 points for universal design compatibility and universal design compatibility has been selected by the user, and the parking purpose is "care for disabled persons," the corrected evaluation value will be 10. In this way, the ranking unit 203 corrects the evaluation value for each evaluation criterion by multiplying the evaluation value by a coefficient according to the parking purpose, and ranks the parking lots so that the higher the total of the corrected evaluation values, the higher the ranking of the parking lot.

[0057] Having multiple parameters in the evaluation criteria also brings advantages to the parking lot. For example, in the case of a parking lot that is universal design-compliant and has good access to the parking lot but has a high parking fee, other parking lots will be given priority if the evaluation criteria are only the fee. However, as shown in Figure 5, even if a user selects a low fee as an evaluation criterion, there are cases where the user also selects multiple parameters such as universal design, being indoors, and having good access to the parking lot. In this case, by comprehensively judging these evaluation criteria, the parking lot may be ranked high and given priority even if the parking fee is higher than the average.

[0058] FIG. 8 shows a schematic diagram of a parking lot guide image with reference to a map. In the figure, parking lots are represented by circular shapes called pins (circles in the figure), and the pins with A to D placed inside the circles represent parking lots A to D, respectively. These pins are images showing the locations of parking lots. An image with T placed inside a circle represents destination T. Parking lot A is the furthest from destination T, but is close to the station, faces a main street, and has the widest road to the parking lot. Parking lot B is the second furthest from destination T after parking lot A, but is the widest. Parking lot C is the closest to destination T, but is located on a back street and is not conspicuous. To arrive at the parking lot, it is necessary to make several right or left turns from the main street, and the evaluation value for access to the parking lot is low. Parking lot D is the second closest to destination T after parking lot C, and is about the same size as parking lot A. In the parking lot guide image of FIG. 8, the vehicle movement path of a vehicle running to the right on the main street in front of the station toward parking lot A is shown by a solid line a. Similarly, the solid lines b, c, and d show the vehicle routes taken by a vehicle traveling to the right on the main street in front of the station toward parking lots B, C, and D, respectively. Also, the dotted lines show the walking routes from each parking lot to destination T. In the example of Fig. 8, the pins are displayed with the alphabets A to D representing parking lots, but instead of the alphabets, the ranking order may be displayed. For example, if the first, second, third and fourth ranked parking lots correspond to C, D, A and B respectively, A, B, C and D on the pins in Fig. 8 are displayed as the numbers 3, 4, 1 and 2, respectively. Alternatively, the pins may display both the alphabet representing the parking lot and the ranking order.

[0059] In addition, parking lot B has the highest parking fee and parking lot D has the lowest. Parking lots A and C have the same fee, which is cheaper than parking lot B and more expensive than parking lot D. Furthermore, parking lot C is universal design compliant and offers discounts in collaboration with commercial facilities, and these have a high evaluation value of 5 points. The other parking lots A, B, and D do not meet these evaluation criteria very well, and are evaluated as 1 point. Regarding the evaluation criterion of "low fees," parking lot D, which has the lowest parking fees, has a high evaluation value. Meanwhile, for staffed parking lots, parking lot A has the highest evaluation value because it has a large number of staff, and parking lot C has the lowest evaluation value because it is an unmanned parking lot. Furthermore, for the size of the parking space, parking lot B has a high evaluation value.

[0060] The ranking unit 203 modifies the evaluation values ​​by multiplying each of the evaluation values ​​for these evaluation criteria by a coefficient corresponding to the parking purpose, and ranks the parking lots so that the parking lots with higher total scores for the modified evaluation values ​​are ranked higher. When modifying the evaluation values, for evaluation criteria related to parking purposes, the modified evaluation value is calculated by multiplying the evaluation value by a coefficient greater than 1, and for evaluation criteria not related to parking purposes, no modification is made and the evaluation value is used as is. The ranking unit 203 then ranks the parking lots based on the total of the evaluation values ​​and the modified evaluation values.

[0061] In the example shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the parking purpose of the user is to care for disabled persons, and the evaluation criteria are low fee, manned parking, and universal design support, so the ranking unit 203 obtains evaluation values ​​for these three evaluation criteria. In addition, the ranking unit 203 modifies the evaluation value according to the parking purpose of the user. In this example, since universal design support is an evaluation criterion related to the parking purpose of caring for disabled persons, the ranking unit 203 multiplies the evaluation value by the coefficient 5 as described above to obtain a modified evaluation value. Note that the parking purpose, the evaluation criteria related to the parking purpose, and the coefficients by which the evaluation value is multiplied are stored in advance in the storage unit 29 of the server 2. The ranking unit 203 modifies the evaluation value using the stored evaluation criteria related to the parking purpose and the coefficients by which the evaluation value is multiplied, as necessary.

[0062] The ranking unit 203 multiplies the evaluation value of universal design compatibility by 5 for each parking lot according to the parking purpose of caring for disabled people. As a result, parking lots that are universal design compatible and have a high degree of compatibility with the parking purpose will have a higher evaluation value, and therefore a higher ranking. Below, an example is shown of calculating specific evaluation values ​​for each of parking lots A to D with respect to the evaluation criteria specified by the user in FIG. 5, which are low fees, staffed parking, and universal design.

[0063] Parking lot A is a staffed parking lot with average fees and ample staffing, but does not comply with universal design, so the evaluation values ​​for low fees, staffed parking, and universal design compliance are 3, 5, and 1, respectively. In accordance with the parking purpose of caring for persons with disabilities, ranking unit 203 multiplies the evaluation value for universal design compliance by 5 to arrive at a revised evaluation value of 5. As the evaluation criteria of low fees and staffed parking are not directly related to the parking purpose, the original evaluation value is used as the revised evaluation value. Therefore, the sum of parking lot A's evaluation value and revised evaluation value is 3+5+1×5=13.

[0064] Parking lot B has the highest fee, has only one staff member assigned to the parking lot, and does not comply with universal design, so the evaluation values ​​for low fee, staffed parking, and universal design compliance are 1, 3, and 1, respectively. In this case, ranking unit 203 multiplies the evaluation value for universal design compliance by 5 to obtain a corrected evaluation value of 5. Therefore, the sum of this and the corrected evaluation value of parking lot B is 1 + 3 + 1 × 5 = 9.

[0065] Parking lot C has average fees, is an unmanned parking lot, and is compatible with universal design, and the evaluation values ​​for low fees, staffed parking, and universal design compatibility are 3, 1, and 5, respectively. Ranking unit 203 multiplies the evaluation value for universal design compatibility by 5 to obtain a corrected evaluation value of 25. Therefore, the sum of the evaluation value and corrected evaluation value of parking lot C is 3 + 1 + 5 × 5 = 29.

[0066] Parking lot D has the lowest fee, can accommodate three people, and does not comply with universal design, so the evaluation values ​​for low fee, staffed parking, and universal design compliance are 5, 4, and 1, respectively. In accordance with the parking purpose of caring for persons with disabilities, ranking unit 203 multiplies the evaluation value for universal design compliance by 5 to obtain a revised evaluation value of 5. Therefore, the sum of the evaluation value and revised evaluation value of parking lot C is 5+4+1×5=14.

[0067] In this way, the ranking unit 203 can rank the parking lots based on the parking purpose and the specified evaluation criteria so that the parking lots that are more compatible with the user's desire are ranked higher. In this example, the total values ​​of parking lots A, B, C, and D are 13, 9, 29, and 14, respectively, and the parking lots are ranked in order of compatibility with the user's desire as parking lots C, D, A, and B. Therefore, parking lot C is not conspicuous because it is located on a back street and the road to the parking lot is narrow and access is not good, but it is ranked first in the parking lot guide because it has the feature of universal design compatibility. Therefore, even if a parking lot that is not conspicuous and the advantage of universal design is not conveyed to a user unless it is used once, it is possible to rank the parking lot in the parking lot guide based on the parking purpose for a user who needs it, and a parking lot guide that is more compatible with the user's desire can be provided.

[0068] The ranking unit 203 may add an evaluation criterion based on the unique information of the user terminal 1. For example, if the user's driving skill level is low, it is considered that the parking skill level is also low, and it can be inferred that a large parking space is desirable. Therefore, in the input from the user shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the parking space size, which is an evaluation criterion, is not selected, but if it is known from the unique information of the user terminal 1 that the user's driving skill level is low, the ranking may be performed assuming that the parking space size has also been selected by the user. For example, if the parking space in parking lot A is large and the evaluation value of the parking space is 5, 5 is added to the total value of 13 described above, resulting in a total value of 18. On the other hand, if the parking space in parking lot D is small and the evaluation value of the parking space is 1, 1 is added to the total value of 14 described above, resulting in a total value of 15. Therefore, by performing ranking assuming that the parking space size is also selected by the user, the total value of parking lot A increases from 13 to 18, and the total value of parking lot D increases from 14 to 15, and the rankings of parking lots A and D are reversed.

[0069] In this way, even if a parking lot has a low ranking based on the single evaluation criterion of low fees, the ranking may be increased by calculating an evaluation value for each evaluation criterion depending on which evaluation criterion the user selects and modifying each evaluation value depending on the purpose of the parking lot. Therefore, it is possible to rank parking lots so that they match the user's preferences according to the purpose of the parking lot, and to guide the user to parking lots. Furthermore, by adding an evaluation criterion using unique information of the user terminal 1, it is also possible to rank parking lots so that they match the user's preferences even more.

[0070] Next, the details of S609 to S611 will be described. By accumulating travel route information from when the user enters the parking lot, the analysis unit 206 can analyze the travel route from when the user enters the parking lot to the destination. Therefore, for example, by comparing the walking time from the parking lot to the destination estimated from the distance between the destination and the parking lot with the actual walking time, information such as whether the actual travel time to the destination will be longer or shorter can be obtained. This makes it possible to improve the estimation accuracy of the travel time from the parking lot to the destination. In addition, by acquiring the user's travel route, it is also possible to know the facilities, etc. that the user will stop at after entering the parking lot and before moving to the destination.

[0071] In addition, various information can be obtained by acquiring the user's travel route from the travel history information and analyzing it with the analysis unit 206. For example, stations are displayed on the map in FIG. 8, and by acquiring the travel route from when the user parks the vehicle as described above, it is also possible to know whether the user tends to use the station when using a parking lot near the station. Therefore, for example, for a user who tends to use a train, parking lot A, which is a parking lot close to the station, may be given a higher priority. In this case, parking lot A can be ranked higher by adding, for example, 5 points as a bonus to the total value of the evaluation value and the corrected evaluation value of parking lot A.

[0072] On the other hand, by acquiring the route traveled by the user after the user leaves the vehicle, it is possible to know what route the user tends to use. For example, for a user who tends to use the expressway after leaving the vehicle, bonus points may be added to the evaluation value of parking lots with good access to the entrance to the expressway. In the case of FIG. 8, for parking lot D close to the road leading to the expressway, it is also possible to increase the ranking of parking lot D by adding, for example, 5 points as bonus points to the sum of the evaluation value and the corrected evaluation value.

[0073] In this way, when a user uses the parking lot information guide device multiple times, the input contents such as the destination input by the user, the entry date and time and exit date and time of the parking lot obtained from the movement history information, the movement route after the user enters the parking lot, etc. are accumulated. As a result, the server 2 can perform a user demographic analysis and needs analysis, and can guide the user to a more suitable parking lot. In addition, by analyzing the movement history information of multiple users and the input destination, etc., it is possible to know the demand for parking lots. In particular, by extracting the position information and movement history after the user parks in the parking lot from the user's movement history information and analyzing it together with the user's destination, it is possible to know the demand for parking lots by users, and for example, it is possible to open a new parking lot near a place that is the destination of many users. By knowing the movement routes of multiple users, it is possible to analyze where to post advertisements for parking lots, and it is also possible to improve the sales of existing parking lots.

[0074] <Second embodiment> In the first embodiment, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the parking lot database 26 is referenced to read out evaluation values ​​for evaluation criteria such as fees, universal design, and payment methods, and the evaluation values ​​are modified as necessary to create a ranking of parking lots from the total score. In the second embodiment, details of how to calculate the evaluation values ​​based on the parking style shown in Fig. 5 will be described. Note that, for the sake of simplicity, only the evaluation values ​​based on the parking style will be described in the second embodiment, but the other configurations are the same as in the first embodiment. Therefore, in the second embodiment, the evaluation values ​​based on the parking style are modified as necessary, and the ranking of parking lots is created in conjunction with other evaluation criteria such as fees.

[0075] In the second embodiment, the road ahead, parking lot layout type, number of parked cars, and the presence or absence of a flap are each converted into numerical values ​​as indices for determining the ease of parking a car in a given parking style, and an evaluation value based on the parking style is calculated from these numerical values. For the front roadway, 17.5m 2 Above 10, 14.0m 2 More than 17.5m 2 Less than 8, 10.0m 2 More than 14.5m 2 Less than 6, 10.0m 2 Anything less than this was quantified as 0. Regarding parking layout, horizontal facing type (a layout in which cars face each other when entering the parking lot with parking spaces facing each other on both sides) was rated as 9, one-sided type (a layout in which parking spaces are arranged in parallel on one side) as 9, vertical facing type (a layout in which parking spaces face each other vertically when entering the parking lot) as 7.5, mechanical tower parking (a layout in which cars are transported by machine and stored in the parking lot) as 1, and others (layouts that do not fall into any of the above horizontal types, etc.) as 0. The number of parking spaces was quantified as 3 for 4 or fewer spaces, 8 for 5-9 spaces, 9 for 10-20 spaces, and 10 for 21 or more spaces. Regarding the presence or absence of a flap, parking lots with a flap were quantified as 10 and parking lots without a flap as 0.

[0076] The evaluation value based on the parking style may be the sum of the scores for the road in front, parking layout, number of parked cars, and the presence or absence of a flap. However, the impact that the road in front, parking layout, number of parked cars, and the presence or absence of a flap have on the ease of parking a car in a parking lot is not necessarily equal. For this reason, in the second embodiment, the numerical values ​​of the road in front, etc. are multiplied by weighting coefficients, and the sum of these values ​​is used as the evaluation value based on the parking style. In the second embodiment, weighting coefficients of 0.5, 0.2, 0.2, and 0.1 are assigned to the road in front, parking layout, number of parked cars, and the presence or absence of a flap, respectively. In this case, if the road in front is 17.5 m long, 2 In the case of a parking lot with the above (10), a side-to-side parking layout (9), 15 parked cars (9), and a flap (10), the evaluation value based on the parking style is 0.5 x 10 + 0.2 x 9 + 0.2 x 9 + 0.1 x 10 = 9.6.

[0077] In the second embodiment, the factors used to quantify the ease of parking a car are the front road (the road in front of the parking lot), the parking layout, the number of parked cars, and the presence or absence of a flap. However, these are only examples, and other arbitrary criteria can be used as factors for the ease of parking a car, such as the width of the car room (the space in the parking lot where cars are stored), the presence or absence of a slope on the parking lot, whether there are two or more entrances and exits, the traffic volume on the road in front of the parking lot, etc.

[0078] <Modification> In the first and second embodiments described above, as shown in Fig. 7, the size and color of the text is changed so that parking lots with relatively high rankings stand out on the screen of the parking entrance guide image displayed on the user terminal 1. In the parking lot guide image with reference to the map in Fig. 8, the letters A to D for identifying the parking lot are displayed on the pins, and the location of the parking lot is indicated by the position of the pin on the map, and no explanatory information about the parking lot is displayed. By not displaying the parking entrance guide information on the map screen in this way, the screen is simplified and visibility is ensured.

[0079] In a modified example, in the parking lot entrance guide image, the pin, which is an image indicating the location of the parking lot, includes not only the parking lot's identification information (letters A to D) (or parking lot ranking), but also icons representing information about the parking lot, such as whether it is empty / full, newly opened, whether it supports a points system, and reservation-only parking, and a design is adopted to convey not only the parking lot's location and the parking lot's identification information or ranking, but also other information.

[0080] In the map display of the entrance guide image, if the pin is enlarged, buildings and roads on the map will be hidden, reducing visibility, so the pin cannot be made too large. Also, adding information such as entrance guide information to the pin will complicate the design, which may reduce visibility, especially when the pin is small. Also, if text is displayed on the pin, small characters must be used due to the size constraints mentioned above, which may further reduce visibility.

[0081] FIG. 9 shows an explanatory diagram of a parking lot pin in a modified example. A first circular area indicating whether the parking lot is full or empty is displayed on the upper left side of the pin, and if the parking lot is full, the word "full" is displayed, and if the parking lot is empty, the word "empty" is displayed. In this way, whether the parking lot is full or empty can be indicated by an icon. Also, on the upper right side of the pin, an icon having multiple areas, each of which represents information about the parking lot and is distinguishable from one another by pattern or color, is displayed. In the example of FIG. 9, a second circular area having three sector-shaped small areas is displayed as the icon having multiple areas, and these sector-shaped small areas represent different information about the parking lot by their colors or patterns. More specifically, newly opened parking lots are represented by hatched sector-shaped small areas, parking lots compatible with the point-granting system are represented by dark-shaded sector-shaped small areas, and reservation-only parking lots are represented by light-shaded sector-shaped small areas. In the example of Figure 9, the diagonal lined sector-shaped small area is located in the upper right corner of the second circular area of ​​parking lot C (and parking lot D), the dark shaded sector-shaped small area is located in the upper left corner of the second circular area of ​​parking lot C (and parking lot D), and the light shaded sector-shaped small area is located at the bottom of the second circular area of ​​parking lot C (and parking lot D).

[0082] In the example of FIG. 9, the areas (small sector areas) are identified by diagonal lines, dark shading, and light shading, but other indications such as dotted lines and dashed lines may be used as long as each area can be identified. If the area does not correspond to a newly opened parking lot, a small sector area of ​​horizontal lines is displayed. The same applies to the point-granting system and the reservation-only parking lot, and if the area does not correspond to these, a small sector area of ​​horizontal lines is displayed. In the example of FIG. 9, the upper right area and the upper left area of ​​the second circular area of ​​parking lot A (and parking lot B) are both small sector areas of horizontal lines. Note that in this example, the information represented by the small sector areas is made identifiable by patterns such as diagonal lines, but the information may be made identifiable by color. For example, a newly opened parking lot may be represented by a red small sector area, a parking lot compatible with the point-granting system may be represented by a blue small sector area, and a reservation-only parking lot may be represented by a yellow small sector area. If the area does not correspond to a newly opened parking lot, etc., it may be displayed in gray. To improve visibility, for example, the character "full" in the first circular area in Fig. 9 may be written in white on a red background, and the character "empty" in white on a blue background. The colors to be assigned to these small sector areas can be determined arbitrarily.

[0083] From the above, by allowing the user to input the parking purpose and specify the parameter of the evaluation criterion, it is possible to provide the user with an advantage that parking lots that satisfy multiple parameters and are highly consistent with the user's desires can be introduced. In particular, by modifying the evaluation value in the evaluation criterion according to the parking purpose, it is possible to rank parking lots so that they are more compatible with the user's desires.

[0084] The evaluation criteria for parking purposes of parking lots are not limited to those mentioned above. There are various evaluation criteria for parking lots, such as whether reservations are possible, whether there is information on whether the parking lot is full or not, whether there is a maximum fee, whether the number of parked cars is a certain number (e.g., 50 cars or more), whether there is an EV charging device, etc. By using these evaluation criteria in addition to or in place of the evaluation criteria shown in Figure 5, it is possible to rank parking lots using a wide variety of evaluation criteria.

Claims

1. a reception means for receiving, from a user terminal having a display screen, a destination when a user who possesses the user terminal travels using a vehicle, a desired arrival date and time at the destination, and a parking purpose; a search means for searching for one or more parking lots where the vehicle can be parked by a scheduled entry time that is a predetermined time before the desired arrival date and time; and a control means for ranking each of the parking lots identified by the search according to predetermined criteria including the parking purpose, and displaying on the display screen an entrance guide image for the parking lot in order of the highest ranking, together with notification information including text information describing features of the parking lot, including universal design, transmitted from a parking lot terminal provided for each parking lot.

2. A registration means for registering unique information of the user terminal; a user terminal management means for storing, in a predetermined storage device, unique information of the registered user terminal together with the destination, the date and time of entry into the parking lot, and the date and time of exit from the parking lot when the vehicle enters and leaves any of the displayed parking lots; The parking lot guidance device according to claim 1 , further comprising:

3. the predetermined standard is an evaluation value obtained by quantifying one or more parameters designated by the user terminal among a plurality of parameters including a relative parking fee unit price with respect to an average parking fee unit price in the area where the parking lot is located, a parking fee settlement method of the parking lot, a type of vehicle that can be parked in the parking lot and the number of vacant spaces, and a parking method of the parking lot; The user terminal management means stores the parameters designated by the user terminal in association with the unique information.

3. The parking lot information device according to claim 2.

4. The control means displays a parking lot having a relatively high ranking in a different display manner from other parking lots having a lower ranking than the parking lot.

3. A parking lot information device according to claim 1 or 2.

5. The control means displays an image showing a location of a parking lot on the entrance guide image, The image representing the location of the parking lot includes an icon having a plurality of regions each of which represents information about the parking lot and is distinguishable from one another by a pattern or color. A parking lot information device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

6. The vehicle further includes a location information acquisition means for acquiring, from the user terminal, location information of a route of movement of the user terminal for a predetermined time before parking in a parking lot where the vehicle is parked and after a predetermined time has elapsed after parking. A parking lot information device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

Images