Parking lot management device, parking lot management method, and program

Abstract

An objective of the present invention is to provide a parking lot management device that can increase the satisfaction of users who use the parking lot. A parking lot management device (10) according to the present disclosure comprises: a parking lot management unit (11) that manages the utilization of a parking lot inside a facility; a user information management unit (12) that manages facility use information about users who use the facility in association with vehicle numbers of vehicles used by the users; a detection unit (13) that detects a first vehicle number of a first vehicle that travels inside the parking lot; and a determination unit (14) that determines, on the basis of the facility use information associated with the first vehicle number, a parking space for the first vehicle from among a plurality of parking spaces not currently in use so as to reduce a travel distance of the user who will move inside the facility.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a parking lot management device, a parking lot management method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, systems have been provided in large commercial facilities and the like for smoothly guiding vehicles entering parking lots to parking positions. Patent Document 1 discloses the configuration of a parking lot information providing system that searches for routes to parking position candidates that indicate vacant parking spaces in a parking lot and determines a recommended parking position. Patent Document 1 discloses that, in order to determine a recommended parking position, a parking position with fewer vehicles traveling on the route to the parking position is determined as the recommended parking position from among multiple candidate parking positions. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2010-117864 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When the parking lot information system in Patent Document 1 is used, a recommended parking position is determined according to the congestion status in the parking lot. However, the parking lot information system in Patent Document 1 does not take into account the movement lines of users who move from a parking position into the facility or who head toward a parking position to move outside the facility. Therefore, the parking lot information system in Patent Document 1 has a problem in that it cannot provide a service that takes into account the movement lines of users.

[0005] In view of the above-mentioned problems, the object of the present disclosure is to provide a parking lot management device, a parking lot management method, and a program that can improve the satisfaction of users who use parking lots. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A parking lot management device according to a first aspect of the present disclosure includes a parking lot management unit that manages the usage status of parking lots within a facility, a user information management unit that manages facility usage information of a user using the facility in association with the vehicle number of a vehicle used by the user, a detection unit that detects a first vehicle number of a first vehicle moving within the parking lot, and a determination unit that determines a parking position for the first vehicle from among a plurality of currently unused parking positions based on the facility usage information associated with the first vehicle number so as to shorten the travel distance of the user moving within the facility.

[0007] A parking lot management method according to a second aspect of the present disclosure manages the usage status of a parking lot within a facility, associates and manages facility usage information of a user using the facility with the vehicle number of a vehicle used by the user, detects a first vehicle number of a first vehicle moving within the parking lot, and based on the facility usage information associated with the first vehicle number, determines a parking position for the first vehicle from among a plurality of parking positions that are currently not in use so as to shorten the travel distance of the user moving within the facility.

[0008] A program according to a third aspect of the present disclosure causes a computer to manage the usage status of a parking lot within a facility, associate and manage facility usage information of a user using the facility with the vehicle number of a vehicle used by the user, detect a first vehicle number of a first vehicle moving within the parking lot, and, based on the facility usage information associated with the first vehicle number, determine a parking position for the first vehicle from among a plurality of parking positions that are currently not in use so as to shorten the travel distance of the user moving within the facility. Effect of the Invention

[0009] The present disclosure makes it possible to provide a parking lot management device, a parking lot management method, and a program that can improve the satisfaction of users who use parking lots. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a parking lot management device according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a service image in a car rental shop according to the second embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 11 is a configuration diagram of a parking lot management system according to a second embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 11 is a configuration diagram of a parking lot management device according to a second embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a parking position database according to the second embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 illustrates a user information management database according to the second embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a flow of a parking position determination process and a display process according to the second embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a flow of a parking position database update process according to the second embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a flow of a parking position database update process according to the second embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a parking lot management device according to each embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] (Embodiment 1) Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. A configuration example of a parking lot management device 10 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1. The parking lot management device 10 may be a computer device that operates by a processor executing a program stored in a memory. The parking lot management device 10 may be, for example, a server device.

[0012] The parking lot management device 10 has a parking lot management unit 11, a user information management unit 12, a detection unit 13, and a determination unit 14. The components of the parking lot management device 10, such as the parking lot management unit 11, the user information management unit 12, the detection unit 13, and the determination unit 14, may be software or modules whose processing is performed by a processor executing a program stored in a memory. Alternatively, the components of the parking lot management device 10 may be hardware such as a circuit or a chip.

[0013] The parking lot management unit 11 manages the usage status of parking lots within a facility. The facility may be, for example, a commercial facility such as a supermarket, a shopping center, a rental car shop, or a stadium where an event is held. Alternatively, the facility may be a corporate facility such as a sales office or research institute that has a parking lot attached. The parking lot within the facility may be a parking lot provided in the same building as the facility, or may be a parking lot provided in a location adjacent to the facility.

[0014] The utilization status may be, for example, the utilization rate of the entire parking lot, whether each parking location is available as an available space, the number of available spaces in each area that includes multiple parking locations, etc. An available space is a space where parking is available. The utilization status may also include the reservation status of each parking location. That is, an available space that is currently available but has been reserved may be considered a space where parking is not available.

[0015] The user information management unit 12 manages facility usage information of users who use the facility in association with the vehicle number used by the users. A user who uses the facility may be a user who visits a store in the facility, or a user who visits the facility to receive a service provided by the facility. The service provided by the facility may be, for example, a service related to vehicle rental at a rental shop.

[0016] For example, in a rental car shop, the facility usage information may be information indicating the type of vehicle desired to be rented, the period of use of the vehicle including the scheduled rental date and time and the scheduled return date and time, the number of passengers in the vehicle, optional items, etc. Alternatively, if the facility includes multiple stores, the facility usage information may be the name of the store to be used. For example, in a rental car shop, the user information management unit 12 may manage the vehicle number of the vehicle determined based on advance reservation information from the user in association with the facility usage information. The facility usage information may be information that the user notifies the rental car shop as advance reservation information. The rental car shop may accept advance reservation information online.

[0017] Alternatively, before a user visits a large shopping center, the vehicle number of the vehicle the user will be riding in and the destination store may be registered online in advance with a reservation center or the like operated by the large shopping center. Specifically, when a user uses a movie theater in a large shopping center, the user may register the vehicle number of the vehicle in advance when purchasing a ticket. Alternatively, when a user purchases a ticket in advance to visit a stadium where a sporting event is held, the user may register the vehicle number of the vehicle in advance when purchasing the ticket.

[0018] The detection unit 13 detects a first vehicle number of a first vehicle moving in the parking lot. For example, the detection unit 13 may detect the vehicle number by analyzing a captured image captured by a camera installed in the parking lot. Alternatively, a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag reader installed in the parking lot may read information including the vehicle number from an RFID tag installed in the vehicle. The detection unit 13 may recognize the vehicle number by acquiring information including the vehicle number output from the RFID tag reader. Alternatively, in the case where a two-dimensional code is attached to the vehicle, the reader may read the two-dimensional code, and the detection unit 13 may recognize the vehicle number by acquiring information including the vehicle number output from the reader. Alternatively, the detection unit 13 may receive information transmitted using a data communication module (DCM) for external vehicle communication installed in the vehicle. The vehicle number may be included in the information received by the detection unit 13 via the DCM.

[0019] Based on the facility usage information associated with the first vehicle number, the determination unit 14 determines the parking position of the first vehicle from among a plurality of unused parking positions so that the user's moving distance within the facility is shortened. For example, in a rental car shop, when the facility usage information satisfies a predetermined criterion, the determination unit 14 may determine a position near the place where the user is performing the rental procedure as the parking position. Specifically, in a rental car shop, when the facility usage information indicates that the first vehicle is scheduled to be rented on the same day, the determination unit 14 may determine a position near the place where the user is performing the rental procedure as the parking position. Alternatively, in a commercial facility, the determination unit 14 may determine a parking space on the same floor as the store visited by the user, which is indicated in the facility usage information, as the parking position. Alternatively, in a stadium, when the facility usage information indicates the team the user supports, the determination unit 14 may determine a parking space near the seats of the team the user supports as the parking position.

[0020] As described above, the parking lot management device 10 can detect vehicles moving in the parking lot and determine a parking position so as to shorten the moving distance of the user who uses the vehicle. By determining a parking position in this way while taking into consideration the user's traffic flow, the satisfaction of the user when using the facility can be improved compared to when a vacant position is simply determined as the parking position for the vehicle.

[0021] (Embodiment 2) Next, as an example, a service image at a rental car shop will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 shows the site of the rental car shop and the road adjacent to the site of the rental car shop. The site of the rental car shop has a car wash space 20, a waiting space 30, a parking space 40, and a procedure office 50. In addition to the parking space 40, a parking space may be provided outside the site. For example, vehicles that are not scheduled to be rented for a predetermined period or longer may be parked in the parking space outside the site.

[0022] The car wash space 20 is a space for washing a returned vehicle. The user returns the vehicle to the car wash space 20 or near the car wash space 20, for example. The waiting space 30 is a space where the vehicle that has been washed is temporarily parked. The staff of the rental car shop moves the vehicle parked in the waiting space 30 to a parking space outside the premises or to the parking space 40. The parking space 40 is a space where vehicles to be rented to users are parked. After the user completes the rental procedure at the processing office 50, the user is designated the vehicle to be rented. The user walks to the designated parking position of the vehicle in the parking space 40. There are parking positions from row A to row F in the parking space 40. Row A is closest to the processing office 50, and row F is farthest from the processing office 50.

[0023] The dotted arrows in Fig. 2 indicate the movement of the vehicle. For example, the returned vehicle moves to waiting space 30 via car wash space 20. The vehicle then moves to a parking space outside the site or to parking space 40. The vehicle is then parked in any parking space from row A to row F, and the user then gets in and departs outside the site of the rental car shop.

[0024] Camera 61 is a camera that monitors and photographs vehicles that have returned to the rental car shop. In other words, camera 61 is a camera that photographs vehicles being returned to the rental car shop. Camera 62 is a camera that monitors and photographs vehicles entering parking space 40. Camera 63 is a camera that monitors and photographs vehicles departing from the rental car shop. A user who has completed the vehicle rental procedure at procedure office 50 is in the vehicle departing from the rental car shop.

[0025] The display device 64 displays the destination of the vehicle moving from the waiting space 30. For example, the display device 64 may display an off-site parking lot or the parking space 40 as the destination of the vehicle moving from the waiting space 30. The display device 65 displays the parking position of the vehicle in the parking space 40. For example, the display device 65 shows parking positions such as A-2, D-2, etc. The display devices 64 and 65 may be, for example, liquid crystal displays, organic EL (Electro Luminescence) displays, or electronic bulletin boards. The display devices 64 and 65 may be installed so as to be suspended from a ceiling above the traffic line of the vehicle. This allows the driver of the vehicle to see the display devices 64 and 65.

[0026] Next, a configuration example of the parking lot management system according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 3. The parking lot management system has a parking position sensor 31, a parking lot management device 51, cameras 61-63, and display devices 64-65. The parking lot management device 51 may be connected to the parking position sensor 31, the cameras 61-63, and the display devices 64-65 via a network. The parking position sensor 31, the cameras 61-63, and the display devices 64-65 may be connected to the network via a wireless communication line or via a wired communication line.

[0027] The parking position sensor 31 may be installed, for example, at each parking position in the waiting space 30. For example, the parking position sensor 31 may acquire the vehicle number of the vehicle parked in the parking position using Bluetooth (registered trademark) or the like, or may acquire the vehicle number from an RFID tag installed on the vehicle. Furthermore, the parking position sensor 31 may detect that a parked vehicle has departed and notify the parking lot management device 51 of the departure of the vehicle and the vehicle number. For example, a weight sensor, a temperature sensor, an infrared sensor, or the like may be used to detect that the vehicle has departed.

[0028] Also, instead of the parking position sensor 31, a camera may be installed at a position to monitor the waiting space 30. The camera may transmit the captured image to the parking lot management device 51, and the parking lot management device 51 may identify the vehicle number of the departing vehicle by analyzing the captured image.

[0029] When the parking lot management device 51 identifies the departing vehicle using the information detected by the parking position sensor 31 or the image captured by the camera, it transmits information to the display device 64 instructing the vehicle to head to a parking space outside the premises or to the parking space 40. The display device 64 displays the received information.

[0030] The camera 62 captures an image of the vicinity of the entrance to the parking space 40, and transmits the captured image to the parking lot management device 51. When the parking lot management device 51 analyzes the captured image and identifies the vehicle number, it transmits the parking position of the vehicle with that vehicle number in the parking space 40 to the display device 65. The display device 65 displays the received information. The parking lot management device 51 may identify the vehicle number by recognizing the number shown on the license plate of the vehicle using general image recognition technology.

[0031] Camera 63 captures an image of the vicinity of the exit of parking space 40 and transmits the captured image to parking lot management device 51. When parking lot management device 51 analyzes the captured image and identifies the vehicle number, it recognizes that the parking space where the vehicle was parked has become an empty space.

[0032] The camera 61 photographs the vicinity of the entrance through which the rented vehicle enters the rental car shop, and transmits the photographed image to the parking lot management device 51. When the parking lot management device 51 analyzes the photographed image and identifies the vehicle number, it recognizes that the rented vehicle has been returned.

[0033] Next, a configuration example of the parking lot management device 51 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 4. The parking lot management device 51 has a configuration in which a display control unit 52, a communication unit 53, a parking position database 54, and a user information database 55 are added to the parking lot management device 10. In the following, the configuration of the parking lot management device 51 will be described mainly with respect to features different from the parking lot management device 10.

[0034] The communication unit 53 communicates with the parking position sensor 31, the cameras 61-63, and the display devices 64-65 via a network to transmit and receive data. Alternatively, the communication unit 53 may communicate with various sensors installed within the premises of the rental car shop via the network. For example, within the premises of the rental car shop, a sensor for recognizing a moving vehicle may be installed on the vehicle's traffic line. The sensor for recognizing a vehicle may be, for example, an RFID tag reader, an infrared sensor, or the like.

[0035] The parking lot management unit 11 manages the usage status of each parking location using a parking location database 54 shown in Fig. 5. The parking location database 54 associates the parking location of the parking space 40 with information indicating whether the parking location is an empty space or in use. Furthermore, the parking location database 54 also associates the vehicle number of the vehicle using the parking location. For example, the parking location database 54 in Fig. 5 indicates that a vehicle with vehicle number 99-99 is using parking location A-2.

[0036] The user information management unit 12 uses the user information database 55 shown in FIG. 6 to manage the vehicle number of the vehicle to be rented to the user in association with information on the scheduled rental date and time, the vehicle type, the number of users, and optional items. The scheduled rental date and time is the time when the rental of the vehicle to the user begins. Alternatively, the scheduled rental date and time may be the time when the user arrives at the rental shop. The vehicle type is the vehicle type indicated by the vehicle number. The vehicle type may be the vehicle type of the vehicle that the user wishes to rent. The number of users is the number of people riding in the vehicle. The optional items are accessories that the user wishes to use. In FIG. 6, for example, a car navigation system and a child seat are given as examples of optional items, but the optional items are not limited to these. The information on the scheduled rental date and time, the vehicle type, the number of users, and optional items corresponds to facility usage information.

[0037] For example, when a reservation for renting a vehicle is received from a user, the staff of the rental shop decides which vehicle to rent to the user. Furthermore, the staff inputs the vehicle number of the decided vehicle and information on the scheduled rental date and time, vehicle type, number of users, and optional items reported by the user into the user information database 55. Alternatively, when the user inputs information on the scheduled rental date and time, vehicle type, number of users, and optional items online, the vehicle may be decided autonomously by a tool that decides the vehicle according to the information input by the user. In this case, the staff may not input information into the user information database 55, and the vehicle number of the decided vehicle and the information input by the user may be automatically reflected in the user information database 55.

[0038] The detection unit 13 receives information including the departure of the vehicle from the parking position sensor 31 and the vehicle number of the departing vehicle. Alternatively, the detection unit 13 receives a captured image from a camera that captures the waiting space 30, and detects or identifies the vehicle number of the vehicle that departed from the parking position of the waiting space 30 by analyzing the captured image.

[0039] Furthermore, the detection unit 13 detects the vehicle number of the vehicle being returned by analyzing the captured image received from the camera 61. The detection unit 13 also detects the vehicle number of the vehicle entering the parking space 40 by analyzing the captured image received from the camera 62. The detection unit 13 also detects the vehicle number of the vehicle departing from the parking space 40 by analyzing the captured image received from the camera 63.

[0040] The determination unit 14 extracts facility use information associated with the vehicle number detected by the detection unit 13 from the user information database 55. Furthermore, the determination unit 14 determines the parking position of the vehicle with the vehicle number detected by the detection unit 13 by using the facility use information and the parking position database 54.

[0041] Here, the process of determining the parking position of the vehicle in the determination unit 14 will be described. For example, the determination unit 14 assumes that the vehicle number detected by the detection unit 13 is the vehicle number associated with the scheduled lending date and time that is the shortest from the current time among the vehicle numbers managed in the user information database 55. In this case, the determination unit 14 may determine the nearest vacant space from the procedure office 50 as the parking position of the vehicle with this vehicle number. The determination unit 14 may also determine the second nearest vacant space from the procedure office 50 as the parking position of the vehicle with the vehicle number associated with the scheduled lending date and time that is the second shortest from the current time. In this way, the distance from the procedure office 50 to the parking position may become shorter as the time until the scheduled lending date and time becomes shorter.

[0042] As another example of the parking position determination process, for example, the determination unit 14 assumes that the vehicle number detected by the detection unit 13 is the vehicle number associated with the largest number of users among the vehicle numbers managed in the user information database 55. In this case, the determination unit 14 may determine the nearest vacant space from the procedure office 50 as the parking position for the vehicle with this vehicle number. Also, the determination unit 14 may determine the second nearest vacant space from the procedure office 50 as the parking position for the vehicle with the vehicle number associated with the second largest number of users. In this way, the distance from the procedure office 50 to the parking position may become shorter as the number of users increases.

[0043] As another example of the parking position determination process, for example, the determination unit 14 assumes that the vehicle number detected by the detection unit 13 is a vehicle number associated with an optional item including a child seat, among the vehicle numbers managed in the user information database 55. In this case, the determination unit 14 may determine the nearest vacant space from the procedure office 50 as the parking position for the vehicle with this vehicle number. In this way, when the optional items include equipment used by small children, the determination unit 14 may determine a parking position close to the procedure office 50 in order to shorten the travel distance of the user. When there are multiple optional items, a priority order may be set for each optional item, and a vacant space close to the procedure office 50 may be assigned to the vehicle in order of highest priority.

[0044] Furthermore, in the parking position determination process, the determination unit 14 may predetermine the priority of each item such as the scheduled rental date and time, the number of users, optional items, etc. In this case, the determination unit 14 determines the parking position using the item with the highest priority, and if the contents set in the item with the highest priority are the same, the determination unit 14 determines the parking position using the item with the next highest priority.

[0045] Alternatively, the determination unit 14 may score each item based on the registered contents, and assign a parking location of an available space closest to the procedure office 50 in descending order of the total score. For example, for the item of scheduled rental date and time, the highest score may be set for the scheduled rental date and time that is the shortest from the current time, and the score may be lowered as the time from the current time increases. Also, for the item of number of users, the highest score may be set for the largest number of users, and the score may be lowered as the number of users decreases. For optional items, a score may be set in advance for each optional item that can be provided by the rental car shop.

[0046] In addition, when the vehicle number detected by the detection unit 13 is not registered in the user information database 55, the determination unit 14 may determine that the parking location is a parking space outside the premises.

[0047] Furthermore, the determination unit 14 may determine the parking positions using weather information. For example, when rain, snow, or strong winds are forecast, the determination unit 14 may determine the parking positions of each vehicle so as to reduce the number of vehicles to be moved outside the site.

[0048] Furthermore, when the parking lot is congested, the determination unit 14 may determine an empty space in the parking space 40 away from the procedure office 50 as the parking position. When the parking lot is congested, for example, there may be a user waiting to rent a vehicle in the parking space 40, or there may be a user performing a rental procedure at the procedure office 50. For example, an administrator who manages the parking lot management device 51 may input the number of users who are in the middle of a rental procedure and the number of users who are waiting to rent a vehicle after completing the rental procedure to the parking lot management device 51. The determination unit 14 may determine that the parking lot is congested when either the number of users who are in the middle of a rental procedure and the number of users who are waiting to rent a vehicle after completing the rental procedure exceeds a predetermined value.

[0049] Furthermore, the determination unit 14 may determine the parking position based on the vehicle type associated with the vehicle number detected by the detection unit 13. Specifically, the determination unit 14 may determine the parking position so that a specific vehicle type is concentrated in the same area and parked. For example, the determination unit 14 may determine the parking position so that a specific vehicle type is concentrated in any one of rows A to F.

[0050] The determination unit 14 may perform machine learning by accumulating the results of the parking position determination process and the reference information used in the determination process, and may determine the parking position according to a learning model obtained by machine learning.

[0051] The parking lot management unit 11 may update, among the parking positions managed in the parking position database 54, the parking position at which the determination unit 14 has determined that the vehicle will be parked, to be in use. In addition, when the detection unit 13 detects the vehicle number of a vehicle departing from the parking space 40, the parking lot management unit 11 may update, in the parking position database 54, the parking position that was used by the detected vehicle to an empty space.

[0052] Alternatively, if cameras are installed to monitor the parking spaces 40, the parking lot management unit 11 may periodically analyze images captured by the cameras, identify the usage status of each parking space, and update the parking space database 54.

[0053] The display control unit 52 transmits information about the parking position determined by the determination unit 14 to the display device 64 and the display device 65 which are visually recognized by the driver of the vehicle having the vehicle number detected by the detection unit 13, and causes the display device 64 and the display device 65 to display the information. When the parking position is in any of rows A to F of the parking space 40, the display control unit 52 may cause the display device 64 to display the parking space 40 as the destination. When the parking position is outside the premises, the display control unit 52 may cause the display device 64 to display that the destination is outside the premises.

[0054] Furthermore, the display control unit 52 causes the display device 65 to display any one of the parking positions in rows A to F of the parking space 40. In other words, the display control unit 52 may cause the display device 64 to display content different from the display content of the display device 65.

[0055] When the detection unit 13 detects the vehicle number of a vehicle that departs from the parking position of the waiting space 30, the display control unit 52 transmits information regarding the parking position of the vehicle to the display device 64. Furthermore, when the detection unit 13 detects the vehicle number of a vehicle entering the parking space 40 by analyzing the captured image received from the camera 62, the display control unit 52 transmits information regarding the parking position of the vehicle to the display device 65.

[0056] Alternatively, when the detection unit 13 detects the vehicle number of a vehicle that departs from the parking position of the waiting space 30, the display control unit 52 may calculate the timing at which the vehicle approaches the display device 65, taking into consideration the moving speed of the vehicle and the distance from the display device 64 to the display device 65. In this case, the communication unit 53 may transmit information regarding the parking position of the moving vehicle to the display device 65 at the calculated timing.

[0057] Next, the flow of the parking position determination process and display process according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 7. First, the detection unit 13 detects the vehicle number of a vehicle departing from the waiting space 30 (S11). The detection unit 13 may detect the vehicle number of a vehicle departing from the waiting space 30 using the detection result of the parking position sensor 31 or the analysis result of a captured image received from a camera that captures the waiting space 30.

[0058] Next, the determination unit 14 judges whether or not the detected vehicle number exists in the user information database 55 (S12). When the determination unit 14 judges that the detected vehicle number exists in the user information database 55, the determination unit 14 determines the parking position of the vehicle using the parking position database 54 and the user information database 55 (S13). When the determination unit 14 judges that the detected vehicle number does not exist in the user information database 55, the determination unit 14 determines that the parking position of the vehicle is outside the premises (S14).

[0059] After the processes of steps S13 and S14, the display control unit 52 causes the display device 64 near the waiting space to display the parking position of the vehicle with the vehicle number detected in step S11 (S15). Specifically, when the parking position is determined in step S13, the display control unit 52 transmits information to the display device 64 instructing the user to move to the parking space 40. Furthermore, when the parking position is determined in step S14, the display control unit 52 transmits information to the display device 64 instructing the user to move to a parking space outside the premises.

[0060] Next, the detection unit 13 detects the vehicle number of the vehicle entering the parking space 40 by analyzing the captured image received from the camera 62 (S16). Next, the display control unit 52 causes the display device 65 near the parking space 40 to display the parking position of the vehicle with the vehicle number detected in step 16 (S17).

[0061] Next, the flow of the update process of the parking location database 54 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 8. First, the determination unit 14 determines the parking location of the vehicle having the vehicle number detected by the detection unit 13 using the parking location database 54 and the user information database 55 (S21). Next, the parking lot management unit 11 updates the usage status of the determined parking location in the parking location database 54 to "in use" (S22).

[0062] Next, the flow of the update process of the parking position database 54 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 9. First, the detection unit 13 detects the vehicle number of a vehicle departing from the parking space 40 (S31). Next, the parking lot management unit 11 updates the usage status of the parking position of the departing vehicle in the parking position database 54 to an empty space (S32).

[0063] As described above, the parking lot management device 51 according to the second embodiment can determine the parking position of the vehicle according to the facility usage information of the user who uses the rental car shop. This allows the rental car shop to improve the satisfaction of the user and realize efficient vehicle management.

[0064] In the second embodiment, an example has been described in which the driver of the vehicle visually recognizes the destination of the vehicle by viewing the display device 64 and the display device 65, but for example, the display control unit 52 may display the destination of the vehicle on a device other than the display device 64 and the display device 65. For example, the display control unit 52 may transmit information on the destination to the vehicle via the communication unit 53 and display the destination of the vehicle on a car navigation system in the vehicle. Alternatively, the display control unit 52 may transmit information on the destination of the vehicle to a mobile terminal held by the driver or a passenger in the vehicle via the communication unit 53 and display the destination of the vehicle on a display unit of the mobile terminal.

[0065] Fig. 10 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the parking lot management device 10 or the parking lot management device 51 (hereinafter referred to as the parking lot management device 51, etc.). Referring to Fig. 10, the parking lot management device 51, etc. includes a network interface 1201, a processor 1202, and a memory 1203. The network interface 1201 may be used to communicate with other network nodes. The network interface 1201 may include, for example, a network interface card (NIC) that complies with the IEEE 802.3 series.

[0066] The processor 1202 reads out and executes software (computer programs) from the memory 1203 to perform the processing of the parking lot management device 51 and the like described using the flowcharts in the above-mentioned embodiment. The processor 1202 may be, for example, a microprocessor, an MPU, or a CPU. The processor 1202 may include multiple processors.

[0067] The memory 1203 is configured by a combination of volatile memory and non-volatile memory. The memory 1203 may include storage located away from the processor 1202. In this case, the processor 1202 may access the memory 1203 via an I / O (Input / Output) interface (not shown).

[0068] 10, the memory 1203 is used to store software modules. The processor 1202 reads out and executes these software modules from the memory 1203, thereby performing the processing of the parking lot management device 51 and the like described in the above embodiment.

[0069] As explained using Figure 10, each of the processors possessed by the parking lot management device 51 etc. in the above-mentioned embodiments executes one or more programs including a group of instructions for causing a computer to perform the algorithm described using the drawings.

[0070] In the above example, the program can be stored and provided to the computer using various types of non-transitory computer readable media. The non-transitory computer readable medium includes various types of tangible storage media. Examples of the non-transitory computer readable medium include magnetic recording media (e.g., flexible disks, magnetic tapes, hard disk drives), magneto-optical recording media (e.g., magneto-optical disks), CD-ROM (Read Only Memory), CD-R, CD-R / W, and semiconductor memory (e.g., mask ROM, PROM (Programmable ROM), EPROM (Erasable PROM), flash ROM, RAM (Random Access Memory)). The program may also be provided to the computer by various types of transitory computer readable media. Examples of the transitory computer readable medium include electric signals, optical signals, and electromagnetic waves. The transitory computer readable medium can provide the program to the computer via a wired communication path such as an electric wire and an optical fiber, or a wireless communication path.

[0071] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0072] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to the embodiment, the present invention is not limited to the above. Various modifications that can be understood by those skilled in the art can be made to the configuration and details of the present invention within the scope of the invention.

[0073] This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-042935, filed on March 16, 2021, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety. [Explanation of symbols]

[0074] 10 Parking lot management device 11 Parking Management Department 12 User Information Management Department 13 Detection section 14 Decision Section 20 Car wash space 30 Waiting Space 31 Parking position sensor 40 Parking spaces 50 Proceedings Office 51 Parking lot management device 52 Display control unit 53 Communications Department 54 Parking Location Database 55 User Information Database 61 Camera 62 Camera 63 Camera 64 Display device 65 Display device

Claims

1. A parking lot management means for managing the usage status of parking lots within the facility; a user information management means for managing facility usage information of a user who uses the facility and a vehicle number of a vehicle used by the user in association with each other; a detection means for detecting a first vehicle number of a first vehicle moving in the parking lot; a determination means for determining a parking position for the first vehicle from among a plurality of parking positions that are not currently in use, based on the facility usage information associated with the first vehicle number, so as to shorten the travel distance of the user moving within the facility; The facility usage information includes at least the scheduled date and time of rental of the vehicle to the user.

2. The parking lot management device according to claim 1 , further comprising a display control means for displaying the parking position of the first vehicle on a display device visible to a driver of the first vehicle.

3. The display control means 3. The parking lot management device according to claim 2, further comprising: a display device that displays the parking location of the first vehicle when a detection device that detects the presence of a vehicle at a specific location notifies the display device that the first vehicle has been detected.

4. The display control means When a plurality of detection devices are installed in the parking lot, when a detection result of the first vehicle is received from a first detection device, an area including the parking position of the first vehicle is displayed on the display device; 4. The parking lot management device according to claim 2, further comprising: a display device that displays a parking position of the first vehicle when the detection result of the first vehicle is received from a second detection device.

5. The detection means includes: Detecting a second vehicle number of a second vehicle moving outside the parking lot; The parking lot management means includes: The parking lot management device according to claim 1 , further comprising: a parking lot management unit configured to manage the parking lot where the second vehicle was parked as an unused parking lot.

6. The determining means is The parking lot management device according to claim 1 , further comprising: a parking location management unit that determines a parking position of the first vehicle based on the facility usage information and weather information.

7. The determining means:

7. The parking lot management device according to claim 1, further comprising: determining a parking position of the first vehicle so that a travel distance of the user becomes shorter as the scheduled rental date and time of the first vehicle becomes closer to the current time.

8. Manage the parking lot usage status within the facility, managing facility usage information of a user who uses the facility and a vehicle number of a vehicle used by the user in association with each other, the facility usage information including at least a scheduled date and time of rental of the vehicle to the user; Detecting a first vehicle number of a first vehicle moving within the parking lot; determining a parking position for the first vehicle from among a plurality of parking positions that are not currently in use based on the facility usage information associated with the first vehicle number so as to shorten a travel distance of the user moving within the facility; Parking lot management methods.

9. 9. The parking lot management method according to claim 8, further comprising transmitting information regarding the determined parking position of the first vehicle to a display device visible to a driver of the first vehicle, and displaying the parking position of the first vehicle on the display device.

10. Manage the parking lot usage status within the facility, managing facility usage information of a user who uses the facility and a vehicle number of a vehicle used by the user in association with each other, the facility usage information including at least a scheduled date and time of rental of the vehicle to the user; Detecting a first vehicle number of a first vehicle moving within the parking lot; A program that causes a computer to execute the following: based on the facility usage information associated with the first vehicle number, from among a plurality of parking locations that are not currently in use, determine a parking location for the first vehicle so as to shorten the travel distance of the user moving within the facility.

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