Parking Lot System

Abstract

To provide a parking lot system that is easy to install and can reduce an error detection in a vehicle detection in a parking lot.SOLUTION: A parking lot system comprises: an electromagnetic wave sensor 10 that transmits (sends) a transmission signal S1 toward a vehicle compartment VI of a parking lot PA and receives a reflected component of the transmitted transmission signal S1 as a reception signal S2; and a vehicle detection unit 20 that detects a presence or absence of a vehicle VE in the vehicle compartment VI based on the reception result of the electromagnetic wave sensor 10. Since the parking management is carried out based on a vehicle detection performed by installing the electromagnetic wave sensor 10 and the vehicle detection unit 20 in the parking lot PA as described above, the facility can be installed more easily and errors in detection can be reduced, for example, as compared to a vehicle detection using a loop coil.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a parking lot system that performs vehicle detection for parking management in a parking lot.

Background Art

[0002] As a device for detecting vehicles on a road, a vehicle detection device (see Patent Document 1) that detects the presence state of a vehicle in a predetermined section between a transmission antenna and a reception antenna is known.

[0003] In addition, as a vehicle detection device for detecting the entry and exit of a vehicle into a parking space, a device that uses a loop coil embedded in a vehicle compartment (see Patent Document 2) is known.

[0004] In the vehicle detection as in Patent Document 1 above, the transmission antenna and the reception antenna are installed on the road with the area to be observed sandwiched therebetween, and the in-vehicle state of the observation area is detected. However, for example, when detecting whether there is a vehicle in a plurality of vehicle compartments in a parking lot, the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 cannot always be used as it is.

[0005] In addition, in Patent Document 2 above, a loop coil is used for the vehicle detection device in a parking lot, but there are problems specific to the loop coil such as the construction period and cost of the embedded installation, or the possibility of detecting, for example, a bicycle as a vehicle and causing false detection.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object thereof is to provide a parking lot system that is easy to install and can reduce false detections in vehicle detection in a parking lot.

[0008] A parking lot system for achieving the above object includes a radio wave sensor that transmits radio waves toward the passenger compartment of a parking lot and receives a reflected component of the transmitted radio waves, and a vehicle detection unit that detects the presence or absence of a vehicle in the passenger compartment based on the reception result at the radio wave sensor.

[0009] In the above parking lot system, by installing a radio wave sensor in the parking lot to transmit radio waves toward the passenger compartment of the parking lot and detecting the presence or absence of a vehicle in the passenger compartment from the reception result of the radio waves transmitted from the radio wave sensor by the vehicle detection unit, for example, compared with vehicle detection by a loop coil or the like, installation is easy and false detections can be reduced.

[0010] In a specific aspect of the present invention, the radio wave sensor houses a plurality of transmission units and a plurality of reception units in one housing. In this case, the installation of the radio wave sensor becomes easy.

[0011] In another aspect of the present invention, in the radio wave sensor, a plurality of reception units are arranged at different positions, and the vehicle detection unit specifies the passenger compartment corresponding to the received reflected component based on the difference in the reception status among the plurality of reception units. In this case, more different feature amounts regarding the positional relationship and shape with respect to the object can be extracted, and the presence or absence of a vehicle in the passenger compartment can be detected more reliably.

[0012] In still another aspect of the present invention, the radio wave sensor transmits ultra-wideband radio waves of 500 MHz or more having directivity in a microwave band or higher. In this case, radio wave transmission and reception can be performed more reliably.

[0013] In still another aspect of the present invention, the vehicle detection unit collates the reception result at the radio wave sensor with map data indicating the passenger compartment positions of the parking lot to determine the presence or absence of a vehicle in the passenger compartment. In this case, a reliable determination can be made regarding the presence or absence of a vehicle in each passenger compartment based on the map data.

[0014] In yet another aspect of the present invention, the vehicle detection unit detects the presence or absence of an obstacle on the passage based on the information on the passage position in the parking lot included in the map data. In this case, in addition to each passenger compartment, the situation on the passage can also be managed.

[0015] In yet another aspect of the present invention, the vehicle detection unit has a parking determination unit that determines parking based on whether a vehicle has stayed in a passenger compartment for a certain period of time or more. In this case, by confirming the stay for a certain period of time or more, that is, by providing a grace period, it can be determined that the vehicle in the passenger compartment is parked rather than staying temporarily.

[0016] In yet another aspect of the present invention, the vehicle detection unit transmits the detection result regarding the presence or absence of a vehicle in the passenger compartment to a parking management unit that comprehensively manages the parking lot. In this case, parking management based on the detection result by the vehicle detection unit becomes possible.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0017]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0018] Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 1 and the like, an example of a parking lot system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a conceptual plan view showing an example of the appearance of a parking lot PA incorporating a parking lot system 100 according to this embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram for explaining an example of a configuration of the parking lot system 100. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the parking lot system 100 according to this embodiment includes a radio wave sensor 10, a vehicle detection unit 20, and a settlement device 50 as a parking management unit. Among these, the radio wave sensor 10 and the vehicle detection unit 20 are housed in one housing CS and unitized. Here, the radio wave sensor 10 and the vehicle detection unit 20 unitized by the housing CS are collectively referred to as a vehicle detection unit DU. In the case of this embodiment, by arranging the vehicle detection unit DU unitized by the housing CS at a predetermined installation location in the parking lot PA and connecting this to the settlement device 50, the parking lot system 100 can be configured. That is, since there is no need to perform embedding work like a loop coil, etc., the burden in terms of cost and period in installation is reduced. Note that a detailed example of the internal configuration of the vehicle detection unit DU, that is, the radio wave sensor 10 and the vehicle detection unit 20, is shown in FIG. 2.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 1, the radio wave sensor 10 transmits radio waves (transmission signal S1) toward various locations in the parking lot PA including a plurality of vehicle compartments VI that make up the parking lot PA, and receives the reflected component (received signal S2) of the transmitted radio waves (transmission signal S1). That is, the radio wave sensor 10 senses the received signal S2 in which the transmission signal S1 hits an object in the parking lot PA (typically a vehicle VE in the parking lot PA) and returns. In particular, in an example of this embodiment, as the radio wave sensor 10 as described above, a MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) system is adopted, so that the occupancy status of a plurality of vehicle compartments VI can be detected from changes in propagation characteristics. A more specific configuration example will be described later with reference to FIG. 2.

[0020] The vehicle detection unit 20 is composed of, for example, a CPU, a storage device, etc., is connected to the radio wave sensor 10, and performs various arithmetic processes to detect the presence or absence of the vehicle VE in each passenger compartment VI based on the results of transmission and reception by the radio wave sensor 10. An example of the detailed configuration of the vehicle detection unit 20 will be described later with reference to FIG. 2.

[0021] The settlement device 50 performs various settlement processes necessary when the vehicle leaves the factory. Here, in addition to the above settlement processes, the settlement device 50 functions as a parking management unit that performs overall parking management such as confirmation of the vacancy situation based on the detection result in the vehicle detection unit 20, that is, the parking situation, the entry time and exit time of the vehicle for each passenger compartment, and the management of the parked vehicle. In other words, the settlement device 50 is a higher-level device of the vehicle detection unit 20, and the vehicle detection unit 20 transmits the detection result regarding the presence or absence of the vehicle VE in each passenger compartment VI to the settlement device 50 as a parking management unit that comprehensively manages the parking lot PA.

[0022] Also, in this embodiment, the parking lot system 100 performs radio wave transmission and reception not only for each passenger compartment VI as a detection target range in the parking lot PA, but also for the area of the passage PP, which is an area other than each passenger compartment VI (range). That is, as shown in the figure, the radio wave sensor 10 transmits radio waves to also make the passage PP a detection target range, and based on the detection result regarding the range, the vehicle detection unit 20 also detects the presence or absence of obstacles (illegal objects) in the passage PP, which is a location other than the passenger compartment VI.

[0023] Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 2, the detailed configuration of an example of the radio wave sensor 10 and the vehicle detection unit 20 will be described.

[0024] First, the configuration of the radio wave sensor 10 will be described. The radio wave sensor 10 includes a transmission antenna unit Tx composed of a plurality of transmission units and a reception antenna unit Rx composed of a plurality of reception units in order to adopt the MIMO method. In the illustrated example, the transmission antenna unit Tx is composed of four transmission antennas Tx1 to Tx4, and a transmission signal S1 is transmitted from each of the transmission antennas Tx1 to Tx4 in various modes. Further, the reception antenna unit Rx is composed of four reception antennas Rx1 to Rx4, and receives a reception signal S2 as a reflection component of the transmission signal S1. In the radio wave sensor 10, these eight antennas Tx1 to Tx4, Rx1 to Rx4 are housed in a single housing CS1 while maintaining a state where they are arranged at different positions from each other.

[0025] Hereinafter, the configuration, operation, etc. of the radio wave sensor 10 will be described in more detail. First, on both the transmission side and the reception side, as described above, the antennas Tx1 to Tx4 and Rx1 to Rx4 are arranged at different positions from each other (for example, they are installed at slightly different distances). In other words, there are differences in the physical mounting positions for each of the antennas Tx1 to Tx4 and Rx1 to Rx4. As a result, the reflected signals (received signals S2) from the object received by each of the receiving antennas Rx1 to Rx4 are affected by the positional relationship, shape, and material of the object, and different feature quantities are extracted. Therefore, for example, even if different signals are transmitted as transmission signals S1 from each of the antennas Tx1 to Tx4 on the transmission side at the same timing, when the receiving antennas Rx1 to Rx4 on the reception side receive the received signals S2 as the reflected components thereof in a combined state, they will gradually become different. Based on the above, first, as a premise, for each of the antennas Rx1 to Rx4, how the radio wave (signal) is received depending on the distance to the object, the signal arrival direction, and the difference in received intensity is measured in advance for each combination of antennas (in the above example, 4×4 = 16 patterns), and the criteria for the feature quantities are determined. Then, by comparing the feature quantities obtained from the data analysis of the signals related to the transmission and reception by the radio wave sensor 10 installed in the parking lot PA with the above criteria, the relative positional relationship between the installation position of the radio wave sensor 10 and the detected object can be grasped based on the transmission and reception results of the radio wave sensor 10.

[0026] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, as the radio wave to be used, that is, the transmission signal S1 from the transmission antennas Tx1 to Tx4, a signal having directivity (high straight - advancing property) and in a high - frequency band of microwave band or higher, and further, an ultra - wideband signal of 500 MHz or more (for example, a wavelength in the band of 1 GHz to 1.5 GHz) is used. On this basis, the received signal S2 as a reflection component related to the transmission signal S1 is received by the reception antennas Rx1 to Rx4 arranged at different positions as described above, thereby simplifying the feature extraction with high range resolution. By making the resolution sufficiently high, for example, in each passenger compartment VI, it becomes possible to detect the presence or absence of an object at intervals of about 20 cm to 30 cm. By combining this with information such as the reception intensity and signal width of the received signal S2, it becomes possible to determine whether or not an object exists in each passenger compartment VI, and whether the existing object has a size of about the size of a vehicle, that is, an automobile. For example, based on the total number of received signals S2 detected as the reflection component, that is, from the position range corresponding to one passenger compartment VI, or the number of received signals S2 that can be regarded as spatially adjacent and detected at intervals of about 20 cm to 30 cm, by estimating the size of the object existing in the passenger compartment VI, it is possible to determine whether or not the object is the vehicle VE.

[0027] Also, although it will be described in detail later, for the position range (area) corresponding to the above - mentioned one passenger compartment VI, in the vehicle detection unit 20, by using the layout information of the parking lot PA, that is, the map data, it becomes possible to grasp where in the parking lot PA the detected object (typically the vehicle VE) is. That is, it is possible to determine from which passenger compartment VI in the parking lot PA each received signal S2 is from by collating with the map data.

[0028] Next, the configuration of the vehicle detection unit 20 will be described. As described above, the vehicle detection unit 20 is composed of a CPU, a storage device, etc. Here, it is assumed that it has a main control unit MP and a storage unit ME by these components. The vehicle detection unit 20 is connected to the radio wave sensor 10, sends various signal commands to the radio wave sensor 10, controls the transmission and reception operations in the radio wave sensor 10, and on the other hand, receives the radio wave transmission and reception results in the radio wave sensor 10, and based on the received information, detects the presence or absence of the vehicle VE in each vehicle compartment VI of the parking lot PA, etc.

[0029] Among the vehicle detection unit 20, the main control unit MP is composed of a CPU, etc., and includes a transmission / reception data acquisition unit DA, a data analysis unit AN, and a determination unit JD. That is, the main control unit MP reads out various data, programs, etc. stored in the storage unit ME as necessary, and functions as the transmission / reception data acquisition unit DA, etc. by performing various arithmetic processes, etc.

[0030] The transmission / reception data acquisition unit DA receives the output signal from the radio wave sensor 10. Here, the output signal includes data related to the transmission and reception results at each antenna in the radio wave sensor 10 (hereinafter referred to as transmission / reception data).

[0031] The data analysis unit AN classifies the transmission / reception data acquired by the transmission / reception data acquisition unit DA for each area of the parking lot PA. That is, based on the combinations related to the transmission and reception by the plurality of transmission units and the plurality of reception units described above for the radio wave sensor 10, by extracting feature amounts from the transmission / reception data, it discriminates which vehicle compartment VI in the parking lot PA each received signal S2 is from, and analyzes the presence or absence of an object for each vehicle compartment VI.

[0032] The determination unit JD determines the presence or absence of a vehicle (object), etc. based on the analysis result in the data analysis unit AN, that is, the classification for each area of the data. Here, as an example, the determination unit JD has a vehicle compartment determination unit JDr that determines the presence or absence of a vehicle in each vehicle compartment VI, and a passage determination unit JDp that determines the presence or absence of an obstacle (typically a vehicle parked in an inappropriate position) in the passage PP.

[0033] The memory unit ME is composed of a storage device or the like, and includes a map data storage unit MD and an analysis result storage unit AR. In the map data storage unit MD, data such as the passenger compartment VI and the passage PP that make up the parking lot PA, and further data on the installation and arrangement positions of each part that makes up the parking lot system 100 are stored. In the analysis result storage unit AR, data such as the analysis result in the data analysis unit AN, that is, the result of classifying the transmission and reception data for each area of the parking lot PA, is stored.

[0034] The determination unit JD of the main control unit MP determines whether an object exists in the passenger compartment VI or the passage PP based on these data stored in the memory unit ME and the transmission and reception data. In other words, the vehicle detection unit 20 collates the reception result of the radio wave sensor 10 with the map data indicating the position of the passenger compartment in the parking lot PA to determine the presence or absence of the vehicle VE in the passenger compartment VI.

[0035] As described above, among the vehicle detection unit 20, the determination unit JD identifies the passenger compartment VI corresponding to the received signal S2, which is a reflected component received based on the difference in the reception status in the reception antenna unit Rx that constitutes a plurality of reception units, in the passenger compartment determination unit JDr. Further, the vehicle detection unit 20 identifies the presence or absence of an object (obstacle) on the passage PP corresponding to the received signal S2 in the passenger compartment determination unit JDr. That is, the vehicle detection unit 20 detects the presence or absence of an obstacle on the passage PP based on the information on the position of the passage PP in the parking lot PA included in the map data of the map data storage unit MD.

[0036] Incidentally, regarding the map data stored in the map data storage unit MD, that is, the layout information which is the physical arrangement of the passenger compartment VI of the parking lot PA etc., it differs depending on the parking lot PA where the radio wave sensor 10 is installed and the installation position of the radio wave sensor 10 in the parking lot PA. For example, depending on the shape and size of the parking lot PA, or the radio wave transmission and reception environment etc., it is conceivable to install two or more radio wave sensors 10 in one parking lot PA. In this case, the two or more radio wave sensors 10 have map data prepared individually in advance according to the installation location. That is, optimization for determining the presence or absence of an object is performed for each parking lot PA with a different passenger compartment VI arrangement.

[0037] Here, with reference to FIG. 3, an example will be described regarding the height at which the radio wave sensor 10 is installed. Regarding the transmission signal S1 transmitted from the radio wave sensor 10, as described above, it has directivity (high straightness), and it is desirable that it returns to the radio wave sensor 10 side when hitting the vehicle VE as the object. From such a viewpoint, as shown in the figure, regarding the installation position and the transmission and reception directions of the transmission antenna unit Tx and the reception antenna unit Rx constituting the radio wave sensor 10, the height HH from the position of the ground, that is, the road surface SS, is preferably about the central position of the vehicle height of the vehicle VE (for example, about several tens of cm to 1 m), and further, it is desirable that the central direction when transmitting the transmission signal S1 is along a direction parallel to the road surface SS. By doing so, the reception signal S2 as a reflection component can be received more efficiently and reliably.

[0038] Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 4 etc., an example will be described regarding the handling of the transmission and reception data in the vehicle detection unit 20. FIG. 4 is a block diagram conceptually showing the state of data analysis in the vehicle detection unit 20, and FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the data and the configuration of the determination unit used in the determination based on the data analysis and the analysis result.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 4, first, as a first premise, as information on the map data stored in the map data storage unit MD of the vehicle detection unit 20, parking lot map data GG in which the parking lot PA is coordinated (xy plane coordinates in the illustrated example) is prepared. Here, by analyzing in the vehicle detection unit 20 where the reflection occurred in the coordinated parking lot map data GG (that is, in which region of the coordinates the reflection was detected), it is confirmed whether a vehicle VE or the like exists in each passenger compartment VI or passage PP. In the illustrated example, xy plane coordinates, that is, two-dimensional coordinates are used, but three-dimensional coordinates including the height direction may also be used.

[0040] Also, in the illustrated example, in the parking lot PA, a total of eight passenger compartments VI are provided side by side in the x direction, four on the upper side (+ side) and four on the lower side (- side) with respect to the y coordinate. Further, a T-shaped passage PP for passing between them is provided. Therefore, in this case, the vehicle detection unit 20 divides the regions corresponding to the eight passenger compartments VI and detects the presence or absence of an object (vehicle VE) for each divided region. Similarly, in the T-shaped passage PP, the presence or absence of an object (obstacle) is also detected. Here, since the range of the passage PP is larger (wider) than that of each passenger compartment VI, the passage PP is further divided into several regions, and the presence or absence of an object is detected for each divided region.

[0041] In order to perform detection for each of the above regions, the map data storage unit MD further stores parking lot map classification data GD corresponding to the parking lot map data GG. As shown in the figure, the parking lot map classification data GD is provided with a total of eight regions, namely, four regions A1 to A4 and regions B1 to B4 on the upper side and the lower side with respect to the y coordinate. These are the regions corresponding to the eight passenger compartments VI in the parking lot map data GG. Also, as shown in the figure, the parking lot map classification data GD is provided with four regions PS1 to PS4 as the regions corresponding to the passage PP in the parking lot map data GG. In other words, the region corresponding to the passage PP is divided into four in the parking lot map classification data GD. In addition, the parking lot map classification data GD is provided with a region XX outside the detection range. Note that, as illustrated in FIG. 5(A), the coordinate data of these detection range regions are stored as map data.

[0042] Returning to FIG. 4, as a second premise different from the above first premise, for the sake of simplicity of explanation, regarding the transmission and reception data from the radio wave sensor 10, it is assumed that the result of performing radio wave transmission and reception for the entire parking lot PA, that is, the range corresponding to the entire parking lot map data GG, is output, for example, at regular intervals as one-time data. In the illustrated example, the transmission and reception data for one time is shown as being periodically acquired by the vehicle detection unit 20 in phase units (phases 1, 2, 3,...). In other words, the transmission and reception data output from the radio wave sensor 10 in each of the phases 1, 2, 3,... is the original data indicating the parking status in the entire parking lot PA at each time separated at regular intervals, and this is analyzed by the data analysis unit AN of the vehicle detection unit 20.

[0043] On the premise of the above, the data analysis in the vehicle detection unit 20 will be described. First, when the transmission / reception data acquisition unit DA acquires the transmission / reception data for one time (for example, the data in phase 1), the data analysis unit AN classifies the transmission / reception data for each area of the parking lot PA. That is, it analyzes where an object exists in the parking lot PA. More specifically, first, a feature amount is extracted from the transmission / reception data, and a point on the xy-plane coordinates, which is the position where an object is assumed to be, is extracted. Then, from the data table regarding the coordinates corresponding to each area A1, etc. illustrated in FIG. 5(A), that is, the area on the parking lot map classification data GD, the location corresponding to the point is collated. According to the collation result, it is stored in the passenger compartment data RD or the passage data PD of the analysis result storage unit AR illustrated in FIG. 5(B). That is, if the point where an object is assumed to be is any one of the areas A1 to A4, B1 to B4 from the collation result with the data table in FIG. 5(A), it is stored as data indicating the presence of an object in the predetermined storage area of the passenger compartment data RD. If it is any one of the areas PS1 to PS4, it is stored as data indicating the presence of an object in the predetermined storage area of the passage data PD. More specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 5(B), for the passenger compartment data RD, data storage units Da1 to Da4, Db1 to Db4 corresponding to the areas A1 to A4, B1 to B4 are provided. For the passage data PD, data storage units Ds1 to Ds4 corresponding to the areas PS1 to PS4 are provided, and data is stored for each storage area. Here, as an example, for the out-of-detection range area XX, which is an area other than the areas A1 to A4, B1 to B4 and the areas PS1 to PS4, even if an object is detected, it does not become the target data to be handled and is deleted.

[0044] As described above, when the data analysis unit AN analyzes the presence or absence of an object at each point (each coordinate position) for one phase, that is, classifies by region, the passenger compartment determination unit JDr and the passage determination unit JDp that constitute the determination unit JD determine the presence or absence of a vehicle VE or the like based on the data stored in the passenger compartment data RD and the passage data PD. In an example here, as shown in FIG. 5(C), the passenger compartment determination unit JDr has a passenger compartment A1 determination unit Ja1 to a passenger compartment A4 determination unit Ja4 and a passenger compartment B1 determination unit Jb1 to a passenger compartment B4 determination unit Jb4 for the regions A1 to A4 and regions B1 to B4 corresponding to the eight passenger compartments VI, respectively, in order to make determinations for each of the eight passenger compartments VI. Similarly, the passage determination unit JDp has a passage PS1 determination unit Js1 to a passage PS4 determination unit Js4.

[0045] For example, the passenger compartment A1 determination unit Ja1 of the passenger compartment determination unit JDr counts the total number of data indicating the presence of an object stored in the data storage unit Da1, the number of data that can be regarded as spatially adjacent, etc. If the count result satisfies the size condition that should be recognized as a vehicle determined in advance, it determines that there is a vehicle.

[0046] Also, for example, the passage PS1 determination unit Js1 of the passage determination unit JDp counts the total number of data indicating the presence of an object stored in the data storage unit Ds1, the number of data that can be regarded as spatially adjacent, etc. If the count result satisfies the size condition determined in advance, it determines that there is an obstacle. Note that various criteria can be set for determining the presence of an obstacle. For example, it is conceivable to use, as a criterion, a size (for example, 30 cm or more) that makes it impossible to avoid and pass through in the passage state.

[0047] As described above, from the data analysis in the vehicle detection unit 20, the presence or absence of the vehicle VE in each passenger compartment VI and the presence or absence of an obstacle on the passage PP are determined.

[0048] Hereinafter, with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 6, a series of determination processes regarding the passenger compartment VI of the parking lot PA will be described. Here, a mode in which a delay time for occupancy determination is provided is described, assuming avoidance of instantaneous false detection due to environmental changes, etc., and a case where it is a temporary entry into the passenger compartment VI but not parking. Specifically, the main control unit MP of the vehicle detection unit 20 has a function as a parking determination unit that determines whether or not a vehicle VE has stayed in a single passenger compartment VI for a certain period of time or more.

[0049] In addition, hereinafter, a series of determination processes regarding the passenger compartment VI corresponding to the area A1 will be described, and since the same applies to other passenger compartments VI, the description thereof will be omitted.

[0050] First, for example, when a start switch (not shown) provided in the vehicle detection unit 20 or the like of the parking lot system 100 is pressed and each unit is activated, and the vehicle detection unit 20 acquires the first transmission / reception data (phase 1) from the radio wave sensor 10 (step S101), the vehicle detection unit 20 determines the presence or absence of a vehicle in the area A1 based on the first transmission / reception data by the vehicle compartment A1 determination unit Ja1 of the vehicle compartment determination unit JDr (step S102), and records the determination result in, for example, the data storage unit Da1 (step S103). In the following, as shown outside the flowchart column in the figure, when it is determined that "no vehicle" in the determination of step S102 etc., it is indicated by × (cross). On the other hand, when it is determined that "vehicle present", it is indicated by △ (triangle) or 〇 (circle). △ (triangle) indicates that there is a vehicle, but the state of whether it is parked in the vehicle compartment VI (area A1) is undetermined, and 〇 (circle) indicates that there is a vehicle and it is in a state where it is determined that it has been parked in the vehicle compartment VI (area A1). Since step S102 is the first presence determination, even if there is a vehicle, it is not yet determined that it has been parked at that time, and it becomes △ (triangle). That is, in step S103, either × (cross) or △ (triangle) is recorded. When it is determined in step S102 that there is no vehicle, the main control unit MP of the vehicle detection unit 20 outputs, as a parking determination unit, that there is no vehicle in the area A1 to the parking management unit (settlement device 50). That is, the main control unit MP transmits to the parking management unit that comprehensively manages the parking lot PA the detection result regarding the presence or absence of a vehicle in the vehicle compartment VI corresponding to the area A1.

[0051] After the recording in step S103, the vehicle detection unit 20 waits for the next transmission / reception data (phase 2 and later) from the radio wave sensor 10 (step S104). The main control unit MP of the vehicle detection unit 20 waits for the next data output until the data output process from the radio wave sensor 10 ends (step S105), that is, until a series of determination processes ends (step S105: Yes).

[0052] In step S104, when the following data is output (step S104: Yes), the passenger compartment A1 determination unit Ja1 determines whether there is a corresponding vehicle (step S106).

[0053] In the determination result of step S106, when it is determined that there is a vehicle (step S107: Yes), the passenger compartment A1 determination unit Ja1 refers to the determination result for the previous, that is, the previous transmission / reception data, and checks whether it was determined that there was a vehicle at that time (step S108).

[0054] In step S108, when it is not determined that there is a vehicle (step S108: No), that is, when the determination was that there was no vehicle in the previous time but now it is determined that there is a vehicle, the main control unit MP rewrites the data. That is, it rewrites what was recorded as × (cross) in the data storage unit Da1 to △ (triangle) (step S109).

[0055] On the other hand, in step S108, when it is determined that there is a vehicle (step S108: Yes), that is, when there is a vehicle in both the previous determination and the current determination, the main control unit MP checks whether the state of having a vehicle has continued for a predetermined time or more (step S110). In step S110, when the predetermined time has not been reached (step S110: No), the main control unit MP records, for example, in the data storage unit Da1 that the time in the state of having a vehicle has increased, while maintaining △ (triangle) (step S111). On the contrary, in step S110, when the predetermined time has been reached (step S110: Yes), the main control unit MP rewrites the △ (triangle) recorded in the data storage unit Da1 to ○ (circle) (step S112). That is, the main control unit MP determines that parking has been completed. At the same time, the main control unit MP outputs to the parking management unit (settlement device 50) that the parking of the vehicle has been confirmed in area A1 (step S113). That is, the main control unit MP transmits to the parking management unit that comprehensively manages the parking lot PA the detection result regarding the presence or absence of a vehicle in the passenger compartment VI corresponding to area A1. Note that in step S112, when ○ (circle) has already been recorded in the data storage unit Da1, the state of ○ (circle) is maintained.

[0056] When any of step S109, step S111, and step S113 is performed, the main control unit MP checks whether the data output process from the radio wave sensor 10 has ended (that is, whether a series of determination processes has ended) (step S114). If it has not ended (step S114: No), the operation from step S104 is repeated. That is, the vehicle detection unit 20 waits for the next transmission / reception data from the radio wave sensor 10 (after phase 3). When it is confirmed in step S114 that the process has ended (step S114: Yes), the vehicle detection unit 20 ends the series of operations.

[0057] On the other hand, in the determination result in step S106, if it is determined that there is no vehicle (step S107: No), that is, if it is determined that there is no vehicle, the passenger compartment A1 determination unit Ja1 refers to the determination result for the previous, that is, the previous transmission / reception data, and checks whether it was determined that there was a vehicle at that time (step S115).

[0058] In step S115, if it is determined that there is a vehicle (step S115: Yes), that is, if what was determined to have a vehicle in the previous time is now determined to have no vehicle, the main control unit MP performs data rewriting. That is, what is recorded as △ (triangle) or 〇 (circle) in the data storage unit Da1 is rewritten as × (cross) (step S116). That is, the main control unit MP determines that the passenger compartment VI corresponding to area A1 has become vacant. At the same time, the main control unit MP outputs to the parking management unit (settlement device 50) that the state of having no vehicle in area A1 has been confirmed (step S117). That is, the main control unit MP transmits the detection result regarding the presence or absence of a vehicle in the passenger compartment VI corresponding to area A1 to the parking management unit that comprehensively manages the parking lot PA.

[0059] On the other hand, in step S115, if it is not determined that there is a vehicle (step S115: No), that is, if there is no vehicle in both the previous determination and the current determination, the × (cross) recorded in the data storage unit Da1 is maintained (step S118).

[0060] When either step S117 or step S118 is performed, the main control unit MP performs the operations after step S114 in the same manner as in any of step S109, step S111, and step S113.

[0061] As described above, the parking lot system 100 according to the present embodiment transmits radio waves (transmission signal S1) toward the passenger compartment VI of the parking lot PA, and receives a reflected component (received signal S2) of the transmitted radio waves (transmission signal S1). The parking lot system 100 includes a radio wave sensor 10 and a vehicle detection unit 20 that detects the presence or absence of the vehicle VE in the passenger compartment VI based on the reception result at the radio wave sensor 10.

[0062] In the parking lot system 100, the radio wave sensor 10 is installed in the parking lot PA to transmit radio waves (transmission signal S1) toward a plurality of passenger compartments VI that make up the parking lot PA. The vehicle detection unit 20 detects the presence or absence of the vehicle VE in each passenger compartment VI from the reception result (transmission / reception data) of the radio waves transmitted from the radio wave sensor 10. By adopting this mode, the installation is easier compared to vehicle detection using a loop coil, for example, and false detection can be reduced.

[0063] Hereinafter, with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 7, a series of determination processes regarding the passage PP of the parking lot PA will be described. Here, an embodiment with a delay time for object presence determination is described, assuming avoidance of instantaneous false detection due to environmental changes, etc., and cases where a vehicle temporarily passes through the passage PP and there are no obstacles. Specifically, the main control unit MP of the vehicle detection unit 20 determines the presence or absence of an obstacle based on whether an object has stayed in an area constituting the passage PP for a certain period of time or more.

[0064] In addition, hereinafter, a series of determination processes for one area PS1 among the areas PS1 to PS4 constituting the passage PP will be described. Since the same applies to the other areas constituting the passage PP, the description thereof will be omitted.

[0065] Similar to the case of the determination regarding the area A1 illustrated in FIG. 6, when each part of the parking lot system 100 is activated and the vehicle detection unit 20 acquires the first transmission / reception data from the radio wave sensor 10 (step S201), the vehicle detection unit 20 determines the presence or absence of a vehicle in the area PS1 based on the first transmission / reception data by the passage PS1 determination unit Js1 of the passage determination unit JDp (step S202), and records the determination result, for example, in the data storage unit Ds1 (step S203). In the following, as shown outside the flowchart column in the figure, when it is determined that "no object" in the determination such as step S102, that is, in the normal state where there is no object on the area PS1 which is a part of the passage PP, it is indicated as "positive". On the other hand, when it is determined that "there is an object", it is indicated as "note" indicating attention or "abnormal" indicating abnormality. "Note" indicates that although there is an object, the state is such that it is undetermined whether the object existing in the area PS1 is an obstacle, and "abnormal" indicates that there is an object and it is in a state where it is determined that an obstacle exists in the area PS1. Since step S202 is the first presence determination, even if there is an object, at that time, it is not yet determined that the object is an obstacle, and it becomes "note". That is, in step S203, either "positive" or "note" is recorded.

[0066] After the recording in step S203, the vehicle detection unit 20 waits for the next transmission / reception data from the radio wave sensor 10 (phase 2 and later) (step S204), and performs the process of determining the presence or absence of an object as the same operation process as the determination of the presence or absence of a vehicle in steps S104 to S107 of FIG. 6, such as making a new record (steps S204 to S207).

[0067] In the determination result in step S206, when it is determined that there is an object (step S207: Yes), the passage PS1 determination unit Js1 refers to the determination result for the previous, that is, the previous transmission / reception data, and confirms whether it was determined that there was an object at that time (step S208).

[0068] In step S208, when it is determined that there is no object (step S208: No), that is, when the determination was that there was no object in the previous step but this time it is determined that there is an object, the main control unit MP performs data rewriting. That is, it rewrites what was recorded as "positive" in the data storage unit Ds1 to "attention" (step S209).

[0069] On the other hand, in step S208, when it is determined that there is an object (step S208: Yes), that is, when there is an object both in the previous determination and in this determination, the main control unit MP checks whether the state of having an object has continued for a predetermined time or more (step S210). If the predetermined time has not been reached (step S210: No), it records, for example, in the data storage unit Ds1 that the time in the state of having an object has increased, while maintaining "attention" (step S211). In contrast, in step S210, when the predetermined time is reached (step S210: Yes), the main control unit MP outputs, as an abnormality report, that an obstacle has occurred to the parking management unit (settlement device 50) (step S212). At this time, in addition, it rewrites what was recorded as "attention" in the data storage unit Ds1 to "abnormal". Also, in step S212, if it is already recorded as "abnormal" in the data storage unit Ds1, the state of "abnormal" is maintained.

[0070] When any of step S209, step S211, or step S212 is performed, the main control unit MP checks whether the data output process from the radio wave sensor 10 has ended (that is, whether a series of determination processes has ended) (step S213). If it has not ended (step S213: No), it repeats the operation from step S204. When it is confirmed in step S213 that it has ended (step S213: Yes), the vehicle detection unit 20 ends a series of operations.

[0071] Also, in the determination result in step S206, when the determination of the presence of an object is not made (step S207: No), that is, when the determination of the absence of an object is made, the passage PS1 determination unit Js1 refers to the determination result for the previous, i.e., the previous transmission / reception data, and checks whether the presence of an object was determined at that time (step S214). When the presence of an object was determined (step S214: Yes), that is, when what was determined to have an object in the previous time is now determined to have no object, the main control unit MP performs data rewriting. That is, it rewrites what was recorded as "Note" or "Abnormal" in the data storage unit Ds1 to "Normal" (step S215).

[0072] On the other hand, in step S214, when the presence of an object is not determined (step S214: No), that is, when there is no object in both the previous determination and the current determination, for the "Normal" recorded in the data storage unit Ds1, this is maintained (step S216).

[0073] When either step S215 or step S216 is performed, the main control unit MP performs the operations after step S213 in the same manner as in the case of step S209 and the like.

[0074] In addition, in the above, when performing the abnormality report shown in step S212, the operation may be interrupted without checking whether a series of determination processes has ended, and not resumed until the abnormality is resolved.

[0075] By the above operation process, it becomes possible to determine the presence or absence of obstacles in the passage PP of the parking lot PA. Also, in this case, it becomes possible to perform abnormality detection in the passage in parallel with the determination process of the presence or absence of vehicles in each passenger compartment.

[0076] 〔Others〕 The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be implemented in various modes without departing from the gist thereof.

[0077] For example, in the above description, in the passenger compartment VI, it may also be possible to detect obstacles (foreign objects). For example, in the passenger compartment VI, if an object with a size less than that of an automobile but greater than a certain level (for example, 30 cm or more) is detected, this may be regarded as a foreign object and an abnormality report may be made. In this case as well, a time allowance may be provided until it is confirmed that it is an obstacle (foreign object).

[0078] Also, regarding the signal transmission and reception in the radio wave sensor 10, various modes are possible. For example, in signal transmission (transmission), the detection accuracy may be improved by making it intermittent or sweeping the frequency. Also, interference with other radio waves can be avoided by the way of transmission and the adjustment of the frequency, etc. In the above example, a combination of 4×4 = 16 patterns with 4 each on the transmission side and the reception side is used, but it is not limited to this, and antennas with various numbers and combinations can be adopted. Also, by using radio waves, vehicle detection can be surely performed even in situations such as at night when it is dark and the visibility is poor, compared to the case of installing a camera and detecting the vehicle from an image, and the detection range can also be widened.

[0079] Also, in the above, for example, in FIG. 6, in the case of △ (triangle), no report is made to the upper device which is the settlement device 50, but these may also be reported each time and used as management information in the settlement device 50.

[0080] In addition, in the above example, with regard to the parking management unit, the settlement device 50 also performs parking management, thereby functioning as a parking management unit. The vehicle detection unit 20 reports detection results and the like to the settlement device 50 as a superior device. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is applicable to a parking management system that performs parking management in various modes. For example, if the parking management unit that performs parking management by communication remotely from the parking lot is configured by, for example, a cloud-type server, it is also possible to adopt a mode of transmitting the detection results and the like of the vehicle detection unit 20 to the communication destination. Further, it is also applicable to those that provide flaps at each parking lot for management or those that provide gates at the entrances and exits of the parking lot. For example, when providing a gate at the entrance and exit, for this location, it may also be a mode of transmitting from the radio wave sensor 10 and detecting at the vehicle detection unit 20. Furthermore, at the parking lot PA, that is, the site to be detected, only the radio wave sensor 10 may be installed, and the reception result of the radio wave sensor 10 may be transmitted to the vehicle detection unit 20 located remotely.

[0081] Further, the information from the radio wave sensors 10 and the vehicle detection units 20 respectively arranged in a plurality of parking lots PA may be collectively managed by a common parking management unit.

Explanation of Signs

[0082] 10…Radio wave sensor, 20…Vehicle detection unit, 50…Settlement device, 100…Parking lot system, A1~A4, B1~B4, PS1~PS4…Regions, AN…Data analysis unit, AR…Analysis result storage unit, CS, CS1…Housing, DA…Transmission / reception data acquisition unit, DU…Vehicle detection unit, Da1~Da4, Db1~Db4, Ds1~Ds4……Data storage unit, GD…Parking lot map classification data, GG…Parking lot map data, JD…Judgment unit, JDp…Passage judgment unit, JDr…Compartment judgment unit, Ja1~Ja4, Jb1~Jb4, Js1~Js4…Judgment unit, MD…Map data storage unit, ME…Memory unit, MP…Main control unit, PA…Parking lot, PD…Passage data, PP…Passage, RD…Compartment data, Rx…Receiving antenna unit, Rx1~Rx4…Receiving antennas, S1…Transmission signal, S2…Receiving signal, SS…Road surface, Tx…Transmitting antenna unit, Tx1~Tx4…Transmitting antennas, VE…Vehicle, VI…Compartment, XX…Region outside detection range

Claims

1. A radio wave sensor that transmits radio waves having directivity parallel to the road surface from a plurality of transmission units at a predetermined height position from the road surface toward a plurality of vehicle compartments in a parking lot, and receives reflected components of the transmitted radio waves with a plurality of reception units, A vehicle detection unit that detects the presence or absence of a vehicle in each vehicle compartment based on a combination related to transmission and reception by the plurality of transmission units and the plurality of reception units in the radio wave sensor A parking lot system comprising:

2. The radio wave sensor according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of transmission units and the plurality of reception units are housed in one housing.

3. In the radio wave sensor, the plurality of reception units are arranged at different positions from each other, The parking lot system according to claim 2, wherein the vehicle detection unit identifies a vehicle compartment corresponding to the received reflected component based on a difference in reception status among the plurality of reception units.

4. The radio wave sensor according to any one of claims 1 to 3 transmits an ultra-wideband radio wave of 500 MHz or more having directivity in a microwave band or higher.

5. The parking lot system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the vehicle detection unit collates the reception result by the radio wave sensor with map data indicating the vehicle compartment positions in the parking lot to determine the presence or absence of a vehicle in the vehicle compartment.

6. The parking lot system according to claim 5, wherein the vehicle detection unit detects the presence or absence of an obstacle on the passage based on information on passage positions in the parking lot included in the map data.

7. The parking lot system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the vehicle detection unit has a parking determination unit that determines parking based on whether a vehicle has stayed in a vehicle compartment for a certain period of time or more.

8. The parking lot system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the vehicle detection unit transmits a detection result regarding the presence or absence of a vehicle in the vehicle compartment to a parking management unit that comprehensively manages the parking lot.

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