Parking lot management device, parking lot management method, and parking lot control device using the same

Abstract

To provide a rental space use management apparatus and a rental space use management method configured to generate use schedule information of charging equipment in a parking lot so that the charging equipment installed in the parking lot can be efficiently used by as many electric vehicles as possible.SOLUTION: A reservation reception unit 421 is configured to: generate, on receipt of a request for using a parking lot and charging equipment regarding a reservation request vehicle, use schedule information for the charging equipment with equipment use start time and equipment use end time for each vehicle to use the charging equipment, set by an already-reserved vehicle and the reservation request vehicle for their desired charging time between a scheduled entry time and a scheduled exit time of the vehicles, and update stored use schedule information to fix a reservation; and store, as reservation information of the already-reserved vehicle, information on the scheduled entry time, the scheduled exit time, and the desired charging time regarding the reservation request vehicle.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] BACKGROUND ART In recent years, electric vehicles powered by battery power have become widespread, and as a result, there is a need to develop charging facilities for charging the batteries of electric vehicles.

[0003] In view of this, by installing charging equipment in parking lots within apartment buildings or large facilities, it becomes possible to charge electric vehicles while they are parked in the parking lot. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2013 / 035481 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] As mentioned above, when installing charging equipment within a parking lot, there is a limit to the number of such facilities that can be installed, so multiple electric vehicles are charged in rotation in the order in which they enter the parking lot. However, this poses a problem in that electric vehicles that have been parked for a short time may not be able to charge by the time they leave the parking lot.

[0006] Furthermore, if users reserve a time slot for use when reserving charging equipment, there is a problem that if there are no available spaces in the desired time slot, they will not be able to make a reservation and will not be able to use the charging equipment.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and provides a parking lot management device that is capable of generating usage schedule information for charging facilities in a parking lot so that as many electric vehicles as possible can efficiently use the charging facilities installed in the parking lot., parking lot management method, and parking lot control device using the same - Patents.com The purpose is to provide the following. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to achieve the above object, the parking lot management device of the present invention includes a reservation information storage unit that stores information on a scheduled entry time, scheduled exit time, and desired charging time of a reserved vehicle that has reserved use of a parking lot and charging equipment installed within the parking lot as reservation information for the reserved vehicle; a usage schedule information storage unit that stores usage schedule information for the charging equipment, in which a facility usage start time and a facility usage end time for the reserved vehicle to use the charging equipment are set for the desired charging time between the scheduled entry time and the scheduled exit time; and, upon receiving a reservation request for the parking lot and the charging equipment for a reservation-requesting vehicle that plans to use the parking lot and the charging equipment, a usage schedule information storage unit that stores usage schedule information for the charging equipment, in which a facility usage start time and a facility usage end time for the reserved vehicle to use the parking lot and the charging equipment are set. and a reservation reception unit that generates usage schedule information for the charging facility, in which the reserved vehicle and the reservation requesting vehicle are set with their respective desired charging times from their respective scheduled entry times to their respective scheduled departure times, and the facility usage start time and facility usage end time for each vehicle to use the charging facility, and updates the usage schedule information stored in the usage schedule information storage unit to confirm the reservation, and stores the information on the scheduled entry time, scheduled departure time, and desired charging time for the reservation requesting vehicle in the reservation information storage unit as reservation information for the reserved vehicle.

[0009] Furthermore, a parking lot management method of the present invention includes a parking lot management device including: a reservation information storage unit that stores information on a scheduled entry time, a scheduled exit time, and a desired charging time of a reserved vehicle that has reserved use of a parking lot and charging equipment installed in the parking lot as reservation information for the reserved vehicle; and a usage schedule information storage unit that stores usage schedule information for the charging equipment, in which a facility usage start time and a facility usage end time for the reserved vehicle to use the charging equipment are set for the desired charging time between the scheduled entry time and the scheduled exit time, and receives a reservation request for the parking lot and the charging equipment for a reservation-requesting vehicle that is scheduled to use the parking lot and the charging equipment. and setting a scheduled entry time, scheduled exit time, and desired charging time for the reservation-requesting vehicle based on the reservation request, and setting the desired charging times for the reserved vehicle and the reservation-requesting vehicle from their respective scheduled entry times to their scheduled exit times, as well as the facility use start time and facility use end time for each vehicle to use the charging facility, thereby generating usage schedule information for the charging facility and updating the usage schedule information stored in the usage schedule information storage unit, thereby finalizing the reservation, and storing information on the scheduled entry time, scheduled exit time, and desired charging time for the reservation-requesting vehicle in the reservation information storage unit as reservation information for the reserved vehicle. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] The present invention According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a parking lot management device, a parking lot management method, and a parking lot control device using the same that are capable of generating usage schedule information for charging facilities in a parking lot so that as many electric vehicles as possible can efficiently use the charging facilities installed in the parking lot. . [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a parking lot management system using a parking lot management device according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] 1 is a configuration diagram of a mechanical parking lot managed by a parking lot management system according to an embodiment. FIG. [Figure 3] 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of a reservation request acceptance process executed by the parking lot management device during operation of the parking lot management system according to one embodiment. [Figure 4]10A is an example of reservation information stored in a parking lot management device according to an embodiment, and FIGS. 10B and 10C are examples of usage schedule information. [Figure 5] (a) is an example of reservation information updated when a parking lot management device according to one embodiment accepts a new reservation for a parking lot and charging equipment, and (b) and (c) are examples of updated usage schedule information. [Figure 6] (a) is an example of reservation information updated when a parking lot management device according to one embodiment accepts a new reservation for a parking lot and charging equipment, and (b) and (c) are examples of updated usage schedule information. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of reservation change processing executed by the parking lot management device during operation of the parking lot management system according to one embodiment. [Figure 8] 10A is an example of reservation information stored in a parking lot management device according to an embodiment, and FIGS. 10B and 10C are examples of usage schedule information. [Figure 9] 10(a) and 10(b) are examples of usage schedule information updated by a parking lot management device according to an embodiment when the usage status of a parking lot and charging equipment changes. [Figure 10] 10 is an example of reservation information including cancellation waiting information stored in a parking lot management device according to an embodiment. [Figure 11] (a) is an example of reservation information updated when a parking lot management device according to one embodiment accepts a reservation change for a parking lot and charging equipment, and (b) and (c) are examples of updated usage schedule information. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] <Configuration of a parking lot management system using a parking lot management device according to an embodiment> The configuration of a parking lot management system using a parking lot management device according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figure 1. The parking lot management system 1 according to this embodiment comprises a mechanical parking lot 10, a user terminal 20, an operation panel 30, and a parking lot management device 40.

[0013] 2, mechanical parking lot 10 includes a plurality of parking shelves (twelve shelves P1 to P12 in this embodiment) installed in building B, power supply equipment 11 to 13 installed near some of the plurality of shelves (three shelves P1 to P3 in this embodiment), a plurality of pallets 14-1 to 14-12 for loading vehicles, which are installed corresponding to each of shelves P1 to P12, and chargers 15-1 to 15-12 installed on each of pallets 14-1 to 14-12. Chargers 15-1 to 15-12 each have power plugs 15a-1 to 15a-12 that are attached to power supply equipment 11 to 13 when charging is performed. Shelves P1 to P3, near which power supply equipment 11 to 13 are installed, are charging shelves capable of performing charging processing, and each charger 15-1 to 15-12 forms charging equipment X1 to X3 by attaching the corresponding power plug 15a-1 to 15a-12 to one of the power supply equipment 11 to 13.

[0014] Figure 1 shows a state in which vehicle a loaded on pallet 14-1 is being charged by charging equipment X1 on shelf P1, vehicle c loaded on pallet 14-2 is being charged by charging equipment X2 on shelf P2, vehicle b loaded on pallet 14-3 is being charged by charging equipment X3 on shelf P3, and vehicle d loaded on pallet 14-5 is waiting to be charged on shelf P5.

[0015] Hereinafter, when it is not specified which of the pallets 14-1 to 14-12 it is, it will be referred to as pallet 14. Similarly, when it is not specified which of the chargers 15-1 to 15-12 it is, it will be referred to as charger 15, when it is not specified which of the power plugs 15a-1 to 15a-12 it is, it will be referred to as power plug 15a, and when it is not specified which of the charging facilities X1 to X3 it is, it will be referred to as charging facility X.

[0016] The mechanical parking lot 10 also has a driving device 16, a parking lot control device 17, and a charging equipment management device 18. The driving device 16 moves the pallets 14-1 to 14-12 between an entrance / exit (not shown) of the building B and each of the parking spaces P1 to P12. The parking lot control device 17 controls the driving device 16. The charging equipment management device 18 controls the power supply state to each of the power feeding equipment 11 to 13, and also acquires charging status information of electric vehicles (hereinafter referred to as "vehicles") being charged by the charging equipment X1 to X3 and sends the information to the parking lot management device 40.

[0017] Returning to Figure 1, the user terminal 20 is composed of a mobile terminal or the like carried by a user who uses the mechanical parking lot 10, and has information input and display functions. The operation panel 30 is composed of a door phone or the like at the entrance / exit of the mechanical parking lot 10 or in each dwelling of the apartment building where the mechanical parking lot 10 is installed, and has information input and display functions.

[0018] The parking lot management device 40 has a memory unit 41 and a CPU 42. The memory unit 41 has a reservation information memory unit 411 and a usage schedule information memory unit 412. The reservation information memory unit 411 stores information about the scheduled time of entry into the mechanical parking lot 10, the scheduled time of exit, and the desired charging time for a reserved vehicle that has reserved the use of the mechanical parking lot 10 and the charging equipment installed in the mechanical parking lot 10, as reservation information for the reserved vehicle.

[0019] The usage schedule information storage unit 412 stores usage schedule information for each charging facility X, which sets the desired charging time for a reserved vehicle between the scheduled entry time and scheduled departure time, as well as the facility usage start time and facility usage end time for using the charging facility.

[0020] The CPU 42 includes a reservation receiving unit 421, an information notifying unit 422, and a charging status information processing unit 423.

[0021] When the reservation reception unit 421 receives a reservation request for the mechanical parking lot 10 and the charging facility X for a reservation-requesting vehicle that plans to use the mechanical parking lot 10 and the charging facility X, the reservation reception unit 421 sets a scheduled entry time, a scheduled exit time, and a desired charging time for the reservation-requesting vehicle based on the reservation request. The reservation reception unit 421 then sets a facility use start time and a facility use end time for each vehicle to use the charging facility X for the reserved vehicle and the reservation-requesting vehicle, for the desired charging time between their respective scheduled entry times and scheduled exit times. The reservation reception unit 421 then generates usage schedule information for the charging facility based on the set information and updates the usage schedule information stored in the usage schedule information storage unit 412, thereby confirming the reservation for the reservation-requesting vehicle. The reservation reception unit 421 also stores information on the scheduled entry time, scheduled exit time, and desired charging time for the reservation-requesting vehicle whose reservation has been confirmed in the reservation information storage unit 411 as reservation information for the reserved vehicle.

[0022] The information notification unit 422 transmits the reservation information stored in the reservation information storage unit 411 and the usage schedule information stored in the usage schedule information storage unit 412 to the user terminal 20 or the operation panel 30 and the mechanical parking lot 10. The charging status information processing unit 423 acquires charging status information of the vehicle being charged from the charging equipment management device 18 of the mechanical parking lot 10 and provides it to the user terminal 20 or the operation panel 30.

[0023] <Operation of parking lot management system using parking lot management device according to one embodiment> Next, the operation of the parking lot management system 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 3 to Fig. 11. Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing the flow of the reservation request acceptance process executed by the parking lot management device 40 during operation of the parking lot management system 1. At the start of the reservation acceptance process according to this embodiment, there is no reserved information in the reservation information storage unit 411 of the parking lot management device 40, and there is no information set in the usage schedule information in the usage schedule information storage unit 412.

[0024] First, when user A operates the user terminal 20 or the operation panel 30 to request a reservation for vehicle a, which is the reservation-requested vehicle, to use the mechanical parking lot 10 and charging facility X, the operated user terminal 20 or the operation panel 30 transmits the reservation request made by the operation to the parking lot management device 40. At this time, user A may specify information such as the scheduled entry time, scheduled exit time, and desired charging time.

[0025] The parking lot management device 40 receives the reservation request sent from the user terminal 20 or the operation panel 30 through the reservation reception unit 421 ("YES" in S1), and sets the scheduled entry time, scheduled exit time, and desired charging time for the vehicle a based on the reservation request (S2).

[0026] The reservation reception unit 421 sets, for example, the scheduled entry time specified by user A or the time when user A performs an operation to request a use reservation as the scheduled entry time of vehicle a. In this example, the reservation reception unit 421 sets "12:30", the time when user A performs an operation to request a use reservation, as the scheduled entry time of vehicle a.

[0027] The reservation reception unit 421 also sets the scheduled departure time specified by user A or the time when a preset amount of time has elapsed since the set scheduled entry time as the scheduled departure time of vehicle a. The reservation reception unit 421 may also identify the end time of vehicle a's use of the charging facility based on the set scheduled entry time, desired charging time, and information in the usage schedule information storage unit 412, and set this end time of use as the scheduled departure time of vehicle a. In this case, the reservation reception unit 421 sets the scheduled departure time "15:00" specified by user A as the scheduled departure time of vehicle a.

[0028] The reservation reception unit 421 also sets the desired charging time specified by user A or a preset time (for example, 2.0 hours) as the desired charging time for vehicle a. Here, the reservation reception unit 421 sets the desired charging time specified by user A, "2.5 hours," as the desired charging time for vehicle a.

[0029] After setting this information, the reservation reception unit 421 determines whether any of the charging facilities X is available for use for the desired charging time of "2.5 hours" between the scheduled entry time of vehicle a of "12:30" and the scheduled departure time of vehicle a of "15:00" based on the usage schedule information currently stored in the usage schedule information storage unit 412 (S3). At this time, if there are multiple available charging facilities X, the reservation reception unit 421 selects the charging facility that is available for use the earliest.

[0030] Here, the reservation reception unit 421 determines that vehicle a can use charging facility X1 for 2.5 hours from 12:30 to 15:00 ("YES" in S3). Then, the reservation reception unit 421 updates the usage schedule information in the usage schedule information storage unit 412 with information that vehicle a will use charging facility X1 from the facility usage start time "12:30" to the facility usage end time "15:00", and confirms the reservation for vehicle a.

[0031] The reservation reception unit 421 also stores the information regarding the confirmed reservation of vehicle a, including the scheduled entry time of "12:30", the scheduled exit time of "15:00", and the desired charging time of "2.5 hours", in the reservation information storage unit 411 as the reservation information for the reserved vehicle a. The reservation reception unit 421 also notifies the stored reservation information and usage schedule information, as well as information indicating that the reservation of vehicle a has been confirmed, to the user terminal 20 or operation panel 30 that sent the reservation request, and to the mechanical parking lot 10 (S4). This completes the reservation process for vehicle a by user A.

[0032] Similarly, when user B newly requests a reservation for vehicle b to use the mechanical parking lot 10 and charging facility X, the reservation request resulting from this operation is transmitted to the parking lot management device 40. Based on the reservation request, the reservation reception unit 421 of the parking lot management device 40 sets the scheduled entry time of vehicle b to "13:00," the scheduled exit time to "18:00," and the desired charging time to "3.5 hours" ("YES" in S1, S2). Next, the reservation reception unit 421 determines that vehicle b can use charging facility X3 for 3.5 hours from 13:00 ("YES" in S3), updates the usage schedule information based on the corresponding information, and confirms the reservation. Once the reservation is confirmed, the information notification unit 422 notifies the user terminal 20 or the operation panel 30 that transmitted the reservation request and the mechanical parking lot 10 of information indicating that the reservation for vehicle b has been confirmed, along with the stored reservation information and usage schedule information (S4). This completes the reservation process for vehicle b by user B.

[0033] Similarly, when user C newly performs an operation to request a reservation for vehicle c to use the mechanical parking lot 10 and charging facility X, the reservation request resulting from this operation is transmitted to the parking lot management device 40. Based on the reservation request, the reservation reception unit 421 of the parking lot management device 40 sets the scheduled entry time of vehicle c to "13:30," the scheduled exit time to "17:00," and the desired charging time to "3.0 hours" ("YES" in S1, S2). Next, the reservation reception unit 421 determines that vehicle c can use charging facility X2 for 3.0 hours from 13:30 ("YES" in S3), updates the usage schedule information based on the corresponding information, and confirms the reservation. Once the reservation is confirmed, the information notification unit 422 notifies the user terminal 20 or the operation panel 30 that transmitted the reservation request and the mechanical parking lot 10 of information indicating that the reservation for vehicle c has been confirmed, along with the stored reservation information and usage schedule information (S4). This completes the reservation process for vehicle c by user C.

[0034] Similarly, when user D newly performs an operation to request a reservation for vehicle d to use the mechanical parking lot 10 and charging facility X, the reservation request resulting from this operation is transmitted to the parking lot management device 40. Based on the reservation request, the reservation reception unit 421 of the parking lot management device 40 sets the scheduled entry time of vehicle d to "14:10," the scheduled exit time to "20:00," and the desired charging time to "2.5 hours" ("YES" in S1, S2). Next, the reservation reception unit 421 determines that vehicle d can use charging facility X1 for 2.5 hours from 15:00 ("YES" in S3), updates the usage schedule information based on the corresponding information, and confirms the reservation. Once the reservation is confirmed, the information notification unit 422 notifies the user terminal 20 or the operation panel 30 that transmitted the reservation request and the mechanical parking lot 10 of information indicating that the reservation for vehicle d has been confirmed, along with the stored reservation information and usage schedule information (S4). This completes the reservation process for vehicle d by user D.

[0035] Similarly, when user E newly performs an operation to request a reservation for use of the mechanical parking lot 10 and charging equipment X for vehicle e, the reservation request resulting from this operation is sent to the parking lot management device 40. Based on the reservation request, the reservation reception unit 421 of the parking lot management device 40 sets the scheduled entry time of vehicle e to "14:30," the scheduled exit time to "20:30," and the desired charging time to "4.0 hours" ("YES" in S1, S2). Here, user E does not specify exit time information, and the reservation reception unit 421 notifies the user terminal 20 or the operation panel 30 that the scheduled exit time will be set to "20:30," which is the time that the pre-set "6.0 hours" has elapsed since the scheduled entry time. User E then performs an operation to acknowledge the notification, and the time "20:30" is set as the scheduled exit time for vehicle e. Next, the reservation acceptance unit 421 determines that vehicle e can use charging facility X3 for 4.0 hours from 16:30 ("YES" in S3), updates the usage schedule information based on the corresponding information, and confirms the reservation. Once the reservation is confirmed, the information notification unit 422 notifies the stored reservation information and usage schedule information as well as information indicating that the reservation of vehicle e has been confirmed to the user terminal 20 or operation panel 30 that sent the reservation request, and also notifies the mechanical parking lot 10 (S4). This completes the reservation process for vehicle e by user E.

[0036] 4(a) shows the reservation information stored in the reservation information storage unit 411 at a point after 14:30, when the reservation process for vehicle e was completed. The reservation information in FIG. 4(a) includes the scheduled entry time, desired charging time, scheduled departure time, and charging facility reception status for reserved vehicles a, b, c, d, and e.

[0037] FIG. 4(b) shows the usage schedule information stored in the usage schedule information storage unit 412 as of a time after 2:30 PM, when the reservation process for vehicle e was completed. The usage schedule information in FIG. 4(b) includes identification information for reserved vehicles for charging facilities X1, X2, and X3, and information indicating the facility usage status, including the facility usage start time, facility usage end time, scheduled departure time, and whether the facility usage time (the time from the facility usage start time to the facility usage end time) can be changed for each vehicle. The facility usage time can be changed if charging has not yet started and the time between the facility usage end time and the scheduled departure time is equal to or greater than a predetermined time (e.g., 30 minutes). In this example, vehicles a, b, and c are currently charging, and therefore cannot be changed. Vehicle d can be changed because charging has not started and the time between the facility usage end time and the scheduled departure time is equal to or greater than 30 minutes. Vehicle e cannot be changed because charging has not started, but the time between the facility usage end time and the scheduled departure time is less than 30 minutes.

[0038] FIG. 4(c) is a diagram showing, by bands, the facility usage time from the facility usage start time to the facility usage end time for each charging facility and for each vehicle, based on the usage schedule information in FIG. 4(b).

[0039] Next, when a new user F performs an operation to request a reservation for use of the mechanical parking lot 10 and charging equipment X for vehicle f, the reservation request resulting from this operation is sent to the parking lot management device 40. Based on the reservation request, the reservation reception unit 421 of the parking lot management device 40 sets the scheduled entry time of vehicle f to "14:40", the scheduled exit time to "18:00", and the desired charging time to "2.0 hours" ("YES" in S1, S2).

[0040] Next, the reservation reception unit 421 determines whether or not the charging facility X can be used for the desired charging time of "2.0 hours" between the scheduled entry time of vehicle f of "14:40" and the scheduled departure time of vehicle f of "18:00" based on the usage schedule information currently stored in the usage schedule information storage unit 412 (S3).

[0041] Here, the reservation reception unit 421 determines that the charging facility X cannot be used for the desired charging time of "2.0 hours" between the scheduled entrance time of vehicle f of "14:40" and the scheduled departure time of vehicle f of "18:00" ("NO" in S3). In this case, the reservation reception unit 421 determines whether or not there is a vehicle among the reserved vehicles whose facility usage time can be changed to a later time slot (S5).

[0042] Based on the usage schedule information in FIG. 4(b), the reservation reception unit 421 determines that the facility usage time of vehicle d, among the reserved vehicles, can be changed ("YES" in S5). Then, the reservation reception unit 421 again determines whether or not vehicle d can use charging facility X for the desired charging time of "2.0 hours" between the scheduled entry time of "14:40" and the scheduled departure time of "18:00" by changing the facility usage time of vehicle d to a later time slot as much as possible (S6). At this time, if there are multiple reserved vehicles whose facility usage times can be changed to later time slots, the facility usage time information of the reserved vehicle with the latest scheduled departure time is the target for change.

[0043] Here, by changing the start time of vehicle d's facility use to "16:30" and the end time of facility use to "19:00," and by changing the charging facility to be used from X1 to X2, it is determined that vehicle f will be able to use charging facility X1 for 2.0 hours from 15:00 to 17:00 ("YES" in S6).

[0044] The reservation reception unit 421 then generates usage schedule information based on the relevant information, updates the usage schedule information stored in the usage schedule information storage unit 412 with the generated usage schedule information, and confirms the reservation. Once the reservation is confirmed, the reservation reception unit 421 stores the confirmed reservation information for vehicle f in the reservation information storage unit 411. Furthermore, the information notification unit 422 transmits the updated reservation information and usage schedule information, as well as information notifying that the reservation details have been changed, to the user terminal 20 or the operation panel 30 and the mechanical parking lot 10 (S4). This completes the reservation process for vehicle f by user F.

[0045] Fig. 5(a) shows the reservation information stored in the reservation information storage unit 411 at a point in time after 14:40 when the reservation process for vehicle f was completed. Fig. 5(b) shows the usage schedule information stored in the usage schedule information storage unit 412 at a point in time after 14:40 when the reservation process for vehicle f was completed. Fig. 5(c) is a diagram showing, with bands, the facility usage time from the facility usage start time to the facility usage end time for each charging facility and each vehicle, based on the usage schedule information in Fig. 5(b).

[0046] As another example, we will explain the case where the reservation information shown in Figure 4(a) is stored in the reservation information storage unit 411 and the usage schedule information shown in Figures 4(b) and 4(c) is stored in the usage schedule information storage unit 412, and user G performs an operation to request a reservation for use of the mechanical parking lot 10 and charging equipment X for vehicle g.

[0047] When user G performs an operation to request a reservation for use of mechanical parking lot 10 and charging facility X for vehicle g, the reservation request resulting from that operation is sent to parking lot management device 40. Based on the reservation request, the reservation reception unit 421 of parking lot management device 40 sets the scheduled entry time of vehicle g to "15:30", the scheduled exit time to "18:00", and the desired charging time to "2.0 hours" ("YES" in S1, S2).

[0048] Next, the reservation reception unit 421 determines whether or not the charging facility X can be used for the desired charging time of "2.0 hours" between the scheduled entry time of vehicle g of "15:30" and the scheduled departure time of vehicle g of "18:00" based on the usage schedule information currently stored in the usage schedule information storage unit 412 (S3).

[0049] Here, the reservation reception unit 421 determines that the charging facility X cannot be used for the desired charging time of "2.0 hours" between the scheduled entrance time of vehicle g of "15:30" and the scheduled departure time of vehicle g of "18:00" ("NO" in S3). In this case, the reservation reception unit 421 determines whether or not there is a vehicle among the reserved vehicles whose facility usage time can be changed to a later time slot (S5).

[0050] At this time, it is past 15:00, and the facility usage time of vehicle d cannot be changed, so the reservation reception unit 421 determines that there is no vehicle whose facility usage time can be changed to a later time slot ("NO" in S5).

[0051] In this case, the reservation reception unit 421 determines whether the vehicle g can use any of the charging facilities X for a predetermined time or more (e.g., 30 minutes or more) but less than the desired charging time (S7). Here, it determines that the vehicle g can use the charging facility X2 for "1.5 hours" from 16:30 to 18:00 ("YES" in S7). When the reservation reception unit 421 determines that the vehicle g can use the charging facility X2 for a predetermined time or more but less than the desired charging time, it causes the user terminal 20 or the operation panel 30 to output information inquiring whether or not to approve use for this available time of "1.5 hours."

[0052] When the user confirms the information output to the user terminal 20 or the operation panel 30 and responds by performing an operation to approve use for the available time of "1.5 hours," information indicating the approval operation is transmitted to the parking lot management device 40. In the parking lot management device 40, when the reservation reception unit 421 acquires the information indicating the approval operation ("YES" in S8), it generates usage schedule information with the facility usage time of vehicle g set to 1.5 hours, updates the usage schedule information stored in the usage schedule information storage unit 412 with the generated usage schedule information, and confirms the reservation. When the reservation is confirmed, the reservation reception unit 421 stores the confirmed reservation information for vehicle g in the reservation information storage unit 411. In addition, the information notification unit 422 transmits information notifying that the reservation details have been changed, together with the updated reservation information and usage schedule information, to the user terminal 20 or the operation panel 30 and the mechanical parking lot 10 (S4). This completes the reservation process for vehicle g by user G.

[0053] Fig. 6(a) shows the reservation information stored in the reservation information storage unit 411 at a time a little after 15:30 when the reservation process for vehicle g was completed. Fig. 6(b) shows the usage schedule information stored in the usage schedule information storage unit 412 at a time a little after 15:30 when the reservation process for vehicle g was completed. Fig. 6(c) is a diagram showing, with bands, the facility usage time from the facility usage start time to the facility usage end time for each charging facility and each vehicle, based on the usage schedule information in Fig. 6(b).

[0054] In the above-mentioned step S6, if the reservation reception unit 421 determines that changing the facility usage time of the reserved vehicle will not enable the facility usage of the reservation-requested vehicle ("NO" in S6), the process proceeds to step S7.

[0055] Furthermore, in step S7 described above, if the reservation acceptance unit 421 determines that the reservation-requested vehicle is unable to use the charging facility even if the time is equal to or longer than the predetermined time and shorter than the desired charging time ("NO" in S7), it notifies the user terminal 20 or the operation panel 30 that the reservation is not possible for the reservation-requested vehicle (S9). Similarly, in step S8, if the reservation acceptance unit 421 is unable to obtain the user's approval information ("NO" in S8), it notifies the user terminal 20 or the operation panel 30 that the reservation is not possible for the reservation-requested vehicle (S9). The reservation acceptance unit 421 may register a reservation request that has been determined to be unable to be reserved in the reservation information storage unit 411 as information about a vehicle on a waiting list for cancellation.

[0056] Furthermore, when the reservation reception unit 421 determines in step S5 that there is no reserved vehicle whose facility use time can be changed to a later time slot ("NO" in S5), or when the reservation reception unit 421 determines in step S6 that changing the facility use time of the reserved vehicle will not enable the reservation-requesting vehicle to use the facility ("NO" in S6), it may determine that the reservation is not possible without performing the processes of steps S7 and S8. This concludes the description of the reservation request reception process executed by the parking lot management device 40.

[0057] Next, the process for changing a confirmed reservation will be described below. Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing the flow of the reservation change process executed by the parking lot management device 40 while the parking lot management system 1 is in operation.

[0058] While the parking lot management system 1 is operating, the reservation reception unit 421 monitors whether the facility usage time of any vehicle has been shortened due to the user of the reserved vehicle changing the reservation details before the charging process begins or stopping the charging process earlier than planned during the charging process (S11).

[0059] When the facility usage time of any vehicle is shortened ("YES" in S11), the reservation reception unit 421 determines whether there are any other reserved vehicles whose facility usage time can be changed to an earlier time period due to the shortened facility usage time of that vehicle (S12).

[0060] If there is no other reserved vehicle whose facility use time can be changed to the previous time period ("NO" in S12), the reservation reception unit 421 changes the facility use time of the vehicle whose facility use time has been shortened and updates the usage schedule information (S13).

[0061] In step S12, if there is a vehicle among the other reserved vehicles whose facility use time can be changed to an earlier time slot ("YES" in S12), the reservation reception unit 421 changes the facility use time of the vehicle whose facility use time has been shortened, and also changes the facility use time information of the vehicle whose facility use time can be changed to an earlier time slot, thereby updating the usage schedule information.

[0062] For example, let us consider a case where reservation information for vehicles a, b, c, d, e, and h is stored as shown in FIG. 8(a), and usage schedule information is stored as shown in FIGS. 8(b) and 8(c), and vehicle d stops charging and leaves the parking lot earlier than planned at 16:00. In this case, by changing the charging facility used by vehicle h from X2 to X1, the facility usage start time can be advanced from 16:30 to 16:00. As a result, the reservation acceptance unit 421 updates the usage schedule information as shown in FIGS. 9(a) and 9(b). After updating the usage schedule information, the information notification unit 422 notifies the user terminal 20 or the operation panel 30 and the mechanical parking lot 10 of the updated usage schedule information and information notifying that the reservation details have been changed (S14).

[0063] Furthermore, if there are multiple vehicles whose facility use time can be changed to an earlier time slot, and among them there is a vehicle whose reserved facility use time is shorter than the desired charging time, such as vehicle g in Figure 6, the reservation reception unit 421 may give priority to changing the reserved vehicle to an earlier time slot and update the usage schedule information so that the facility use time is close to or matches the desired charging time.

[0064] After executing the processing of step S13 or S14, the reservation acceptance unit 421 determines whether or not a vehicle on the waiting list for cancellation is registered in the reservation information in the reservation information storage unit 411 (S15). If a vehicle on the waiting list for cancellation is registered ("YES" in S15), it determines whether or not a reservation for that vehicle can be added (S16). If the determination result shows that a reservation for that vehicle on the waiting list for cancellation can be added ("YES" in S16), the reservation acceptance unit 421 confirms the reservation for that vehicle, adds the corresponding reservation information, and updates the usage schedule information.

[0065] For example, a case will be described in which reservation information regarding reserved vehicles a, b, c, d, e, and h, and vehicle i on a waiting list for cancellations, is stored as shown in Fig. 10, and usage schedule information is stored as shown in Fig. 8(b) and (c) as in the above-described case, and vehicle d stops charging processing at 16:00, earlier than scheduled, and leaves the parking lot. In this case, after vehicle d leaves the parking lot, the reservation acceptance unit 421 determines that a reservation for vehicle i to use charging facility X1 can be added, and changes the acceptance status of vehicle i from "waiting for cancellations" to "charging acceptance" as shown in Fig. 11(a).

[0066] 11(b) and 11(c), the reservation reception unit 421 updates the usage schedule information. After updating the usage schedule information, the information notification unit 422 notifies the user terminal 20 or the operation panel 30 and the mechanical parking lot 10 of the updated usage schedule information and information notifying that the reservation details have been changed (S17).

[0067] Here, the registration of the vehicle on standby for cancellation may be valid until 30 minutes before the scheduled departure time of the vehicle, and after that time the registration may be treated as canceled.

[0068] If it is determined in step S15 that there are no vehicles registered on the waiting list ("NO" in S15), or if it is determined in step S16 that a reservation for a vehicle on the waiting list cannot be added ("NO" in S16), the reservation information and usage schedule information will not be updated.

[0069] Furthermore, if the reservation of any reserved vehicle is canceled, the reservation reception unit 421 deletes information about the corresponding vehicle from the reservation information and usage schedule information, and updates the usage schedule information by changing the facility usage time of the other reserved vehicles to the previous time slot, as in the process described above, and adding a reservation for a vehicle on standby for cancellation. This update process of the reservation information and usage schedule information may be performed when a reservation cancellation occurs, or may be performed when there is a vehicle waiting to be charged when the charging process for another vehicle in the process of charging is completed.

[0070] In addition, if the vehicle does not enter the mechanical parking lot 10 after a predetermined time (e.g., 30 minutes) has passed since the scheduled entry time in the confirmed reservation information, the reservation reception unit 421 may process the reservation for the vehicle's use of the mechanical parking lot 10 and charging equipment as canceled.

[0071] Furthermore, even if a vehicle that has entered the facility changes its plans and leaves the facility before the facility usage start time, the reservation receiving unit 421 may process the reservation for the vehicle's use of the charging facility as a cancellation.

[0072] The parking lot control device 17 of the mechanical parking lot 10 controls the drive device 16 to move the pallet 14 carrying the corresponding vehicle based on the usage schedule information and user operation information acquired as described above.

[0073] Specifically, when a user performs a pallet call operation to bring a vehicle into charging facility X, parking lot control device 17 controls drive device 16 to move the corresponding pallet 14 to the entrance and open the door. Once the entrance and exit doors are open, the user moves the vehicle onto pallet 14 and connects the vehicle to the charger 15 on the pallet 14 with a charging cable. After that, when the user performs an operation to close the entrance and exit doors, the parking lot control device 17 controls the entrance and exit doors to close, and the corresponding pallet 14 moves to the corresponding shelf, allowing the vehicle to enter the parking lot.

[0074] Furthermore, when the time arrives to start the charging process for a parked vehicle, parking lot control device 17 controls drive device 16 to move the corresponding pallet 14 to a shelf where the power supply equipment is located. When pallet 14 is stored on the shelf where the power supply equipment is located, power plug 15a of charger 15 is connected to the power supply equipment, and charging becomes possible. Then, in response to an instruction from charging equipment management device 18, power supply from power supply equipment 11 to charger 15 begins, and charging of the vehicle begins.

[0075] Furthermore, when the charging process for the vehicle is completed, the parking lot control device 17 controls the drive device 16 to move the vehicle to another shelf or to remove the vehicle from the parking lot.

[0076] When a vehicle to be charged is moved to a shelf with power supply equipment, or when the vehicle is moved from the shelf with power supply equipment after the charging process is completed, if a vehicle other than the vehicle to be charged needs to enter or leave the mechanical parking lot 10 or a preparation process for entering or leaving the mechanical parking lot 10 occurs, the processing may be given priority over the charging process. Also, a predetermined time (e.g., 10 minutes) before the facility use start time, the pallet 14 carrying the vehicle may be moved near the shelf to be charged, and preparation for the charging process may be performed. However, if the time required for the vehicle to be moved to the shelf (e.g., 5 minutes) from the facility use start time of the vehicle is reached due to the priority given to the operation of another vehicle, the preparation process is canceled.

[0077] Furthermore, charging facility management device 18 controls the state of power supply to each of power feeding facilities 11-13, and also acquires charging status information of vehicles being charged by charging facilities X1-X3 and transmits it to parking lot management device 40.

[0078] In the parking lot management device 40, the charging status information processing unit 423 acquires the charging status information of each vehicle transmitted from the mechanical parking lot 10. When the charging status information processing unit 423 acquires a request for an inquiry about the charging status of any vehicle from the user terminal 20 or the operation panel 30 by a user operation, it provides the charging status information of the corresponding vehicle.

[0079] According to the above embodiment, usage schedule information for the charging equipment in the parking lot is generated so that as many electric vehicles as possible can efficiently use the charging equipment installed in the parking lot, and each vehicle can be caused to perform charging processing based on this information.

[0080] In the above-described embodiment, when the reservation reception unit 421 generates the usage schedule information, the equipment usage time may be set within a time range from the scheduled departure time to a predetermined time before (for example, 30 minutes before) taking into consideration the time it takes for the vehicle to finish the charging process and leave the parking lot.

[0081] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, when a user stops the charging process earlier than planned during the charging process, the reservation reception unit 421 may determine that the charging process has been temporarily suspended at this point, and may determine that the suspension of the charging process has been confirmed when the vehicle in question leaves the mechanical parking lot 10. Here, when the vehicle in question moves from the shelf P1 to P3 that is the target of the charging process to another shelf but does not leave, and then returns to the shelf P1 to P3 that is the target of the charging process again, the reservation reception unit 421 does not change the reservation information and usage schedule information, and the charging equipment management device 18 resumes the charging process.

[0082] For example, if a user realizes that they have left something behind in the vehicle during charging, temporarily suspends the charging process, moves the item from shelves P1-P3 to an entrance or the like, retrieves the item, and then moves the item back to shelves P1-P3, the charging process resumes without changing the usage schedule information. If the vehicle leaves the mechanical parking lot 10 with the charging process still suspended, the reservation reception unit 421 deletes information about the vehicle from the reservation information and usage schedule information and treats it as a usage cancellation.

[0083] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the embodiments can be modified or varied based on the above disclosure. All components of the above embodiments and all features described in the claims may be individually extracted and combined, unless they contradict each other. [Explanation of symbols]

[0084] 1. Parking lot management system 10 Mechanical Parking Lot 11~13 Power supply equipment 14, 14-1 to 14-12 Palettes 15, 15-1~15-12 Charger 15a, 15a-1 to 15a-12 power plug 16 Drive unit 17 Parking lot control device 18 Charging equipment management device 20 User terminal 30 Control panel 40 Parking lot management device 41 Storage section 42 CPU 411 Reservation information storage unit 412 Usage schedule information storage unit 421 Reservations Department 422 Information Notification Department 423 Charging status information processing unit

Claims

1. a reservation information storage unit that stores information on a scheduled entry time, scheduled exit time, and desired charging time of a reserved vehicle that has reserved use of a parking lot and charging equipment installed in the parking lot, as reservation information for the reserved vehicle; a usage schedule information storage unit that stores usage schedule information of the charging facility, in which a facility usage start time and a facility usage end time for the reserved vehicle to use the charging facility are set for the desired charging time between the scheduled entry time and the scheduled departure time; a reservation reception unit that, upon receiving a reservation request for the parking lot and the charging facility related to a reservation-requesting vehicle that plans to use the parking lot and the charging facility, sets a scheduled entry time, a scheduled departure time, and a desired charging time for the reservation-requesting vehicle based on the reservation request, generates usage schedule information for the charging facility in which the reserved vehicle and the reservation-requesting vehicle's respective desired charging times from their respective scheduled entry times to their respective scheduled departure times, and a facility use start time and facility use end time for each vehicle for using the charging facility are set, and updates the usage schedule information stored in the usage schedule information storage unit to confirm the reservation, and stores information on the scheduled entry time, scheduled departure time, and desired charging time for the reservation-requesting vehicle in the reservation information storage unit as reservation information for the reserved vehicle, a parking lot management device characterized in that, when the reservation reception unit receives the reservation request, if it determines that the reservation-requesting vehicle will not be able to use the charging facility for the desired charging time between the corresponding scheduled entry time and scheduled departure time, if there is a reserved vehicle among the vehicles whose corresponding facility use start time and facility use end time can be changed to a later time slot, it changes the information of the corresponding facility use start time and facility use end time, and then determines again whether the reservation-requesting vehicle can use the charging facility for the desired charging time between the corresponding scheduled entry time and scheduled departure time, and if so, sets the facility use start time and facility use end time of the reservation-requesting vehicle and updates the usage schedule information.

2. The parking lot management device of claim 1, characterized in that, when the reservation request is received, the reservation reception unit determines that the reservation-requesting vehicle will not be able to use the charging facility for the desired charging time between the corresponding scheduled entry time and scheduled exit time, and if there are multiple reserved vehicles whose corresponding facility use start time and facility use end time can be changed to a later time slot, changes the facility use start time and facility use end time information for the reserved vehicle with the latest scheduled exit time.

3. a reservation information storage unit that stores information on a scheduled entry time, scheduled exit time, and desired charging time of a reserved vehicle that has reserved use of a parking lot and charging equipment installed in the parking lot, as reservation information for the reserved vehicle; a usage schedule information storage unit that stores usage schedule information of the charging facility, in which a facility usage start time and a facility usage end time for the reserved vehicle to use the charging facility are set for the desired charging time between the scheduled entry time and the scheduled departure time; a reservation reception unit that, upon receiving a reservation request for the parking lot and the charging facility related to a reservation-requesting vehicle that plans to use the parking lot and the charging facility, sets a scheduled entry time, a scheduled departure time, and a desired charging time for the reservation-requesting vehicle based on the reservation request, generates usage schedule information for the charging facility in which the reserved vehicle and the reservation-requesting vehicle's respective desired charging times from their respective scheduled entry times to their respective scheduled departure times, and a facility use start time and facility use end time for each vehicle for using the charging facility are set, and updates the usage schedule information stored in the usage schedule information storage unit to confirm the reservation, and stores information on the scheduled entry time, scheduled departure time, and desired charging time for the reservation-requesting vehicle in the reservation information storage unit as reservation information for the reserved vehicle, When the reservation reception unit receives the reservation request, if the reservation-requesting vehicle is not able to use the charging facility for the desired charging time between the corresponding scheduled entry time and scheduled departure time, but is able to use the facility for a time that is greater than a predetermined time and less than the desired charging time of the reservation-requesting vehicle, it outputs inquiry information asking whether to approve use during the available time, and when it receives information indicating that use is approved in response to this, it sets a facility use start time and a facility use end time for the reservation-requesting vehicle based on the available time and updates the usage schedule information.

4. The reservation information storage unit The scheduled time of entry designated by the user or the time when the user performed an operation to request the corresponding reservation is stored as the scheduled time of entry; storing, as the scheduled departure time, a scheduled departure time designated by the user, a time when a predetermined time has elapsed since the scheduled entry time set, or a facility usage end time of the vehicle specified based on the scheduled entry time set, the desired charging time, and information in the usage schedule information storage unit; 4. The parking lot management device according to claim 1, wherein a desired charging time designated by a user or a preset time is stored as the desired charging time.

5. The parking lot management device of any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the reservation reception unit registers information on the scheduled entry time, scheduled exit time, and desired charging time for a reservation-requesting vehicle that has been determined to be unable to use the charging facility in the reservation information storage unit as information on a waiting vehicle, and when the reservation information for the charging facility for one of the reserved vehicles is canceled or changed, changes the start time and end time of facility use for the other reserved vehicles to an earlier time period if possible, and if there is a registered waiting vehicle that can be added, changes the information of the corresponding vehicle in the reservation information storage unit to a reserved vehicle, adds information about the vehicle, and updates the information in the usage schedule information storage unit.

6. The reservation reception unit During the charging process for the reserved vehicle, If the user temporarily suspends the charging process before the facility usage end time but the reserved vehicle has not yet left the parking lot, the reservation information and the usage schedule information are not changed, and the charging process can be resumed thereafter; A parking lot management device as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that when the reserved vehicle leaves the parking lot after the user stops the charging process earlier than the facility usage end time, the reservation information is deleted from the reservation information storage unit, and the usage schedule information is deleted from the usage schedule information storage unit and treated as a usage cancellation.

7. A parking lot management device as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the reservation reception unit processes the reservation for the vehicle's use of the parking lot and the charging equipment as canceled if the vehicle does not enter the parking lot within a predetermined time after the scheduled entry time of the reservation information in the usage schedule information stored in the usage schedule information storage unit.

8. The parking lot management device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising a charging status information processing unit that acquires charging status information of each vehicle by the charging equipment and transmits it to a terminal of a user of each vehicle.

9. a reservation information storage unit that stores information on a scheduled entry time, scheduled exit time, and desired charging time of a reserved vehicle that has reserved use of a parking lot and charging equipment installed in the parking lot, as reservation information for the reserved vehicle; a usage schedule information storage unit that stores usage schedule information of the charging facility, in which the desired charging time, a facility usage start time, and a facility usage end time for the reserved vehicle to use the charging facility are set between the scheduled entry time and the scheduled departure time, When a reservation request for the parking lot and the charging facility is received for a reservation-requesting vehicle that is scheduled to use the parking lot and the charging facility, a scheduled entry time, a scheduled exit time, and a desired charging time for the reservation-requesting vehicle are set based on the reservation request, usage schedule information for the charging facility is generated in which the reserved vehicle and the reservation-requesting vehicle's desired charging times from their respective scheduled entry times to their respective scheduled exit times, and a facility use start time and facility use end time for each vehicle for using the charging facility are set, and the usage schedule information stored in the usage schedule information storage unit is updated to confirm the reservation, and information on the scheduled entry time, scheduled exit time, and desired charging time for the reservation-requesting vehicle is stored in the reservation information storage unit as reservation information for the reserved vehicle, a parking lot management method characterized in that, when the reservation request is received, if it is determined that the reservation-requesting vehicle is not able to use the charging facility for the desired charging time between the corresponding scheduled entry time and scheduled departure time, if there is a vehicle among the reserved vehicles whose corresponding facility use start time and facility use end time can be changed to a later time slot, the information for the corresponding facility use start time and facility use end time is changed, and then the reservation-requesting vehicle is again determined to be able to use the charging facility for the desired charging time between the corresponding scheduled entry time and scheduled departure time, and if so, the facility use start time and facility use end time of the reservation-requesting vehicle are set and the usage schedule information is updated.

10. A parking lot control device communicably connected to the parking lot management device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, the parking lot is a mechanical parking lot having a plurality of parking shelves; A parking lot control device characterized by comprising a control unit that, when a predetermined time before the facility usage start time stored in the usage schedule information storage unit, moves a pallet carrying a vehicle corresponding to this facility usage start time to a shelf closer to the charging facility to perform preparatory operations for charging processing, and cancels the preparatory operations if operations related to other vehicles are to be prioritized.

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