Usage status acquisition system, usage status acquisition method, and program

Abstract

To grasp the usage status of a parking space where an EV charger is installed, even when non-electric vehicles can be parked in the parking space. [Solution] In the parking usage status acquisition system, a sensor unit detects the presence or absence of a vehicle in each predetermined parking space in a parking lot. In addition, in the control unit 11 of the management server 10, a detection unit 113 detects whether a vehicle parked in a parking space is charging, and an association unit 114 controls the output of information that associates the detection results of the presence or absence of a vehicle parked in a parking space with the detection results of the presence or absence of a vehicle parked in a parking space during a predetermined period.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a usage status acquisition system, a usage status acquisition method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART In a situation where unmanned parking lots are becoming commonplace, a technique for grasping the usage status of a parking lot for each parking space is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-124614 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] With the spread of electric vehicles (EVs), the number of unmanned parking lots equipped with EV chargers is increasing. However, in order to ensure convenience for users of non-electric vehicles such as gasoline-powered cars and hybrid cars, which are overwhelmingly more popular than EVs, or to increase the utilization rate of the parking lot, some parking lots allow non-electric vehicles to be parked in parking spaces equipped with EV chargers. In this case, it becomes difficult to grasp how many electric vehicles and how many non-electric vehicles are parked in a parking space where an EV charger is installed, but some who receive revenue from the use of EV chargers (for example, EV charger providers and parking lot owners) would like to grasp the usage status of parking spaces where EV chargers are installed.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to make it possible to grasp the usage status of a parking space where an EV charger is installed, even when non-electric vehicles can be parked in that space. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The invention described in claim 1 is a usage status acquisition system characterized by having a first detection means for detecting the presence or absence of a vehicle in each predetermined parking space in a parking lot, a second detection means for detecting whether a vehicle parked in the parking space is charging, and a matching means for outputting information that matches the detection result of the presence or absence of the vehicle with the detection result of the presence or absence of charging during a predetermined period. The invention described in claim 2 is the usage status acquisition system described in claim 1, characterized in that the first detection means is a distance measuring sensor that detects the presence or absence of a vehicle in the parking space from the measurement results of the distance to the vehicle. The invention described in claim 3 is the usage status acquisition system described in claim 1, characterized in that the first detection means is an image sensor that detects the presence or absence of a vehicle in the parking space from an image of the parking space. The invention described in claim 4 is the usage status acquisition system described in claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the first detection means transmits a change in the state of the detection results of the presence or absence of a vehicle at predetermined time intervals. The invention described in claim 5 is the utilization status acquisition system according to claim 1, characterized in that the second detection means detects whether charging has occurred from charging record information. The invention described in claim 6 is the usage status acquisition system described in claim 5, characterized in that the charging record information includes the date and time when charging was performed. The invention described in claim 7 is a usage status acquisition method characterized by including the steps of detecting the presence or absence of a vehicle in each predetermined parking space in a parking lot, detecting whether the vehicle parked in the parking space is charging, and outputting information that associates the detection results of the presence or absence of the vehicle with the detection results of the presence or absence of the charging during a predetermined period. The invention described in claim 8 is a program for enabling a computer to perform the following functions: detect the presence or absence of a vehicle in each predetermined parking space in a parking lot; detect whether a vehicle parked in the parking space is charging; and output information that corresponds the detection results of the presence or absence of the vehicle and the detection results of the presence or absence of charging during a predetermined period. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, even if a parking space in which an EV charger is installed can accommodate non-electric vehicles, it is possible to grasp the usage status of that parking space. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of a usage status acquisition system to which the present embodiment is applied. [Figure 2] 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a management server that constitutes the utilization status acquisition system of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 3] 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a sensor unit that constitutes the utilization status acquisition system of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the external configuration of a sensor unit. [Figure 5] 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a control unit of the management server of FIG. 2. FIG. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing flow of a management server. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a specific example of a parking lot to which the present service is applied. [Figure 8] 10 is a conceptual diagram showing a specific example of a method for a sensor unit to detect the presence or absence of a vehicle. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. <Configuration of usage status acquisition system 1> FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a usage status acquisition system 1 to which this embodiment is applied. The usage status acquisition system 1 is a system that enables the provision of a service (hereinafter referred to as "this service") that enables the understanding of the usage status of a parking space where an EV charger is installed, even if non-electric vehicles can be parked in that space.

[0010] Here, an "EV charger" refers to a charger that supplies power to electric vehicles parked in each parking space in a parking lot, enabling them to be charged. A "parking space" refers to an area in a parking lot, demarcated by a white line or other marking, that can accommodate one vehicle. A parking lot may have one or more parking spaces. An "electric vehicle" refers to a vehicle that charges with supplied power and can run using the charged power. A "non-electric vehicle" refers to a vehicle other than an electric vehicle. Specifically, a non-electric vehicle refers to a vehicle that can run using fuel such as gasoline or gas and does not require charging. For this reason, for example, so-called hybrid vehicles that can run using a combination of fuel and electricity but do not require charging using an EV charger are classified as non-electric vehicles.

[0011] The usage status acquisition system 1 is configured by connecting a management server 10, sensor units 30-1 to 30-n (n is an integer value of 1 or greater), and user terminals 70-1 to 70-m (m is an integer value of 1 or greater) via a network 90. ​​The network 90 is, for example, a local area network (LAN) or the Internet. Furthermore, EV chargers 50-1 to 50-n are connected to each of the sensor units 30-1 to 30-n by wire or wirelessly.

[0012] Hereinafter, when there is no need to explain each of the sensor units 30-1 to 30-n individually, they will be collectively referred to as "sensor unit 30." Furthermore, when there is no need to explain each of the EV chargers 50-1 to 50-n individually, they will be collectively referred to as "EV charger 50." Furthermore, when there is no need to explain each of the user terminals 70-1 to 70-m individually, they will be collectively referred to as "user terminal 70." Specific examples of the service provided by the usage status acquisition system 1 will be described later with reference to FIG. 8.

[0013] [Management Server 10] The management server 10 is an information processing device that serves as a server that manages the entire usage status acquisition system 1. The management server 10 is managed, for example, by a party that provides this service. The management server 10 transmits various types of information to the sensor units 30, the user terminals 70, and external devices, and enables various processes to be executed. The management server 10 also acquires various types of information transmitted from the sensor units 30, the user terminals 70, and external devices, and enables various processes to be executed.

[0014] For example, the management server 10 acquires information transmitted from a sensor unit 30 that detects the presence or absence of a vehicle in each predetermined parking space in the parking lot. In addition, as a second detection means, the management server 10 detects the presence or absence of charging by an EV charger 50 to a vehicle parked in each predetermined parking space in the parking lot.

[0015] Specifically, the management server 10 detects "whether charging has occurred using the EV charger 50" based on the detection results of the presence or absence of a vehicle in each parking space provided by the sensor units 30 and information about charging using the EV charger 50. The information about charging using the EV charger 50 includes information about the history of whether charging has occurred using the EV charger 50 (hereinafter referred to as "charging history information"). The charging history information also includes the date and time when charging using the EV charger 50 was performed and the date and time when charging using the EV charger 50 was not performed.

[0016] Furthermore, the management server 10, as a correlation means, correlates and manages the detection results of the presence or absence of a vehicle in each parking space with the detection results of the presence or absence of charging by the EV charger 50 in each parking space over a predetermined period. Here, the "predetermined period" is defined, for example, by seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, quarters, or years. The management server 10 is also capable of outputting this correlated information. The configuration and processing of the management server 10 will be described in detail later.

[0017] [Sensor unit 30] The sensor unit 30 is a device installed in each parking space, and serves as a first detection means for detecting the presence or absence of a vehicle in the parking space at predetermined times and transmitting the detection results. The sensor unit 30 is composed of various sensors, communication means, etc. The hardware configuration of the sensor unit 30 will be described later with reference to FIG. 3.

[0018] The sensor unit 30 may be configured to transmit all of the detection results of the presence or absence of a vehicle in a parking space for each predetermined time period, or may be configured to transmit only the detection results that have changed in state. In this case, only the information necessary for the management server 10 to detect the presence or absence of charging is transmitted, thereby reducing the burden on the system.

[0019] [EV charger 50] The EV charger 50 is a device installed in each parking space in a parking lot, and is a charger that enables charging of electric vehicles parked in the parking space. Information related to charging by the EV charger 50 is transmitted to the management server 10 via the sensor unit 30 connected to the EV charger 50.

[0020] [User terminal 70] The user terminal 70 is an information processing device such as a smartphone, tablet terminal, or personal computer operated by a user who uses the usage status acquisition system 1 as a user of the service. Application software that enables the use of the service is installed on the user terminal 70. Examples of users of the service include parking lot owners, providers of EV chargers 50 to parking lots, and users of the parking lots.

[0021] The user terminal 70 is capable of transmitting various types of information to both the management server 10 and external devices. The user terminal 70 is also capable of acquiring various types of information transmitted from both the management server 10 and external devices and executing various processes. For example, the user terminal 70 acquires information transmitted from the management server 10 that associates the detection results of the presence or absence of a vehicle in each parking space during a predetermined period with the detection results of the presence or absence of charging by the EV charger 50, and displays the information on a display or the like.

[0022] The configuration of the usage status acquisition system 1 described above is one example, and it is sufficient if the usage status acquisition system 1 as a whole has the functions to realize the above-described processing. Therefore, some or all of the functions to realize the above-described processing may be shared or cooperated within the usage status acquisition system 1. That is, some or all of the functions of the management server 10 constituting the usage status acquisition system 1 may be functions of other devices. Also, some or all of the functions of other devices may be functions of the management server 10. Furthermore, some or all of the functions of the management server 10 and other devices constituting the usage status acquisition system 1 may be transferred to other servers or the like (not shown). This promotes processing in the usage status acquisition system 1 as a whole and also enables processes to complement each other.

[0023] <Hardware configuration> [Hardware configuration of management server 10] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the management server 10 constituting the utilization status acquisition system 1 of FIG. The management server 10 has a control unit 11, a memory 12, a storage unit 13, a communication unit 14, an operation unit 15, and a display unit 16. These units are connected by a data bus, an address bus, a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) bus, etc.

[0024] The control unit 11 is a processor that controls the functions of the management server 10 through the execution of various software such as an OS (operating system) and application software. In this embodiment, various processes are executed by an arbitrary computer. The arbitrary computer may be realized as a processor in the form of hardware, a program in the form of software, or a combination thereof. The arbitrary computer may be a general-purpose computer, a computer for a specific application, a workstation, or any other system capable of executing various processes.

[0025] The processor is configured to execute various processes in cooperation with the program. The processor can function as each unit or each means in this embodiment. The order in which the processor executes processes is not limited to the order described in this embodiment and can be changed as necessary.

[0026] The processor can be configured with one or more pieces of hardware. The type of hardware that configures the processor is not limited to a specific type. For example, the processor may be a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), a programmable logic device such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), a dedicated circuit for executing specific processing such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a GPU (Graphic Processing Unit), an NPU (Neural Processing Unit), or other hardware.

[0027] A processor is not limited to a combination of multiple pieces of the same type of hardware, but can also be configured with a combination of multiple pieces of different types of hardware. When multiple pieces of hardware are configured to execute one or more processes of a certain processor, the multiple pieces of hardware may exist in devices physically separated from each other, or may exist in the same device. The hardware is configured with an electric circuit (circuitry) that combines circuit elements such as semiconductor elements.

[0028] In any of the embodiments, the order in which various processes are executed by the processor is not limited to the order described in each embodiment and can be changed as necessary. The program may be firmware or software such as microcode. The program may be, for example, a group of program modules. Each function constituting the group of program modules may be realized by a processor configured to execute each function. The program in each of the embodiments may be program code or multiple code segments stored in one or more non-transitory computer-readable media (e.g., semiconductor memory, magnetic or optical storage medium, or other storage).

[0029] The program may be stored in multiple non-transitory computer-readable media that are physically separate from each other. The program code or multiple code segments may be represented by any combination of procedures, functions, subprograms, routines, subroutines, modules, software packages, classes, instructions, data structures, and program statements. The program code or multiple code segments may be connected to other code segments or hardware circuits by sending or receiving information, data, arguments, parameters, or memory contents.

[0030] The memory 12 is a storage area for storing various software programs and data used for executing the software programs, and is used as a work area for calculations. The memory 12 is configured, for example, by RAM (Random Access Memory).

[0031] The storage unit 13 is a storage area that stores input data for various software programs and output data from various software programs. The storage unit 13 is composed of, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), a semiconductor memory, etc. that are used to store programs and various setting data. The storage unit 13 is provided with a database for storing various types of information. The database provided in the storage unit 13 stores information such as the detection results of the presence or absence of a vehicle in each parking space, information related to charging by the EV charger 50, and the detection results of the presence or absence of charging by the EV charger 50 in each parking space.

[0032] The communication unit 14 transmits and receives data to and from the sensor unit 30, the EV charger 50, and the outside world via the network 90. ​​The operation unit 15 is composed of, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, mechanical buttons, and switches, and accepts input operations.

[0033] The operation unit 15 also includes a touch sensor that forms a touch panel integrally with the display unit 16. The display unit 16 is configured, for example, with a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display used to display information, and displays images, text data, etc. The display unit 16 displays a user interface, etc.

[0034] [Hardware configuration of sensor unit 30] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the sensor unit 30 constituting the utilization status acquisition system 1 of FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the external configuration of the sensor unit 30. As shown in FIG. 3, the sensor unit 30 includes a control unit 31, a memory 32, a storage unit 33, a communication unit 34, an operation unit 35, and a display unit 36, which correspond to the control unit 11, memory 12, storage unit 13, communication unit 14, operation unit 15, and display unit 16 shown in FIG. 2. In addition to these components, the sensor unit 30 also includes a sensor unit 37 made up of various sensors. The sensor unit 37 includes a distance measurement sensor that can detect the presence or absence of a vehicle in a parking space from the measurement results of the distance to the vehicle, an image sensor that can detect the presence or absence of a vehicle in a parking space from a captured image of the parking space, and the like.

[0035] For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the sensor unit 30 may have a box-shaped housing 300 and a sensor unit 37 at the tip of a cable 301 extending from the housing 300. In this case, the control unit 31, memory 32, storage unit 33, communication unit 34, operation unit 35, and display unit 36 ​​shown in FIG. 3 are arranged in the space inside the housing 300. The sensor unit 30 may be installed, for example, by fixing the housing 300 and sensor unit 37 to a columnar structure erected for each parking space, or by fixing the housing 300 and sensor unit 37 to an EV charger 50 installed for each parking space. A specific installation mode of the sensor unit 30 will be described later with reference to FIG. 5.

[0036] [Hardware Configuration of EV Charger 50 and User Terminal 70] EV charger 50 and user terminal 70 each include a control unit, memory, storage unit, communication unit, operation unit, and display unit corresponding to control unit 11, memory 12, storage unit 13, communication unit 14, operation unit 15, and display unit 16 shown in Fig. 2. A specific installation mode of EV charger 50 will be described later with reference to Fig. 5.

[0037] <Functional configuration> [Functional Configuration of the Control Unit 11 of the Management Server 10] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the functional configuration of the control unit 11 of the management server 10 of FIG. The control unit 11 of the management server 10 functions as an acquisition unit 111 that acquires various types of information and a management unit 112 that manages the various types of information. The control unit 11 also functions as a detection unit 113, an association unit 114 as an association means, and an output control unit 115 that controls the transmission of various types of information.

[0038] The acquisition unit 111 acquires various types of information transmitted from the sensor unit 30 and external sources via the communication unit 14 (see FIG. 2). For example, the acquisition unit 111 acquires the detection results of the presence or absence of a vehicle in each parking space transmitted from the sensor unit 30. The acquisition unit 111 also acquires information related to charging by the EV charger 50 transmitted from the sensor unit 30.

[0039] The management unit 112 stores and manages various types of information in a database in the storage unit 13 (see FIG. 2). For example, the management unit 112 stores and manages the detection results of the presence or absence of a vehicle in each parking space and information related to charging by the EV charger 50, which are acquired by the acquisition unit 111, in the database. The management unit 112 also stores and manages the detection results of the presence or absence of charging by the EV charger 50 in each parking space, which are detected by the detection unit 113, which will be described later, in the database.

[0040] The detection unit 113, as a second detection means, detects whether or not a vehicle parked in each predetermined parking space in the parking lot is being charged by the EV charger 50. Specifically, the detection unit 113 detects whether or not a vehicle parked in each predetermined parking space is being charged by the EV charger 50 based on the detection result of the presence or absence of a vehicle in each parking space and information related to charging by the EV charger 50, both acquired by the acquisition unit 111. For example, the detection unit 113 detects whether or not a vehicle parked in each predetermined parking space is being charged by the EV charger 50 based on the detection result of the presence or absence of a vehicle and the date and time when charging was performed, which is identified from charging history information included in the information related to charging.

[0041] The association unit 114 associates and manages the detection result of whether or not a vehicle is present in each parking space and the detection result of whether or not charging is being performed by the EV charger 50 in each parking space during a predetermined period.

[0042] The output control unit 115 controls the output of various types of information. For example, the output control unit 115 controls the output of information that associates the detection results of whether or not a vehicle is present in each parking space with the detection results of whether or not charging is being performed by the EV charger 50 in each parking space, which are managed by the management unit 112. The output control unit 115 also controls the output of information related to the usage status of the parking space, which is identified or estimated from the information that associates the detection results of whether or not a vehicle is present in each parking space with the detection results of whether or not charging is being performed by the EV charger 50 in each parking space.

[0043] Information about the parking space usage status includes, for example, when and for how long an electric vehicle was parked, whether it was charged by the EV charger 50 during that time, and if it was charged, for how long. Information about the parking space usage status also includes information about when and for how long an electric vehicle or non-electric vehicle was parked without charging.

[0044] Furthermore, the output control unit 115 can control the output of alert information for notifying the user of the parking space when the information on the parking space usage status has a predetermined importance or urgency, such as when unauthorized use of the parking space is identified.

[0045] Here, the output mode when the output control unit 115 outputs various information, such as information associating the detection result of the presence or absence of a vehicle in each parking space with the detection result of the presence or absence of charging by the EV charger 50 in each parking space, and information regarding the usage status of the parking space, is not particularly limited. For example, the various information may be sent as electronic data to a predetermined destination and output in a manner that is displayed on a display or the like of the destination information processing device (e.g., the user terminal 70). Alternatively, the various information may be output as a printed matter printed on paper or the like.

[0046] This service is applicable to a business model in which the provider of EV charger 50 installs EV charger 50 in a parking lot and recovers the costs from the running profits obtained from EV charger 50 without charging the owner of the parking lot for the installation costs. In such a business model, in order to increase the convenience of those who use the parking lot (drivers) or to increase the turnover rate of the parking lot, non-electric vehicles may be allowed to park in the parking space where EV charger 50 is installed.

[0047] However, if an increasing number of non-electric vehicles are parked in a parking space where an EV charger 50 is installed, the running profits obtained from the EV charger 50 may decrease, and it may become impossible to expect to recover costs. In response to this, the information on the parking space usage status output under the control of the output control unit 115 may also include, for example, information on an estimated time by which cost recovery can be completed.

[0048] <Processing flow of the management server 10> FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow of the management server 10. When the management server 10 receives a detection result of whether or not a vehicle is present from the sensor unit 30 installed in each parking space together with the EV charger 50 (YES in step 101), the management server 10 acquires the transmitted detection result of whether or not a vehicle is present (step 102). The acquired detection result is stored and managed in a database. On the other hand, if the detection result of whether or not a vehicle is present has not been transmitted (NO in step 101), the management server 10 repeats the determination process of step 101.

[0049] Furthermore, when information regarding charging by the EV charger 50 is transmitted from the sensor unit 30 (YES in step 103), the management server 10 acquires the transmitted information regarding charging (step 104). The acquired information regarding charging is stored and managed in a database. On the other hand, when information regarding charging has not been transmitted (NO in step 103), the management server 10 repeats the determination process in step 103.

[0050] The management server 10 detects whether charging is being performed by the EV charger 50 for each parking space based on the detection result of the presence or absence of a vehicle acquired in step 102 and the information related to charging acquired in step 104 (step 105). Specifically, for example, the management server 10 detects whether charging is being performed by the EV charger 50 for each parking space based on the detection result of the presence or absence of a vehicle and the charging record information included in the information related to charging.

[0051] The management server 10 associates and manages the two types of detection results for a predetermined period (step 106). Specifically, the management server 10 associates the detection result of the presence or absence of a vehicle in each parking space detected by the sensor unit 30 with the detection result of the presence or absence of charging detected by the management server 10 itself, stores the associated results in a database, and manages them. When the management server 10 receives an instruction to output the information it is managing (YES in step 107), it outputs the information instructed to be output from the information it is managing (step 108). This ends the processing of the management server 10 (END). On the other hand, when there is no instruction to output the information it is managing (NO in step 107), the management server 10 repeats the determination processing of step 107. The instruction to output the information managed by the management server 10 is made, for example, by an input operation on the user terminal 70 by the user receiving the service.

[0052] <Example> FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a specific example of a parking lot 20 to which this service is applied. FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram showing a specific example of a method in which the sensor unit 30 detects the presence or absence of a vehicle. 7, parking lot 20 is provided with parking bays 21-1 to 21-8 that can accommodate electric and non-electric vehicles. Each of parking bays 21-1 to 21-8 is equipped with a sensor unit 30-1 to 30-8 that detects whether or not a vehicle is parked. Furthermore, each of parking bays 21-1 to 21-4 is equipped with an EV charger 50-1 to 50-4 that can charge electric vehicles.

[0053] For example, suppose that an electric vehicle was parked in parking space 21-1 for two hours, from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM on March 1, 20XX, and was charged by EV charger 50-1 during that time. In this case, the detection result of the presence or absence of a vehicle sent from sensor unit 30-1 to management server 10 (see FIG. 1) includes information indicating that a vehicle was parked in parking space 21-1 for two hours, from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM on March 1, 20XX.

[0054] Here, assume that the vehicle presence detection results transmitted from sensor unit 30-1 are the results of vehicle presence detection transmitted every 30 seconds that have changed in state. In this case, the vehicle presence detection results for parking space 21-1 transmitted from sensor unit 30-1 include the detection of a vehicle at 9:00 AM on March 1, 20XX, and the failure to detect a vehicle at 11:00 AM on March 1, 20XX.

[0055] 8, the sensor unit 30 detects the presence or absence of a vehicle in a parking space every 30 seconds, and transmits the detection result to the management server 10 each time the status changes. If the sensor unit 30 cannot detect a vehicle, it recognizes that the parking space is "vacant" and repeats the process of detecting the presence or absence of a vehicle every 30 seconds. Then, when the sensor unit 30 detects a vehicle at a certain timing, it recognizes that the status of the parking space has changed from "vacant" to "parked" and transmits the detection result to the management server 10.

[0056] In the example of FIG. 7, sensor unit 30-1 detects the presence or absence of a vehicle in parking space 21-1 every 30 seconds, and when it detects a vehicle in parking space 21-1 at 9:00 AM on March 1, 20XX, it recognizes that the status has changed from "empty" to "parked." Then, sensor unit 30-1 transmits the detection result to management server 10. After that, sensor unit 30-1 repeatedly detects the presence or absence of a vehicle in parking space 21-1 every 30 seconds, but does not transmit the detection result to management server 10 unless the status changes. In other words, sensor unit 30-1 recognizes that parking space 21-1 is "parked" unless the status changes.

[0057] If the sensor unit 30-1 fails to detect a vehicle in the parking space 21-1 at 11:00 AM on March 1, 20XX while repeatedly detecting the presence or absence of a vehicle every 30 seconds, it recognizes that the status of the parking space 21-1 has changed from "parked" to "vacant." The sensor unit 30-1 then transmits the detection result to the management server 10. After that, the sensor unit 30-1 repeats the detection of the presence or absence of a vehicle in the parking space 21-1 every 30 seconds, but does not transmit the detection result to the management server 10 unless the status changes. In other words, the sensor unit 30-1 recognizes that the parking space 21-1 is "vacant" unless the status changes.

[0058] Furthermore, sensor unit 30-1 transmits information about charging by EV charger 50-1, obtained from EV charger 50-1, to management server 10. In this case, the information about charging by EV charger 50-1 transmitted by sensor unit 30-1 after 11:00 AM on March 1, 20XX, includes, for example, the following charging history information: That is, the transmitted charging history information includes information indicating that charging was performed by EV charger 50-1 for two hours, from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM on March 1, 20XX.

[0059] Management server 10 associates the detection result of the presence or absence of a vehicle in parking space 21-1, which is transmitted from sensor unit 30-1, with charging history information included in the information related to charging by EV charger 50-1. The information associating the detection result of the presence or absence of a vehicle in parking space 21-1 with the charging history information of EV charger 50-1 includes various information that makes it possible to understand the usage status of parking space 21-1. Specifically, for example, the information includes information that a vehicle was parked in parking space 21-1 and charged by EV charger 50-1 for two hours, from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM on March 1, 20XX. In this case, the information includes information that the parked vehicle is an electric vehicle.

[0060] In addition to the above cases, for example, suppose that a non-electric vehicle was parked in parking space 21-2 for three hours from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM on March 2, 20XX. In this case, the detection result of the presence or absence of a vehicle transmitted from sensor unit 30-2 includes information indicating that a vehicle was parked in parking space 21-2 for three hours from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM on March 2, 20XX.

[0061] Furthermore, sensor unit 30-2 transmits information about charging by EV charger 50-2, obtained from EV charger 50-2, to management server 10. In this case, the information about charging by EV charger 50-2 transmitted by sensor unit 30-2 after 4:00 PM on March 2, 20XX, includes, for example, the following charging history information: That is, the information includes information indicating that no charging was performed by EV charger 50-2 for three hours, from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM on March 2, 20XX.

[0062] Management server 10 associates the detection result of the presence or absence of a vehicle in parking space 21-2, which is transmitted from sensor unit 30-2, with charging history information included in the information related to charging by EV charger 50-2. The information associating the detection result of the presence or absence of a vehicle in parking space 21-2 with the charging history information of EV charger 50-2 includes various information that makes it possible to understand the usage status of parking space 21-2. Specifically, for example, the information includes information that a vehicle was parked in parking space 21-2 for three hours, from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM on March 2, 20XX, but was not charged by EV charger 50-2. In this case, the information includes information that it is not possible to identify whether the parked vehicle is an electric vehicle or a non-electric vehicle.

[0063] <Other embodiments> Although the present embodiment has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. Furthermore, the effects of the present invention are not limited to those described in the above-described embodiment. For example, the overall configuration of the usage status acquisition system 1 in FIG. 1, the hardware configurations of the management server 10 and the sensor unit 30 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, and the external configuration of the sensor unit 30 in FIG. 4 are merely examples for achieving the object of the present invention and are not particularly limited. Furthermore, the functional configuration of the management server 10 shown in FIG. 5 is also merely an example for achieving the object of the present invention and is not particularly limited. In other words, it is sufficient for the usage status acquisition system 1 in FIG. 1 to have the function of being able to execute the above-described processing as a whole, and the hardware and functional configurations used to realize this function are not limited to the above-described examples.

[0064] Furthermore, the order of the steps of the processing of the management server 10 shown in the flowchart of Figure 6 is merely an example and is not particularly limited. The processing is not necessarily performed in chronological order according to the order of the steps shown, but may be performed in parallel or individually, without necessarily being chronologically processed. For example, in Figure 6, after the sensor unit 30 transmits the detection result of the presence or absence of a vehicle, information regarding charging by the EV charger 50 is transmitted, but this order is not limited to this. Furthermore, the specific examples shown in Figures 7 and 8 are also merely examples and are not particularly limited.

[0065] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, a sensor unit 30 and an EV charger 50 are installed for each parking space, but this is not limiting, and the sensor unit 30 and EV charger 50 do not have to have a one-to-one relationship with the parking space. In other words, a single sensor unit 30 may be configured to detect the presence or absence of vehicles in multiple parking spaces, or a single EV charger 50 may be configured to charge vehicles parked in each of multiple parking spaces.

[0066] To sum up, the utilization status acquisition system 1 of the present invention only needs to have the following configuration, and can take on a variety of different embodiments. In other words, the usage status acquisition system 1 is a usage status acquisition system characterized by having a sensor unit 30 as a first detection means that detects the presence or absence of a vehicle in each predetermined parking space in a parking lot, a detection unit 113 of the management server 10 that functions as a second detection means that detects whether a vehicle parked in a parking space is charging, and a matching unit 114 of the management server 10 that functions as a matching means that outputs information that matches the detection results of the presence or absence of a vehicle in each parking space with the detection results of the presence or absence of a vehicle parked in a parking space during a predetermined period. This allows the user to know the usage status of a parking space where an EV charger 50 is installed, even if non-electric vehicles can be parked in that parking space.

[0067] Here, the sensor section 37 of the sensor unit 30 may be characterized as being a distance measuring sensor that detects the presence or absence of a vehicle in a parking space based on the measurement result of the distance to the vehicle. This makes it possible to know whether or not a vehicle is parked in the parking space where the EV charger 50 is installed from the detection results of the distance measurement sensor.

[0068] The sensor section 37 of the sensor unit 30 may be an image sensor that detects the presence or absence of a vehicle in a parking space from a captured image of the parking space. As a result, it is possible to know whether or not a vehicle is parked in the parking space where the EV charger 50 is installed from the detection results of the image sensor.

[0069] The sensor unit 30 may also be characterized in that it transmits a change in the state of the detection result of the presence or absence of a vehicle every predetermined time (for example, every 30 seconds). This reduces the load on the system since only the necessary information is transmitted.

[0070] Furthermore, the detection unit 113 of the management server 10 functioning as the second detection means may be characterized in that it detects whether charging has been performed or not from the charging record information. This allows for complete detection of whether or not the battery is being charged.

[0071] The charging record information may also include the date and time when charging by the EV charger 50 was performed. This allows for complete detection of whether or not the battery is being charged.

[0072] The utilization status acquisition method of the present invention may be configured as follows, and may take various forms. In other words, the usage status acquisition method of the present invention is a usage status acquisition method characterized by including the steps of detecting the presence or absence of vehicles in each predetermined parking space in a parking lot, detecting whether the vehicles parked in the parking space are charging, and outputting information that correlates the detection results of the presence or absence of vehicles in each parking space with the detection results of the presence or absence of vehicles parked in the parking space during a predetermined period. This allows the user to know the usage status of a parking space where an EV charger 50 is installed, even if non-electric vehicles can be parked in that parking space.

[0073] The program of the present invention may be configured as follows and may take various forms. In other words, the program of the present invention is a program that enables a computer to perform the following functions: detect the presence or absence of a vehicle in each predetermined parking space in a parking lot; detect whether a vehicle parked in a parking space is charging; and output information that correlates the detection results of the presence or absence of a vehicle in each parking space with the detection results of the presence or absence of a vehicle parked in a parking space during a predetermined period of time. This allows the user to know the usage status of a parking space where an EV charger 50 is installed, even if non-electric vehicles can be parked in that parking space. [Explanation of symbols]

[0074] 1...Usage status acquisition system, 10...Management server, 11...Control unit, 20...Parking lot, 21...Parking space, 30...Sensor unit, 50...EV charger, 70...User terminal, 90...Network, 111...Acquisition unit, 112...Management unit, 113...Detection unit, 114...Association unit, 115...Output control unit

Claims

1. a first detection means for detecting the presence or absence of a vehicle in each predetermined parking space in the parking lot; a second detection means for detecting whether or not the vehicle parked in the parking space is being charged; an association means for outputting information that associates the detection result of the presence or absence of the vehicle with the detection result of the presence or absence of charging during a predetermined period; and The second detection means detects whether charging has occurred based on charging record information including at least the date and time when charging has occurred and the date and time when charging has not occurred.

2. The first detection means is a distance measurement sensor that detects the presence or absence of a vehicle in the parking space based on the measurement result of the distance to the vehicle. The utilization status acquisition system according to claim 1 .

3. The first detection means is an image sensor that detects the presence or absence of a vehicle in the parking space from a captured image of the parking space. The utilization status acquisition system according to claim 1 .

4. The first detection means transmits a change in state among the detection results of the presence or absence of a vehicle at predetermined time intervals.

4. The utilization status acquisition system according to claim 2 or 3.

5. detecting the presence or absence of a vehicle in each predetermined parking space in the parking lot; detecting whether or not a vehicle parked in the parking space is being charged; outputting information that associates a detection result of the presence or absence of the vehicle with a detection result of the presence or absence of charging during a predetermined period; Including, In the step of detecting whether or not charging has been performed, whether or not charging has been performed is detected from charging record information including at least a date and time when charging has been performed and a date and time when charging has not been performed. A usage status acquisition method characterized by:

6. On the computer, A function to detect the presence or absence of vehicles in each predetermined parking space in the parking lot; a function of detecting whether a vehicle parked in the parking space is being charged; a function of outputting information that associates the detection result of the presence or absence of the vehicle with the detection result of the presence or absence of charging during a predetermined period; Realize this, the function of detecting whether charging has been performed includes a function of detecting whether charging has been performed from charging performance information including at least a date and time when charging has been performed and a date and time when charging has not been performed, program.

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