Parking lot system, coupon information issuing method, coupon information issuing program

Abstract

To provide a parking lot system, a coupon information issue method, and a coupon information issue program which can effectively issue a coupon.SOLUTION: The parking lot system relating to the present invention comprises an imaging apparatus for capturing an image of a vehicle entering a parking lot and a server for issuing coupon information to a user of the vehicle. The server comprises: a specification unit which specifies the user associated with a vehicle number read from the image captured by the imaging apparatus; and a transmission unit which transmits the coupon information to the user specified by the specification unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a parking lot system for a parking lot, a coupon information issuing method, and a coupon information issuing program. [Background technology]

[0002] There is a need to issue coupons to application software (hereinafter also referred to as apps) installed on a smartphone when a user visits a store or nearby. To meet this need, a technology has been proposed that uses location information from a user's smartphone to issue a coupon to the user's smartphone when the user's smartphone approaches the vicinity of a store (for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6528256 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, when using location information from a user's smartphone, the user must always allow the acquisition of that location information, but users may not always allow this due to privacy and other issues. Furthermore, when location information is used, coupons are issued simply for passing by a store (even if the user has no intention of entering the store), which can be annoying for users. Furthermore, some users may find this annoying and turn off the acquisition of location information or uninstall the app. As such, there are many problems with issuing coupons using traditional location information.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a parking lot system, a coupon issuing method, and a coupon issuing program that can issue coupons effectively. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the parking lot system of the present invention is a parking lot system comprising an imaging device that captures images of vehicles entering the parking lot and a server that issues coupon information to the vehicle's user, wherein the server comprises an identification unit that identifies a user associated with the vehicle number read from the image captured by the imaging device, and a transmission unit that transmits coupon information to the user identified by the identification unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a parking lot system, a coupon information issuing method, and a coupon information issuing program that can effectively issue coupons. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the layout of a parking lot system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a parking lot system according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing by the parking lot system according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing by the parking lot system according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a parking lot system according to a first modified example of the embodiment. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing by a second server according to a first modification of the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] [Embodiment] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, the layout of the parking lot system 1 according to the embodiment will be described. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the layout of the parking lot system according to the embodiment.

[0010] (Parking lot 10) Parking lot 10 is a parking lot attached to or adjacent to a store (e.g., supermarket, drugstore, convenience store, home improvement store, amusement park, etc.), commercial facility (e.g., shopping mall, shopping center, outlet mall, hotel, airport, etc.) (hereinafter referred to as store, etc. 15), etc., and is used by customers (hereinafter referred to as users) of store, etc. 15.

[0011] A parking lot 10 is provided with a vehicle detection means 12 and an imaging device 20 for capturing images of vehicles near a vehicle entrance / exit 14. In this embodiment, the parking lot 10 has two or more (four in this embodiment) vehicle compartments 11A-11D separated by lanes. Each vehicle compartment 11A-11D is provided with a bollard 13 (although the bollard 13 is not essential). The parking lot 10 does not have a gate to control entry and exit to the parking lot, and individual parking spaces are not provided with detection means such as loop coils or vehicle locking devices, so users can enter through the entrance and freely select and park in any available vehicle compartment 11A-11D. Furthermore, a payment machine 30 is provided in the parking lot 10 in a location other than the vehicle compartments 11A-11D.

[0012] In the example shown in Fig. 1, there are four vehicle compartments, but the number of vehicle compartments may be any number. Also, in the example shown in Fig. 1, the vehicle entrance and exit are the same entrance / exit 14, but the vehicle entrance and exit may be provided separately. In this case, vehicle detection means 12 and an imaging device 20 that images the vehicle are provided near the vehicle entrance. In addition, although the embodiment will be described assuming that four-wheeled automobiles are parked in the compartments 11A to 11D, the vehicles may be any vehicles with license plates, such as motorcycles. In addition, in the embodiment, the images (still images) captured by the imaging device 20 are transmitted to the server 40 (see FIG. 2) via the payment machine 30, but the images captured by the imaging device 20 may be transmitted to the server 40 without passing through the payment machine 30.

[0013] FIG. 2 is a block diagram for explaining the parking lot system according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, in the parking lot system 1 according to this embodiment, the detection means 12 and the imaging device 20 are connected to the adjustment machine 30. The adjustment machine 30 is also connected to a server 40. Communication between the detection means 12, the imaging device 20, and the adjustment machine 30 may be either wireless or wired. Communication between the adjustment machine 30 and the server 40 may be either wireless or wired. The server 40 is configured to be able to communicate with a user terminal 50 (e.g., a smartphone) owned by a user of the parking lot, and transmits coupon information (coupon information will be described later) to the user terminal 50.

[0014] (Detection means 12) The detection means 12 detects vehicles entering and exiting the parking lot 10. Various vehicle detection sensors can be used, such as those that detect vehicles by magnetic changes using loop coils buried in the ground or those that detect vehicles using infrared light, or vehicle entry and exit can be detected using images captured by a camera. If the parking lot 10 has multiple entrance / exit gates 14, a detection means 12 is provided at each entrance / exit gate 14. The detection means 12 is provided to be able to determine whether a vehicle is entering or exiting the parking lot. For example, a pair of detection means 12 is provided, one on the outside and one on the inside of the parking lot, and entry or exit is determined based on the order of detection. Similarly, in the case of detection using camera images, an outside parking lot area and an inside parking lot area can be defined, and entry or exit can be determined based on the order in which the vehicle passes through these areas. When the detection means 12 detects a vehicle entering or exiting the parking lot 10, it transmits an entry signal or exit signal to the image capture device 20 and the payment machine 30 to notify the vehicle of its entry or exit. When detection is performed using an image captured by a camera, the image capturing device 20 may also be used as the detection means 12.

[0015] (imaging device 20) The imaging device 20 is positioned to capture images of vehicles (including vehicle license plates; the same applies below) entering the parking lot 10. Upon receiving an entrance signal from the detection means 12, the imaging device 20 captures the vehicle entering the parking lot 10. The captured vehicle image is associated with the image capture time and transmitted to the payment machine 30. Note that the imaging device 20 does not necessarily have to be located inside the parking lot 10, as long as it can capture images of vehicles entering the parking lot 10. The imaging device 20 used in the embodiment may be a digital video camera for capturing video or a digital camera for capturing still images, such as a CCD camera or CMOS camera, and is connected to the payment machine 30 via a wired or wireless connection to transmit the captured images. The imaging device 20 captures still images at a predetermined interval, e.g., every 0.5 seconds, or captures video at a predetermined frame rate, e.g., 5 frames per second, and transmits the captured images. If the parking lot has multiple entrances 14, an imaging device 20 is provided at each entrance 14, similar to the detection means 12.

[0016] (Payment machine 30) The payment machine 30 settles parking fees and manages the entry and exit of vehicles into and out of the parking lot. The payment machine 30 settles parking fees according to the usage status of the parking lot 10. As shown in FIG. 2 , the payment machine 30 includes a receiving unit 31, a measuring unit 32, a panel unit 33, a payment unit 34, a storage device 35, a transmitting unit 36, and a reading unit 37.

[0017] The receiving unit 31 receives the entrance signal and the exit signal transmitted from the detection means 12. The receiving unit 31 also receives the image transmitted from the imaging device 20.

[0018] The measurement unit 32 determines the entry time based on the vehicle entry signal from the detection means 12, and starts measuring the parking time using the entry time as the start time. Furthermore, when the measurement unit 32 receives a parking fee settlement signal, it ends measuring the parking time of the vehicle. Furthermore, the measurement unit 32 determines the exit time based on the vehicle exit signal from the detection means 12.

[0019] The panel unit 33 is a touch panel type that combines an operation unit for user input with a display unit that displays vehicle images, settlement fees, etc., and the user can operate the panel unit 33 to enter information such as the vehicle number and settle the parking fee.

[0020] The settlement unit 34 is used by parking lot users to settle parking fees, and settles the parking fees based on the parking time measured by the measurement unit 32. The settlement unit 34 includes a deposit / withdrawal processing device for depositing the parking fee paid by the user and dispensing change, as well as an electronic payment device for making payments using electronic money such as prepaid cards and mobile phones. The settlement unit 34 calculates the parking fee based on the parking time measured by the measurement unit 32, the unit price by vehicle category recorded in the storage device 35, and the unsettled actual amount.

[0021] The storage device 35 stores the vehicle license plate number read by the reading unit 37, the vehicle image captured by the imaging device 20, and the entry time determined by the measurement unit 32 in association with each other. The storage device 35 also stores parked vehicle information for parking lot management, such as parking lot usage history, whitelist information listing vehicles subject to preferential management, and blacklist information listing vehicles requiring attention. The usage history includes information such as the vehicle license plate number, entry time, vehicle image, payment time, exit time, and parking time. The storage device 35 may also store vehicle classifications such as free-parked vehicles (such as employee vehicles and supplier vehicles) and vehicles requiring attention (such as stolen vehicles and wanted vehicles), as well as parking lot usage payment records, unpaid usage records, and preferential treatment information for customers (such as service points).

[0022] The transmission unit 36 ​​transmits information such as the vehicle number read by the reading unit 37, the identification number (ID) of the imaging device 20 that captured the image from which the vehicle number was read, and the usage history to the server 40. Note that it is preferable that the transmission unit 36 ​​transmits information on the vehicle number read by the reading unit 37 (described later) and the identification number of the imaging device 20 that captured the image from which the vehicle number was read to the server 40 each time a vehicle enters.

[0023] The reading unit 37, for example, detects whether a license plate is present in the image transmitted from the imaging device 20, and if the presence of a license plate is detected, reads the vehicle number printed on the license plate. The reading unit 37 reads the vehicle number by, for example, dividing the detected license plate portion into multiple partial input images, calculating the similarity of features with a model character image, selecting the character image with the highest similarity for each partial input image, and setting it as the read vehicle number. Note that known technology can be used to calculate the similarity. In the embodiment, the case where the vehicle number cannot be read includes, for example, both a case where the vehicle is not photographed and the license plate cannot be detected, and a case where the license plate is detected but the vehicle number itself cannot be read. Also, the reading unit 37 may be configured to use multiple different license plate images of the same vehicle and select a character image with the highest similarity for each partial input image.

[0024] As described above, in the embodiment, the parking lot usage time is calculated and the parking fee is settled based on the vehicle entry and exit signals from the detection means 12. However, for example, a parking ticket bearing entry time information may be issued to the user when the vehicle enters the parking lot 10, and when the vehicle exits the parking lot, the parking ticket is read by the payment machine 30. The entry time written on the parking ticket and the time the parking ticket was read are used as the exit time to measure the vehicle's parking time and settle the parking fee. Alternatively, a detection means may be provided to detect whether a vehicle has been parked in each parking space, and the entry time may be determined based on the vehicle's detection signal. The parking time measurement for the vehicle may begin from the entry time, and the parking fee measurement for the vehicle may end when a parking fee settlement signal is received. In this case, the user enters the parking space number where the vehicle is parked to settle the parking fee. In this method, the detection means 12 is not required. Other methods may also be used as long as they allow for parking fee settlement.

[0025] (Server 40) The server 40 includes a receiving unit 41 (first receiving unit), a transmitting unit 42, a storage device 43, a storage control unit 44, and an identifying unit 45.

[0026] The receiving unit 41 receives information such as the vehicle number read by the reading unit 37 transmitted from the settlement machine 30, the identification number (ID) of the imaging device 20 that captured the image that read the vehicle number, and usage history.

[0027] The transmitting unit 42 transmits the coupon information to the user terminal 50, for example.

[0028] The storage device 43 stores user account information. Specifically, for each account, the user's account ID, password, vehicle number, personal information of the user (e.g., name, contact information, etc.), information on the user terminal 50 owned, and the like are stored in association with each other. The storage device 43 also stores an identification number (ID) of the imaging device 20 in association with a store or the like 15. The identification unit 45, which will be described later, identifies the user terminal 50 and the store or the like 15 of the user associated with the vehicle number based on the information stored in the storage device 43. The storage device 43 also stores coupon information in association with the store or the like 15. The coupon information may be information that can grant a benefit to the user, such as the URL of a website or the like where the coupon is posted, or the electronic coupon itself.

[0029] In addition to the above information, storage device 43 may also store information such as the parking lot usage history, for example, the vehicle number, entry time, vehicle image, payment time, exit time, and parking duration. Storage device 43 may also store other information such as the unit price for each vehicle category, parking lot usage payment record, and unpaid record. Some or all of the various information stored in storage device 43 may be stored in an external storage device such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory or an external HDD, or in the storage device of another information processing device connected via a network.

[0030] The storage control unit 44 controls writing and reading of information to and from the storage device 43 .

[0031] The identification unit 45 refers to the storage device 43 and identifies the user's account information (in this embodiment, the user terminal 50) associated with the vehicle number received by the receiving unit 41 and the store etc. 15 associated with the identification number of the imaging device 20 that captured the image.

[0032] (Information Processing) 3 is a flowchart showing an example of a vehicle number reading process by the adjustment machine 30 of the parking lot system 1. Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 3, an example of a vehicle number reading process by the adjustment machine 30 of the parking lot system 1 will be described.

[0033] (Step S101) The receiving unit 31 of the settlement machine 30 receives information about the image captured by the imaging device 20.

[0034] (Step S102) The reading unit 37 of the payment machine 30 determines whether or not the license plate can be detected from the image received by the receiving unit 31. If the license plate is detected (YES), the payment machine 30 executes the process of step S103. If the license plate cannot be detected (NO), the payment machine 30 ends the process.

[0035] (Step S103) The reading unit 37 of the settlement machine 30 executes the process of reading the vehicle number. If the vehicle number can be read (YES), the settlement machine 30 executes the process of step S104. If the vehicle number cannot be read (NO), the settlement machine 30 ends the process.

[0036] (Step S104) The settlement machine 30 records in the storage device 35 the vehicle number read by the reading unit 37, the vehicle image captured by the imaging device 20, and the entry time determined by the measurement unit 32 in association with each other.

[0037] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a coupon transmission process by the parking lot system 1. Hereinafter, an example of the coupon transmission process by the parking lot system 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0038] (Step S201) The receiving unit 41 of the server 40 receives information transmitted from the settlement machine 30, including the vehicle number read by the reading unit 37 and the identification number of the imaging device 20 that captured the image from which the vehicle number was read.

[0039] (Step S202) Based on the information stored in the memory device 43, the identification unit 45 of the server 40 identifies the user's account information (in this embodiment, the user terminal 50) associated with the vehicle number read by the reading unit 37 of the payment machine 30 and the store etc. 15 associated with the identification number of the imaging device 20 that captured the image.

[0040] (Step S203) The transmitting unit 42 of the server 40 transmits the coupon information associated with the store etc. 15 identified by the identifying unit 45 to the identified user terminal 50. In the embodiment, the coupon information is transmitted (notified) to an app installed on the user terminal 50, but the coupon information may be transmitted by SMS (Short Message Service) or email to the user's pre-registered contact information (for example, a phone number or email address), or may be transmitted by a method capable of communication via the Internet (for example, an SNS account (LINE (registered trademark), Slack (registered trademark), Teams (registered trademark), etc.) through API linkage).

[0041] As described above, the parking lot system 1 according to the embodiment is a parking lot system including the imaging device 20 that captures images of vehicles entering the parking lot 10, and the server 40 that issues coupon information to users of the vehicles. The server 40 includes an identification unit 45 that identifies the user terminal 50 of the user associated with the vehicle number read from the image captured by the imaging device 20, and a transmission unit 42 that transmits coupon information to the user terminal 50 of the user identified by the identification unit 45. In this way, the coupon information is sent when a vehicle enters the parking lot 10, so it is possible to notify the customer of the coupon before they spend time at the store 15, and it is also possible to prevent coupons from being issued when they have no intention of entering the store. Also, since the vehicle number is used, it is sufficient to simply allow the app to send the coupons, which is normally on by default, and there is no need to obtain permission that could pose a privacy issue, such as allowing location information to be provided at all times. Also, since the store is assumed to be visited by car, it is possible to make recommendations that are different from conventional ones, such as recommending larger items that can be taken home in the car.

[0042] Furthermore, the identification unit 45 of the server 40 provided in the parking lot system 1 according to the embodiment refers to the storage device 43 (first storage unit) in which the vehicle number and the user terminal 50 of the user are stored in association with each other, and identifies the user terminal 50 of the user associated with the vehicle number read by the reading unit 46. This makes it possible to reliably identify the vehicle that has entered the parking lot 10.

[0043] Furthermore, the identification unit 45 of the server 40 included in the parking lot system 1 according to the embodiment refers to the storage device 43 (second storage unit) in which the image capture device 20 and the store or commercial facility are stored in association with each other, and identifies the store or commercial facility associated with the image capture device 20 that transmitted the image. The transmission unit 42 of the server 40 transmits coupon information for the store or commercial facility identified by the identification unit 45 to the user terminal 50. In this way, it is possible to identify the store or commercial facility 15 whose parking lot the vehicle has entered and transmit the coupon information for the identified store or commercial facility 15 to the user terminal 50, so that the coupon information for the store or commercial facility 15 that the user is about to enter can be transmitted to the user in the parking lot in a timely manner.

[0044] Furthermore, the parking lot system 1 according to the embodiment includes a detection means 12 that detects the entry of a vehicle into the parking lot 10. In this case, the imaging device 20 included in the parking lot system 1 captures an image of the vehicle entering the parking lot 10 when the detection means 12 detects the entry of the vehicle.

[0045] In the above explanation, the URL of the website or the like sent to the user terminal 50 is fixed, but the user's account ID, vehicle number, or hashed versions of these values ​​may be added, and a server managed by the store, etc. 15 may redirect from the specified URL to an arbitrary web page, thereby allowing the user to jump to the page.

[0046] [First Modification of the Embodiment] Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the parking lot system 1 according to a first modification of the embodiment. In the above embodiment, the server 40 (first server) that manages the parking lot 10 transmits coupon information to the user terminal 50, but as shown in Fig. 5, the server 40 may communicate with a server 60 managed by the store or the like 15, and the server 60 (second server) managed by the store or the like 15 may transmit the coupon information to the user terminal 50. Below, a first modification of the embodiment will be described.

[0047] (Server 60) The server 60 includes a receiving unit 61 , a transmitting unit 62 , a storage device 63 , a storage control unit 64 , an identifying unit 65 , and a generating unit 66 .

[0048] The receiving unit 61 receives information about the user transmitted from the server 40 (for example, identification information for the server 60 to identify the user, etc.).

[0049] The transmitting unit 62 transmits the coupon information to the user terminal 50.

[0050] The storage device 63 stores information for identifying a user to whom coupon information is to be sent, based on the information about the user received by the receiving unit 61. Specifically, the storage device 63 stores, as user account information, the user's account ID, password, personal information about the user (e.g., name, contact information, etc.), the user terminal 50 owned, usage history and purchase history at stores etc. 15, as well as attribute information including customer rank, whether or not the user has a card, residential information, family structure, etc., in association with each other. The storage device 63 also stores a correspondence table for converting information about the user (such as user identification information (ID)) sent from the server 40 into an account ID of the server 60, which is a store server. Coupon information is also associated and stored in the storage device 63. Note that the coupon information has already been explained, so a duplicate explanation will be omitted. In addition, some or all of the various information stored in the storage device 63 may be stored in an external storage device such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory or an external HDD, or in the storage device of another information processing device connected via a network.

[0051] The storage control unit 64 controls writing and reading of information to and from the storage device 63 .

[0052] The identifying unit 65 refers to the storage device 63 and identifies the user terminal 50 associated with the information about the user received by the receiving unit 61 .

[0053] The generation unit 66 generates coupon information based on attribute information including the usage history or purchase history at the store etc. 15 of the user associated with the user corresponding to the information about the user identified by the identification unit 65, as well as information such as customer rank, whether or not the user has a card, residential information, and family composition.

[0054] (Information Processing) 6 is a flowchart showing an example of a coupon transmission process by the server 60 (second server). Hereinafter, an example of the coupon transmission process of the parking lot system 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0055] (Step S301) The receiving unit 61 of the server 60 receives the information about the user transmitted from the server 40 .

[0056] (Step S302) The identification unit 65 of the server 60 refers to the storage device 63 and identifies the user corresponding to the information about the user received by the receiving unit 61 .

[0057] (Step S303) The generation unit 66 of the server 60 generates coupon information based on the usage history or purchase history of the user identified by the identification unit 65 at the store etc. 15, as well as attribute information including information such as customer rank, whether or not the user has a card, residence information, and family composition.

[0058] (Step S304) The transmission unit 62 of the server 60 transmits the coupon information generated by the generation unit 66 to the user terminal 50 of the user identified by the identification unit 65. In this first modification, the coupon information is transmitted (notified) to an app installed on the user terminal 50, but the coupon information may be transmitted by SMS (Short Message Service) or email to the user's pre-registered contact information (for example, a phone number or email address), or may be transmitted by a method capable of communication via the Internet (for example, an SNS account (LINE (registered trademark), Slack (registered trademark), Teams (registered trademark), etc.) through API integration).

[0059] In the above description, the server 40 (first server) transmits user identification information (ID) as information about the user to the server 60 (second server), and the server 60 (second server) identifies the user associated with the user identifier, but the server 40 (first server) may transmit the user's account ID managed by the store 15 or the like to the server 60 (second server), and the user terminal 50 may be identified based on the user's ID managed by the store 15. In this case, a correspondence table for converting into the account ID of the server 60, which is the store server, is stored in the storage device 43 of the server 40, and the account ID of the user identified by the identification unit 45 of the server 40 is converted into the account ID of the server 60, which is the store server, and then transmitted to the server 60. In addition, the vehicle number information may be stored in the storage device 63 of the server 60 in association with the user's account, the vehicle number information may be transmitted from the server 40 as information relating to the user, and the identification unit 65 of the server 60 may identify the user associated with the vehicle number information transmitted from the server 40.

[0060] As described above, the parking lot system 1 according to the first variant of the embodiment includes an imaging device 20 that captures images of vehicles entering a parking lot, a server 40 (first server) that identifies a user associated with a vehicle number read from an image captured by the imaging device 20, and a server 60 (second server) that issues coupon information. The server 40 includes an identification unit 45 that identifies a user associated with a vehicle number read from an image captured by the imaging device 20, and a transmission unit 42 (first transmission unit) that transmits information about the user identified by the identification unit 45 to the server 60. The server 60 also includes a reception unit 61 (second reception unit) that receives information about the user transmitted from the server 40, a generation unit 66 that generates coupon information based on the information about the user received by the reception unit 61, and a transmission unit 62 (second transmission unit) that transmits the coupon information generated by the generation unit 66 to the user terminal 50 of the identified user. In this way, in this first modification, the coupon information is transmitted from the server 60 managed by the store etc. 15, and therefore can be transmitted (notified) to an app of the store etc. 15 installed on the user terminal 50. As mentioned above, the message may be sent via SMS (Short Message Service) or email to the user's pre-registered contact information (e.g., phone number or email address), or may be sent via a method that allows communication via the Internet (e.g., an SNS account via API integration (LINE (registered trademark), Slack (registered trademark), Teams (registered trademark), etc.)).

[0061] Furthermore, the server 40 (first server) of the parking lot system 1 according to the first modified embodiment includes an identification unit 45 that refers to a storage device 43 (storage unit) in which the image capture device 20 and the store or commercial facility are stored in association with each other, and identifies the store or commercial facility associated with the image capture device 20 that transmitted the image. The transmission unit 42 (first transmission unit) of the server 40 then transmits information about the user to the server 60 (second server) of the store or commercial facility identified by the identification unit 45. In this way, it is possible to identify the store or the like 15 whose parking lot the vehicle has entered and transmit information about the user to the server 60 of the identified store or the like 15, so that coupon information for the store or the like 15 that the user is about to enter can be transmitted to the user in the parking lot in a timely manner.

[0062] Furthermore, the server 60 of the parking lot system 1 according to the first modified embodiment includes a generation unit 66 that generates coupon information based on attribute information including the user's usage history or purchase history at the store etc. 15, which corresponds to information about the user, as well as information about the customer's customer rank, whether or not the user has a card, residence information, family composition, etc. Therefore, coupon information can be generated based on attribute information including the user's usage history or purchase history at the store etc. 15, as well as information about the customer rank, whether or not the user has a card, residence information, family composition, etc., and therefore coupon information that better suits the user's needs can be transmitted.

[0063] [Modification 2 of the embodiment] In the first modification of the above embodiment, the server 60 (second server) managed by the store etc. 15 transmits the coupon information to the user terminal 50, but the coupon information generated by the server 60 managed by the store etc. 15 may be transmitted to the server 40 (first server), and the server 40 may transmit the coupon information to the user terminal 50. Note that other configurations of the server 60 are the same as those in the first modification of the embodiment, and therefore redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0064] [Other examples] In the above embodiment and variant examples, the reading unit 37 of the settlement machine 30 reads the vehicle number from the image, but the server 40 may be provided with a reading unit that reads the vehicle number from the image, and the vehicle number may be read from the image on the server 40 side. Alternatively, an imaging device may be placed in a position where it can capture images of the vehicle compartments 11A to 11D in the parking lot 10, and the imaging device may be rotated in a predetermined order by combining panning, tilting, and zooming as necessary so that the vehicle compartments 11A to 11D are within its imaging range to capture images of the vehicles. In this case, a detection means for detecting vehicles, such as a loop coil, may be provided in each of the vehicle compartments 11A to 11D in the parking lot 10, and this detection means may detect the entry of a vehicle into each of the vehicle compartments 11A to 11D. Furthermore, the functions of server 40 and server 60 may be distributed across multiple servers, or may be integrated into a single server. How the functions of server 40 and server 60 are implemented is arbitrary. For example, some or all of the functions of server 40 may be provided by the settlement machine 30 or server 60, or some or all of the functions of server 60 may be provided by server 40. For example, some or all of the functions of the settlement machine 30 may be provided by server 40.

[0065] Furthermore, the above-described embodiments and modifications are merely examples of specific embodiments of the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention should not be construed as being limited thereby. In other words, the present invention can be embodied in various forms without departing from the gist or main features thereof. [Explanation of symbols]

[0066] 10 Parking 11A~11D Parking spaces 12. Detection methods 13 Parking barrier 14 Entrance / Exit 15 stores etc. 20 Imaging device 30 Payment machine 31 Receiving unit 32 Measurement section 33 Panel section 34 Settlement Department 35 Storage device 36 Transmitter 37 Reading unit 40 Server (First Server) 41 Receiving unit 42 Transmitter 43 Storage device 44 Memory control unit 45 Specific part 50 User Terminals 60 servers (second server) 61 Receiving unit 62 Transmitter 63 Storage device 64 Memory control unit 65 Specific part 66 Generation part

Claims

1. A parking lot system comprising: an imaging device that captures an image of a vehicle entering a parking lot; and a server that issues coupon information to a user of the vehicle, The server an identification unit that identifies a user associated with a vehicle number read from an image captured by the imaging device; a transmission unit that transmits coupon information to the user identified by the identification unit, The identification unit referring to a first storage unit in which image capture devices and stores or commercial facilities are stored in association with each other, to identify the store or commercial facility associated with the image capture device that captured the vehicle with the vehicle license plate number; The transmission unit transmitting coupon information for the store or commercial facility identified by the identification unit; A parking system characterized by:

2. The identification unit and identifying a user associated with the vehicle number read from the image captured by the imaging device by referring to a second storage unit in which the vehicle number and the user are stored in association with each other.

2. The parking lot system according to claim 1.

3. A parking lot system comprising: an imaging device that captures an image of a vehicle entering a parking lot; a first server that identifies a user associated with a vehicle number read from an image captured by the imaging device; and a second server that issues coupon information; The first server a user associated with the vehicle number read from the image captured by the imaging device; an identification unit that identifies the store or commercial facility associated with the imaging device that captured the vehicle with the vehicle number by referring to a storage unit that stores and associates imaging devices with each other; a first transmission unit that transmits information about the user identified by the identification unit and information about the store or the commercial facility identified by the identification unit to the second server; The second server a second receiving unit that receives information about the user transmitted from the first server and information about the store or commercial facility identified by the identifying unit; a generating unit that generates coupon information based on the information about the user received by the second receiving unit and the information about the store or commercial facility identified by the identifying unit; a second transmission unit that transmits the generated coupon information; The generation unit generating coupon information for the store or commercial facility identified by the identification unit; A parking system characterized by:

4. A parking lot system comprising: an imaging device that captures an image of a vehicle entering a parking lot; a first server that identifies a user associated with a vehicle number read from an image captured by the imaging device; and a second server that issues coupon information; The first server a user associated with the vehicle number read from the image captured by the imaging device; an identification unit that identifies the store or commercial facility associated with the imaging device that captured the vehicle with the vehicle number by referring to a storage unit that stores and associates imaging devices with each other; a first transmission unit that transmits information about the user identified by the identification unit and information about the store or the commercial facility identified by the identification unit to the second server; The second server a second receiving unit that receives information about the user transmitted from the first server and information about the store or commercial facility identified by the identifying unit; a generating unit that generates coupon information based on the information about the user received by the second receiving unit and the information about the store or commercial facility identified by the identifying unit; a second transmission unit that transmits the coupon information generated by the generation unit to the first server; The generation unit generating coupon information for the store or commercial facility identified by the identification unit; The first receiving unit of the first server receiving the coupon information transmitted by the second server; The first transmission unit of the first server transmitting the coupon information received by the first receiving unit to the user identified by the identifying unit; A parking system characterized by:

5. The generation unit of the second server generating the coupon information based on user attribute information associated with the user corresponding to the information about the user; 5. A parking lot system according to claim 3 or claim 4.

6. a detection means for detecting entry of a vehicle into the parking lot; The imaging device is When the detection means detects the entry of the vehicle, it takes an image of the vehicle entering the parking lot.

6. A parking lot system according to claim 1.

7. A method for issuing coupon information using a parking lot system including an imaging device that images a vehicle entering a parking lot and a server that issues coupon information to a user of the vehicle, the method comprising: an imaging device capturing an image of a vehicle entering a parking lot; an identifying unit identifying a user associated with a vehicle number read from an image captured by the imaging device; a transmitting unit transmitting coupon information to the user identified by the identifying unit; The identification unit referring to a storage unit in which image capture devices and stores or commercial facilities are stored in association with each other, to identify the store or commercial facility associated with the image capture device that captured the vehicle with the vehicle license plate number; The transmission unit transmitting coupon information for the store or commercial facility identified by the identification unit; A coupon information issuing method characterized by:

8. A coupon information issuing program using a parking lot system including an imaging device that images a vehicle entering a parking lot and a server that issues coupon information to a user of the vehicle, Computer, an identification unit that identifies a user associated with a vehicle number read from an image captured by the imaging device; a transmitting unit that transmits coupon information to the user identified by the identifying unit; The identification unit referring to a storage unit in which image capture devices and stores or commercial facilities are stored in association with each other, to identify the store or commercial facility associated with the image capture device that captured the vehicle with the vehicle license plate number; The transmission unit transmitting coupon information for the store or commercial facility identified by the identification unit; A coupon information issuing program characterized by:

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