Parking area management device and parking area management method

Abstract

A parking area management device (30) comprises a cable connection information processing unit (352) and a notification processing unit (354). The cable connection information processing unit (352), upon sensing that a first electric vehicle (C1) has entered a parking area (10), acquires information indicating whether the first electric vehicle (C1) and a charger (14) installed in the parking area (10) are connected by a charge cable. The notification processing unit (354), upon determining that the first electric vehicle (C1) and the charger (14) are not connected by the charge cable on the basis of the acquired information, transmits, to a first user terminal (20-1) carried by the user of the first electric vehicle (C1), first notification information indicating that the first electric vehicle (C1) and the charger (14) are not connected by the charge cable.

Description

Parking lot management device and parking lot management method

[0001] The present invention relates to a parking lot management device and a parking lot management method.

[0002] BACKGROUND ART In recent years, electric vehicles powered by battery power have become increasingly popular, which has led to a need for charging facilities for charging the batteries of electric vehicles.

[0003] In light of this, by installing chargers on each pallet in a mechanical parking lot in an apartment building or large facility, it is possible to charge an electric vehicle while the vehicle is parked in the parking lot (see Patent Document 1).

[0004] Patent No. 4703716

[0005] When charging an electric vehicle while parked in a mechanical parking lot, the user connects the vehicle to a charger with a cable when the electric vehicle enters the parking lot, making the vehicle ready for charging. Then, the parking lot management device that manages the equipment in the mechanical parking lot turns on the charger connected to the vehicle to be charged according to a predetermined charging reservation schedule, thereby executing the charging process for the vehicle.

[0006] However, if the user forgets to connect the cable between the electric vehicle and the charger when parking the vehicle, there is a problem in that the charging process will not be carried out even if charging is reserved while the vehicle is parked.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a parking lot management device and a parking lot management method that can prevent the charging process for an electric vehicle from being stopped because a user forgets to connect the vehicle with a cable to a charger installed in the parking lot.

[0008] A first aspect of the present invention is a parking lot management device that includes a cable connection information processing unit that, when it detects that a first electric vehicle has entered a parking lot, acquires information indicating whether the first electric vehicle and a charger installed in the parking lot are connected by a charging cable, and a notification processing unit that, when the cable connection information processing unit determines based on the acquired information that the first electric vehicle and the charger are not connected by a charging cable, sends first notification information to a first user terminal carried by a user of the first electric vehicle, indicating that the first electric vehicle and the charger are not connected by a charging cable.

[0009] In addition, a second form of the present invention is a parking lot management method, in which, when a parking lot management device detects that an electric vehicle has entered a parking lot, it acquires information indicating whether the electric vehicle and a charger installed in the parking lot are connected by a charging cable, and when the parking lot management device determines based on the acquired information that the electric vehicle and the charger are not connected by a charging cable, it sends notification information to a user terminal carried by a user of the electric vehicle indicating that the electric vehicle and the charger are not connected by a charging cable.

[0010] According to the parking lot management device and parking lot management method of the present invention, it is possible to prevent a situation in which the charging process for an electric vehicle is not performed due to a user forgetting to connect the vehicle with a cable to a charger installed in the parking lot.

[0011] Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a parking lot management system using a parking lot management device according to an embodiment. Fig. 2 is a flowchart showing the flow of a charging preparation confirmation process executed by the parking lot management device according to an embodiment when a vehicle enters the parking lot. Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing the flow of a charging reservation information confirmation process executed by the parking lot management device according to an embodiment at predetermined time intervals.

[0012] <Configuration of Parking Lot Management System> The configuration of a parking lot management system using a parking lot management device according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figure 1. The parking lot management system 1 according to this embodiment comprises a mechanical parking lot 10, multiple user terminals 20-1 to 20-n carried by multiple users of the mechanical parking lot 10, and a parking lot management device 30 communicably connected to the mechanical parking lot 10 and the user terminals 20-1 to 20-n.

[0013] The mechanical parking lot 10 includes a plurality of shelves (not shown) for storing vehicles to be parked, a plurality of pallets 11 for loading the vehicles to be parked, an operating mechanism 12, and an operation panel 13. Only one pallet 11 is shown in Fig. 1. Note that the mechanical parking lot 10 may have only one pallet 11. A charger 14 and a cable connection detection sensor 15 are installed on the pallet 11.

[0014] The operating mechanism 12 transports the pallet 11 and stores the vehicles loaded on the pallet 11 on a predetermined shelf. The operation panel 13 accepts input from a user of operation information related to vehicle entry and exit, and charging reservation information. The charger 14 supplies power to an electric vehicle connected via a charging cable (not shown) to perform charging processing. The cable connection detection sensor 15 detects a charging cable connected to the charger 14. The charger 14 and the cable connection detection sensor 15 have wireless communication capabilities. The cable connection detection sensor 15 may be provided within the charger 14.

[0015] Each of the user terminals 20-1 to 20-n has an input unit 21, a display unit 22, a first communication unit 23, and a first CPU 24. The input unit 21 accepts various information input by the user. The display unit 22 displays information processed by the first CPU 24. The first communication unit 23 communicates with the parking lot management device 30. The first CPU 24 controls the input unit 21, the display unit 22, and the first communication unit 23.

[0016] The parking lot management device 30 has a second communication unit 31, a third communication unit 32, a fourth communication unit 33, a memory unit 34, and a second CPU 35. The second communication unit 31 communicates with the user terminals 20-1 to 20-n. The third communication unit 32 communicates with the operating mechanism 12 and the operation panel 13 in the mechanical parking lot 10 via a communication line. The fourth communication unit 33 communicates with the charger 14 and the cable connection detection sensor 15 in the mechanical parking lot 10 via wireless communication. The second communication unit 31 is also referred to as a terminal-side communication unit. The third communication unit 32 and the fourth communication unit 33 are also referred to as parking lot-side communication units.

[0017] The storage unit 34 has an entry information storage unit 341 and a charging reservation information storage unit 342. The entry information storage unit 341 stores identification information of a vehicle that has entered the mechanical parking lot 10, identification information of a pallet assigned to the vehicle, identification information of a shelf on which the vehicle is stored, etc. The charging reservation information storage unit 342 stores charging reservation information for the charger 14 in the mechanical parking lot 10. The charging reservation information storage unit 342 stores the charging reservation information in association with the identification information of the vehicle that has entered the mechanical parking lot 10.

[0018] The storage unit 34 stores in advance information about the user terminal carried by the vehicle user. Specifically, the vehicle user associates information about the user terminal with the vehicle's identification information and registers it in advance in the storage unit 34. This allows the parking lot management device 30 to obtain information about the user terminal based on the vehicle's identification information.

[0019] The second CPU 35 includes a storage information processing unit 351 , a cable connection information processing unit 352 , a charging reservation information processing unit 353 , and a notification processing unit 354 .

[0020] When the entry information processing unit 351 receives operation information related to the entry of a vehicle from the operation panel 13 of the mechanical parking lot 10 via the third communication unit 32, it determines the pallet 11 to be assigned to the vehicle and the shelf on which the vehicle will be stored. The entry information processing unit 351 then receives identification information for the entered vehicle, identification information for the pallet to be assigned to the vehicle, identification information for the shelf on which the vehicle will be stored, etc., and associates these pieces of information with each other and stores them in the entry information storage unit 341 as the entry information for the vehicle.

[0021] The cable connection information processing unit 352 acquires information indicating the detection status of the charging cable connected to the charger 14 from the cable connection detection sensor 15 of the mechanical parking lot 10. Specifically, the cable connection information processing unit 352 acquires information indicating whether the charging cable connected to the charger 14 installed on the pallet 11 has been detected from the cable connection detection sensor 15 installed on the pallet 11. The charging reservation information processing unit 353 acquires charging reservation information transmitted from the operation panel 13 of the mechanical parking lot 10 via the third communication unit 32 and stores the information in the charging reservation information storage unit 342. The charging reservation information processing unit 353 executes a process of confirming the charging reservation information stored in the charging reservation information storage unit 342 at predetermined time intervals. Details of the charging reservation information confirmation process will be described later. The notification processing unit 354 generates appropriate notification information based on the charging preparation confirmation process executed when the vehicle enters the parking lot or the charging reservation information confirmation process executed by the charging reservation information processing unit 353, and transmits the notification information to a corresponding user terminal among the user terminals 20-1 to 20-n via the second communication unit 31.

[0022] <Operation of Parking Lot Management System> The charging preparation confirmation process executed by the parking lot management device 30 of the parking lot management system 1 when the first electric vehicle C1 (see FIG. 1) enters the parking lot will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0023] First, when parking the first electric vehicle C1 in the mechanical parking lot 10, the user uses the operation panel 13 of the mechanical parking lot 10 to input operation information related to the entry of the vehicle, including the identification information of the first electric vehicle C1, to perform the entry operation. When the user performs the entry operation, the operation information is transmitted to the parking lot management device 30. In the parking lot management device 30, the operation information related to the entry of the vehicle transmitted from the operation panel 13 is acquired by the entry information processing unit 351 via the third communication unit 32. Note that the identification information of the first electric vehicle C1 includes information indicating that the first electric vehicle C1 is an electric vehicle. In addition, the user associates information related to the first user terminal 20-1 with the identification information of the first electric vehicle C1 and registers it in advance in the storage unit 34 of the parking lot management device 30. In the parking lot management device 30, information related to the first user terminal 20-1 is appropriately acquired based on the identification information of the first electric vehicle C1.

[0024] When the warehousing information processing unit 351 acquires operation information related to the warehousing of a vehicle, it identifies the pallet 11 on which the entered first electric vehicle C1 is loaded, and transmits a pallet movement instruction to the operation mechanism 12 to move the identified pallet 11 to a warehousing / return area (not shown). When the operation mechanism 12 receives the pallet movement instruction, it moves the identified pallet 11 to the warehousing / return area and opens the warehousing / return door (not shown).

[0025] The user brings the first electric vehicle C1 into the storage area through the opened entrance / exit door and stops the first electric vehicle C1 on the pallet 11 that has been moved to the storage / exit area. Then, the user connects the first electric vehicle C1 to the charger 14 on the pallet 11 with a charging cable, and then uses the operation panel 13 to input charging reservation information and door closing operation information in order to reserve the charging process for the parked first electric vehicle C1.

[0026] The charging reservation information and door closing operation information input by the user are transmitted from the operation panel 13 to the parking lot management device 30. In the parking lot management device 30, the charging reservation information related to the first electric vehicle C1 transmitted from the operation panel 13 is acquired by the charging reservation information processing unit 353 via the third communication unit 32, and is associated with the identification information of the first electric vehicle C1 acquired by the entrance information processing unit 351 and stored in the charging reservation information storage unit 342. In addition, in the parking lot management device 30, the door closing operation information transmitted from the operation panel 13 is acquired by the entrance information processing unit 351 via the third communication unit 32.

[0027] When the door close operation information is acquired by the storage information processing unit 351, the storage information processing unit 351 generates a door close instruction for the loading / unloading door and transmits it to the operation mechanism 12. When the operation mechanism 12 receives the door close instruction, it closes the loading / unloading door.

[0028] When the loading / unloading door is closed, the operation mechanism 12 transmits a door closing completion notification to the warehousing information processing unit 351. Upon receiving the door closing completion notification, the warehousing information processing unit 351 transmits a pallet movement instruction to the operation mechanism 12 to move the pallet 11 to a predetermined shelf in the mechanical parking lot 10. Upon receiving the pallet movement instruction, the operation mechanism 12 moves the pallet 11 to the predetermined shelf and stores the first electric vehicle C1 on the predetermined shelf. Furthermore, the warehousing information processing unit 351 associates the identification information of the entered first electric vehicle C1, the identification information of the pallet 11 on which the first electric vehicle C1 is loaded, and the identification information of the shelf on which the first electric vehicle C1 is stored, and stores this information in the warehousing information storage unit 341 as warehousing information for the first electric vehicle C1. Through the above series of operations, the warehousing process for the first electric vehicle C1 is completed.

[0029] When the entry process for the first electric vehicle C1 is completed (YES in step S1), the entry information processing unit 351 determines whether the entered vehicle is an electric vehicle based on the entry information (step S2). In this embodiment, the entry information processing unit 351 determines that the entered first electric vehicle C1 is an electric vehicle (YES in step S2).

[0030] When the entry information processing unit 351 determines that the entered first electric vehicle C1 is an electric vehicle, the cable connection information processing unit 352 identifies the cable connection detection sensor 15 installed on the pallet 11 based on the identification information of the pallet 11 associated with the identification information of the first electric vehicle C1. The cable connection information processing unit 352 transmits a detection status transmission instruction to the identified cable connection detection sensor 15 and acquires information from the identified cable connection detection sensor 15 indicating whether a charging cable connected to the charger 14 has been detected. The information includes, for example, a 1-bit value. In this case, upon receiving the detection status transmission instruction, the cable connection detection sensor 15 sets the 1-bit value included in the information to "1" if a charging cable connected to the charger 14 has been detected, and sets the 1-bit value included in the information to "0" if a charging cable connected to the charger 14 has not been detected. The information indicating whether a charging cable connected to the charger 14 has been detected is also referred to as information indicating whether the first electric vehicle C1 and the charger 14 are connected by a charging cable.

[0031] The cable connection information processing unit 352 determines whether the first electric vehicle C1 and the charger 14 are connected by a charging cable based on the acquired information and the warehousing information. Specifically, if the acquired information indicates that a charging cable connected to the charger 14 has not been detected, the cable connection information processing unit 352 determines that the first electric vehicle C1 and the charger 14 are not connected by a charging cable based on the identification information of the first electric vehicle C1 associated with the identification information of the pallet 11 on which the charger 14 is installed. On the other hand, if the acquired information indicates that a charging cable connected to the charger 14 has been detected, the cable connection information processing unit 352 determines that the first electric vehicle C1 and the charger 14 are connected by a charging cable based on the identification information of the first electric vehicle C1 associated with the identification information of the pallet 11 on which the charger 14 is installed.

[0032] If the cable connection information processing unit 352 determines that the cable connection detection sensor 15 does not detect a charging cable connected to the charger 14, i.e., if the first electric vehicle C1 and the charger 14 are not connected by a charging cable (NO in step S3), the notification processing unit 354 generates first notification information indicating that the first electric vehicle C1 and the charger 14 are not connected by a charging cable. After generating the first notification information, the notification processing unit 354 obtains information about the first user terminal 20-1 carried by the user of the first electric vehicle C1 from the storage unit 34 based on the identification information of the first electric vehicle C1 included in the parking information, and transmits the first notification information to the first user terminal 20-1 (step S4). In the first user terminal 20-1, the first notification information transmitted from the parking lot management device 30 is received by the first communication unit 23 and displayed on the display unit 22 under the control of the first CPU 24. By visually checking the information displayed on the display unit 22, the user can recognize that the charging cable has been forgotten to be connected and retry the connection.

[0033] On the other hand, if the cable connection information processing unit 352 determines that the cable connection detection sensor 15 has detected a charging cable connected to the charger 14, that is, if it determines that the first electric vehicle C1 and the charger 14 are connected by a charging cable (YES in step S3), the charging reservation information processing unit 353 determines whether a charging process for the first electric vehicle C1 has been reserved based on the charging reservation information stored in the charging reservation information storage unit 342 (step S5).

[0034] If the charging reservation information processing unit 353 determines that charging of the first electric vehicle C1 has not been reserved (NO in step S5), the notification processing unit 354 generates second notification information indicating that charging of the first electric vehicle C1 has not been reserved. After generating the second notification information, the notification processing unit 354 obtains information about the first user terminal 20-1 carried by the user of the first electric vehicle C1 from the storage unit 34 based on the identification information of the first electric vehicle C1 included in the entry information, and transmits the second notification information to the first user terminal 20-1 (step S6). In the first user terminal 20-1, the second notification information transmitted from the parking lot management device 30 is received by the first communication unit 23 and displayed on the display unit 22 under the control of the first CPU 24. By visually checking the information displayed on the display unit 22, the user can recognize that they have forgotten to make a reservation for charging and can make the reservation again.

[0035] On the other hand, if the charging reservation information processing unit 353 determines that charging of the first electric vehicle C1 has been reserved (YES in step S5), the notification processing unit 354 does not generate the second notification information and does not notify the first user terminal 20-1.

[0036] Next, the charging reservation information confirmation process executed at predetermined time intervals by the charging reservation information processing unit 353 of the parking lot management device 30 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0037] The charging reservation information processing unit 353 determines whether a predetermined timing for confirming the charging reservation has arrived. The timing for confirming the charging reservation is set, for example, every few hours, every half day, or every day.

[0038] When the charging reservation information processing unit 353 determines that the charging reservation confirmation timing has arrived (YES in step S11), it determines, based on the information stored in the entry information storage unit 341, whether any electric vehicle currently parked in the mechanical parking lot 10 has a habitual reservation date and time that falls within a first period from the current time. The habitual reservation date and time is a date and time at which the charger 14 for each electric vehicle is likely to be available, identified based on past usage of the charger 14, and is indicated, for example, by a time of day, a day of the week, or a combination of a day of the week and a time. The first period is, for example, a period of several hours, half a day, or a full day. For example, the charging reservation information processing unit 353 counts the number of times the charger 14 was used at the same time, the same day of the week, or the same combination of a day of the week and a time in the past. If the counted number of times for a specific time, a specific day of the week, or a specific combination of a day of the week and a time exceeds a predetermined number, it identifies the specific time, the specific day of the week, or the specific combination of a day of the week and a time as a date and time at which the charger 14 is likely to be available.

[0039] In this embodiment, the charging reservation information processing unit 353 identifies the second electric vehicle C2 as an electric vehicle whose habitual reservation date and time falls within a first period from the current time, from among the multiple electric vehicles currently parked in the mechanical parking lot 10 (YES in step S12). Furthermore, in this embodiment, before the charging reservation information confirmation process is performed, the registration of information related to the second user terminal 20-2 carried by the user of the second electric vehicle C2 and the parking process for the second electric vehicle C2 are completed.

[0040] Next, the charging reservation information processing unit 353 checks whether or not a charging process for the corresponding second electric vehicle C2 has been reserved, based on the information stored in the charging reservation information storage unit 342 (step S13).

[0041] If the charging reservation information processing unit 353 determines that charging of the second electric vehicle C2 has not been reserved (NO in step S13), the notification processing unit 354 generates third notification information indicating that charging of the second electric vehicle C2 has not been reserved. After generating the third notification information, the notification processing unit 354 obtains information about the second user terminal 20-2 carried by the user of the second electric vehicle C2 from the storage unit 34 based on the identification information of the second electric vehicle C2 included in the entry information, and transmits the third notification information to the second user terminal 20-2 (step S14). In the second user terminal 20-2, the third notification information transmitted from the parking lot management device 30 is received by the first communication unit 23 and displayed on the display unit 22 under the control of the first CPU 24. By visually checking the information displayed on the display unit 22, the user can recognize that they have forgotten to make a reservation for charging and can make the reservation again.

[0042] On the other hand, when the charging reservation information processing unit 353 determines that charging processing for the second electric vehicle C2 has been reserved (YES in step S13), the cable connection information processing unit 352 identifies the cable connection detection sensor 15 installed on the pallet 11 based on the identification information of the pallet 11 associated with the identification information of the second electric vehicle C2. The cable connection information processing unit 352 sends a detection status transmission instruction to the identified cable connection detection sensor 15, and acquires information from the cable connection detection sensor 15 indicating whether a charging cable connected to the charger 14 has been detected. Note that the information indicating whether a charging cable connected to the charger 14 has been detected is also referred to as information indicating whether the second electric vehicle C2 and the charger 14 are connected by a charging cable.

[0043] The cable connection information processing unit 352 determines whether the second electric vehicle C2 and the charger 14 are connected by a charging cable based on the acquired information and the warehousing information. Specifically, if the acquired information indicates that a charging cable connected to the charger 14 has not been detected, the cable connection information processing unit 352 determines that the second electric vehicle C2 and the charger 14 are not connected by a charging cable based on the identification information of the second electric vehicle C2 associated with the identification information of the pallet 11 on which the charger 14 is installed. On the other hand, if the acquired information indicates that a charging cable connected to the charger 14 has been detected, the cable connection information processing unit 352 determines that the second electric vehicle C2 and the charger 14 are connected by a charging cable based on the identification information of the second electric vehicle C2 associated with the identification information of the pallet 11 on which the charger 14 is installed.

[0044] If the cable connection information processing unit 352 determines that the cable connection detection sensor 15 does not detect a charging cable connected to the charger 14, i.e., if it determines that the second electric vehicle C2 and the charger 14 are not connected by a charging cable (NO in step S15), the notification processing unit 354 generates fourth notification information indicating that the second electric vehicle C2 and the charger 14 are not connected by a charging cable. After generating the fourth notification information, the notification processing unit 354 obtains information about the second user terminal 20-2 carried by the user of the second electric vehicle C2 from the memory unit 34 based on the identification information of the second electric vehicle C2 included in the entry information, and transmits the fourth notification information to the second user terminal 20-2 (step S16). In the second user terminal 20-2, the fourth notification information transmitted from the parking lot management device 30 is received by the first communication unit 23 and displayed on the display unit 22 under the control of the first CPU 24. By visually checking the information displayed on the display unit 22, the user can recognize that the charging cable has been left unconnected and can retry the connection.

[0045] On the other hand, if the cable connection information processing unit 352 determines that the cable connection detection sensor 15 has detected a charging cable connected to the charger 14, that is, if it determines that the second electric vehicle C2 and the charger 14 are connected by a charging cable (YES in step S15), the notification processing unit 354 does not generate the fourth notification information and does not notify the second user terminal 20-2.

[0046] According to the embodiment, it is possible to prevent a situation in which a charging process for an electric vehicle is not executed due to a user forgetting to connect the electric vehicle with a cable to a charger installed in a mechanical parking lot, and it is also possible to prevent a situation in which a charging process for a vehicle is not executed due to a user forgetting to reserve a charging process.

[0047] In the above embodiment, a case has been described in which a user makes a reservation for charging the electric vehicle when the electric vehicle is parked in the mechanical parking lot 10, but this is not limiting. The user may use a user terminal to make a reservation for charging to the parking lot management device. In this case, the user may make a reservation for charging in advance before parking the electric vehicle.

[0048] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the embodiments can be modified or varied based on the above disclosure. All components of the above embodiments and all features described in the claims may be individually extracted and combined as long as they are not mutually inconsistent.

Claims

1. When it detects that a first electric vehicle has entered the parking lot, a cable connection information processing unit acquires information indicating whether or not the first electric vehicle and a charger installed in the parking lot are connected by a charging cable. If the cable connection information processing unit determines, based on the acquired information, that the first electric vehicle and the charger are not connected by a charging cable, the notification processing unit transmits first notification information to the first user terminal held by the user of the first electric vehicle, indicating that the first electric vehicle and the charger are not connected by a charging cable. When the cable connection information processing unit determines, based on the acquired information, that the first electric vehicle and the charger are connected by a charging cable, the charging reservation information processing unit determines whether or not a charging process for the first electric vehicle is reserved. Equipped with, When the charging reservation information processing unit determines that no charging process is reserved for the first electric vehicle, the notification processing unit transmits a second notification to the first user terminal indicating that no charging process is reserved for the first electric vehicle. The charging reservation information processing unit identifies a second electric vehicle from among multiple electric vehicles parked in the parking lot that is highly likely to use the charger within a first period starting from the current time, based on the past usage status of the charger, and determines for each second period whether or not a charging process for the second electric vehicle is reserved within the first period. Parking management device, wherein the notification processing unit transmits a third notification to a second user terminal held by the user of the second electric vehicle, indicating that no charging process is scheduled for the second electric vehicle, when the charging reservation information processing unit determines that no charging process is scheduled for the second electric vehicle within the first period.

2. When the charging reservation information processing unit determines that a charging process for the second electric vehicle is reserved within the first period, the cable connection information processing unit obtains information indicating whether the second electric vehicle and the charger are connected by a charging cable. The parking management device according to claim 1, wherein the notification processing unit, when the cable connection information processing unit determines, based on the information acquired, that the second electric vehicle and the charger are not connected by a charging cable, transmits a fourth notification to the second user terminal indicating that the second electric vehicle and the charger are not connected by a charging cable.

3. A parking management device for managing a mechanical parking lot having a plurality of pallets, When it detects that a first electric vehicle has entered the parking lot, a cable connection information processing unit acquires information indicating whether or not the first electric vehicle and a charger installed in the parking lot are connected by a charging cable. A parking management device for a mechanical parking garage, comprising: a notification processing unit that, when the cable connection information processing unit determines, based on the acquired information, that the first electric vehicle and the charger are not connected by a charging cable, transmits first notification information to a first user terminal held by the user of the first electric vehicle, indicating that the first electric vehicle and the charger are not connected by a charging cable.

4. The cable connection information processing unit, based on the acquired information, determines that the first electric vehicle and the charger are connected by a charging cable, and further comprises a charging reservation information processing unit that determines whether or not a charging process for the first electric vehicle is reserved, The parking management device for a mechanical parking lot according to claim 3, wherein the notification processing unit transmits a second notification to the first user terminal indicating that no charging process is reserved for the first electric vehicle when the charging reservation information processing unit determines that no charging process is reserved for the first electric vehicle.

5. When the parking management device detects that an electric vehicle has entered the parking lot, it acquires information indicating whether the electric vehicle and the charger installed in the parking lot are connected by a charging cable. A parking management method for a mechanical parking garage, wherein, when the parking management device determines, based on the acquired information, that the electric vehicle and the charger are not connected by a charging cable, it transmits notification information to a user terminal held by the user of the electric vehicle indicating that the electric vehicle and the charger are not connected by a charging cable.