Parking lot reservation system, information processing device, information processing method, and program

Abstract

An information processing device (100) comprises: a selection unit (102) that selects a parking lot having a parking space available for parking; a calculation unit (104) that calculates the degree of difficulty of driving to park in the parking space available for parking at the parking lot selected by the selection unit (102); and a presentation unit (106) that presents information with which the parking lot can be identified and the degree of difficulty.

Description

Parking lot reservation system, information processing device, information processing method, and recording medium

[0001] The present invention relates to a parking lot reservation system, an information processing device, an information processing method, and a recording medium.

[0002] An example of a system for managing reservations for hourly parking lots and the like is described in Patent Document 1. The parking lot guidance system in Patent Document 1 includes an information processing device that communicates with mobile communication terminals carried by users of vehicles parked in the parking lot. The information processing device collects location information from the mobile communication terminals multiple times, and each time it collects location information, it calculates the arrival time at which the user will arrive at the parking lot based on the location information and changes in the location information. The information processing device calculates the predicted arrival time at which the user will arrive at the parking lot using an average value of the calculated arrival times.

[0003] The parking lot management system of Patent Document 2 comprises a car stop control means for controlling the operation of the car stop device provided for each parking space, a reservation acceptance means for accepting reservations for parking spaces, a scheduled use time estimation means for estimating the scheduled time when the reserved vehicle will use the parking lot, and a parking space securing means for securing the reserved parking space. The car stop device control means is configured to operate the car stop device provided for the parking space secured by the parking space securing means when the scheduled time estimated by the scheduled use time estimation means arrives, thereby preventing vehicles from entering the parking space.

[0004] In the parking lot reservation system of Patent Document 3, a parking lot section device acquires an ID from an onboard device of an approaching user's vehicle, converts the user number, attaches it to an entry request, and sends it to a user management server. The user management server then associates the user's personal information with the user number and pre-registers it in a user information storage unit. It receives the entry request and forwards the request with the personal information associated with the user number to the parking lot management server. The parking lot management server then provides section vacancy status information to the user's mobile terminal, acquires section reservation information and registers it in the parking lot management information storage unit along with the reservation start time, instructs the section device to lock the section, and, when the entry request is received, instructs the section device to unlock the section if the reservation has been made using the personal information.

[0005] JP 2019-28564 A JP 2009-223721 A JP 2008-242555 A

[0006] The technology described in the above-mentioned patent documents aims to enable users to reserve parking spaces from their terminals or the like, thereby efficiently utilizing parking spaces. However, since the difficulty of driving to park in the parking space is not taken into consideration, there is a possibility that a parking space that does not suit the driver's driving skills may be reserved. Therefore, the technology described in the above-mentioned patent documents has the problem that parking takes time, which may lead to congestion in the parking lot and accidents in the parking lot.

[0007] In view of the above-mentioned problems, one example of the object of the present invention is to provide a parking lot reservation system, an information processing device, an information processing method, and a recording medium that improve convenience by taking into account the difficulty of parking.

[0008] According to one aspect of the present invention, an information processing device is provided, comprising: a selection means for selecting a parking lot having an available parking space; a calculation means for calculating the difficulty of driving to park in the available parking space in the parking lot selected by the selection means; and a presentation means for presenting information that can identify the parking lot and the difficulty level.

[0009] According to one aspect of the present invention, a parking reservation system is provided, comprising: an information processing device; and a user terminal, wherein the information processing device has: a selection means for selecting a parking lot with an available parking space; a calculation means for calculating the difficulty of driving to park in the available parking space in the selected parking lot; and a presentation means for displaying information that can identify the parking lot and the difficulty on a display means of the user terminal.

[0010] According to one aspect of the present invention, an information processing method is provided in which one or more computers select a parking lot with an available parking space, calculate the difficulty of driving to park in the available parking space in the selected parking lot, and present information that can identify the parking lot and the difficulty.

[0011] According to one aspect of the present invention, a computer-readable recording medium is provided that stores a program for causing a computer to execute the following: a selection process for selecting a parking lot with an available parking space; a calculation process for calculating the difficulty of driving to park in the available parking space in the parking lot selected in the selection process; and a presentation process for presenting information that can identify the parking lot and the difficulty level.

[0012] Another aspect of the present invention may be a program that causes at least one computer to execute the method of the above aspect, or a computer-readable recording medium on which such a program is recorded. This recording medium includes a non-transitory tangible medium. This computer program includes computer program code that, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform the information processing method on an information processing device.

[0013] Any combination of the above components, and any transformation of the present invention into a method, device, system, recording medium, computer program, etc., are also valid aspects of the present invention.

[0014] Furthermore, the various components of the present invention do not necessarily have to be independent entities, but may be formed as a single member by multiple components, one component may be formed from multiple components, one component may be part of another component, or part of one component may overlap with part of another component, etc.

[0015] Furthermore, although the method and computer program of the present invention describe a number of steps in a sequential order, the order in which the steps are described does not limit the order in which the steps are executed. Therefore, when implementing the method and computer program of the present invention, the order of the steps can be changed as long as it does not cause any problems in terms of the content.

[0016] Furthermore, the multiple steps of the method and computer program of the present invention are not limited to being executed at different times, and therefore, a step may occur while another step is being executed, or the execution timing of a step may partially or completely overlap with the execution timing of another step, etc.

[0017] According to one aspect of the present invention, a parking lot reservation system, an information processing device, an information processing method, and a recording medium are provided that improve convenience by taking into account the difficulty of parking.

[0018] 1 is a diagram showing an overview of an information processing device according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of operation of an information processing device according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram conceptually showing a system configuration of a parking lot reservation system according to an embodiment. FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of a computer that realizes an information processing device. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of operation of an application of the parking lot reservation system. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a screen that a presentation unit displays on a display of a user terminal. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of parking lot information. FIG. 8 is a functional block diagram showing an example of a logical configuration of an information processing device according to an embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed using a display mode determined by a presentation unit. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of a screen that a presentation unit displays on a display of a user terminal. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of operation of an information processing device according to an embodiment. FIG. 12 is a diagram conceptually showing a system configuration of a parking lot reservation system according to an embodiment.

[0019] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In all drawings, similar components are designated by similar reference numerals, and descriptions thereof will be omitted as appropriate. In addition, in the following drawings, configurations of parts that are not related to the essence of the present invention are omitted and are not shown.

[0020] In the embodiments, "acquisition" includes at least one of the following: a device going to retrieve data or information stored in another device or storage medium (active acquisition); and inputting data or information output from another device into the device (passive acquisition). Examples of active acquisition include making a request or inquiry to another device and receiving a response, and accessing and reading information from another device or storage medium. Examples of passive acquisition include receiving information that is distributed (or transmitted, push notification, etc.). Furthermore, "acquisition" may also mean selecting and acquiring data or information from received data or information, or selecting and receiving distributed data or information.

[0021] <Minimum Configuration Example> Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an overview of an information processing device 100 according to an embodiment. The information processing device 100 includes a selection unit 102, a calculation unit 104, and a presentation unit 106. The selection unit 102 selects a parking lot with an available parking space. The calculation unit 104 calculates the difficulty of driving to park in an available parking space in the parking lot selected by the selection unit 102. The presentation unit 106 presents information that can identify the parking lot and the difficulty level.

[0022] 2 is a flowchart showing an example of operation of the information processing device 100 according to the embodiment. The selection unit 102 selects a parking lot with an available parking space (step S101). The calculation unit 104 calculates the difficulty of driving to park in an available parking space in the parking lot selected in step S101 (step S103). The presentation unit 106 presents information that can identify the parking lot and the difficulty level (step S105).

[0023] In this information processing device 100, the selection unit 102 selects a parking lot with an available parking space. The calculation unit 104 calculates the difficulty of driving to park in an available parking space in the parking lot selected by the selection unit 102. The presentation unit 106 presents information that can identify the parking lot and the difficulty level. Thus, with this information processing device 100, the advantage of improving convenience by taking the difficulty level of parking into consideration is obtained.

[0024] A detailed example of the information processing device 100 will be described below.

[0025] (First embodiment) <System overview> Fig. 3 is a diagram conceptually showing the system configuration of a parking lot reservation system 1 according to an embodiment. The parking lot reservation system 1 includes an information processing device 100 that manages parking lots 10, and a user terminal 50 of a user U who uses the parking lots 10. The information processing device 100 and the user terminal 50 are connected via a communication network 3, for example.

[0026] The information processing device 100 is a computer such as a server computer. The information processing device 100 includes a storage device 120. The storage device 120 may be provided inside or outside the information processing device 100. In other words, the storage device 120 may be hardware that is integrated with the information processing device 100, or may be hardware that is separate from the information processing device 100.

[0027] The user terminal 50 is a terminal device operated by a user U who uses the services of the parking lot reservation system 1. The user terminal 50 is, for example, a computer 1000 such as a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or a personal computer. In another example, the user terminal 50 may be a computer such as a car navigation device of the vehicle 30 driven by the user U.

[0028] Possible scenarios for using the services of the parking lot reservation system 1 include reserving a parking lot by specifying a date and time in advance, and searching for a parking lot near a destination.

[0029] Possible methods for using the services of the parking lot reservation system 1 include, for example, installing and starting a predetermined application on the user terminal 50, or accessing a predetermined website using a browser, etc. In this embodiment, an example of using the service by starting an application will be described.

[0030] For example, in order to use the service, the user U must first complete procedures such as user registration and obtain account information. When using the service, the user U can log in to the parking lot reservation system 1 on the user terminal 50 using the account information. If authentication is successful, the user can use the service on the user terminal 50.

[0031] <Hardware Configuration Example> Fig. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of a computer 1000 that realizes the information processing device 100. The user terminal 50 in Fig. 3 is also realized by the computer 1000. The functions of the information processing device 100 may be shared and realized by the user terminal 50 (or the car navigation device and the information processing device 100). The functions of the image processing device 130 of an embodiment described below may also be shared and realized by the information processing device 100, the user terminal 50 (or the car navigation device and the image processing device 130).

[0032] The computer 1000 has a bus 1010 , a processor 1020 , a memory 1030 , a storage device 1040 , an input / output interface 1050 , and a network interface 1060 .

[0033] The bus 1010 is a data transmission path for transmitting and receiving data among the processor 1020, memory 1030, storage device 1040, input / output interface 1050, and network interface 1060. However, the method of connecting the processor 1020 and the like to each other is not limited to bus connection.

[0034] The processor 1020 is implemented by a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or the like.

[0035] The memory 1030 is a main storage device realized by a RAM (Random Access Memory) or the like.

[0036] The storage device 1040 is an auxiliary storage device realized by a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), a memory card, a read-only memory (ROM), or the like. The storage device 1040 stores program modules that realize each function of the information processing device 100 (e.g., the selection unit 102, the calculation unit 104, the presentation unit 106, and the determination unit 108 described later). The processor 1020 loads each of these program modules into the memory 1030 and executes them, thereby realizing each function corresponding to the program module. The storage device 1040 may also store each data of the storage device 120 of the information processing device 100 or the storage device 140 of the image processing device 130 described later.

[0037] The program module may be recorded on a recording medium. The recording medium on which the program module is recorded may include a non-transitory, tangible medium usable by the computer 1000, and the program code readable by the computer 1000 (processor 1020) may be embedded in the medium.

[0038] The input / output interface 1050 is an interface for connecting the computer 1000 with various input / output devices. The input / output interface 1050 also functions as a communication interface for performing short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) and NFC (Near Field Communication).

[0039] The network interface 1060 is an interface for connecting the computer 1000 to the communication network 3. This communication network 3 is, for example, a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN). The network interface 1060 may be connected to the communication network 3 wirelessly or by wire.

[0040] The computer 1000 is connected to necessary devices (for example, a display, an operation unit, a touch panel, a camera, a speaker, a microphone, etc., not shown) via the input / output interface 1050 or the network interface 1060 .

[0041] The components of the information processing device 100 of each embodiment shown in Figure 1 and Figure 9 described below are realized by any combination of hardware and software of the computer 1000 of Figure 4. Those skilled in the art will understand that there are various variations in the realization method and device. The functional block diagram showing the information processing device 100 of each embodiment shows logical functional blocks rather than a hardware-based configuration.

[0042] <Overview of the Operation of the Application of the Parking Lot Reservation System 1> The parking lot reservation system 1 executes an application to enable the user U to use the service. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the application of the parking lot reservation system 1. For example, this flow starts when the application is launched on the user terminal 50.

[0043] First, by selecting a destination input menu in a parking lot reservation menu or the like, a destination input screen is displayed. The method for inputting the destination is not particularly limited. The information processing device 100 accepts the input of the destination by, for example, searching using at least one of a postal code, a telephone number, a name, an address, etc. (step S11).

[0044] When the information processing device 100 receives the input of the destination, it selects parking lots 10 with available parking spaces near the destination and displays them together with the difficulty level (step S13). In step S13, the information processing device 100 performs processing according to the procedure of the flowchart in FIG. 2 described above. Available parking spaces near the destination are, for example, parking lots 10 that exist within a predetermined range from the destination and that are not in use, i.e., are vacant parking spaces within the parking lots 10. For example, when a destination is selected using a car navigation device, the information processing device 100 may acquire the destination and select an available parking space.

[0045] In step S11, the information processing device 100 may also accept input of a reservation time (start time and end time of use) in addition to the destination. In this case, the fact that the parking space has not been reserved by another user during the reservation time is added to the selection conditions for an available parking space.

[0046] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen 300 that the presentation unit 106 displays on the display of the user terminal 50. The screen 300 includes an image element (e.g., an icon indicated by "P" in the figure) indicating the locations of parking lots 10 with available parking spaces, and a difficulty level indicator 302 that displays information indicating the difficulty level for each parking lot 10. The image element and the difficulty level indicator 302 are superimposed on a map. The screen 300 also includes an image element indicating the location of a destination, and a destination indicator 304 pointing to the destination. The image element indicating the location of the destination is highlighted, such as by hatching, to indicate the location of the destination. The image element and the destination indicator 304 are also superimposed on the map. In the example of FIG. 6, the difficulty level indicator 302 and the destination indicator 304 are shown in the shape of speech bubbles, but are not limited to this and various forms can be adopted, preferably forms that allow the association with the corresponding image element to be recognized.

[0047] In the example of FIG. 6 , the difficulty level indicator 302 indicates the level of difficulty using characters such as "Hard" indicating that parking is difficult and "Easy" indicating that parking is easy. The method of indicating the level of difficulty is not limited to this. In another example, the level of difficulty may be indicated in stages using symbols, pictograms, or the like. In yet another example, the level of difficulty may be indicated in stages using numerical values. For example, a level of difficulty may be indicated on a scale of 1 to 5, with the higher numerical value indicating more difficult parking. Conversely, the higher numerical value indicating easier parking. Alternatively, in yet another example, the level of difficulty may be indicated in stages using different colors. For example, red may indicate that parking is very difficult, yellow may indicate that parking is somewhat difficult, and green may indicate that parking is easy. Alternatively, in yet another example, the level of difficulty may be indicated in stages using different sizes of the difficulty level indicator 302. A larger size of the difficulty level indicator 302 may indicate that parking is easier. Conversely, a larger size of the difficulty level indicator 302 may indicate that parking is more difficult.

[0048] The information processing device 100 accepts the selection of the parking lot 10 to be reserved (step S15). For example, the information processing device 100 can accept the selection of the parking lot 10 to be reserved by accepting a user operation to press an icon representing the parking lot 10 on the screen 300.

[0049] When the reservation is accepted, the information processing device 100 performs a reservation process for a parking space in the parking lot 10 (step S17). The reservation process includes measures to prevent vehicles of other users from entering the reserved parking space. The measures to prevent vehicles of other users from entering (hereinafter referred to as "entry prevention measures") include, for example, control to activate a locking device (not shown) that uses a locking plate or the like to lock entering vehicles, thereby raising the locking plate.

[0050] The method for determining the timing to implement the intrusion prevention measures is exemplified below: For example, it is preferable to implement the intrusion prevention measures continuously for a predetermined period before and after the reserved time, including the reserved time.

[0051] Alternatively, the information processing device 100 preferably estimates the estimated time at which the vehicle 30 will arrive at the destination and continues to implement the entry prevention measures for a predetermined period of time before and after the estimated estimated arrival time. The information processing device 100 can calculate the distance between the vehicle 30 and the parking lot from location information acquired using a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiving function of the user U's user terminal 50 and location information of the reserved parking lot. The information processing device 100 can then calculate the estimated arrival time from the calculated distance. Alternatively, the information processing device 100 may cooperate with a car navigation system and acquire the estimated arrival time from the car navigation system.

[0052] The predetermined period before the reservation time or the scheduled arrival time is, for example, 15 minutes, 30 minutes, etc. before the reservation time or the scheduled arrival time. The predetermined period after the reservation time or the scheduled arrival time may include, for example, the usage time specified by the user U at the time of reservation (30 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours, etc.) or a predetermined time limit (for example, 2 hours, etc.). In this case, it is preferable to notify the user U in advance that there is a limit on parking time.

[0053] Furthermore, if the time until the reservation time or the estimated arrival time is equal to or longer than a predetermined time (for example, a certain time that may be the above-mentioned parking usage time limit) and there is another user who wishes to use the parking space during the period until the reservation time or the estimated arrival time, the information processing device 100 may temporarily cancel the entry prevention measure, allow the other user's vehicle to park, and then apply the entry prevention measure again after the other user's vehicle leaves the parking lot.

[0054] Furthermore, if the vehicle 30 of the user U who reserved the parking space does not arrive after a predetermined time has elapsed, the information processing device 100 may perform a process to cancel the reservation. The cancellation process also includes a process to cancel the reserved status on the screen 300. The cancellation process also includes a process to cancel the measure to prevent entry into the parking space.

[0055] Furthermore, in the reservation process, if the reserved parking space is the last available space in the parking lot, the information processing device 100 may instruct the bulletin board control device to change the display on the bulletin board for the parking lot to "full."

[0056] The information processing device 100 detects that the vehicle 30 has arrived at the parking lot 10 (step S19). Various detection methods are possible. For example, the information processing device 100 registers the license plate number of the vehicle 30 at the time of reservation, and identifies the license plate number of the vehicle 30 that has entered the parking lot 10 by performing image processing on an image captured by a camera installed at the entrance to the parking lot 10. When the license plate number of the reserved vehicle 30 is detected, the information processing device 100 detects that the reserved vehicle 30 has arrived at the parking lot 10.

[0057] Alternatively, the information processing device 100 may acquire location information of the user terminal 50 and detect that the vehicle 30 (user terminal 50) has arrived at the location of the parking lot 10. When the arrival of the vehicle 30 is detected, the information processing device 100 also performs processing to lower the lock plate that was locked in step S17 and release the lock.

[0058] The information processing device 100 further processes images captured by a camera installed in the parking lot 10 or a camera mounted on the vehicle 30 to identify the parking situation of the vehicle 30 (step S21). This processing will be described in detail in the following embodiment.

[0059] The above is an overview of the operation of the application of the parking lot reservation system 1.

[0060] <Example of Functional Configuration> Next, an example of the functional configuration of the information processing apparatus 100 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. The information processing apparatus 100 includes a selection unit 102, a calculation unit 104, and a presentation unit 106.

[0061] The selection unit 102 selects a parking lot 10 that has an available parking space. The selection unit 102 acquires information about the parking space for each parking lot 10. The information about the parking space may be, for example, information indicating whether parking is available for each parking space in the parking lot 10, or information indicating whether there is an available parking space for parking for each parking lot 10. The information about the parking space includes information that allows a parking space to be selected based on selection conditions described below.

[0062] The selection unit 102 selects a parking lot 10 that has an available parking space based on the acquired information about the parking space and further specifies whether the vehicle 30 can be parked based on the selection conditions.

[0063] The selection conditions that specify whether parking is possible include conditions related to at least one of time and space. Conditions related to time include whether the parking space is currently available or available at the reserved time. Conditions related to space include whether a space that fits the size of the vehicle 30 is available. In this case, the information about the parking space includes information indicating the availability of the parking space.

[0064] For example, the selection unit 102 acquires information indicating the activation and release states of the locking devices (e.g., information such as a control signal for the locking devices) from the control devices of the locking devices in the parking lot 10. Then, based on the acquired information, the selection unit 102 may identify parking spaces whose locking devices are unlocked as vacant. Alternatively, the information indicating the availability of parking spaces may be acquired by processing images captured by a camera installed in the parking lot 10, which will be described in an embodiment below, or a camera such as a drive recorder of another vehicle in the parking lot.

[0065] Furthermore, the selection unit 102 may identify the availability of parking spaces within the parking lot 10 by analyzing satellite images using an image processing device 130 (described later).

[0066] The time-related conditions may be selectable by the user U, or may be determined for each application or menu. For example, an application for searching for a parking space that is currently available and an application for reserving a parking space by specifying a date and time may be different applications. Alternatively, one application may include a menu for searching for a parking space that is currently available and a menu for reserving a parking space by specifying a date and time.

[0067] The size of the vehicle 30 used in the space-related conditions is identified based on information about the vehicle 30. As information about the vehicle 30, the user U may register the type (model) of the vehicle 30 in advance, or the model may be identified and registered by processing an image of the vehicle 30, as described below. The model and size of the vehicle 30 may be associated and stored in the storage device 120 as model information. Furthermore, the information about the parking space includes the size of the vehicle 30 that can be parked in the parking space. The selection unit 102 identifies the size of the vehicle 30 from the model of the vehicle 30, and selects a parking space that can accommodate the identified size of the vehicle 30.

[0068] The size of the vehicle 30 includes at least one of the vehicle size and vehicle height. The information about the parking spaces includes the size of the vehicle that can be parked in each parking space (vehicle width and vehicle height (in the case of a mechanical parking lot, etc.)). Furthermore, to prevent a situation in which the locking plate of the parking space hits the underside of the vehicle and the vehicle cannot be locked if the vehicle is low, or a situation in which the underside of the vehicle hits a step in front of the parking space, the information about the parking spaces may also include the vehicle height that can be parked in each parking space.

[0069] As described above, the selection conditions may include a condition that the parking space is within a predetermined distance from the destination. In this case, the information about the parking space includes location information of the parking lot 10 of the parking space. The selection unit 102 can select a parking lot 10 within a predetermined distance from the destination using location information of the parking lot 10 and location information of the destination. However, when searching for an immediately available parking lot as described above, instead of accepting input of the destination, the selection unit 102 may obtain the current location of the vehicle 30 and select a parking lot 10 within a predetermined distance from that location. The current location of the vehicle 30 may be obtained from the car navigation device of the vehicle 30, or location information obtained using the GPS receiving function of the user terminal 50 may be used.

[0070] Furthermore, the selection conditions may include conditions related to the sidewalk from the parking lot 10 to the destination. In this case, the information about the parking space may include, for example, information about the parking lot 10 of the parking space and the sidewalk to the destination. This information about the sidewalk includes at least one of the following: the distance of the route from the parking lot 10 to the destination, the presence or absence of a sidewalk, the width of the sidewalk, whether or not there is a crossing of the roadway, and whether or not there is a traffic light at the crossing point.

[0071] The sidewalk conditions may include, for example, at least one of the following: the distance of the route from the parking lot 10 to the destination is less than a predetermined value; there is a sidewalk; the width of the sidewalk is greater than a predetermined value; there is no crossing of the roadway; if there is a crossing of the roadway, there is a traffic light at the crossing point; etc. In other words, the sidewalk conditions preferably include a condition that allows the user to reach the destination from the parking lot 10 safely and conveniently.

[0072] The information about the sidewalks may be obtained from existing road information or road information compiled into a database in the parking lot reservation system 1, or may be obtained from a car navigation system.

[0073] Furthermore, the selection conditions may include the time required to walk from the parking lot 10 to the destination. In this case, the information about the parking space includes the time required to walk from the parking lot 10 of the parking space to the destination. Alternatively, the information about the parking space may include the distance of the route from the parking lot 10 of the parking space to the destination, and the selection unit 102 may calculate the time required to walk from the distance. The selection conditions may include the required time being within a predetermined value. Alternatively, when the selection unit 102 receives input of a desired arrival time from the user U, the selection unit 102 may select a parking lot 10 with the selection condition that the estimated arrival time, estimated from the required time, will be in time for the desired arrival time.

[0074] The calculation unit 104 calculates the difficulty of driving to park in an available parking space in the parking lot 10 selected by the selection unit 102.

[0075] The calculation unit 104 calculates the difficulty level using parameters indicating the attributes or conditions of at least one of the parking lot 10, the roadway accessing the parking lot 10, and the available parking spaces.

[0076] The parameters include at least one of the following various parameters: the width of the roadway, the number of intersections at which a vehicle must turn right or left before reaching the parking lot 10, whether the vehicle turns right or left when entering the parking lot 10 from the direction of travel toward the parking lot 10, the width of the entrance from the roadway to the parking lot 10, the number of entrances, how crowded the entrance is, whether a parking ticket needs to be obtained from a machine, whether the parking lot 10 has a gate at its entrance and exit, the size of the parking space, the layout of the parking space, the angle of entry into the parking space relative to the driving space within the parking lot 10, whether the parking space is parallel parking or not, the width of the driving space within the parking lot 10, the availability of space within the parking lot 10, and whether the parking lot 10 is a self-propelled or mechanical parking lot.

[0077] 7 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of parking lot information 200. For example, the parking lot information 200 stores, for each parking lot 10 or each parking space, identification information of the parking lot 10 or parking space (shown as a parking lot ID in the figure), the parking lot name, location information such as an address, and the various parameters described above in association with each other. The parking lot information 200 is stored in the storage device 120. However, the information included in the parking lot information 200 is not limited to these.

[0078] The calculation unit 104 may further calculate the difficulty level using information related to the driver's driving skill. Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example data structure of the driver information 210. The driver information 210 stores, for each user U, for example, identification information of the user U (hereinafter referred to as a user ID), information indicating the user U's driving skill, and the model of the user U's vehicle 30, all of which are associated with one another. The driver information 210 is stored in the storage device 120. However, the information included in the driver information 210 is not limited to these.

[0079] The information on the driver's driving skills is information indicating at least one of the skills that the driver is good at and the skills that the driver is not good at. The information on the driver's driving skills includes, for example, information indicating whether the driver is good at or bad at driving skills such as turning right, turning left, backing up, parallel parking, and turning around. The information on the driver's driving skills may be registered in the driver information 210 by having the user U select the driving skills that the user is good at or bad at using a predetermined setting menu. Alternatively, as will be described in an embodiment below, the driver's good and bad skills may be identified by processing images taken while driving.

[0080] The calculation unit 104 may calculate the difficulty level using the presence or absence of at least one of an automatic driving function and an automatic parking function of the vehicle 30 and the level of the automatic driving function. The function level of the vehicle 30 may be determined according to, for example, the presence or absence of a fully automatic driving function or a semi-automatic driving function, the presence or absence of a driving guide output (display, voice), the presence or absence of a voice navigation system, the presence or absence of an alarm sound output, etc. The vehicle model of the vehicle 30 and the presence or absence of various functions may be associated with each other and stored in the storage device 120 as vehicle model information.

[0081] The presentation unit 106 presents information that can be used to identify the parking lot 10 and the difficulty level thereof. Specifically, the presentation unit 106 displays information that can be used to identify the parking lot 10 and the difficulty level thereof on the display of the user terminal 50 of the user U.

[0082] The information that can identify the parking lot 10 includes image elements that indicate the location of the parking lot 10 that has an available parking space and are superimposed on a map, as exemplified in screen 300 of Fig. 6. Alternatively, the information that can identify the parking lot 10 may include information about the parking lot 10 that has an available parking space (at least some of the information such as the name of the parking lot, the address of the parking lot, the telephone number, and the URL (Uniform Resource Locator) of the homepage), as exemplified in screen 320 of Fig. 11 described later.

[0083] Furthermore, the information that can identify the parking lot 10 may include information that can identify an available parking space or section within the parking lot 10. The information that can identify an available parking space or section may include at least some of the identification information (such as a symbol or number) assigned to the parking space, location information on a map that indicates the parking space or section within the parking lot 10, etc.

[0084] The calculation unit 104 may calculate the difficulty level using information indicating at least one of the type (model) and size of the vehicle 30. The information indicating at least one of the type (model) and size of the vehicle 30 corresponds to the information about the vehicle 30 described above.

[0085] The calculation unit 104 may calculate the difficulty level using information about the ease of driving of the vehicle to be parked. The information about the ease of driving includes information indicating whether the vehicle is familiar to the driver, whether it is a rental car, whether the steering wheel is left-hand or right-hand, the size of the vehicle body, the vehicle height, the height of the driver's seat, etc.

[0086] <Operation Example> An operation example of the information processing apparatus 100 according to the embodiment will now be described with reference to Fig. 2. As described above, the flow in this figure corresponds to the process of step S13 in the application processing procedure in Fig. 5.

[0087] The selection unit 102 selects parking lots 10 that have available parking spaces (step S101). For example, the selection unit 102 selects parking lots 10 that are within a predetermined distance from the destination selected by the user U. The selection unit 102 further narrows down the selected parking lots 10 to parking lots 10 that have available parking spaces. From the narrowed-down parking lots 10, the selection unit 102 selects parking lots 10 that satisfy the selection conditions (parking lots 10 that have parking spaces).

[0088] The calculation unit 104 calculates the difficulty of driving to park in an available parking space in the parking lot 10 selected by the selection unit 102 (step S103). The calculation unit 104 acquires information indicating the driver's driving skill level, the type of vehicle 30, the parking lot 10, the roadway accessing the parking lot 10, and the attributes and status of the available parking space, and calculates the difficulty using the acquired information and parameters.

[0089] The presentation unit 106 presents information that can identify the parking lot 10 and the difficulty level thereof (step S105). For example, the presentation unit 106 displays the screen 300 of FIG.

[0090] When the user U presses, for example, the icon of the parking lot 10 for which the user U wishes to reserve on the screen 300, the information processing device 100 accepts the selection of the parking lot 10 to be reserved (step S15) in step S15 of Fig. 5. Upon accepting the reservation, the information processing device 100 performs a reservation process for a parking space in the parking lot 10 (step S17). On the screen 300, an image element indicating that the reservation of the parking lot 10 selected by the user U has been completed, i.e., a reserved status, may be superimposed on the position indicating the parking lot 10 selected by the user U.

[0091] As described above, according to this embodiment, the information processing device 100 includes a selection unit 102, a calculation unit 104, and a presentation unit 106. The selection unit 102 selects a parking lot 10 that has an available parking space. The calculation unit 104 calculates the difficulty of driving to park in an available parking space in the selected parking lot 10. The presentation unit 106 presents information that can identify the parking lot 10 and the level of difficulty. This information processing device 100 can improve convenience by taking into account the difficulty of parking. Furthermore, according to this embodiment, presenting the difficulty of available parking spaces can reduce congestion in the parking lot 10 and prevent accidents in the parking lot 10.

[0092] Furthermore, in this embodiment, even when traveling or in an area that the user does not usually visit and does not know the location or condition of nearby parking lots, the presentation unit 106 presents the location of available parking spaces and the difficulty of parking, allowing the user to understand the situation and use the parking lot 10. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the selection unit 102 selects a parking lot 10 with available parking spaces, and the presentation unit 106 presents the available parking spaces in real time. Therefore, compared to a case where the user only checks the location of the parking lot 10 and then heads to the parking lot 10, this embodiment can prevent a situation where the parking lot 10 is full when the user arrives. Furthermore, since there is no need to go through the trouble of searching for the parking lot 10 again, which occurs when the parking lot 10 is full, this embodiment allows the user to arrive at the destination smoothly.

[0093] Furthermore, the selection unit 102 selects the parking lot 10 taking into consideration the route from the parking lot 10 to the destination after parking, which is convenient for the user U and allows the user U to safely go from the parking lot 10 to the destination, leading to the prevention of traffic accidents.

[0094] Second Embodiment Fig. 9 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the logical configuration of an information processing device 100 according to an embodiment. This embodiment is similar to the above-described embodiment except that when multiple parking lots 10 are selected by the selection unit 102, a recommended order is determined and the display mode of the parking lots 10 is determined using the recommended order. Note that the configuration of this embodiment may be combined with at least one of the configurations of the other embodiments to the extent that no contradiction occurs.

[0095] <Example of functional configuration> In addition to the configuration in Fig. 1, the information processing device 100 further includes a determination unit 108. When multiple parking lots 10 are selected by the selection unit 102, the determination unit 108 determines a recommended order of the multiple parking lots 10 using the difficulty level of each parking lot 10. The presentation unit 106 determines a display mode of the parking lots 10 using the recommended order.

[0096] Furthermore, if the parking lot 10 selected by the selection unit 102 includes multiple parking spaces available for parking, the determination unit 108 may determine the order in which the multiple parking spaces are recommended.

[0097] 10 is a diagram showing an example of a screen 310 displayed using the display mode determined by the presentation unit 106. The screen 310 includes the same icons indicating the locations of parking lots 10 with available parking spaces, image elements indicating the locations of destinations, and a destination display 304 as the screen 300 in FIG.

[0098] The recommended order display 312 displays the recommended order determined by the determination unit 108. If there are multiple available parking spaces, the recommended order display 312 displays the identification information of each parking space along with the recommended order for each parking space. Alternatively, in this case, the recommended order display 312 may display only the identification information of the parking space with the highest recommended order in one parking lot 10 along with the recommended order.

[0099] Note that the screen 310 in FIG. 10 may further include the difficulty level display 302 of the screen 300 in FIG.

[0100] Furthermore, the presentation unit 106 may display a screen 320 of Fig. 11 on the display of the user terminal 50. The screen 320 displays a list of information about the multiple parking lots 10 selected by the selection unit 102 in the order of recommendation determined by the determination unit 108. The list on the screen 320 of Fig. 11 includes, as an example, the parking lot name, difficulty level, address, etc. for each parking lot 10. The screens 300 and 320 may be displayed side by side on the display of the user terminal 50, or may be displayed by switching between them alternatively.

[0101] Furthermore, the determination unit 108 may further use information about the route to reach each parking lot selected by the selection unit 102 to determine the recommendation order.

[0102] Information about the route includes, for example, at least one of the following: distance, whether there is traffic congestion, estimated travel time (or estimated arrival time), difficulty of the route (for example, the difficulty increases if there are many lanes, traffic volume, number of bicycles, number of pedestrians, etc.), width of the roadway, proportion of large vehicles, whether there are sidewalks, whether there are bicycles on the roadway, etc.

[0103] <Operation Example> Fig. 12 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the information processing device 100 according to the embodiment. This flow includes steps S201 and S203 in addition to the flow of Fig. 2. After step S103 of Fig. 2, the determination unit 108 determines a recommended order of the multiple parking lots 10 selected by the selection unit 102 using the difficulty level of each parking lot 10 (step S201). Then, the presentation unit 106 determines a display mode for the parking lots 10 using the recommended order (step S203). After that, the presentation unit 106 presents the parking lots 10 and their difficulty levels (step S105).

[0104] As described above, the information processing device 100 of this embodiment further includes the determination unit 108. When multiple parking lots 10 are selected by the selection unit 102, the determination unit 108 determines the recommended order of the multiple parking lots 10 using the difficulty level of each parking lot 10. The presentation unit 106 determines the display mode of the parking lots 10 using the recommended order.

[0105] In this way, the information processing device 100 of this embodiment has the same effects as the above-described embodiment, and furthermore, the presentation unit 106 recommends and presents parking lots 10 that suit the driver's driving skills, allowing for smooth parking. Smooth parking also helps to alleviate traffic congestion in the parking lots 10 and around the destination.

[0106] (Third embodiment) Fig. 13 is a diagram conceptually illustrating the system configuration of a parking lot reservation system 1 according to an embodiment. This embodiment is similar to any of the above embodiments, except that it has a configuration in which the driving technique of the driver of the vehicle 30 is identified by processing images captured by a camera. This embodiment will be described based on the configuration of the first embodiment in Fig. 1, but the configuration of this embodiment may be combined with the configuration of the second embodiment in Fig. 9 to the extent that no contradiction occurs.

[0107] <System Overview> The parking lot reservation system 1 of this embodiment has a configuration similar to that of the parking lot reservation system 1 in Fig. 3, and further includes cameras 5a, 5b, and an image processing device 130. The camera 5a is a camera such as a drive recorder mounted on the vehicle 30. The camera 5b is a camera installed in the parking lot 10. The image processing device 130 processes images captured by the cameras 5a and 5b. The image processing device 130 may also process images captured using a camera (not shown) of the user terminal 50. Hereinafter, unless there is a need to particularly distinguish between the cameras 5a, 5b, and the camera of the user terminal 50, they will be simply referred to as cameras 5.

[0108] The camera 5 includes an imaging element such as a lens and a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) image sensor, and is, for example, a network camera such as an IP (Internet Protocol) camera. The network camera has, for example, a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) communication function and is connected to the image processing device 130 via the communication network 3, i.e., a relay device (not shown) such as a router. These cameras 5 may include a mechanism for controlling the orientation of the camera body and lens, zooming, focusing, etc., in accordance with the movement of the vehicle 30.

[0109] The images generated by the camera 5 are preferably taken in real time and transmitted to the image processing device 130. However, the images transmitted to the image processing device 130 do not have to be transmitted directly from the camera 5, but may be images delayed by a predetermined time. The images captured by the camera 5 may be temporarily stored in another storage device, and the image processing device 130 may read them out from the storage device sequentially or at predetermined intervals. Furthermore, the images transmitted to the image processing device 130 are preferably moving images, but may also be frame images captured at predetermined intervals or still images.

[0110] The image processing device 130 includes a storage device 140. The storage device 140 may be provided inside or outside the image processing device 130. In other words, the storage device 140 may be hardware that is integrated with the image processing device 130, or may be hardware that is separate from the image processing device 130.

[0111] <Functional Configuration Example> The information processing apparatus 100 has a configuration similar to that of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, and therefore, a functional configuration example of the information processing apparatus 100 of the embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG.

[0112] The image processing device 130 processes an image of the vehicle 30 to identify at least one of the type and size of the vehicle 30. The selection unit 102 selects a parking lot 10 having an available parking space using information indicating at least one of the type (model) and size of the identified vehicle 30. The calculation unit 104 calculates the difficulty level using information indicating at least one of the type (model) and size of the identified vehicle 30.

[0113] The calculation unit 104 uses the driving history information of the driver to identify the driving skills that the driver is good and bad at, and identifies information about the driving skills.

[0114] The calculation unit 104 identifies the driver's weak and strong driving techniques by having the image processing device 130 process images captured by the camera 5 of the driver driving in a parking space in the parking lot 10. The image processing device 130 identifies, for example, the time taken to park and the number of turns required for parking through image processing. If at least one of the time taken to park and the number of turns required for parking exceeds a respective first threshold, the calculation unit 104 may identify that the driver is weak at parking in a parking space having the characteristics of that parking space. Alternatively, if at least one of the time taken to park and the number of turns required for parking is below a respective second threshold, the calculation unit 104 may identify that the driver is strong at parking in a parking space having the characteristics of that parking space.

[0115] The characteristics of the parking space are stored as parking space information for each parking space in the storage device 120. The parking space information may be the same as the information indicating the parameters used to calculate the difficulty level of the parking space.

[0116] As in the above-described embodiment, the calculation unit 104 may calculate the difficulty level using information about the ease of driving of the vehicle to be parked. The information about the ease of driving includes information indicating whether the vehicle is familiar to the driver, whether it is a rental car, whether it is a left-hand drive or right-hand drive, etc., as well as information indicating the size of the vehicle body, the vehicle height, the height of the driver's seat, etc.

[0117] By having the image processing device 130 process an image of the vehicle 30, the information processing device 100 may read information on the license plate and determine whether the vehicle 30 is a rental car or not, and whether the driver owns the vehicle 30. As will be described later, the information processing device 100 may specify information about the vehicle 30, such as whether the steering wheel is left-hand or right-hand, the size of the vehicle body, the vehicle height, and the height of the driver's seat, by having the image processing device 130 process an image of the vehicle 30.

[0118] The information about the vehicle 30 is not only used by the calculation unit 104 to calculate the difficulty level, but also can be used by the selection unit 102 to select a parking space, as described above. The information about the vehicle 30 can be identified from the model of the vehicle 30 input by the user U, or can be identified using an image of the vehicle 30.

[0119] For example, the user U may input the vehicle type through an application setting menu, etc., and based on the accepted vehicle type, the information processing device 100 may obtain information about the vehicle 30 from existing vehicle information or vehicle information databased by the parking lot reservation system 1.

[0120] Alternatively, the information processing device 100 may acquire information about the vehicle 30 by having the camera of the user terminal 50 capture an image of the vehicle 30 using a vehicle model registration menu of the application or the like, and having the image processing device 130 process the captured image. The information processing device 100 can acquire information about the vehicle 30 by using the image processing results to identify the vehicle model of the vehicle 30, or the size of the vehicle body, vehicle height, height of the driver's seat, etc. For example, the vehicle model registration menu outputs guidance to the user U to capture images of the vehicle 30 from four directions: front, back, left, and right. The user U can capture images of the vehicle 30 by following the guidance.

[0121] Alternatively, the information processing device 100 may obtain information about the vehicle 30 by having the image processing device 130 process images captured by a camera 5 b installed in the parking lot 10 .

[0122] The information processing device 100 may identify the vehicle height of the vehicle 30 using the size of the tires included in the captured image of the vehicle 30 .

[0123] The acquired information about the vehicle 30 may be stored in the storage device 120 in association with the user U's driver information 210.

[0124] As described above, according to this embodiment, the parking lot reservation system 1 includes the camera 5 and the image processing device 130 that processes the image captured by the camera 5. The image processing device 130 processes the image captured of the vehicle 30 to identify at least one of the type and size of the vehicle 30.

[0125] As described above, this embodiment not only achieves the same effects as the above-described embodiment, but also provides the following effects. According to this embodiment, the vehicle model of the vehicle 30 can be identified by image processing, and the parking difficulty and available parking spaces can be identified. Therefore, this embodiment can avoid situations where the size of a parking space does not match the vehicle 30, making it impossible to park the vehicle 30, even in the case of a large vehicle 30 or a vehicle 30 with a high vehicle height. This allows for smooth parking, which is expected to alleviate traffic congestion around the parking lot.

[0126] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings, these are merely examples of the present invention, and various other configurations can also be adopted.

[0127] (Other Embodiments) The conditions for the selection unit 102 to select a parking lot 10 may further include weather information for the parking lot 10 or the area around the destination at the planned parking time, and conditions related to the sidewalk from the parking lot 10 to the destination. For example, if rain or snow is forecast, the selection unit 102 may set a selection condition to prioritize parking lots with a covered sidewalk to the destination. Alternatively, if rain or snow is forecast, the selection unit 102 may set a selection condition that the destination and the parking lot 10 are located in the same building.

[0128] Furthermore, the information processing device 100 may be configured to allow the user U to register whether or not they wish to use a parking space reserved for the disabled. If the user U wishes to use a parking space reserved for the disabled, the selection unit 102 selects a parking lot 10 that has an available parking space reserved for the disabled in accordance with the registration details. Furthermore, if the user U has not registered their desire to use a parking space reserved for the disabled, the selection unit 102 will not select the parking space even if it is available.

[0129] In addition, in the above embodiment, a configuration for accepting operations on a screen has been described as an input method for an operation menu in an application of the information processing device 100. However, from the viewpoint of enabling operations while driving, the information processing device 100 may also include a configuration for accepting operations by voice input. The information processing device 100 may accept input of the user U's voice from a microphone of the user terminal 50 and analyze and process the input voice, thereby accepting the operation content.

[0130] In addition, although the flowcharts used in the above description show multiple steps (processes) in a sequential order, the order of steps executed in each embodiment is not limited to the order shown. In each embodiment, the order of the steps shown in the drawings can be changed as long as it does not cause any problems in terms of content. Furthermore, the above-described embodiments can be combined as long as the content is not contradictory.

[0131] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Various modifications that can be understood by those skilled in the art can be made to the configuration and details of the present invention within the scope of the present invention. Note that, in the present invention, when information about a user (user U, driver, etc.) is acquired and used, this must be done lawfully.

[0132] Some or all of the above embodiments may be described as, but are not limited to, the following supplementary notes. 1. An information processing device comprising: a selection means for selecting a parking lot with an available parking space; a calculation means for calculating the difficulty of driving to park in the available parking space in the parking lot selected by the selection means; and a presentation means for presenting information that can identify the parking lot and the difficulty level. 2. The information processing device described in 1., further comprising: a determination means for, when multiple parking lots are selected by the selection means, determining a recommended order of the selected multiple parking lots using the difficulty level of each parking lot, and the presentation means determines a display mode of the parking lots using the recommended order. 3. The information processing device described in 2., wherein the determination means further determines the recommended order using information regarding routes to reach each parking lot selected by the selection means. 4. The information processing device described in any one of 1. to 3., wherein the calculation means calculates the difficulty level using parameters that indicate attributes or states of at least one of the parking lot, the roadway accessing the parking lot, and the available parking spaces. 5. In the information processing device described in any one of 1. to 5., the parameters include at least one of parameters indicating the width of the roadway, the number of intersections at which the driver must turn right or left before reaching the parking lot, whether the entry into the parking lot is a right turn or a left turn from the direction of travel toward the parking lot, the width of the entrance to the parking lot from the roadway, the number of entrances, the degree of congestion at the entrance, whether a parking ticket needs to be obtained from a machine, whether an entrance / exit to the parking lot has a gate, the size of the parking space, the layout of the parking space, the angle of entry into the parking space relative to the driving space within the parking lot, whether the parking space is parallel parking or not, the width of the driving space within the parking lot, the availability of space within the parking lot, and whether the parking lot is a self-driving or mechanical parking lot. 6. In the information processing device described in any one of 1. to 5., the calculation means calculates the difficulty level using information related to the driver's driving skill.7. An information processing device according to any one of items 1. to 6., wherein the calculation means uses driving history information of the driver to identify the driver's weak and strong driving skills and to identify information related to the driving skills. 8. An information processing device according to any one of items 1. to 7., wherein the calculation means calculates the difficulty level using the presence or absence of at least one of an automatic driving function and an automatic parking function of the vehicle. 9. An information processing device according to any one of items 1. to 8., wherein the calculation means calculates the difficulty level using information indicating at least one of the type and size of the vehicle. 10. An information processing device according to any one of items 1. to 9., wherein the calculation means calculates the difficulty level using information related to the ease of driving the vehicle to be parked.

[0133] 11. A parking lot reservation system comprising: an information processing device; and a user terminal, wherein the information processing device has: a selection means for selecting a parking lot with an available parking space; a calculation means for calculating the difficulty of driving to park in the available parking space in the selected parking lot; and a presentation means for displaying information capable of identifying the parking lot and the difficulty on a display means of the user terminal. 12. A parking lot reservation system according to 11., wherein the information processing device further comprises: a determination means for, when multiple parking lots are selected by the selection means, determining a recommended order of the selected multiple parking lots using the difficulty of each parking lot, and the presentation means of the information processing device determines the display mode of the parking lots using the recommended order. 13. A parking lot reservation system according to 12., wherein the determination means of the information processing device further determines the recommended order using information regarding the route to arrive at each of the parking lots selected by the selection means. 14. A parking lot reservation system according to 11. to 13. 15. The parking lot reservation system described in any one of 15. to 14., wherein the calculation means of the information processing device calculates the difficulty level using parameters indicating attributes or states of at least one of the parking lot, the roadway accessing the parking lot, and the available parking spaces. 15. The parking lot reservation system described in 14., wherein the parameters include at least one of parameters indicating the width of the roadway, the number of intersections at which to turn right or left before reaching the parking lot, whether to turn right or left when entering the parking lot from the direction of travel toward the parking lot, the width of the entrance to the parking lot from the roadway, the number of entrances, how crowded the entrance is, whether a parking ticket needs to be obtained from a machine, whether an entrance / exit to the parking lot has a gate, the size of the parking space, the layout of the parking space, the angle of approach to the parking space relative to the driving space within the parking lot, whether the parking space is parallel parking or not, the width of the driving space within the parking lot, the availability of space within the parking lot, and whether the parking lot is self-driving or mechanical.16. A parking lot reservation system according to any one of 11. to 15., wherein the calculation means of the information processing device calculates the difficulty level using the presence or absence of at least one of an automatic driving function and an automatic parking function of the vehicle. 17. A parking lot reservation system according to any one of 11. to 16., wherein the calculation means of the information processing device calculates the difficulty level using information related to the ease of driving of the vehicle to be parked. 18. A parking lot reservation system according to any one of 11. to 17., further comprising a camera and an image processing device that processes images captured by the camera, wherein the image processing device identifies at least one of the type and size of the vehicle by processing images captured by the camera. 19. A parking lot reservation system according to 18., wherein the calculation means of the information processing device calculates the difficulty level using information indicating at least one of the type and size of the vehicle identified by the image processing device. 20. A parking lot reservation system according to 18. or 19. 21. A parking lot reservation system described in any one of items 18. to 20., wherein the selection means of the information processing device selects a parking lot having an available parking space using information indicating at least one of the type and size of the vehicle identified by the image processing device. 21. A parking lot reservation system described in any one of items 18. to 20., wherein the image processing device identifies the driving skill of the driver by processing video of the driver driving in the parking space, and the calculation means of the information processing device calculates the difficulty level using information related to the driver's driving skill identified by the image processing device. 22. A parking lot reservation system described in item 21., wherein the calculation means of the information processing device uses driving history information of the driver to identify the driver's strong and weak driving skills and determine information related to the driving skill.

[0134] 23. An information processing method in which one or more computers select a parking lot with an available parking space, calculate the difficulty of driving to park in the available parking space in the selected parking lot, and present information that can identify the parking lot and the difficulty level. 24. The information processing method described in 23., in which when multiple parking lots are selected, the one or more computers further determine a recommended order of the selected parking lots using the difficulty level of each parking lot, and determine a display mode of the parking lots using the recommended order and present the difficulty level. 25. The information processing method described in 24., in which the one or more computers further determine the recommended order using information regarding the route to reach each selected parking lot. 26. The information processing method described in any one of 23. to 25., in which the one or more computers calculate the difficulty level using parameters that indicate attributes or states of at least one of the parking lot, the roadway accessing the parking lot, and the available parking spaces. 27. 26. 28. The information processing method described in any one of 23. to 27., wherein the parameters include at least one of parameters indicating the width of the roadway, the number of intersections at which a driver must turn right or left before reaching the parking lot, whether the entry into the parking lot is a right turn or a left turn from the direction of travel toward the parking lot, the width of the entrance to the parking lot from the roadway, the number of entrances, the degree of congestion at the entrance, whether a parking ticket needs to be obtained from a machine, whether an entrance / exit to the parking lot has a gate, the size of the parking space, the layout of the parking space, the angle of entry into the parking space relative to the driving space within the parking lot, whether the parking space is parallel parking or not, the width of the driving space within the parking lot, the vacancy status within the parking lot, and whether the parking lot is a self-driving or mechanical parking lot.29. The information processing method described in 28., wherein the one or more computers use driving history information of the driver to identify the driver's weak and strong driving skills and identify information related to the driving skills. 30. The information processing method described in any one of 23. to 29., wherein the one or more computers calculate the difficulty level using the presence or absence of at least one of an automatic driving function and an automatic parking function of the vehicle. 31. The information processing method described in any one of 23. to 30., wherein the one or more computers calculate the difficulty level using information indicating at least one of the type and size of the vehicle. 32. The information processing method described in any one of 23. to 31., wherein the one or more computers calculate the difficulty level using information related to the ease of driving the vehicle to be parked.

[0135] 33. A computer-readable recording medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute the following: a selection process for selecting a parking lot with an available parking space; a calculation process for calculating the difficulty of driving to park in the available parking space in the parking lot selected in the selection process; and a presentation process for presenting information that can identify the parking lot and the difficulty level. 34. A computer-readable recording medium storing a program for causing the computer to further execute, when multiple parking lots are selected in the selection process, a determination process for determining a recommended order of the selected multiple parking lots using the difficulty level of each parking lot, and for determining a display mode of the parking lots using the recommended order in the presentation process. 35. A computer-readable recording medium storing a program for causing the computer to further execute, in the determination process, information about the route to reach each parking lot selected in the selection process to determine the recommended order. 36. A computer-readable recording medium storing a program for the determination process 37. A computer-readable recording medium having stored thereon a program, wherein the calculation process calculates the difficulty level using parameters indicating attributes or states of at least one of the parking lot, the roadway accessing the parking lot, and the available parking spaces. 36. A computer-readable recording medium having stored thereon a program, wherein the parameters include at least one of the following parameters: the width of the roadway, the number of intersections at which a vehicle must turn right or left before reaching the parking lot, whether the vehicle must turn right or left when entering the parking lot from the direction of travel toward the parking lot, the width of the entrance to the parking lot from the roadway, the number of entrances, how crowded the entrance is, whether a parking ticket needs to be obtained from a machine, whether an entrance / exit to the parking lot has a gate, the size of the parking space, the layout of the parking space, the angle of entry into the parking space relative to the driving space within the parking lot, whether the parking space is parallel parking or not, the width of the driving space within the parking lot, the availability of parking spaces within the parking lot, and whether the parking lot is self-driving or mechanical.38. A computer-readable recording medium as set forth in any one of items 33. to 37., storing a program for calculating the difficulty level using information related to the driver's driving technique in the calculation process. 39. A computer-readable recording medium as set forth in item 38., storing a program for using driving history information of the driver to identify the driver's weak and strong driving techniques and to identify information related to the driving technique in the calculation process. 40. A computer-readable recording medium as set forth in any one of items 33. to 39., storing a program for calculating the difficulty level using the presence or absence of at least one of an automatic driving function and an automatic parking function of the vehicle. 41. A computer-readable recording medium as set forth in any one of items 33. to 40., storing a program for calculating the difficulty level using information indicating at least one of the type and size of the vehicle in the calculation process. 42. A computer-readable recording medium as set forth in item 33. to 41. 2. A computer-readable recording medium storing a program for calculating the difficulty level using information about the drivability of a vehicle to be parked in the calculation process.

[0136] 43. A program causing a computer to execute the following: a selection process for selecting a parking lot with an available parking space; a calculation process for calculating the difficulty of driving to park in the available parking space in the parking lot selected in the selection process; and a presentation process for presenting information that can identify the parking lot and the difficulty level. 44. The program described in 43., wherein when multiple parking lots are selected in the selection process, the computer further executes a determination process for determining a recommended order of the selected multiple parking lots using the difficulty level of each parking lot; and in the presentation process, the display mode of the parking lots is determined using the recommended order. 45. The program described in 44., wherein in the determination process, the recommended order is determined further using information about the route to reach each parking lot selected in the selection process. 46. The program described in any one of 43. to 45., wherein in the calculation process, the difficulty level is calculated using parameters that indicate attributes or states of at least one of the parking lot, the roadway accessing the parking lot, and the available parking space. 47. 46. 48. A program described in any one of 43. to 47., wherein the parameters include at least one of parameters indicating the width of the roadway, the number of intersections at which a vehicle must turn right or left before reaching the parking lot, whether the vehicle turns right or left when entering the parking lot from the direction of travel toward the parking lot, the width of the entrance to the parking lot from the roadway, the number of entrances, the degree of congestion at the entrance, whether a parking ticket needs to be obtained from a machine, whether an entrance / exit to the parking lot has a gate, the size of the parking space, the layout of the parking space, the angle of entry to the parking space relative to the driving space within the parking lot, whether the parking space is parallel parking or not, the width of the driving space within the parking lot, the availability of space within the parking lot, and whether the parking lot is a self-parking or mechanical parking lot.49. The program described in 48., wherein, in the calculation process, the driver's strong and weak driving skills are identified using driving history information of the driver, and information related to the driving skills is identified. 50. The program described in any one of 43. to 49., wherein, in the calculation process, the difficulty level is calculated using the presence or absence of at least one of an automatic driving function and an automatic parking function of the vehicle. 51. The program described in any one of 43. to 50., wherein, in the calculation process, the difficulty level is calculated using information indicating at least one of the type and size of the vehicle. 52. The program described in any one of 43. to 51., wherein, in the calculation process, the difficulty level is calculated using information related to the ease of driving the vehicle to be parked.

[0137] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Parking lot reservation system 3 Communication network 5, 5a, 5b Camera 10 Parking lot 30 Vehicle 50 User terminal 100 Information processing device 102 Selection unit 104 Calculation unit 106 Presentation unit 108 Decision unit 120 Storage device 130 Image processing device 140 Storage device 200 Parking lot information 210 Driver information 300 Screen 302 Difficulty level display 304 Destination display 310 Screen 312 Recommended order display 320 Screen 1000 Computer 1010 Bus 1020 Processor 1030 Memory 1040 Storage device 1050 Input / output interface 1060 Network interface

Claims

1. Selection means for selecting a parking lot having a parkable parking space; Calculation means for calculating the difficulty level of driving until parking in the parkable parking space of the parking lot selected by the selection means; An information processing apparatus comprising information capable of specifying the parking lot and presentation means for presenting the difficulty level thereof.

2. In the information processing apparatus according to claim 1, When a plurality of parking lots are selected by the selection means, further comprising determination means for determining a recommended order of the plurality of selected parking lots using the difficulty levels of the respective parking lots, The presentation means determines a display mode of the parking lot using the recommended order, an information processing apparatus.

3. In the information processing apparatus according to claim 2, The determination means further determines the recommended order using information regarding a route to each parking lot selected by the selection means, an information processing apparatus.

4. In the information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, The calculation means calculates the difficulty level using information regarding the driving skill of the driver, an information processing apparatus.

5. In the information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, The calculation means calculates the difficulty level using at least one of the automatic driving function and the automatic parking function of the vehicle, an information processing apparatus.

6. In the information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, The calculation means calculates the difficulty level using information regarding the ease of driving of the vehicle to be parked, an information processing apparatus.

7. In the information processing apparatus according to claim 4, The calculation means uses the driving history information of the driver to identify the driving skills that the driver is poor at and good at, and identifies information regarding the driving skills, an information processing apparatus.

8. An information processing apparatus and, A user terminal, and comprising, The information processing apparatus, Selection means for selecting a parking lot having a parkable parking space; Calculation means for calculating the difficulty level of driving until parking in the parkable parking space of the selected parking lot; An information capable of specifying the parking lot and presentation means for causing the display means of the user terminal to display the difficulty level thereof, a parking lot reservation system.

9. One or more computers, Select a parking lot having a parkable parking space, Calculate the difficulty level of driving until parking in the parkable parking space of the selected parking lot, An information processing method for presenting information capable of identifying the parking lot and its difficulty level.

10. On a computer, a selection process of selecting a parking lot having a parkable parking space, a calculation process of calculating the driving difficulty level until parking in the parkable parking space of the parking lot selected in the selection process, a presentation process of presenting information capable of identifying the parking lot and its difficulty level, a program for executing the above.